Shen Kun did not answer immediately. He looked down at the flickering flame of the oil lamp on the table, his brows slightly furrowed, as though weighing the matter over and over.
After a long while, he raised his head, his tone showing signs of yielding. "You make it sound easy. Most of the family's elders and stewards stand with your father. I can't hold the situation in check alone."
"You don't need to take an open stand from the beginning," Shen Fei said. "At the crucial moment, just keep everyone else from siding unanimously with my father. I'll find a way to handle the rest."
Shen Kun's beard shifted slightly, as though he were considering his words. His silence lasted even longer this time, long enough for the wick to sputter again.
Then he raised his head and looked at Shen Fei, his gaze taking on a more direct scrutiny. "You speak with such certainty, but what do you have to back it up? Why should I believe you can defeat Shen Yue and gain a firm foothold right under Shen Hong's nose?"
Shen Fei met Shen Kun's gaze without hesitation. He spread his hand on the tabletop, then closed it again, as though answering the weight of that stare.
"I can't lay all my cards before you right now. Whatever I can reveal is still in my own hands. You only need to know one thing: Shen Yue cannot walk the path I intend to take. If you're willing to wait, you'll see the results."
After saying this, he reached into his Space Ring. A faint spiritual gleam flashed at the ring's opening, and then a crimson crystal appeared in his palm.
The crystal was vivid and translucent, like solidified flame. Warm fluctuations of spiritual power flowed within