86: Chapter 86 This humble monk comes to deliver all benefactors from suffering.

"Good son, if you don't come out right now, kneel down, kowtow to this monk, and admit that this monk is your father, I'm not going to bother with your messy affairs and will just leave."

Seeing that Shen Wen had no intention of stepping forward, The Monk frowned, his tone becoming somewhat heavy.

Just leave?

Hearing these four words, Shen Wen finally started to panic.

He had dared to spout nonsense here earlier and disregard Second Uncle Shen Congwen and the rest of the Shen Family only because he was relying on his father, The Monk, to back him up.

If The Monk were to walk away now and ignore him, how could these people from the Shen Family, especially Second Uncle Shen Congwen, possibly spare him?

Not daring to think any further, Shen Wen plopped down onto his knees, immediately performing the three kowtows and nine prostrations, paying his respects to Jiesha.

"Father, your son pays his respects."

A series of "thump, thump, thump" sounds rang out; Shen Wen was kowtowing with such sincerity.

"What's going on? Why did that guy Shen Wen kneel down to acknowledge his father?"

"Could it be that this kid got lucky and was actually taken in as a foster son by this master?"

"This trash, what right does he have? What qualification does he have to take this master as his foster father?"

"Keep your voice down, don't say anymore. If the master hears you, he'll definitely skin you alive."

The Shen Family members whispered among themselves, seemingly guessing the truth of the matter. There was mockery and disdain, but even more so, there was envy and jealousy.

"This trashy live-in son-in-law, why is he so habitually kneeling like a dog?"

"He's already mastered the skill of calling someone 'Dad' to perfection; kneeling in public to call someone 'Dad' has become second nature to him."

Watching Shen Wen kowtow to Jiesha in public, Chu Yuan shook his head, not knowing what to say.

Is this what they call 'acknowledging a thief as one's father'?

For a Protagonist to stoop to this level, he's probably the first.

...

After some explanation, the Shen Family members understood the ins and outs of the situation.

According to the story fabricated by Jiesha, he had seen ten years ago that Shen Wen had exceptional potential and had intended to take him as his foster son.

He had come today specifically to fulfill that promise, holding a grand ceremony to acknowledge his foster son right in front of everyone in the Shen Family.

Unexpectedly, he arrived just in time to witness the scene of the Shen Family forcing Shen Wen after learning of the death of his father, Shen Congwu.

Jiesha was filled with righteous indignation and naturally had to step out to stand up for his son.

Since Shen Congwu was already dead, only Shen Wen, his mother, and Jiesha knew whether this story was true or false; there was no way for anyone else to verify it.

Of course, no one was blind enough to dare question this fierce and menacing Monk to his face.

"Whether the Master is indeed my nephew's foster father is a matter for later, even if my elder brother had intended for my nephew to take the Master as his foster father."

"But today is the day we select the head of the Shen Family. The internal affairs of the Shen Family seem to have nothing to do with you, Master."

After pondering for a moment, Second Uncle Shen Congwen mustered his courage and stepped forward.

He had been planning for a long time, and the position of Shen Family head was something he was determined to win.

The meat already in his mouth could not be ruined by anyone.

"Amitabha!"

"Shen Wen is this monk's son; his affairs are this monk's affairs."

"You not only blocked Shen Wen from inheriting his father's legacy but also dared to make things difficult for him. This is going against The Monk. Don't blame The Monk for representing the Buddha and sending you to hell."

The aura of the mid-stage Transcendent was unleashed completely, and the powerful presence made everyone feel like they couldn't breathe.

Many Shen Family members were already trembling in fear, prostrating themselves on the ground.

Most of the Shen Family members never had the qualifications to contend for the position of family head in the first place. Now that Shen Wen had suddenly emerged to vie for the position, they had no intention of stopping him.

Even the likes of Shen Lang and Shen Xiang dared not provoke him.

If Shen Wen really became the family head, it would be more beneficial than harmful to them.

Shen Wen had no power base in the Shen Family. Even if he really seized the position of family head, he would still need to rely on them to manage the Shen Family.

On the contrary, Second Uncle Shen Congwen had a deep foundation. Once he took the next step, he might start purging dissidents and annexing their forces.

Precisely because they thought of this, Shen Lang and the others remained silent, even tacitly accepting the situation.

Second Uncle Shen Congwen was filled with righteous indignation.

He had planned for the position of family head for a long time and was about to reap the fruits of victory, only for this insignificant Shen Wen to mess things up.

Especially that group of Shen Family members; they had taken his bribes and were still hedging their bets, all remaining in a wait-and-see state.

If he didn't take action now, the position of family head might really fall into Shen Wen's hands.

"Master, I respect you as a senior expert and have always treated you with courtesy, but you are interfering in our Shen Family's internal affairs and even want to let Shen Wen serve as the head of the Shen Family. I, Second Uncle Shen Congwen, am the first to disagree."

"Not to mention that Shen Wen has no talent or virtue and has made no contribution to the Shen Family, he, the dignified Young Master of the Shen Family, willingly stooped to becoming a live-in son-in-law in a small family, ruining our Shen Family's reputation completely."

"Such a person is not only unworthy of being the head of our Shen Family, he is not even worthy of appearing in our Shen Family."

"Nonsense! Insulting this monk's son—you deserve a beating."

As soon as the words fell, The Monk appeared in front of Second Uncle Shen Congwen, no one knew when.

Second Uncle Shen Congwen was given a huge fright and had absolutely no time to react before he was slapped away, falling to the ground, his life or death unknown.

Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

The Monk had such a bad temper; he would start fighting without a second word.

The key was that his kung fu was outrageously strong.

They had only ever seen such shadow-shifting kung fu on television.

Let alone this group of Shen Family members, even Third Great-Uncle Shen Zhong, who was the ceiling of the Shen Family's combat power, didn't see the other party's movements clearly.

"Master, your martial arts are formidable. Our Shen Family admits that in terms of martial arts, no one is a match for you."

"However, our Shen Family is not a small family that can be bullied by anyone."

"Master, you bullied a member of our Shen Family. If you don't give us an explanation, our Shen Family will absolutely not let this rest."

As the strongest and highest-ranking member of the Shen Family, Third Great-Uncle Shen Zhong had to step forward at this moment.

"It was clearly this thief who bullied this monk's foster son; this monk was merely acting on behalf of heaven."

"If not for the fact that this person is Shen Wen's Second Uncle, this monk would definitely have finished him off with my own hands."

Third Great-Uncle Shen Zhong listened, and it seemed to make quite a bit of sense.

Who told Second Uncle Shen Congwen to have such a loose mouth, insulting Jiesha's foster son right in front of him?

Being punished slightly now was just his due.

Intimidating the crowd, The Monk pressed on: "This monk came today to witness my son Shen Wen becoming the head of the family. If anyone is dissatisfied, feel free to step forward, and this monk will use Buddhist dharma to send you to your final rest."

As soon as The Monk finished speaking, not only did no one step forward to argue, but the Shen Family members were scared into retreating repeatedly.

Second Uncle Shen Congwen had only said a few extra words and was beaten by The Monk until he couldn't take care of himself.

How would they dare to compete with Shen Wen for the position of family head? What if this monk was a cold-blooded killer who sent them to the Western Paradise to meet the Buddha? Wouldn't that be a wrongful death?