Chapter 3: The Holy Maiden (Part 1)

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  "Junior sister, Yinyin has seen Uncle Shen, Brother Shen!" Shen Xi and Zhu Yinglong were gazing at the two Buddha statues on the table in a daze when they suddenly heard the sound of jade pendants tinkling behind them. A faint scent of incense wafted into their nostrils as a stunning woman dressed in white stood quietly before them, her eyebrows like dark clouds, her eyes sparkling with water-like clarity, and she bowed to them respectfully.

  This must be the young lady with a sharp tongue and quick wit, indeed having a beauty that surpasses even the most beautiful scenery. It's only natural for people to have an appreciation for beauty. However, Zhu Yinglong merely glanced at her a few more times under his ordinary male mindset, and caught a glimpse of the white-clothed woman's eyes showing a hint of disgust towards him. He thought to himself, "If even the maid is like this, then the young lady probably isn't much better either." As soon as he remembered that they were both White Lotus Sect disciples, his interest in looking at them waned, and he shifted his gaze elsewhere.

  This woman's thoughts are strange, if a man stares at her intensely, she's unhappy, but if he doesn't look at her, she's also unhappy. When Miss Ruyu saw Zhu Yinglong suddenly shift his gaze away, seemingly uninterested in her, she felt a hint of puzzlement. Usually, any man who saw her would stare at her intently, as if trying to swallow her whole with their eyes. Today, she actually met someone who was completely unmoved by her beauty, and she couldn't help but be curious.

  The other party was so polite, Shen Xi could only return the courtesy and say: "Miss Ruyu is too kind, what do you want to do by inviting my uncle and me over?"

  "Yueying was worried to learn that her uncle would be passing through Jinan, so she ordered Xiao Rong to go and invite him and Shixiong over for a gathering. Xiao Rong has been spoiled by me since childhood and doesn't understand etiquette, so she actually forced Uncle and Shixiong to come back with her. I've already punished her by making her reflect on her actions, so please forgive her, Uncle and Shixiong." Yueying bowed deeply to the two of them once again.

  "I don't dare, I don't dare." Everyone else had apologized, but she was the one who had blown up. Shen Xi said "I don't dare" twice in a row, and this matter was considered settled. But Zhu Yinglong was secretly laughing coldly to himself - if it weren't for her sincere apology, her few words would have extinguished the anger in both his and Shen Xi's hearts. This woman's cunning and heart were truly terrifying!

  "Ruoying set up a banquet in the back hall, which is considered to be an apology to Uncle and Brother. She also asked Uncle and Brother to give her niece some face!" Ruoying's pretty face was revealed, with a hint of charm that was captivating. This girl was extremely beautiful and charming, how could Shen Creek have such a niece who was involved with the White Lotus Sect? Unfortunately, the other party was right next to him, so Zhu Yinglong couldn't ask about it.

  "Miss Ruo is being polite, if there's anything to discuss, let's just talk about it here and consider the apology made. My uncle and I have some tolerance, we won't take offense at Little Miss Ruo." Clearly, he didn't want to attend any banquet.

  Shen Xi wasn't a fool either, he was an old slippery head in the business world. If he could be confused by just a few words, then he wouldn't be the master of the Shen family.

  "Uncle Shen is passing through Shandong, if my niece doesn't show some hospitality as a host, my father in the underworld will know and blame me for it." Na Ruyin also brought up her own old dad.

  But unexpectedly, Shen Xi's face turned cold when he heard Ru Yin mention her father, and he said coldly: "If it wasn't for your father back then, would I, Shen Xi, be in this state now? My good niece!"

  Zhu Yinglong suddenly realized that the two families actually knew each other, no wonder Shen Xi's face had been ugly since seeing this jade-like face, it was probably a case of turning from relatives to enemies. The White Lotus Sect was widely spread among the people, and upon closer inspection, everyone might have a relative who was a member of the White Lotus Sect, which wasn't surprising at all. So he coldly watched the play unfold, after all, he was an outsider in this matter.

  Miss Ruyu's face also changed slightly, but she quickly recovered and said: "That thing back then, my father was a bit overboard, but he had no choice, Uncle should be able to understand."

  "Understand?" Shen Xi snorted, "I, Shen Xi, was originally just a merchant. Your father not only forced me to hand over half of my family's property, but also nearly took the lives of the entire Shen clan. What is there for me to understand?"

  "The current emperor is muddle-headed, eunuchs are in power, and the people are suffering. My father also rose up in response to the people's hearts, taking up arms to rebel, breaking through the darkness, and welcoming the light, seeking a way out for my thousands of brothers and sisters. The Zhu family has a deep-seated grudge against your Shen family, and my father kindly invited Uncle to form an alliance with him to overthrow the Zhu family regime. However, you said that the Zhu family's fate had not yet been exhausted, and refused to join forces. My father was forced to demand half of Uncle's family property from him. As for taking the lives of the Shen family, it is not my father, but the current Ming court of the Zhu family. Uncle, how can you put this crime on my father's head?" Na Ruoying said with a calm and composed expression.

