Chapter 459 - 459 Ghost-faced Judge Cui Yu
Shen Baichuan was lifted up by someone, and it felt as though all the strength had left his body, making it impossible even to move a little finger. Yet, that large hand was extremely forceful, squeezing his neck so tightly that it creaked. Shen Baichuan had no doubt that if the person wished, with just a little more pressure, they could snap his neck!
Shen Baichuan grew up in the Xihang Shen Family from a young age and was raised on the legends of the Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun. For so many years, the prestige of the Xihang Shen Family thundered throughout the land, and no one dared to provoke a member of the Shen family when they went out. This nurtured his stubborn and arrogant personality. When he came to the tea house, it was the same, as he didn't take the Ghost-faced Judge seriously at all. And now, suddenly being throttled like this, an unprecedented sense of fear gripped his mind—a sense of helplessness in the face of this struggle!
"Master!" White Impermanence and the young girl were both overjoyed, crying out in unison.
The Lady Boss also let out a sigh of relief, whispering softly, "You've finally come back!"
Upon hearing the words of the three, Shen Baichuan then realized that the owner of this large hand must surely be the Ghost-faced Judge.
Shen Baichuan had heard of the Ghost-faced Judge before, but having been raised in the Xihang Shen Family, he had never taken anyone outside of the Shen family seriously. Now being caught like this by the Ghost-faced Judge, he had finally begun to understand how laughable his former arrogance was. In front of the Ghost-faced Judge, he had no power to resist at all—the large hand seemed to have already controlled his life and death.
The Ghost-faced Judge hummed lightly and casually threw Shen Baichuan aside as if tossing aside a little chick. When Shen Baichuan landed, he tried hard to stabilize himself, planting his feet on the ground with the hope of standing firmly. But the moment his feet touched the ground, he felt a numbness in his knee joints and involuntarily bent his knees, falling to his knees with a thud, right in front of everyone in the room.
Shen Baichuan's face turned beet-red, as he had never been so embarrassed. He hurriedly attempted to stand up, but no matter how hard he tried to exert strength with his legs, he couldn't muster any force and was utterly unable to rise. Shen Baichuan was shocked. He knew he must have been hit in the acupoints on his legs by the Ghost-faced Judge. But throughout the process, he didn't feel the Ghost-faced Judge make a move. How did he achieve this?
Shen Baichuan tried several times but still could not stand up. He reached out to grab a nearby chair, only for White Impermanence to pull it away. Without anything to prop himself up, Shen Baichuan's anger surged, yet he dared not speak out. He could only brace himself with his hands on the ground, flatten his legs, and switch to a sitting position, rather than remain kneeling.
Free from the kneeling position, Shen Baichuan finally looked up and saw a man of average build sitting at the main seat. The man had a leather mask covering his face, making it impossible to discern his features. His hands were significantly larger than those of an average person. Holding a teacup, he was slowly savoring his tea, not even glancing at Shen Baichuan.
Without doubt, this man was the owner of the tea house, the Ghost-faced Judge Cui Yu, known from the assassin rankings.
Shen Baichuan clenched his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Cui Yu, do you know who I am?"
The Ghost-faced Judge didn't even bother with him, leisurely taking a sip of tea before setting down his cup and saying, "Xihang Shen Family, even if I met any of your elders, they would respectfully address me as Mr. Cui. You, a junior, even dare to call out my name; truly unaware of the heights of the heavens and the depths of the earth!"
Shen Baichuan's expression changed, and he said tremblingly, "You... how do you know I am from the Xihang Shen Family?"
The Ghost-faced Judge put down his teacup and finally looked towards Shen Baichuan, "With your little ability, you're probably an insignificant character within the Xihang Shen Family."
Shen Baichuan was furious and shouted, "Bullshit! I am one of the ten most promising young members of the Xihang Shen Family. How dare you look down upon me!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." the Ghost-faced Judge slowly shook his head, a hint of deep regret flashing in his eyes, and said, "I didn't expect the Xihang Shen Family to have fallen to such a state. With someone like you among the most promising ten, it seems the Xihang Shen Family is nearing its end."
"What do you mean by that?" Shen Baichuan was furious. "Are you looking down on me? Cui Yu, don't think just because you can beat me that you can be so arrogant here. The Xihang Shen Family is brimming with talent. If you encountered any of my elders, let alone our elders, even just my older brother alone could kill you without a problem!"
The Ghost-faced Judge said, "If that's the case, then let them come find me. You can leave now!"
Shen Baichuan was greatly angered, as no one had ever spoken to him like this before. But considering the Ghost-faced Judge's astonishing strength, he swallowed his pride and said sternly, "Humph, do you really think this tea house of yours is all that great? If it weren't for the Old Madam sending me here, I wouldn't have even wanted to step foot in your tea house. Cui Yu, listen carefully, it's the Old Madam who sent me to relay a message to you. The Old Madam has asked me to inquire where your brother has been hiding all these years!"
A cold glint passed through the eyes of the Ghost-faced Judge as he sized up Shen Baichuan and said, "If the Old Madam wants to know the answer, why doesn't she come to ask me in person? Sending a junior like you is somewhat too dismissive of my Cui surname, wouldn't you say?"
