Tools for Each Other

"Extermination of nine generations... How did the Shen Clan offend Zheng Qiao to meet such an end?" It took Shen Tang a long while to find her voice.

An Investigating Censor had dared to openly defy Zheng Qiao, and the Gong Clan had supposedly hidden the National Seal. Yet both families had merely been exiled rather than wiped out. Exile was miserable, but at least they could cling to life for a few more days.

But the Shen Clan had been sentenced to extermination of nine generations?

A real-life mass deletion of the family registry.

If this body truly belonged to Tian Zhong's "niece-in-law," Shen Tang didn't know whether to call the girl unlucky or unlucky.

Stay with the Shen Clan and she'd be killed outright. Marry into the Gong Clan and she'd be sent to the Entertainment Quarter in Xiaocheng, where her fate would probably be worse than death.

But Tian Zhong shook his head.

"No one knows."

"Don't know?" Shen Tang's voice rose slightly. "How could you not know? Think harder, Young Master Tian. For example, did the Shen Clan impeach Zheng Qiao, or cut off his path to advancement? Was there no feud of that sort? If they had no grudge, why would he wipe out their entire clan?"

"That's what puzzles me too..."

When the Shen Clan was wiped out, old friends and former students with ties to them had tried to help. But anyone who dared speak up was either reprimanded and demoted or killed. Zheng Qiao's methods toward the Shen Clan were so cruel and his stance so unyielding that no one dared defend them again.

Tian Zhong said, "The Shen Clan wasn't even a prominent family in Xin Country. How did they catch Zheng Qiao's attention?"

That was already putting it kindly.

To put it bluntly, during the years Zheng Qiao ran rampant in Xin Country, the Shen Clan hadn't even dared breathe too loudly in his presence!

The whole family had taken a middle-of-the-road approach—or perhaps they simply had limited ability. They were neither so outstanding as to invite envy nor so mediocre as to be completely overlooked. They never jumped on the bandwagon to cozy up to favored ministers and royal favorites, nor did they casually offend some insignificant official.

No matter how hard Tian Zhong racked his memory, he couldn't recall any conflict between the Shen Clan and Zheng Qiao. And yet the Shen Clan alone had been wiped out.

Besides—

Tian Zhong found Shen Tang's attitude rather intriguing.

So he asked tentatively, "Young Master Shen, you seem very interested in the Shen Clan. Did you have some connection with them?"

There was something else he wanted to ask. Was this young master the twin brother or younger brother of the eldest daughter of the Shen family, raised among common folk under a hidden identity for some reason?

The two looked far too alike.

For a time, Tian Zhong had suspected that Shen Tang was the ill-fated eldest daughter of the Shen family herself. But when he saw the Literary Heart Sigil hanging at Shen Tang's waist, he dismissed the suspicion. Anything else could be faked, but not one's sex.

He was certain that even if this Young Master Shen wasn't the eldest daughter's full brother, he had some inextricable connection to the Shen Clan.

Shen Tang neither nodded nor shook her head.

Tian Zhong meant no harm, but in this situation, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. The fewer people who knew, the safer she'd be.

Tian Zhong was tactful, too. Seeing that Shen Tang had no intention of continuing the conversation, he changed the subject to Qi Shan. Honestly, he was quite curious about Qi Shan and wondered how Shen Tang had ended up traveling with him. Whenever he asked Father about Qi Shan, Father just glared at him.

Sigh...

Shen Tang said, "It was probably fate."

Tian Zhong looked surprised. "You met by chance and decided to travel together?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Not at all. My benefactor is exceptionally talented, and the potential of his Literary Heart and Word Spirit is—well, there are few in this age who can match him. At least, that's how I see it. If he meets the right master someday and willingly attaches himself to them, his Literary Heart's growth will be astonishing. It's just—"

"Just what?"

That last question hadn't come from Shen Tang.

A familiar male voice sounded behind them.

Shen Tang and Tian Zhong turned around in unison and met a pair of dark, deep-set eyes. They both fell silent. Tian Zhong shot to his feet, letting his hands hang awkwardly at his sides as a flush of shame crept from his neck to his cheeks.

Their benefactor had saved both his and his father's lives, and here he was, chatting away and forgetting himself—gossiping about his benefactor behind his back...

