"Who dares touch him?!"
A thunderous roar sent a powerful shockwave that forced Ge Xiong back. The crowd stared in shock as Ge Xiong stumbled five or six steps backward! To force back a Spirit Pupil Tier Nine expert with just a voice—how powerful must this newcomer be?!
"Who might you be, sir? I am here to collect a debt for my son. I ask that you not interfere. The Ge Family will reward you handsomely afterward!" Ge Xiong said with a grim face. The newcomer's power was far beyond his own, so Ge Xiong brought up the Ge Family, hoping the name would make the other party hesitate. After all, the Ge Family held some small measure of power around Cyan Mountain City.
"Hmph, the Ge Family? The Ge Family ain't shit! You piece of crap, you hit my grandson right in front of me and then tell me not to get involved? Are all you Ge Family people this stupid?" The expert unexpectedly let loose a string of curses, making everyone break out in a cold sweat. But they all caught the key point: he was Shen Haoran's grandfather. Didn't that make him the old Clan Leader of the Shen Family? At this thought, all the members of the Shen Family grew excited.
After the expert finished cursing out Ge Xiong, the crowd saw a blur, and an old man appeared in the seat of honor. Just as they expected, the newcomer was indeed the old Clan Leader of the Shen Family—Old Sir Shen!
When the Shen Family members saw their old Clan Leader appear, they cried out in excitement! Ever since the man once known as the Shen Family's greatest genius, Shen Lingfeng—Shen Haoran's father—had vanished without a trace, Old Sir Shen had fallen into despair. He stopped concerning himself with the family's tedious affairs and dedicated himself to seclusion. They hadn't seen the old Clan Leader in four or five years. For him to emerge from seclusion with such dominance, his power must have grown immensely during those five years. The Shen Family was saved!
Seeing Old Sir Shen, Second Master Shen and the others quickly bowed. Sensing the oppressive aura emanating from the old man, they said, "Congratulations, Father, on breaking through to the Spirit General Level! The revival of our Shen Family is just around the corner!"
But Old Sir Shen showed no sign of pleasure at his sons' congratulations. His face was ice-cold as he looked at Shen Haoran lying on the ground, on the verge of death. He then turned to Ge Xiong and said flatly, "Did you do this?"
Being stared down by a Spirit General expert, Ge Xiong broke out in a cold sweat. He cupped his fist and said, "Old Sir Shen, please let me explain. Your grandson was the one who broke my son's arm first, so I only—"
"Cut the crap. Just tell me, did you do it or not?" Old Sir Shen cut him off before he could finish.
Seeing that Old Sir Shen had no intention of giving him any face, Ge Xiong's expression darkened. He was a Patriarch, after all! When had he ever been humiliated like this? But the moment he remembered his opponent was a Spirit General Level expert, he didn't dare show his anger. A Spirit General could do whatever they pleased in the Cyan Mountain City area! He could only grit his teeth and answer, "I did it. But that was because your grandson crippled my son's arm—"
BAM! With a dull thud, Ge Xiong was sent flying by a palm strike from Old Sir Shen, his words once again cut short.
"Hmph. I don't need to hear your reasons. All I need to know is that you harmed a son of my Shen Family. That's enough!" Old Sir Shen said, watching Ge Xiong spit up blood as he struggled to his feet.
Ge Xiong was a complete mess. His magnificent robes were tattered from being dragged across the ground, his face was covered in dust, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He looked like a completely different person from the spirited Patriarch Ge of moments before!
"Old Sir Shen, you're being utterly unreasonable! Are you trying to start a war between the Ge and Shen Families?" Ge Xiong roared, seeing his own pathetic state.
"Hmph, reason? In my eyes, the word 'reason' doesn't exist. A son of my Shen Family could tear off your son's arm, or even tear down your entire Ge Family, and it would be perfectly justified! But if anyone dares to touch a single hair on a son of my Shen Family, they make an enemy of us all, and I will show them no mercy!" Old Sir Shen declared domineeringly.
Hearing Old Sir Shen's words, the younger generation of the Shen Family was thrilled. The three great families of Cyan Mountain City were already in competition. Now, to hear their old Clan Leader say that the entire Ge Family wasn't as important as a single hair on a Shen's head—how could they not be excited?
