Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 306 - 43: Shen Jinghai Feminization Project
"Shen Herong, this person, you could say he’s cold on the outside but warm-hearted inside, harboring dreams. If we put it less nicely... well, let’s not go there. In short, although he’s been scaring us with that scarred face in the Outer Courtyard for decades, his heart actually yearns for beauty like a young girl. I’ve seen under his cushions while passing by his nap spot, quite a stack of fashion magazines, all nearly falling apart from being read so much!"
In the room, Shen Ying was sipping tea and nibbling on exquisite pastries, with her eyes shining as she shared her "unique insights about her family" with the Li Family and others.
"The most outrageous time was during a public holiday. Our Outer Courtyard disciples were gathering with their parents, but during the break, he locked himself in his room claiming he was in seclusion cultivating. Yet, as I passed by, I didn’t sense any True Essence Fluctuation from a cultivator of the Rain Cover Realm. So, I sneaked a peek at the door and saw him designing a plastic surgery look for himself at the table! You know, the design was actually quite appealing!"
"Oh, and also, the Shen Family is always strict about progress at the Outer Courtyard. Sometimes, when our performance isn’t satisfactory, causing the Deputy City Lord to be displeased, the pressure on Shen Herong increases significantly. Then, I would hear him in quiet, deserted corners, mumbling about quitting or plastic surgery. It sounds serious!"
On the other side, Shen Qingming, Li Wanqing, and others were nibbling on their snacks, somewhat tormented by Shen Ying’s endless chatter.
"Regarding Shen Herong, that’s mostly it. Aside from him, let me think... Ah, yes, you know Shen Wuyong, right? You should know, he’s a few years younger than Brother Shen Qing, an exceptionally talented and focused object for the family to groom. Always the mature one since childhood, but in truth, he’s got a bit of a ’big sister complex’! During sparring sessions in the Outer Courtyard, he often paired with an older sister five years his senior. Of course, her cultivation was much higher and she always won. She had a serious personality and would hit without holding back, leaving him bruised black and blue. Later, Shen Herong thought sparring with such a wide gap was pointless and wanted to switch partners, but he stubbornly refused. The official reason was a man must rise where he falls, but actually, he was just smitten by her. Later, she got expelled from the Outer Courtyard due to a mistake, and got married within half a year. Wuyong was listless for several days! People thought he regretted not getting his revenge, but actually, he was heartbroken! I saw him practice confessing in a deserted corner! Oh my, he was just 12 years old then! I was shocked to hear this, never thought Shen family boys matured so early."
"Speaking of maturing early, you’ve all met the super mature Shen Feihong, right? This guy, actually, is quite meticulous! Usually, to live up to the family’s expectations and honor the heir title of Shen City, he pretends to be mature, insisting on acting 41 at just 14—although looks-wise, it’s really hard to differentiate. But he does have all the young people’s thoughts. I’ve seen him playing with a few birds under a tree before, and his face was almost lit up with ghostly shadows of smiles! Yet when his brother Shen Feihu approaches, he’d immediately pull a serious face and drive the birds away. Tsk tsk, he changes expression faster than flipping a book."
"Ah, yes, actually, Shen Feihu isn’t an ordinary person either. On the surface, he seems carefree, but actually..."
While speaking, Shen Ying had already emptied a teapot, but still hadn’t had enough of her talk, so she grabbed the teapot and headed to the kitchen: "Wait a minute, I’ll brew another pot and continue our chat."
After Shen Ying left, Shen Qingming, Li Chaolu, and others slumped in exhaustion.
"Oh my God! What kind of person is she?!"
"This Void Clarity Body is frightening! Listening to her stories gives me chills, is there any privacy left at all!?"
"Yeah, yeah, people made sure to find secluded places, but she saw it all, what kind of physique is this?!"
Wang Jiu praised, "See that? Even those with cultivation far above hers can’t notice a Void Clarity Body cultivator in stealth. That’s the best assassin talent."
"It’s clearly the best paparazzi talent!"
However, no matter how the Li Family members viewed this unique talent, it was undeniable that this gossipy talent was indeed helpful for their work.
As the saying goes, ’know yourself and know your enemy, thousands of battles, you’ll never be in peril’. They traveled all the way to Shen City to attempt to resolve the enmity between two families, but their understanding of Shen City, especially of the Shen Family, mostly remained in books. After arriving in Shen City, finding that Shen Ziyu’s letters were useless, they indeed felt like they were stumbling in the dark.
Especially after listening to Shen Ying’s gossip, they felt that their previous preparations could simply be thrown into the sewer.