If he weren't afraid of startling anyone, he'd have slapped himself twice. Father had been right: that mouth of his, always running, deserved to be sewn shut!

He opened his mouth to apologize, but Qi Shan raised a hand to stop him.

He sent Tian Zhong off with a simple excuse. "I got up during the night and heard some coughing from Teacher Tian's side..."

Tian Zhong immediately took the out.

"Father's unwell? I'll go check on him."

He took off like the ground was greased beneath his feet, vanishing in a flash.

Qi Shan sat down where Tian Zhong had been. He'd clearly heard the conversation between Shen Tang and Tian Zhong, and now he smiled as he poked at the campfire.

"I never thought I'd guess wrong. Young Master Shen isn't a member of the Gong Clan, but comes from the Shen Clan..."

Shen Tang: "..."

He shouldn't speak so soon.

Her instincts told her Qi Shan would probably have to eat his words again.

Without firm evidence, even she didn't dare swear that this body belonged to that eldest daughter of the Shen family...

Shen Tang said nothing. Qi Shan continued, "Since the Shen Clan has been wiped out, Young Master Shen has no family left in this world. There's no need to go to Xiaocheng. Get some rest early, and tomorrow we'll head to a nearby town."

"When did I say I wasn't going to Xiaocheng?"

Qi Shan looked startled. "You're going?"

"Of course I'm going. I'm following Yuan Liang to learn useful skills. In this world, staying alive comes first. The rest can wait. I'm just curious—what do you see in me? You seem eager for me to go to Xiaocheng too, but from where I'm standing, taking a burden along does you no good."

Qi Shan was slightly surprised that Shen Tang had seen through his subterfuge. Then, for once, he answered with unusual seriousness. "Young Master Shen, you are not a burden."

Naturally, he had his own aims in mind.

Scheming was an unscrupulous profession that never got out of bed without a reason.

Even profiteers couldn't help but admire that spirit.

Shen Tang understood what he'd left unsaid. She smiled but didn't reply.

She'd treated Qi Shan like a walking encyclopedia. Was Qi Shan treating her as a tool to accomplish some goal of his own?

They were tools for each other. Fair and square.

"Yuan Liang, I have one more question."

"Ask away."

Shen Tang looked toward the direction Tian Zhong had gone.

"Earlier, Tian Shouyi said something that confused me. He said, 'If he meets the right master someday and willingly attaches himself to them, his Literary Heart's growth will be astonishing.' What did he mean?"

Her instincts told her there was something more to it.

"So that's what you're asking. You don't need to know."

Shen Tang: "???"

Qi Shan looked at her with an expression too complicated for words. "Young Master Shen, not all Literary Hearts are alike. Tian Shouyi's remark applies to most schemers and warriors who possess a Literary Heart or Martial Gall. But I sincerely hope you aren't among them."

Shen Tang: "???"

What riddle was he trying to spin now?

She changed the subject. "Can I know what you're going to Xiaocheng for? At least give me some idea of what to expect..."

After all, Qi Shan was the sort who liked to sell out his own companions.

She'd better stay on her guard, lest she get set up without even realizing how she'd been killed.

Qi Shan tilted his head up to gaze at the bright moon on the horizon. The night breeze stirred his hair, hiding the thoughts in his eyes. Shen Tang only heard him say, "To collect a debt. I've had an old debt outstanding for years. I'd travel a thousand miles to collect it, even if all I get back is a little interest."

Shen Tang: "..."

She grumbled inwardly.

Collect a debt?

Yeah, right!

What kind of old debt could make Qi Shan harbor such murderous intent?

Night gave way to dawn.

The next day, the two parted ways with the Tian father and son.

The latter were going to seek refuge with relatives and friends. Staying within Zheng Qiao's sphere of influence would get them killed sooner or later, while Shen Tang and Qi Shan were headed to Xiaocheng.

Exhausted. The foreshadowing is already in place.

Yesterday's author's note wasn't a spoiler. Shiitake just doesn't like pointless melodrama and misunderstandings. The heroine's origins are one of the novel's hidden main plotlines, but the biggest main plot is still her career. Everyone's focused on work, including the male lead—all of them are wage slaves.