Rebirth of Poisoned Empress, by 颜若优雅

Chapter 67

"Am I such a fool?" Shen Liang laughed mockingly. A cold light gradually appeared in his eyes, "He is not qualified to be our father, much less qualified to know about You'er's existence. He's not even qualified to love our dad."

He resented Shen Ruting. He resents Liu Shuhan and the others even more. If that old man hadn't been such a fool as to treat him as a cursed star and acquisesced to the connivance of others, how could them two brothers be living so difficulty? How could Liu Shuhan and those from the second and third family be so audacious? He has to know that only he is the true master and head of the Marquis Donglin Manor.

"Don't be upset. You still have your Ge Ge."

And this lord!

Pei Yuanxian felt heartbroken. If he hadn't personally tasted the warmth and chilling coldness of society himself and been repeatedly disappointed by those blood relatives of his, how did the fifteen-year-old him become so cunning, determined, and authoritative at that age? They were all people who had been forced by others.

"En. I won't be upset. There's still Ge Ge. And You'er. And you. That's enough,"  this was the first time Shen Liang took the initiative to reach out and wrap his arms around Pei Yuanxian's waist. His slender body cuddled against Pei Yuanxian. No matter how strong a person was, there would still be times of weakness. In this moment, Shen Liang revealed to Pei Yuanxian a vulnerability he normally kept hidden. Whether the man loves him or not, he can already ascertain that Pei Yuanxian would be the man who accompanied him for the latter half of this life.

Pei Yuanxian did not expect himself to be included and for Shen Liang to hug him. After a brief moment of daze, Pei Yuanxian raised his arms to wrap around Shen Liang tightly. His wide palms covered a vast expanse of Shen Liang's back.

"What do you plan to discuss with him. Although your Zhonglin Courtyard is located in a remote corner and theres still quite some distance between here and the main courtyard, You'er is only a five-month-old infant. It would be impossible to keep this matter hidden," after the moment of intimacy, Pei Yuanxian had no choice but to break the silence. You'er's matter must be handled well. This was something he had assured his second brother with. But at the same time, he was worried that Shen Liang would neglect something, that it would be too hard on the little one.

"I still have to think about how to deliberate with him. If push comes to shove, then I'll make Zhonglin Courtyard a truly isolated island," Shen Liang raised his head and sat upright. His cold and quiet eyes suddenly revealed a harshness to it. As long as he could protect his little nephew, he was willing to reveal his trump card beforehand. What the Nether Guards excelled in wasn't collecting information like they had been doing, but rather stealth and assassination!

Even Pei Yuanxian couldn't help but shiver at his fierce determination. After gazing at him deeply for a while, Pei Yuanxian finally smiled: "Alright. As long as it's something you want to do, this lord will support you to the end. Later tonight, I'll have Tianshu dispatch a group of people here to abide by Tianquan and Yaoguang's leadership and your orders directly."

He may not have anything else, but in terms of people, he had enough to fill the entire Maruqis Donglin Manor up. 

"No, I have my own people," But Shen Liang refused his good intent. He met Pei Yuanxian's suspicious gaze and said in a lowered tone: "Did my lord forget that not only am I the heir of the Marquis Donglin Manor but also Wei Zetian's son? Back then when my grandfather supposedly severed ties with my dad, he actually gave him a very precious treasure. Its just that it takes fate and chance to be able to use it. My dad never had the opportunity. But I did."

The Medical and Poison Scriptures as well as the Nether Dark Guards were the biggest life-saving charms the Wei Family had. Today, they were also his biggest trump card. It was about time for him to let some people see just how powerful the Wei Family was.

"... The Nether Guards?" The smile on Pei Yuanxian's face completely dissipated as his expression became inexplicably solemn. The Nether Guards weren't a secret to begin with. They were simply Jiang Heng, Wei Ting's wife's persoanl guards, and the Wei Family's ancestral army. At first, they didn't have a large number to them. As for specifially how many people there were, no one knew for sure. But hundreds of years ago, their combat and military power suddenly spiked. They became a force to be reckoned with directly under the God of War husband-husband pair. It was a shame that when the couple passed away, the Nether Guards also faded completely from society. 

