Chapter 812
Chapter 812
To be honest, Shen Lang was a man without much of a conscience. Although both Zhang Chunhua and Xu Qianqian had left significant marks on his life, he only thought of them occasionally. Without a doubt, the two women were exceptionally special. Xu Qianqian had initially only wanted to curry favor with the powerful to elevate her family's business. She had aspired to transform from a mere merchant into a person of influence. Of course, the outcome was disastrous, and she suffered the immense pain of her family's ruin. Afterward, she transformed into a stronger, more independent woman and painstakingly rebuilt her clan. However, she was fated for a turbulent life, one not easily restored. Because of Shen Lang, she was destined to fall once more.
Zhang Chunhua, on the other hand, had flaunted her personality from the start, proactively seducing Shen Lang on multiple occasions. Moreover, her seductions were not merely to provoke him but to genuinely marry him. At the time, since Shen Lang was the live-in son-in-law of the Jin Clan, Zhang Chong had intended to make Shen Lang his true son-in-law. This vixen had nearly managed to ensnare Shen Lang several times, but in the end, as Zhang Chong lost his struggle against Shen Lang, she too grew more distant from him. Afterward, Zhang Chong became Shen Lang's staunchest ally, but Zhang Chunhua never appeared again.
“You speak first…”
Shen Lang said, calming his excitement. Zhang Chunhua had matured, and it seemed she could now conceal the vixen-like aura she exuded. Her face and figure were the very picture of a perfect Eastern beauty. The most flawless oval face, a slender and beautiful body that looked incomparably soft. Whether it was the curve of her chest, her slender waist, or her hips, everything was the epitome of Eastern beauty. Of all her features, her waist was the most captivating. She possessed a truly willow-like waist.
“How is my father? Are my two older brothers well?”
Zhang Chunhua asked, and for a moment, Shen Lang didn't know how to answer. Before the world was turned upside down, Zhang Chong and his two sons had been doing exceptionally well. Zhang Chong had become the Governor-General of Tianbei Province, his eldest son led troops by his side, and his second son was an official in the Imperial Censorate, on the verge of making a name for himself. It could be said that if the cataclysm had not occurred, Zhang Chong would have become a Chancellor in the Department of State Affairs within three years, and within five, the Chief Minister, making him the head of all civil officials in the State of Yue. Although Zhang Chong had once idolized Zhu Hongzhu, he would have eventually surpassed him to become a truly outstanding minister.
However, the revelation of Shen Lang's identity as Jiang Li's son implicated everyone associated with him, undoubtedly affecting their futures. Both Zhang Chong and Bian Wu were intelligent men, and before the incident, Shen Lang had sent them both secret letters. Therefore, these two brilliant figures would certainly have devised ways to protect themselves and their families, abandoning any excessive pursuit of power. Bian Wu would surely not have been able to keep his position in the Bureau of Military Affairs, nor would Zhang Chong have kept his post as Governor-General of Tianbei Province. But in times like these, survival was what mattered most.
“At least, until I left the Great Yan Dynasty, Lord Chong was doing well. He had even been appointed the Grand Governor-General of Tianbei Province.”
Hearing this, Zhang Chunhua was stunned.
*Could it be?*
When she left the State of Yue, her father, Zhang Chong, was still in the prison of the Court of Judicial Review. She had thought that even if her father made it out alive, he would at best remain a Fourth-Rank Prefect for the rest of his life, unable to even hope for the position of Junior Governor of Yanzhou. Yet, unexpectedly, in just a few years, he had become the Grand Governor-General of Tianbei Province. Wasn't that a position on par with Zhu Rong, the man who had recommended him?
*What kind of fortunate opportunity did my father encounter?*
“Then is my father still your enemy?”
“We’ve become the staunchest of allies, our relationship like that of an uncle and nephew.”
Hearing this, Zhang Chunhua breathed a sigh of relief.
“Then that’s good. That’s good.”
Then, she ran forward and threw her arms around Shen Lang in a tight embrace.
“I missed everyone so much. I missed everything about the Great Yan, and I always longed to see my father, my sisters-in-law, my nephews, and even you.”
Zhang Chunhua spoke as if in a daze.
*What does she mean, ‘even you’? So I don’t carry much weight in your heart, I see.*
It was only natural. There had never been any real emotion between Zhang Chunhua and Shen Lang, only the impulsive stirrings of hormones. Among all the men Zhang Chunhua had met, Shen Lang was perhaps the one who most made her feel the urge to procreate. But as for feelings? The two had never been together, never lived together—what feelings were there to speak of? No matter the man or woman, even if it was love at first sight, even if seeing him for the first time made her want to bear his child, such things were impulse and desire, not true feelings for him. True feelings for another person must accumulate over time, blending together until they reached a state of ‘you are in me, and I am in you.’
“Back when the king imprisoned Lord Chong, didn't you go to the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion? Why was there no news of you after that?”
After his imprisonment, Zhang Chong, fearing he could no longer protect his stunningly beautiful daughter, used his connection with Zhu Rong to send Zhang Chunhua to the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion. Later, even after Zhang Chong was safely released from prison and his career began to soar, Shen Lang heard no further news of Zhang Chunhua's whereabouts. At the time, he found it very strange and had even tried to ask Zhang Chong about her indirectly. But Zhang Chong deliberately feigned ignorance and didn't answer, so Shen Lang could not press the matter further. He worried that Lord Chong might misunderstand and think that a beast like Shen Lang was still thinking about his daughter.
*Are you still planning to take Chunhua as a concubine? Absolutely not.*
Princess Ning Yan lived with Shen Lang without any official title, but unlike her, it was absolutely impossible for Zhang Chunhua. This was because Ning Yan had, formally, already been married, and moreover, their relationship was already like spilled water, irreversible.
