Chapter 436: This Will Be Your Fate

"Lord Shen, many thanks to Lord Shen for stepping in; the entire Tao Family could not repay this kindness even if we died ten thousand times."

"Lord, please follow me; our Tao Family will certainly..."

Seeing Shen Yu effortlessly eliminate the terrifying existence that their Tao Family had been suppressing, Tao Yi, having regained his senses, immediately came over with a fawning expression.

He had originally thought this would be a grueling, desperate battle; who would have thought it would be solved so easily by someone? This Lord Shen was far stronger than the legends suggested.

With such a powerful figure standing before him, even if the hope was slim, Tao Yi wanted to see if he could latch onto him. What if it worked!

He didn't know why the pig-like teammates beside him didn't hurry to the back courtyard to pick out the women with good looks to come and serve; with so many people in their Tao Family, there were certainly some of top-tier beauty.

He had to find a way to make Shen Yu stay for a meal; what if Lord Shen happened to have such needs, or what if they just happened to catch each other's eye?

He didn't ask for him to take anyone into his chambers, but even leaving behind a seed would do; as long as there was some shred of connection, who wouldn't give their Tao Family a bit of face in the future!

However, Shen Yu clearly did not give them the chance. After coldly glancing at everyone, he left the Tao Family directly, leaving behind a little trick on Tao Xi before he departed.

This turn of events left Tao Yi, who had been eager to come over and act like a sycophant, feeling somewhat awkward, yet he dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction and still had to bow to see him off.

If he were to provoke Lord Shen's displeasure and get hit again, his frail body wouldn't be able to take it.

After waiting for a while, feeling that Shen Yu should be far enough away, Tao Yi finally put away his fawning, bootlicking smile and turned his head to look at Tao Xi again; that gaze looked malicious no matter how one viewed it.

Severely wounded, Tao Xi was supported by Xiaodie and retreated two steps in fear. He knew very well that Tao Yi had murderous intent toward him.

It wasn't just Tao Yi; all the remaining members of the Tao Family looked at him with the same gaze.

There was no help for it; who told him to act so dishonorably? If there were still people who pitied him for losing his position as Family Head before, after this operation, everyone wished they could kill him and be done with it.

Stared at by so many dangerous gazes, Tao Xi's mind raced, quickly contemplating a way to break the deadlock.

How the Tao Family and Tao Xi annoyed each other was none of Shen Yu's business, nor could he be bothered; in his view, neither side was a good person.

The Tao Family's Family Head, Tao Yi, bullied others by relying on his power, wanting to send the maid by Tao Xi's side to someone else to force Tao Xi to act, so he would have an excuse to take down this eyesore, Tao Xi.

These tactics in a wealthy family's infighting were considered mild, but the victim, Tao Xi, was no better; for his own selfish interests, he had directly released the suppressed existence.

It would be one thing if he didn't know the inside story, but it was clear he knew it well, and he knew even better how much destruction the existence inside would cause once it came out; the entire Dongming City could potentially be slaughtered to the last person.

Yet he still did it, and without the slightest hesitation; he did it without a single moment of doubt. For this alone, he deserved to die.

Call it being forced into a corner or a desperate counterattack, what is done is done. When a person does something, they must take responsibility for it.

Furthermore, he had long known that a terrifying existence was suppressed beneath the Tao Family, and he knew the Array had cracks and was no longer perfect, yet he had never explained this to anyone, nor had he ever repaired or reinforced the Array.

In his view, this was his trump card to reclaim the Tao Family. He used the impact of the suppressed existence against the Array to kill off the Tao Family members.

As long as the Array was under impact and running, he, as the guardian, had the means to briefly control the Array and could easily take away all the cultivation power of the Tao Family members within it to fill the needs of the Array.

This was also the reason why, even though Tao Xi knew the hostility of those around him and knew that Tao Yi, the new Tao Family Head, viewed him as a thorn in his side, he had stubbornly refused to leave.

He had been waiting for an opportunity, waiting for the Array to be impacted.

As for whether there would be complications during this process, Tao Xi didn't care in the slightest.

Perhaps, in the hearts of people like them, what did it matter if complications really arose? When doing big things, how could there not be risks?

At worst, if he really encountered danger, he would just run; just like this time.

It was just that this time, there was a slight deviation from his expectations; he hadn't expected the opponent to break free so quickly, and he had almost been killed by his own cleverness.

