Cohabitation with Sword Spirit

Chapter 376 - 113: Now Comes the Moment to Witness a Miracle

March 8, 2018

As the battle at the south field of the city neared its end, the City Lord’s Mansion at Shen City Inner City witnessed a radical change.

A petite girl sat alone in her confinement room, reaching out to cover her chest, feeling her heartbeat becoming irregular, as if something bad was unfolding.

Shen Qingming wasn’t particularly confident about her own intuition.

Though many tales suggest women possess keen intuition, as a girl with underdeveloped secondary sexual characteristics and a worrying female index, Shen Qingming felt her intuition was as dubious as her feminine charm.

Throughout her life, she rarely had experience making accurate judgments based on intuition, the only noteworthy instance being last May at the market where she instinctively bought a whiteboard longsword, thus starting her rider journey... However, upon recalling the high blood pressure, insomnia, and manic issues caused by Wang Jiu this past year, Shen Qingming felt unsure whether that was a correct decision. If she further remembered certain details, like during the Cyan Cloud competition when she frequently morphed into Princess Qian Gu... The feeling became even more nuanced.

In her heart’s turmoil, the door suddenly opened, and Shen Qingming quickly turned her head, startled and even terrified to see a familiar face.

"Shen, Shen Ruoshi!?"

The visitor, clad in black and silver hair, commanded an imposing presence. It was the City Lord of Shen City, Shen Qingming’s grandfather.

Seeing him, the girl immediately became anxious—the troubles she faced now were largely instigated by Shen Ruoshi! His sudden emergence certainly didn’t herald any good news.

However, as if reading Shen Qingming’s thoughts, Shen Ruoshi slightly smirked and spoke: "I’m here to tell you some good news."

Pausing momentarily, Shen Ruoshi slightly furrowed his brow and addressed the pale girl: "Your marriage arrangement can finally be settled completely."

Shen Qingming didn’t respond, only felt her heart continuously sinking.

Indeed, she wasn’t particularly smart, but wasn’t as clumsy as Wang Jiu often thought. Upon hearing Shen Ruoshi’s words, she quickly guessed that the efforts of Shen Jinghai, Shen Yueying, and even Wang Jiu, Li Wanqing, among others, were likely to be in vain.

Because the foundation of the entire plan was pulled away.

The ambush battle in the mountains was something Shen Qingming knew well—the plan was to kill Zhao Jincheng to stop this absurd marriage, a very typical Wang Jiu approach. But undeniably, everything progressed smoothly until today, making Shen Qingming truly hopeful for victory.

But at this moment, Shen Ruoshi suddenly stormed in, extinguishing the faint light entirely.

The most critical part of the plan wasn’t whether Wang Jiu and the others could successfully kill Zhao Jincheng in the mountains. It was to keep Shen Ruoshi utterly unaware throughout the process; once he sensed even the slightest clue, the entire plan would collapse.

This part was left to the two Deputy City Lords to handle; only they possibly could delay Shen Ruoshi within Shen City.

But it now seemed those two had already failed.

Shen Ruoshi’s appearance signaled the end of everything.

Shen Qingming even had no doubt that this cold-hearted man might kill her instantly because of her defiance!

Suddenly, Shen Ruoshi sighed gently.

"Foolish child, how could I possibly lay a hand on my own granddaughter?"

The girl’s eyes widened, realizing he could read her mind!

"Yes, because you young ladies are best at saying one thing but meaning another, secretly loving someone desperately yet stubbornly refusing to admit it. If I couldn’t directly perceive your thoughts, I’d never understand what you truly think."

Hearing this, Shen Qingming trembled and spoke: "Then you understand, I absolutely won’t marry Zhao Jincheng! It’s definitely not a matter of saying one thing but meaning another!"

"I know." Shen Ruoshi nodded, "I knew since the birthday banquet that you genuinely dislike him."

"Then why are you still forcing me to marry him!?" Shen Qingming asked angrily, "Continuously claiming it’s for my good!"

"I’m doing it for your good!" Shen Ruoshi abruptly retorted, "But precisely because I want the best for you, I cannot let you recklessly follow your whims!"