  Shen Xi's face turned pale, his heart racing suddenly, and fine sweat broke out on his forehead. He was not just stunned by Ru Ying's words, but he was also afraid of Zhu Yinglong standing beside him. He had actually funded the White Lotus Society's rebellion, although it was under duress. But this person beside him was none other than the current emperor's younger brother, Prince Xian. How would he treat Shen Xi after hearing all this? His eyes darted to Zhu Yinglong's face, but saw that his expression remained calm and composed, without any indication of what he was thinking.

  At this, Shen Creek's expression slightly softened and he said: "Nowadays the court is corrupt and harms loyal officials. If Uncle Shen can help me, it shouldn't be difficult to overthrow this foolish government!"

  Shen Creek was startled, and you actually know how to pick the right time to speak. Busy shaking his head like a rattle drum, he refused: "In those years, in order to keep my Shen family safe, I had to spend half of our family's property. Please forgive me, Shen Creek, for having the heart but not the power."

  "Why did Uncle Shen have to deceive me, his niece? Now Uncle Shen has fulfilled that riddle of the lamp, 'now is not like the past', every day he's making a fortune. " Yu Ruo Ying smiled slightly, with an expression as if she had already got Shen Xi in her grasp.

  Zhu Yinglong's heart skipped a beat, his exquisite glassware had indeed caught the attention of someone with ulterior motives. Secrets were secrets to ordinary people, but to mysterious organizations like the White Lotus Sect, they might not be so secret after all. Fortunately, he only shipped goods every six months, and as long as he held back on shipping for the second half of the year or transported the goods by sea before sending them overland, there would be no way to track it back to him. It seemed that Shen's family had more than one person in mind, and this trip to Jiangnan was going to be quite lively. Unconsciously, a faint smile crept onto Zhu Yinglong's lips.

  Shen Creek showed the calmness that a businessman should have, and instead advised the other party: "Ruoying, the grudge between me and your father has also been written off with his tragic death. I don't want you to follow in your father's footsteps. If it were so easy to overthrow the court, with your father's ability being above mine, my half of the family property would have helped him succeed long ago. But why hasn't he succeeded? Have you thought about the reason behind this? You're still young and beautiful, I don't want you to waste your youth on something futile. Why not find a good husband and get married? Isn't being a wife and mother a great thing?"

  "Does Uncle Shen mean he's unwilling to help his niece now?" asked Miss Ruoying with a chill in her face.

  Shen Creek nodded solemnly and said, "Yes."

  In a flash of white light, Shen Creek's neck was straddled by two crossed double-edged swords. Only then did the cold and elegant voice say: "Uncle Shen, things have come to this point, don't blame your niece for being rude."

  The words had barely fallen when a chilling voice reached Ruyin's ears, and a muzzle was pressed against her temple. Zhu Yinglong asked in his most sincere tone: "Miss Ruyin, I wonder if your knife is faster or my bullet is faster?"

  "You, how did you end up with this thing on your body?" Ruying obviously hadn't expected that Shen Shizhong and his nephew would have firearms explicitly banned by the imperial court on their persons, and suddenly became tense.

  "Like Miss Ying, put down your knife first, and let's talk slowly about how to do it?" Zhu Yinglong said calmly, with a commanding tone in his words.

  "Good!" Like a jade, she had some courage and threw away the pair of knives in her hand.

  For a woman who has been through thick and thin in the jianghu, Zhu Yinglong didn't dare to underestimate her. He still pointed his gun at Ruyin's head and said to Shen Xi: "Uncle, trouble you to search our Miss Ruyin!"

  "Shadow, Uncle is a man." Shen Xi said with difficulty.

  Men and women are different, but they didn't see how Ru Ying drew out the twin blades just now. Without searching his body, he couldn't be at ease, so he said: "Uncle, you hold the gun, I'll search!"

  "Ah!" Shen Xi was startled, but still followed Zhu Yinglong's words and stepped forward to hold the gun pointed at Ru Yin's head.

  "Pervert!" Only then did Yīng realize she was afraid, her face turned pale. Although she wasn't afraid of heaven or earth, a woman's reputation was important, if a man had seen everything, could she still marry another? One misstep and all would be lost, being controlled by someone else on her own turf, and suffering humiliation in front of others. It was all because she had been too arrogant and looked down on the two merchants who were no match for her, thinking it would be easy to capture them. Thinking about this, tears of shame and regret flowed out uncontrollably.