Cohabitation with Sword Spirit

Chapter 383 - 118: Family Discipline

When Shen Ruoshi called out "mother," the shock was even greater than when Zhao Chenlu said "is it you," so much so that Zhao Jincheng, who was closest, couldn’t help but blurt out "damn" on the spot, and then there was nothing afterwards. Without turning his head, Shen Ruoshi cast an Immortal Technique on the forehead of the square-faced man, causing him to lose consciousness instantly and collapse to the ground like a heap of mud.

Li Wanqing, a short distance away, was much smarter. She pinched the back of her own hand tightly to suppress the urge to scream with the pain, managing not to make a sound and thereby preserving her opportunity to continue watching the drama unfold.

If she missed this kind of gossip, she would truly regret it for a lifetime. Recalling it later would surely give rise to Heart Demons, affecting her cultivation!

So Li Wanqing didn’t even bother to investigate the affair between Wang Jiu and Zhao Chenlu. She did her best to hold her breath and focus, camouflaging herself as an unyielding stone in the Golden Desert, waiting for Shen Ruoshi to continue revealing his dirty laundry, while rapidly recalling all she knew about Shen Ruoshi’s mother.

Before they set off from Qingyun City, they all crammed important information about key figures in Shen City. The City Lord of Shen City was the most critical, and the information was particularly detailed, including a file compiled about his biological mother.

Gu Yueqin, born in 1880, a resident of Shen City, and Shen Ruoshi’s biological mother, had astonishing cultivation achievements in her youth and was one of the notable Mountain-Overturning Realm experts in Shen City. Shortly after marrying into the Shen Family, her husband died due to cultivation deviation, and Gu Yueqin single-handedly raised Shen Ruoshi to adulthood. She then retired from the public eye and never appeared again.

In Qingyun City, there are only a few lines about Gu Yueqin. This extraordinary woman, who personally trained one of the continent’s top experts, lived a low-key life. It wasn’t until Shen Ruoshi’s reputation spread across the Southeast and the continent that people began to pay attention to the name Gu Yueqin.

According to rumors, Shen Ruoshi has been obstinate throughout his life, except when it comes to his biological mother, who could issue commands without fear of disobedience. However, after Shen Ruoshi became famous, Gu Yueqin completely retired, leading many to speculate that the elderly woman had already passed away...

Now it seems that this 138-year-old elder is still very much alive. Though her physique no longer possesses the agility of her youth, and she stumbled while emerging from the spatial passageway, showing apparent weakness, she actually looks even younger than Shen Ruoshi himself. Her skin is smooth, her eyes clear, and her black hair is shiny and lustrous, making her appear a few years younger than Shen Ruoshi. And that loud slap further indicates that her body still contains formidable strength.

After receiving the slap, blood flowed from Shen Ruoshi’s mouth, but he didn’t care about himself and asked with concern, "Mother, why are you awake..."

Gu Yueqin showed no mercy and slapped him again, then scolded in an exhausted yet angry tone, "If I hadn’t woken up, who knows what kind of absurd things you would have done, you scoundrel!"

Blood began to drip from the other corner of Shen Ruoshi’s mouth, and his silver hair was disheveled, greatly diminishing his dignity as the City Lord.

At that moment, Shen Ruoshi couldn’t bother to silence the witnesses, as it was best not to get distracted talking about other matters when his mother Gu Yueqin was glaring at him.

"Was it Yueying who woke you up?"

This question only made Gu Yueqin even more furious: "So what if it was, so what if it wasn’t? Are you planning to take revenge later!?"

Shen Ruoshi shook his head: "...Of course not."

"What do those ellipses mean?"

Shen Ruoshi couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

No matter how imposing and invincible the City Lord of Shen City appeared to others, in front of his mother, he couldn’t hide even a single thought.

"I was just thinking that perhaps I’ve been too lenient with my children. Yueying, at her age, still can’t tell right from wrong, waking you up over minor matters..."

"Whether waking me up is right or wrong is not for you to judge. Indeed, I’ve been sleeping in an ice coffin for 20 years, hoping to reunite with your father and once again fight shoulder to shoulder. But your father instructed me before his death to take good care of you, so as long as you haven’t closed your eyes, I must not let myself die... Fortunately, I’ve held on, otherwise if I really faced your father, knowing that you’re over 100 and still such a scoundrel, I would be too ashamed to meet him!"

Faced with such accusations, Shen Ruoshi wasn’t ashamed or angry, and just said, "Mother, you might not fully understand the cause of things."

"The death of Yue’e made you worry about your granddaughter, preferring to sacrifice your life to prevent her from following the same path, right?"

Shen Ruoshi was silent for a moment before nodding, "That’s right."

"You scoundrel!" Gu Yueqin didn’t hesitate to slap him again, "What’s unclear about this?! You just can’t let go of your obsession. Even at over a hundred years old, you’re living like a fool, forgetting all about the ancestral teachings!"

At the mention of his family’s ancestral teachings, Shen Ruoshi also wore a serious expression: "What do you mean by that?"

"I ask you, when did the Shen Family become like you, afraid of death?"

"...What?"

