Chapter 612: Chapter 612: Struck by Lightning

Governor Ren and Mrs. Ren both lifted their chins slightly, smiling as they waited for Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei to kneel.

At first, Shen Ningning had thought Mo Lingwei was being overly cautious back in the room when he said their behavior was going too far.

But now that Ren Er had voiced this rotten idea, a vein bulged on Mo Lingwei’s forehead.

’In the Capital City, I’m the Crown Prince who does as he pleases. And I’m supposed to come all the way out here to kneel to these two nobodies?’

’I wonder if their lives are worth enough to receive my bow!’

Just as he was about to lose his temper and flip the table, Shen Ningning smiled at his side. "It’s not that I refuse to kneel. I’m just afraid that if I do, Father and Mrs. Ren won’t be able to handle the consequences."

Ren San couldn’t help but sneer. "Eldest Sister, you make it sound so frightening, but it makes no sense. Our parents are your elders. The saying goes that one kneels to heaven, earth, and one’s parents. How could they possibly not be able to handle it? You simply don’t want to, do you?"

Governor Ren’s face darkened. "Liu Yue, how can you be so ill-mannered? I see your maternal grandfather truly spoiled you rotten!"

Ren Er chimed in. "That’s right, Eldest Sister. You mustn’t break our parents’ hearts. You’ve finally returned home, and a good life awaits you. It’s only right that you kneel to thank them for bringing you into this world."

Shen Ningning said calmly, "It’s not that I’m unwilling to kneel, as you seem to think. What Father and my sisters don’t know is that a fortune-teller read my stars when I was young. He said I have a destiny so potent that gods revere it and ghosts fear it. I can only kneel to heaven and earth. If I kneel before another person, they will be struck by misfortune and their life will be cut short!"

Everyone was startled, but of course, no one believed her.

Mrs. Ren frowned. "Yue’er, if you don’t wish to kneel, then let’s just drop it. Why must you say such things? It’s terribly unlucky to speak of curses."

Governor Ren’s face was livid.

"So utterly ill-mannered."

Shen Ningning sighed. "If you don’t believe me, I’ll have to prove it to you. It’s true. The fortune-teller said they might suffer a violent or sudden death. Father, I’m only trying to protect you."

As she spoke, she turned to prove her point and instructed a young servant to bring over a kneeling cushion.

"If you’re not afraid, then I’ll kneel. But if something really does happen, you mustn’t blame me."

Governor Ren and Mrs. Ren exchanged a suspicious glance.

’Did a fortune-teller really give Ren Liuyue such a reading? Why have we never heard about it?’

The young servant brought the kneeling cushion, placing it in front of Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei.

Suddenly, a deafening clap of thunder echoed through the night sky.

The thunderclap was so sudden, sounding as if it had struck right overhead. Ren San shrieked and tumbled right off her chair.

Ren Er and her husband, Zhao Lei, clung to each other, staring outside in terror.

"What’s happening? Is it really thundering?" Mrs. Ren looked completely stunned.

The housekeeper peeked outside, then scurried back in, trembling. "The sky was clear just a moment ago, with the moon hanging high! Now a dark cloud has gathered! It seems to be right over our estate! Master, you must see this!"

’Could it really be that uncanny?’

Unconvinced, Governor Ren stood up with a dark expression and strode outside.

He had just crossed the threshold when a bolt of purple lightning CRACKED down, striking the ground not far in front of him and charring a patch of shrubbery in the courtyard.

Governor Ren nearly collapsed to the ground, but the housekeeper managed to catch him just in time.

He could no longer remain calm. Looking up in terror, he saw the sky directly above shrouded in thick, swirling clouds. Yet, in the distance, the sky over the other estates was clear and dotted with stars. The storm, with its flashing lightning, was concentrated solely over his home.

Back in the main hall, Shen Ningning spread her hands in a helpless gesture. "I did warn you. This is real."

Governor Ren collected himself and stared at Ren Liuyue. "I never knew my daughter possessed such an ability. What you claim is unheard-of, and I haven’t seen it with my own eyes. However, I heard that when your maternal grandparents passed away, you knelt in the mourning hall for three days and three nights. How is it that no lightning bolt came down and split their memorial tablets?"

