Chapter 1183: A Big Slap Across Shen Lingfeng's Face, Welcoming the Great Han Envoy

Shen Lingfeng's expression was quite something to behold.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

But the first thing that came to mind was to offer an apology: "Please forgive me, Immortal Master. My wife has truly been muddle-headed. However, I've already made up my mind—when I return this time, I will divorce her, and then take Fatty and leave the Shen Family."

Lu Ding smiled: "Why would you need to leave the Shen Family?"

Shen Lingfeng sighed: "Because the Shen Family isn't really mine to command. The Family Elders hold great authority and weight. Rather than staying in the Shen Family, it's better to just leave. The world is vast, and there will always be a place for Fatty and me to settle down."

Lu Ding: "No worries. Those three Family Elders of yours, I killed them all. From now on, you call the shots in the Shen Family."

Shen Lingfeng was shocked once again: "Ah!!!???"

Lu Ding continued: "I also wiped out the Jin Family. I killed Jin Tianran too."

Shen Lingfeng: "Ah!???"

Hold on—Shen Lingfeng was scrambling to process everything.

He knew that Lü Mountain was domineering; that was common knowledge. But that was toward demonic creatures.

Toward people, they were at least a bit more decent.

How could this one, who looked so young, act so...

For a moment, Shen Lingfeng's emotions were incredibly complicated.

He didn't know how to face this.

Jin Tianran and the Jin Family—dead is dead, he didn't care about that.

But the Family Elders...

Seeing him like this, Lu Ding deliberately provoked him further: "I also know that venomous woman's daughter is at Gouchen Hall. I plan to go there in a while, grab her, dig out her heart, and give it back to Fatty."

Shen Lingfeng, who had been stewing in his thoughts, suddenly blurted out: "Don't!!!"

Lu Ding swung his hand back and slapped him: "Smack!!!"

He hit him right across the face, making Shen Lingfeng see stars.

"Don't my ass."

"I can tell from your pathetic look that you're nothing but a spineless coward, hesitating again."

Shen Lingfeng covered his face: "Immortal Master Lu, Yingxia is also my daughter. She..."

Lu Ding stared at him: "And Fatty isn't? What about the grievances Fatty suffered?"

"Things that don't belong to her, shouldn't she give them back?"

"You're a useless father who can't do anything, and now you won't let me, a good Samaritan, handle it?"

"Even though both are flesh and blood, if you can't keep the scales balanced, I don't mind teaching you, a spineless coward, a lesson."

"And stop calling me Immortal Master Lu, it makes me sound old."

"Either call me by my name, or—since the folks back home honor me as the Corpse-Shattering Taishui—you can call me Grand Duke Lu."

Shen Lingfeng heard the four words 'Corpse-Shattering Taishui.'

He really wanted to ask: Are you sure that's an honorific?

Corpse-Shattering. Tai Sui.

Neither of those words sounds like something you'd use as a term of respect.

It sounds more like something you'd call someone out of fear, because you've been intimidated into it.

But he still changed his address and said: "Grand Duke Lu, can we meet halfway? I know Jin is vicious, but Ying..."

Lu Ding raised his hand again.

Shen Lingfeng instinctively blocked: "Hey, hey..."

And yet another backhanded slap—smack—sent him reeling.

"You're still playing favorites, huh!?"

Shen Lingfeng covered both sides of his face with his hands, watching Lu Ding raise his hand once more: "Balanced, balanced! What belongs to who goes back to who—nobody takes advantage!"

Of course, that wasn't just because he was afraid of getting hit.

Although the fear of getting hit was definitely one factor.

Shen Lingfeng was simply soft-natured by disposition. Deep down, he also had the thought that Yingxia should return the heart she took from Fatty.

But he just couldn't be ruthless.

Earlier, Old Wu's death had pushed him to unleash a burst of strength to fight Mo Hun.

Now, Lu Ding's slaps were pushing him to do what he had long been unable to decide on.

All in all, this man wasn't bad.

It was just that spineless, cowardly, indecisive demeanor that was irritating to look at.

Lu Ding was satisfied.

This was pure weakness!

Needed to be taught a lesson.

No wonder he'd let the family patriarch position end up like this.

"I'm letting you know now—your Shen Family will be absorbed into the Han Embassy from now on. Any objections?"

Shen Lingfeng lowered his voice and asked: "Grand Duke Lu, if I may be so bold, what exactly is the Han Embassy..."

Lu Ding: "People from my homeland came here, and after reaching a cooperation with Lü Mountain, they set up a power in Demon Province."

Shen Lingfeng wasn't a stupid man.

He quickly did the math in his head.

Lu Ding's people from his homeland came, reached cooperation with Lü Mountain, and the Shen Family merged into this Han Embassy—doesn't that just mean the Shen Family is now cooperating with Lü Mountain?

As for whether the Lu Ding in front of him would covet the Shen Family's assets...

Don't be ridiculous.

Might makes right.

Lu Ding was this powerful, and he was still a disciple of Lü Mountain. Shen Lingfeng had personally felt Lu Ding's power.

If the man wanted money or things like that.

Where couldn't he rob it from?

There was no way he'd find better loot than the Shen Family.

Shen Lingfeng immediately nodded: "No objections."

"No objections? Then get up and lead the way. Do I need to help you stand?"

Different horses need different harnesses!

For a spineless fool like Shen Lingfeng, you can't afford to go soft on him.

