The Shen Clan Elder was even more excited than Shen Du himself.
After all, Shen Du managed the Shen family’s affairs, but when it came to the ancestors—leading the rites and sacrifices—that responsibility fell to the elder. He had to answer to the ancestors and ensure the continuation of the family bloodline.
The Shen family had always had few descendants. By the time it came down to Shen Du, he was the only male heir left.
In his earlier years, when Shen Du was still reckless, it wasn’t such a problem—as long as he hadn’t ruined his health. But ever since Su Lanxiang came along, everything had gone wrong.
Su Lanxiang couldn’t bear children, yet she clung to Shen Du in the name of love, forbidding him from so much as glancing at another woman. If he did, she would resort to musk, poison—whatever it took.
If things continued this way, the Shen family line would end.
And now—there was a child out there, lost and then found again.
It was truly a gift from heaven.
“This time, I’ll go myself.”
“We’ll see if the child is real. If so, we pledge ourselves to the Lord Duke at once.”
“I think the Lord Duke is a good choice.”
“At the very least, he won’t tolerate those lovesick fools. Without them, the Shen family’s descendants will flourish, and our clan will endure forever.”
That last remark was clearly meant for Shen Du.
Having said that, he didn’t bother to glance at Shen Du’s already sour expression. He promptly stepped out, summoned a few of the clan’s elders, and the whole group filed out of the water stronghold, heading straight for Zhang Shi’s military camp.
When they arrived, Zhang Shi welcomed them warmly.
He led the Shen Clan Elder and the others to see the two-year-old child.
One look was all it took for the elder and the clan members to be certain.
“This is our Shen family’s blood!”
“No doubt about it. That sense of kinship—I haven’t felt it in so long.”
“It’s him. This child is one of us, a Shen clansman.”
…
Their absolute certainty caught Zhang Shi off guard.
He had been thinking he’d need to call Yu Zhen over to bear witness, but all it took was one glance, and they were already convinced.
“General Zhang Shi, don’t be puzzled,” the elder said, noticing Zhang Shi’s confusion. He smiled. “We Shens do have some distinguishing traits.”
“Not to mention that this child’s face is the spitting image of Shen Du when he was little—just look at the mark on his arm.”
“Every Shen has one.”
“It only differs in size, depth, and placement.”
“With those two signs, we can say with full confidence that this is our Shen bloodline.”
He paused, then said with deep gratitude, “General Zhang Shi, I won’t waste words on thanks.”
“In short—the Linjiang Shazui Water Stronghold, under our Shen family’s control, is ready to open its gates wide and welcome General Zhang Shi and the Lord Duke in person.”
“From now on, Linjiang Shazui Water Stronghold is no longer under Yun City’s domain. It belongs to you, General Zhang Shi, and to the Lord Duke.”
Zhang Shi was overjoyed.
What a thrill!
First, Fanshan Fortress had fallen into his hands without a single sword being drawn.
Now, this water stronghold, too, had been taken bloodlessly.
And it wasn’t just bloodless—it had been swift, faster than his basic Blitz tactics could ever manage.
“At this rate, Yun City will fall any day now!”
Zhang Shi immediately offered to host a banquet, but the elder and his men politely declined. “We appreciate your generous intent, General, but there’s no time to waste.”
“We’ll head back now to persuade our people and reorganize the naval forces. In at most three days, we’ll hand over the entire Linjiang Shazui Water Stronghold.”
“We ask for your patience, General Zhang Shi.”
Three days was something Zhang Shi could easily afford.
And with that time, the Shen family could win over the whole stronghold, sparing Zhang Shi any future management headaches.
He agreed readily.
The elder and the others took their leave.
Before they went, they thought about taking the child with them.
But one moment of reflection told them it was impossible.
Though an alliance had been struck with Zhang Shi, it was still fragile as paper—no real bonds of interest, no solid trust.
Zhang Shi would never agree.
So they let the matter go.
They hurried back to Linjiang Shazui Water Stronghold, gathered the clan, and began discussing the plan.
The matter was kept strictly among the Shen clan, as there were outsiders on the stronghold—specifically, the deputy captain of the surveillance squad sent by Zhou Xiong.
But the deputy captain was no slouch.
Even with the Shen clan moving cautiously, he still caught wind of something from the tiny clues. After a bit of deduction, he was absolutely certain.
“Excellent, excellent…”
“So the Shen family is finally planning to pledge themselves to Ren Tianye, huh?”
“And you…”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We could have talked it over together, couldn’t we?”
The deputy captain’s heart was racing with excitement.
Zhou Xiong was stubbornly determined to hold Pukou City. With his prestige and years of control over his men, there was little a subordinate could do.
All they could do was sigh, going hungry every day as they gazed north, hoping for the king’s army to arrive.
When at last he got assigned to monitor the water stronghold, the Shen clan’s inaction had left him utterly frustrated.
He’d been this close to finding the elder and yelling at him.
“Look at Fanshan Fortress—they surrendered, clean and simple, and look at the good life they have now.”
“Is this stronghold going to follow Pukou City’s fate? Waiting to be besieged, cut off, starving and ragged?”
But at last, talk about waiting…
The Shen family finally got it.
“Getting it is the best thing!”
“When you surrender, I’ll just have to go along—forced to surrender, that is—no, captured!”
“That way, Zhou Xiong won’t dare touch my family, and I can start living well.”
“And then help General Zhang Shi with a few ideas to take Pukou City—that’s some credit for me too!”
The deputy captain’s imagination ran wild, a smile spreading that he couldn’t hide.
“Good times—here they come!”
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
