Chapter 51: Failed Impersonation

"Young Master, the person has awakened." the Mysterious Envoy reported, again with a look of wanting to speak but stopping.

"You've never liked that Su Chacha?" the Mysterious Envoy dared to ask further.

"Indeed." the Mysterious Envoy even felt somewhat disgusted.

Su Chacha, this sort whose foundation is already rotten, should just rot in the mud.

I truly don't understand how such a radiant young lord as the Young Master could have gone astray.

Moreover, it's not that you like the genuine Shen clan miss, Shen Qingli, is it?

How did you end up helping this impostor solidify her identity? This job is truly filthy.

The Mysterious Envoy didn't dare say it out loud, but his face was cursing filthily.

Pei Jianshu, however, said, "I made a mistake."

"Then why do you keep going on with the mistake?"

"One wrong step, and every step is wrong."

Pei Jianshu is very clear that, given Shen Qingli's current opinion of him, she will absolutely not marry him.

That pair of eyes, emitting a purple cold light, were like a demon god's.

He will never forget them in his lifetime.

Recalling how she suffered humiliation and torment, he not only didn't help, but even aided evil in the past.

She, who distinguishes love and hate clearly, how could she possibly forgive him easily and even marry him?

"I can only continue down this mistaken path for now, and first get her married, then we'll see." Pei Jianshu's eyes were clear, his will resolute.

The Mysterious Envoy could see that persuasion was useless. However, he also understood that the Young Master wasn't entirely aiding evil; he intended to use Su Chacha, having her stand in for "Shen Qingli" to accept this marriage.

The real cannot be faked, and the fake cannot become real!

It could also be considered a clever scheme.

"Young Master, aren't you afraid Miss Shen will grow even more angry with you?"

The Mysterious Envoy repeatedly reconsidered Shen Qingli's character and conduct, feeling it wasn't promising.

That young lady may seem young in age, but her actions are extremely calculated; she is not the sort of naive, innocent fool that others can lead.

"I will make her forgive me, no matter what the cost."

Pei Jianshu picked up the jade cup and slowly rubbed it.

In those past years, she had always been chasing after him.

From now on, it will be his turn.

He only regrets that, when she once looked at him with eyes full of him, he didn't cherish it properly.

Had he not been so stiff, given her more response, he wouldn't be so passive now.

"You've never liked that Su Chacha?" the Mysterious Envoy dared to ask further.

Pei Jianshu immediately frowned, "Naturally."

He is very clear about his own feelings; the person he likes has always been Shen Qingli.

Even if he had once told her she disappointed him, it was merely the frustration of wishing iron could become steel.

Of course, the facts prove that it was actually his misjudgment of people, not her fault.

"Then why were you in such a hurry to grab someone and run back then?" the Mysterious Envoy didn't understand.

The image displayed from Shen Qingli's phoenix-like bearing was also seen by him.

Among them was a scene of Pei Jianshu hurriedly hugging Su Chacha as he rushed to Cinnabar Peak.

That scene dealt a huge blow to Shen Qingli, without a doubt!

Pei Jianshu, however, said, "I was afraid that if the person died, the blame would fall on her."

All along, how much Shen Qingli cared about her mother Zhao Yue's opinion of him, he knows better than anyone.

Once Zhao Yue's favorite little disciple encounters trouble, the one who suffers will always be Shen Qingli.

"Did you also believe Su Chacha's nonsense back then, thinking that bone extraction wouldn't cause her too much harm?"

The Mysterious Envoy still thought it made no sense! This is utterly foolish—pulling out one or two pieces would be bad enough, but this is pulling out the whole body!

No matter who endures such trampling, even if they possess extraordinary talent and luckily survive, it is absolutely a massive blow to their foundation, extremely hard to recover.

That Shen Qingli can return to cultivation makes the Mysterious Envoy feel her fortune is overwhelming; she is absolutely a person of great destiny.

But Pei Jianshu fell silent, unable to deny it, because he indeed believed it.

"You really are……"

"Young Master."

Another Mysterious Envoy came to report.

"Enter."

"Young Master, Su Chacha has already expressed to the Shen clan head her willingness to marry you."

Pei Jianshu's hand holding the jade cup loosened slightly, yet he still felt uneasy.

"What did the Shen clan head say?"

"The Shen clan head is currently on his way over to you."

Pei Jianshu nodded, preparing to welcome Shen Yuan.

The Azure Cloud Realm, however, sent a message at this moment, the note landing precisely in Pei Jianshu's hand.

"The lord has sent a letter." the Mysterious Envoys all knelt down.

