Chapter 18: Wind Sweeps Away the Scattered Clouds

"Yes, this entire thing is indeed no coincidence!"

Since things had reached this point, Mr. Chen simply admitted it. There were some matters he couldn't hide even if he wanted to.

"Although the Shi Family of the Southern Border is arrogant and domineering, they are still quite cautious in their actions. Furthermore, they are well aware that the messy business they've been involved in would incur the dissatisfaction of Lord Shen, so they have been keeping their tails tucked between their legs during this period!"

"Naturally, they wouldn't spread news of the Shi Family's affairs far and wide. It was indeed me who had people spread it, precisely to lure you here, Lord Shen."

"Because I know that, given your temperament, Lord Shen, you would never sit idly by after learning of the situation here!"

Taking a deep breath, Mr. Chen suddenly bowed to Shen Yu, his expression appearing somewhat resolute and solemn.

"Lord Shen, I know this matter is improper. But although you are in the Southern Border, Lord Shen, your whereabouts are erratic; you might be here in the morning, and a thousand miles away by the afternoon."

"But in order to find you, Lord Shen, I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure!"

"A desperate measure? Hah!" With a light snort, Shen Yu looked the man up and down. At this moment, Mr. Chen undoubtedly appeared much more open and honest.

"Mr. Chen, although we are old acquaintances, you've schemed against me like this—don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

"Rest assured, Lord Shen, I will certainly give you an explanation!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Chen pulled out a dagger hidden in his cuff and stabbed it fiercely into his own chest.

Blood immediately gushed out like a fountain, and Mr. Chen's own complexion turned noticeably pale.

One must take responsibility for one's actions; Mr. Chen understood this clearly. A powerhouse cannot be insulted, much less deceived, even if there is a sliver of friendship between them!

"Lord Shen, I offer you my life in compensation. It's just that there is one matter I truly wish to ask for your help with. This matter is extremely urgent, and your whereabouts are so ethereal, so..."

"Cough, cough!" The irritation from the wound made Mr. Chen cough a few times, yet he remained composed and hurriedly said, "I wish to ask you, Lord Shen, to save the Eldest Miss!"

"Eldest Miss? You mean that young girl from back then?"

His thoughts drifted back to a long time ago, when he had just transmigrated and was still the County Magistrate of Baian County. The surroundings were fraught with crises, filled with unfriendly voices.

Lu Siyu—she was the first truly stunning and charming young girl he had encountered, a daughter of a wealthy family who had run away from home for reasons unknown.

Come to think of it, he and Mr. Chen had met precisely because of this girl; the Mr. Chen of that time had gone to Baian County to search for her.

After all this time, Shen Yu naturally understood the relationship between Mr. Chen and the Governor. Consequently, he could roughly guess the relationship between that young girl and the Governor.

Back then, he had even planned to cling to a powerful figure for support, but who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, after only a few short years, the tides would have turned.

It seemed he wouldn't be able to eat this "soft rice" after all!

However, a Governor of a region is still a person of high position and great power, surrounded by countless experts; what kind of danger could his own kin possibly encounter?

"Tell me about it!" Shen Yu hadn't originally intended to get involved, but the impression that young girl had left on him back then was quite decent.

Moreover, once he thought about what could happen to a charming young girl, some rather unpleasant thoughts—similar to those restricted for minors—suddenly appeared in Shen Yu's mind.

If a young girl were to encounter such things, her life would be ruined; the number of girls who had committed suicide to preserve their purity was not just one or two.

People say flower-picking thieves are the most hated, but that's not right either—what flower-picking thief would be bold enough to lay a hand on the Governor's family? Do they not want to live anymore?

"It is the Heyang Lan Family. The Eldest Miss has been detained by the Heyang Lan Family!"

"The Heyang Lan Family? Are you sure?"

Shen Yu had heard of this name. They were the number one noble family of the Nanhua Domain, one of the Eight Great Families of the world, and an absolutely top-tier existence throughout the entire Dasheng Dynasty.

A prestigious and famous noble clan, their heritage spanned an unknown length of time, and their family strength was unfathomable. They dominated the world, and no one dared to provoke them.

