Chapter 122 - 119: Concealment
The trace of joy that had risen in his heart after slaying his enemies quickly dissipated.
Shen Changchuan could almost imagine it: the moment he became famous, the news spread, and it reached the Shen Family Mansion, what immense trouble it would bring him!
’That First Madam is not someone to be trifled with!’
"Er, Young Friend Shen, what’s the matter?"
Noticing that Shen Changchuan’s expression seemed a little off, Si Houqing quickly reacted and asked.
"Um, Shopkeeper Si, about what happened in this battle... I wonder if you could keep it a secret?"
"Why is that?"
Si Houqing was taken aback.
’Shouldn’t a fifteen-year-old be full of vigor, eager to make a name for himself in the world?’
’What young man doesn’t like fame?’
"Sigh, it’s a bit complicated... The main reason is that I am not without enemies within my clan."
"Making a name for oneself is certainly a good thing, but you can’t stop others from growing envious!"
Shen Changchuan sighed, his tone deliberately vague.
He didn’t elaborate.
In fact,
as long as he didn’t run his mouth or an acquaintance leaked the information, his identity wouldn’t be easily discovered by outsiders.
Especially in a place like the Border Desolate Land.
The Cultivators of the entire Tian Nan Shen Clan numbered in the tens of thousands.
Unless someone had a complete roster of the Shen Clan’s Cultivators, it would be difficult for an outsider to find out anything even if they tried to ask around.
Moreover, he had always been incredibly low-key. Forget outsiders; even within the clan, not many people knew who he was, let alone that he was the illegitimate son of the Shen Clan Leader.
The reason the Wu Family knew
was likely related to Shen Zhongshan and his group.
After all, that kid Shen Cunrui was in their party,
and he naturally knew Shen Changchuan’s identity.
Then again, this turned out to be a good thing.
At the very least, it had made Patriarch Wu, Wu Yuanzhi, wary back then, preventing him from acting rashly. As a result, that Cyan Essence Purifying Spirit Pill had fallen into his hands.
But regardless,
as long as he didn’t deliberately expose his own identity, it would only be known within a very small, high-level circle.
So Shen Changchuan wasn’t worried that Si Houqing would be able to guess anything.
Internal clan struggles—
such things were all too common.
A clan without internal conflict was as rare as a phoenix feather.
With Si Houqing’s worldliness and vast experience from traveling far and wide, he should be able to recall similar cases.
And indeed, that was the case.
The moment Shen Changchuan said this, Si Houqing understood.
His expression turned solemn.
This sort of thing...
was not uncommon.
It wasn’t just great clans like the Tian Nan Shen Clan; even some Minor Immortal Cultivation Clans, and even the great clans of mortals, were never short on conflict!
Sometimes, even the budding geniuses of a clan
could be secretly eliminated.
’After all, for some people, you becoming a powerful genius might be a good thing for the clan.
’But it’s not necessarily a good thing for me, because you’re blocking my path, or your rise to power will inevitably infringe upon my interests.
’The clan’s interests are the clan’s interests, but my interests are my own.
’As long as people have selfish desires,
’internal strife is inevitable.
’Therefore,
’performing exceptionally well, while sometimes a good thing that might earn you the clan’s investment,
’can also be a bad thing at other times.
’Because you never know when someone, green with envy, might stab you in the back.
’Perhaps,
’this young friend, Shen Changchuan, because of some internal conflict of interest,
’has made enemies of some powerful figures within his clan.
’On top of that, he lacks a powerful backer within the clan,
’which is why he’s asking me not to publicize this.’
In an instant,
Si Houqing’s mind filled in the blanks, constructing an entire backstory.
"Young Friend Shen, rest assured. I will not let a word of this get out!"
Si Houqing gave a firm reply.
At the same time, however,
he thought for a moment,
and then offered a suggestion.
"However, while I won’t leak the details of this matter to anyone, I do have a few thoughts on the situation..."
...
After a thorough discussion,
Shen Changchuan ultimately changed his mind.
First,
the matter of the Blood Slaughter Three Demons attacking and dying in Dawan Village could not be kept secret forever.
Rather than letting the outside world make wild guesses and fill the air with rumors,
it was better to seize the initiative.
Second,
if the news were to spread, it would undoubtedly bring a great deal of benefits.
For one thing,
with the corpses of the Blood Slaughter Three Demons serving as a warning, no matter how chaotic the Border Desolate Land became in the future, it was unlikely that many would dare to target Dawan Village again.
Furthermore, the news spreading would be highly beneficial for the soon-to-be-developed eastern section of the village. It would make it much easier to attract other businesses to set up shop, which would in turn generate substantial profits.
Of course,
these were only part of the reason.
What truly made Shen Changchuan finalize his decision was Si Houqing’s suggestion to alter the story of how the Blood Slaughter Three Demons were killed.
The gist of the plan was this:
The reason they were able to slay the Blood Slaughter Three Demons was that they had detected signs of an impending attack on Dawan Village. Therefore, they had set a trap in advance and ambushed them.
To this end, Shen Changchuan had even used his Shen Clan connections to invite several Qi Introduction Late Stage experts to help.
Only then were they finally able to slay the Blood Slaughter Three Demons.
This way,
when the news spread,
Shen Changchuan could reap the benefits of having killed the Blood Slaughter Three Demons,
while also avoiding provoking that First Madam far away in Tian Nan City.
With such a great upside,
Shen Changchuan naturally no longer refused.
Thus, not long after dawn the next day,
the corpses of the Blood Slaughter Three Demons were hung from the posts at the village entrance.
Shen Changchuan had originally thought that even though these men had come to kill him,
for the sake of the spoils they left behind, he should let bygones be bygones, burn the bodies, and bury the ashes in a pit.
But then,
after he learned from Si Houqing about the origin of the Blood Evil Gourd and the specific details of the Blood Slaughter Three Demons’ deeds,
he felt that the three of them had gotten off too lightly.
So he had his maternal grandfather, Han Qinhu, hang the corpses directly on the posts to air-dry.
’These bastards,’
’don’t deserve a peaceful burial.
’Let them bake in the sun and be lashed by the rain,
’though it wouldn’t serve as much of a punishment for men who were already dead.
’But it would be good to let them serve one final purpose—
’deterring any other outsiders with ill intentions.’
As for the Storage Bags carried by the Blood Slaughter Three Demons,
considering that Si Houqing had also taken action during the battle and played a significant role, Shen Changchuan offered to split the spoils with him.
However, Si Houqing refused outright.
He said his contribution to the battle was negligible.
The three opponents were all killed by Shen Changchuan.
If not for Shen Changchuan, forget spoils of war—it was questionable whether he himself would have even survived. What right did he have to share in the loot?
Faced with Si Houqing’s adamant refusal,
Shen Changchuan had no choice but to accept all of the spoils for himself.