While they spoke, Shen Ying came back holding a teapot, her face slightly less exuberant with a hint of apology as she smiled and nodded to everyone.
"Sorry, I haven’t chatted so freely in ages, got a bit carried away. But let’s get back on topic, shall we?"
Shen Ying poured tea for everyone again, subdued her smile, and spoke seriously: "Actually, from what I just said, you should have noticed a problem. The Shen Family people aren’t as unsophisticated as many outsiders think. In my opinion, most Shen Family members are very meticulous in thought. However, due to family tradition and this political-militaristic structure, they show a rugged and bold demeanor whether intentionally or unintentionally. This internal-external distortion often causes great distress for Shen Family members, leading them to develop strange hobbies as an outlet."
If someone had assessed the Shen Family like this before they came to Shen City, the group would have scoffed. The Shen Family’s reputation for toughness has stood the test of over two thousand years, its genuineness assured.
However, during their time in Shen City, their eyes were opened wide. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
For example, Shen Ziqiong’s themed village, Shen Zicheng’s Silver Frost Divine Sword, and the industrial and high-tech zones in Lingshan, clearly showed a very different side of the Shen Family.
"Actually, not just the Shen Family, Shen City as a whole is like that. Many say Shen City people are straightforward and martial, that’s true, but behind that straightforwardness, Shen City folks usually have another side. For instance, can you guess what the best-selling novel genre in Shen City is?"
Li Xinyu instinctively answered, "Military themes."
Shen Ying said, "Military themes are second, you know. The first is romance."
"..." Li Xinyu immediately showed a twisted expression as if his worldview had been shattered.
The three girls had anticipated this.
"That very famous romance novelist Three Lives Stone is from your Shen City, right?" Shen Qingming said, "In every book, a bunch of Li Family members always dies. It’s clearly a masterpiece from Shen City!"
Shen Ying covered her mouth and chuckled lightly, "Yes, that’s our Shen City’s representative writer, a product of the Shen Family’s policy of continuously resenting the Li Family over the past decades. But aside from the Li Family elements, Mr. Three Lives Stone’s works depict love sincerely and delicately, vividly portraying everyone involved in the romance, making them memorable. Such books always have explosive sales in Shen City; no military novel can compare. While people in Shen City usually talk mostly about military novels, they secretly buy romance novels the most. By the way, Shen City, as the hometown of Mr. Three Lives Stone, has a very large book lovers’ club. If you’re interested, you can check it out; their activities are said to be quite fun."
Of course, the group had no interest in mere romance novels and urged Shen Ying to get to the main point quickly.
"Stop beating around the bush, what exactly can you help us with?"
Shen Ying said, "Simply put, I think Shen Jinghai and Shen Yueying must have some weaknesses that can be exploited. For example, Shen Jinghai seems like a perfect Deputy City Lord to most people, but I believe he must have a hidden side contrary to his external image."
"Like what?"
Shen Ying chuckled twice, then lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "I suspect that Shen Jinghai is actually a woman."
"Pfft!" Shen Qingming couldn’t help but spray tea on the ground.
Shen Ying was a bit displeased, "Even if you don’t agree, you don’t have to reject me so strongly, do you?"
"No, I just couldn’t help it... How could you think he’s a woman!?"
Shen Ying said, "First is his appearance, I think we all have to admit that Shen Jinghai’s looks are extremely handsome, and handsome men usually have features leaning towards the softer side, right?"
The group studied Wang Jiu seriously and then nodded in agreement.
Shen Ying continued, "So from his appearance, Shen Jinghai already has the foundation to be a woman—someone like Brother Feihong absolutely couldn’t be. Secondly, Shen Jinghai has always presented himself with a male image. As Deputy City Lord, to reinforce authority, he combines his own features with wearing pure black robes and single-lens glasses, showcasing a scholarly and sinister trait. Although this trait isn’t typically masculine, it’s actually solidified his male image. But what if this was deliberate?"
"... Your hypothesis is too far-fetched, isn’t it?"
Shen Ying said, "Of course, there’s other evidence, like Shen Jinghai has never visited a public bathhouse over these years!"
Shen Qingming objected, "That might be because he’s not used to being naked in front of others? Especially since you Shen Family people have ’meticulous minds,’ there could be some special hobby like War Elephant. So, as a handsome man, for safety reasons, he should avoid public bathhouses."
Shen Ying added, "He doesn’t go to work for a few days every month!"
"Even livestock need rest! Just one day off per month isn’t enough to call it a period!"
Shen Ying said angrily, "I’m trying to help you! How can you be so uncooperative!?"
"..." Shen Qingming was rendered speechless by the retort, full of question marks.
