Chapter 7: Kick Mo Qianqian Out!

The Shi family’s main hall.

The Shi family had already convened a clan meeting, and the hall was packed. While the family wasn’t particularly large, its core members still numbered around twenty.

When Shi Muyao strode into the hall, a collective look of astonishment washed over the crowd. She had been paralyzed for two years, and despite seeking help from numerous doctors during that time, nothing had worked. Yet here she was, walking into the hall as lively as ever? How was this possible? What had she done to achieve this?

"Is that really Shi Muyao? How is this possible?"

"Did she take some kind of pill, or did she recover on her own?"

"I never expected her to look so stunning after getting out of that wheelchair."

The Shi family members were flabbergasted. Now fully recovered, Shi Muyao’s natural beauty shone through. She stood out from the crowd, exuding a breathtaking elegance.

"Yaoyao, your body has recovered?" Even Patriarch Shi, seated at the head of the hall, couldn’t hide his surprise.

"Grandpa, I’ve recovered! It happened so suddenly, and my cultivation has even returned to the Spirit Vein Realm Third Level," Shi Muyao said, her voice trembling with excitement.

"Good, this is wonderful! Our Shi family has gained another genius!" Patriarch Shi exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Patriarch, since Yaoyao has regained her cultivation and become a genius once more, this cripple is no longer worthy of being her husband. I ask that you annul their marriage," Yang Lan quickly interjected.

"Exactly! An abandoned son of the Ling family, a cripple unable to cultivate, a notorious and shameless pervert—how could he possibly be worthy of a peerless beauty like Shi Muyao?"

"That’s right, annul their marriage immediately!"

"This marriage shouldn’t even exist. Kick Mo Qianqian out of the Shi family right now!"

"With her looks, Shi Muyao should marry the legitimate son of a wealthy family. That’s the only way to maximize her value to herself and the family."

The crowd chimed in one after another, the younger generation particularly vocal; they felt that wasting such beauty on a cripple was an absolute travesty.

"You all make a fair point." From his seat of honor, Patriarch Shi finally spoke up. "Since Shi Muyao has recovered, Mo Qianqian will no longer be her husband. From this day forward, Mo Qianqian is banished from the Shi family!"

"I object!" Shi Muyao protested. "Everyone in Qingcheng knows I married Mo Qianqian. If we annul it now, where would I put my face?

"Besides, it was the Ling family who stole from us, not Mo Qianqian. He did nothing wrong."

SLAP!

The moment Shi Muyao finished speaking, Yang Lan’s palm struck her face heavily. "You wretched girl, what did you just say? You are a genius of the Shi family! Marrying a cripple is ruining your own future, and ours along with it!"

Seeing this, Mo Qianqian furrowed his brows. He noted how incredibly callous Shi Muyao’s mother was. She struck her daughter without a second thought, giving her absolutely no face. He could only imagine how coldly she had treated Shi Muyao during her two years of paralysis. Meanwhile, Shi Muyao’s father didn’t utter a single word. He was likely a coward who simply followed his wife’s lead on a daily basis.

"Grandpa!" At that moment, a glamorous woman stood up, shooting a malicious look at Shi Muyao and Mo Qianqian. She smiled. "Didn’t we convene this clan meeting to solve the problem of the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion refusing our medicinal herbs? Why not let Shi Muyao give it a try? If she can secure their order, what harm is there in agreeing to her request?"

Hearing this, Patriarch Shi frowned. "This time, the Qin family and the Chen family are suppressing us. I’m afraid it won’t be that easy to resolve."

"How will we know if we don’t try? I’ve heard that Kong Mingcheng, the Deputy Elder in charge of medicinal orders at the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion, has a soft spot for all kinds of beautiful women. With Mu Yao’s looks, who knows? If she makes him happy, the deal might just go through," the glamorous woman said with a smirk.

"Shi Yan, what are you trying to do?!" Shi Muyao snapped furiously. Everyone in Qingcheng knew that Kong Mingcheng was a lecherous, shameless old man. Shi Yan was deliberately trying to ruin her!