Shen Ningning put on a sorrowful expression. "They had already passed away. They were dead. You and Mrs. Ren are not, are you?"

Governor Ren looked as though he had been forced to swallow a fly—furious, but at a complete loss for words.

And it was true. ’Am I supposed to compare myself to the dead?’

But it was still too much to believe.

Shen Ningning saw Governor Ren’s eyes dart about slyly before he gave an order. "Let’s do this. You kneel to Mrs. Ren first. I’d like to see if the lightning really dares to strike inside the house."

At his side, Mrs. Ren was dumbfounded.

’Ren Pengyi is afraid of being struck by lightning, so he’s using me to test if it’s true?’

’That absolute bastard!’

Shen Ningning, however, nodded crisply. "As Father says."

She motioned for the young servant to move the kneeling cushion in front of Mrs. Ren, then waved her hand. "Don’t put it too close. I’m afraid I might get hurt when the lightning strikes. Mrs. Ren, this is Father’s command, and I am merely following it. If any accident should occur, you mustn’t hold it against me."

At these words, Ren San, who had been sitting beside Mrs. Ren, was so frightened that she scrambled to move her stool far away. Even Zhao Lei and Ren Er recoiled to the side.

The serving maids all kept their distance from Mrs. Ren.

Shen Ningning stepped forward but didn’t immediately kneel. Instead, she pressed her palms together, closed her eyes, and began muttering something under her breath.

No one else could hear what she was saying, but Mrs. Ren was the closest and heard every word clearly.

She was saying, "Every grievance has a source, and every debt a debtor. When you die, don’t come looking for me. Go find Father, okaaay?"

Mrs. Ren was so scared her heart nearly stopped.

’Could that bitch, the first wife, have really given birth to such a formidable daughter?’

At that moment, Mo Lingwei, who was standing with Governor Ren and the others, turned his head slightly and said to the terrified members of the Ren Family, "You really should believe her."

All eyes turned to him.

Mo Lingwei smiled faintly. "It was precisely this ability of hers that drew me in. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, which is why I believe that by marrying her, I will surely win the favor of the heavens."

Here was a firsthand witness!

Ren San’s face paled. She clutched Ren Er’s sleeve and asked tearfully, "What do we do? Mother isn’t really going to be struck dead by lightning, is she?"

She was so terrified she was becoming incoherent. Though she spoke quietly, the room was so silent that everyone heard her.

"I heard from my wet nurse long ago that Ren Liuyue’s mother died filled with hatred. As she died, she swore a vicious oath that she wanted Father and Mother to be struck down by lightning from the heavens. Could it be... could her curse be coming true? Is Ren Liuyue here to take a life for her mother?"

Governor Ren roared, "If you spout any more of that nonsense, get out!"

However, the words had barely left his mouth when thunder began to roll across the roof, the sound deafening.

Shen Ningning gathered her skirts, preparing to kneel. But to her surprise, Mrs. Ren, her face deathly pale, weakly collapsed to her knees first.

"Mrs. Ren, what’s wrong? You’re not about to faint, are you?" Shen Ningning feigned concern, bending down to help her.

But then she whispered in her ear, in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I heard that before my mother died, she swore a vicious oath to have you struck by lightning from the heavens. Do you think this might be the day it comes true?"

Mrs. Ren let out a piercing shriek, her eyes rolled back in her head, and she fainted dead away.

The nearby maids hurried over. Shen Ningning pulled her hands back, took two steps away, and at that same moment, the thunder outside stopped.

She turned to see the rest of the Ren Family clinging to Governor Ren and hiding behind him, all of them staring at her in terror.

The crowd that had been eager to watch a good show now stared at her as if she were a malevolent spirit returned to claim a life.

A smile touched Shen Ningning’s full, beautiful face. "You see? I wasn’t lying, was I?"

The powerful shock, combined with the memory of the overwhelming hatred in his first wife’s eyes as she died, completely overwhelmed Governor Ren. His legs buckled, and he too fainted dead away.

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