Chapter 86 As long as you two are happy, even if it's just each other...

Chapter 86

Shen Suining nodded, turned around and went into the mansion first. Before leaving, she glanced at Song Wenshi again and felt that the visitor was not friendly.

Shen Yan had been away from the capital for a long time and knew almost no one except for old friends. It was quite strange that these two juniors would come to visit him at this critical juncture.

But Shen Suining didn't think much of it. With He Hansheng around, she didn't need to worry about these court affairs.

She walked straight through the front yard to Shen Yan's residence.

Today was a day off, and Shen Yan was currently engrossed in reading in his study when Shen Suining barged in without knocking. He was used to this, so he simply glanced at her and casually said, "I heard you're seeking advice from your older brother on how to do business."

"How do you know so much about my movements? You all seem to have eyes on me?" Shen Suining kicked her shoes aside, lifted her skirt, and sat down on the couch. There was a charcoal brazier in the room, and she felt hot after sitting for a while, so she took off her fox fur coat and handed it to Xun Zong who was standing next to her.

Shen Yan chuckled twice, "You go to your older brother's place so often, what else could it be besides seeking knowledge and doing business? Do you expect him to be your sparring partner?"

“That’s true.” Shen Suining twitched the corner of her mouth, instantly convinced by this reason.

From childhood to adulthood, Shen Suining was most afraid of two people who would be her sparring partners: Shen Fengyu and Shen Suian.

Shen Fengyu was exceptionally talented. Although she wasn't much older than Shen Suining, her martial arts skills far surpassed hers. Shen Suining was a proud and arrogant person. When sparring with someone like Shen Fengyu, who was born with an advantage, she felt a sense of powerlessness, realizing that no matter how hard she tried, she could never catch up. Sometimes, Shen Fengyu would deliberately hold back to save face, which only made Shen Suining feel more embarrassed. Over time, she became unwilling to have Shen Fengyu as her sparring partner.

Shen Sui'an was different. Shen Sui'ning was afraid to spar with him purely because Shen Sui'an would really beat her to death. It seemed that he only had the desire to beat her up and did not care about their sibling relationship at all.

Shen Suining looked around and asked, "Where's Chen Zui? I haven't seen him the last few times I've come here."

Shen Yan sighed, "This child has been feeling down lately. He hasn't been going out much lately, just staying indoors studying and memorizing. I'm afraid he'll go crazy from being cooped up!"

Chen Zui had lived in the deep mountains for a long time and rarely saw people. He was also innocent and pure in nature. When he first entered the world, the gap between his ideals and reality inevitably made him feel uncomfortable for a while. It is said that his literary talent, which even Master Zhang Xuanqing was proud of, was belittled by those old men in the capital who called themselves great writers and said that he was showing off.

Shen Suining thought for a moment and said to Shen Yan, "I asked my elder brother for a cosmetics shop and a bookstore. How about... we let Chen Zui manage the bookstore? I suppose that's something he's good at and enjoys. That way, he won't have to stay cooped up in his room thinking all the time, and he might also be able to meet some people like him."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yan immediately put down the book in his hand.

Shen Suining: "What? You think it's inappropriate?"

Shen Yan hesitated, his expression somewhat complicated. "Let's put Chen Zui's matter aside for now. Ningning, as for doing business... maybe you shouldn't get involved? Our family isn't short of money."

Shen Suining: "..."

When He Hansheng entered, Shen Suining had her arms crossed in front of her, her face dark, glaring angrily at Shen Yan.

He greeted Shen Yan, glanced at Shen Suining, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Cough, it's nothing," Shen Yan coughed twice, and after a moment he realized, "You two came together today?"

He Hansheng nodded, and Shen Yan showed a look of surprise and relief. Just as he was about to say something, Shen Suining interrupted him: "Stop taking his side. Who is your real son?"

“It’s not that I’m taking sides,” Shen Yan chuckled, genuinely happy to see that the relationship between the two had eased considerably. “As parents, we all hope that our children can live happily and that our families can be harmonious. As long as you two are doing well, even if you’re both doing well on your own, I’ll be happy.”

Shen Suining snorted softly and didn't say anything. He Hansheng, who was standing to the side, whispered to Shen Yan, "Father-in-law, the two young masters of General Song Fei's family have arrived. They say they want to learn some martial arts from you."

Shen Yan paused slightly. Although he had only been back in the capital for a short time, he had already heard of Song Fei's reputation as the Commander of the Palace Guards.

He was a martial arts prodigy. Legend has it that he once killed a large black bear with his bare hands within seven steps. Twenty years ago, when the Great Cheng Dynasty was newly established, Li Bo issued an edict to gather talents from all over the world. At that time, Song Fei's reputation for killing a bear with his bare hands had spread from his ancestral home of Qingzhou to Huadu. He entered the court as an official in the fourth year of Yongshun, which just happened to coincide with Shen Yan's time in the capital.

It is said that this person's martial arts are completely unique, and like He Changxin, he has no famous teacher. He has carved out a bloody path by relying solely on his own extraordinary talent. He and He Changxin have not fought many times, but the number of times they have won and lost is roughly equal, which shows his combat strength.

Shen Yan was not a combative person, but he rarely met a worthy opponent, so he naturally had more respect for this person. Now that he heard that the man's two sons had come to visit, he naturally welcomed them warmly, as one cannot hit a smiling face.

Song Jialin was well-mannered, but even when meeting his elders, Song Wenshi still had that disdainful look, looking down on everyone. He even greeted them very perfunctorily, making Song Jialin feel somewhat embarrassed.

Shen Yan wasn't surprised at all. It's common for young people to have a bit of arrogance, especially since the Song family now has a lot of influence in Huadu.

