The First Summoner - Chapter 28

Shen Yan put away the storage ring and ignored the Grand Elder and the others.

As she turned, she spoke to Hongri and Yinyue.

“Both of you should remain with the Shen family. Tell the Young Master that I am well.”

She had always been accustomed to living alone.

If she brought the two maids with her, what would happen after she avenged the original girl and decided to leave Nanxiao Kingdom? How would she arrange their futures?

It was better to let them remain somewhere familiar.

She gave them a faint smile.

“If Father blames you, tell him this was my decision. Neither of you bears any responsibility.”

Hongri’s eyes blurred with tears.

“Miss, we are willing to follow you!”

“Go back.”

Shen Yan’s voice remained calm.

Then she stepped forward to leave.

“Miss!”

Hongri and Yinyue followed, unwilling to part from her and far too worried to let her go alone.

The Grand Elder sneered.

He believed Shen Yan was putting on a show. Once she left the Shen family, where else could she possibly find shelter?

His powerful voice rang out, thick with mockery.

“Shen Yan, if you leave today, never return! Even if the Young Master tries to bring you back, you had better possess enough pride to refuse!”

His sneer deepened.

“The Shen family loses nothing by ridding itself of one good-for-nothing. But without the Shen family’s protection, you will have lost the strongest support you possess. The choice you make today will be the most foolish decision of your life!”

Shen Yan did not spare him a glance.

She disliked the Shen family.

The only people tying her to it were Shen Tianhao and Shen Huai.

Hongri and Yinyue refused to leave her side, so Shen Yan finally allowed them to come.

The six guards Shen Tianhao had assigned to protect her tried desperately to persuade her to stay.

“Miss…”

Shen Yan cut them off.

“Go back and tell your Young Master that I dislike living in the Shen family. If he wants me to be happier, he should not interfere with my decision to sever ties completely. He and my little brother, Ah Huai, will always be the people closest to me.”

With that, Shen Yan left with Hongri and Yinyue without the slightest hesitation.

The watching crowd was stunned when she truly walked away.

They all thought she had lost her mind.

How could anyone be so outrageously foolish?

“That useless Shen Yan truly intends to break from the Shen family! And she had so much gold—fifty thousand taels!”

“Where did she get that much?”

“Shen Tianhao must have given it to her!”

The crowd buzzed with speculation.

The Grand Elder watched Shen Yan’s figure recede, his eyes narrowing with a cold laugh.

How long could she survive outside?

Sooner or later, she would come begging to return.

He had no idea that one day, he would be the one kneeling humbly and begging Shen Yan to come back.

News that Shen Yan had severed ties with the Shen family spread across Nanxiao Kingdom.

It attracted so much attention that, for a time, it even overshadowed Shen Xue’s birthday banquet.

The family head and the elders naturally heard what had happened.

None took it seriously.

They assumed Shen Yan was merely throwing a tantrum.

When Shen Xue learned the news, her red lips curved. She lowered her eyes and spoke as if to herself.

“Who knew anyone in this world could be so foolish? Without the Shen family’s protection, she will die very quickly.”

She spoke with a note of wonder.

Shen Xue slowly lifted one hand and examined the wound on its back. It had yet to heal completely.

The mark was evidence of the blood she had taken from Shen Yan.

She rather liked the scar.

It was proof of her victory.

Her voice softened to a whisper.

“Shen Yan, the day the Qiutian Sect’s competition begins will be the day you die.”

Just then, a maid called from outside.

“Eldest Young Miss, His Highness the Crown Prince, Young Master Lu, the noble heir Nangong Yu, and Princess Ying have arrived. They personally brought your birthday gifts.”

Shen Xue’s smile deepened.

*Shen Yan, you have a home you can no longer return to, while I stand firmly within the Shen family. Even the Crown Prince and the others favor me. Compared to me, you are nothing but mud.*

Her eyes darkened.

Shen Xue surpassed countless people, yet she could never accept her status as an adopted daughter.

That was why she hated Shen Yan so much.

More than anything, Shen Xue wanted Shen Tianhao and Shen Huai’s wholehearted acknowledgment.

No matter how kindly they had once treated her, there had always been an uncrossable chasm between them.

To Shen Xue, that chasm was Shen Yan.

Shen Tianhao did not learn that his daughter had severed ties with the Shen family until evening.

At first, he was frantic. Then the guard repeated Shen Yan’s message.

His breath caught, and he fell into a long silence.

A white-haired old man sat nearby.

“Hao’er, do not blame Grandfather for keeping you here. Perhaps Yan’er will return after some time. You need not worry so much.”

Shen Tianhao lowered his gaze. “She will not return to the Shen family.”

The old man asked, “How do you know?”

“Because she is my daughter.”

Shen Tianhao felt he had failed miserably as a father.

His eyes reddened.

The white-haired elder sighed deeply.

“Tianhao, you are too impulsive. You are no longer the man who could solve every problem through force. You suffered devastating internal injuries. Your cultivation foundation was destroyed, and more than half your strength was lost.”

He continued, “If you had acted with greater care, you would not be confined under my watch now.”

His voice softened.

“If you truly cannot rest easy, then after Yan’er’s anger fades, Grandfather will personally invite her home. Will that satisfy you?”

Shen Tianhao remained silent.

He knew Yan’er’s nature.

Once she made a decision, changing it was nearly impossible.

He was about to answer when his expression suddenly twisted.

Blood burst from his mouth and splattered across the floor.

“Hao’er!”

The white-haired elder’s eyes changed.

In a flash, he appeared behind Shen Tianhao. Spiritual power gathered around his fingers as he struck several acupoints across Shen Tianhao’s back.

More blood poured from Shen Tianhao’s mouth.

His face turned white, and heavy beads of sweat streamed down his skin.

“Hao’er, hold on!” the Supreme Elder ordered.

In truth, he had emerged from seclusion because he sensed Shen Tianhao’s old injuries relapsing.

Keeping him confined was merely a pretext for treating those wounds.

While the injuries flared, Shen Tianhao’s strength plummeted and his body became desperately fragile.

As his will began to fail, anxiety filled the old man’s face.

“You still have Yan’er and Huai’er. They need your protection!”

The words gave Shen Tianhao a little strength.

He forced himself to endure.

His eyes turned blood-red while blood continued to stream from the corner of his mouth.

Outside, joyful birthday celebrations filled the night.

Shen Tianhao, meanwhile, suffered torment worse than death.

After leaving the Shen family, Shen Yan acted swiftly.

She spent three hundred taels of gold on a small residence three streets from the Shen estate.

Hongri looked around the courtyard.

It lacked the Shen family’s grandeur, but it felt warm and comfortable. Her earlier worries disappeared.

“Miss, will this be our home from now on?”