At first, there were many people who were curious about the Nether Guards, but they had truly disappeared without a trace, just like ghosts. Some people said that when the husband-husband pair died, they dispersed the army. Others said the army had been scattered around the Qin Empire and lurked in every corner, waiting for the moment either the Qin Empire or the Wei Family suffered from a predicament to re-condense and fight again. 

The only reason Pei Yuanxian knew of the Nether Guards existence was because of his master, retired scholar Xuefeng. The scholar Xuefeng was not a single person, but rather a generation of people. There was indeed a head who lived in the depths of the snow isolates, of course, but if the origin of the Xuefeng Scholar had to be traced back to its origins, then it would go back hundreds of years. When Jiang Heng appeared in society, he had stolen the hearts and disrupted the society heavily. One of the people whom Jiang Heng had influenced was exactly the first head of the Xuefeng Scholar, who became Jiang Heng's best friend and counselor. In fact, he could even be considered half of Jiang Heng's apprentice. The day when Jiang Heng and his husband assisted the Holy Ancestral Emperor in taking the throne and conquering the world, after the prosperous wedding, he quietly left and settled in Xuefeng. Hence, every generation of Scholar Xuefeng knew about the God of War couple, even after hundreds of years. 

Strictly speaking, Pei Yuanxian would not be the next head of the Xuefeng Scholar. His current master, that is, the current head, should not have told him these matters. But because of his unique identity and conditions, he had to be told. So whether it was the medical books, the scriptures of poison, or the existence of the Nether Guards, Pei Yuanxian knew about it all.

"How did you know?" Shen Liang was stunned. Besides the Wei Family, there shouldn't be many people who knew about them. In his previous life, Qin Yunshen was only able to know about them because he had foolishly confessed their existence to him.

"Does this mean that the Nether Guards are under your control?" judging from Shen Liang's expression, Pei Yuanxian decided that it could be affirmed. On the surface, his expression remained indifferent and calm, but he was silently amazed. Liangliang unexpectedly held such a trump card in his hands. No wonder he knew so much information even his Ironclad Guards couldn't derive. Even the people he had sent out to investigate Shen Liang's background couldn't derive anything.

Of course, Pei Yuanxian attributed too much to the Nether Guards. The Duke thought too much. But even if Shen Liang knew what Pei Yuanxian was thinking, he wouldn't refute it. After all, he indeed knew too much others shouldn't know of.

"En," since he had already decided to use the Nether Guards, then Shen Liang no longer had any intentions of hiding their existence from Pei Yuanxian. From his interactions with the duke, he had more or less developed a general understanding of the man. He was different from Qin Yunshen. Besides, the other party had revealed Huo Yelin's secret to him without hesitation. It was obvious that Pei Yuanxian didn't take Shen Liang to be an outsider. With his elder brother and Huo Yeling being together, if Shen Liang continued to keep all of his secrets, it would undoubtedly be too petty of him.

"So your medical skills must have also been inherited from the scriptures then?" Shen Liang's openness pleased him. A smile emerged on Pei Yuanxian's face again. He didn't ask about the Nether Guards anymore.

"You even know about the scriptures. It seems like you have some sort of connection with the Wei Family?" Shen Liang arched and eyebrow and refuted back but didn't deny Pei Yuanxian's conclusion. After all, the entire event with him curing the Murong madame was undoubtedly reported back to Pei Yuanxian by Yaoguang. If Pei Yuanxian didn't know about the scriptures, he could still come up with a reason for it, but since he did, then there was no reason to come up with such nonsense.

"I do indeed have some connections with the Wei Family, but none of these were told to me by any member of the Wei Family. You should be aware that the Wei Family members never mention anything about the scriptures or the existence of the Nether Guards to outsiders. The only reason I know has to be attributed to my master..." Pei Yuanxian reached out and dotingly patted Shen Liang's head. He then clasped his hands and slowly told him about the Xuefeng Scholar.