Chapter 8 Why Bother Being a Hero? (2/2)

However, the Shen family found their shot at revenge - the man in green was on bad terms with the Green Bamboo Sect.

Also, the man in green was not familiar with the State Capital of Qing. Otherwise, he would not have hung around if he knew the two men that he casually killed were the young masters of Shen family.

Or perhaps he was actually privy to the information and decided to stay on because he had more important things to do.

His ongoing conflict with the Green Bamboo Sect was the perfect proof.

...

Old Master Shen knocked on the two coffins with his crutch. The dull knock echoed throughout the hall.

When the older generation was sending off the younger generation who had passed away, it was a tradition for them to knock on the coffin. This was to signify them not being filial for passing away before the older generation.

In recent years, Old Master Shen had to send his descendants off, twice. No words could describe the grief that he was going through. He had never been vocal with his feelings and was not in the habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve; the immense grievance that he was dealing with was something that was known only to him.

Having started from the bottom, Old Master Shen had gone through all the hardship of being a pioneer and he had blood on his hands. His current predicament led him to believe in karma; he was reaping what he sowed.

Even then, he did not regret what he had done. He saw it as part of the ordinary course of events.

The coffins were moved out from the Shen family, and Old Master Shen did not have to follow. The rising sun shone on every fold on his face; all the freckles on his face were visible.

Tossing his crutch away, Old Master Shen faced the morning breeze head on. He stood defiantly and refused to be defeated by old age.

”Why wasn't Shen Lian here for the final parting?”

”Young Master Shen Lian said he was afraid that he would be devastated. He did not want to waste away the blessings and attainments that he had accumulated for you as a Daoist monk.” It was Steward Wu who replied. He did not omit any details and presented the whole truth to Old Master Shen.

”I'm at the age where I don't need any blessings. Even if I were to end up in hell, it was a life well-lived. I know what he is thinking. After all, there is still distance between us,” Old Master Shen sighed.

Old Master Shen had offered everything he had to Shen Lian to ensure the continuance of the family lineage. However, Shen Lian refused to participate in his plan and to cooperate. In that sense, he was just like his mother.

Old Master Shen was equally stubborn. Both of his sons were obedient, but his eyes were on Shen Lian; Shen Lian's stubbornness was admirable and infuriating at the same time.

His life experience taught him that one could not achieve greatness without pride. The more talented a person was, the harder it was to control him.

But at the end of the day, he was out of tricks and patience to deal with the unruly wild pony - Shen Lian.

No matter what a great person he was, Old Master Shen knew that it would not change the fact that his end was not far away.

”There is something else. Young Master Shen Lian went out earlier, and Second Master Shen had sent a few people along to protect him in secret. Nothing should go wrong.” Steward Wu offered the information gingerly when he saw that Old Master Shen had calmed down.

”It's alright, just let him be today.”

Steward Wu bowed slightly and stayed silent.

Old Master Shen had spent a lot of money and connections to secure a thousand soldiers from the State of Qing. The official story was to bring in the bandits, but the real deal was the man in green.

The Green Bamboo Sect caught wind of it, and it would seem that the man in green had something important that the Green Bamboo Sect desperately wanted. For that, they decided to work with the Shen family.

It had always been expensive to plan a big operation.

Even though only one thousand soldiers were involved, but they were to be gathered and dispatched on short notice.

The sheer amount of money that was spent and connections that were exhausted were something that even Steward Wu felt sorry for.

It would seem that the man in green was a well-known figure in Jianghu. He got away after committing several big crimes in other state capitals. The law enforcement units did not put much effort into securing his arrest; they merely put on a show.

What went into the official records was that, after fighting bravely with the criminal, he had escaped out of the state and was then under the jurisdiction of another District Magistrate.