Free Web NovelChapter 245: Chapter 243: Utterly Shameless
"Father, Shiyu is back. What should we do?" Shangguan Xuanyu’s voice echoed in Qin Li’s mind. A cold smile touched Qin Li’s lips. ’So, they really are up to no good,’ he thought.
"What do you mean, ’what should we do?’ What can we do? She’s a daughter of our Shangguan Family; what can she do to us?" Shangguan Buhui’s voice was tinged with anxiety. He continued, "I never thought that little bastard Qin Li would actually find Shiyu. But that has nothing to do with us anymore! As long as none of us say anything about that matter, they’ll never find out!"
"But... what about Grandfather?" Shangguan Xuanyu asked hesitantly.
"The Old Master? He won’t say anything either! Hmph. For the sake of our entire family, the Old Master would never rashly speak of what happened to Shiyu’s parents!"
Shangguan Buhui’s voice was filled with a chilling coldness. "Besides, Shiyu’s parents are gone. That’s a fact! That person sent a large quantity of Elixirs, and while they said they were for Shiyu, she wasn’t here at the time! And even if she were, she’s still a child of the Shangguan Family! Could she possibly consume all those Divine Pills by herself? The family spent so much effort raising her. Shouldn’t she make a little contribution to the family?"
"But what if Grandfather talks...?" Shangguan Xuanyu’s voice was filled with venom. "Father, doesn’t our family still have some potent poisons? Let’s just poison that Qin Li to death! Even a Celestial Level master couldn’t withstand that poison for a quarter of an hour. Right now, Qin Li is, at most, a Celestial Level Martial Artist..."
A long silence filled the room. Finally, Shangguan Buhui sighed and said, "Let’s just forget it. Shiyu’s parents already met with misfortune. No matter what, she’s my own niece. And that Qin Li is the only man she fancies. Our family has already wronged Shiyu enough..."
"Since we’ve already wronged her, why not wrong her a little more! The way I see it, to eliminate all future trouble, we should just get rid of her along with him..."
SLAP! freewebnσvel.cѳm
Shangguan Buhui slapped his son hard across the face, then roared, "You animal! Shiyu is your cousin! How could I have fathered something as heartless as you?! Get the hell out! And if you dare try anything, don’t blame me for being merciless!" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"Go on, hit me! Just kill me then! I love Shiyu, so what? You’ve known I’ve liked her since we were kids! Even back when you all called her a freak, I still liked her! I still do!"
Shangguan Xuanyu’s roars echoed in the secret room as he screamed hysterically, "You wouldn’t let me play with her, you wouldn’t let me get close to her! Then, when Shiyu’s condition started to get better, you wanted to offer her to the royal family, to marry her off to someone else! When have you ever considered my feelings? Hmph, if I can’t have her, that animal Qin Li can forget about it! Unless you kill me today, I will poison that Qin Li! I will poison him to death!"
SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!
Shangguan Buhui struck his son three or four times, slapping him with both hands, but he saw Shangguan Xuanyu just standing there stubbornly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he stared back.
Shangguan Buhui’s raised hand finally couldn’t bring itself to fall again. He cursed hatefully, "Animal! You’re a little animal! You will stay right here! You’re not to go anywhere!"
"Father, think about it. There’s a deep rift between that Qin Li and our Shangguan Family. Once he finds out about this, he will definitely use the opportunity to stir up trouble. When that happens, forget everything else—your position as Patriarch will be in jeopardy! The Old Master already favors them. If this comes to light, the Old Master, who was already unhappy with our actions, will surely use this to vent his anger!"
Qin Li sat there, his eyes narrowed, a cold smile playing on his lips.
Old Master Shangguan Tie, who already had a guilty conscience, found it even harder to face Qin Li. He just held Shangguan Shiyu’s hand, continuously asking about her experiences over the years.
Shangguan Buhui hesitated for a long time before gritting his teeth, as if he had finally made a decision. "You think I don’t hate that little bastard Qin Li? He made me lose an incredible amount of face back then! He turned our Shangguan Family into the laughingstock of all of Yellow Sand City! Fine. If that’s how it is, I’ll poison him! Let’s see if the Old Master sides with his own son or with her lover!"
From the secret room, Shangguan Xuanyu’s laughter, filled with venom and triumph, finally came through. He muttered through gritted teeth, ’Qin Li, you never saw this coming, did you? In the end, you’ll still die by my hand!’
Having heard this, Qin Li felt no need to listen any further. He looked up, watched Shangguan Shiyu quietly, and said, "Shiyu, let’s go."
Shangguan Shiyu, who was immersed in the joy of their reunion, was taken aback. She looked up, her eyes still a little red, and asked, "What’s wrong? Why are we leaving?"
"Well, sigh... Qin Li probably still holds some resentment toward our family. It’s my fault, really." Shangguan Tie gave an awkward laugh. "Back then, in order to achieve a breakthrough, I stepped down as Patriarch. Your Uncle Buhui... was a bit... unfriendly to Qin Li. Perhaps Qin Li is still holding a grudge about it."
