Chapter 4: The Man Who Brought Shame Upon the Shen Family!

"Miss, the candied fruit, sugar figurines, snowflake crisps, and water chestnut cakes you wanted..."

A round-faced girl wearing her hair in double buns held over a dozen snacks and ran back quickly.

Just as she boarded the carriage and saw the scene before her, her eyes widened into circles, and she stammered, "Miss, you, you, you, this is..."

"I don't know either, he just barged in himself."

Shen Zhixia swallowed the osmanthus cake stuck in her throat, hammered her chest hard, and finally managed to catch her breath. "He said he is the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief... Chief..."

"The Right Vice Censor-in-Chief?"

Qing'er calmed down and frowned as she spoke.

Shen Zhixia nodded. "Yes, the son of the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, and he even asked me to take him home."

Qing'er took a deep breath and asked, "Miss, do you still remember why we came out?"

"Of course I remember, I was hungry and came out to forage for food." Looking at Qing'er's gloomy gaze, Shen Zhixia added, "And by the way, to demand an explanation from that jerk."

Qing'er pointed at Chen Mo and gritted her teeth. "We've been guarding here for half an hour, waiting for him! He is Chen Mo! The man who unilaterally tore up the marriage contract for the sake of a courtesan, bringing shame upon the entire Shen family!"

Shen Zhixia was stunned upon hearing this.

She reached out to lift Chen Mo up and examined him carefully.

His face was as white as porcelain, as beautiful as jade, with distinct, knife-carved facial contours.

Even with his eyes tightly shut, one could still detect a hint of familiarity in his brows.

—It really was her "fiancé" whom she hadn't seen in many years.

"Miss, what do you think?"

"He's good-looking, I like looking at him."

"???"

"I mean, what do you think about this matter!"

Qing'er stamped her feet and said indignantly, "Look at how weak and listless he is; he must have been up to some unspeakable business with that vixen!"

"In broad daylight, having just broken off the engagement, he is already so dissolute, and he is even sharing a carriage with you... If this gets out, how will you ever hold your head up in the future?"

Shen Zhixia pinched her smooth, rounded chin and nodded. "That makes sense."

Qing'er breathed a sigh of relief. "So..."

"So, wouldn't it be fine if we just didn't spread it?"

"..."

"Anyway, only you know about this. If I hear any gossip, I'll have you whipped."

"..."

Qing'er's expression looked as if she were constipated.

"Pfft."

Shen Zhixia chuckled, reached out, and rubbed her little head. "Alright, I'm teasing you. What does other people's opinion have to do with me? Besides, he only tore up the marriage document; he neither obtained the elders' consent nor issued a formal notice of annulment, so in name, I am still the Chen family's fiancée."

"But Miss..."

Qing'er wanted to say more, but Shen Zhixia interrupted her. "In any case, let's send him back first; we'll talk about other things later."

"Yes."

Qing'er sighed.

Since her mistress had spoken, she naturally dared not disobey.

She glared at the unconscious man and swayed her slender waist as she walked out of the carriage cabin.

Shen Zhixia looked at Chen Mo, an unreadable expression flashing in her eyes, and grabbed his wrist to channel a wisp of true qi into him.

A moment later, her willow-leaf brows raised slightly.

"Meridians in chaos, true qi exhausted, body severely overdrawn. It seems he just fought a powerful enemy."

"Did he come to see a lover, or to seek revenge?"

Qing'er arrived at the front of the carriage, jumped onto the seat with nimble movements, and gave the reins a sharp flick.

"Giddyap!"

The fine horse neighed and galloped away along the street.

Her petite figure driving two tall horses looked surprisingly effortless, and this incongruous scene attracted many gazes.

"Look at those markings, is that the Shen family's carriage?"

"General Shen has strict rules: no member of the Shen family is allowed to enter places of ill repute. Who is bold enough to come to this brothel alley so openly?"

"I just saw that carriage parked near the Cloud Water Pavilion for a long time..."

The crowd discussed it fervently.

As the largest den of iniquity in the capital, the Music Bureau occupied half a city block, with over a thousand registered singing girls and musicians.

Among them, there were only five "top courtesans."

