"So, Brother Shan, are we heading to Dawan Village? He's just a measly Qi Introduction Third Layer. I doubt he'd dare to go against us. We can just grab a few mortals to scout things out for us. That would work out well."
Seeing that Shen Zhongshan hadn't spoken for a long time, Shen Rongguang asked.
But Shen Zhongshan didn't respond.
He stared at the map with a slight frown, lost in thought.
"No."
Unexpectedly, Shen Zhongshan rejected Shen Rongguang's proposal.
At that moment, his gaze became particularly profound.
He extended a finger and pointed to a location on the map near Dawan Village.
"We're going here."
There,
the area marked as the Wu Family Collection was displayed.
"The Wu Family Collection?"
"Brother Shan, that doesn't seem to be part of our Shen Family's territory, does it? Why aren't we going to Dawan Village?"
Shen Rongguang glanced at the map,
then looked up, his expression somewhat bewildered.
"Brother Rongguang, if I remember correctly, the name Shen Changchuan belongs to the Patriarch's thirty-ninth son."
At that moment, Shen Cunrui—the weakest of the five, who had been huddled silently in a corner—suddenly spoke up in a faint voice.
"A son of the Patriarch?"
"But I've never heard of him. And to think he's ended up in a godforsaken place like this, he must just be some ordinary son of a concubine, right?"
"Brother Rongguang is right. Shen Changchuan's mother was just a mortal maidservant. He was the result of an accident and holds a very low status in the Shen Family Mansion."
"However, he's always been very cautious and never makes enemies. He rarely even goes out, preferring to stay home, where he's said to be obsessed with miscellaneous books like old travelogues. His strength isn't impressive either—just Qi Introduction Third Layer. He's so inconspicuous in the Shen Family Mansion that many people don't even know the Clan Leader has a son like him."
Shen Cunrui added after a moment of thought, his voice somewhat timid.
It seemed he knew a little about Shen Changchuan.
But obviously,
Shen Rongguang couldn't care less about any of that.
"Ha, so he's just the son of a maidservant. No wonder he's ended up in a dump like this."
Hearing this,
a look of disdain appeared on Shen Rongguang's face.
And he certainly felt he had the right to be disdainful.
Although Shen Rongguang was from a collateral branch of the Shen Family—and a rather distant one at that—
he was from the legitimate main line of that remote branch.
In terms of status,
he naturally felt a sense of superiority.
This was because in a great clan, the children of maidservants were of the lowest status, a class of people who couldn't even be mentioned in polite company.
In his own household, for instance,
his mother was a Cultivator from another Minor Immortal Cultivation Clan, the official wife his father had properly married.
Therefore, the children his mother bore were the legitimate sons and Legitimate Daughters of their line, the highest-ranking members of their household.
But at the same time,
his father had more than one woman. For one reason or another, women from the Mortal World's Royal Family, great mortal clans, or even mortal women from Immortal Cultivation Clans would become his father's concubines.
The children born to those concubines were the illegitimate sons and daughters.
Shen Rongguang was naturally a cut above those illegitimate children. Regardless of their age, they all had to bow to him on sight.
The hierarchy was strict and clear.
But beneath these illegitimate children, there was an even lower status:
the children of maidservants.
As the name implies, they were the offspring of maids and servants.
They were essentially the bastard spawn of mortal maids who had no backing or influence, born only because they were lucky enough to catch the master's eye.
Their own status
was no different from that of a common servant or slave.
For example,
if the master's primary wife was too harsh with the illegitimate children, constantly beating and scolding them, outsiders might gossip that the woman of the house was jealous, lacking in grace and magnanimity.
But if the target was a child of a maidservant, she could punish, beat, and curse them directly—even break their limbs for a minor mistake—and no one would think anything of it.
Such was the status of a maidservant's child.
If he, Shen Rongguang, was in a bad mood at home and casually beat a maidservant's child to death,
his father would at most scold him a little. There wouldn't even be a punishment.
In the eyes of most masters of the house, the children of maidservants weren't even considered their own children.
Therefore, after learning of Shen Changchuan's identity,
it was only natural for Shen Rongguang to feel proud and superior.
'Hmph, so what if he got lucky with his birth and ended up in the main line? In the end, he's still just the son of a maidservant.'
'Besides, even as a maidservant's son, he's still the son of the Clan Leader. If he had any sense at all about how to leverage his position and use his bloodline, he wouldn't still be a mere Qi Introduction Third Layer, and he certainly wouldn't have been driven out to such a remote place.'
Shen Rongguang didn't say the rest of his thoughts out loud.
But from his expression,
one could clearly see his arrogance.
"Brother Shan, he *is* the Clan Leader's son. Why don't we head over to Dawan Village to pay our respects? We can see for ourselves the magnificent bearing of such a young master of the clan, eh?"
Shen Rongguang looked toward Shen Zhongshan at the center of the group and spoke with keen interest.
His tone was laced with malice, especially when he said the words "young master." If one listened closely, the mockery was unmistakable.
As Shen Rongguang finished speaking,
the young man called Shen Zhifei and another Shen Clan Member also looked intrigued, turning their gazes toward Shen Zhongshan.
Only Shen Cunrui remained timid and hesitant,
his head lowered, lost in his own thoughts.
"If we can find that thing on this trip, it will be a great accomplishment. Don't create unnecessary complications."
Shen Zhongshan gave Shen Rongguang a deep look, shook his head, and said in a heavy tone.
"The mission comes first. We don't have time for games."
"Don't go looking for trouble."
Knowing Shen Rongguang's character all too well,
Shen Zhongshan added, heavily emphasizing the word "trouble."
"Alright then, Brother Shan. I'll listen to you."
Understanding Shen Zhongshan's unspoken warning,
Shen Rongguang could only agree reluctantly.
He temporarily suppressed his scheming thoughts.
...
As for what was happening in the nameless cave,
Shen Changchuan, back in Dawan Village, was completely unaware.
And at this moment,
he had no mind to spare for other matters.
Because—
he was facing a huge problem of his own.
Namely—
the Crocodile Demon from the river had come ashore and was attacking the village!
The sky was a vast, gloomy gray.
Rain poured down in sheets with no sign of stopping.
The rainwater pooled into torrents on the ground, washing over the earth. Occasionally, mountain leeches could be seen swimming in the currents.
Shen Changchuan, wearing a heavy straw cloak and a Conical Hat, splashed through the water in his tall boots, kicking up muddy-yellow waves as he quickly made his way to the scene.
At a corner on the edge of the village,
half of a low-lying house had collapsed.
Han Qinhu was leading men inside to search, carrying out mangled corpses.
From the surrounding houses,
many people peeked their heads out, pointing and whispering about the half-collapsed house,
their faces etched with worry.