For such a family, let alone a Governor, even the Three-Dynasty Elder, Lord Chen Xing in the Capital, sometimes wouldn't be given face by them.

It was simply because their heritage was so long-standing that perhaps even their own family members didn't know the extent of their strength; those outside the family's upper echelons would never know how deep their foundations truly were.

Why would such a family make things difficult for a young girl, especially one who was the Governor's kin? Were they not afraid of tearing off the mask of civility?

Uh, they might truly not be afraid, but it just didn't seem necessary!

Seeming to see through Shen Yu's confusion, Mr. Chen hurriedly explained, "Lord Shen may not know, but some time ago, the Eldest Miss ran away from home again and encountered the young master of the Lan Family while out."

"After the two became acquainted, the Eldest Miss visited the Lan Family as a guest. Shortly thereafter, the Heyang Lan Family proposed marriage to the Governor, claiming that the two were in love and had already pledged their lives to each other!"

"Although the Governor was burning with anxiety, he was helpless and could only nod in agreement!"

"That doesn't seem to be a problem!" Whether it was the man or the woman, both came from illustrious backgrounds. A man and a woman together, sparks flying—it wouldn't be strange for them to pledge their lives to each other.

In fact, if you calculate it, it was the Governor's family that was marrying up; these top noble families rarely married outsiders, preferring to keep things within their own circles.

"Yes, up to this point there was indeed no problem. Moreover, when the Governor sent people to the Lan Family to find the Eldest Miss, she appeared to be perfectly fine at the time!"

"It's just that the Eldest Miss refused to return, insisting on staying at the Lan Family no matter what!"

"Do you feel it is improper by the rites? You want me to step in?" Hearing this, Shen Yu couldn't help but feel a bit of irritation.

They weren't married yet, and the woman was staying at the man's home; it was indeed unseemly. But listening to this, it sounded like the Governor himself couldn't easily step in and wanted him to be the villain to drag her back.

What did they take him for? Had this old man lost his mind?

If that were truly the case, Shen Yu wouldn't mind kicking Mr. Chen back to the Nanhua Domain—what kind of nonsense was this!

"No, Lord Shen, please do not misunderstand. The Governor has absolutely no such intention. The reason the Governor wishes to seek your help, Lord Shen, is because he received a distress signal from the Eldest Miss!"

"A distress signal?"

"That's right, a distress signal!" Sighing, Mr. Chen said slowly, "Lord Shen must know that the Eldest Miss often runs away from home and dislikes having people follow her."

"But the pugilistic world is treacherous, and problems are inevitable. However, the Eldest Miss is clever and often manages to shake off even the Huwe protecting her in secret!"

"But the Eldest Miss also knows that doing so is improper, so she designed her own distress signals, divided into several levels!"

"As soon as one sees this signal, one knows what the Eldest Miss's situation is. Whether she is safe, temporarily safe, in danger, or in extreme danger!"

"She really is a talent!" Shen Yu hadn't expected that this girl, despite her young age, had quite a bit of cleverness, and being able to shake off her Huwe meant her mind was likely quite agile.

But being so troublesome at such a young age, whoever married her might not necessarily be able to keep her in check.

"So you saw your Eldest Miss's distress signal?"

"Yes, and it was the most dangerous kind. This signal appeared for the first time; the Eldest Miss would never use it unless it was an absolute last resort, which is enough to prove that she is already in a perilous situation!"

"The Governor sensed something was wrong and subsequently dispatched experts, wanting to secretly rescue the Eldest Miss!"

"But these experts were all discovered, which enraged the Heyang Lan Family, and the Eldest Miss herself even threw a fit!"

"The more this happens, the more it proves there is a problem. We aren't even certain if the current Eldest Miss is still the same Eldest Miss from back then!"

"The Heyang Lan Family's strength is unfathomable; even the Governor can do nothing about them. In my burning anxiety, I could only think of Lord Shen!"

Speaking to this point, Mr. Chen bowed again with a respectful expression and said, "At this time, only if Lord Shen steps forward will they perhaps show some small measure of respect."

"The Governor said that as long as Lord Shen is willing to take action, there will certainly be a generous reward!"

"The Heyang Lan Family, why would they detain a young girl with mediocre Martial Arts? Interesting, this matter is not simple!"