Chapter 56: This is the Jianghu!

Feng Siniang had departed once again. Ever since Zhao Wuji declared that Xiao Shiyilang had stolen the Deer-Slaying Saber, she simply could not remain still.

Though traversing a rugged mountain path, the carriage sped along swiftly. This very carriage had been left behind by the Young Master.

Returning home soon, with her grandmother safe and sound, Shen Bijun ought to have felt immensely joyful. Yet, for reasons unknown, a heavy, disquieting gloom weighed upon her heart at this moment.

What on earth was the relationship between him and her?

"Bijun..."

"Grandmother, you're awake!"

Supporting the Old Matron, Shen Bijun struggled to help her sit up...

"Who is driving the carriage?"

Shen Bijun replied, "It was he who saved Grandmother."

"He?"

"Grandmother, it was that wick—it was Ren Yi!"

Old Madame Shen murmured, "Was it him...?" Suddenly, a fierce glint flashed in the old matron's eyes as she demanded in a deep voice, "Where is Wan Chongshan? Did you see him when you rescued me?"

Shen Bijun whispered softly, "Uncle Wan... he is already dead."

Madame Shen's voice trembled as she said, "Good that he died... good that he died. To think I would have such a nephew; he truly deserved to die. He was the one who killed him, wasn't he? And what of the Four Heroes of Ludong? Are they still alive?"

The "Four Heroes of Ludong" were distantly related to the Shen Family of the Golden Needle. Every year on the Old Matron's birthday, these four brothers would arrive punctually bearing heavy gifts. Yet now, not only had Uncle Wan betrayed the matriarch, but all four of them had also turned against the Shen family.

Shen Bijun nodded slightly and slowly said, "Uncle Wan and the Four Heroes of Ludong... they are all dead. He killed them."

Madame Shen let out a long sigh and said, "Thank goodness you are safe, and thank goodness he was there. Grandmother is indeed old, my eyes so dimmed by age that I failed to see their true faces."

Shen Bijun suddenly smiled, saying, "That's right, thank goodness he was there, otherwise..."

Seeing that smile, Madame Shen could not help but ask, "Jun'er, have you fallen for him?"

Confronted with such a question, Shen Bijun felt her heart leap, a blush spreading across her cheeks as panic gripped her demeanor.

"Grandmother, I haven't... I haven't..."

Though she denied it, her voice trailed off into a murmur at the end, seemingly hesitant and indecisive. The Old Matron sighed inwardly, pondering: If Bijun were to follow a man like him, would she... would she ever be able to live a life of joy and ease in the days to come?

While the Old Matron inside the carriage pondered their future, Ren Yi outside was preoccupied with a different matter: the formidable martial art known as the Eighteenfold Netherworld Great Art.

The Marquis of Xiaoyao possessed a supreme intellect with a photographic memory. Among all the living souls in this world, not a single one surpassed him, nor did anyone possess a higher martial prowess than the Marquis of Xiaoyao.

Those who knew of the Marquis of Xiaoyao understood all too well how insidious, ruthless, and terrifying he was. Yet Ren Yi also knew that individuals of this caliber were invariably supremely confident and arrogant; they were, above all else, fiercely proud people.

Proud people shared a singular trait: they would never commit a humiliating act. Ren Yi's very existence was bound to cause the Marquis of Xiaoyao profound embarrassment, which guaranteed that the Marquis would eventually come looking for him.

The carriage halted before the grand gates of the Shen estate. An elderly servant, clad in dark cyan robes and a black cap, stepped forward.

"Young Master Ren, dare I ask if the Matron has been found?"

Hearing that voice, Shen Bijun called out loudly from within the carriage, "Is that you, Shen Yi? Grandmother is right here with me."

This cyan-robed man was none other than Shen Yi, a veteran servant of the Shen Manor. His family had served as bondsmen to the Shen family for generations, and he had been in the household long before Shen Bijun was even born.

The carriage door swung open, and Madame Shen and Shen Bijun stepped down.

Shen Yi hurriedly dropped to his knees, kowtowing as he said, "Matron, you have finally returned! What on earth has happened, and where is the Young Master your nephew?"

Madame Shen shook her head and replied, "No need to speak of that now. Let us go inside first."

