I Was Forced to Marry a “Trash” Cultivator, But She Turned Out to Be a Reborn Empress!

Chapter 268: Building Momentum, The Patriarch Apologizes

Shen Xian returned to the Idle Cloud Residence to find his three disciples engrossed in their work, completely oblivious to the chaos that had just unfolded in the city.

“Master!”

Ai Xiao was the first to notice him. He dropped his tongs and bowed. Tie Shan and Su Mu followed suit, their faces smeared with soot and sweat.

“Any progress?” Shen Xian asked, glancing at the glowing forge.

“Yes, Master!” Su Mu held up a block of metal that shimmered with a pure cyan light. “Following your guidance, I purified the Profound Iron to seventy percent!”

Shen Xian nodded approvingly. “Good. Now, I have a task for you.”

He briefly recounted the incident with the Wei Family.

“Outrageous!” Ai Xiao slammed his fist onto the workbench. “A mere local clan dares to disrespect Master?”

“I’ll go break that Wei Yushu’s legs!” Tie Shan roared, grabbing his hammer.

Even the quiet Su Mu radiated a cold killing intent. To them, Shen Xian was a god. Insulting him was blasphemy.

“Calm down,” Shen Xian waved a hand. “The matter is settled. However… we can use this.”

His eyes gleamed with calculation.

“The Wei Family will try to suppress the news to save face. I want you to make sure the opposite happens.”

He pointed to Ai Xiao. “Go to the material markets. Spread the word that Idle Cloud Residence is accepting custom orders for high-grade Spirit Treasures, specifically fire-attribute Dharma Treasures.”

He turned to Tie Shan. “Go to the teahouses frequented by rogue cultivators. ‘Accidentally’ mention what you heard today. Make sure to emphasize the phrase ‘Top-Tier VIP of the Heaven-Reaching Chamber of Commerce’.”

Finally, he looked at Su Mu. “Organize the Spirit Treasures I refined last week. Display the best ones in the main hall. Make it look like a museum.”

The disciples’ eyes lit up.

“Master wants to leverage their humiliation to build our brand!” Ai Xiao realized. “Brilliant!”

“Leave it to me, Master!” Tie Shan grinned wickedly. “By tomorrow, everyone will know the price of offending us!”

Qiu Ruoli stood to the side, watching the master and disciples plot.

He doesn’t just have power, she realized. He understands how to wield influence. He’s turning an insult into a marketing campaign.

Shen Xian glanced at her. “You too. We will have visitors soon. You are in charge of reception.”

Qiu Ruoli opened her mouth to argue, then closed it. She touched the storage bag containing the Ice Heart Lotus.

“…Understood.”

Fine. I’m stuck here anyway. I might as well see how high he can climb.

Suddenly, Shen Xian’s communication jade slipped buzzed.

He scanned the message. “Venerable Zi Yun?”

A surprise. The Celestial Venerable had arrived in the Sacred City and was inviting him to a private gathering.

Shen Xian smiled. Perfect timing.

“Tie Shan,” he called out. “Add one more detail to your rumors. Mention that Venerable Zi Yun has personally invited me to his estate.”

Tie Shan’s jaw dropped. “Celestial Venerable… yes! Yes, Master!”

The Next Day.

The Sacred City was buzzing like a kicked hornet’s nest.

“Did you hear? The Wei Family’s Third Young Master kowtowed in the street!”

“It was brutal! His forehead was bleeding! And his own uncle was the one holding him down!”

“Who was the guy he offended?”

“Some ‘Master Wang’. Rumor has it he’s a VIP of the Heaven-Reaching Chamber. Even the Wei Patriarch is terrified of him.”

In the markets, teahouses, and plazas, the story spread like wildfire. The once-feared Wei Family guards now walked with their heads down, enduring the mocking whispers of the populace.

“Look, the Wei dogs are quiet today!”

“Hahaha! Maybe they’re afraid Master Wang will make them kowtow too!”

The news penetrated the high walls of the noble estates, reaching the ears of every major power in the city.

Wei Family Ancestral Hall.

CRASH!

A table made of century-old Profound Jade exploded into dust.

Wei Tianshan, the Patriarch of the Wei Family and a newly minted Void Refinement Celestial Venerable, stood in the center of the hall, his beard trembling with rage. The air around him twisted and cracked under the weight of his spiritual pressure.

“Disgraceful! Absolute disgrace!”

Below him, the Elders of the Wei Family knelt, pressing their foreheads to the cold floor.

Wei Yushu knelt in the center, shivering. The wound on his forehead was still fresh.

“Grandfather… I… I didn’t know he was…”

“Silence!”

Wei Tianshan roared. The sonic wave hit Wei Yushu like a hammer, sending him flying back, coughing blood.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?! Ten thousand years of reputation, ruined in a single afternoon because of your arrogance!”

Wei Chengfeng, the Third Uncle, knelt beside his nephew, sweat soaking his robes. “Patriarch… the situation was… difficult…”

“You still dare to speak?” Wei Tianshan glared at him. “A Late-Stage Soul Formation cultivator, and you have the judgment of a child?”

Suddenly, a guard rushed into the hall, face pale.

“Report! Patriarch! Urgent intelligence!”

“Speak!”

“Just now… spies reported seeing Master Wang entering the estate of… of Venerable Zi Yun!”

Wei Tianshan froze. The anger drained from his face, replaced by pure terror.

“Zi Yun?” he whispered.

Venerable Zi Yun was a Mid-Stage Void Refinement expert, a veteran of the Sacred City with connections that reached the heavens. Compared to him, the Wei Family was nothing.

If Zi Yun favors him…

Wei Tianshan collapsed into his chair. His fingers drummed nervously on the armrest.

The hall was dead silent.

“Patriarch…” The Family Head, Wei Mingde, spoke up cautiously. “Since this Master Wang is a refiner, surely he desires rare materials? Perhaps we could…”

Wei Tianshan’s eyes snapped open.

“Gifts. Yes. Prepare gifts.”

He stood up, decisive.

“Open the treasury. Bring out the three Heavenly-Grade ores. And the box of Spirit Crystals.”

The Elders gasped. “Patriarch! Those are the foundation of the family!”

“Do you want the family to survive?!” Wei Tianshan roared.

He smoothed his robes, his expression grim.

“I will go personally. I will apologize. And if he demands blood… then we give him blood.”

Wei Yushu collapsed on the floor, weeping silently. He finally understood.

He hadn’t just kicked an iron plate. He had kicked a mountain.