Lord of the Desert

Chapter 542 Decision
"Are you feeling wronged?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Tiexin lowered her head.

Schools of gold and silver fish swim in the pond, turning around when they see the wall, appearing as if they are free.

She stared for a moment, then suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Our ancestors watched Tie Xin grow up."

Shen Tiexin said in a low voice.

"When I was a child, I often heard my ancestors say that 'you can't rely on anyone but yourself,' but I didn't take it seriously—back then, my parents were so good to me, and I had everything I needed."

"I never expected that they would suddenly separate because of martial arts."

She suddenly smiled, like a fleeting ephemera blooming.

“I remember it was a winter day in November. In the morning, I asked my wet nurse to carry me to my mother's room to pay my respects. I cuddled with her and saw the bright red glow of the charcoal in the brazier beside the canopy bed, which warmed me to the core. About four hours later, my father strode into my room, snatched me into his arms, and murmured, ‘Your mother is gone…’”

Shen Tiexin's smile widened as he wiped his eyes.

“I was too young then, and it was ten days later that I truly understood what the word ‘gone’ meant. Since then, I have known that what our ancestors said was right: people will not get hurt if they have fewer expectations. After that, I gradually developed an eccentric personality and was unwilling to get along with others.”

Sitting on the ice chair, Shen Moye felt completely frozen after hearing these words.

Looking back over the past twenty-three years, he had doted on Shen Tiexin the most among the entire Shen family, even more than on her biological father, Shen Guoying; for this reason, he knew that he was largely responsible for shaping Shen Tiexin's character.

Shen Moye is 147 years old. He has loved, hated, and endured countless betrayals in his life. Therefore, he always teaches his descendants, "I would rather betray others than be betrayed by them."

However, looking at Shen Tiexin's sorrowful face, he was filled with remorse.

Life is both long and short, and not everyone will encounter the same hardships. To force your child to learn from your own mistakes is just asking for trouble.
"Tie Xin is the ancestor..."

The celestial beings of the Second Realm had hunched shoulders and backs.

"It has nothing to do with our ancestors."

Shen Tiexin simply shook his head.

"In the following ten years or so, Tie Xin gradually made contact with some peers in Xijing City, such as Liu Xingxian, Bai Taiping, Ao Zhiji, Ao Zhixian, and Su Peifeng... But Tie Xin looked down on any of them—these people were either afraid of the old ancestor and were cautious in front of me, or they coveted the power of my Shen family and tried their best to please me. The old ancestor knew that for a period of time Ao Zhixian was even inseparable from me, but after her death I felt little grief, only the fear of being attacked and the anger of being offended."

“Grandmother, but I was born into the Shen family and acted recklessly because of your favor. Aren’t I the same kind of person?”

She suddenly changed her style.

"It's different, it's different. You're not borrowing; what our ancestors gave us was originally yours..."

Shen Moye offered clumsy words of comfort.

“I despise martial arts, but I know in my heart that everything I have comes from martial arts. Tie Xin was born into a first-class martial arts family in Liangzhou. Before her mother passed away, she listened to people talk about martial arts, watched people practice martial arts, and observed people perform martial arts every day. But I didn’t understand martial arts at all until that sword cut through the veil on my face and I saw the red underneath.”

When Shen Tiexin said this, a flicker of fear appeared in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared into his dark, bright eyes.

"At that time, I pretended to be strong, but I was actually terrified of Hong Fan. I kept having nightmares about that day and that sword. It's pathetic, really. Even though I was cut, I kept thinking about the blade and would often make myself cry."

"It was the old ancestor's fault. The old ancestor shouldn't have listened to that scoundrel Xu Guinian's nonsense back then..."

Seeing her appearance, Shen Moye was consumed by rage and snapped the armrest with his right hand.

Seeing this, Shen Tiexin wiped away his tears, got up, picked up the ice armrest, and used his Ice Soul Force to put the chair back.

"Later, there was also the journey to the south."

