Engagement Canceled: I Can Extract Prefixes

Chapter 888: Chapter 779: Shen Mansion (2)

"They came back in the middle of last month. Right now they’re living in the Prefect’s Mansion within the Shen Mansion compound."

"They still dare to come back? After hearing Shen Han returned to Great Wei, they still dare show their faces?"

Yun Shuang seemed a bit angry; just hearing news about these Shen Family people made her inexplicably furious.

At the side, Cailing’Er hurriedly poured her a cup of tea to calm her anger.

Seeing this, Prefect Xu also smiled.

"I heard people say, the Shen Family came back this time precisely because they learned of Shen Han’s current strength and status."

"What, they think they can still leech off him and enjoy a good life?"

Prefect Xu shook his head.

"Shen Qingshan has roamed officialdom for many years; he’s not that stupid.

Now Shen Han has already stepped into the First-Grade Immortal Realm, and I’ve heard that even the powerhouses over there are no match for him.

With such strength, if Shen Han really wanted their lives, it would be hard for them to hide and cling to life.

Roughly because they realized all this, they simply came back to the Shen Mansion to enjoy a few comfortable days."

This explanation did make sense.

To put it bluntly, the Shen Family people had decided to lie flat and give up.

Shen Han’s strength was already enough to suppress the powerhouses of the Southern Heaven Continent; what path to survival did they have left?

As long as Shen Han wanted to make a move against them, this whole world would spare no effort to hunt down their traces.

Many among the Shen Family had always lived in silk and brocade, never having cultivated the Martial Path.

If they hid deep in the mountains and forests, Shen Han might not even have to act before they themselves couldn’t endure it any longer.

After leaving the Prefect’s Mansion, Yun Shuang immediately insisted on making a trip to the Shen Mansion.

From beginning to end, Yun Shuang had been holding in a bellyful of anger.

With her current status, she might not feel like flaunting herself in front of others.

But in front of those Shen Family people, she just wanted to show off a bit.

Especially Madam Shen; just thinking of that old crone made Yun Shuang seethe with resentment.

Shen Han and Shi Yuezhu smiled helplessly and followed along.

The four of them walked through Yun’an City, and the gazes of the surrounding crowd all trailed after them.

On the Shen Mansion side, the people had already heard the news, each and every one of them trembling in fear.

They didn’t know what would happen with Shen Han and the other three coming over.

Shen Qingshan was still relatively calm; after all, he had led troops and fought in wars, and wasn’t so afraid of life and death.

Yun Shuang and Cailing’Er walked in front, with Shen Han and Shi Yuezhu following close behind.

Toward these Shen Family people, Shen Han did not harbor the same hatred he had for You Wanying.

Thinking about it, Shen Han truly felt he wasn’t a violent person.

He could even endure it if someone posed a threat to him or made his life worse.

But You Wanying had targeted the people by his side.

The Yun Family and Xiaoyao Peak had both suffered at her hands.

As for You Wanying, he bore an irreconcilable hatred, a grudge of life and death.

Whereas those Shen Family people were merely villains he encountered on his path of growth.

As for whether he ought to hate them, and even retaliate against them—

If he did act, he would have reason and justification on his side; it would be entirely proper.

They bullied him back then; for them to be repaid today would be perfectly normal.

But having come this far, when Shen Han looked at those Shen Family members, what he felt more than anything was indifference.

Following a familiar path, not far ahead lay the Prefect’s Mansion of the Shen Mansion.

The outer walls and main gate of the estate looked rather dilapidated.

Moss grew in mottled patches at the corners of the walls.

The Shen Family had returned, but whether deliberately or not, they had not renovated the entire estate.

The estate’s main gate was tightly shut.

With a light wave of Shi Yuezhu’s hand, the gate swung open.

A startled cry sounded right after; clearly, someone had been hiding at the gate, listening in.

Seeing the gate open, Yun Shuang and Cailing, paying no mind to anything else, rushed straight in.

At the doorway, Shen Fu scrambled up from the ground, her eyes full of panic.

Especially when she noticed Shen Han’s gaze, her whole person seemed to turn to stone.

This younger generation of theirs had all claimed to be Shen Ao’s brothers and sisters back on the Southern Heaven Continent.

Relying on this title, they had managed to scrape by in some minor sects.

