Shi Sheng returned to the Academy. Since she was wary of Bu Jingyun running off, she brought him along with her. Thus, the already famous Shi Sheng became even more famous.

But she continued causing all sorts of trouble, making the Academy wish they could simply expel her. However, she still had the Shen Clan's backing. Without any statements saying otherwise from the Shen Clan, she was their one and only Eldest Young Miss. If the Academy just directly expelled her, they risked offending the Shen Clan.

"Miss! Miss!" While Shi Sheng and Bu Jingyun were strolling together on a little pathway on Academy grounds, someone suddenly ran up to her.

Shi Sheng thought the voice sounded familiar, so she turned to have a look. 'Yep, I knew I heard that voice before. It's Shen Jin.'

"What?" Shi Sheng's tone wasn't very pleasant.

Shen Jin came to a stop right in front of her, panting a bit as he spoke, "Miss, there's a banquet being hosted by the Shen Clan in three days. You must return to the clan immediately."

Ever since the incident with the FL from last time, Shen Jin rarely got to see Shi Sheng. She hardly ever returned to the Shen Clan, and even when she did, she primarily kept to herself. Her attitude was completely different from before.

Shen Jin stood before her, feeling slightly afraid. He couldn't help but adopt a more respectful tone.

"Banquet? What banquet?"

'It's not the one I'm(bbb) thinking about, is it?'

"The Hundred Clans Gathering. It's the Shen Clan's turn to host it this year. Miss, as the Shen Clan's eldest direct daughter, your attendance is mandatory."

The Hundred Clans Gathering.

Contrary to the name, it wasn't a gathering of a hundred clans. Instead, it was a gathering of all the famous and influential clans in the Nine Provinces. Although its purpose is unknown, it existed nonetheless.

'No wonder everyone appeared to be so busy the last time I returned. Seems like they were making preparations for the banquet.'

These sorts of gatherings tended to be riddled with traps. Shi Sheng planned to simply spectate Qin Langyue. And possibly cause a bit of trouble on the side.

On the day of the gathering, Shi Sheng brought Bu Jingyun back to the Shen Clan with her.

Unsurprisingly, her actions of late had caused the Shen Clan to be disappointed in her. No one treated her with much respect. Even Shen Yaoguang's parents appeared to be upset with her.

"Yaoguang, how could you bring a man back?" Mother Shen looked rather young and possessed some resemblance to Shen Yaoguang. If the two stood side-by-side, practically no one would think that the two were mother and daughter.

The moment Mother Shen saw Bu Jingyun was accompanying Shi Sheng, her expression darkened. She pulled Shi Sheng aside, where no one else could listen in on their conversation, before speaking, "You're the direct daughter of the Shen Clan. How could you keep company with random men? You represent the Shen Clan's reputation! You know how many people are keeping their eyes on you Get rid of that man at once!"

Mother Shen only had one daughter, Shen Yaoguang. Even though Shen Yaoguang enjoyed the status of the direct daughter of the Shen Clan, she was unable to inherit the clan in the future. If Shen Yaoguang had not possessed such exceptional talent, Mother Shen's days would've been much tougher.

Naturally, Mother Shen couldn't just watch as her precious protective talisman escaped her grasp.

Shi Sheng remained silent.

Mother Shen continued, "Certainly, that man has an exceptional appearance, but what else can he offer besides that?"

She'd never heard of such an exceptionally handsome young man in any of the great clans. Since he wasn't famous, it meant that he didn't belong to any major power. If he was just some nobody with a pretty face, there was no benefit to the Shen Clan. Thus, Mother Shen was determined to sever any relationship her daughter had with him at any cost!

'What else can he offer? He's got Nine Silences Hall! You guys are going to send your daughter to him in an effort to hug his thigh in the future!'

Shi Sheng couldn't help but reply inwardly.

"You're the direct daughter of the Shen Clan, the person you marry must be a dragon amongst men! Yaoguang, be good. For the sake of the Shen Clan, you mustn't be wilful. The future of the Shen Clan rests on your shoulders." Mother Shen spoke many 'well-intentioned' words.