"And another thing—don't threaten me with a war between our families. I have never been afraid! Go back and tell your father this: even at our weakest, the Shen Family is still a lion. If you want to devour us, we'll shatter your teeth in the attempt, or we won't be the Shens anymore! Now, get out!" As he spoke, a powerful aura erupted, soaring to the heavens. It was as if everyone could see a slumbering lion slowly awakening!
Faced with such a dominant Old Sir Shen, Ge Xiong could only dejectedly pick up his son and walk away.
"Stop!" Just as Ge Xiong was about to step through the main hall's doors, a weak voice called out to him.
Ge Xiong turned to see the near-death Shen Haoran shakily pulling himself to his feet, leaning against the wall. His gaze was like a torch, locked directly onto him.
"Patriarch Ge, I, Shen Haoran, will not forget this palm strike. One day, I will return it to you. And that day is not far off!" Shen Haoran said with a slight curl of his lips.
"Hmph. I'll be waiting. But you won't be so lucky next time!" Ge Xiong snorted coldly and turned to leave.
After Ge Xiong left, the already weak Shen Haoran could no longer stand and collapsed backward. In that instant, Old Sir Shen appeared behind him, catching him in his arms.
Shen Haoran looked at the old, weathered face, and a warmth spread through his heart. "Grandfather, is it really you?"
"My dear grandson, your grandfather has let you suffer!" Old Sir Shen said, his eyes growing moist with guilt. Since Shen Lingfeng's disappearance five years ago, Old Sir Shen had rarely managed the family's affairs, but that didn't mean he was unaware of what was happening. He had seen all the hardships Shen Haoran had endured over the past five years. But when he remembered the promise he made to Shen Haoran's mother before she left, he could only turn a blind eye.
However, Old Sir Shen never expected that Shen Haoran, who had been stuck at Spirit Tempering Tier Three, would suddenly surge in power to Spirit Tempering Tier Six in just five days. Seeing him now on the brink of death, he had no choice but to intervene.
Seeing the same domineering Old Sir Shen who had appeared just moments ago now shedding tears for him, Shen Haoran fainted with a contented heart. After confirming that Shen Haoran's life was not in danger, Old Sir Shen had someone carry him away to recuperate.
After Shen Haoran was taken away, Second Master Shen approached Old Sir Shen and said, "Father, wasn't your approach a bit too harsh? Offending the Ge Family for Shen Haoran, who can't even cultivate, seems unwise. Besides, the Shen Family is truly in a crisis right now and needs the Ge Family's help!"
Hearing Second Master Shen's words, Old Sir Shen's face grew dark.
SLAP! A resounding slap struck Second Master Shen across the face! "You unfilial son! Kneel!" Old Sir Shen roared in anger.
The sudden slap stunned everyone. Second Master Shen was dazed for a moment but then obediently knelt.
Looking at his worthless son before him, Old Sir Shen said, "What do you mean, a good-for-nothing who can't cultivate? What do you mean, we need the Ge Family's help? Have you forgotten the ancestral teachings of the Shen Family? Have you thrown away all the pride of a Shen son?"
"As a member of the Shen Family, you must not abandon anyone from our family, especially not Haoran, your own nephew! A moment ago, his life was on the line! Were all of you blind? Why did no one go to save him? Don't think for a second I don't know what you've all been doing these past five years. I am deeply disappointed in all of you!"
"Look at what the Shen Family has become under your management these five years! Now you want to seek help from our rivals? Where is your backbone? Is this something a son of the Shen Family should do? I'm telling you, even if the Shen Family is wiped out, you must not lose your dignity! Even if you lose your lives, you must not lose the pride of a Shen son!"
"Tonight, all of you will go back and reflect on this! Tomorrow, summon the family leadership to the ancestral hall!" With that, Old Sir Shen turned and left without a backward glance.
The remaining people in the hall just looked at one another. They all knew that starting today, things in the Shen Family were about to change.
But no one saw the flicker of resentment in Second Master Shen's eyes as he knelt on the floor. The look vanished in an instant. Then, Second Master Shen stood up and disappeared from the hall.