Chapter 59

Chapter 59: More of a Villain Than They Are

Shen Sang Ruo’s eyes turned cold as she spoke: “You say you will punish him yourself. That sounds nice, but in the end, punished or not will be nothing more than your word.” She lifted her chin. “If you want peace today, you must give me a clear answer.”

She stood firm, unmoving. “Otherwise, I will return to the sect and speak with Sect Master Shen.” [I won’t actually go back, of course. But they don’t need to know that.]

From how father and son reacted, it wasn’t just fear of the Flying Cloud Sect’s name. [It feels like the sect has something on them, or they need the sect for something. If a chip is handed to me, I’ll use it.] [On the road, your identity and your story are what you make of them.]

Tian Hao Tian hugged his swollen face and snapped, voice rising: “You knocked out my teeth and I apologized like that. What more do you want?!”

“That was only me defending myself at the time,” Shen Sang Ruo replied calmly. “How could that count as his punishment?”

Knowing he could not brush her off, Tian Yuan Shan tried to sound like he was giving ground: “Then how does Miss Sang Ruo think we should handle it?”

Both men watched her. She parted her lips and said, “By the city laws.” Then she added nothing else.

Huh? That was it? Tian Yuan Shan had thought she would be very hard to handle, but her demand sounded simple. Tian Hao Tian had tried to molest her, but he had not truly harmed her, since she fought back. At most it was attempted assault. A few days locked up would do. The City Lord’s Manor had cells for prisoners, so “jailing” Tian Hao Tian there would make sense, right? The smiles on both their faces almost slipped out.

She ruined their plan with one more line: “I mean all the crimes Tian Hao Tian has committed. They must all be handled by city law, and they must all be made public.”

Their smiles vanished at once. Tian Hao Tian felt his knees go weak. He knew how many evils he had done, how many girls he had ruined. If all of it was punished, even ten lives would not be enough.

“Miss Sang Ruo, we are talking about what happened between you and my son,” Tian Yuan Shan said, face going cold. “Why drag in other people? Are you here to make trouble on purpose?” He could accept punishment in private, but she wanted it all announced to the city. That would destroy the City Lord’s Manor’s face. [She has a bit of status and now she’s pushing too far.]

“Fine,” Shen Sang Ruo said as she turned as if to leave. “Then I will return to the sect. Someone will come to punish the City Lord’s son.” She had struck their weak spot exactly. If they would not listen to her, she would call someone they had to listen to.

Tian Yuan Shan clenched his fists. [What kind of shameless sect disciple is this? Aren’t sect disciples supposed to act noble and call themselves gentlemen? Why does Shen Sang Ruo bully people with power better than any villain?] His hand twitched inside his sleeve, ready to strike.

Sensing the attack coming, Shen Sang Ruo spoke first, voice unhurried: “I forgot to say, I carry a Moonshadow Stone that shows my location. If anything happens to me inside Jade Tower City, the one punished will not be only Tian Hao Tian.” [Also made up. Like I said, out here you bring your own legends.] She flipped the board in one move. Touch her, and they would die faster. “Think carefully, City Lord,” she said, drawing out the words.

She glanced back and flashed a bright smile at father and son. Their blood pressure spiked at once. That sunny smile almost made them cough blood from rage. [So smug. So punchable.] The worst part was that they had no way to touch her.

Tian Yuan Shan, already old, felt his temples throb and his chest heave, as if he might faint from anger in the next second. [Fine. You want to threaten me?] He ground his teeth. If pushed to the end, he would…

Then, in the very next second, he put on a perfect smile and bowed his head: “Miss Sang Ruo, we can talk this out. No need to go back to the sect. That would be so troublesome.”

He chose to bend. “In fact, I think your idea is very good. This unfilial son is idle and spoiled. He should be taught a harsh lesson to remember.”

Tian Hao Tian stared, stunned. “Father!” he cried, trying to awaken some fatherly love.

“Unfilial son!” Tian Yuan Shan scolded. “You dirtied Miss Sang Ruo’s eyes. Today I will act for the heavens.” [Son, it’s not that I won’t help you. But we can’t win the father game. Her father is the Flying Cloud Sect’s Sect Master.] He waved his hand. “Guards, take him down to await judgment!”

Men rushed in and dragged the wailing Tian Hao Tian away.

“Is Miss Sang Ruo satisfied now?” Tian Yuan Shan asked, forcing the words through his teeth.

Shen Sang Ruo narrowed her eyes and smiled: “Satisfied. Very satisfied.”

Tian Yuan Shan finally took a long breath. [At last, the living ancestor is pacified.] “Will Miss Sang Ruo be staying long in Jade Tower City? I will have people take good care of you.”

“No need,” she said. “I will leave the city in three days.”

Another breath of relief. [Thank goodness. If she stayed long, this Grand Auntie would flip my whole city. I can’t hit her, can’t scold her, and can only swallow my anger.]

“City Lord, please list every crime your son has committed and then decide on his punishment,” she said, pulling the talk back to the point.

“Of course,” Tian Yuan Shan answered, his eyes flickering.

Shen Sang Ruo knew he would never kill his own son. Saving Tian Hao Tian’s life would be easy for him. But making him suffer some pain would at least pay back a little for the girls he had hurt. As for his life, [I don’t spare people who provoke me.]

Even so, her main goal now was more important: she had to find the ingredients for the Frostheart Purifying Pill for Su Xi Yu. [Su Xi Yu matters far more than a small bully like Tian Hao Tian.]

So she only watched as Tian Yuan Shan posted a public notice of Tian Hao Tian’s crimes across the city and then, in front of everyone, beat him until he was half dead. After that, she left Jade Tower City and headed to the next place.