Facing Yan Shouyi’s question, Shen Shuzhen had no room to deny. She stated directly:
“To keep the Five Great Clans somewhat in check… From your perspective, you wouldn’t be wrong to say we were making compromises.”
Yan Shouyi frowned. “Is there nothing more to this, no hidden difficulty?”
“No,” Shen Shuzhen shook her head resolutely.
This left Yan Shouyi unsure of what to say. He had expected Shen Shuzhen to offer some defense, but her admission was so straightforward.
It was Shen Shuzhen herself who then elaborated on what Yan Shouyi hadn’t asked.
“You must want to know what the situation in Qiantang is like, why the Five Great Ghost King Clans can be so arrogant and overbearing, and why we, the folk sects and righteous individuals, not only don’t resist but even aid and abet them.”
“The reason is quite simple: we lack the capability.”
“Many years ago, the Five Great Ghost King Clans didn’t exist. Qiantang only had three Ghost Kings, and they weren't united. We could still contend with them. But later, the Yu family suddenly rose, with two Ghost Kings surpassing all others, forcing the other Ghost Kings to submit. Subsequently, they cultivated two more Ghost King families, and from that point on, Qiantang fell under the Yu family’s control.”
“We did consider resisting. As natives of Qiantang, I more than anyone wish for Qiantang to be free from the control of these clans, for ordinary people to live peaceful lives. When I was young, I was more passionate than you are now, and we were capable of doing anything out of the ordinary!”
“Forty years ago, my husband Cui Yanjiang and I organized a righteous force to eliminate the Five Great Ghost King Clans. Although our overall strength at the time was far inferior to the Five Great Ghost King Clans, we still charged headfirst into battle. On that day, my own brother died at the hands of a Yu family Ghost King, and my husband Cui Yanjiang was gravely injured, barely escaping the Yu family Ghost King’s pursuit, only to collapse by the roadside. He thought he had survived, but that was only the beginning of the nightmare.”
“It was the dead of winter, and the weather was extremely cold. My husband lay by the roadside for a long time, but people passing by ignored him. Then a group of children came. Not only did they offer no help, but they also stole the belongings from my husband. My husband pleaded with them, making countless promises and offers of reward, only to be met with kicks and blows from those children!”
“If it had ended there, I might still have had a chance to save him. But not long after, an old woman passed by. That old woman stripped my husband of his only cotton-padded coat, put it on herself, and left indifferently! When I found my husband, he had frozen to death by the roadside, beyond any hope of revival!!”
At this point, resentment flashed in Shen Shuzhen’s eyes. “My husband and I paid a bloody price to protect the people of Qiantang, yet how did these people repay us? Are they worthy of our protection, our sacrifice?!”
“So many years have passed, and I no longer harbor hatred towards the Five Great Ghost King Clans. What I hate are those ordinary people who stood by and did nothing back then, the children who stole my husband’s hope, and that old woman who killed my husband!”
Shen Shuzhen’s face turned ashen, and her breathing grew rapid. Cui Yu, realizing something was amiss, quickly supported Shen Shuzhen.
“Great-Grandmother, please take care of yourself!”
The two middle-aged men also appeared extremely anxious.
Fortunately, Shen Shuzhen soon regained her composure.
Pressing her chest with one hand and gripping the armrest of the chair with the other, her eyes reddened, she said, “For so many years, everyone has respected and trusted me, yet I no longer have the will to protect the people or resist the Ghost King Clans. Therefore, I proactively negotiated with the Yu family, in the manner you have witnessed, to curb the Ghost King Clans’ excesses, at least to the extent that it doesn’t affect the lives of ordinary people.”
“I have brought shame upon the folk sects, I admit that. It’s just that the price I paid was too heavy, making it impossible for me to try a second time. If I were to resist again and I died, it would be one thing, but what if Cui Yu or Zhong Yan died? They are innocent.”
“Yan Shouyi, you dislike the term ‘outsider,’ but an outsider is an outsider. You are merely passing through, seeing injustice and stepping in. But what happens afterward? Do you need to take responsibility? Do you need to pay any price? In the end, it is us locals who continue to suffer, isn’t it?”
Shen Shuzhen’s words moved Yan Shouyi, leaving him speechless.
Yes, Shen Shuzhen did have a hidden difficulty, but this hidden difficulty was far heavier than Yan Shouyi had imagined.
He lowered his head guiltily. “Senior Shen, I was too presumptuous.”
“It’s not the first time your Yan family has done something like this,” Shen Shuzhen waved her hand, indicating she didn’t mind.
But the next second, Yan Shouyi raised his head again. “However, Senior Shen, I still hope you won’t lose faith in the people.”
The man with stubble angrily retorted, “Brat, you should say less. Do you want to anger our Grandma Shen to death before you’re satisfied?”
“Man’s nature at birth is inherently evil, but it is only later, after experiencing the world’s coldness and warmth, that one understands the importance of kindness. We cannot abandon the good people because of a few wicked ones. Otherwise, through the cycle of cause and effect, the world will only be filled with bad people, and no good people,” Yan Shouyi said slowly. “I have a friend from Hanshan Temple named Changshan. He always says, ‘All sentient beings suffer; only self-salvation prevails.’ I hope you, Senior Shen, can also come to understand this, overcome this hurdle, and stop living in the past.”
“Think about your subordinates. They should have had better futures, but now they live under the tyranny of the Ghost King Clans, doing things they don’t want to do. Is this what you wished to see?”
“Senior Shen, think of Cui Yu, think of Zhong Yan!”
Shen Shuzhen froze. Yan Shouyi’s words seemed to have unlocked a lock that had held her captive for many years.
However, even though the lock was broken, she lacked the courage to take the step forward.
She looked at Cui Yu, who seemed to want to speak but hesitated. In that moment, she understood; Cui Yu didn’t want this either.
“Grandma Shen, don’t listen to that kid’s nonsense. He’s just an outsider; he doesn’t understand anything!” the man with stubble comforted her.
Shen Shuzhen, however, raised her hand, signaling the man with stubble to be quiet.
She opened her mouth, about to say something, when someone outside called out:
“Grandma Shen, Xu Qian requests an audience outside!”
Xu Qian?
The night watchman Xu Qian is here?
Shen Shuzhen frowned and dismissed the messenger. “I am not seeing him today. Tell him to come another day!”
The man with stubble advised, “Grandma Shen, Xu Qian is one of our own. And he rarely visits. He must have something important to say. Are you truly not going to see him?”
Yan Shouyi then raised his hand, speaking awkwardly,
“Uh… perhaps you should see Xu Qian. He really does have something important to say…”