Shi Sheng rolled her eyes at those words. 'Are you sure you're really Shen Yaoguang's mother? Forcing a young girl to bear the weight of the Shen Clan's future? Where'd that put all the men of the clan, eh?'

"Yaoguang, quickly send him away. I'll pretend I didn't see what happened today and won't tell your father. Otherwise, nothing good would come of it." Mother Shen resorted to threats near the end.

Shi Sheng sneered and mocked, "Why phrase it so nicely? In the end, isn't it just for your own benefit? Give the title of direct daughter to anyone you want. I don't care for it."

Mother Shen was utterly stunned. "Shen Yaoguang, what are you saying? Damned girl, have you gone crazy?! Is the title of 'direct daughter' something you can give up just like that?!"

"Yep, giving it up." Shi Sheng nodded with a sincere expression.

Mother Shen's chest heaved up and down rapidly before she suddenly lifted her hand and swung her palm at Shi Sheng. 'This rebellious daughter will be the death of me!'

Others fight for this position with their lives, but look at her! She simply gives it up! Just like that!'

Shi Sheng calmly caught Mother Shen's wrist, her expression turning cold. "You brought me into this world, so I owe you one. I won't pursue anything else, but if you dare to hit me, don't blame me for being merciless."

"Shen Yaoguang, you've really gone mad!" Mother Shen's voice had risen several octaves. Her face was green as she spoke, "I am your mother! You dare to fight back against me?! Have all these years I've spent raising you gone to waste?!"

'My Yaoguang used to be so obedient, it must've been that man who led her astray!'

Mother Shen disliked Bu Jingyun even more. 'With that vixen-like face, what good can he even do?'

Shi Sheng smiled and spoke with a somewhat taunting tone, "You used me to to gain status in the Shen Clan. You weren't the one who raised me. Truth be told, the only thing you've ever done for me was give birth to me."

Mother Shen had only cared about fighting for Father Shen's favour in her youth. Now that she had passed her prime, the only thing she wanted was to hold on to her status as Clan Mistress.

'Other than giving birth to Shen Yaoguang, has she ever fulfilled her duty as a mother?

All these years, the only words Shen Yaoguang had ever heard from her were always along these lines:

"You're the direct daughter of the Shen Clan."

"You represent the Shen Clan."

"You have to work hard."

Blah blah blah'

"Fine then! Your wings have hardened, have they? You're not even going to listen to me anymore, are you?"

"Yep. My wings are pretty tough." Shi Sheng nodded. 'I can even ascend the heavens if I wanted to.'

Mother Shen's blood pressure had already risen up in anger. She wished she could slap this rebellious daughter of hers, but her hand was still being held in Shi Sheng's grip, so she could only snap at her angrily, "Shen Yaoguang, do you really think you'd amount to anything without the Shen Clan? Think you're all that powerful compared to everyone else? After the rumours about you colluding with Nine Silences Hall started circulating, do you think you'd be able to stand here without the Shen Clan?!"

"I've got no problem with taking on the entire continent by myself."

'Besides, even if I can't beat them, I can still bomb them, right? I've got a lot of explosives in storage, so it'd be an easy feat to blast this continent into a crater.'

Mother Shen was stunned by her words. 'Is this insufferably arrogant person really my daughter?'

"Have it your way! I want to see how well you'll do without the Shen Clan! Don't come crying back to me!"

Shi Sheng released her grip on Mother Shen, retreating a step before dusting her hands off in obvious disgust. "Then make the announcement at the banquet later. It'll save me a lot of trouble."

Mother Shen had lost her rationality due to anger and agreed almost immediately, "Shen Yaoguang, you better not regret this!"

"Regret? I don't know the meaning of the word." Shi Sheng scoffed before turning to leave.

Only after Shi Sheng left did Mother Shen snap out of her rage. 'What did I just say? The only leverage I have with the Shen Clan is Shen Yaoguang. Without her'

Mother Shen didn't dare continue that train of thought as she hurriedly tried to catch up to Shi Sheng.

Of course, Shi Sheng had already disappeared by now, causing Mother Shen to become so angry that her innards ached. She felt her world turn black as she passed out.

Author's note:

Donate for more chapters. There was a blackout today.