Chapter 357: Kneel
Chapter 357: Kneel
Cha Jin struggled to control her grief and indignation. Her gaze swept across the gathered Shen Family higher-ups, one by one.
“I, Shen Chajin, am not afraid of death. So long as you tell me the reason, if my sacrifice can save the entire family, I… I can accept it!”
She practically spat the last couple of words through the gaps in her teeth.
The entire conference hall fell silent.
Now, even the higher-ups in attendance dared not meet Cha Jin’s gaze.
“Child, circumstances have forced our hand. Otherwise, who among us could bear to hurt you? All you need to know is that we have no choice either,” someone sighed.
Another elder coldly berated her. “Cha Jin, the Shen Family raised you. Have we ever mistreated you before? Now that we’re in danger, you ought to repay us. You can’t… You can’t be selfish!”
“Selfish?” Cha Jin shook with anger, practically spitting fire. “You want to throw me away, but you won’t even tell me why. You want to send me to my death, but you’re calling?me?selfish?”
She was starting to lose control of her emotions. She turned to face Shen Yanxing. “You’re my older brother, my own flesh-and-blood sibling. Do you want to send me to my death too?”
Shen Yanxing’s expression shifted erratically, but in the end, he snapped, “Cha Jin, can you stop being so immature? If it were possible, I’d rather take your place, but my death won’t save the family!”
Cha Jin felt as if a knife were twisting in her heart, and the blood drained from her pretty face. “All this talk, but ultimately, you gave up on me a long time ago…”
She took a deep breath, then fixed her gaze on the center of the room, where her father, Shen Zhangkong sat. “Father, all I want is a reason. You want to send me to my death; don’t you think the least you can do is explain why?”
Whap!
Shen Zhangkong’s face was ashen as he slapped the armrest of his chair. “If you want to know, I’ll tell you. It’s because of what you did in the Great Zhou. How else could this trouble implicate the entire Shen Family?”
He rose, bristling with anger. “You caused this calamity, so you have to take responsibility for it! You cannot blame us for our heartlessness!”
Every word slammed into Cha Jin’s heart like a hammer. Her pretty face paled, and she felt a chill in her hands and feet, as if she’d fallen into an icy abyss.
She stood there as if she’d lost her soul, muttering to herself, “And here I thought that as children of the Shen Family, we ought to share in both prosperity and misfortune. I wouldn’t have thought that even my own father and brother would abandon me over a single incident…”
It was then that—
A burst of hearty laughter rang out from beyond the hall. “Cha Jin, Uncle Shen is right. You caused this mess, so how can you drag your innocent clansmen down with you?”
Afterward, Yu Hao strode in, two elderly attendants in tow.
“Greetings, Young Lord Lu.”
“Young Lord Lu, your presence is an honor. Forgive us for not greeting you sooner.”
Shen Zhangkong and the other Shen Family members instantly rose to greet him, their expressions full of deference and awe.
“Senior Apprentice Brother Lu?” Cha Jin’s eyes widened.
“Don’t call me ‘senior apprentice brother.’ I dare not accept such a lofty title,” said Lu Hao coldly. “Since you’re back, follow me.”
As he spoke, he swept his gaze across the Shen Family higher-ups. “None of you object to that, right?”
“Of course not.” Shen Zhangkong forced a smile. “We planned to send the girl to the Wheel of the Moon Sect. We didn’t anticipate that you’d come in person, Young Lord Lu.”
The others smiled and nodded along.
Cha Jin’s face filled with disbelief. “Don’t tell me the disaster facing the Shen Family has something to do with you!?”
Lu Hao said expressionlessly, “I’m certainly not that capable. You really don’t understand, even now? It’s the Wheel of the Moon Sect that’s after you, you traitor!”
The Wheel of the Moon Sect?
Cha Jin’s delicate form quivered, but she finally seemed to understand. “So that’s why… No wonder even my friends and relatives have turned against me…”
Shen Yanxing sighed. “Little Sister, since you’ve already understood, leave with Young Lord Lu. Our Shen Family cannot bear the weight of this disaster.”
Cha Jin’s expression was wooden, and her heart seemed to turn to ask.
There was nothing worse than an uncaring heart.
Cha Jin was already disillusioned with the Shen Family. She no longer wanted to be connected to them in any way!
“Cha Jin, come with us. Be quick about it.” Lu Hao took Cha Jin by the arm and tugged.
Whap!
Cha Jin backhanded him, delivering a resounding slap to his handsome face. He staggered back and fell to his knees with a thud, his face red and swollen.
“You bitch! How dare you hit me!?” Lu Hao covered his face and shouted.
Shen Zhangkong and the other Shen Family members’ expressions shifted, and they glared at Cha Jin.
“Scoundrel! Why haven’t you knelt and begged for Young Lord Lu’s forgiveness yet?” Shen Zhangkong’s face was ashen. He was utterly enraged.
“Kneel!” Grand Elder Shen Shanzhong bellowed, forceful and imposing. The others’ expressions were unfriendly too.
Cha Jin’s slap had stunned them, and they feared nothing more than offending Lu Hao and further implicating the Shen Family.
“Young Lord Lu, are you alright?” Lu Yanxing even went so far as to rush to Lu Hao’s side. He stretched out his hand as if to help him up.
All he got in exchange was a kick to the gut. “Scram!”
Lu Hao’s kick sent Shen Yanxing flying back. He clutched his stomach, his back bent with pain, and his face flushed as red as a cooked shrimp.
“You bitch, I’ve put up with you long enough already!” Lu Hao rose, charged, and raised his hand to slap Cha Jin.”
