Meanwhile… The Best Manor, Shen Manor, was located in Shen City. Shen City was located in the northern region of the Kingdom of the Heavenly Phoenix.
The land of the Kingdom of the Heavenly Phoenix was divided into the north, south, east, west, and central regions. It was made up of Feng City in the east, Ling City in the south, Luo City in the west, Shen City in the north, and Heavenly Phoenix City in the central.
The main part of the central region was Heavenly Phoenix City. The key powers that controlled this region were the Imperial family, the Alchemy Clan, and the Jewels Pavilion. Now, Su Ruoxi's Pavilion of the Assassins was also included as it was considered to be among one of the best. The rest of the powers included the Artifact Clan, the Beastmaster Clan, and others.
Each region consisted of one main city and many smaller cities. For instance, there were hundreds of smaller cities surrounding Heavenly Phoenix City.
The imperial family ruled only the city and not the kingdom. They were able to do so only because the other powers could not be bothered to contest for power. In fact, the imperial family did not dare to offend the Jewels Pavilion and the Alchemy Clan in the imperial capital, Heavenly Phoenix City. They were even afraid to offend the Pavilion of the Assassins.
It was the same with the aristocratic families in other cities. The imperial family was not able to have control over them because of the distance. Even when they sent men to try to manage the cities, it was futile as none of the men returned. They were either killed or they had switched allegiance.
To put it simply, this world was similar to ancient times in the history of the 21st century. Yet, one could also say that it was entirely different! In the history of ancient times—as recorded in the 21st century, the imperial power was the strongest. However, in this world, the imperial power was not held in the same high regard. Here, one's capability was far more important.
The more capable one was, the more powerful and influential one would be! The small and weak could only beg for mercy. It was a cruel world. A world where only the most powerful, the mightiest, the strongest, and the most capable survived.
Su Ruoxi liked the rules that governed this world. This was similar to her own rules of survival in her previous world.
At present, it seemed that the imperial family was still the most powerful force in Heavenly Phoenix City. This was because other powers like the Alchemy Clan and Jewels Pavilion were not interested to compete to be number one. As long as they were not provoked, it did not matter whether it was the imperial family or anyone else who called the shots.
Hence, the imperial family stationed their men in the hundreds of smaller cities surrounding Heavenly Phoenix City. This established the imperial family's influence in the central region.
In the northern region, Shen City was controlled by the Shen Family of The Best Manor. Shen Fei's father was the elderly City Lord. The elderly Shen Qingtian was obsessed with cultivation. He was not keen to continue to rule as the City Lord. However, he did not have a choice as he only had a few offspring—two sons and a daughter.
His eldest son, Shen Huaiqiu, was Lord of The Best Manor. His youngest son, Shen Huaitian, was a sickly child from the time he was born. His daughter, Shen Fei, was married to the Prince, Su Yunqi.
His youngest son, Shen Huaitian, was weak from birth. He could only cultivate at a very slow pace. He was also chronically ill and would spend more than half the time resting in bed…
Fortunately, Shen Huaiqiu married Duanmu Lan. She was the most beloved daughter of the Duanmu Clan. The Duanmu Clan was one of the most influential families in Shen City. Like the Shen Family, the Duanmu Clan had engaged in trade for many generations. The clan consisted of all men, with the exception of Duanmu Lan, who was the only daughter. Hence, she was the apple of their eye and was treasured like a precious pearl! As such, Shen Huaiqiu had the support of the Duanmu Clan and managed to establish The Best Manor as the most powerful force in Shen City…
Shen Huaiqiu was not interested in the affairs of the City Lord's mansion. The affairs of the mansion were managed by a few disciples of Shen Qingtian. One would say that on the surface, Shen City seemed peaceful and harmonious.
It was late at night at the City Lord's mansion. Shen Huaiqiu had a matter to discuss with his father, Shen Qingtian. Shen Qingtian's beloved wife had passed away many years ago. He led a life in solitude as he did not remarry.
Even though Shen Huaiqiu did not concern himself with the affairs of the mansion, he and his wife continued to live in the City Lord's mansion. They wanted to accompany his aged father and sickly younger brother.
Duanmu Lan had tried to persuade Shen Huaiqiu to take a second wife as she had not been able to get pregnant all this while. Shen Huaiqiu had objected vehemently. She was touched when he told her that all men in the Shen family would have only one wife in a lifetime.
It was precisely because of this that Shen Huaiqiu always had the support of the Duanmu Family…
"City Lord, there's a letter for you!" A black shadow appeared from nowhere and stood in front of father and son. He was Shen Qingtian's shadow guard, Shen Feng. Shen Qingtian was taken aback. Letters were usually delivered to him by the guards of the City Lord's mansion…
"What's the matter, Shen Feng?" Shen Qingtian asked with a frown.