Because he's fundamentally an indecisive coward.

You have to be forceful, or he'll only move like a donkey—one step per prod.

Shen Lingfeng got up: "This way, this way."

The two left together, flying off into the distance.

Just as they had left, the people from the Dai Family River side came looking for them.

"Hey, where'd they go?"

"Where did Shen Lingfeng and that young brother disappear to?"

.....

Meanwhile.

At the border of Demon Province, outside Demon Dragon Valley.

Two forces were stationed.

One was the Great Han envoy team waiting for Lu Ding to come out and receive them. The other was the Great Xuan apology envoy team led by the Great Xuan prince.

The Great Han side arrived first.

The Great Xuan side arrived later.

Not long after arriving.

From the Great Xuan camp, a prince stepped out, walked to the edge of Demon Dragon Valley's abyss, and cupped his hands toward the distance.

"Grand Master Tang, Fang Li of Great Xuan has come to offer my apologies and seek an audience!!"

Fang Li—the Great Xuan prince who had once stumbled into Demon Province's Centennial Demon-Feeding and formed a connection with Lü Mountain.

It was he who had single-handedly forged the diplomatic ties between Great Xuan and Lü Mountain.

However, that thin sliver of fate he had was utterly insignificant compared to the relationship between Lu Ding and Lü Mountain.

Now, because of Lu Ding, Lü Mountain was about to cut ties with Great Xuan.

In Fang Li's heart, jealousy burned.

Why?!

Why could he, a prince of Great Xuan, not be invited by Lü Mountain, not be allowed to enter Lü Mountain?

Yet someone like Lu Ding, born in a small country, could join Lü Mountain?

Speaking of fate—

His connection with Lü Mountain was far earlier than Lu Ding's!!

He had worked so hard for so many years, only to be beaten to the punch by some small-country nobody like Lu Ding, who leapfrogged past him!!!

And now Lü Mountain was severing ties with Great Xuan because of this Lu Ding?!

Fang Li needed to remember: the reason he could be a strong contender for Great Xuan's Crown Prince position was precisely because he had personally facilitated the diplomatic establishment between Lü Mountain and Great Xuan!

If Lü Mountain stopped associating with Great Xuan—

Then on what grounds could he compete for the Crown Prince seat!?

One could say Lü Mountain was the very foundation of everything he had now.

Without Lü Mountain, his seemingly powerful bid for the throne would crumble into dust.

The aristocratic families and powerful clans who invested in him would, seeing he no longer had the Lü Mountain connection, switch their support to other princes and princesses.

The honored retainers under his command would also, for the same reason, change allegiances.

Fang Li was indeed powerful, and he had indeed obtained Lü Mountain's techniques.

But Great Xuan's own techniques were nothing to scoff at either. Moreover, Great Xuan didn't have nearly as many demonic creatures available for Fang Li to cultivate the aggressive Lü Mountain arts—so what he practiced was a modified version personally refined for him by Lü Mountain.

And the vast, populous, and powerful Great Xuan was hardly lacking in resources.

The Great Xuan Emperor, with his superior bloodline, had produced children who were all dragons and phoenixes among men.

The competition among them was fierce—any slight misstep meant losing the opportunity.

Fang Li did not want to lose his chance at the Crown Prince position.

So he had brought people to offer his apologies.

Yet, his calls echoed across to the other side of Demon Dragon Valley, but the Grand Master Tang, who had once been so kind to him, remained silent and never appeared.

Fang Li just stood on the cliff edge on this side of Demon Dragon Valley, staring across.

Until finally, after a long while, a subordinate approached.

"Your Highness..."

"Grand Master Tang... it seems he won't see you anymore. I just did some reconnaissance—right next to them is the Great Han envoy team sent to Demon Province."

"Perhaps we should try another approach. Solve the problem at its root—contact Lu Ding through the Great Han envoy team and negotiate with him."

"After all, all of this started because of him. If you can reach an agreement with him, maybe everything can still be salvaged."

Hearing this, Fang Li looked toward where the Great Han envoy team was stationed in the distance.

The fist hidden in his sleeve slowly clenched.

Fang Li had not originally been a jealous person.

Because originally, he had no competitive edge at all. He lived happily and contentedly, his talent was more than sufficient, and he had older brothers and sisters who treated him well. As long as the princes didn't get involved in the struggle for the throne, they were all loving siblings who respected one another.

But Fang Li, by sheer chance, had formed a connection with Lü Mountain. He gained capital, gained a voice, and the relationships among his siblings gradually changed.

In order to secure the Crown Prince position, he didn't hesitate to clash with brothers and sisters he had once been close to. It was around that time that he began to understand why his Father Emperor called himself the Lonely One.

He had also prepared himself to lose everything.

Who would have thought that problems would arise on the Lü Mountain side?

He had worked so hard.

And just when he was on the verge of success—and then someone like Lu Ding had to show up—how could he not be jealous!

And now he was supposed to go talk to Lu Ding!!!

He could go talk to—

Fang Li took a deep breath: "Let's go. Go see them. Hopefully they know what's good for them..."

.....

Dear readers, happy New Year! No bonus chapters today—I've got a lot on my plate. Tonight I'm planning to stream on the platform and sign physical books, which I still haven't figured out yet, so I need to work on that. Wishing all my dear readers an even better year ahead. Love you all! Special thanks to the big fan 'Love Etched in Basalt' for the Gift King reward—thank you, sir!