The Shen Family, Accountant’s Courtyard.

Several stewards were gathered around a stone table, laughing and chatting over spirit tea and spirit fruits.

“Both the Third Young Master and his wife are trash. Giving them resources is a waste,” said a round-faced steward, one leg crossed over the other as he gnawed on half a spirit fruit. His tone dripped with contempt.

“Exactly. Whatever we skim off can be split between us. A direct descendant’s monthly allowance is no small sum…” another steward beside him chuckled softly.

“Hahaha!” The round-faced steward laughed heartily, greed shining in his eyes as he casually tossed the fruit pit onto the ground. “They wouldn’t dare make a fuss anyway. That waste of a Third Young Master can’t even progress in his cultivation. The Patriarch can’t be bothered with him!”

“This… this isn’t right…” a steward sitting in the corner mumbled, his voice low and hesitant.

His eyelids drooped slightly, a trace of worry appearing on his face.

If this scheme to embezzle a direct descendant’s allowance came to light, they would be finished.

“What, is Steward Lingyue scared?” Shen Tianhao shot him a sidelong glance. “If you don’t want in, then don’t take a share.”

Before Shen Lingyue could speak, a sharp-featured, weaselly steward waved a hand. “Now, now, that’s not how we should put it.”

He gave a sinister smile. “Brother Lingyue, don’t forget we’re all in this together. Whether you participate or not, there’s a share for you.”

This sharp-featured steward was named Shen Tan, a trusted subordinate of the Head Accountant and the mastermind behind this embezzlement scheme.

Shen Lingyue’s face paled slightly. He ultimately lowered his head in silence and stood up to leave.

“Halt!” Shen Tan suddenly barked coldly, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes.

Shen Lingyue’s steps faltered. He turned to look at him.

“Brother Lingyue, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Shen Tan said with that same sinister smile as he stood up and slowly approached. “If you dare breathe a word of today’s matters… Hah… don’t forget about your sister who works in the herb garden…”

Shen Lingyue’s pupils contracted sharply. His face instantly turned deathly pale.

Bang—

The courtyard gate was suddenly pushed open. All five stewards looked up as one.

There stood Shen Xian, clad in moon-white robes embroidered with fine patterns. His expression was cold and stern, his gaze like ice.

“Why is this waste here? He shouldn’t have heard us, right?” the round-faced steward transmitted secretly via mental voice, a hint of panic in his tone.

“How could a piece of trash at the second layer of Qi Refining possibly hear us?” his companion transmitted back with a cold laugh.

They were all at the mid or even late Qi Refining stage. If someone at the second layer had been nearby, they would have definitely sensed it. There was no way he could have eavesdropped.

“This waste won’t cause trouble, will he?” the round-faced steward continued transmitting.

They actually had no legitimate grounds for skimming the direct descendant’s allowance, so they couldn’t help but feel some apprehension.

“Afraid?” Shen Tan sneered mentally. “This is what the higher-ups want. Let’s first ask this waste what he wants.”

…

The stewards maintained a surface-level respect, but their eyes held undisguised contempt. They kept calling him “waste” in their secret transmissions, placing no value on this Shen Family direct descendant whatsoever.

Only Shen Lingyue had a flicker of awkwardness deep in his gaze.

“Third Young Master, what brings your esteemed self to the accounts courtyard?” Shen Tan stepped forward, a false smile plastered on his face.

Shen Xian’s gaze swept over everyone in the courtyard. The corners of his mouth held a faint, ambiguous curve.

“What?” He stepped slowly into the yard, his voice neither loud nor soft. “Does this young master need to announce his arrival in advance to collect his monthly allowance?”

The stewards’ expressions changed slightly. They hurriedly bowed in greeting. “Third Young Master speaks too gravely. We humble servants wouldn’t dare.”

“It seems this waste is here to pick a fight!” the round-faced steward transmitted secretly.

“Just a little brat. I’ll handle him,” Shen Tan transmitted back with a mental sneer before putting on an apologetic smile. “Third Young Master’s status is noble and exalted. A filthy place like the accounts courtyard really shouldn’t trouble your esteemed presence.”

Shen Xian gave a light chuckle, his fingertips gently rubbing the dragon-shaped jade pendant at his waist. “Filthy? You all seem quite comfortable here.”

His gaze fell upon the spirit tea and fruits on the stone table…

Third-grade Snow Bud Tea and crimson-red Sunset Fruits that seemed to drip with juice—both were valuable cultivation resources not to be taken lightly.

“Third Young Master must be joking,” Shen Tan said with an awkward laugh. “These were rewards from our superiors for our hard work managing the accounts.”

Shen Xian walked unhurriedly to the stone table and casually picked up a Sunset Fruit, rolling it between his fingers. “This young master’s monthly allowance?”

