Chapter Seventeen: Mastery of the Five Paths

Hearing her daughter call out Shen Lian’s name, Madam Chen was quite bewildered.

Shen Ruoxi let out a low gasp. She watched in astonishment as Shen Lian passed through the wall without any hindrance, her face full of shock.

Madam Chen reached out to touch Shen Ruoxi’s forehead, which was still warm. “Don’t think about anything else right now,” she said. “Just rest well.”

Softly, Shen Ruoxi whispered, “Mother, I think I just saw Shen Lian.”

“You’re still a bit feverish, my child. Shen Lian is still confined in the courtyard by the eastern wing; he can’t come out, especially at this late hour.” Madam Chen assumed her daughter’s mind was clouded by illness and dismissed the vision as a feverish illusion.

While Madam Chen busied herself preparing a light porridge for Shen Ruoxi, Shen Lian drifted gently back to his own quarters.

He saw his body lying peacefully on the bed, breathing weakly, and immediately merged back into it.

Slowly opening his eyes, Shen Lian felt utterly exhausted, as if he might drift off into sleep at any moment.

He forced his eyes open, feeling the waves of fatigue emanating from his body, keenly aware of the difference between his current state and that before his soul had wandered. He made a careful comparison in his heart.

Then, answering his body’s call, he pulled the quilt over himself and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

By the time he woke, morning had already broken.

Shen Lian opened his door to find the sun high in the sky. He hadn’t slept this late in ages and felt a boundless energy coursing through him.

No sooner had he opened the door than a maid noticed and brought him hot water to wash up.

As Shen Lian cleaned himself with a warm towel, the maid stood by, observing him. She thought the young master looked increasingly ethereal, standing there with a face as fair as jade, his dark hair cascading down—he resembled a little immortal.

The maid blushed. If only, when Shen Lian married and had children, he wouldn’t dismiss the servants—how wonderful that would be.

Shen Lian was not a particularly warm person, but he never lost his temper. He was gentle, refined, and distant, yet could be admired both from afar and up close.

He was like the winter sun—never burning, but lofty and inspiring respect.

Shen Lian paid no mind to the maid’s quiet thoughts. To him, the world seemed more beautiful than before. It was as if mountains were no longer merely mountains, nor rivers simply rivers.

Every scene was lovely.

Every object, endearing.

Now, without needing his soul to leave his body, he could let his spirit energy flow freely, greatly enhancing his perception.

Yet, regrettably, he still couldn’t grasp how to wield his soul force to injure or defeat an enemy. Nor did he dare to let his soul wander recklessly to absorb the sun’s essence, the moon’s radiance, or the world’s mysterious energies, for fear of unforeseen disasters.

The Sword of Godslaying wielded by the man in the blue robe was something he was determined to obtain—for only then could he truly maximize his current advantage.

In the city of Qingzhou, the Shen family was the wealthiest and most powerful, but they weren’t alone in their riches.

The Shen family held the deeds to most of the city’s shops, and even many residential courtyards were once sold to their owners by the Shens. Any profitable business was either run by the Shen family or involved their investment.

But there was one trade, despite its enormous profits, in which the Shen family never meddled: the pawnshop business.

In Qingzhou, if you wished to pawn anything, you could only go to the Xu family’s pawnshop.

Throughout the entire Qingzhou Prefecture, no second household dared to compete in that arena.

Any monopoly brings immense profit, and the Xu family, though not as wealthy as the Shens, could never be underestimated.

Moreover, the Shen family would never make enemies of the Xu family, for the two were joined by marriage.

Shen Lian’s eldest uncle, Shen Qingshi, had married the daughter of the Xu family—Madam Xu, who was not particularly fond of Shen Lian.

The Xu family’s fortunes preceded those of the Shens, but never produced a patriarch as formidable as Shen Lian’s grandfather, so the Shens eventually surpassed them.

Fortunately, the late Master Xu was a man of foresight. He had helped the Shen patriarch many times and arranged the marriage between their families.

Regrettably, Master Xu died soon after the engagement was set, passing away before he could see his daughter wed into the Shen family, never knowing that the man he once aided would grow into the great tree that now sheltered all of Qingzhou.

Madam Xu’s inability to bear children had its reasons. After her father died, her brother Xu Hong—the current head of the family—became obsessed and began making sacrifices to an evil god, hoping to bring continued prosperity to the Xu family.

This evil god, known among the people as the Five-Pass Deity, was both a god of wealth and a demon.

The Five-Pass Deity was infamous for seducing married women and young maidens. After the Xu family began their worship, before Madam Xu was even married, she suffered at the hands of the five demons. Perhaps due to her frail constitution, she was left barren.

Now, though it was broad daylight, the inner quarters of the Xu family were eerily quiet, with not a soul to be seen near Lady Yan’s chambers. From within came frequent moans—sounds of pain and confusion.

Only when the ragged breathing faded to nearly nothing did a young man emerge from the bedroom, his hand resting on his sword, exuding an air of authority.

Had Shen Lian been present, he would have recognized this man instantly—it was the very evil spirit who had invaded Shen Ruoxi’s dreams.

After the young man left, Xu Hong entered through a side door, finding his wife Lady Yan lying on the bed, barely clinging to life. He was wracked with guilt, yet secretly relieved.

After the demon had sated its desires, there would be at least ten days or half a month, perhaps even a year, of peace.

One might ask why Xu Hong didn’t simply offer another young woman for the demon’s depravity. But this demon especially preferred beautiful wives or unmarried daughters from the household that worshipped it.

Since his sister’s marriage, Xu Hong had changed wives several times, each more beautiful than the last. Lady Yan was the youngest and most beloved, yet he dared not defy the Five-Pass Deity.

Lady Yan was stunning—her delicate, jade-like body now bore countless whip marks.

Xu Hong was filled with shame and guilt, but also a surge of lust. Without regard for Lady Yan’s ordeal, he forced himself on her again.

He only stopped when she finally fainted.

When Lady Yan awoke, she was overcome with humiliation and rage. She glared at Xu Hong with hatred, making him feel even more remorseful.

Sighing heavily, Xu Hong actually began to cry, slapping his own face with all his strength.

In the end, Lady Yan couldn’t bear to give up the wealth of the Xu family, and her heart softened. “Husband, please don’t be like this,” she said.

Only then did Xu Hong relent.

“Hadn’t he been gone for half a year? Why did he come again today?”

“You forget your dear sister—she coaxed the Shen family’s young lady into an outing, only to trick her into visiting that lewd temple for a ceremony. The demon saw her, and trouble followed.” Lady Yan, though weak, managed to give a rough account.

“Could it be he has his sights on Shen Ruoxi—and suffered a setback?” Xu Hong’s eyes gleamed.

He had suffered greatly from his own folly.

The Five-Pass Deity’s rampage in the Xu household was a family scandal, one Xu Hong would never allow to leak. The Shen family would never pry into their relatives’ secrets, and so, even after all these years, nothing had come to light.

And even if outsiders had caught wind of anything, who would dare carry such rumors to the ears of the Shen patriarch or Shen Qingshi and Shen Qingshan, seeking trouble for themselves?