Calamity, Oh Calamity

Seeing Jiang Ziya sighing and lamenting, Shen Gongbao asked, "Senior Brother, have you encountered a demon? But... with your cultivation, surely no ordinary demon could get close enough to harm you?"

"If I had run into a demon, things would be much simpler."

Jiang Ziya, cornered by the question, could only speak vaguely: "I won't hide it from you, Junior Brother. What injured me is no demon, yet it is a hundred times more ferocious than one!"

"Oh?"

Shen Gongbao was stunned, then exclaimed in shock, "In this world... there exists such a terrifying creature?"

"You need only look at my wounds to know."

Jiang Ziya nodded in deep agreement, then shook his head and sighed softly, "Actually, I only found out yesterday myself..."

"Heh, hearing you say that, Junior Brother truly wants to see it for myself." Shen Gongbao pinched a strand of his mustache, squinting as he said, "Senior Brother, where is this creature now? Lead the way, and I shall avenge you and settle this score."

"This... there is no need for revenge, really, no need..."

Jiang Ziya waved his hands hurriedly and laughed, "No need to trouble yourself, Junior Brother. That creature is incredibly fierce; I wouldn't want you to get hurt as well."

"Why would you say that, Senior Brother? You know my capabilities." Shen Gongbao insisted, "Could it be... that creature is even more powerful than I am?"

"This..."

Jiang Ziya paused. Having spent the entire morning carrying a load of flour, the sweat running over the wounds on his face made them sting fiercely.

Thinking of this, anger flared in his heart. Recalling Ma's ferocious demeanor, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, let's go! This time, I'm counting on you, Junior Brother, to help me vent my frustration!"

"Let us go!"

Shen Gongbao was also in high spirits.

The two returned to the shop. Jiang Ziya left the flour he had been carrying, and after Shen Gongbao locked the door, they used Earth Escape to head toward Song Family Village.

Before long, the two appeared at the entrance of the Song Mansion.

"Isn't this... the Song Mansion, where your sworn brother resides?" Shen Gongbao looked back at Jiang Ziya, puzzled. "That creature is actually hiding in the Song Mansion? How did I not notice it when I came here last time?"

Jiang Ziya looked hesitant, but the pain in his facial wounds flared again, steeling his resolve. He said solemnly, "Things have come to this, so I will hide nothing from you, Junior Brother..."

"Speak freely, Senior Brother!"

Seeing the gravity in Jiang Ziya's expression, Shen Gongbao straightened his posture.

"Junior Brother, I don't fear your ridicule, but the truth is... these wounds were inflicted by the woman I took into my home."

Jiang Ziya opened his mouth, finally letting it all out, and shook his head with a sigh: "I thought I had married a virtuous wife, but I never imagined I had brought a tigress into my home. It is a calamity, a true calamity..."

As he spoke, he recounted everything that had happened after he returned home yesterday.

It turned out that because he hadn't earned a single coin, he was met with Ma's incessant nagging and reproaches.

He was never one for eloquence, and since he was indeed at fault for his lack of success, he had intended to endure it and let it pass.

However, he never expected that his patience would only make Ma more arrogant and domineering. Her reproaches turned into verbal abuse, which eventually escalated into humiliation, calling him a spineless coward and asking how she could have been so blind as to choose him.

Hearing this, Jiang Ziya's temper finally ignited.

These words struck too deeply at a man's self-respect; no one could swallow such an insult.

Jiang Ziya could not take it anymore, so he retorted.

But he never imagined that things would have been better had he stayed silent; once he retorted, the situation escalated, and the two slowly moved from arguing to physical confrontation.

Yet, he was no match for Ma with his words, and to his surprise, he was suppressed by her formidable "combat power" when it came to blows.

Although he knew some martial arts and Taoist techniques, he could hardly use them against a mortal, especially his own lawfully wedded wife.

Ma, however, fought without any rules or restraint. As the saying goes, "wild punches can beat a master." She used both hands to unleash a "frenzied scratching" attack, growing more courageous with every strike, leaving him utterly defeated.

In just a few rounds, he had been forced to retreat.

Fortunately, Song Yiren arrived at the sound of the commotion to pull them apart and gave him flour to sell today, which temporarily pacified the situation.

After Song Yiren left, Ma sneered, saying that not only was he useless, but he couldn't even beat a woman. The two had spent the night in separate rooms out of spite.

"Junior Brother, you tell me, you tell me what kind of talk that is. Is that any way for a woman to speak to her husband? Does this sound like the words of a proper lady?"