But from the moment Shen Han fought Hui Taoist head-on without losing, each sect had started wanting them gone.

After the Wanhe Palace incident, those sects did not hesitate any longer and kicked them all out, lest they invite disaster.

This Shen Fu, after being expelled, had nowhere to go and could only return to Great Wei.

"Bro... Brother..."

Seeing Shen Han, Shen Fu opened her mouth and addressed him.

The words obviously didn’t come naturally, but she knew clearly she had to say them.

"Don’t call me that. I’ve never taken you as a younger sister."

Shen Han replied softly, then continued walking into the estate.

Shen Fu froze on the spot. Many years ago, Shen Han had said the exact same words to her.

Back then, Shen Fu had only felt relieved.

It was best if he didn’t take her as a younger sister; she didn’t want a brother like Shen Han anyway.

Only now, when Shen Fu recalled how things were back then, her feelings were complicated.

She could find excuses for herself, say that the way she treated Shen Han had been because of others’ influence.

After all, Madam Shen and the others had treated Shen Han terribly, so naturally she had been affected.

You could say it like that, but who would listen to such a defense?

All eat the same grains; why are some people kind at heart while others are vile to the extreme?

If back then she had given him even the slightest bit of help, then now, relying on that tenuous connection alone, she might have been able to enjoy all the glory and splendor under heaven.

Shen Han followed behind Yun Shuang, heading deeper into the Shen Mansion. frⅇe

There were still scattered maids and servants around; a few of them, Shen Han vaguely remembered.

After all, the Shen Family still had some cultivation and strength left; relying on this, they could live decently.

These maids and servants were all personal attendants of the Shen Family members, taken along even in their flight.

Over the years, these servants’ clothing had become even shabbier than before.

Seeing a few of the maids, Cailing greeted them kindly, calling them "sister."

But those maids, seeing her, all unconsciously bowed their heads and did not dare respond to that "sister."

Although Cailing still served as a maid by Yun Shuang’s side, her food, clothing, and daily use now far surpassed that of the ladies of the Royal Palace or the Marquis Mansion.

Aside from herself, probably no one in the Yun Family really treated her as a mere serving maid anymore.

For example, the clothes she wore now—the fabric on Cailing’Er’s body was something even Madam Shen would be reluctant to spend on.

Seeing their reaction, Cailing’Er also understood that times had changed.

Even if she didn’t mind, people like Cai He still didn’t dare treat Cailing’Er as an equal.

Inside the Shen Mansion, the trees had not been pruned for a long time, making the whole courtyard look gloomy.

It was clearly broad daylight, yet it felt as if dusk were about to fall.

The few of them walked all the way inside; those who saw them either dodged away or bowed in salute.

Even knowing that their visit likely boded no good, no one dared speak out in rebuke.

Even the powerhouses of the Southern Heaven Continent had fallen beneath Shen Han’s hand; who here would dare act rashly?

As they walked further in, Yun Shuang caught sight of the small courtyard where she had once lived.

Now it was overrun with moss and weeds; no one came to clean it.

Further ahead, on the path, they saw Madam Shen leaning on a cane, and Shen Qingshan beside her.

Shen Qingshan was still fairly robust; after all, he had once cultivated the Martial Path, so his body wasn’t too weak.

Looking at the four before them, Shen Qingshan and Madam Shen both fell silent, their expressions complicated.

In fact, they had long thought about how they should respond and what they should say when they saw Shen Han again.

But now that they truly saw him, they were suddenly at a loss for words.

The words they had rehearsed beforehand seemed to have all vanished.

Actually, from the Thousand-Autumn Gathering onward, Shen Qingshan had already sensed that Shen Han possessed some ability.

At that time there had still been a chance to reconcile with Shen Han.

If they had chosen to protect Shen Han back then and stopped acting against him, the Shen Family might already have become the foremost aristocratic family in Great Wei.

Thinking of this, Shen Qingshan couldn’t help but glance at his primary wife.

If not for her, things might not have turned out this way.

As for Madam Shen, she now looked much more aged, as if she were about to pass on at any moment.

At her age, she had still been rushing about so many times; naturally her body could no longer bear it.

What wore her down even more were the pieces of news that kept coming, none of which pleased her.

The grandson she liked the least and looked down on the most had become a top-tier powerhouse of this world.

A powerhouse capable of suppressing all of Great Wei.