Chapter 59

Chapter 59

If Xie Yulin said he wanted to see Shen Yuan, then even if Shen Yuan were in the middle of a bath, the shadow guards would have to go in, wrap him up, and take him away.

Sometimes their paths crossed by chance, but most of the time, Shen Yuan was greeting empty air.

Therefore, the shadow guards took quite good care of Shen Yuan on the road. Although the carriage traveled fast, a shadow guard sat inside and let Shen Yuan sleep leaning against him.

Shen Yuan had been pretending to be drunk, but knowing the Xie family's shadow guards had arrived, he relaxed considerably.

Because he had been diligently practicing his calligraphy and studying characters lately, he was sleep-deprived. Having drunk some wine tonight, although he wasn't drunk, he did indeed fall asleep.

From Fresh Flavor Inn to the Xie family ancestral home, it took fifteen minutes on horseback and less than half an hour by carriage; it wasn't very far.

Shen Yuan hadn't slept long before being jolted awake.

Despite the short distance, his sleeping posture had been so contorted that after being jolted the whole way, his waist no longer felt like his own; his whole body felt like it was falling apart.

Seeing Shen Yuan wake up, the shadow guard shifted slightly, maintaining a strict distance.

Shen Yuan pressed a hand to his waist, yawned, and asked, "Fifth Uncle is looking for me so late, is something the matter?"

The shadow guard stared at Shen Yuan's hand rubbing his waist and saw him frowning deeply, looking very uncomfortable.

After a moment's thought, he reached out and pressed down on Shen Yuan's waist.

It was unclear which acupoints he pressed, but the discomfort in Shen Yuan's waist was greatly relieved.

Shen Yuan's eyes lit up as he thanked him again.

The corner of the shadow guard's mouth twitched slightly. Wanting to laugh, he suppressed the emotion. "The Lord says he has found your aunt."

Shen Yuan exclaimed in surprise, "Really! That's wonderful!"

Knowing his aunt had been found, Shen Yuan felt the carriage was moving much too slowly.

He asked the shadow guard when they would arrive, and the guard replied, "Immediately."

The shadow guard did not lie. Moments later, the carriage stopped. Shen Yuan got out, waved goodbye to the guard, and was led inside by Xie Yulin's personal attendant who was waiting at the gate.

"Good evening, Fifth Uncle!"

Shen Yuan greeted Xie Yulin enthusiastically as soon as he entered. Only when Xie Yulin looked up did he ask, "I heard there's news of my aunt!"

Xie Yulin's gaze swept over Shen Yuan. Seeing that he looked no different than usual, he observed him discreetly while nodding. "She's been found. She is currently recuperating in Guihua Village."

Guihua Village?

Shen Yuan said in surprise, "Brother Dagui is also in Guihua Village! How is my aunt?"

Xie Yulin raised an eyebrow slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "Xu Dagui was the one who saved her. Shen Anniang is doing fine; there's nothing serious at the moment."

Shen Yuan was astonished—what a coincidence! Hearing that she was currently out of danger, he felt much more at ease.

"Aren't you going to ask how I found out?" Xie Yulin asked.

Following his lead, Shen Yuan asked, "How did Fifth Uncle find out?"

Xie Yulin frowned slightly. Shen Yuan's attitude was not right.

"You don't want to know?"

Shen Yuan shook his head honestly. "I feel like the truth isn't something I want to hear."

Yet Xie Yulin insisted on telling him. "I said before that I would protect those around you. Naturally, I sent people to your aunt's side as well."

Shen Yuan looked at Xie Yulin, momentarily confused as to why he was mentioning this.

Then he remembered Xie Yulin's previous promise to help find his aunt. This meant that even back then, Xie Yulin knew exactly where she was.

"Fifth Uncle, why are you telling me this now?" Shen Yuan didn't understand. If Xie Yulin hadn't wanted to disclose it, with his capabilities, Shen Yuan might never have known the truth in his lifetime.

Xie Yulin's gaze paused. "I felt like saying it."

Shen Yuan's brow furrowed. He truly didn't understand the purpose behind Xie Yulin's actions.

He didn't want to play guessing games, so he asked directly, "Fifth Uncle, to be honest, I am very grateful to you. I didn't expect you to go as far as protecting my aunt. But I don't understand why you kept her whereabouts from me before. Was it inconvenient to tell me then?"

Xie Yulin watched Shen Yuan with an inscrutable expression. "I wanted to see if you were the same on the inside as the outside—if you would be just as grateful even if I hadn't found your aunt for you."

Stating it so bluntly made it the ultimate test.

Shen Yuan instinctively frowned. "Fifth Uncle told me this on purpose just to see how I would react?"

Anger? Fawning? Or gratitude?

Or was this very question another test?

Shen Yuan realized that Xie Yulin was truly an unfathomable man. Every word and action was calculated, with a multitude of considerations behind them.