"City Lord, this person must be highly skilled. He shot a dart and aimed the letter right next to me. I did not even detect his presence or get a glimpse of his face! Shen Qingtian answered respectfully. He was Shen Qingtian's personal shadow guard and also the captain of the shadow guards in the City Lord's mansion. He usually stayed hidden in an obscure spot to ensure Shen Qingtian's safety.
When Shen Qingtian went into seclusion, Shen Feng would be in charge of training the City Lord's mansion's shadow guard team. He had always been very confident in his ability to stay concealed. So he was crushed when he realized today that his skills were not as good as he had thought…
Had that person tried to assassinate him just now, he might not have even realized how he was killed.
"Father, let's take a look at the letter first!" Shen Huaiqiu felt something must be amiss. It would be better if they checked the contents of the letter first.
Shen Qingtian nodded and took the letter from Shen Feng. He opened the letter and as he read it, his face turned ghastly…
"This is atrocious! Damn Su Yunqi!" Shen Qingtian flew into a rage and smacked his hand on the table beside him, smashing it to pieces.
"Father, what's the matter?" Shen Huaiqiu was curious. So was Shen Feng. He had stayed behind after handing over the letter.
Shen Qingtian passed the letter to them…
Shen Huaiqiu and Shen Feng took turns to read it. Their faces turned grim when they were done. Shen Huaiqiu said furiously, "Father, I will send someone to escort Little Sister back home! This is too much! It's my fault for being negligent. I thought Little Sister was living a good life all along."
Shen Feng, who had been silent after reading the letter, seemed to have remembered something. He decided to voice out his concerns. "Master, Young Master, calm down first! There's something fishy about this. From what I remember, Miss will send a letter to Young Madam every year and tell her that she's been well. This is why we haven't been worried about her all along!"
Shen Huaiqiu suddenly chipped in. "That's right. I recall that Lan-er will receive a letter from Little Sister every year. Lan-er will reply to her every time. There have even been a few occasions where I've told Lan-er to tell Little Sister to come back to visit Father when she is free!"
"So what do the two of you think? Could someone have written this letter on purpose, as a prank?" Having heard his son's words, it finally dawned on Shen Qingtian that something was amiss.
"Father, let's send someone to verify the authenticity of this letter! According to Shen Feng, this person must be highly skilled. I think he must be up to something!" Shen Huaiqiu was indeed a businessman. He had made thorough considerations.
Shen Qingtian felt that what his son said made sense. "Shen Feng, you shall investigate this matter! You have to think of a way to verify if the content of the letter is indeed true!"
"Yes, Master!"
"Father, do you think this could be related to the Meng Family?" Shen Huaiqiu asked when Shen Feng left.
"You mean the Meng Family might be behind this? What could their intention be? Why did they say that something had happened to Fei-Er? They could even describe everything in detail!" Shen Qingtian said with a frown.
"Who could be the one who sent this letter on purpose?" Shen Huaiqiu was baffled.
In an obscure spot, one of the shadow guards from the Shen mansion was eavesdropping on the conversation between father and son. He smirked. His Master had tasked him to deliver a letter, and it had actually caused them to be greatly concerned.
The man's name was An Feng. He was a spy planted in the Shen Family by the Pavilion of the Assassins. Su Ruoxi had given him a special pill. After consuming this pill, his skills level would automatically decline to his desired standard.
If he met a powerful foe, he was supposed to consume the pill immediately. This would help him recover his skills.
Thus, when he received the secret signal from Mo Ye, he used his break to reset his skills. Then, he came to Shen Qingtian's study room to deliver the letter. However, he had not expected father and son to be so wary and cautious…
What should he do? His Master hoped the Shen Family would send someone to Heavenly Phoenix City as soon as possible. Who knew how long Shen Feng would take to finish his investigation?
Suddenly, a bright idea struck him. An Feng's shadow vanished in a flash! When he reappeared outside Shen Qingtian's study, Shen Huaiqiu had left.
An Feng used Mystique Energy to envelop the note he had written and flung it into the room.
"Pom…" It made a soft sound.
"Who is it?" Shen Qingtian heard the sound and quickly turned around.
There was nothing. His gaze stopped on the edge of the bookshelf and saw something white stuck on it. Shen Qingtian peered around the room warily. His gaze swept the room, but he did not discover anyone. Not even his shadow guards had been alarmed. This person must be potent, or maybe his shadows guards had already died.
Shen Qingtian did not wish to dwell on it. He immediately walked to the bookshelf and took a closer look. It was a note. This person must be extremely skilled to be able to fasten this piece of paper onto a bookshelf.
Shen Qingtian was stunned beyond belief! It was indeed a busy night at his mansion!
It took some effort for Shen Qingtian to pry the note from the bookshelf. He opened it and read the content. His brows were deeply furrowed, and for a moment, he fell silent. When he finally came to a decision, he shouted in the direction of the door, "Someone, come!"
