Chapter 28: Unfulfilled Vow of Resentment

  "Nothing, I just think your idea is really great."

  Luosiqi could tell that Chenxing was speaking from the heart and couldn't help but smile, knowing that Chenxing hadn't spoken out against her, this matter was now settled.

  The rain outside showed no signs of letting up, and everyone was bored stiff. Shi Xiaofu asked his uncle to tell an interesting story, and Luo Sicong also asked him to tell one when he heard Shi Xiaofu ask. Shi Hong agreed since everyone was so bored, and the story he told was about collecting medicinal herbs when he was young.

  When Shi Hong was young, there were only two big families in his town doing pharmaceutical business. One family was surnamed Lei and the other was Shi. At that time, the Lei family's business was better than the Shi family's, and their influence was also greater. Shi Hong had a strong desire to make progress since he was a child, and he vowed to make the Shi family's pharmaceutical business the largest in the town. When he grew up, he gradually became familiar with the Shi family's business and realized that if they operated normally, they would never be able to surpass the Lei family. He didn't stoop to using underhanded tactics, so he was worried all day long.

  Later, the legend about Liujin City and Yinyu began to spread in his town. He was not interested in other things, but he was excited about the legend that there was a kind of black witch grass with magical healing effect in Hei Wushan. This black witch grass had a miraculous effect on injuries and colds, and it didn't need to be picked from Hei Wushan, just reaching Yinyu could exchange some daily necessities for it.

  He then made up his mind to go to the Nether Realm and take a gamble. His decision was opposed by the elders of his family, because although the Black Witchgrass was mysterious, the town where he lived was very far from the Nether Realm, and it was still very dangerous to venture into such a mysterious place recklessly. The people of the Lei family knew that no one dared to go to the Nether Realm either, and although these two families were both large and influential in the local area, they had become too used to peace and stability over the years and lacked the courage to take risks.

  Shi Hong had made up his mind and didn't hesitate, fortunately going to the Netherworld for trading required courage rather than a lot of money, so he secretly brought some money and left home. He wanted to go to the Netherworld to buy back the Black Witchgrass and make his clansmen look at him in a new light.

  Shi Hong didn't tell the various strange stories of his trip to the underworld, saying that if he told them all, it would take three days and nights. He emphasized that after going through countless hardships, he finally bought back the black witch grass from the underworld, causing a stir in the small town. Many people from nearby towns came to hear the news, hoping to exchange or sell some of it.

  Lei's family didn't believe that Shi Hong had brought back real black witch grass at first, but coincidentally, there was a patient with typhoid fever who needed treatment. In the past, treating this disease required taking many medicines for a long time, and whether it worked or not depended on one's luck. This time, Shi Hong took out some of the medicine for free to prove that he had brought back real black witch grass. The patient tried it with an open mind, thinking that trying was better than not trying. Who knew that after taking one dose of the medicine, the patient was completely normal again the next day?

  The Shi family suddenly gained a great reputation, and people came to buy medicine in an endless stream. The prices offered were also higher than one another. Shi Hong did not keep the Black Witchgrass for himself, but instead donated it all to his family. As a result, the Shi family surpassed the Lei family in less than half a month, and Shi Hong's status within the family suddenly rose to surpass even that of the patriarch.

  Shi Hong has an older brother, who is three years his senior but more down-to-earth in personality. When Shi Hong decided to head into the underworld, his brother had repeatedly tried to dissuade him with kind words. After Shi Hong succeeded, although he was happy for his younger brother, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed whenever they met.

  Because of the extremely efficacious healing effect of Black Witchgrass, Shi Hong brought back these herbs with great difficulty. Therefore, the Shi family began to use Black Witchgrass as a treasure, each plant worth thousands of gold, and they were not willing to sell it easily. The Lei family saw that the Shi family had risen to prominence because of the Black Witchgrass, so they also sent their best people to the dark realm. However, unlike Shi Hong, those people did not return. The Lei family not only failed to obtain the Black Witchgrass again to compete with the Shi family but also lost some of their most capable members.

  Twenty years have passed, and Shi Hong's brother, although not as accomplished as Shi Hong, has earned the unanimous recognition of the clan elders through his diligence and hard work, becoming the new clan leader. Although Shi Hong did not become the clan leader, he enjoyed an extremely high status in the Shi family during these twenty years. However, after twenty years, even if the Shi family continued to control the sale of black witchgrass, the medicinal herbs that Shi Hong had brought back initially had already been sold out completely, leaving no powder remaining.

  At this time, Shi Hong had already married and had children, and his son was 16 years old. In order for the Shi family to continue its current prosperity, they must still have black witchgrass. However, only one person in the clan had been to the dark realm, and that was Shi Hong himself. Even if he succeeded this time, it would be twenty years before anyone else in the Shi family knew how to obtain black witchgrass again. Moreover, over the years, Shi Hong had not revealed anything about his experiences on his previous trip to the dark realm, except to say that it was a matter of nine deaths and one life. Therefore, although Shi Hong insisted on going alone this time, his older brother, who was also the clan leader, half-begged and half-forced him to take his only son, Shi Xiaofu, who was also Shi Hong's nephew, with him.

  Although Shi Xiaofu understood some of the causes and consequences of going to the underworld, he was still a bit stunned when his uncle told him in such detail. When Shi Hong finished telling this story, it was over. Although Luo Siqi thought that Shi Hong's experience was quite interesting, because he deliberately omitted the most mysterious and interesting part, the whole story seemed a bit dull.

  However, after hearing the story, she had a strong desire to tell a mysterious and interesting story that she knew. Just then, Shi Xiaofu seemed to suddenly wake up and asked Shi Hong, "Uncle, do you mean that Father asked me to come with you because he wants me to take over as the head of the family in the future?"

  Shi Hong burst out laughing and replied: "Exactly, exactly! Your father was indeed thinking that!"

  Somehow, Luosi heard a hint of sadness in the laughter, and she thought to herself: "Could it be that Shi Hong is dissatisfied because he made great contributions to the family, but the family head was instead given to his ordinary older brother?"

  Lucy's thoughts were soon verified as she heard Shi Hong continue, "However, your father, although seemingly dull on the surface but with a deep mind, also has times when he miscalculates!"

  He looked at Shi Xiaofu, gritting his teeth and saying word by word: "There's one thing your father should be clearer than anyone else about, that is, it's not necessarily the person who can retrieve the Black Witchgrass who will become the clan leader!"

  Shi Hong's expression suddenly twisted, his frightening face shocked Shi Xiaofu to fall backwards from the wooden stool!

  Chen Xing's face suddenly changed, he stood up abruptly, and with one swift motion, pulled Luosi Qi from the ground.