Chapter Eleven: Shangguan Shi Yu

  The name of Huangsha City is quite strange, because its surroundings are endless primitive forests, with rich products to the extreme.

  It is said that over a thousand years ago, the Yellow Sand City was still a small village, surrounded by forests, with only this place being a hundred-mile radius of desert. The small village was built on an oasis in the desert and was called Huangsha Village.

  Later, more and more adventurers gathered here to dig up treasures, taking Huangsha Village as a relay station. So, it gradually developed into a large town with tens of thousands of permanent residents by the time Qinglong State overthrew the previous dynasty and established its nation!

  Another hundred years passed and this place became the largest city in the southern part of Qinglong Country. Now, the permanent population living in Huangsha City has exceeded one million!

  The Shangguan family was one of the earliest families to settle in Huangsha Town and develop from there. They monopolized all sorts of service-related businesses, including transportation, restaurants, inns, pawnshops, banks... even brothels and casinos.

  Shangguan Tie, as the 25th head of the Shangguan family, was a master himself! Fourteen years ago, he had already reached the sixth level of Yuan power and his strength had reached the ninth rank of Xuan level!

  In order to break through, Shangguan Tie, who was already over 60 years old at the time, ventured alone into the Eagle's Mouth Gorge, 170 miles south of Huangsha City.

  Soul-Devouring Swamp, Eagle's Beak Gorge, Phoenix Lake, and the Land of Certain Death. These four places are collectively known as the Four Perilous Regions of Yellow Sand City, and they have been summarized by those adventurers who have risked their lives over the past few hundred years.

  In the east of Huangsha City, more than 350 miles away, there is a swampy area with a radius of over 70 miles. Inside, highly toxic miasma can be seen everywhere, and various spirits are abundant in number. If one is not careful, they will be swallowed up and become another vengeful spirit. However, the Soul-Devouring Swamp also produces dozens of precious medicinal herbs and hundreds of aquatic spiritual beasts. Obtaining even one of them would be a stroke of great fortune, so despite its extreme ferocity, it attracts countless adventurers to come forth.

  Eagle Mouth Gorge is like a gigantic eagle mouth, surrounded by various mysterious heaven pits. Some of the heaven pits have diameters of over 100 miles and are bottomless, with strange plants and ferocious spiritual beasts inside. There are even rumors that many adventurers claim to have seen spiritual beasts transformed into human form in Eagle Mouth Gorge. Of course, no one can confirm whether they were humans or spiritual beasts in disguise. Nevertheless, this only adds to the increasingly mysterious status of Eagle Mouth Gorge in people's minds.

  Feng Huang Hu and Jue Sha Di are similar to these two places, ordinary warriors entering inside, using nine deaths and one life to describe it is not an exaggeration.

  It was in this extremely dangerous place that Shangguan Tie saw a scene that he would never forget for the rest of his life!

  He was fleeing from a spiritual beast at the time, and that spiritual beast had at least the strength of a Xuan-level peak. If Dugu Yifeng wanted to fight it head-on, he might not necessarily lose, but the problem was that fighting with the spiritual beast in Eagle's Mouth Gorge would likely alert even more powerful existences. If they were targeted, it would truly be a fatal outcome.

  While escaping, Shangguan Tie caught a glimpse of the highest point of Eagle's Beak Gorge... On the top of that huge and ferocious peak stood two people, a man and a woman.

  The man was extremely handsome, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, his face as white as a silver basin, his stature majestic, wearing a white long gown. Beside him stood a woman, born with a natural beauty, leaning against the man's side, her face sweet and happy, without even noticing Upper Official Tie fleeing for his life a hundred meters away.

  In such a treacherous place, there was actually a couple who were intimately talking and pointing at the scenery... Okay, this doesn't count for anything, people from the outside world just like this kind of atmosphere. But the problem is, that woman, Upper Official Tie recognized! She was precisely Qin Han Yue, the youngest daughter of Qin Hong Yuan, the head of one of the three major families in Huangsha City, the Qin family!

  Shangguan Tie almost cried out in surprise, but the man suddenly looked at him and gave him a cold glance. Shangguan Tie immediately felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave! The fierce tiger-like beast behind him let out a terrified roar, turned around with its tail between its legs, and slunk away!

