Shang Yanfei concentrated his will, and in an instant vanished into the darkness. When he reappeared, he was already in the outer city of the
The clamor of voices immediately reached his ears. On both sides of the street, various small stalls lined the way.
The surrounding pedestrians only saw a flash of blood flame, and a handsome man in a black robe with blood-red hair appeared out of thin air.
"Holy cow, you scared me!"
"Who is this guy? How dare he use a Gu recklessly within Shang Clan City?"
Many threw him suspicious and uncertain glances. Only a few recognized Shang Yanfei, but they did not dare to confirm it for a moment.
Shang Yanfei paid no heed to these gazes. Following the resonance of blood, his sharp eyes landed on Shang Xinci.
The two women were stopping in front of a small stall.
"Miss, this hairpin is beautiful!" Xiao Die took out a jade hairpin from the stall and held it up against Shang Xinci's hair.
Shang Xinci forced a smile. Since parting ways with
Xiao Die, on the other hand, was fascinated by the bustling scenery of the city and had become lively again.
Suddenly, sensing something, Shang Xinci turned her head to look.
The first person she saw was Shang Yanfei.
In the crowd, Shang Yanfei, with his black robe and blood-red hair, stood out like a crane among chickens, exceptionally conspicuous.
But what attracted Shang Xinci was not his appearance, but a mysterious connection and call stemming from blood kinship.
Without a single word being spoken, the moment Shang Xinci laid eyes on Shang Yanfei, she knew the identity of this middle-aged man.
This was her father!
Father... this word was so mysterious, so distant for Shang Xinci. How much sorrow did it contain? How much bitterness did it accumulate?
When she was young, she had asked her mother countless times about her father. But her mother had kept her lips sealed. And now, she had finally met her father.
"So this was the reason Mother wanted me to come to the Shang Clan City before she passed away!" she suddenly realized, and tears immediately began to fall uncontrollably.
The moment Shang Yanfei saw Shang Xinci, he thought of her mother and understood her identity.
So alike! She really was too alike!
The gentleness between this child's brows... it was exactly the same as hers.
Shang Yanfei's heart suddenly ached. In a daze, it was as if he had seen her again.
It was an afternoon of drizzling spring rain. Willows swayed by the lotus pond. Under a dilapidated eave, Shang Yanfei, still the young master of the Shang clan...
had stumbled upon the young Miss Zhang, who was sheltering from the rain.
The talented scholar and the beautiful lady. Love at first sight. They poured out their hearts, pledged their love in secret...
Yet the world was so unrelenting. Power and beauty were often like fish and bear's paw—one could hardly have both.
The young Shang Yanfei burned with a blazing flame in his heart, a flame born from a man's innate ambition for strength and authority.
Between ambition and tenderness. Between duty and freedom. Between the pressure of powerful enemies and the promise of his beloved. He ultimately chose the former and abandoned the latter.
Therefore... he defeated all his siblings and ascended to the throne of the Shang Clan Leader. Therefore, he became a Fifth Rank Gu Master, surrounded by endless beauties, and now had many children and grandchildren. Therefore... he could never seek her out again. Because the Zhang family and the Shang clan were mortal enemies.
Once you're in the Jianghu, your body is no longer your own.
His status as clan leader made him, but also bound him.
Every move of a king stirs the wind and clouds, and is watched by the world. As the Leader of the Shang Clan, how could he disregard the clan's influence for the sake of a personal relationship?
Over the years, he had tried hard to convince himself, burying his guilt and unease deep down, numbing himself with righteousness and responsibility.
He thought he had forgotten all of it. But when he suddenly saw Shang Xinci, the deepest memories in his heart, those warm moments, came pattering down like spring rain, instantly shrouding his heart.
At this moment, his mind was in turmoil, surging violently!
The bond of family, thicker than blood, became a long river. And shame caused this river to overflow into the sea, instantly submerging and sweeping him away.
He gently took a step, and instantly disappeared from his spot, the next moment appearing in front of Shang Xinci.
Xiao Die let out a gasp of surprise. The people around all cast startled, horrified looks.
But the two involved were completely unaware.
"You... what is your name?" Shang Yanfei struggled to speak. His voice, magnetic, revealed a strong warmth.
Shang Xinci did not answer.
From her beautiful eyes, tears fell uncontrollably.
She took a step back, tightly pursed her lips, and stared firmly at Shang Yanfei, a look of stubbornness flowing in her gaze...
This is the man who broke Mother's heart.
This is the man who made me suffer discrimination and bullying since I was a child.
This is the man who haunted Mother's dreams, who she worried about even on her deathbed.
This is the man... he is my... father.
In this moment, her emotions surged to an extreme. Countless feelings mixed together, forming a violent whirlpool that swallowed her mind.
She fainted.
"Miss!" Xiao Die, who had been awed by Shang Yanfei's aura, suddenly snapped awake and let out a shriek.