"Let me ask you, since when did the members of the Shen Family start to fear death so much?! When we came here to pioneer two thousand years ago, how many ancestors died on the battlefield? For two thousand years, the Shen Family has defended the border in Xiangzhou, with casualties numbering in the tens of thousands among our direct lineage! There are even instances where the City Lord personally led troops and died on the battlefield! The Shen Family is not afraid of death; those who are afraid are not truly of the Shen Family. This fearlessness is not just about not being afraid of one’s own death, but also not fearing the death of those around you! From a young age, I taught you to be indifferent to life and death, to bravely forge ahead. How much of this do you still remember?"

"But..."

"Did I give you permission to say ’but’!?" Gu Yueqin slapped again.

"Yue’e’s death, although regrettable, is not shameful. She pursued her ideals, willing to fight until her last breath. She was a warrior who fought until the last moment on the battlefield, a child worthy of the Shen Family name. Having such a child makes every Shen Family member proud!"

The words of Gu Yueqin were so resounding and forceful that even Li Wanqing was deeply moved, having to use all her strength to maintain her composure, fearing that a misstep might break the strange atmosphere. Yet, she couldn’t suppress the impulse to loudly applaud this elder, Gu Yueqin.

Before this, Li Wanqing also felt deep regret about Shen Yue’e, even vaguely understanding Shen Ruoshi’s obstinance. However, after hearing Gu Yueqin’s words, she realized she had been rather petty-minded.

At this moment, Gu Yueqin pointed at Shen Ruoshi and said, "Stone, use your brain and think clearly, what are you actually doing now? You consider Yue’e’s death a monumental mistake, feeling dejected, ashamed, and blaming others, leading yourself to a Heart Demon, tarnishing Yue’e’s death!"

Facing such a severe rebuke, Shen Ruoshi’s face had turned ashen with indignation, defending himself, "Li Fengyun didn’t protect Yue’e well, that’s an undeniable fact, and to prevent future generations from repeating the mistake..."

"Since when does the Shen Family need others’ protection to survive!?" Gu Yueqin exclaimed, "The child Yue’e was smart and decisive from a young age, far more promising than you, so what right do you have to be worried for her? Li Fengyun was picked by Shen Yue’e herself. Thus, any consequences ought to be borne by her! She was already 28 then, not an eight-year-old child! Besides, what right do you have to prevent future generations from ’repeating mistakes’? If the Shen ancestors thought like you, desperately wanting to keep their children by their side, shying away from any risks, the Shen Family would have long ago perished in complacency!"

Pausing briefly, Gu Yueqin continued, "Do you think you’re the only one who cares about children? From top to bottom, how many parents in the Shen Family don’t cherish their sons and daughters? If possible, who wouldn’t wish their children to grow up in a honey pot, but reality does not allow it! When your dad and I had you, we valued you more than our own lives, but after your dad left, I raised you on my own, did I ever spoil you even a bit?"

Shen Ruoshi reminisced about his childhood filled with ruler strikes and whippings; there was indeed no pampering at all; or simply put, it was outright abuse, to the point he sometimes doubted if she was truly his birth mother.

Yet, thanks to the harsh training of his childhood, he could make phenomenal progress during the golden years of his cultivation, ultimately reaching the Peak Stage of the continent.

When he had children, Shen Ruoshi also once emulated his mother’s educational methods. From Shen Ziqiong to Shen Ziyu, none of his children did not grow up under Shen Ruoshi’s strict training— so much so that, even after reaching adulthood, despite each having impressive cultivation themselves, they would instinctively feel intimidated when seeing Shen Ruoshi.

Yet, for some reason, as his children grew up and matured, Shen Ruoshi found it increasingly hard to be as ruthless as he once was.

"Because you’ve stopped progressing, your Peak Stage has passed, your cultivation has reached its pinnacle, and you no longer have the unrestrained flair of your youth, becoming conservative and obstinate, even irrational!" Gu Yueqin criticized Shen Ruoshi harshly, causing him to feel increasingly embarrassed.

Initially, when Shen Ruoshi saw Gu Yueqin, he felt awkward, but the more he listened, the more he felt as if a heavy, inky shadow within his heart was gradually dissipating, exposing something shameful.

Seeing Shen Ruoshi’s attitude beginning to soften, Gu Yueqin gradually lowered her volume, and the slaps that landed on her son’s face weakened a bit—of course, it might have also been that this elderly woman finally exhausted her strength. Finally, Gu Yueqin sighed.

"Stone, you’re not young anymore; your grandchildren have grown up; you should be more mature now."

Shen Ruoshi nodded silently.

Only then did Gu Yueqin finally reveal a smile: "That’s good, that’s good."

After speaking, the old woman’s body trembled slightly, and Shen Ruoshi hurriedly wanted to reach out to support her, but Gu Yueqin turned away to avoid him.

"Alright, I’ve said all that needs to be said, how you choose is your business now."

Afterward, she once again walked unsteadily along the passage of time and space back to the Inner City.

Behind her, following silently and expressionless, was Shen Ruoshi.

After another moment, the passage didn’t close but instead out walked a slender, charming young girl.

As soon as she appeared, there was a cheer.

"Ah Jiu! I’m here!"