Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 360 - 97: Am I Obedient? Shouldn’t I Be Praised?
Zhao Jincheng’s kneeling brought a truly earth-shattering shock.
Among the over a hundred guests in the inner hall, half of them instantly felt their eyeballs on the verge of popping out and rolling all over the place. Many even choked on their fine wine, moisturizing their alveoli.
Among these people were sect leaders, wealthy merchants, and renowned independent cultivators with awe-inspiring cultivation. Though all well-experienced and battle-hardened, the scene before them was beyond anyone’s imagination.
What on earth is going on here!?
One is disrespectfully old, seeking a husband for his granddaughter at a hundred-year-old birthday banquet, and expecting them to marry on the spot with just a few words, more skilled than a pimp in a red-light district!
The other is even worse. The moment he opens his mouth, he kneels on the ground, calling him grandpa with such familial affection, hungrier than a client who’s been deprived for too long!
These two truly seem like a match made in heaven!
Yet the crowd’s astonishment didn’t affect this pair destined by the heavens. Zhao Jincheng kneeled earnestly, looking sincerely at Shen Ruoshi.
Shen Ruoshi felt nothing unusual about Zhao Jincheng’s posture; with such an outstanding granddaughter, any worthy man should eagerly nod in agreement. Zhao Jincheng’s straightforward manner, without hesitation, was exemplary for men with resolve!
Thinking of this, Shen Ruoshi burst into laughter: "Good, good, since you agree, that’s excellent. I looked up an auspicious date: March 15th, the two of you shall marry in Shen City."
"Everything is at grandpa’s command!"
"Haha, good, good, good. You’ll marry on March 15th, and if you consummate the marriage that night, by next January, you’ll have children. A good thing indeed, children born in winter are usually more resilient and strong. So there’s no time to lose; since the date is set, you should promptly organize the process."
As he spoke, Shen Ruoshi turned his gaze towards his right-hand man, Shen Jinghai.
At this moment, Shen Jinghai was completely numb with shock.
Working diligently beside the City Lord for 20 years, Shen Jinghai should know Shen Ruoshi better than anyone, yet this was the first time Shen Jinghai suspected that the silver-haired cultivator before him might be some prankster wearing a human skin mask to scare him.
My esteemed City Lord can’t be this awful!
However, at the next moment, Shen Ruoshi’s brow furrowed, and his voice deepened: "Jinghai, didn’t you hear what I said?"
Shen Jinghai immediately snapped back, yes, the familiar Lord City Lord was back; that’s the spirit!
Since it’s really the City Lord himself, there’s nothing else to say; everything is carried out according to the City Lord’s will.
Even if it means destroying the world, it doesn’t matter.
"I’ll arrange the wedding right away!"
Shen Ruoshi nodded: "No need to make it too extravagant—Shen family’s children are not that vain or delicate."
"Understood!" Shen Jinghai nodded seriously, "Should the location still be here?"
"Here is perfectly fine."
"As for the betrothal gifts..."
"Be generous. Although Shen City isn’t as wealthy as Golden Jade City, we can’t let people belittle my granddaughter!"
"Understood, let’s set the budget at five hundred thousand spirit stones then."
In just a few exchanges, the two had begun discussing the betrothal gifts and wedding arrangements, completely ignoring that the surrounding guests’ thoughts were still stuck from a few minutes ago.
The inner hall seemed to have split into two parallel dimensions: Shen Ruoshi, Shen Jinghai, and Zhao Jincheng in one, and the others in another. The two sides ran parallel, never intersecting.
Meanwhile, Shen Qingming, involved in the matter, felt like she was caught in a rift in space-time, swept repeatedly by countless chaotic currents, driving her towards a mental breakdown.
What on earth are these people discussing!? Is that granddaughter to be married to a brick-faced man supposed to be her? Couldn’t be, could it?! Shen Yueying must have an illegitimate daughter in Cyan Cloud City!
In the next moment, Shen Qingming looked expectantly at Shen Yueying, hoping Aunt Yueying might help her out of this crisis.
However, Shen Yueying, faced with Shen Qingming’s earnest anticipation, simply turned away nonchalantly, lowered her head to eat, nodding slightly as if enjoying a wonderful taste or as if the entire conversation never occurred.
Shen Qingming was stunned for quite a while, suddenly feeling the humiliation of a naive girl being played by a scumbag. She thought bitterly her father was right to disdain her back then! This two-faced woman, changing expressions like constipation, is indeed unreliable!
But if Shen Yueying couldn’t be trusted, who else could help her here?
Looking around, Shen Qingming couldn’t even recognize a few faces! Even after studying earnestly in Cyan Cloud City and never letting up on gathering information since arriving in Shen City, most guests in the inner hall were still strangers! The few recognizable ones, like Shen Zicheng, all kept their eyes closed, portraying an air of detachment.
Shen Qingming felt both shame and anger. What kind of people are these?! Aren’t the people of Shen City supposed to be forthright and valiant, known for coming to the rescue? Here a beautiful 14-year-old girl is being forced into marriage, and you all don’t even bat an eye?!
No... this idea is ridiculous—having her marriage decided by others, not speaking up yet expecting strangers to intervene, is it not laughable? That’s right, blaming others for not helping when she hasn’t tried, isn’t such resignation what she despises most?
Realizing this, Shen Qingming calmed down, silently channeling her focus, dispersing the True Essence throughout her meridians and acupoints, entering a battle-ready state in no time.
Despite being at the peak of Wind-Rising Realm, despite her Immovable Tyrant Body still at the critical point, making her the lowest in the food chain at the birthday banquet, Shen Qingming at least had to show her firm stance.
