Chapter 155: Chapter 152: Coming One After Another
On a rugged mountain path.
A group of men lay in ambush on the mountaintop. Their leader stared down, observing a small convoy passing along the road below.
"Boss, are we making a move? They look like a fat sheep. It’s been a while since our last score, and the brothers are getting antsy!"
A man came up from behind him. He gazed at the convoy on the road below, his hand gripping a long saber, his eyes filled with greed.
The men behind him also clutched their weapons, looking eager for a fight.
"No! Everyone, back down!"
The leader’s expression changed abruptly when he saw the flag on the convoy, and he threw out an arm to stop the men who were about to charge down.
"What’s wrong, Boss?"
"We haven’t had a score in half a month! It’s a huge fat sheep, and they’re not even heavily guarded. What are you waiting for?"
The man watched as the convoy below was about to pass the ideal ambush spot, his voice laced with anxiety.
"Listen to me! Stand down!"
"If you want to die so badly, go find a rope and hang yourself! Don’t drag the rest of the brothers down with you!"
The leader snorted, his face grim as he cursed.
"You idiot! Didn’t you see the flag on those wagons?!"
"The flag? It’s... Shen... HISS... Don’t tell me it’s *that* Shen Family?"
The man who had spoken earlier gasped, his eyes wide.
"Hmph! Scared now, are you?"
"It’s the summer harvest season for Spirit Grain. That convoy likely belongs to the men under the Shen Family’s Transportation Envoy, who collect the taxes."
"I’ve heard the Shen Family’s Transportation Envoy is at the Soul Emergence Realm. If we mess with his people, we’re just asking for a quick death!"
"Keep your eyes peeled from now on! Don’t just charge in recklessly whenever you see something shiny!"
On the mountain, the leader scolded his subordinates.
And so, the convoy below passed safely through the rugged mountain path.
Only when the rugged path was far behind them did a young man on a Black Flood Dragon Horse at the head of the convoy dare to look back. His eyes, fixed on the place they had just passed, flashed with lingering fear.
"Father, there were people lying in ambush back there, weren’t there?" the young man asked the middle-aged man walking ahead of him.
If Shen Changchuan were here, he would have recognized this young man. It was none other than Shen Shaochong—the one who had tried to cause trouble for him a year ago upon his arrival in Dawan Village, only to be scolded and sent away by the Dawan Village Guardian at the time, Shen Shiyin.
And the middle-aged man he called "Father" was, naturally, the former Dawan Village Guardian, Shen Shiyin.
From the looks of it, the two of them were once again in charge of transporting the family’s collected tribute this year.
It was unclear what strings they had pulled to secure this position again.
"Oh? You actually noticed, you little brat? Looks like you’ve improved a bit lately."
Shen Shiyin glanced back at his son, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
He knew perfectly well what kind of troublemaker his son was.
He’d always been an ignorant good-for-nothing.
But now, he could spot an ambush at a glance.
This surprised him, but also filled him with a sense of relief.
"Father, people change."
"I’d love to be a second-generation heir who just loafs around, but our family has fallen on hard times. We have no foundation, no stability. If I don’t learn a few skills, how am I supposed to survive in the future?"
A smug look appeared on Shen Shaochong’s face.
"When I passed through that section of the road just now, I felt a vague sense of unease."
"Then I saw the birds on the mountain chirping incessantly, too afraid to land in the forest. That meant there had to be people hiding there!"
Shen Shiyin nodded slightly, saying nothing.
"Speaking of which, including this time, this is the eighth encounter, isn’t it?"
"How did this area get so chaotic? Did something happen?"
Shen Shaochong asked after a moment of thought.
After completing the transport mission for last year’s autumn harvest, they had returned to Tian Nan City and focused their attention there.
It was only now, for the summer harvest, that they had set out and set foot in this region again.
Thus, Shen Shaochong was almost completely ignorant of what had been happening nearby.
His old man, however, had some connections here and should know something.
"Heh, it’s a major change, that’s for sure!"
"Just you watch. Great chaos is about to erupt in this Border Desolate Land!"
"It might not be a literal sea of blood, but it will be a turmoil of fire and steel sweeping across the land!"
"But none of that has anything to do with us now. Besides, given our status, I doubt anyone would dare to touch us."
Hearing his son’s question, Shen Shiyin recalled the news he had heard from some old friends and chuckled darkly.
"You know, we were really lucky."
"If our post as the Dawan Village Guardian hadn’t been taken over, we’d be the ones facing this great chaos now."
"Now, we work for the Transportation Envoy. With a Soul Emergence Realm expert protecting us, outsiders don’t dare to act out of line."
"But if we were still in Dawan Village, where the mountains are high and the Emperor is far away, during such chaotic times... someone could just put on a mask, rush into the village at night to burn, kill, and plunder your wealth. What could the family even do about it?"
"Shaochong, when we meet that Young Master Shaochuan later, you should really thank him properly."
"If that young master hadn’t replaced us, how could our whole family have escaped this vortex of turmoil?"
Shen Shiyin’s words were tinged with schadenfreude.
"Haha! That’s so satisfying!"
Hearing this, Shen Shaochong couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Although his old man hadn’t said it outright, he could tell from his words that the guy named Shen Changchuan was about to be in deep trouble!
Trouble that could even lead to his utter ruin!
At that moment, scenes of his entire family being driven out a year ago flashed through Shen Shaochong’s mind.
The feeling was as satisfying as chugging an ice-cold can of coke on a scorching summer day!
All the pent-up frustration he had been holding onto was released in that single moment.
"Shaochong, tone it down."
"Even though that kid is about to have some serious bad luck, we should just be happy about it on the inside. Don’t be so obvious."
Seeing his son’s triumphant expression, as if a great revenge had been exacted, Shen Shiyin couldn’t help but remind him.
No matter what, that person was still the Clan Leader’s son. They couldn’t afford to leave any evidence of their gloating.
"Don’t worry, Father. I’ll control my emotions. I won’t look triumphant in front of him, lest I be accused of rubbing salt in his wounds."
A mocking sneer touched Shen Shaochong’s face as he reined in his expression slightly.
...
「Meanwhile, on the other side...」
Shen Zhongshan, Shen Rongguang, and their group were heading toward Dawan Village, exhausted in both body and mind.
