CHAPTER 290: CHAPTER 290: CRYSTAL COFFIN (3)_1

Shen Po nodded, his voice involuntarily rising. He wanted those lurking in the shadows to hear and reveal themselves to snatch the Crystal Coffin. Such a treasure was the stuff of dreams for cultivators. And given that old thief’s penchant for stealing, he was certain she would show. As long as she revealed herself, she wouldn’t leave this place alive. The domain of Shen Po was not somewhere one could simply come and go as they pleased.

"Shen Po, where did you get such a treasure?"

"About that, I have to thank Shen Cheng, that boy. Although he’s done countless wrongs, he did one thing right by delivering this Crystal Coffin into my hands."

"How could he have it? Even we couldn’t find such a thing. How did he manage that?"

"You can thank the Shen Family in Beijing for that. The recent generations of the Shen Family have fallen into decay. Their only scion, Wanyou, was poisoned and killed by that boy, who then seized the Shen Family," Shen Po said, rubbing his chin.

"The Shen Family? Do tell. It’s been a long time since I heard a story. I’m sure you’re interested as well, Elder. With such a treasure, how did it end up in the hands of a mere mortal?" Zhuge Yang sat in a chair, seemingly relaxed, but his eyes held a constant glint of vigilance.

"Elder Brother, take your time. We have all the time in the world, and I believe the senior has time as well. Let’s drink tea and listen," Zhuge Ao said, sitting beside Zhuge Yang and watching Shen Po become lost in memories.

"The protagonist of this story is me, isn’t it? I should be the one to tell it," a cold voice interjected. It was Shen Cheng, driven out by Shen Po, returning once more to the villa. He went directly to the second floor, gazed at the Crystal Coffin in the hall, and spoke with an icy tone.

"Didn’t I tell you to leave? Why have you come back?" Shen Po roared. He was outraged that after being thrown out, the man dared to return. Was Shen Cheng truly unafraid of death, or was he seeking it? His master and junior brother were quick to fight and kill; Shen Cheng was no match for them. Why was he so stubborn and insistent on returning?

"Grandfather, I only wanted to come and see her," Shen Cheng replied softly, retracting the chill from his body and once again adopting the demeanor of a refined gentleman.

"See her? See whom?" Zhuge Yang asked, puzzled. The coffin was empty. Meanwhile, Zhuge Ao raised his eyebrows smugly; he knew full well where the person from the coffin had gone, as it was his own doing.

"She’s in the ice cellar. Didn’t I already tell you that we need the Crystal Coffin for our practice?" Shen Po spoke gravely, cutting Shen Cheng off to prevent further questions.

"Enough talk. Weren’t you going to tell a story? I believe the elder is getting impatient. If you don’t start soon, be careful—he might use the Earth Spirit Bead to sweep us into the bowels of the earth, and that would be your fault."

"Shen Po, speak. His Excellency is watching from the side," Zhuge Yang said icily, reminding them that luring out the hidden person was crucial for their safety.

"It all begins with an event from the past. Chengcheng, sit down and listen slowly. Maybe after hearing it, you’ll understand what you previously didn’t. Then you can decide whether to continue seeking vengeance against the Shen Family or to let it go. The choice is yours," Shen Po said, inviting Shen Cheng to sit. He stroked his beard and sank into his recollections.

His name was Shen Po. He had an older brother, Shen Yuan, seven years his senior, who was Wanyou’s grandfather. They grew up together in the Shen Family, and their relationship was always strong. However, even that close bond couldn’t change the fact that Shen Po was an illegitimate child. This cuckoldry was a blatant mark of shame upon the Shen Family.

It hung over the then Family Head, bringing disgrace to the family. To put it bluntly, his mother, in pursuit of wealth and status, had been unfaithful and conceived him with another man. Shen Po, then the Shen Family’s second son, thus became leverage for his mother to marry into a rich family as a mistress.

For years, Shen Po enjoyed more paternal love than even Shen Yuan received. But no matter how well-hidden a secret, it always comes to light eventually.

When the adulterer confronted them, using Shen Po as a threat, the Family Head at the time happened to witness everything. Enraged, he beat the adulterer and Shen Po’s mother severely, handed them a letter of divorce, and expelled them. At the time, Shen Po was a proud university student.

After the scandal was exposed and hospital tests confirmed his identity, he too was disowned and cast out of the Shen Family. A series of events followed, leading to Shen Po’s unwitting induction into a Hidden World Family by Zhuge Yang. There, he endured arduous cultivation for over fifty years. By the time he returned, everything had changed.

Now over seventy, Shen Po appeared much younger than his actual age, thanks to his cultivation.

Unbeknownst to Shen Po, when he left, a woman with whom he had a one-night stand had borne him a son. He didn’t know that the woman had been so deeply infatuated with him, even believing the Shen Family had killed him. She constantly instilled in their son the need to avenge his father, convincing him that the Shen Family and Shen Yuan were responsible for his father’s demise and that everything the Shen Family owned rightfully belonged to them.

The results of such an upbringing were easy to imagine. Because his mother incessantly drilled into him the idea that the Shen Family was responsible for his father’s death, this son studied hard, seeking revenge. His goal was to strip the Shen Family of everything, but he ultimately failed. For some reason, he died by jumping off a building, leaving behind his son, Shen Cheng.

With his father dead and his mother having followed him in suicide, young Shen Cheng went to live with Duan Mei in B City. From a young age, he was fixated on getting revenge on the Shen Family in Beijing. He intended to reclaim everything he had lost, bit by bit. In his mind, Shen Yuan had caused the deaths of his grandfather and parents and pilfered his inheritance; therefore, Shen Cheng sought vengeance.

The car accident that killed Wanyou’s parents and Wanqian’s sudden claim of kinship—all of it was orchestrated by him. Having grown up without parents himself, he wanted Wanyou to experience the same loss and loneliness. He planned to elevate her to the heavens, only to personally cast her into hell.