“We could have had someone deliver your allowance to you. There was no need to trouble yourself to come collect it personally,” Shen Tan said respectfully before turning to the round-faced steward. “Steward Tianhao, go fetch Third Young Master’s monthly allowance.”

“Right away,” Shen Tianhao agreed and left, muttering under his breath as he went: “Perfect chance to clear out that pile of junk.”

He deliberately kept his voice low, thinking someone at the second layer of Qi Refining couldn’t possibly hear him. Little did he know that Shen Xian’s gaze towards him grew increasingly cold—like he was looking at a dead man.

“Third Young Master, please have a seat,” Shen Tan warmly offered while secretly signaling the other stewards to clear away the spirit fruits and tea from the table.

“These inferior things are unworthy of you,” he explained with a smile, but made no move to bring out anything better.

Shen Xian paid this no mind at all, merely staring coldly at him. “What is the meaning of this list?”

“Third Young Master, the resources on the list are allocated according to regulations…” Shen Tan began to explain.

“Regulations?” Shen Xian countered in a low voice, his dark eyes like deep pools.

He suddenly reached into his robe and slapped a jade token onto the stone table.

On the purple-gold jade token, a large character for ‘Shen’ was particularly eye-catching—it represented the identity of a direct descendant of the Shen Family.

The brows of several stewards present furrowed slightly.

“When did clan regulations ever state that direct descendants are unworthy of cultivation resources? And what is this so-called ‘contribution’ requirement?” He looked calmly at Shen Tan, his gaze icy and carrying an immense pressure.

This pressure didn’t stem from cultivation realm but from an innate bearing… one only possessed by direct descendants of the Shen Family!

For a moment, several stewards felt dazed, but they quickly snapped back to reality.

They inwardly cursed themselves for being intimidated by trash at the second layer of Qi Refining.

Shen Tan immediately let out a light laugh. “Third Young Master, matters of contribution have always been part of clan rules. We cannot change that.”

“As for cultivation resources…”

He glanced at Shen Xian, a flash of disdain in his eyes as he spoke with sarcasm dripping from every word. “You don’t cultivate much anyway these days. Now that family businesses are frequently harassed by evil cultivators and profits have plummeted… we must ask for your understanding.”

“Yes, indeed! Third Young Master is a direct descendant of the family; you must consider the greater good,” another person hurriedly chimed in.

All except for Shen Lingyue nodded in agreement.

This scene caused anger to gradually swell within Shen Xian’s heart. He repeated slowly, “The greater good?”

Shen Tan completely failed to notice the change in his mood and adopted an experienced tone, as if offering advice. “Third Young Master, this is how it must be for direct descendants. Look at the Eldest Young Master—born with an Innate Dao Body, destined to reach Celestial Venerable heights one day; he cultivates diligently every day. The Second Young Master exhausts himself day and night, working tirelessly for the family’s affairs… You can’t just do nothing; people would criticize you for it.”

He wore an expression of earnest concern but was actually implying that Shen Xian contributed nothing to the family yet still wanted an equal share—utterly laughable behavior.

If he had any sense of shame, he shouldn’t have even come here in the first place.

“Heh.” A cold laugh escaped Shen Xian’s lips as he stared fixedly at Shen Tan before him. Within the depths of those eyes, a faint trace of killing intent now flickered. “I’ll give you one more chance to rephrase yourself.”

Shen Tan’s pupils contracted slightly; a chill ran down his spine.

At that moment, Shen Tianhao returned carrying the monthly allowance… except the allowance was delivered inside a burlap sack.

Shen Tianhao carried the worn-out burlap sack back and casually tossed it onto the ground, where low-grade spirit stones scattered everywhere with a clatter.

“Third Young Master, my apologies. The accounts office ran out of storage bags; we had to make do with this.” Though his words apologized, his eyes brimmed with mockery.

He wanted to use this incident to thoroughly humiliate this direct descendant of the family.

Shen Xian shifted his gaze onto him, then swept a glance across the five stewards present; his gaze grew colder by the second.

“Bring out the original monthly allowance!” His voice was icy; the anger in his heart had reached a breaking point.

The four stewards exchanged glances.

Shen Lingyue looked towards him with a complex expression; he opened his mouth yet didn’t know how to smooth things over.

“What do we do? This waste seems hard to handle,” one steward transmitted secretly.

“Ridiculous. Let’s see what he can do,” Shen Tianhao transmitted back, not caring in the slightest.

He lifted his eyes to look towards Shen Xian without the slightest respect, sneering, “Third Young Master, if you are dissatisfied, then go speak to the Patriarch about it… he—”

Suddenly, Shen Xian raised his hand. A spirit arrow shot from his sleeve, completely unexpected.

Thud—

Shen Tianhao’s eyes widened into rounds; a crimson dot slowly seeped between his eyebrows before his entire body collapsed heavily to the ground.

Blood snaked across the azure-gray flagstones, reflecting the deathly pallor that had washed over every face present.