"Huh? How could that be? What right do they have!" After hearing this, Shangguan Shiyu shot to her feet, her face turning cold. She knew her grandfather very well and had actually sensed something was off with him today. However, he was the person who had treated her best since she was a child. ’If even Grandfather could betray me,’ she thought, ’the blow would be immense!’
"Hehe, Shiyu, don’t be anxious. It’s really nothing. Sigh... since Qin Li doesn’t want to stay here, it’s fine for you two to return to the Qin Mansion first. Sigh... As for your wedding, Grandfather will handle the arrangements for you..."
"Old Master."
The smile vanished from Qin Li’s face. He calmly interrupted Shangguan Tie and suddenly asked, "In a few more years, the Shangguan Family will become the number one family in the Cyan Dragon Kingdom, won’t it? With masters as numerous as the clouds?"
Shangguan Tie’s expression changed abruptly. He then shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "It’s not that exaggerated. This world is full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Let’s not even mention the Mysterious Lands; just within the Cyan Dragon Kingdom, who would dare say there are no overwhelmingly powerful masters? The ten Elixirs bestowed by Shiyu’s master are far from enough. Look at the mighty New Qin Empire—their Celestial Level masters are countless! Our Shangguan Family, at most, will only be able to produce ten."
A sneer touched Qin Li’s lips before he changed the subject. "Originally, Shiyu and I came here with sincere intentions. We wanted to come back to see you, and only after receiving your personal blessing would Shiyu and I hold our wedding. At the same time, I would promise Shiyu that I would take care of her for the rest of her life! But now, it seems that’s no longer necessary. Old Master, just how long are you planning to keep this from me and Shiyu?"
Shangguan Tie stared, dumbfounded, at the perfectly calm Qin Li. The muscles in his face twitched slightly. After a long hesitation, his old eyes reddened again, and tears streamed down his face as he said, "Shiyu, Grandfather... Grandfather has wronged you!"
Shangguan Shiyu was left at a loss by her grandfather’s sudden words. At the same time, a sense of foreboding rose in her heart. Her beautiful eyes darted from Shangguan Tie to Qin Li as she asked, "Can someone please tell me what’s going on?"
Qin Li sighed softly, stood up, and pulled Shangguan Shiyu into his arms. Feeling her body tremble slightly, he knew this sharp-witted girl must have realized something was wrong.
Qin Li whispered in Shangguan Shiyu’s ear, "Shiyu, there are some things you need to prepare yourself for..."
"Wh-what things? Why do I need to prepare myself? What do I have to be prepared for?"
Shangguan Shiyu looked up, her tear-filled eyes gazing pitifully at Qin Li like a fragile kitten. The look of terror, fear, and worry in her eyes was enough to make anyone’s heart ache.
At this moment, Qin Li felt as if his heart were being twisted by a knife. Although he had long suspected that Shangguan Shiyu’s parents, who had been gone for so many years without a single word, had likely met with disaster, he had always held out hope for a miracle.
He had always dreamed that Shangguan Shiyu, who had grown up without the love of a father or mother, could one day be doted on by her parents.
But he never imagined reality would be so cruel. What was even more lamentable and ironic was that the Shangguan Family could so shamelessly embezzle the inheritance left behind by Shangguan Shiyu’s parents, and then declare without a shred of shame that Shangguan Shiyu ought to contribute to the family.
’Damn it,’ he thought, ’are there any people in this world more shameless than them? Contributions should be made willingly! Yet poor Shangguan Shiyu never even saw what her parents’ inheritance looked like before it was carved up by others. And on top of that, afraid she would find out, they now want to poison us both to death.’
’This isn’t just a matter of shamelessness anymore. This is something only inhuman animals would do!’
With tears streaming down his face, Shangguan Tie said slowly, "Shiyu, you have to be strong. You’ve reached the age of marriage; you’re an adult now..."
"Just what happened? Tell me, quickly!"
Shangguan Shiyu suddenly looked up, glaring angrily at her grandfather.
"Your parents... are gone." Shangguan Tie finally managed to force out the words, each one a dagger to his own heart.
Shangguan Shiyu’s expression froze. She stood there, her eyes filled with a blank look. She carefully turned her head to gaze intently into Qin Li’s eyes.
"Husband, tell Shiyu what happened. Please?"
"It’s alright, Shiyu. Nothing happened. You’re just tired. Get some sleep, and when you wake up, you’ll realize this was all a dream. The only thing that’s real is me here beside you. Come on, let’s go home." Qin Li whispered softly in Shangguan Shiyu’s ear, his expression incredibly gentle.
Just then, a servant girl suddenly pushed the door open. "The Patriarch says he wishes to host a banquet for the Young Miss and the new son-in-law..."
