After handling everything, Shen Han took a tablecloth and packed all the leftover food.

Before leaving, he glanced back with a heavy heart.

Shen Han always remembered Madam Yun's expectations for him.

She hoped he would be kind, hoped he wouldn't be blinded by hatred.

But today, he had no choice but to take this harsh action...

...

The theater.

Madam He and her son Shen Ao were happily listening to the opera.

A constant smile hung at the corners of their mouths, waiting for the messenger to come.

Thinking back on previous actions, Madam He felt a bit foolish.

A marginal descendant of the Shen Family, a grandchild despised by the Old Dowager, and yet she had to put so much effort into dealing with him...

Even in the end, she needed her son Shen Ye to come up with ideas...

Thinking of this, Madam He couldn't help but sigh.

She felt like a very unfit mother, troubling her son.

Time ticked away, and the opera in the theater had finished.

But the servant tasked with delivering the message had not returned.

"Mother, that person couldn't be weaker than Shen Han, right..."

Shen Ao's face gradually turned somber, youthful yet filled with resentment.

"That person was recommended by your Brother Ye, already at Seventh Grade strength.

There's no way they couldn't handle Shen Han, and we even drugged the food."

Madam He frowned, though she said this, she actually felt a slight worry herself.

But at this juncture, it wasn't feasible to go to Xue Yun's residence for confirmation.

Mother and son could only return to the Shen Mansion.

As they approached their courtyard entrance, the maid Cai He looked at Madam He anxiously.

"Madam, why are you only back now... Young Master Han returned nearly an entire two-hour period ago..."

"Who? Who are you talking about?"

Madam He was a bit perplexed, finding it hard to believe.

"Young Master Han, he returned before 7:00 PM, and he was clean, without a scratch..."

As Madam He's personal maid, she naturally knew what Madam He went to do tonight.

Before going, everything seemed foolproof, but now...

Madam He didn't believe her and asked several other servants from other courtyards.

The answers were the same: Shen Han had returned safely and was in his own courtyard.

Madam He felt overwhelmed, having schemed so thoroughly, yet this was the outcome.

After a moment's hesitation, Madam He got up and immediately headed to the Old Dowager's courtyard.

This matter today was something the Old Dowager could no longer ignore.

Since the Old Dowager was involved, naturally in this situation, she should be consulted.

Walking quickly, Madam He's courtyard had already darkened.

Madam He pulled Cai Xue along to request a meeting with the Old Dowager for an important discussion.

In the hall, Madam He sat anxiously drinking tea.

"What is it, all in such haste?"

"Old Dowager, thank heavens you're here. Tonight, as planned, we had dinner with Shen Han there..."

"How did it go? Should we be discussing the wedding withdrawal?"

Madam He shook her head, her eyes a bit worried.

"Old Dowager, Shen Han... he came back unharmed. The person we arranged for was a Martial Path Seventh Grade..."

A Seventh Grade Martial Artist was considered a notable expert in Yun'an City.

Especially since he was dealing with a young man not yet twenty.

From a child not trained in the Martial Path, who by some fortuitous encounters, received some benefits from Liu Xilan, and only reached Ninth Grade.

To the members of the Shen Family, this already seemed miraculous for Shen Han, making further quick advancement impossible.

Yet he had escaped from such a perilous situation...

"Old Dowager, do you think Shen Han's ability is such that even a Seventh Grade Martial Artist can't match him?"

Madam He looked serious, uncertain about what she was worrying over.

But at her words, the Old Dowager simply snorted softly.

"Utter nonsense, even Brother Ye didn't advance so rapidly in his cultivation, how could that troublemaker have such swift progress?

In my opinion, the Imperial Family is meddling behind the scenes with this matter.

The Imperial Family has secretly dispatched people to protect Shen Han, making it not so simple for us to secretly attack him."

The Old Dowager sighed. The Imperial Family had truly taken painstaking efforts to suppress the Shen and Su families.

This indeed seemed the most plausible explanation.

Knowing the reason, Madam He now felt even more worried.

With the Imperial Family's involvement, covert actions would become even more challenging.

A tiger, though fierce, does not eat its own cubs. If evidence surfaced showing the Shen Family had harmed its own descendants, the entire family's reputation would collapse.

"Don't worry, the Old Duke will return on the Mid-Autumn Festival. At that time, let him make a decision."

After saying this, the Old Dowager waved her hand, signaling Cai Xue to escort Madam He out.

Upon hearing this, Madam He felt slightly relieved.

The Old Duke was returning, and as the Patriarch, he should be able to decide these matters with a word.

Even if the Old Duke didn't resolve it, Madam He suddenly remembered Su Hongyi from the Su Family, a ruthless individual bold enough to act even with the Imperial Family watching.

With these thoughts, Madam He felt unexpectedly much better.

...

Shen Mansion's eastside courtyard.

Shen Han lay on his bed, contemplating the night's events.

After this storm, how would Madam He and the Old Dowager perceive it?

Most likely, they would think he had someone formidable backing him.

Which was only natural, for the plot tonight seemed something beyond his capability to break.

Not to mention, he had often visited Prefect Xu's mansion—another well-known fact.

This misunderstanding would offer him a little safety.

Reflecting on these past two months, his rift with the Shen Family only deepened.

The confrontations between the Shen and Su families with the Imperial Court—why did it continually demand his sacrifice?

Why should he end up crippled, ruined, just to break off an engagement?

If the Shen Family had tendered care towards him, he might find some solace in being unable to requite them.

But all these years, when had the Shen Family ever cared for him?

In clothes, food, or travel, they all had to be earned by him alone.

All prettily termed as self-sufficiency.

For lodgings, it was even worse, that leaky shack—had the family allowed him to leave, he'd long been gone.

Still, this treatment severed any sense of obligation he had towards the Shen Family.

Thinking of this, Shen Han rose from his bed.

Despite possessing that mysterious skill set, he couldn't afford complacency.

Rising to continue his cultivation.

Thanks to the hundred taels of Patterned Silver Prefect Xu gave him last time, he no longer lacked those Pills.

Moreover, whenever purchasing Pills, Shen Han opted for the lowest quality ones.

Such Pills were the cheapest, allowing him to buy more of them.

Returning to his room, he would strip the Pills of their negative attributes, then seek out qualities like [Fine], [Superior], or [Excellent].

Once applied, a high-quality Pill would be formed.

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