A Sense of Superiority

"Eh? Why had this village become so quiet?"

Shen Shiying rode slowly along the village road on a blue horse with a trace of Demon Beast blood in its veins, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

After returning to a familiar place, he felt no particular nostalgia. Instead, he found it a little strange.

How should he put it?

It was too quiet!

This was a village of nearly two thousand people,

yet there were hardly any pedestrians on the road at this moment.

Back when he had been in charge,

Dawan Village hadn't exactly been bustling, but at the very least, it had never been this deserted!

"Could our young master have bitten off more than he could chew?"

"Those white mourning banners hanging in front of a few houses suggest that someone in those families died recently."

"Spirit Grain was harvested not long ago. Maybe the villagers were attacked by Demon Beasts from the mountains then, and many of them were killed or injured. That would explain why the village ended up like this."

"Hmph, serves him right, if you ask me!"

"I wonder how much of this year's Spirit Grain was ruined by Demon Beasts. How much will that young master have to pay out of his own pocket to cover the shortfall?"

Behind Shen Shiying,

Shen Shaochong, who was also riding a blue horse, spoke with relish.

A mocking, contemptuous smile tugged at his lips.

Clearly, Shen Shaochong was in a foul mood about Shen Changchuan, who had "snatched" their family's foundation.

How could he not be?

Ever since his family had lost their foothold in Dawan Village and been forced to return to Tiannan City,

things had unfolded just as Shen Shaochong had expected.

Here in the area around Dawan Village, he had been the young master Shen whom the sons of other nearby cultivation families vied to flatter and curry favor with.

Now in Tiannan City, he was reduced to a nobody who could only follow the real young masters around and grin ingratiatingly.

The gulf between those two positions

had been almost impossible for Shen Shaochong to accept.

It had made him resent Shen Changchuan even more for taking their family's "foundation."

Now that he had returned,

seeing the village in such a sorry state naturally gave him a vengeful thrill.

"Enough. Watch your tongue later. He's the family head's son, after all. Show some respect."

Shen Shiying glanced back and quietly scolded Shen Shaochong.

Although he chided him on the surface,

he was secretly enjoying himself too.

After all, he had guarded Dawan Village for many years and knew exactly how much profit there was to be made here.

Being driven out by Shen Changchuan had cost him dearly.

He had been unwilling from the very start.

But circumstances had left him no choice but to accept it.

Only half a year had passed, and already Dawan Village looked so bleak and deserted.

Villagers were dressed in mourning,

and scraps of funeral paper littered the roadside.

Anyone could guess what had happened without asking.

Something had almost certainly gone wrong, and the losses were probably severe.

Seeing his "enemy" fall on hard times

filled Shen Shiying with the refreshing satisfaction of a bowl of iced sour plum soup on a scorching summer day!

But he was middle-aged and had seen plenty. Even though he was secretly pleased, he no longer let his feelings show on his face.

Before long,

the village hall came into view, and Shen Changchuan was already outside the entrance to welcome them.

"Haha, nephew, it's been a long time! I hope you've been well."

Shen Shiying dismounted and strode forward with a hearty laugh.

"Thank you for asking, Uncle. I've been doing all right."

Shen Changchuan cupped his hands and bowed as he replied.

After exchanging a few polite greetings,

they entered the hall one after another.

"Dawan Village has twelve mu of Spirit Fields, which is certainly not bad. But it's in the wilds, far from the prosperous areas of the Tiannan Region. You must be having a hard time here, nephew?"

After taking a sip of the tea a servant brought him, Shen Shiying looked at Shen Changchuan and teased him.

"Indeed. This place really isn't fit for human habitation."

Shen Changchuan nodded with deep feeling.

Although managing Dawan Village brought in a great deal,

the standard of living was nowhere near that of Tiannan City, a prosperous area that had long since been developed.

"Let's not even talk about the other things. Take the rainy season a few months ago: it rained for two whole months. I was stuck in my room so long I nearly grew mold."

"And even worse were the swarms of Mountain Leeches that came crawling out of who-knows-which mountain hollows once the rains began. They were impossible to stomach!"

"They were everywhere, packed together, covering the mountains and fields, climbing over trees and grass. Even the forests outside looked alive. Tentacles covered the branches and leaves, reaching and probing through the air. At the slightest noise, they'd shoot over with a crackling rush. Before you knew it, wild beasts in the mountains would be covered in those writhing things. In moments, they'd be drained of blood and turned into dried corpses. It was just like a forbidden demon lair!"

As he spoke,

the memory of those terrifying scenes made Shen Changchuan break out in goosebumps. Every hair on his body stood on end!

Even though one or two months had passed,

the experience had still left a deep shadow in his heart.

"That's not all. There are more Demon Beasts outside this place, too."

"Not long after I arrived, I killed a Demon Pig not far from the village. Then, before long, a Crocodile Demon appeared downstream in the Dawan River. We barely managed to kill it after losing several lives. And just days ago, during the Spirit Grain harvest, a Gale Falcon came flying down from the sky..."

At the mention of it,

Shen Changchuan couldn't help complaining.

Those successive battles didn't even include the ambush by the Four Evils of He Mountain!

The past six months had been one crisis after another!

Back in Tiannan City, there hadn't been nearly so much danger—even in the remote mountain areas far from the city.

No wonder no other Shen Clan disciple of any standing had competed for this place, despite its twelve mu of Spirit Fields.

Hearing this,

Shen Shiying was dumbfounded that Shen Changchuan had faced three Demon Beast incidents in just six months.

There was nothing unusual about the Mountain Leeches during the rainy season. He had experienced them every year when he was in Dawan Village.

But as for Demon Beasts,

during his years in charge, only the Giant Demon Pig that appeared in his later years had caused much trouble.

Nothing as outrageous as what Shen Changchuan was describing!

Did this kid have some special constitution that attracted Demon Beasts, or was he simply cursed with bad luck?

Shen Shiying couldn't help looking at Shen Changchuan with a little more sympathy.

But along with the sympathy,

a sense of superiority rose in his heart.

With so many disasters, this kid was bound to lose money running Dawan Village!

Never mind the Crocodile Demon.

He had heard of the Gale Falcon, and even late-stage Qi Induction cultivators struggled to deal with one!

Shen Changchuan probably hadn't stood a chance against it.

That scene he'd seen upon entering the village—the empty streets, funeral paper scattered across the road, white mourning banners hanging outside so many homes—

was probably because Shen Changchuan had forced the villagers to harvest the Spirit Grain under threat from the Demon Beast, trying to save as much of it as possible from the Gale Falcon. That must have caused the terrible loss of life!

Even if he had filled the gap with human lives,

he'd be lucky to have saved thirty percent of the Spirit Grain from the Gale Falcon!

This kid had probably taken a massive loss!

At that thought,

a trace of scorn flickered through Shen Shiying's heart.

Young people like him,

saw someone else making money and rushed in on the strength of their connections to seize that person's foundation, only to make a complete mess of things once it was their turn.

Served him right if he lost every last coin!

Shen Shiying sneered inwardly.