In the blink of an eye, three days had passed since Jiang Qianqiu and Hu Baibai left.

Inside the Shen family villa in Kyoto, Shen Jiaxuan leaned back on the sofa, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest, quietly listening to Shen Wanfu's report in front of him.

"Dad, just as you predicted, the people I sent to Suzhou City have reported back that the Xu family group has mysteriously disappeared, with only one person leaving."

Shen Wanfu stood on the opposite side.

"I looked into that person. He was Shen Shuchou's classmate at Shenwu University. His name is Xu Dong. In fact, he is the son of Xu Lanyou, the second son of the Xu family. However, he has almost no presence in the Xu family."

Shen Jiaxuan frowned slightly and looked up at her: "Is the information accurate?"

"Accurate."

Shen Wanfu nodded.

"The last place the Xu family was seen was a villa in the suburbs of Suzhou. There were about ten people with them, but only Xu Dong came out of the villa. The people I sent also said that a few nights ago, the villa had emitted extremely strong power fluctuations, which were definitely not something that ordinary cultivators could have."

She paused, the image of Hu Baibai, alluring yet icy, involuntarily appearing in her mind, and added, "Therefore, I guess it's most likely that person who made the move."

"What's going on with the Xu family?"

Shen Jiaxuan continued to ask, his gaze darkening.

Shen Wanfu shook her head: "The people I left in Qing City haven't sent back any news. The Xu family has been unusually quiet these past few days, without even a whisper of news."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jiaxuan fell silent again, the tapping of his fingers stopped, and a thoughtful expression settled between his brows.

"In that case," Shen Wanfu couldn't help but speak when he remained silent, her tone tinged with anticipation, "Can I go to Suzhou to find him?"

Ever since she met Shen Shuchou in Suzhou, she had grown tired of staying in Kyoto and her mind was always on things there.

Shen Jiaxuan abruptly interrupted his thoughts, looked up at her, and said firmly, "No."

"Why isn't it working?"

Shen Wanfu immediately became displeased, her brows furrowing. "The Xu family hasn't made a move. With that person around, what is there to worry about?"

"What I'm worried about right now isn't the Xu family."

Shen Jiaxuan spoke slowly.

Upon hearing this, Shen Wanfu's heart skipped a beat, and she instantly understood what he meant: "Are you worried about your uncle?"

Shen Jiaxuan nodded noncommittally, the tapping of his fingers stopped, and the worry between his brows deepened.

Ever since Shen Shuche's cryptic remark, he has been living in constant fear, feeling that something is about to happen.

Is my uncle really that scary?

Looking at her father's solemn expression, Shen Wanfu finally asked the question that had been hidden in her heart for a long time.

Shen Jiaxuan was silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking, his voice low and deep: "You don't understand him. In this person's eyes, there is no such thing as family affection."

When Shen Shuche was mentioned, a complex look flashed in Shen Jiaxuan's eyes, a mixture of apprehension and a hint of inexplicable coldness.

"Back then, in order to seize power in the family, he was willing to personally harm Shu Chou's birth mother... Such ruthlessness is something that not an ordinary person could do."

Shen Wanfu was shocked, and an expression of disbelief appeared on her face.

Although she knew there had been internal conflicts within the family, she had no idea about this past event.

"He was ruthless and extremely sensitive and suspicious."

Shen Jiaxuan continued, "Even the Xu family patriarch now gives him some leeway. If he finds out that Shu Chou is still alive, given his personality, he will not leave any hidden dangers and will definitely kill him."

What worries him even more is that the power behind Shen Shuche is far greater than it appears on the surface, and is deeply entrenched, far beyond what he can currently contend with.

"But Shu Chou..."

Shen Wanfu wanted to say something, but swallowed it back.

She suddenly realized that her father's constant obstruction of her from going to see Shen Shuchou was perhaps not only out of concern for the Xu family, but also out of fear of alarming that uncle.

Shen Jiaxuan didn't even dare to secretly investigate Shen Shuche's movements.

This timidity stemmed not only from a deep-seated fear of Shen Shuche, but also from the fear that the slightest carelessness would expose this secret.

Unbeknownst to him, at that moment, in that heavily guarded villa in the heart of Kyoto...

Shen Shuche was holding the phone wrapped in black cloth. After three days, he pressed the answer button again.

"explain."

His voice was devoid of any warmth.

"Shen Jiaxuan, whom you asked me to investigate, hasn't done anything out of line lately."

A lazy voice came from the other end of the phone, "But his daughter, Shen Wanfu, went to Suzhou City a while ago. I followed that lead and found something... that concerns your secret."

"My secret?" Upon hearing this, Shen Shuche's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"Go on."

His tone remained cold.

"Want me to continue?" The young man's voice held a hint of cunning. "But this secret isn't something you can just reveal so easily."

Shen Shuche's expression instantly darkened, and his tone carried a warning: "Are you trying to raise the price?"

"Hahaha, Patriarch Shen really understands me." The young man laughed maliciously. "Of course, you can choose not to hear this secret, just pretend I never said it."

"What do you want?" Shen Shuche asked without hesitation. Now that the question had been asked, he couldn't let it go—he needed to know what this so-called "secret concerning him" was.

"I heard that Patriarch Shen has a Spirit-Breaking Pearl," the young man said directly, no longer beating around the bush, "I want this."

As the spiritual energy of Earth rapidly recovers, numerous ruins containing rare and precious materials have emerged around the world.

This Spirit-Breaking Pearl was a treasure that Shen Shuche obtained from a dangerous ruin after expending enormous manpower and resources.

The Spirit-Breaking Pearl has a simple yet extraordinary effect: it can forcibly break through the bottleneck in a cultivator's stagnant cultivation level.

Tests have revealed that the immense spiritual power contained within it is even sufficient to help Nascent Soul cultivators break through their limitations and reach a higher level.

Regarding such a priceless treasure, Shen Shuche remained silent for a few seconds before replying in a deep voice, "I will send someone to deliver it. But you must remember, this secret must be worth the price."

The young man on the other end of the phone was clearly surprised by his decisiveness. After a brief moment of astonishment, he couldn't contain his elation: "Hahaha, Patriarch Shen is indeed straightforward!"

As the laughter subsided, he didn't delay any longer, lowering his voice to say, "After repeated investigation, I found that Shen Wanfu went to Suzhou to meet someone. And that person... is hiding in Suzhou, someone connected to you by blood."

Upon hearing this, both ends of the phone fell into an instant silence.

In the room, Shen Shuche's fingers tightened suddenly as he gripped his phone.

His pupils suddenly contracted, a storm raging in his eyes, and for the first time, cracks appeared on his usually cold and composed face.

The person connected to him by blood?

Apart from……

Impossible... Back then, it was clearly already...

Shen Shuche's breath hitched slightly, and the air around him seemed to freeze instantly, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression.

"Who is it?"

His voice was dry.

The young man seemed pleased with his reaction and slowly uttered a name:

"Shen Shuchou".

......

......

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