Chapter 499 - 499 Beguiling Shen Baichuan
Not long after the man finished his call, Lin Yaqing approached. Now, looking at the man, she did not find him as repulsive as before, which shows how quickly a woman's feelings can change.
The man exchanged a few words with her, repeated what Shen Baichuan and Shen Qianyue had said to her, and then whispered something in her ear. Not much later, Lin Yaqing gently slapped the man, joked with him for a bit, then walked into Shen Baichuan's room.
From afar, Shen Qianyue watched their movements closely, a cold smirk crossing her lips as Lin Yaqing entered the room.
Inside, Shen Baichuan lay stewing in his sulking, his dissatisfaction glaring due to Shen Qianyue's caution. But since Shen Qianyue was his older brother, he had no choice but to listen.
Seeing Lin Yaqing enter, Shen Baichuan was startled and then his expression turned icy, "What are you doing here again?"
Lin Yaqing had no fondness for Shen Baichuan either. Hearing his question, she merely responded with a cold smile, "The troubles of the Shen Family really aren't my concern. But in the end, we are relatives. If you're in trouble, it doesn't bode well for us either. That's why I am here to discuss this matter with you."
Lin Yaqing leisurely paced around the room, her face calm and collected, "Your elder brother should have seen it by now. Am I right? That Ye fellow, he's specifically targeting your Shen Family!"
Shen Baichuan was already frustrated about this matter, and upon hearing her words, he glared at Lin Yaqing, his voice grave, "So what if he is? Do you think our Shen Family would be afraid of him? Let me tell you, that Ye won't be able to jump around much longer. Once my brother figures this out, he'll contact our family elders. When our elders arrive, Ye won't have enough lives to escape death!"
"Oh, really?" Lin Yaqing smiled faintly, "I don't mean to look down on the Shen Family, but I wonder if you and your brother will still be around when the Shen family arrives in Shenchuan City!"
Hearing this, Shen Baichuan immediately furrowed his brow and gave Lin Yaqing a cold stare, "What do you mean by that?"
"Hahaha…" Lin Yaqing laughed, "What do I mean? Don't you understand yet? Tie Yongwen and Ye Qing are not fools. Could they not see what your brother was attempting?"
Shen Baichuan scoffed, "Even if they figured it out, so what? Do you think they would dare lay a hand on us?"
"They might not dare to move against you directly, but others might," Lin Yaqing returned coldly, watching him, "Don't forget, the man who kidnapped Shen Qingyi that night, his strength is definitely not inferior to your brother's. If Ye Qing brings him to deal with you, huh, what do you think your chances are?"
Shen Baichuan was taken aback, and Lin Yaqing's words suddenly made him feel threatened. He still vividly remembered the scene where that man with the long blade had cut the family daredevils into pieces the other night, the bloody scene chilling him to the bone. If that man truly came to kill, Shen Qianyue's strength might be insufficient to stop him!
Seeing Shen Baichuan's expression, Lin Yaqing could not help but sneer inwardly, aware that she had swayed him.
"Moreover, that man is not alone!" Lin Yaqing continued, "Huangfu Ziyu of Dongzhou is clearly in league with him. And the teahouse in Shenchuan City, I hear, has good relations with the Ghost-faced Judge. Why else would the Judge have intercepted Tie Yongwen that night? If these two groups also act, Shen Baichuan, I fear you really won't make it out of Shenchuan City!"
Shen Baichuan's expression changed again, and after a moment of silence, he clenched his teeth, "I don't believe they would dare provoke our Shen Family. If our family elders come, none of them will survive!"
"Shen Baichuan, don't be naïve. They wouldn't dare provoke the Shen Family?" Lin Yaqing scoffed, "The night before last, at the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena, Miss Shen was abducted, and you still think the Shen family's name carries weight?"
Shen Baichuan's brows furrowed deeply, suddenly tossing aside the blanket and saying sternly, "I'll call the family elders right now to handle this!"
"Why the rush?" Lin Yaqing blocked Shen Baichuan, "Do you really think that just by calling your family, they will immediately come to help?"
Shen Baichuan frowned, his voice stern, "What do you mean? We are all people of the Shen Family; they will definitely come to our aid!"
"Shen Baichuan, you're too naive!" Lin Yaqing said, "You're just a side branch of the Shen Family; Shen Qingyi is the main lineage. If the Shen Family really does send someone, it will be at most to escort Shen Qingyi back to Xi Hang. Nobody will care about you."
Shen Baichuan said gravely, "Impossible, this matter involves so many people. If someone dares to abduct Ms. Qingyi, the family will definitely not sit idly by. And also, the people from the Northern Li Family, who are our great enemies, the clan elders will surely resolve this matter!"
"That's your opinion, but I don't think so," Lin Yaqing said. "Let me put it this way, your Xihang Shen Family has been in the Southern Six Provinces for so many years, has anyone dared to challenge your authority?"