A guard came in and knelt on the ground. "City Lord, what is your command?"
"Bring Young Master here!" said Shen Qingtian.
"Yes." The guard replied and left.
When the guard left, Shen Qingtian hesitated for a while. Then, he took out a black whistle and blew on it twice.
"Master!" Shen Feng appeared in the study room shortly afterward.
"Yes. Take a look at this!" Shen Qingtian passed the note to Shen Feng.
Puzzled, Shen Feng took the note. After reading it, he remained silent…
It had been just a short while since Shen Huaiqiu left. They waited for him to make his way back to the study room. After reading the note, Shen Huaiqiu looked at his father hesitantly. "Father, I think it might be better if we sent someone to take a look! What if Little Sister is really in trouble?"
"Shen Feng, what do you think?" Shen Qingtian asked. Since he was young, Shen Feng had followed Shen Qingtian around, and he was also his shadow guard now. They had been together for a few hundred years; although their relationship was that of Master and servant, they were also friends.
Shen Feng pondered for a moment. "Master, I think Young Master is right! Let's send someone to Prince Feng's mansion in Heavenly Phoenix City to check on Miss!"
After a moment of silence, Shen Qingtian spoke. "Alright. Shen Feng, arrange for two men to go to Heavenly Phoenix City. They are to depart at once tonight. Get them to report back immediately once they see Fei-Er!"
"Yes, Master!" Shen Feng replied and left once again.
An Feng was satisfied and left before Shen Feng. He located an empty spot and swallowed a pill. The man was to continue his masquerade as a shadow guard at the Shen Family. Shen Huaiqiu exchanged a few words with his father before he went back to rest.
Heavenly Phoenix City…
Su Ruoxi and her baby had joined forces to help Shen Fei and the granny handmaiden purge the poison from their bodies. They had also given the two women some elixirs to help them regain their strength. The mother and the child only left Shen Garden at the break of dawn.
After taking the elixirs from Su Ruoxi and Baby, Shen Fei and her granny handmaiden slept the entire day. Granny handmaiden awoke in the evening and felt that her body was much lighter and more relaxed…
When she recalled the events from last night, she looked around immediately, but Su Ruoxi and her daughter were nowhere to be found. There was a food container on the table with a note underneath it. The message asked her to eat some food and not to be worried. Madam had consumed some medication and would not be awake so soon.
The granny handmaiden was relieved after reading the note. However, she lost her appetite when she thought of how Second Madam intended to let Su Ruoxi take Su Ruolin's place to marry the dimwitted Crown Prince.
Granny handmaiden ate a light meal and sat on the bed, gazing at Shen Fei lying next to her. Although Shen Fei didn't look any different, her breathing was much smoother now. In the past, Shen Fei used to breathe very heavily every night before she fell asleep.
Shortly after, a soft knock resounded, and Granny handmaiden turned to see Su Ruoxi enter the room with Baby. "Xi-er, you are here!" She exclaimed in joy.
"Yes. Granny Shen, how are you? Do you feel better?" Su Ruoxi asked as she smiled lightly.
"I'm much better!" The granny handmaiden said gladly. She was aware of her own health. As long as Madam and Xi-er were fine, it was worth it even if she had to sacrifice her life.
Su Ruoxi could see the intense gratitude and relief in Granny Shen's eyes. She knew that Granny Shen treated Shen Fei sincerely, truly loved her, and meant her well…
She hesitated for a moment before giving her daughter a meaningful glance. Baby immediately sensed what she meant and tugged Granny Shen's hand. "Granny, let's continue with our treatment. Eating this pill might cause you some pain, and you might sleep for a longer time. Granny, you have to hang on!"
Granny Shen bent down and carried Baby. She was so soft and small. With a teary eye, she said, "It's alright. Granny is not afraid of the pain. Don't worry, Baby, Granny will be strong!"
"Yes, Granny, don't worry. I learned my medical skills from Mother. I am very, highly skilled!" She took out an elixir and put it into Granny Shen's mouth.
Then she slipped down from Granny Shen's grasp. "Granny Shen, let's go over there where you can lie down. If you fall asleep here, Baby won't be able to move you!"
"Alright." Granny Shen smiled as Baby pulled her to the small bed opposite them. She laid down on the bed. Before long, she felt her eyelids grow heavy, and she fell into a deep sleep.
When she saw that Granny Shen was sound asleep, Baby turned around and blinked at her mother. She exclaimed proudly. "Mother, it's done!"
"Great, Baby is the best! Come, let's go back to the realm…" Su Ruoxi smiled gently at Baby. An idea came to mind. She would return to the realm with Baby, and she would bring along Granny Shen and Shen Fei, who were both sound asleep.
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