Each one was strictly selected, with top-tier looks, family background, and knowledge, excelling in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and song.

Cloud Water Pavilion was the residence of the "Zither Fairy," Gu Manzhi.

It was a private courtyard with a secluded environment, and only invited guests were qualified to enter.

At this moment, a pot-bellied man said, "In my opinion, the Shen family must have come to demand an explanation."

Someone nearby asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"

"You don't know yet?" The fatty looked left and right, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "Just today, Chen Mo tore up the marriage contract in public and demanded an annulment. The Shen family is in an uproar!"

"Annulment?"

"Is that for real?"

A commotion broke out all around.

"I have a nephew who works at the Shen residence; this is absolutely true!"

Seeing himself being doubted, the fatty looked displeased and threw out another "bombshell": "And I heard that the young lady of the Shen family has achieved success in martial arts and has already left Martial Saint Mountain to return home for a visit!"

"That martial fanatic who is sixth on the Azure Cloud Ranking is back?"

"Oh my, there's going to be a good show to watch this time."

"The Chen and Shen families are old family friends; why has it come to this?"

"Need you ask? In the entire capital, who doesn't know that Chen Mo is infatuated with Gu Manzhi?"

"To be willing to turn against the General's mansion for a top courtesan... Young Master Chen is truly a romantic fool."

"A beauty is a disaster..."

The discussion grew more heated.

In the crowd, a gray figure slowly retreated and merged into the shadows.

Music Bureau, Cloud Water Pavilion.

In the bedroom, Gu Manzhi sat cross-legged with a green glow emerging from between her brows; looking closely, it was a miniature version of a scripture.

"Azure light protects the body, covering and reflecting my person..."

As she whispered the incantation, the pages of the book turned slowly, and characters surged out like a tide, continuously merging into her body. Her pale cheeks gradually regained color, and her breathing became much steadier.

But this only temporarily suppressed her injuries.

The power of those eight palms was too ferocious.

Even though the "Azure Jade Mirror" absorbed part of the force, it still nearly killed her, and the fire poison contained within was still constantly burning her heart meridians.

To fully recover, she would need at least several months of recuperation.

"I underestimated him."

Gu Manzhi sighed.

No matter how many techniques a sorcerer has, they need space to cast them; the most taboo thing is to be approached by a martial artist.

Relying on being a major realm higher than Chen Mo, she was inevitably a bit arrogant, never expecting Chen Mo to be so strong and his attacks so ruthless!

That cold and heartless appearance was simply like a different person from before!

Thinking about it now, the way he used to be so considerate and caring toward her was just an act...

"Tsk tsk, I never expected that the Saintess Gu, who is known for manipulating hearts, would be wounded like this by a man?"

At this moment, a mocking voice rang out.

The shadows in the corner twisted, and a figure wrapped in a gray robe walked out.

Gu Manzhi frowned. "What are you here for?"

"To laugh at you, of course."

"Wasn't that guy infatuated with you? How about that—the hunter who spends all day hunting geese has been pecked in the eye by a goose instead?"

The gray-robed person's voice was hoarse and harsh, making it impossible to tell if they were male or female.

"Those who scheme against others are also schemed against; it was just mutual calculation."

Facing the mockery, Gu Manzhi's expression remained calm as she said, "Chen Mo came prepared this time and saw through every move I made... I didn't lose unjustly."

"Is that so?"

The gray-robed person crossed their arms, their tone playful. "But don't you find it strange? Since he knew it was a trap, why did he risk his life to come alone?"

"And in the end, when he clearly could have killed you, why did he still spare your life?"

Gu Manzhi's eyes flickered slightly.

This was also the part she found incomprehensible.

Given her status, whether killing or capturing her alive, it would be a great merit for Chen Mo.

There was no reason to let her go so easily...

Especially that last part of what he said; it seemed as if he were reminding her to leave as soon as possible.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Gu Manzhi said in a deep voice.

The gray-robed person shrugged, "I heard that for your sake, Chen Mo broke off his engagement in public and didn't hesitate to fall out with the Shen family... Is it possible that he never intended to scheme against you, but actually fell in love with you?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Manzhi was struck as if by lightning, and she stood there completely stunned.