Shen Suining had been annoyed with the arrogant Song Wenshi for a long time. Before Shen Yan and He Hansheng could speak, she stepped forward and said, "I heard you want to learn martial arts from my father."

Song Wenshi paused for a moment, probably not expecting Shen Suining to step forward. He exclaimed "Ah!" and asked hesitantly, "Is that not allowed?"

“Sure, why not?” Shen Suining smiled insincerely, stood there, casually pulled out a long stick from the shelf and slammed it on the ground. “You fight me, and my father will give you pointers.”

“This…” Song Wenshi raised his chin, a hint of hesitation appearing on his arrogant face, “Isn’t this a bad idea?”

"What's wrong with it?" Shen Suining brandished the stick a couple of times. "As the saying goes, a person should know their own limitations and act according to their abilities. I am the worst in martial arts in our family. If you can't even beat me, why should you ask my father for advice?"

"Ningning, you mustn't be so rude," Shen Yan said softly.

Song Jialin also stepped in to defuse the situation, smiling and saying, "I have had the privilege of witnessing your skills, sister-in-law, and have always wanted to learn a thing or two from you, but..."

He looked at He Hansheng, seemingly worried that something might be inappropriate. After hesitating for a moment, he still said to himself, "Never mind."

He Hansheng asked Shen Suining, "Ningning, do you want to compete with Jialin?"

“That works too.” Shen Suining knew that Song Jialin’s martial arts were much weaker than Song Wenshi’s. Even if she couldn’t beat him, she wouldn’t lose too badly. She might as well go along with it and test Song Jialin’s strengths and weaknesses.

She still couldn't let go of Song Wenshi, but she was afraid that her purpose would be too obvious and she would seem too deliberate, so she threw the long stick in her hand to Shen Fengyu, who was not far away, and said, "Let Fengyu spar with the eldest son of the Song family first."

“This…” Shen Fengyu’s gaze turned to Shen Yan.

Shen Yan looked at He Hansheng and saw him nod in agreement before he approved Shen Suining's suggestion. He said, "Alright, it's good for you young people to spar with each other. It saves this old man from getting involved and making you uncomfortable. Fengyu," Shen Yan turned to Shen Fengyu and instructed, "cheer up. Don't lose too badly and embarrass me."

"Yes, sir." Shen Fengyu received the order, bowed to Song Wenshi, and before the other party could respond, he took a long stick and walked to the open space in the center of the courtyard, assuming a fighting stance.

"I don't hit women." Song Wenshi remained motionless.

Shen Suining laughed loudly, "Are you afraid that you can't even beat a woman and will lose face for your father?"

Song Wenshi opened his mouth, but having been put on such a pedestal, he couldn't back down any longer. So he raised his head, stepped forward, and gestured "please" to Shen Fengyu.

Shen Suining had been annoyed by his attitude for a long time, and couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "This bastard acts all high and mighty, saying such contemptuous things. Who does he think he is?"

Song Jialin took these words to heart and couldn't help but cough awkwardly as he explained, "My elder brother did not mean to be rude to Marquis Pinghuai and his sister-in-law. He is naturally taciturn and not good with words, and rarely goes out. He is probably afraid of saying the wrong thing, which is why he is so taciturn now."

"He may be taciturn, but look at him, he practically looks down on everyone." Shen Suining snorted, clearly not accepting this explanation.

Song Jialin was silent for a moment, then said, "My older brother... has a stiff neck."

Shen Suining: "..."

The two exchanged a glance and both gave each other an awkward yet polite smile.

As they spoke, Shen Fengyu and Song Wenshi began to exchange blows. As the leader of Bifeng Hall, the strongest fighting force in Shuyu Manor, Shen Fengyu's fighting style was always fierce. She also had the natural advantage of being a woman, moving lightly and using softness to overcome hardness. At first, Song Wenshi was probably mindful that his opponent was a woman, so he fought more cautiously. However, after being forced back several feet by a series of attacks from Shen Fengyu, he also began to fight fiercely.

Shen Suining stared at Song Wenshi's every move. This man's martial arts were indeed superb, but he lacked any method or skill. He attacked and defended almost entirely based on intuition. Although he was able to handle Shen Fengyu with ease, he still couldn't gain the upper hand.

Shen Suining was engrossed in watching when she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder. He Hansheng had taken off his fox fur coat and draped it over her, enveloping her in his body heat. She glanced at him, then immediately looked away, continuing to analyze the situation on the field with him, "This guy isn't very big, but his lightness skill isn't that great."

He Hansheng stood side by side with Shen Suining and said, "General Song is a martial arts genius. His fighting style always relies on absolute strength to win. Lightness skill is not his forte. Wen Shi and Jia Lin's martial arts are inherited from him, so naturally it is the same."

"Hey, hey, don't generalize. I'm still standing here," Song Jialin retorted with a smile. "I lack natural talent and can't learn the fighting style of my father and elder brother. I can only seek out knowledge from all over the world and mix and match various techniques. In comparison, my lightness skill is still pretty good."

He Hansheng smiled faintly and remained silent.

Hearing their conversation, Shen Suining couldn't help but feel curious and asked Song Jialin, "So, who did you learn from?"

Song Jialin: "Most of them are commoners from the martial arts world. You probably don't recognize the others, but you will definitely recognize one of them."

"who?"

“Brother Yunchu’s father was the Marquis of Yong’an.”

Shen Suining paused, subconsciously looking at He Hansheng. He still had a faint smile on his face, gentle yet somewhat distant. When he saw her looking over, that distance lessened a bit, and he asked her softly, "What's wrong?"

"No." Shen Suining looked away, but subconsciously stood a little closer to He Hansheng.

After struggling for a moment, she tugged at his sleeve, leaned closer and whispered, "He Hansheng, although Young Master Song and you are from the same school, you can't show favoritism later. You have to side with me, understand?"