Heavenly Simulation: Tales of Demons and Gods

Chapter no.40 Shen Xiu: An Insecure Noble

People always scream at the heavens, decrying life's unfairness.

They blame their circumstances, convinced things would be better under different stars. Shen Xiu was among them.

Born into the prestigious Sacred Family, Shen Xiu was the sister of the Family Head. To the outside world, she was a princess, born with a golden spoon.

Why would she ever complain?

What did she lack?

Many pondered this, but they didn't know the half of it.

The Sacred Family lived by a simple creed: the strong lead, the weak follow.

Shen Xiu's birth was a blemish in their illustrious lineage, the product of a night between the previous head and a prostitute. From the outset, she was seen as nothing more than a burden, a piece of refuse reluctantly accepted into the fold.

Her mother, barred from the family due to her lowly status, left Shen Xiu to endure alone.

She bore the weight of disdainful glares, looks tinged with jealousy, pity, and lust.

As she blossomed into beauty, men fawned over her, but she quickly realized their interest lay more in her status than in her person.

This reality, more than anything, filled her with loathing – she was nothing but a decorative piece, an ornament in their eyes.

She was the Sacred Family's current head's sister, after all.

This fact disgusted her; it was a life with no real substance. Her own talent was mediocre; despite all the resources at her disposal, she could only achieve silver rank, while peers like Ye Han soared to gold.

To the world, she was a beautiful flower, coveted for the status she could confer.

But to herself, she was an object, worthless and talentless.

The irony wasn't lost on her; the talent of nobles she so often boasted about felt like a source of shame.

She hid her insecurities behind a mask of arrogance, creating a façade to keep men at bay, to survive in their cruel world.

In truth, Shen Xiu had nothing.

Her beauty was overshadowed by her family's standing, her power inconsequential.

Her only real achievement, becoming an inscription array master, was self-taught, unaided by her family.

Yet, she never boasted of this – what was it compared to the so-called honor bestowed upon her by birthright?

Despite her disdain for this "honor," Shen Xiu knew she had little choice.

Stripped of her family and status, she was nothing.

So she focused on the task at hand: ensuring her nephew's favorable standing with Ye Ziyun, securing her future in the Sacred Family.

Then came the brat, challenging her, proposing a bet.

"Want to make a bet with me?" he had dared, stirring a desire in Shen Xiu to see him humiliated.

"Just a simple bet to prove I'm the next Ye Mo," he added. Amused and confident, Shen Xiu accepted.

But the boy proved his mettle, surpassing even Ye Mo.

When he requested a hot steamy night together as his winning prize, Shen Xiu's blood boiled.

Who did this brat think he was?

Shen Xiu knew about Nie Li, the heir of the Heavenly Marks Family and one of the targets that were to either be recruited or killed off.