Jiang Ziya grew more agitated as he spoke, and after finishing, he let out another long sigh: "I... I truly brought this upon myself. I should never have agreed when Big Brother forced this marriage upon me. Now, I regret it more than words can say!"

"Uh, so that 'creature'... is your wife..."

Listening to Jiang Ziya's grumbling, Shen Gongbao rubbed his nose in embarrassment, not daring to speak his mind.

Even an honest official finds it hard to settle family disputes!

A couple's quarrel is settled in the bedroom!

These were pearls of wisdom; if he spoke ill of Ma now and the couple reconciled later, wouldn't that ruin the bond between him and his Senior Brother?

He had been so concerned for Jiang Ziya earlier that he had forgotten to ask for details in his haste, and now that he was here, he felt a twinge of regret.

"What wife? She is nothing but a tigress, a shrew..." Jiang Ziya grew more worked up, pointing to the scratches on his face. "Look, look at how she clawed my face! Alas, this is the calamity of Jiang Ziya, a true calamity!"

Shen Gongbao glanced at the wounds on Jiang Ziya's face. His expression remained calm, but inside, he couldn't help but want to laugh.

"Senior Brother, my apologies, but this is one matter where your Junior Brother cannot help you."

Shen Gongbao kept his face taut to prevent himself from laughing, deciding to stay out of it and not get involved, lest he end up being the villain on both sides.

"Think about it, between a husband and wife, which household doesn't have its moments of bickering? Once your anger and your wife's anger subside, everything will be fine. Senior Brother, farewell."

Having said that, he turned to leave.

"No... Junior Brother, you don't understand, that woman is truly not the least bit gentle or virtuous..."

Jiang Ziya grew anxious upon hearing this, hurriedly stepping forward to grab one of Shen Gongbao's arms, saying, "She is an absolute shrew! Since you've come with me, you... you must find a way to help your Senior Brother."

"Help you? Senior Brother, it's not that I'm criticizing, but how can I intervene in matters between a husband and wife?"

Shen Gongbao felt truly helpless; this was a difficult situation to meddle in, yet he couldn't leave because Jiang Ziya was clutching his arm with both hands.

"Junior Brother, I know you are sharp-tongued, eloquent, and possess unparalleled wit..."

Jiang Ziya suddenly remembered these traits and pleaded while clinging to Shen Gongbao's arm, "Junior Brother, please help me this once! I can't hit that tigress, and I can't out-argue her. I am truly at my wit's end with her—I'm terrified, truly terrified!"

After saying this, he let go and squatted on the ground, sighing heavily.

Seeing this, Shen Gongbao felt a twinge of sympathy; after all, they were fellow disciples, and the friendship and camaraderie forged over forty years of cultivation together on Kunlun Mountain were as good as brotherhood.

"Let me think..."

Shen Gongbao pinched the whiskers at the corner of his mouth, narrowing his eyes in contemplation.

Jiang Ziya looked at Shen Gongbao with an expectant expression.

Before long.

Shen Gongbao suddenly curled his lips into a smile and said, "I have it. Senior Brother, I now have three strategies to help you escape this sea of bitterness."

"Oh? I would like to hear the details!" Jiang Ziya was overjoyed.

Shen Gongbao said, "The first strategy is for me to use my magic to kill that shrew. Doing so would be a permanent solution, allowing your ears to finally find peace and resolving the problem once and for all. This is the superior strategy, what do you think?"

"Kill her?"

Jiang Ziya was stunned, then immediately shook his head, "Inappropriate, inappropriate. Although she is a bit fierce, her crimes do not warrant death. We must not kill the innocent. What is the second strategy?"

Shen Gongbao smiled slightly; based on his understanding of Jiang Ziya, he had known all along that he would say this.

In reality, he was just saying it; he didn't truly want to kill anyone, and his primary goal was to test Jiang Ziya's attitude.

"This middle strategy is the simplest. It requires neither killing nor any effort, yet it would allow you to be rid of your wife."

"Oh?" Jiang Ziya urged, "Tell me, tell me quickly."

"A letter of divorce!"

Shen Gongbao laughed, "As long as you write a letter of divorce, Senior Brother, you two will go your separate ways from this day forward. Surely writing a letter of divorce wouldn't take much effort on your part, would it?"

Upon hearing this, the smile on Jiang Ziya's face froze, and he began to frown and ponder, head bowed.