Xie Yulin asked, "Are you angry?"

Shen Yuan nodded directly. "Yes, a little."

"But more than that, I don't understand. You did a very good thing, and you protected my aunt so well. Why didn't you tell me, and why do you insist on telling me this 'truth' now?"

Shen Yuan asked him, "By saying these things, does Fifth Uncle want me to dislike you, be angry with you, or something else?"

"Is my being angry now the result Fifth Uncle wanted?"

Xie Yulin's dark eyes locked onto Shen Yuan.

The boy wasn't just angry; he was blaming him.

He was blaming Xie Yulin for wrongly maligning the version of himself that had protected Shen Anniang; he was blaming him for forcing him to be angry with his "Fifth Uncle."

Shen Yuan's handsome face held a trace of stubbornness as he stared straight at Xie Yulin, as if trying to demand justice for the "good" Fifth Uncle from this scheming, deep-seated Xie Yulin.

Xie Yulin suddenly chuckled softly and beckoned to him. "Come here."

Though he was sulking, Shen Yuan obediently walked over.

"It takes nearly half an hour by carriage from Fresh Flavor Inn. You arrived so quickly; you must have suffered quite a bit on the way, right?"

Shen Yuan gave a small "mm" in response.

The Xie clan had many descendants, and Xie Yulin had seen many of them. When the children in the family threw tantrums, they acted exactly like Shen Yuan was now—refusing to speak.

The difference was that when the children in the clan got angry, Xie Yulin wouldn't comfort them.

"The Xie family has a hereditary acupressure method that can quickly relieve back and waist soreness. I'll teach you."

Shen Yuan refused sullenly, "The Shadow Guard brother already gave me a massage."

Xie Yulin, his gloved fingertips lightly tapping the table, said, "What they learned is just superficial. I'll teach you the real deal."

"Come here, turn around."

Shen Yuan didn't move.

Xie Yulin also fell silent, and the two just stared at each other.

One pair of dark eyes was icy cold, the other stubbornly fuming.

Finally, Xie Yulin sighed. He was twelve years his senior; what was he doing arguing with a kid?

"Come here. After I teach you, I'll take you to see your aunt."

Shen Yuan finally deigned to move his noble feet, taking a few steps forward before turning around.

Xie Yulin was much taller than Shen Yuan. Even sitting down, Shen Yuan was only slightly taller than him.

Xie Yulin lowered his head and placed his hand on Shen Yuan's waist.

His palm almost completely enveloped the waist, making Xie Yulin realize just how thin Shen Yuan was.

His strong knuckles sought out the acupoints with moderate pressure.

With each press, he explained the details to Shen Yuan.

Xie Yulin's voice was calm and clear, speaking word by word. Shen Yuan listened attentively, trying hard to remember the locations.

It was indeed somewhat different from the Shadow Guard's technique.

And this time, it felt more comfortable.

"Remembered?" After finishing one round, Xie Yulin's hand rested lightly on Shen Yuan's waist as he asked in a light tone.

Shen Yuan quickly reviewed it in his mind, then nodded, "I remember clearly."

Only then did Xie Yulin withdraw his hand. An attendant promptly brought new gloves.

Xie Yulin changed his gloves, his expression natural. He lowered his gaze to adjust them and reminded Shen Yuan, "Once the paper is made, we'll have a better reason to ask the Emperor for a title for you. When your position is more secure, I'll help you choose a suitable match from among the noble daughters of Youyang. Marrying a noblewoman is crucial for the family's growth. Your foundation is still unstable now; don't get caught up in romantic entanglements, or you'll be easily taken advantage of."

"Of course, if you have no intention of developing the Shen family, then none of this applies."

Shen Yuan hadn't thought much about the future, but Xie Yulin's words gave him a clearer view of the path ahead.

Building up the family—he had never considered it.

But upon reflection, although the Shen family only had a few members left, for his younger siblings and aunt to live better lives, family development was inevitable.

However...

Shen Yuan hesitated, "Fifth Granduncle, didn't you say before that the credit for the paper is too great for me to handle? Maybe we should use something else later?"

Xie Yulin looked at Shen Yuan with interest, "Do you think that if I, Xie Yulin, truly want to protect someone, I wouldn't be able to?"

He could protect him, but it would require many sacrifices.

Shen Yuan was deeply shaken. He asked in confusion, "Fifth Granduncle, why are you so good to me?"

Xie Yulin's hands, adjusting his gloves, paused almost imperceptibly. "Because you have value."

"The rise of the Shen family as a new clan would be advantageous for me."

Shen Yuan mulled over these two statements.

That seemed to be the case.

His storyteller tales and the papermaking method he provided were indeed quite valuable.

A new family, new blood. Xie Yulin putting a lot of effort into helping him grow would indeed bring great benefits if the Shen family prospered.