  That icy and apathetic gaze is like a sharp sword, piercing through one's soul!

  Shangguan Tie could never forget that kind of oppressive and intangible killing intent, which was completely unlike anything a human martial artist could emit.

  At that time, when his daughter Shangguan Qiumeng entered the palace as a concubine, Shangguan Tie had seen with his own eyes the guard beside the emperor who was said to be a top-notch strongman. Even if he were a top-notch strongman, he wouldn't have brought such great pressure on Shangguan Tie.

  And it was just a glance from him.

  Shangguan Tie left immediately, and he didn't know if Qin Han Yue had seen him. That man probably wouldn't tell his girlfriend about this either. Maybe in other people's eyes, he was just an uninvited guest who accidentally intruded on their romantic scene...

  That gaze almost drove Shangguan Ti into madness, and it took him three years of closed-door training to expel the demon from his heart. However, his strength was forever stuck at the ninth level of the Mystic Realm, and he would never be able to advance further in this lifetime.

  Later, Qin family's youngest daughter Qin Han Yue had an illegitimate child, which was a scandal that spread like wildfire in Huangsha City, just like the incident with Shangguan Shi Yu back then.

  Qin Han Yue was originally very likely to be selected into the imperial palace with her daughter Shangguan Rou Yue, but something unexpected happened, causing countless people to clench their fists in regret and suspicion at the same time, wondering who it was that stole the heart of Qin's family's beautiful and charming daughter, only to ruthlessly abandon her.

  Shangguan Tie would occasionally "accidentally" pass by the places where the Qin family's servants lived, quietly observing the silent little illegitimate child. As Qin Li grew older, Shangguan Tie increasingly felt that the child's eyebrows and eyes resembled the man he had seen back then. He finally became convinced in his heart that this little illegitimate child was probably the man's kid!

  Although it's unclear what happened between Qin's youngest daughter and that man, Shangguan Tie firmly believes that his decision to marry Shangguan Shi Yu to Qin Li is correct! Having met countless people, Shangguan Tie is also betting on the fact that the man will eventually come looking for his woman and child! At that time, all of his investments... will pay off!

  This is called charisma!

  Shangguan Tie's old eyes were filled with a self-satisfied smile, thinking to himself: Qin Lao, this is your Qin family, why isn't it as good as my Shangguan family?

  Because I can see much further than you!

  ……

  "Good granddaughter, listen to Grandpa's words, go see him, okay?" Shangguan Tie looked at his precious granddaughter with some helplessness, trying hard to do the work of a grandfather.

  Sitting across from him, Shangguan Shi Yu wore a long robe, with white gauze gloves on her hands and a white veil covering her face. From head to toe, not a single inch of skin was exposed. This was also one of the changes in Shangguan Shi Yu after that incident a year ago - she refused to let anyone see her blue skin again.

  "I won't go."

  Shangguan Shi Yu shook her head firmly: "Grandfather, I won't get married in this lifetime! I'll just accompany Grandfather!" Her voice was crisp and melodious, like the song of an oriole.

  "Foolish child, Grandfather will eventually leave one day, you can't stay with Grandfather forever. What will you do when Grandfather is gone?" At this moment, Shangguan Tie had not a single bit of the dignified master's demeanor, but was completely a kind and gentle old man, with both satisfaction and concern in his eyes.

  "Anyway... I don't want to see him!"

  "Is it because of his identity?" Officer Tie asked tentatively.

  "Of course not. What qualifications do I have to mock others? Shiyu is just simple-minded, doesn't want to get married, and even less wants to scare people off!" said Shangguan Shiyu faintly.

  Shangguan's heart tightened, thinking to himself: "This is truly a sin. Why must my beautiful and lovely granddaughter suffer such torment? Why doesn't the retribution fall on this old man instead?"

  At this time, Shangguan Shi Yu suddenly asked again: "Is it him who said he wanted to see me? I heard that a few days ago, he personally killed two servants in his house who insulted his mother?"

  Shangguan Tie saw an opportunity and immediately told Shangguan Shi Yu about the information he had gathered over the past two days.

  Shangguan Shi Yu fell silent for a moment before lifting her head and saying, "Then let's meet."