【Author's Note: The Key to the Valley】

As for whether the existence inside would take revenge, or whether the one suppressed inside would wash Dongming City in blood after breaking free, Tao Xi actually had guesses in his heart, yet he still did it.

Those implicated weren't his own people; at worst, he would sigh a bit afterward, offer a few moments of silence for the common people in the city, shed a few tears, and the matter would be over.

If he had the ability, Tao Xi wouldn't mind helping them take revenge; if he didn't have the ability, then that was another matter.

As for those commoners being caught in the crossfire for no reason, what did that have to do with him? He hadn't wanted that either.

If Tao Yi had obediently handed over the position of Family Head, how would he have done such a risky thing? In the end, it was Tao Yi's fault.

Such a person seems upright on the surface, but is actually selfish and self-interested. On the surface, they can act righteous, but in reality, they don't blink an eye when sacrificing others for their own selfish gain.

If you say you are bearing your own burdens and taking your own risks, that's one thing; if you come out with "the river flows east for thirty years, then west for thirty years, don't bully the young because they are poor," people might even look up to you, and you can take whatever risks you want.

But you take risks yourself and drag everyone else into it too—that is what makes people sick. You talk about your own grievances, but are those who were implicated for no reason not aggrieved?

For such people, Shen Yu never thought much of them, and he even developed murderous intent.

Therefore, before leaving, he left a little trick on him. Even if Tao Xi could luckily survive the Tao Family's targeting, he was destined to die.

Leaving the Tao Family and walking on the streets of Dongming City, Shen Yu stopped thinking about the Tao Family's messy affairs; it was a case of dogs biting dogs, and it would be best if both sides were badly hurt and died together.

He casually found a teahouse, sat down at a window table on the second floor, and had the shopkeeper bring a pot of good tea. While slowly sipping the tea, he tried to familiarize himself with the newly acquired "Immobilization Technique."

"Xiaoyu, this is the snack you love most that I bought for you. Just take it. Go back and taste it with your uncle and aunt; I had such a hard time buying this!"

"Young Master Guo, I have already made myself very clear. I have accepted your inkstone, but you should take these snacks back; I don't want your things!"

"Xiaoyu, this is just a small token of my heart; wouldn't it be fine if you just ate a little?"

On the street corner, a wealthy young master was following a young girl like a sycophant, offering concern and asking after her health from time to time; that almost shameless appearance made even Shen Yu somewhat surprised.

Seeing that the girl was dressed plainly, one could tell at a glance that her family background was vastly different from that of the wealthy young master who lived in luxury.

Yet this wealthy young master not only didn't look down on her in the slightest, but his words were full of flattery, and his adoration was almost written all over his face.

Even so, the girl didn't give him a pleasant look, and her look of disdain was undisguised. Yet the wealthy young master seemed to have set his heart on her, following behind her with the snacks, not feeling embarrassed at all.

"Brother Kang!" Having likely met an acquaintance, the girl, who had been keeping a straight face, immediately put on a spring-like smile, suddenly becoming bright and moving.

She ran a few steps to a poor scholar and, as if presenting a treasure, opened the box in her hand and handed it over.

"Brother Kang, look, this is a high-quality Xi Inkstone; I had such a hard time getting it, hurry and see if you like it!"

"Is this really a Xi Inkstone?" Seeing the exquisite inkstone in the girl's hand, a flash of joy crossed the scholar's face, but he didn't immediately reach out to take it.

Shen Yu could also see clearly that such a high-quality Xi Inkstone would probably cost hundreds of taels of silver; this wealthy young master was generous enough.

As for this girl, how should one put it? Keeping such a good thing as a Xi Inkstone while refusing the snacks and saying she didn't want the person's things—this little girl was something else.

As for that poor scholar, with just one look, Shen Yu gave his judgment: a hypocrite. The heat in those eyes was almost overflowing!

Tsk tsk, birds of a feather flock together; no matter how you look at it, they are the same kind of people.

It's a pity for that wealthy young master acting like a sycophant; hasn't he realized he has no chance? He's still so enthusiastic about being a sycophant.

"Life is truly unpredictable!" Looking at the wealthy young master's dejected face, Shen Yu knew this wasn't the first or second time such a thing had happened.

Taking someone else's belongings to turn around and gift them away, and doing so right in front of the rightful owner—Shen Yu gave her a perfect score for this maneuver.