Chapter 236

Half an hour later.

Shen family, ancestral hall.

Everyone present in the Shen family had already been summoned here, and four or five hundred people were already standing here.

These people can all be considered direct descendants of the Shen family.

And at the very center of the ancestral hall, Shen Ruoshan and Liu Lan and others were kneeling there with vacant eyes.

Everyone was discussing in low voices, whispering to each other.

A white-clothed middle-aged man spoke.

"What's going on? Is what Shen Qing said true? Did Shen Ruoshan and the others really steal Shen Qing's talent?"

A black-clothed youth spoke: "I actually think it's true. Just think about how extraordinarily talented Shen Qing's parents were—how could their child possibly be mediocre?"

The white-clothed middle-aged man sighed: "That's true, but isn't Shen Qing's move a bit too harsh, doing this so openly..."

The black-clothed youth spoke: "Say a few less words. Until you've suffered someone else's hardship, don't advise them to be good."

"Shen Qing was just born when his parents died in an accident—you know how much oppression he endured."

The white-clothed middle-aged man still wanted to say something, but footsteps sounded from behind, and all the murmuring mouths snapped shut at once.

Only then did Shen Qing and Shen Wangshan lead the way into the ancestral hall, followed by several highly respected elders.

Everyone made way, and Shen Qing passed through the crowd, passing the kneeling Shen Ruoshan.

Shen Qing came to the side seat to the right of the main seat: "Third Grandfather, you sit here."

Shen Wangshan had wanted to refuse, because this seat had always been reserved for the Shen family's highly respected elders, or for martial saints.

But Shen Qing gave him no chance to refuse, directly pressing Shen Wangshan down to sit, then immediately walking to the main seat and sitting down with ease.

The several highly respected elders saw Shen Qing sitting in the chief seat and dared to be angry but not speak, for that was the seat of the current head of the Shen family.

However, Shen Qing's fists were now big enough that they dared not speak.

Several elders walked to the side and wanted to sit down.

Shen Qing lightly coughed: "Who let you sit? Stand and listen."

An elder immediately flared up, his face dark: "Shen Qing, you're going too far."

Shen Qing turned his head, looked at this black-faced elder, and slightly furrowed his brows: "How do you look somewhat familiar? What's your name?"

The black-faced elder straightened his chest: "I am Shen Yun Chun, and you..."

Shen Qing immediately stood up: "I remember now—you're the guard of the Shen family treasury."

Shen Qing's face showed a self-reproachful expression: "How could I have forgotten you?"

The next moment, Shen Qing stepped forward to Shen Yun Chun and grabbed his collar with one hand.

"When I was eight and on the brink of death, Third Grandfather carried me to the treasury to get medicine, and it was you who blocked him from entering!"

"You even made Third Grandfather kowtow to you, and later Third Grandfather still gave you his personal sword before you let him in."

Shen Qing also recalled that this person had bullied him often as a child, and even taken much of the inheritance his father left behind through various means.

Shen Qing stared into Shen Yun Chun's eyes, killing intent fully revealed: "I ask you—where is the sword?"

Shen Yun Chun flinched slightly, afraid to reply.

Shen Qing coldly snorted, one hand directly clamping his throat, applying slight pressure—Shen Yun Chun's face instantly turned red, then immediately turned purple.

He immediately slapped Shen Qing's arm: "I was wrong, I was wrong..."

But Shen Qing's strength did not diminish in the slightest—if anything, his force grew greater.

Bang!

Shen Yun Chun's head was directly crushed.

The bursting blood splattered onto several nearby elders, their bodies jerking violently, their eyes filled with fear and disbelief.

They couldn't believe Shen Qing really dared to kill them.

Shen Qing glanced at them: "Do you still have anything to say?"

Now these few people dared not speak at all, all lowering their heads, afraid to look at Shen Qing, fearing he might think of something else and do them in together.

Shen Qing sat back in the main seat: "Since there are no more issues, let's begin."

"Is everyone present?"

Shen He stepped out, kneeling on one knee: "Third Young Master, many from the Second Branch are absent—they should have fled."

"It's my negligence—I failed to stop them."

Shen Qing's eyes were calm: "Running is right—running shows they have guilty consciences."

"It also makes killing them easier."

"Originally we were to judge them one by one, but now they've fled themselves—doesn't that amount to a confession? Then Shen Qing only needs to play a game of cat and mouse from now on."

But saying this made everyone in the ancestral hall tremble, with trembling voices asking:

"Young Master Shen Qing, over a hundred people from the Second Branch have fled—do we really have to kill them all...?"

Shen Qing spoke: "If a fruit tree is diseased, its sick branches must all be cut off—only then can it grow better."

"Alright, the judgment begins."

Shen Qing turned his gaze to Shen Ruoshan kneeling in the center.

"Shen Ruoshan, let's start with you—tell me how you stole my talent, and what method you used."

A finger pointed, dispelling the true qi sealing his mouth.

Shen Ruoshan's eyes were icy, filled with anger and resentment.

"You think I'll tell you?"

"I only regret now that I didn't kill you back then!"

Shen Qing laughed: "I remember I warned you—I've been training these past few years in the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Saying that, Shen Qing snapped his fingers.

Shen Xiong pushed a brazier in from outside the house.

The brazier contained all kinds of torture instruments, these instruments were forged from the materials used to forge precious swords, and this fire was not an ordinary fire; at the moment the brazier was pushed into the ancestral hall, the temperature of the entire ancestral hall rose.

Shen Qing rose and came before Shen Ruoshan, taking from the brazier the most classic torture instrument, the red-hot steel needle.

With a glance from Shen Qing, Shen Xiong and Shen He stepped forward and firmly fixed Shen Ruoshan's fingers.

Shen Ruoshan panicked, he struggled desperately but to no avail: "Stop! Stop! What are you doing!"

"Ah!!!"

Only seen, this steel needle, burning red, slowly inserted into Shen Ruoshan's finger gaps, instantly emitting a large amount of white smoke.

All the Shen family felt a piercing pain, as if they themselves were being tortured.

But before the wailing ceased, Shen Qing had already taken up a second red-hot steel needle and stabbed it into Shen Ruoshan's finger, the smell of scorched flesh came, this is the temperature of burning flesh and blood.

Shen Ruoshan, raised in luxury since childhood, even when going to the East Sea had never suffered any injury, in this life he had never endured such punishment, he could not bear it any longer and broke down, shouting loudly.

"I'll talk! You just want to know how I stole it, don't you? I'll talk! I'll talk!"

But Shen Qing turned a deaf ear, continued to insert steel needles into Shen Ruoshan's fingers on his own, until all five fingers of one hand were pierced with steel needles, then Shen Qing stopped and looked down at Shen Ruoshan.

"Now speak."