Preparations

On the night of the banquet, Shen Yue stayed behind until his father and elders left. He then sneaked into the treasury and carried away as many gold, demon spirit coins and other treasures as he can carry in his storage rings. Since the meeting with Zi Yun, he knew that he cannot fully rely on city lord after this night. He needed some resources to survive by himself, but he only took about one third to avoid suspicion. He then decided to go and stay with Yang Xin for the night.

Yang Xin seemed to know the significance of the night. She kept telling him that he would always have a place at her home no matter what happened. Shen Yue was touched and assured her that he would look for her help if necessary. The two had dinner and then were mostly silent. As predicted at night, there were explosions and yells from a distance and the whole city was in an uproar. There were guards from City Lord's mansion asking everyone to stay indoors. The commotion was bigger than during the day of the attack on the lord's mansion a month ago. The city calmed down after a while but Yang Xin and Shen Yue were nervous throughout the night.

The next morning, Shen Yue and Yang Xin walked out into the streets where many people were gathering in crowds and talking among themselves. From their conversations, they found out that the city lord has completely defeated Sacred Family group led by Shen Hong, and the elders that stayed back at the house. The Sacred Family from today on was no more. Most people were shocked by the fact that one of their own would betray their city and work with the number one public enemy of Glory city, the dark guild. A lot of negative comments were thrown on the Scared Family.

"Let's go back," Shen Yue said in a small voice. He was a little worried for his future and knew the next few days were critical for him and what's left of his family.

"Yes. Let's go back home." Yang Xin seemed to stress the word 'home' as she tightly held Shen Yue's hands and walked back the way they came. Shen Yue understood Yang Xin's intention but he was not willing to live with Yang Xin. He would like to be independent if possible but most importantly he didn't want Yang Xin's reputation to be hurt because of him. Even his evening visits to her must end temporarily. He was now the only living son of the biggest traitor in history of Glory city.

Shen Yue knew that his father, brother and family elders were all either dead or awaiting execution in prison after interrogation about dark guild activity. He is now the only surviving male member from the main family. There were still his mother and other family members of deceased elders or branch families. Since he was too young, he decided to help his mother take control of the family as the matriarch.

Shen Yue's mother was a docile wife and kind mother but was not in the inner circle of her husband so she had no role in the rebellion. If she went back to her family, she would probably not be treated well. In addition to the surviving branch families, there were also servant families living in the mansion. Most of them could find other masters but there were some who are too old or unable to do so. He felt like he could help them even if he didn't feel any special bonds towards them.

"Sis Yang, do you know of any small mansions for sale in Glory city," Shen Yue asked. Yang Xin seemed to realize his intention and was a little disappointed in her heart. But she still helped him as she had promised.

On the same day after talking with Yang Xin, Shen Yue purchased a small mansion on the outskirts of the city using the demon spirit coins he took from the treasury. The alchemist guild was helping in securing the transaction and Yang Xin was happy to help. It was the home of a small noble in the city and it had several buildings with a large courtyard. The noble family had already moved into the richer neighborhoods inside Glory city.

The next step was to contact the city lord and find out the results of the battle. It was finally time to seek repayment for his continuous contributions. Even if Ye Zhong weren't as forthcoming in recognizing his contributions, he needed to at least move his mother and the rest of his family into a safe place away from pubic riots.