"My ancestor insisted on making me a director, and then I met him. Only then did I realize that this person was indeed different from others—Hong Fan was not like an ordinary martial artist, and he was even more different from my ancestor."

This was absolutely true, but Shen Moye felt extremely uncomfortable hearing it.

"He was capable but did not bully the weak, he was moral but not pedantic, his appearance and talent were unparalleled at the time, and like his ancestor, he single-handedly supported the family. During those two years, his ranking on the list of geniuses rose higher and higher, and his reputation grew, but he did not become arrogant and conceited, and remained as steady as ever."

As Shen Tiexin spoke, a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

"Later, as I spent more time with him, I didn't realize anything was wrong. I just felt that life was getting more and more colorful, and I looked forward to a new day every night."

"It wasn't until I bumped into Princess Xiande, until all those worries and fears overwhelmed me, that I had to admit that I had fallen in love with him." Shen Tiexin twirled a strand of her snow-white hair with her fingertips and let out a sigh that was a mixture of joy and distress.

"You're too young to know how easy it is to gain favor with others."

Looking at her, Shen Moye felt a pang of jealousy.

"People's hearts are like fields, yielding a harvest every year; whether they like someone or not is just a fleeting moment."

"No, Ancestor, Tie Xin is different. I didn't practice the Ice Soul Manual before, and I didn't want to live a long life, but it wasn't just because I hated martial arts. Ancestor, you said that people's hearts are like fields, but people plant wheat, while I plant roses; they are afraid of hunger, but I am afraid of withering."

Shen Tiexin gazed at the clear water outside the pavilion, her eyes lowered gently, her smile fleeting and fragile.

Once again, faced with her beloved granddaughter, Shen Moye was speechless.

“Ancestor, some people say I am greedy and foolish, insisting on finding the best man in the world, yet unable to recognize him before he shows his talent.”

"Who said that?!"

Shen Moye put on a stern face and asked in a deep voice.

This expression could scare any member of the Shen family half to death, except for Shen Tiexin.

"Grand Ancestor, please don't be angry. I think they are right."

Shen Tiexin smiled.

"I can be the most arrogant, and also the most humble; I can be the most greedy, yet also the most content. Everyone desires a thousand rivers and lakes, but I only ask for a single sip."

She raised her face and pointed to a silver fish in the water.

"Tie Xin is like a stubborn fish, brought ashore by the tide of destiny. Having seen all the mountains and rivers in the world, even if he dies on the shore, he will never go back with the tide."

These words were full of determination.

And the determination wasn't just in words—it was also in the daily seclusion, in the isolation from the decadent lifestyle of the past, and in the undignified bloody battle on Tianpeng Mountain...

While Shen Moye was delighted with his beloved granddaughter's growth, he couldn't smile at all when he thought about the reasons for her change.

"After all, Xiao Chu is a princess, and she even brought the Shengyu Army with her..."

"Does the ancestor think I have no hope?"

Before he knew it, Shen Tiexin had already filled the bronze stove with rose petals.

"I don't think so."

Shen Moye looked at her, at the radiant and astonishing smile on her face, a smile that surpassed all the snowfalls he had seen in the past hundred years.

“Whether it’s Xiao Chu or Tang Xingqing, they want many things besides one person—fame, power, military influence, family reputation, martial arts, cultivation—but I only want him. For him, I can give up everything.”

Shen Tiexin was resolute.

The wind lowered the gauze curtains.

Inside the waterside pavilion, the moist flower petals withered and scorched on the charcoal stove, releasing a rich fragrance.

"Ancestor, Tie Xin not only didn't lose the initiative, but actually has a great advantage!"

She spoke softly, her delicate hands picking up dried flower petals and gently placing them into the incense box.

Shen Moye didn't say anything more.

He suddenly felt at ease.

My unwavering resolve, such unwavering resolve, is something no one can refuse.

Even Hong Fan.

(End of this chapter)