Shen Zhangkong hurriedly stopped him, then flashed him an apologetic smile. “Young Lord Lu, please, stay calm. Please leave this to me.”
He then turned his imposing gaze on Cha Jin. “Girl, I, Shen Zhangkong, gave you life. If you still recognize me as your father, kneel obediently and apologize to Young Lord Lu. Otherwise, don’t blame me for forcing you to your knees!”
Cha Jin’s expression was increasingly bleak and wooden.?Is that… Is that something a father should say to his daughter?
“Hurry up and kneel!” Shen Yanxing still clutched his gut. Lu Hao had kicked him, but he vented his anger on Cha Jin, and his face contorted with rage. “Are you dead set on destroying your entire family?”
However, his words only seemed to shock Cha Jin to her senses. “From this day forth, I, Cha Jin, have no connection to the Shen Family whatsoever!”
With that, she turned and left.
This was the place she was born and the place she grew up, yet now, it was the place she detested most. She didn’t want to stay even a moment longer.
“Stop! Who said you could leave? Don’t even think of leaving until you’ve knelt and apologized,” roared Lu Hao.
As he spoke, Shen Zhangkong reached out and pressed Cha Jin’s shoulders, as if to force her to her knees.
The nearby Shen Family higher-ups all had unfriendly expressions. They were ready and waiting; if Cha Jin attempted to flee, they’d be there to seize her.
Suddenly, a calm voice rang out.
“Cha Jin, if you just leave, won’t you be letting these scumbags off too easily?”
As soon as this voice rang out—
Shen Zhangkong felt dazed, as if a divine mountain had slammed into him. The force sent him flying back, and he slammed into a distant table. It burst apart, scattering fragments of wood.
A tall, lean figure appeared alongside that calm voice. He was already standing beside Cha Jin.
He was dressed in blue, and he looked leisurely and detached.
This was none other than Su Yi.
“Young Lord…” It seemed Cha Jin had finally found someone she could rely on. All the grief and disappointment transformed into tears, which burst forth uncontrollably.
When her own biological father and elder brother ruthlessly abandoned her, Su Yi was there, giving her heart something to cling to just as she was on the brink of despair.
“Don’t cry,” said Su Yi gently. “I’m here.”
“Who are you? How dare you barge into the Shen Family estate?” bellowed a graying elder.
Su Yi glanced at him.
Boom!
The graying elder felt as if a sharp sword were cleaving into his soul. Blood flowed from the seven apertures of his face, and he shrieked before collapsing limply to the floor.
Given the current strength of Su Yi’s divine sense, how could any mundane martial artist block it?
The entire hall fell deathly silent. Without exception, the onlookers’ expressions shifted.
It was then that Lu Hao reacted. He shrieked as if he’d seen his worst nightmare. “Su Yi? What are you doing here!?”
Su Yi!
It was just a name, yet it boomed like thunder on a clear day in the family higher-ups’ ears. All of them were struck dumb.
This was Celestial Palace City, the capital of the Great Wei, but who among the Shen Family higher-ups was ignorant of the grand battle that took place in the Jade Capital on the fourth?
Su Yi was young, but he was a legend. He’d killed over ten Earthly Immortals in rapid succession, sending their heads rolling across the ground and startling both heavens and earth. Tales of his glorious, bloody achievement had long since spread throughout the Great Wei!
However, the Shen Family higher-ups would never have guessed that a legend like the imperial preceptor of the Great Zhou would appear here out of nowhere!
They were surprised almost out of their wits!
Su Yi ignored all that. He just looked at Lu Hao and said, “Kneel.”
It was just one word, one light airy syllable, yet it contained seemingly irresistible power. 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐧𝗼𝘃𝐞𝐥．𝗰𝐨𝗺
Lu Hao’s knees thudded to the ground, and he quivered from head to toe, panicked as could be. He wanted to scream, only to realize that he couldn’t speak; it was as if he'd been frozen.
“I’ll settle the score with you later,” said Su Yi before turning to look at the distant Shen Zhangkong. He said flatly, “You’re a father, yet you were so fearful of external pressure that you threw away your own flesh and blood. You’re worse than a beast.”
As he spoke, he raised his hand, and he was just about to end Shen Zhangkong when Cha Jin pulled him back. She whispered, “Young Lord, I’ve already severed all ties with the Shen Family. They no longer have anything to do with me, so please… Don’t be angry.”
Grief and melancholy were written all over her face. She was a pitiful sight.
“They can escape death, but not punishment,” said Su Yi. He then pointed at Shen Zhangkong. “Kneel.”
Bang!
Shen Zhangkong slammed to the ground. His hair was disheveled, and the force of the impact shattered both knee caps.
He was a peak Xiantian Martial Ancestor famed throughout the Great Wei, yet now, he seemed as insignificant as an ant.
The sight left the Shen Family higher-ups shocked and appalled. They each felt a chill course through them.
“You all kneel too.” Su Yi reached out his hand and pressed down on the air.
Boom!
A terrifying majesty swept forth like an avalanche, bearing down on every last Shen Family member in attendance, forcing their knees to the ground and their heads to the floor.
Instantly, throughout the vast hall, only Su Yi and Cha Jin remained standing. The floor was covered in frantic, kneeling figures.
Cha Jin had a complex expression on her face. Earlier, her seniors had been fierce and imposing, with vicious scowls. They’d tried to force her to kneel in apology to Lu Hao.
Yet now that her young lord had appeared, a single gesture was enough to force every last one of her detestable seniors to their knees!