Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 344 - 81: A Father Full of Regret

Is there a way to foster feelings between Wang Jiu and Li Xinyu!?

This... is an incredible train of thought!

Hearing the Lord City Lord’s question, Shen Jinghai took a full two seconds before he felt time around him resumed its flow, and his brain started to function again.

And as his brain resumed normal functioning, the first question Shen Jinghai pondered was why the Lord City Lord would make such a request.

As a qualified right-hand man, merely listening to one’s superior is far from enough. One must learn to put oneself in the superior’s shoes to think through the issues, in order to execute commands seamlessly.

However, after thinking along this line for a long time, Shen Jinghai could only come to a helpless conclusion: it’s utterly incomprehensible! No matter how he thought about it, Shen Jinghai couldn’t understand the significance of fostering feelings between Wang Jiu and Li Xinyu.

Shen Jinghai never pretends to be capable of solving incomprehensible issues, but instead, directly asks about them.

"Lord City Lord, why make such arrangements?"

Shen Ruoshi glanced at his deputy and said, "You’re not long into a relationship and haven’t had a chance to have your own children, so it’s no wonder you’re asking this question."

Shen Jinghai cupped his hands: "I’m incompetent, after years of arranged meetings finally met a suitable partner. However, my wife has just had surgery and needs months of recuperation before she can conceive."

"Well, give her this to take," Shen Ruoshi said, reaching out a porcelain bottle from the armrest of the black throne, "It might help her body recover faster. You’re not young anymore; it’s time to continue your lineage."

After Shen Jinghai gratefully accepted the elixir pills, Shen Ruoshi continued, "If you have children, it won’t be hard to understand that as parents, you would do anything for your child. And the older you get, the more so. In youth, with boundless energy and curiosity, you wander the world seeking the Immortal Dao, finding endless wonders. Once you hit a century, no matter how I’ve extended my life, I can acutely feel vitality wane, energy decline. At this point, my thoughts turn more and more toward my children."

Shen Jinghai remained silent; he couldn’t relate to the City Lord’s sentiment. Back when he was exceptionally promoted by Shen Ruoshi from the outer city to the position of powerful Deputy City Lord, he vowed to dedicate his life to serving on this position, toiling tirelessly until death. With age, this determination grew firmer. Even his decade-long search for a partner wasn’t out of personal desire, but rather the hope of having an exceptional child whom he could nurture to continue serving the Lord City Lord. If the Lord City Lord passed, then serve his descendants.

So this concern and care for children was something Shen Jinghai couldn’t fully grasp. He could only listen carefully to this rare glimpse into the City Lord’s inner thoughts.

"About Yue’e, outsiders say I hold a grudge, anger unabated. But in truth, when I think of Yue’e, all I feel is heartache. That unique daughter of mine, although unwilling to be close to me since childhood, was still my daughter. At the prime of her youth, she left her home to perish alone in the remote backward Cyan Cloud City... Even after all these years, my heart still aches."

"In the past, I always thought I would never forgive the Li Family, no matter their reasons, they ultimately caused Yue’e’s death. And for killing my daughter, even if the Li Family were wiped out ten times over, it wouldn’t be enough. But perhaps it’s true that with age, one’s thoughts gradually change. In recent years, what I’ve been thinking is that the tragedy back then was not solely Li Fengyun’s responsibility. As Yue’e’s father, I bear inescapable blame."

At this, Shen Jinghai couldn’t help but interrupt, "Lord City Lord, there is no need to blame yourself; back then..."

Shen Ruoshi waved his hand: "No need to console me. I’ve come to terms with it over the years. If it weren’t for my excessive focus on cultivation and family affairs, neglecting my children’s care, Yue’e, with her intelligence and temperament, shouldn’t have died so young. If only I had earlier..."

At this, the silver-haired centenarian let out a sigh so pained that it made Shen Jinghai feel his heart clench.

"If only I had arranged her marriage earlier."

"...Hmm?"

Shen Ruoshi sighed again, "When Yue’e was 16, someone from Golden Jade City came to propose marriage. It was for City Lord Zhao Chenlu’s uncle, Zhao Hongshuang, who was considered a young talent at the time. Pity..."

Upon hearing the name Zhao Hongshuang, Shen Jinghai frowned slightly, recalling that name. He was the deputy leader of the Golden Armor Battle Team in Golden Jade City, who had reached the Mountain-Overturning Realm cultivation level by the age of 40, a leading figure on the Xiangzhou Continent. Moreover, he had very close ties with the currently illustrious City Lord Zhao Chenlu and was a prominent figure in Golden Jade City. In terms of power and position, even though he might slightly lag behind Patriarch Li of Cyan Cloud City, he was almost comparable... Yet back then, he proposed to Shen Yue’e? Why didn’t it go through?

With this thought, Shen Jinghai counted his fingers, Zhao Hongshuang, born in 1960, the year Yue’e was 16... He should have been around 28. Sure, he could be referred to as a young talent, but maybe the age difference was too large? Although typically, cultivators don’t fuss over age parity since the phenomenon of an old horse galloping like a colt is common, perhaps to the City Lord, an age gap close to double seemed a strain?