After Pei Jianshu unfolded and examined it, he knew that the marriage delegation from the Azure Cloud Realm was about to arrive at the Longwater Shen Clan.

Everything is proceeding smoothly according to plan.

"Keep an eye on the Point Heaven Star Sect."

Pei Jianshu needed to ensure Shen Qingli did not know the details before entering the bridal sedan.

Once they bring her into the Qingyun Realm, they will have a long future ahead, and he can slowly apologize to her and seek her forgiveness.

"I was just about to report to you," said the Xuan messenger who had just entered with the message, "the sudden darkness just now might be related to the young mistress."

Pei Jianshu's eyes showed a deep solemnity; he could not figure out the reason, and with Shen Yuan already arrived, he could only temporarily set it aside.

Moreover, when the two met, all the handsome young men of the Shen family gathered around Su Chacha, asking after her health and well-being.

"Now we just wait for your Fourth Uncle to return; the elders will then open the ancestral hall together and record you in the genealogy."

"Yes, by then you will be able to enter the ancestral land and select a suitable phoenix bone to reintegrate into your body."

"After that, it will not hurt anymore."

When the uncles and cousins spoke of these things, their eyes held only pity and cherishing for Su Chacha.

At such a young age to have suffered this much, they wished they could bear it in her place.

How could the young lady of their Shen family have ever endured such injustice?

Which one, from birth onward, is not held in the mouth for fear of melting, or cradled in the palm for fear of dropping?

"Old Seven really..."

"When Uncle Seven went out, he was also young, right?"

The younger generation should not overly criticize Shen Kuo's shortcomings; they also need to help him make up for them.

"Besides, why did you agree so early to marry that brat from the Qingyun Realm?"

"Exactly! As long as you stay at home, the whole family will be under your command in the future!"

All the handsome young men of the Shen family could not understand why the family's cherished pearl, who had just returned, would have to be married off.

This absolutely must not happen!

But Su Chacha knows the person she is to marry is Pei Jianshu—how could she possibly not marry him?

"Brother, Uncle, without the eldest senior brother, I could not survive at all, I..."

Su Chacha burst into tears instantly, her crying so pitiful that the handsome young men of the Shen family felt their hearts about to melt.

"All right, all right, stop crying; as long as you're happy, if things go badly later, we'll come and get you back."

In short, for the Shen family's only female descendant in three generations, all the men of the Shen family cherish her with all their hearts.

Therefore, even though Old Fourth Shen, Shen Duo, could tell at a glance that something was off with Su Chacha's aura, he could not go against the crowd.

"Old Fourth, don't overthink it; A Li has suffered greatly, having lost her phoenix bone at such a young age. I have tested it—her bloodline can fuse with ours, it's just more difficult, which is normal, right?" Shen Yuan said, scheming.

"Has Old Seven not returned yet?" Shen Duo asked.

"Not yet! But the message should have been delivered, so he should be returning soon."

Shen Yuan's second letter was indeed delivered into Shen Kuo's hands, making him so angry he nearly exploded on the spot.

"Damn it, counting the days, today we have to enter the ancestral hall!" Shen Kuo looked toward the Star Symbol Mountain; the usually cool and handsome man was forced to sweat profusely from anxiety.

Shen Qingli on the Star Symbol Mountain, naturally knowing nothing of these outside affairs, was still immersed in her profound realization—

She felt as if she were placed in the universe, amidst vast darkness.

Yet she did not feel lonely or fearful; instead, she had a steadfast sense of having returned home.

She walked slowly in the darkness, ripples spreading beneath her feet, yet it felt like stepping into warm pool water.

The pool water caressed her feet, warmth reaching straight to her heart.

Shen Qingli closed her eyes, sensing carefully.

Dark vines grew upward from her feet, merging into her meridians, bones, blood, and organs, bursting across her body with eerie dark patterns, like night-blooming cereus flowers angrily blooming—beautiful and icy.

This moment—

Shen Qingli discovered she could clearly see everything on the Star Symbol Mountain, including her father Shen Kuo, who was anxiously pacing, and the letter he was pinching in his hand.

Su Chacha, the Shen family, entering the genealogy?

With a flick of her divine sense, her gaze could actually see clearly into the Shen family ancestral hall!

She saw Su Chacha kneeling before the many Shen family spirit tablets, and then—

"Bang!"

"The ancestral tablet has been knocked over!"

"Bang! Bang! ……"

Row after row of spirit tablets toppled over in neat unison.

"Is this… the ancestors disagreeing?"