Shen Qingming retorted angrily: "Recklessly follow my whims!? Well said, I am indeed doing that! When I was in Cyan Cloud City, there were already warnings that Shen City people don’t reason, my attempt at reconciling the decades-old feud was futile, yet foolishly I thought I could resolve it. Now it seems I’ve been utterly naive!"

"Indeed, utterly naive! The deeds Li Fengyun committed back then can’t be easily erased!? Qingming, you don’t even know what happened back then! You’re brainwashed by Cyan Cloud City’s naive ideals, hoping love and justice would resolve conflicts, but there’s never such a simple bargain in the world!"

"Yes, with you, I felt only bitterness and arrogance; love and justice were completely absent!"

Shen Ruoshi said: "Exactly, I lost faith in love and justice long ago, especially after Yue’e passed away, I vowed never to hold any naive beliefs again."

Shen Qingming sneered: "Mother died so early, probably half your elderly fault!"

"Indeed, half my fault. If I hadn’t been momentarily soft and foolish, letting those two leave, subsequent events wouldn’t have occurred..."

"Soft-hearted and foolish, letting them leave?" Shen Qingming sneered, "When father and mother were leaving, you set the city ablaze with your net, had they not been vigilant enough..."

Before finishing, Shen Ruoshi interrupted: "If they weren’t vigilant enough and escaped through the sewers, I wouldn’t have caught them."

"... What?" Shen Qingming froze.

"Those two thought their plan foolproof, but within Shen City, what plan could escape my vigilance? Yue’e’s Heaven-Covering Array was indeed mysterious, but her foundations in array formation were taught by me! When I blocked them in the sewer, I should have kept Yue’e behind, yet I truly believed their sea-oaths and mountain vows of eternal happiness, watching miserably as Li Fengyun led Yue’e to doom, yet still I whispered my blessings to them!"

"They truly were happy together!" Shen Qingming couldn’t help but argue, "Though mother died early, she was joyful every single day before her death!"

"Bullshit! The dead feel no joy! Smiling face equals happiness? Self-perceived bliss equals genuine joy? I could feed anyone several pounds of Five Stone Powder, making them happier than a deity! Such joy is worthless!" Shen Ruoshi was truly furious, "If Yue’e remained behind, even if she hated me bitterly, and earnestly thought of Li Fengyun until she turned grey, she’d still be alive. Living, after all, is better than being dead; as years go by, she’ll naturally realize how naive her youthful love once was."

"You..." These words left Shen Qingming uncertain how to refute.

Indeed, deeply within, she couldn’t help but wonder if things might have been better for mother had her parents not met. Given her nature and talent, premature death was unworthy.

Seeing Shen Qingming silent, Shen Ruoshi anew tempered his emotions, surprised at his granddaughter’s resilience.

Facing his stern questioning, she boldly countered loudly—people like Shen Yueying and Shen Jinghai, top-level masters, trembled when coldly interrogated, struggling to string sentences coherently.

Yet, the firmer she was, the more resolute Shen Ruoshi became.

This cherished granddaughter must not repeat her mother’s mistakes.

Marrying Zhao Jincheng, from a rational perspective, was undeniably advantageous with no disadvantages; he loved her deeply, and Golden Jade City thrived in prominence, even hinting at overshadowing Saint Sect Celestial City’s formidable force...

Certainly far better than the sharp-faced and inexplicably enigmatic Wang Jiu.

That white-clad figure left Shen Ruoshi feeling uneasy—a centenarian’s intuition suggested something monumental would revolve around Wang Jiu.

Thus, seizing this opportunity, cut issues at their root.

The momentary coldness was sharply caught by Shen Qingming.

"What are you planning!?"

Shen Ruoshi shook his head: "No need for me to do anything, those courting disaster will self-destruct."

Extending a finger lightly, immediately, scenes miles away within the mountains projected directly.

Shen Qingming saw, much to her horror, the image of that hateful face Zhao Jincheng trapped within the mountain, clutching a Protective Talisman.

Instantly, Shen Qingming’s gaze locked onto the talisman.

Though she couldn’t discern its specific functions, her intuition warned her that something truly unfortunate was about to happen.

Shen Ruoshi, however, sat down graciously and nodded.

"Watch closely; the following scene will be a rarity even for any cultivator... Let’s see what advancements Golden Jade City’s City Lord has made in recent years, shall we?"