Upon entering, they found the Shen estate completely undisturbed, and Madame Shen's heart finally eased.

At that moment, Shen Yi approached and said, "Young Master Ren, someone delivered a chest earlier, stating it was meant for you."

Ren Yi nodded slightly. "Have it taken to the back courtyard."

"This old servant understands!"

...

In the quiet courtyard, Shen Bijun, who had longed to speak a few words with him, froze at the sight of his current posture.

In her memory, men were always impeccably refined, courteous, and attentive toward her. Even men who were usually boorish would instantly become mild-mannered in her presence, while naturally frivolous men would turn dead-serious and remarkably well-behaved.

She had never witnessed, nor could she have ever imagined, that she would one day be wedded to a man quite like this.

Though this man could be refined and courteous at times, on other occasions he was entirely the opposite. Moreover, he was certainly no virtuous gentleman—he even readily admitted to it without a shred of shame, taking a perverse pride in it instead.

This man would occasionally tease and bully her. Whenever that wicked smile curved the corners of his lips, it seemed as though tormenting her was the most amusing pastime in the world.

He was the one who had forced her to marry him, yet now he couldn't even be bothered to pay her any attention. Was the book in his hands truly more captivating than she was?

What on earth was wrong with this man?

"Since he cares nothing for me, why should I remain here?"

Suddenly swept by an inexplicable wave of anger, Shen Bijun declared loudly, "I am returning to my chambers."

Ren Yi did not even spare her a glance, stating indifferently, "You will do no such thing. Sit down!"

Having just raised her graceful wrist and fluttered her light silk sleeve to stand, she was commanded back into her seat before she could even rise.

"How can someone as overbearing as you exist!"

When a woman grew angry, she invariably displayed a charming petulance. The slight pout of her cherry lips caused even Ren Yi to shift his gaze and look directly at her. "You are quite right. I am precisely this overbearing!"

Knowing full well that he was deliberately trying to provoke her, yet utterly at a loss for how to vent her fury, she simply chose to ignore him.

Setting aside his medical text with practiced ease, Ren Yi asked, "Have you nothing to say to me?"

Remaining completely silent, Shen Bijun refused even to look at him... Yet, catching out of the corner of her eye that he was reaching for the book once more—evidently intending to resume his reading—she grew slightly anxious and blurted out, "I... I wish to thank you."

Ren Yi smiled. "Thank me for what?"

Casting a glance at him, Shen Bijun stammered, "Th—thank you for saving my Shen family. If not for you..."

Cutting her off mid-sentence, Ren Yi asked, "So you intend to repay this kindness with your entire person?"

A flush instantly stained her cheeks a brilliant red, and she hastily protested, "I said no such thing!"

Ren Yi calmly observed, "Yet you did not deny it either. Doesn't that precisely prove that this is what you were thinking?"

Half-shamed and half-angered, Shen Bijun retorted, "You... you are talking nonsense!"

Ren Yi replied casually, "Very well, let us assume it was nonsense."

"You are doing this entirely to provoke me, aren't you!" Seeing his nonchalant, indifferent, and utterly unbothered attitude, Shen Bijun felt ready to be angered to tears.

Nodding, Ren Yi said, "You are quite right. The moment I see you, I cannot resist the urge to tease you; it is remarkably entertaining. And this is merely me riling you up. If you were to wander the pugilist world on your own, within three days..."

"Within three days of what?" Shen Bijun demanded.

Ren Yi chuckled. "It is utterly unimaginable how utterly wretched your fate would be!"

Biting her lip, Shen Bijun challenged, "On what grounds do you say that? I harbor no enmity toward anyone, nor have I ever harmed a soul. Why would anyone seek to harm me?"

Interrupting her, Ren Yi stated coldly, "In this martial arts world, it is not enough that you have harmed no one for others to spare you. When I kill, I often do so without reason—guided purely by my mood!"

Trembling, Shen Bijun whispered, "You... why would you do such a thing?"

With absolute conviction, Ren Yi declared, "Because my martial arts are supreme, I am free to act as I please. You cannot expect others to share your gentle nature. If one wishes to survive in this jianghu, one relies upon oneself rather than the benevolence of others. Such is the way of the world."