Shen Yuan's ambition was suddenly ignited. He said excitedly, "Fifth Granduncle, don't worry, I'll give it my all from now on!"

Xie Yulin was amused by his expression and chuckled lightly before standing up. "Let's go to Guihua Village to see your aunt."

Once in the carriage, Xie Yulin said to Shen Yuan, "Regarding your aunt, what I said before wasn't the whole story. What I'm about to tell you next is very important."

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Shen Yuan immediately sat up straight and nodded.

Previously, Fan Zhongwu had said that Shen Anniang resisted, hitting Fan Xuan on the back of the head with a pottery jar and shoving him, which led to Fan Xuan's death.

However, according to reports from the Shadow Guards in the Fan family, the truth was that Shen Anniang could no longer endure Fan Xuan and his brother Fan Zhe.

The two brothers were at odds, and she was the one suffering through those difficult days.

The Shadow Guards had already been prepared; if Shen Anniang's life was in danger, they would find a way to take her away.

But they were one step behind Shen Anniang.

They never expected that such a seemingly delicate woman would devise a plan to make Fan Zhe kill Fan Xuan with his own hands.

The note she left was to inform Fan Zhongwu that she had Fan Zhe's confession and knew the Fan family's hidden secrets.

Even if the county magistrate didn't acknowledge it, the families feuding with the Fans would use this confession to devour the Fan family from the inside out.

With the recommendation system, who would dare recommend such a hidden landmine?

Once exposed, everyone involved would be blown to pieces.

Fan Zhongwu probably dreamed of killing Shen Anniang, drinking her blood and eating her flesh.

He thought she was an easy-to-squeeze soft persimmon, but who knew she was a tough nut to crack!

After escaping the Fan family, because she had schemed to kill someone, Shen Anniang couldn't get past the psychological barrier.

With the Shen family's safety no longer a concern, she hid the confession and chose to hang herself.

When the Shadow Guards were about to rescue her, they noticed someone approaching and immediately hid.

After Xu Dagui saved her, they followed him and his adopted son, watching them take Shen Anniang back to Guihua Village.

Shen Anniang had been awake for several days, but her spirits remained low, and she spent most of her time sleeping.

Xie Yulin had someone secretly take her pulse—it was an illness of the mind, and only she herself could come to terms with it.

Sleeping so much was actually a form of protection for her body; otherwise, she might be unable to face reality and might choose suicide again.

After listening, Shen Yuan’s expression turned grave.

In his memory, Third Aunt Shen was beautiful, clever, and kind-hearted—so soft-hearted that she couldn’t even bring herself to kill a chicken.

It wasn’t out of fear, but out of pity and reluctance.

Such a person, driven to desperation, had chosen to kill by proxy.

In the end, unable to bear her own actions, she chose to inflict punishment on herself.

Arriving at the doctor’s house in Osmanthus Village, someone had already cleaned and prepared it in advance.

The doctor’s family had been sent elsewhere, leaving only the sleeping Shen Anniang in the room.

By the candlelight, Shen Yuan saw the person from his memories.

Her once gentle brows were gone, and she was even thinner than when she was with the Shen family. Clear scars marked the back of her hands, her neck, and her face.

The female physician who had examined Shen Anniang’s entire body was also summoned and went over her condition in detail with Shen Yuan.

There were plenty of visible scars, and even more lay hidden under her clothes.

Not only that, but her constitution was severely weakened, and her abdomen had suffered multiple heavy blows, which had probably left her infertile.

The physical pain was already unbearable, to say nothing of the psychological torment added on top.

Even while asleep, Shen Anniang’s brows were tightly furrowed.

She was sleeping fitfully.

Sitting by the bedside and listening to the female physician’s words, Shen Yuan could only think that Fan Xuan deserved to die, and Fan Zhe deserved to die as well.

If it weren’t for them, his aunt wouldn’t be like this!

Seeing Shen Yuan biting his lower lip to suppress his anger, Xie Yulin couldn’t help but say, “The Fan family’s secret stockpiling of weapons is a proven fact—the whole family will be executed. If you’re still angry, I can have someone take you to see Fan Zhe and Fan Zhongwu so you can give them a beating to vent your anger.”

“Don’t bite your lip—it’ll bleed.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan released his teeth. The slight pain in his lower lip helped clear his head.

The Fan family members were as good as dead. When his aunt woke up, if she wanted to, he would go and give them a severe beating.

If she didn’t want to, he would still give them a severe beating.

But for now, beating the Fan family wasn’t the top priority.

The immediate priority was Shen Anniang’s identity.

Afraid of waking Shen Anniang, Shen Yuan deliberately lowered his voice and leaned slightly closer to Xie Yulin, whispering, “Fifth Granduncle, my aunt’s identity documents were canceled by the Fan family. What is she going to do without any papers?”