Zhang Chunhua remained silent for a long time before answering Shen Lang’s question.
“Shen Lang, if I told you that the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion is not the transcendent and righteous power it appears to be, would you understand?”
Shen Lang understood at once. However, the fact that Zhang Chunhua had realized this in the short time she studied at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion was truly remarkable. Gao Duhuan had been at the Pavilion for years and never noticed, and in his memory, his time there had been wonderful.
“After entering the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, I was assigned to the position of Grand Scholar of Anning. It was a role dedicated to researching ancient texts. I was very intelligent, so I earned their trust.”
She was not just intelligent; her IQ was high, and her emotional intelligence was even higher. Moreover, at that time, she wanted to establish a foothold in the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion to help her father. So, when she did her utmost to impress them, she quickly distinguished herself among the many scholars.
“A few months later, because I had shown such outstanding performance, my mentor wanted to send me to the field of life research. However, that was a classified field, and once I entered it, I would have to remain at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion for almost my entire life and could never marry. You know my situation at the time. All I wanted was to help my father and my family, so I agreed.”
*The field of life research?*
Shen Lang immediately thought of Mulan. In the past, Mulan, who had a constitution that made it very difficult to conceive, had gone to the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion to recuperate. Could the field of life research have been involved then?
“After entering the field of life research, the work I was assigned was very low-level. But even from that, I knew that the research in this field was terrifying. It was related to modifying bloodlines, and even… modifying human bodies and animals.”
Only then was Shen Lang also stunned. Modifying bloodlines was one thing—upgrading and transforming a person's constitution—but what did modifying human and animal bodies entail?
“While working in that secret field, I learned for the first time what the humans of antiquity were like. They were far stronger than us and had a very close relationship with the nature of this world. Moreover, to this day, I still don't know the exact status of that life research division. They live completely cut off from the world.”
“And later? How did you end up in this new world?”
“One day, we received an order. We had to go to a secret island beyond the sea to investigate the possible existence of ancient ruins there. The combat division was in charge of the investigation, while we were in charge of recording and research. We set out to sea in secret on a ship, and after a long, long voyage, we finally reached that secret island.”
Shen Lang recalled the rumors about Qiu Yao'er. It was said that within a few months of setting sail, Qiu Yao'er had fought numerous fierce battles, and her fleet grew larger by the day. But just as she was confronting the most powerful pirate lord, she encountered a storm. Her fleet was shipwrecked on a mysterious and strange island, and Qiu Yao'er herself went missing in the tempest.
At the time, her fleet was thought to be finished. A fearsome enemy lay in wait at sea, their leader Qiu Yao'er was missing, and they had even run out of drinking water. But at that moment of despair, Qiu Yao'er reappeared, having returned incomparably stronger. With her appearance came raging waves and storms upon the sea, and the shipwrecked fleet reappeared on the water. Qiu Yao'er immediately eliminated all the pirates and powerful foes before leading her fleet to continue eastward.
Zhang Chunhua continued her story.
“But we were one step too late. By the time we arrived, the mysterious island had already sunk, and the ancient ruins had vanished into the vast ocean. At that time, Qiu Yao'er's fleet was in the middle of a fierce battle with a large pirate army. The fight was already nearing its end, and ultimately, Qiu Yao'er won a great victory. The combat division of the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion went to negotiate with Qiu Yao'er, probably to ask about the matter of the ancient ruins. But the negotiations did not end amicably, and the Pavilion's fleet ended up attacking Qiu Yao'er's fleet.”
*Huh? The Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion turned hostile and attacked Qiu Yao'er just like that?*
“You may not know this, but the fleet of the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion is very, very strong. They possess many weapons that are beyond your comprehension.”
Shen Lang had seen their floating cannons and their giant bows with a range of over a thousand meters.
“So at the time, we thought we could easily destroy Qiu Yao'er's fleet. But…”
For a moment, Zhang Chunhua didn't know how to describe the scene.
“But Qiu Yao'er single-handedly destroyed our flagship and killed all the masters from the combat division. After that, we were defeated!”
Zhang Chunhua decided to explain it in the simplest terms. Hearing her explanation, Shen Lang's hair stood on end, and he felt the urge to piss himself. Qiu Yao'er was certainly strong, but she hadn't been this powerful back in Raging Tide City. Even if the fleet she destroyed was an exploration fleet and not the main battle fleet, it would still have been packed with masters, wouldn't it?
“How many people were in your Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion exploration party at that time?”
“Two thousand. There were about five hundred martial arts masters from the combat division. According to the martial arts classifications of the State of Yue, there would have been seven Grandmasters.”
“And what happened to them?”
“She killed them all.”
*Th-this is insane! She's that incredible?*
“Qiu Yao'er killed them all by herself?”
Zhang Chunhua nodded. It was truly an incredible feat.
“Qiu Yao'er killed everyone from the combat division, killed all the men, and then took all the women as prisoners. I was one of those prisoners.”
“Even as a prisoner, you are exceptionally intelligent and outstanding, so you must have quickly distinguished yourself and become Qiu Yao'er's confidante, right?”
“Are you sarcastically calling me cunning and sly?”
“Yes.”
“And how are you any better than me? If I’m a female vixen, then you’re a male one. We’re both just foxes borrowing a tiger's might, so who are you to laugh at me?”
Zhang Chunhua then continued in a sarcastic tone.
“Young Master Shen, whose wisdom is said to be almost demonic, how did you end up drifting tens of thousands of miles across the sea? Did you act so recklessly that you were about to be annihilated by that tyrant, forcing you to flee far beyond the waves?”