"We have a lot of goods sitting in our hands for this medicinal herb business. If the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion refuses to cooperate with us, the Shi family will suffer massive losses," Shi Yan argued. "If you can save the family, what’s sacrificing a little bit of your beauty? Besides, it’s not like anyone is asking you to actually sleep with him."

"You!" Shi Muyao seethed.

"Shi Yan is right!" Patriarch Shi nodded in agreement and looked at Shi Muyao. "If you can secure this deal with the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion, I will agree not to banish Mo Qianqian from the Shi family."

He knew this deal would be incredibly difficult to secure, and it might require some sacrifices—namely, Shi Muyao. However, she was still a far cry from Shi Yunhai’s level of importance. If sacrificing her purity could save the family’s business, it would be a worthwhile trade. As the Patriarch, he had to weigh the costs and benefits.

"Grandpa!" Shi Muyao was incensed. He wanted to trade her for the family’s business? Was she really that worthless?

"Absolutely not!" Yang Lan jumped out. "If Yaoyao secures the deal, but we still have to keep this cripple around, what benefit does our branch of the family get?"

"If Yaoyao secures the deal, I will put you and your husband in full charge of all operations at the Nanfeng Inn!" Patriarch Shi promised.

Overjoyed by the offer, Yang Lan quickly agreed, "We accept! Yaoyao, hurry up and go talk to the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion."

"Mother, how could you..." Shi Muyao was trembling with anger.

Standing by the side, Mo Qianqian couldn’t bear to listen anymore and finally spoke up. "I have no interest in staying in the Shi family. If the deal is secured, you all get the benefits, but what does Shi Muyao get out of it?"

"What are you even supposed to be? You’re just a trash live-in son-in-law! Do you even have the right to speak?" a young man from the Shi family immediately cursed the moment Mo Qianqian opened his mouth.

Patriarch Shi waved his hand dismissively and said, "One thousand taels. If Shi Muyao secures this deal, she will be rewarded with one thousand taels, and she will be put in charge of the medicinal herb business. How about that?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Yan’s expression instantly changed.

"Deal! We accept," Mo Qianqian said.

"Mo Qianqian!" Shi Muyao stomped her foot in frustration. She was just about to scold him when she met his confident, resolute gaze.

"Trust me!" he urged firmly.

For some reason, her heart gave an involuntary jolt. His words carried the same weight as when he had promised to cure her paralysis. If it had been the past, she definitely wouldn’t have believed him. But now, she felt an inexplicable sense of trust toward him.

"Fine!" Shi Muyao turned to face the crowd. "I agree to your terms."

"We need a time limit and a penalty," Shi Yan interjected again. "Otherwise, what happens if you just stall for time and the family suffers more losses?

"Three days. We’ll give you three days. If you fail, Shi Muyao, you will join the Medicine Exploration Team and go search for herbs in the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest. How about that?"

Mo Qianqian nodded at Shi Muyao. Only then did she suppress her anger and declare, "Fine. You’ll have your answer within three days!"

"Let’s go!" Grabbing Mo Qianqian’s hand, Shi Muyao stormed out of the hall.

After the meeting adjourned.

Inside a private courtyard.

"Yan’Er, the medicinal herb business is the family’s main source of income. If we hand it over to Shi Muyao, I’m afraid our influence within the family will..." A middle-aged man with a small mustache frowned deeply.

"Don’t worry, she won’t get her hands on the business." A chilling glint flashed across Shi Yan’s face. "I’ll send a message to Kong Mingcheng. He can have Shi Muyao, but the business belongs to me.

"My cousin will stand on my side, not hers. I’m certain Kong Mingcheng knows which choice to make!"

She let out a cold laugh. "Heh, Shi Muyao, so what if you’ve recovered? Not only will you fail to get the family business, but you’ll also be banished to the Medicine Exploration Team because of it.

"I didn’t manage to kill you last time, but I definitely won’t give you another chance!"