155: Shen Family of Dong Shenzhou

The World-Breaking Flying Boat tore through the barrier, shuttling through a bizarre and kaleidoscopic Void Passage.

Outside the window was an endless expanse of darkness interwoven with brilliant energy storms.

However, inside the flying boat, it was a different scene entirely.

The interior space of this flying boat was enormous.

Lu Yi sat boldly in his chair, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world.

He held a cup of freshly brewed, steaming Spiritual Tea, gently blowing on the foam and savoring it.

In stark contrast to his leisure was Shen Yueyao beside him.

She was like an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in the spacious cabin.

Her skirt fluttered with her steps, and her beautiful eyes were filled with anxiety and unease.

“Agh...”

After pacing for who knows how many laps, Shen Yueyao finally couldn't help but stop.

She looked at Lu Yi, who was leisurely sipping tea, and her anger flared.

She walked up to Lu Yi in a few steps and glared at him reproachfully:

“Lu Yi! How... how can you still drink tea? Do you know where we are? We are on our way to the Upper Realm!”

“Aren't you afraid that once we arrive, before you can even speak, my Family will directly seize you and take action against you?”

Facing the beauty's questioning, Lu Yi slowly put down his teacup.

He shrugged and smiled like a rogue:

“What's the use of worrying?”

He pointed to the violent Void Turbulence outside the window:

“Am I supposed to jump ship now? It's Void Turbulence out there; if I jump, I'm afraid not even my ashes would remain.”

Lu Yi shifted into a more comfortable position and said lazily:

“Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it. Since we can't resist, we might as well just lie flat. This tea tastes pretty good; do you want a cup?”

Seeing Shen Yueyao looking like she was about to cry from anxiety, Lu Yi stopped teasing her.

He patted the empty seat beside him, his tone becoming a bit more serious:

“Come, stop pacing, you're making me dizzy. Sit down. Instead of just worrying and scaring yourself, why don't you take this time to give me a rundown on what exactly is going on with your Family?”

Looking at the calm Lu Yi, who acted as if he could use the falling sky as a blanket, Shen Yueyao's anxiety dissipated somewhat.

“Phew...”

She sighed helplessly and sat down beside Lu Yi.

Organizing her scattered thoughts, she slowly began to speak, lifting a corner of the veil covering the Upper Realm for Lu Yi.

“The Upper Realm is called the ‘Nine Provinces Realm’; it is vast and boundless, with ten thousand races standing tall.”

Shen Yueyao's voice was somewhat distant:

“And our Shen Family is located in the ‘East Divine Continent.’ In the East Divine Continent, the Shen Family... can barely be considered a first-rate Cultivation Family.”

To give Lu Yi a better idea, she explained in detail:

“Although we can't compare to those top Sects and immortal families that have been passed down for tens of thousands of years or more, on its own turf in the East Divine Continent, the Shen Family controls many vassal Sects, cities, and Small Worlds. We are considered a local hegemon.”

“Whoa!”

After hearing this, Lu Yi couldn't help but look Shen Yueyao up and down, teasing:

“Oh? I couldn't tell. So our Great Saintess Shen is actually a Young Miss from a top-tier wealthy Family? My apologies, my apologies. I failed to recognize your status before and neglected such a wealthy lady.”

However, Shen Yueyao did not laugh at Lu Yi's teasing.

A bitter curve touched the corner of her mouth, and a flash of deep self-mockery and sorrow crossed her eyes:

“What ‘Young Miss’... I am but a... lowly child of a concubine.”

She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes, her voice low:

“My mother... was just a concubine with no background. Not long after she gave birth to me, she passed away from depression. In that cold Family, I was helpless and had no status. Later, I awakened the rare Vast Moon Divine Body, which drew the Family's attention.”

At this point, a flash of hatred appeared in her eyes:

“Even so, I was still an outcast. A few years ago, the Family used the excuse of letting me go out for experience to find opportunities, sending me to the Lower Realm where Spiritual Qi is scarce. They called it experience, but it was actually exile. They wanted me to fend for myself, out of sight, out of mind.”

Shen Yueyao looked up, her eyes slightly red:

“If it weren't for the need to use my Physique as a bargaining chip to curry favor with that Li Family this time, they probably would have forgotten I even existed.”

Hearing this, the playful grin gradually vanished from Lu Yi's face.

He hadn't expected that the usually cold and glamorous Saintess of Absolute Beginning would have such a sigh-inducing past.

“...”

Lu Yi didn't speak.

He reached out and gently patted Shen Yueyao's trembling shoulder.

The movement was very light, yet it conveyed a silent, firm support.

As if to say: Since I'm here, no one will be able to bully you from now on.

Feeling the warmth on her shoulder, Shen Yueyao's emotions calmed down a bit.

After the atmosphere eased slightly, Lu Yi didn't linger on the sad topic for long but shifted the conversation, asking the question he was currently most interested in:

“So, what's the deal with that Li Family that wants to form a marriage alliance with your Shen Family?”

At the mention of the Li Family, Shen Yueyao's expression immediately became solemn, even carrying a hint of awe.

“The Li Family... is a true behemoth. Although they are also in the East Divine Continent, the Li Family is recognized as a top-tier first-rate Family!”

“Their foundation is more than ten times deeper than the Shen Family's. Although the Li Family has declined somewhat and no longer possesses its former glory, it is still an existence that the Shen Family needs to look up to.”

Shen Yueyao gave a bitter laugh:

“This is why those old fogies in the Shen Family are so desperate to marry me off. Even if it's just to a cripple who has already been abandoned by his Family. As long as they can establish a marital connection with the Li Family, the Shen Family can solidify its position in the East Divine Continent.”

Lu Yi stroked his chin, the glint in his eyes growing brighter.

“What about that ‘Trash Young Lord’ Li Xiu? How much do you know about him? Have you met him?”

Shen Yueyao shook her head, looking a bit lost:

“I only have a superficial understanding of him. After all, there's a difference in status between our families, and we usually don't have much contact.”

At this point, she seemed to fall into some distant memory, her gaze becoming somewhat hazy:

“The only time I saw him... was at a Family gathering ten years ago. Back then... I had just become sensible and was a ‘nobody’ hiding in the corner.”

She paused and sighed with a complex tone:

“At that time, he was truly like the moon surrounded by stars. Standing in the center of the crowd, radiant and high-spirited, he was the most dazzling Genius in the entire East Divine Continent.”

Shen Yueyao sighed:

“I didn't expect that fate would be so cruel. In just a few years, such a figure has now fallen to this state, becoming a cripple whom everyone can bully.”

After listening to Shen Yueyao's description.

Lu Yi leaned back in his chair, the smile on his lips becoming meaningful.

“Met once as children... a radiant Genius... suddenly fallen, suffering cold treatment...”

“This set of buffs is simply maxed out.”