Shen Baichuan retorted angrily, "Cui Yu, don't get too cocky. Our Xihang Shen Family has already given you face by personally coming to ask you. The Old Madam has spoken herself, and you still dare to talk like this. Aren't you afraid that the people of the Xihang Shen Family will tear down your tea house?"
"Heh heh..." The Ghost-faced Judge gave a cold laugh and slowly stood up, taking measured steps towards Shen Baichuan.
Shen Baichuan's heart was shocked, his leg had not yet returned to normal, what on earth did the Ghost-faced Judge want to do? Moreover, even if there was nothing wrong with his legs, he was no match for the Ghost-faced Judge's strength.
"Cui Yu, you... you wouldn't be bullying the weak, would you?" Shen Baichuan's voice trembled, and he began to feel fear again.
The Ghost-faced Judge merely kept sneering coldly, slowly reaching out his hand to grab Shen Baichuan's neck, lifting him up. Shen Baichuan felt it hard to breathe and lacked even the strength to struggle with his hands, seemingly turned into a toy in the hands of the Ghost-faced Judge, absolutely incapable of resistance.
Just as Shen Baichuan was nearing suffocation, an elegant voice suddenly came from outside the door, "Uncle Cui, after all, you are an elder, why bother with us younger generations?"
Shen Baichuan's mind brightened, he strained to turn his head, murmuring, "Big brother... big brother..."
The Ghost-faced Judge turned his head and saw a young man about one meter and eighty centimeters tall in the courtyard outside the teahouse. With a handsome face and a light smile, gentle and refined as if he were a Confucian Scholar.
"Shen Qianyue!" The Ghost-faced Judge barked coldly, suddenly tossing Shen Baichuan away with a flip of his hand.
Like a toy, Shen Baichuan was flung out by the Ghost-faced Judge, forming a parabola in the air. With his legs powerless, if he were to hit the ground, he would almost surely fall in a very sorry state.
Fortunately, at that moment, Shen Qianyue stepped forward, patted Shen Baichuan's back two times in quick succession, neutralizing the force of the toss from the Ghost-faced Judge, then grabbed his belt and gently placed him on the ground. As Shen Baichuan landed, he had some strength back in his legs, and holding onto Shen Qianyue's hands, he was finally able to stand firm without losing face here.
Shen Baichuan breathed a sigh of relief, turned his head angrily to the Ghost-faced Judge, about to curse, but Shen Qianyue gently patted him on the back, signaling him not to speak.
"Thank you, Uncle Cui," Shen Qianyue bowed halfway, softly saying, "Baichuan is still young and may have caused offense; here I apologize to Uncle Cui on his behalf."
The Ghost-faced Judge snorted coldly but said nothing, only watching the carriage behind with a cold gaze. Someone was sitting inside the car, but since the car windows were opaque, he could only vaguely see a graceful figure and could not make out who was inside.
The Ghost-faced Judge frowned slightly. Although he could not see clearly who was in the car, he could pretty much guess who it was.
"The Shen family is getting more and more disrespectful, causing such a ruckus in my teahouse, then coming to apologize later, and that's it?" the Ghost-faced Judge spoke in a heavy tone.
"For the offense, I ask for Uncle Cui's forgiveness, Baichuan is indeed too young," Shen Qianyue paused, then continued softly, "Moreover, Baichuan was a bit anxious, after all, it was a matter personally entrusted by the Old Madam, he just wanted to ask for clarity!"
"Don't mention the Old Madam to me, that's your Shen family's Old Madam, not an elder of Mr. Cui," the Ghost-faced Judge barked coldly, speaking solemnly, "As for Yi Hang's matter, I don't know either. Since we parted ways ten years ago, I have not seen him either. If the Shen family finds him, let Madam Shen send someone to notify me!"
Shen Qianyue nodded slowly, "The Old Madam just wanted to ask for news; since Uncle Cui has not seen him, then let it be. Uncle Cui, sorry for the disturbance, and if there is a chance, I invite Uncle Cui to visit Xihang!"
"No need to visit. Thirteen years ago, Mr. Cui almost died at the Shen Family Manor; I haven't forgotten that!" the Ghost-faced Judge smiled coldly, "Shen Qianyue, Shenchuan City is not as safe as Xihang, remember to be careful!"
"Thank you for the reminder, Uncle Cui, I will certainly bear it in mind!" Shen Qianyue bowed again, "Uncle Cui, my apologies for today's disturbance, I shall take my leave!"
The Ghost-faced Judge didn't even glance at him, turning directly to go back inside the teahouse.
Shen Qianyue bowed and backed away several steps, with extremely meticulous etiquette, taking Shen Baichuan back to the car, then drove away from the teahouse.
When the Ghost-faced Judge returned inside the teahouse, White Impermanence, the girl, immediately surrounded him, clamoring about Shen Baichuan's offenses.
"Enough!" the Ghost-faced Judge swung his arm angrily, "After all, he is from the Xihang Shen Family, remember this well. If not necessary, try as much as possible to avoid any conflicts with the Shen family, there is no benefit to you!"