The First Summoner - Chapter 26

Shen Yan could currently remain inside her spatial domain for fifteen minutes.

When that time elapsed, she returned to the outside world.

Perhaps she was too exhausted. She collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep at once.

By the time she woke, night had fallen.

Hongri and Yinyue sat beside her bed.

The moment Hongri saw her eyes open, her entire body jolted. Tears of joy spilled down her face.

“Miss, you’re finally awake!”

“How long did I sleep?”

Shen Yan’s head felt heavy and clouded. She raised a hand to her forehead.

It was burning hot.

“Miss, you fell ill,” Yinyue answered. “You slept for two days and two nights.”

Shen Yan paused, her lips pressing into a tight line.

She had been unconscious for two full days without the slightest awareness.

“The Young Master has been terribly worried,” Hongri said anxiously, her words coming as fast as the clatter of abacus beads. “When he learned that the family head punished you, he went to the main hall to confront him. But the family head joined forces with the elders to subdue the Young Master, and now he has been confined.”

“Confined?”

Shen Yan’s expression sharpened.

Hongri nodded worriedly.

“Given Father’s strength, who in the Shen family could possibly hold him?”

Yinyue explained, “The family head called upon the Supreme Elder. He is your great-grandfather, Miss—the Young Master’s grandfather and the previous family head, Shen Buyi.”

Shen Yan lowered her eyes.

The original girl’s memories contained no trace of such a person. Yet this Supreme Elder, Shen Buyi, was her great-grandfather.

Yinyue continued, “I heard the Supreme Elder was the one who raised the Young Master.”

Hongri’s eyes reddened.

“Although the Young Master has been confined, his thoughts are still entirely on you. Every hour, he sends someone to Xicui Courtyard to ask about your condition.”

Shen Yan slowly sat up and threw back the covers.

“Miss, what are you doing?”

“Going to see Father.”

Hongri hurriedly stopped her.

“Please don’t, Miss. You’re still sick. If the Young Master sees you visit him in this condition, he will blame us for failing to care for you. It will only upset him more. Besides, it’s already deep into the night.”

Shen Yan stopped.

Before either maid could offer another word of persuasion, she lay back down.

Hongri and Yinyue stared.

Shen Yan knew that Shen Tianhao held tremendous importance within the family. No one would truly harm him.

The small measure of worry in her heart faded.

She remembered something else.

“How much time remains before registration closes for the Qiutian Sect’s competition?”

“Two days,” Yinyue answered.

Shen Yan relaxed slightly.

At least her illness had not caused her to miss the registration period.

This body was still far too weak.

She needed to train it properly and improve its constitution.

Then she remembered that Shen Xue’s birthday banquet would be held the next day.

Coldness entered Shen Yan’s eyes.

This would be the last birthday banquet Shen Xue ever enjoyed.

The next morning, a festive atmosphere already hung over the Shen estate.

It was the birthday of the Shen family’s Eldest Young Miss.

Shen Yan rose early and wrapped herself in a purple fur cloak. Then she left the estate with Hongri and Yinyue.

News of her departure quickly reached the family head and the others.

The family head was displeased.

Shen Yan was both sick and injured, yet she still insisted on going out.

If she dared cause trouble for Xue’er—or embarrass the Shen family—he would not spare her so easily this time.

He dispatched a covert guard to follow Shen Yan and monitor her every move.

Meanwhile, a long line had formed at the registration site established by the Qiutian Sect in the imperial capital.

Shen Yan’s carriage soon arrived.

She was about to step down and join the line when Hongri and Yinyue began pleading with her.

“Miss, are you truly going to register? It’s far too dangerous! If the Young Master finds out, he’ll beat us to death!”

“Miss, the competition will be brutal. If anything happens to you, the Young Master will be devastated!”

“Please reconsider!”

Inside the carriage, both maids knelt before Shen Yan, their faces caught between fear and distress.

Shen Yan looked at them.

Once she made a choice, she would not change it for anyone.

She needed the Blood-Devouring Pearl.

She needed to become strong.

“Do not try to persuade me.”

She was about to leave the carriage when a commotion erupted outside.

“Look! Quickly!”

“The notice says that useless Shen Yan actually registered for the competition! Is she trying to die? Hahahaha!”

“This is hilarious! I heard she regained her senses, so I thought she might have become a little smarter. But she’s still just as stupid. Did she forget she was a good-for-nothing before registering for the Qiutian Sect’s competition?”

“Does she think that because Eldest Young Miss Shen can participate, she must be capable as well?”

“Her mind may be clear now, but she’s every bit as foolish as before.”

Laughter thundered through the crowd.

Inside the carriage, Shen Yan’s expression shifted.

Who had registered her?

Hongri realized the problem as well, and her small face changed.

“Miss was unconscious for two days and two nights. How could she possibly have registered? Someone is framing her!”

Yinyue’s expression grew grave.

“Miss, if you leave the carriage now, the gossip will only grow worse. Why don’t I go investigate for you?”

After only a moment’s thought, Shen Yan could already guess who had entered her name.

Shen Xue.

Nangong Yu.

Or both of them together.

Only those two wanted her dead so desperately.

Shen Yan frowned.

She had slept for two days and nights, while her father’s confinement had delayed his visit to Nangong Yu’s estate to end the engagement.

She turned to Yinyue.

“Go and confirm whether my name is truly registered.”

“Yes, Miss!”

Yinyue quickly left the carriage. She squeezed through the crowd surrounding the public notice and found a line of small characters.

*Shen Yan, Shen family, Nanxiao Kingdom.*

Yinyue’s heart sank.

Someone had truly registered Miss without her knowledge.

But did registration not require the participant to appear in person?

She asked the people nearby, “Doesn’t a participant have to register personally?”

“Of course!”

Before Yinyue could process the answer, the crowd burst into laughter again.

“When did that useless Shen Yan come to register? She truly has courage! She even appeared in person! If the competition required a minimum cultivation level, she never would have qualified.”

“Does she think she’s Shen Xue?”

Wave after wave of mockery crashed over Yinyue.

Her face flushed with anger.

Her mistress was nothing like these people claimed!

Holding back her fury, Yinyue returned to the carriage.

The sight of Shen Yan’s calm face somehow soothed her.

Still indignant, she said, “Miss, I don’t know what method they used, but someone registered you.”