Shen Baichuan gritted his teeth and said, "Who dares!"
"Exactly, no one dared to act against your Shen Family for so many years, yet this time, so many people acted against your Shen Family simultaneously. Don't you think there's something strange about this?" Lin Yaqing said, "These people's hatred towards your Shen Family must have accumulated over a long time. Why did they not dare to seek revenge before, but now they all come out at this moment?"
Shen Baichuan glanced at Lin Yaqing and said gravely, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"It's simple..." Lin Yaqing smiled faintly and said, "Because these people now have the strength to confront your Shen Family!"
"Nonsense!" Shen Baichuan shouted angrily: "Our Shen Family is the martial arts Holy Land of the Southern Six Provinces. Who in the Southern Six Provinces does not respect us? Them wanting to confront us is just a dream!"
"Who is dreaming is quite clear. Huangfu Ziyu made his move, that strange man made his move, the people from the teahouse made their move, and even Ye Qing and Tie Yongwen made their moves. Anyone with a bit of wisdom wouldn't act rashly but would choose to clear up what's really going on behind all this." Lin Yaqing smiled faintly and said, "Shen Baichuan, your brother is a clever man, so he must have instructed you not to publicize this matter. Because he doesn't want to spook Ye Qing and force him to act prematurely."
Lin Yaqing said, "Your brother can figure this out, and those old foxes in the Shen Family can surely figure this out too. So, their coming to Shenchuan City would at most be to take you back and then observe these people's strength and see what they truly possess. Therefore, I can assure you, if the Shen Family's people enter Shenchuan City, they absolutely won't start a fight this time. And you, having suffered a loss at Tie Yongwen's hands, will just have to swallow this grievance, because no one will rift with Tie Yongwen for your sake. In the eyes of the Shen Family, your value is far less than that of Tie Yongwen!"
"Nonsense!" Shen Baichuan clenched his fists and slammed the table, shouting angrily, "I am a member of the Shen Family, the heir of the Shen Family, what is Tie Yongwen, how can he compare to me!"
Lin Yaqing only smiled faintly without speaking, calmly watching Shen Baichuan getting angry. Shen Baichuan roared a few times, but in the end, his voice grew lower and lower because he knew Lin Yaqing was stating the facts. Regardless of his anger, he could not change that reality; the family would definitely not rift with Tie Yongwen because of him.
After gritting his teeth in silence for a while, Shen Baichuan looked up at Lin Yaqing and said gravely, "What exactly do you want to do?"
"Shen Baichuan, I don't need to tell you about the grudge between Ye Qing and me. The things he did to our Lin Family, others might tolerate, but I can't because I can't stand sand in my eyes," Lin Yaqing said through clenched teeth. "Even though I think you are very impolite, in this matter, we are still on the same side. So, I want to help you deal with Ye Qing, deal with Tie Yongwen. I'll help you get your revenge and earn merits, and at the same time, relieve the hatred in my heart!"
"Help me earn merits?" Shen Baichuan looked at Lin Yaqing in surprise; he understood revenge, but what did earning merits mean?
"Isn't that easy to understand?" Lin Yaqing shrugged and said, "Ye Qing belongs to the Northern Li Family. I am sure that these people who dare to confront the Shen Family are backed by the Northern Li Family. So, Ye Qing is definitely a key figure among these people. Once Ye Qing is dealt with, their alliance will probably crumble, which would be considered as a great merit for the Shen Family!"
As Lin Yaqing spoke, he patted Shen Baichuan's shoulder and said, "Although you are from a collateral branch of the Shen Family, the contributions you make to the Shen Family are definitely not much less than those of the direct lines. However, no matter how much you contribute, a collateral branch will always be a collateral branch, never entering the direct line, and you can't expect the family to value you. Is that fair?"
Shen Baichuan clenched his teeth and frowned, this issue being the one that angered him the most. But the family's rules were such, and there was nothing he could do to change them!
"But this time is different if you can deal with Ye Qing and dissolve their alliance; it would be considered as a great deed saving the Shen Family!" Lin Yaqing said with a light smile, "Such a great merit would suffice to raise your status in the Shen Family dramatically, stepping over those who do nothing but eat all day."
Those words lit up Shen Baichuan's eyes; they really touched his heart.
Seeing Shen Baichuan's expression, Lin Yaqing inwardly chuckled even more and continued to instigate, "You're not like your brother. Shen Qianyue is known as the number one person of the younger generation in the Shen Family. Just this title alone is enough for him to be respected and hold an absolute position in the Shen Family. So, earning merits doesn't matter much to him, but it's very important for you. Shen Baichuan, opportunities are scarce. Whether you can seize this opportunity will be key to whether you can secure your position in the Shen Family. What do you think?"
A cold gleam flashed in Shen Baichuan's eyes as he fixated on Lin Yaqing and said gravely, "Tell me what to do!"