Shen Ruoshi said, "Back then I arranged for them to meet. Yue’e tested Zhao Hongshuang with ten questions, and since he answered only one right, Yue’e directly categorized him as a mild imbecile, not considering him further."

"..."

"That Yue’e, at her teens, was at her most rebellious stage. Even I could only answer three or four of those devilish questions, am I also an imbecile!?"

Of course, Shen Jinghai dared not respond; he was no imbecile.

Shen Ruoshi continued, "I didn’t take my children’s matters to heart back then. Yue’e said she wasn’t agreeable, so I couldn’t be bothered. I let the Zhao Family people have a few days of sightseeing in Shen City, then sent them back... Now I think, if only I had spent more effort back then to pair them together. Instead, letting go for a moment resulted in that girl being left unattended until she was twenty-seven or eight, encountering that devil Li Fengyun... Sigh, that girl, Yue’e, claimed that her husband needed to score at least six out of ten on those tests and would agree to be a concubine if someone could score all ten. But with Li Fengyun’s dull face and stupid demeanor, how could he score all ten?! Unless the girl got confused and leaked the test questions early!"

Cheating expert Shen Jinghai nodded thoughtfully.

"It seems that matters between men and women really have no strict standards. If you like someone, a failing grade is a full score. If you don’t like them, a full score is a fail. Back then, if I had thought of more ways to have Yue’e marry into Golden Jade City... Now she would probably be very happy, right? In Golden Jade City, women are in charge, and the status of female cultivators is much higher than in other places. Yue’e is so smart and outstanding that she would surely gain Zhao Chenlu’s appreciation. Zhao Chenlu is open-minded in employing people and especially likes to use women. With Yue’e’s abilities, how could she be inferior to Zhao Hongshuang?"

Listening to Shen Ruoshi’s analysis, Shen Jinghai also nodded in agreement.

Compared to dying in Cyan Cloud City, if Shen Yue’e could marry into Golden Jade City, it would indeed be much better... But speaking of this for so long, what does Shen Yue’e have to do with the initial problem?

Shen Ruoshi said, "That Wang Jiu is having a teacher-student romance with Qingming."

"...What?"

Shen Ruoshi glanced at Shen Jinghai again, then said, "Is a teacher-student romance hard to understand?"

"I’m just curious how Lord City Lord saw that they were in a teacher-student romance?"

Shen Ruoshi gave a cold snort: "I’ve... I’ve given birth to so many sons and daughters; can’t I recognize the look of love in girls’ eyes? That child Qingming is clearly trapped in it!"

Shen Jinghai bowed his head, keeping silent on this issue. Although in his view, there should be no ordinary romantic relationship between Wang Jiu and Shen Qingming, he really had no say in romance issues, at least not compared to Lord City Lord...

But even so, what’s wrong with a teacher-student romance? Is Lord City Lord dissatisfied with Wang Jiu?

"With that vulgar appearance, he clearly is no good! How can Qingming fall in love with such a character!? What happened to Yue’e must not be repeated!"

Shen Jinghai hurriedly nodded: "What Lord City Lord said is absolutely right."

Shen Ruoshi said, "If we had a suitable candidate for a grandson-in-law now, I would really want to arrange a marriage for Qingming and marry her off to ease my mind. But finding a man worthy of Qingming is not that easy... so we must first try to make Wang Jiu fall in love with someone else."

Shen Jinghai asked, "But choosing Li Xinyu as the target for his affections, isn’t that a bit..."

Shen Ruoshi asked, "What’s wrong with Li Xinyu? Fair and chubby with a round face, what’s not to like? Compared to that vulgar-looking Wang Jiu, who, despite having impressive cultivation, has no right to be picky about Li Xinyu."

"...Li Xinyu is a man, after all."

"So what if he’s a man?" Shen Ruoshi seemed puzzled, "What does affection have to do with gender?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Jinghai suddenly thought of his beloved wife Cai’Er, and a wave of emotions surged in his heart like a rolling tide...

"So, since you understand, go ahead and arrange it. Make sure they have a pleasant time together as much as possible."

"I... will prepare fine wines and delicacies in the private room, light some Enchanting Fragrance, and play the War Elephant promo on the water curtain projection."

"Hmm, very thoughtful, you can decide on these specific matters, no need to consult me."

Shen Jinghai hastily nodded, then said: "Lord City Lord, there’s one more thing. A Zhao Family envoy group arrived in Shen City recently. Here are their member profiles and a congratulatory letter written by City Lord Zhao himself."

"Good, leave it here; I’ll take a look later."

"Yes."

After Shen Jinghai took his leave, Shen Ruoshi’s mind was flooded with past memories, bringing forth a sigh.

Casually opening the dossier Shen Jinghai left behind, Shen Ruoshi felt his eyes light up just by glancing at the first page.

A standard, square, national-character face was imprinted in the photo section of the profile.

The representative from Golden Jade City to celebrate Shen Ruoshi’s birthday this time... Zhao Jincheng.