This absurd marriage, even if Shen Ruoshi proposed it, would never happen!
At this moment, the conversation between Shen Ruoshi and Shen Jinghai was coming to an end.
"So, about Miss Qingming’s second child, can we set it for 2020?"
Shen Ruoshi nodded seriously: "That’s right, while she’s young and can learn quickly, she should get familiar with the process of childbirth. That way, when she has more children later, she’ll be more proficient. Start training around 15 years old, and by the golden age of 25, she can produce offspring with outstanding talent."
Hearing this, Shen Qingming felt as if the breath she had tried so hard to hold was about to be knocked out of her. She quickly interrupted: "Wait, have you asked for my opinion on my marriage!?"
This interruption was so abrupt in the inner hall that it instantly attracted everyone’s attention.
Of course, Shen Ruoshi and Shen Jinghai were no exception. The two city lords turned their heads, their expressions somewhat puzzled, as if Shen Qingming had asked a stupid question like whether tofu pudding should be sweet or savory.
Shen Ruoshi was silent for a moment, then said, "Of course, we didn’t ask for your opinion. You don’t even remember something as basic as this?"
Shen Qingming immediately became furious: "My marriage, and you don’t ask for my opinion!?"
Shen Ruoshi paused again, furrowed his brow, and asked, "Why should we ask for your opinion? Can you actually agree?"
Shen Qingming slammed the table and stood up: "Of course, I disagree!"
"Then why should I ask for your opinion?"
"You...?!" Shen Qingming’s rage met an unyielding barrier, instantly surging back in reverse, but in the next moment, an even more intense anger erupted.
"Dream on! If you expect to treat me as a plaything to be manipulated at will, as a bargaining chip for family alliances, then count me out! If you want the enmity to continue, then let it! If you have the guts, attack QingCyan Cloud yun City! If you have a grudge against my father, then challenge him to a life-and-death duel! Do you think you appear heroic by squeezing a little girl like dough?!"
This roar made the entire inner hall fall silent, and everyone looked at Shen Qingming with disbelief.
This was Shen City, the inner hall of the City Lord’s Mansion, the home of Shen Ruoshi, one of the world’s top cultivators! Here, apart from Shen Ruoshi himself, no other sound was needed! Even the clinking glasses at the birthday banquet were merely a backdrop for the host of this place.
And now, someone actually dared to directly confront Shen Ruoshi in this setting!
No one even remembers what happened to the last person who defied the city lord; over the years, the only thing people remember is that no one in Shen City dared to speak to the city lord like that!
Shen Qingming didn’t care. She wasn’t from Shen City, and this wasn’t her home. Her home was Shen Garden, QingCyan Cloud yun City. No matter how good Shen City was, it was a foreign land, and the king of a foreign land couldn’t control her!
After a long silence, Shen Ruoshi nodded: "You look just like her, just like your mother. Back then, it was here too, with the same tone, saying the exact same words, trampling my dignity as city lord and father to bits. It’s laughable; clearly a loss of face, yet that scene remains crystal clear in my memory."
As he spoke, Shen Ruoshi waved his fingers, and a long-haired woman appeared before him. As she manifested, Shen Qingming was shocked and murmured.
Mother...
Unexpectedly, she would see her mother here... although it was just a magical projection, the projection was exquisite and detailed, almost identical to the mother in her memory.
And then, the projection of Shen Yue’e began to speak hauntingly.
"Father, you’re daydreaming again. Using patriarchal authority to interfere with marriage freedom is ineffective against me. The authority of human society’s leaders is limited to the effective scope of social order. When an individual decides to depart from that society, all orders and laws become moot, and only the most primitive force remains effective. So, are you going to strike me? With your strength, the probability of killing me is one hundred percent; it is indeed a viable choice."
Upon hearing these words, Shen Qingming took a deep breath.
How were her tone and words anything alike!? Compared to her mother, she was nothing but a country bumpkin, a rustic thug!
However, before she could think more, Shen Ruoshi flicked his fingers again, and the projection shattered dramatically, leaving only the old man’s sigh.
"Back then, I let her leave the Shen Family, leave Shen City... As she said, when she was willing to sacrifice everything, apart from using force, I had no other way to stop her. But, to use force against my own daughter? I wouldn’t do such a thing. So in the end, I let her go, and I’ve regretted it to this day."
As Shen Ruoshi spoke, his silver hair suddenly turned black from the ends upward, his entire aura becoming overwhelmingly imposing, like a majestic and treacherous mountain, causing those around him to feel weak at the knees involuntarily.
Shen Qingming’s teeth chattered uncontrollably.
"I will not make the same mistake twice, even if it means using force, even if it means trampling on your free will, but I will never let my kin repeat the past and die from a meaningless love!"
Despair filled Shen Qingming’s heart because she could fully hear Shen Ruoshi’s seriousness, including the talk of the second child plan, which, no matter how absurd it sounded to others, was of utmost importance to him. He was serious!
And when such a person is serious, who can stop him?
In an instant, a person flashed through Shen Qingming’s mind.
It was neither Li Wanqing, who was closest, nor her father Li Fengyun, who once held a sword in Shen City.
Of course, it was that person, the one who rescued her from suffering... the master, the Celestial Divine Sword Spirit.
Ah Jiu, save me!
——
At the same time, Wang Jiu sat earnestly on the second floor, watching everything happening in the inner hall below, then focused on the heartfelt plea from his mount, Shen Qingming.
Remain here, do not move.
