Chapter 113 - 104: Shen Yunjiao’s Origins

Chapter 113: Chapter 104: Shen Yunjiao’s Origins

In the kitchen, the two sat facing each other, roughly four feet apart.

Shen Yunjiao leaned over and refilled Zhao Zuo’s cup with the Spirit Wine from the pot. In an instant, a rich, fragrant aroma filled the air, and a few points of Spiritual Light flickered within the clear liquid.

In the past, Shen Yunjiao had never mentioned her background, and Zhao Zuo had always assumed she was just an ordinary Loose Cultivator. But judging from what she had just said, it seemed her origins were more complicated.

Zhao Zuo didn’t rush to ask. ’If she wants to talk about it... she will.’ He picked up a piece of roasted meat with his chopsticks. The smoky scent of charcoal mixed with the faint, fresh fragrance of Spirit Wood. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with juices bursting forth upon chewing, complemented by the firm texture of Demon Beast meat.

The combination of flavors and textures quickly had Zhao Zuo lost in the delicacy. He would occasionally take a small gulp of Spirit Wine, simultaneously circulating his Mana to absorb the Spiritual Qi within it, break down the alcohol, and increase his own Cultivation.

These two pots of Spirit Wine were worth at least several dozen Spirit Stones.

Although Zhao Zuo had earned a large sum of Spirit Stones recently from selling Lower Grade Magical Artifacts, he wasn’t wealthy enough to spend dozens of Spirit Stones just to get drunk. Shen Yunjiao, on the other hand, didn’t deliberately refine away the alcohol this time, and a few cups of Spirit Wine were enough to bring a blush to her cheeks.

In her view, some memories could only be spoken of with the help of alcohol.

The Shen Family was originally one of the two great Cultivator families in Luoyun City. With a heritage spanning four hundred years, their ancestors had produced a Foundation Establishment Powerhouse. The other was the Luo Family, also a Foundation Establishment family. The two families watched over and helped each other, intermarrying many times, and their relationship was extremely close.

As the daughter of the Shen Family’s Patriarch, Shen Yunjiao had been betrothed to the Luo Family’s second son since childhood. The two families had also raised them to be a pair of happy childhood sweethearts.

Until... fifteen years ago, when the Shen Family launched a sudden attack on the Luo Family, annihilating them. They seized the Foundation Establishment Pill the Luo Family had secretly purchased, and that same year, the Shen Family Patriarch successfully broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

That night, Shen Yunjiao lost her best playmate and spent a long time emerging from the shadow of that event.

The Shen Family came to dominate Luoyun City, becoming a Foundation Establishment power overnight.

But five years ago, that second son of the Luo Family suddenly returned, having already succeeded in reaching Foundation Establishment. He single-handedly challenged and destroyed the Shen Family, sparing only Shen Yunjiao, the one to whom he had been betrothed.

"He’s still in love with you?" Zhao Zuo asked gossipingly as he took a bite of sweet and sour pork.

"No, he hates me. He hates me for not stopping my father, for not warning him beforehand..." Shen Yunjiao lifted her cup, her eyes growing misty as if veiled by a layer of fog.

"He plans to kill me before he breaks through to the Late Period of Foundation Establishment, using the satisfaction of his great vengeance to charge into the next Realm."

When Cultivators break through, their Heart Realm holds a crucially important position. For significant bottlenecks, they must adjust their Heart Realm in advance to succeed in one fell swoop.

"Do you hate him?" Zhao Zuo asked, looking at Shen Yunjiao’s teary eyes.

"Hate him? Maybe. But in reality, it was our family that raised the butcher’s knife first. I’ve always felt I owed him. I knew he deserved his revenge, but when I actually saw my parents, my brothers and sisters die before my eyes, how could I not... be furious?" Shen Yunjiao replied.

Once, she was a happy princess, adored by both families. But everything was destroyed the night the Shen Family raised their butcher’s knife, and then destroyed again the day the Shen Family was annihilated.

There might be other secrets to this story, such as how Shen Yunjiao managed to establish herself in Moyun Workshop Market. It was no wonder she often talked in her sleep.

’I wonder... are her nightmares about her father raising the butcher’s knife, or the later scene of her family being killed?’

"I’m cultivating so hard because I hope I can kill him and avenge my family."

As she spoke of revenge, no intense hatred or emotion emanated from her. It was more like a quiet but absolute obsession, something she simply had to do. For Zhao Zuo, all the things that hadn’t made sense about her before were now explained.

"Yes. ’When will the cycle of vengeance ever end?’ as they say. But you both have your reasons for revenge. Neither of you started the feud between the Shen and Luo Families, but you’re both inevitably swept up in it," Zhao Zuo sighed.

"The Refining method for the Cyan Mountain Shield is a Shen Family legacy. Although the influence of his sect on the Moyun Workshop Market is very limited, if you succeed in Refining it... you still need to be careful when selling it."

This was why Shen Yunjiao was willing to reveal her past. She had to tell Zhao Zuo about the trouble behind that Artifact Refining legacy, and the enemy he might have to face in the future.

Zhao Zuo nodded upon hearing this.

"The reason I didn’t sell you the Black Flame back then is because that weapon was part of the dowry my father forged for me. It was originally meant for Luo Wenxin, and he had seen that weapon several times."

Zhao Zuo nodded again.

"Aren’t you afraid of provoking a Foundation Establishment Powerhouse?" Shen Yunjiao couldn’t help but ask, seeing how calm Zhao Zuo was.

"Afraid? Of course I’m afraid. But it should be fine if I’m careful. By the way, this Luo Wenxin, your childhood sweetheart—what’s his status? Is the power behind him very strong?" Zhao Zuo feigned a frightened expression.

"The Cyan Wood Sect’s current Tao Child, possessor of a Wood Spirit Body," Shen Yunjiao said, enunciating each word.

The Great Yue Country was vast, but there were only two Golden Core powers within it. One was the Cyan Wood Sect, which had been rooted in the Great Yue Country for thousands of years. The other was the Moyun Sect, which had moved to the Yunlan Mountain Range a few hundred years ago. Due to external pressures, the two sects had not erupted into direct conflict.

Over several hundred years, although there had been both cooperation and competition, they were generally considered allies.

"That really is an incredible status."

The Tao Child of the Cyan Wood Sect was equivalent to Chen Xiaorong’s position in the Moyun Sect. In the future, even if he didn’t become the Sect Leader, he would at least become a Supreme Elder. He was a seed with a high probability of advancing to the Core Formation Realm.