Shen Jiahao looked at Lili with eyes full of expectation, as if she were some kind of bodhisattva who could grant any wish.

In fact, Lili felt that with Shen Jiahao's talent, Shangguan Zhengzhong might have already noticed him.

As the number one expert in the Great Jin Dynasty, Shangguan Zhengzhong's martial arts skills are naturally beyond question.

According to Yu Chi Ye, if Shangguan Zhengzhong hadn't been protecting Yu Chi Ye as they fled north alone, isolated and attacked by multiple people, they wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

Lili thought about it very seriously: "Lili thinks that uncle and older brother are quite destined for each other."

"Really?" Shen Jiahao's expression was overjoyed, and he immediately made a decision, "Okay, then I will definitely keep pestering him and shamelessly beg him to teach me martial arts!"

Lili chuckled, encouraging Shen Jiahao.

What she didn't say was that the elder brother Yu Chi Ye mentioned, who had no interest in the throne, might have a completely different mindset after this incident.

A powerful maternal clan, a deceased mother, and missing uncles and brothers...

Looking at the plot, Lili felt that Yuchi Ye's older brother would... As for whether he would succeed, she couldn't be bothered to think about it anymore.

What is meant to be will be; what is meant to be will be.

If that eldest prince were to ascend the throne, Yuchi Ye would surely be able to live a carefree life as a prince upon returning to the Great Jin Dynasty. In that case, Lili could consider it as finding a powerful backer for her future self.

If it doesn't succeed...

Well, Pear doesn't mind picking up one more to take home; she'll just consider it paying her older brother's tuition.

*

When the group returned from picking mushrooms in the mountains, no one knew what Yu Chi Ye said to Shangguan Zhengzhong, but Shangguan Zhengzhong no longer showed any of his previous wariness and relaxed completely, allowing the divine physician Sikong to administer acupuncture to him.

Zhui Feng sat silently on a large rock in the courtyard, wiping his sword. When he saw the group returning with mushrooms, he took the mushrooms and began to wash them.

It was getting late, and Lili didn't tell her family that she might have to stay out for a few days.

After some consideration, the group decided to head back to Xinghua Village after dinner.

When Chen Ye heard that Li Li was leaving, she became extremely anxious: "What should I do then?"

Shangguan Zhengzhong frowned, as if he wanted to say something, uttered a syllable, and then fell silent.

“Brother Yuchi, just stay here with Doctor Sikong and recover.” Lili smiled. “Our new house isn’t finished yet, there won’t be enough room for you.”

Doctor Sikong sighed silently. Ever since this little darling saved him, he had been either helping her save people or on his way to help her save people.

His wool is about to be completely plucked.

Chen Ye's eyes lit up: "So you really want to take me in?"

Shen Jiahao and Shen Jiaqing asked in unison, "Lili, are you really going to take him in?"

Shen Jiahao was excited. Didn't this mean that Shangguan Zhengzhong would be staying at their house from now on?

He was just wondering whether he should ask Brother Zhuifeng to steal a horse from him so that he could come here every day to see Shangguan Zhengzhong!

Shen Jiaqing was displeased; this person looked like he had ulterior motives!

With similar status and age, His Highness the Crown Prince has always paid extra attention to etiquette and manners, and his words and actions are always gentle and polite, making people feel as warm as a spring breeze.

Then look at the little prince of the Great Jin Dynasty. Other than that, we can understand that he was frightened and stimulated.

But how could Yu Chi Ye utter such lewd words to his lovely younger sister!

Yu Chi Ye is not Li Li's person!

She's only three years old!

Shen Jiaqing glared at Yu Chi Ye, extremely unhappy.

Lili smiled and whispered to the two of them, "Well, Brother Yuchi and Uncle Shangguan don't have homes anymore, shall we take them in?"

Shen Jiahao nodded frantically: "Great! Great!! I'm just that kind-hearted, and my family will definitely agree!"

Even if they disagree, he would talk until his lips were sore to persuade them to change their minds. If all else failed, he would give them his own room to live in, as long as he could get Shangguan Zhengzhong to stay and teach him martial arts!

Shen Jiaqing is only a six-year-old child. If you put yourself in his shoes, if he were to be hunted down and forced to wander in a foreign country at such a young age, he would probably go crazy.

Shen Jiaqing nodded reluctantly: "Okay."

The fourth brother is stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside.

Lili chuckled to herself. Seeing that they had all agreed, Yuchi Ye finally showed his first smile in a long time: "Lili, don't worry, from today onwards I will be your personal bodyguard, Chen Ye!"

Shangguan Zhengzhong sighed, his mind racing with thoughts, and took one last look at the direction of Da Jin through the door.

The Great Jin, who gave him birth and raised him, and for whom he would risk his life.

Shangguan Zhengzhong closed his eyes, putting all the power struggles and intrigues behind him, and resolutely said with his fists clasped, "I have no way to repay the life-saving grace. I am willing to serve as the guard of the Shen family and do my best!"

"It's hardly a favor, and our family isn't wealthy enough to need any guards," Lili said, stating what she had prepared beforehand.

"However, our family is missing a teacher. I wonder if you would be interested in becoming my older brother's teacher?"

Shen Jiahao was taken aback. He thought this was something he had been working on for a long time, but he didn't expect Lili to ask it directly.

Shen Jiahao noticed that Shangguan Zhengzhong frowned, his face showing hesitation, as if he was considering it.

Shen Jiahao was startled, and then smoothly knelt down on one knee in front of Shangguan Zhengzhong: "Master, please accept my bow!"

Shangguan Zhengzhong: "..."

Actually, he was just thinking that if he could stay with this identity, it would indeed be more legitimate than having some kind of suddenly added guard or servant.

Moreover, Shen Jiahao is indeed a promising talent worth cultivating.

Shangguan Zhengzhong had never had any students or apprentices while fighting on the battlefield.

He had only ever taught raw recruits and never imagined that one day he would take on students and teach them like a refined civil official.

The boy stood tall and straight like a pine tree, his eyes bright and deep, filled with boundless vigor and sharpness.

Shangguan Zhengzhong frowned, then suddenly reached out and grabbed the sword in Shen Jiahao's hand.

Just as Shen Jiahao was about to obediently hand over the sword, he suddenly noticed a slight smile on Shangguan Zhengzhong's lips and a glint in his eyes.

Shen Jiahao paused for a moment, but reacted extremely quickly, flipping his hand to turn the sword around.

Then, with lightning speed, he threw the sword back, thrust his left knee to push the sword away, dodged Shangguan Zhengzhong's outstretched hand, and clenched his fist to meet Shangguan Zhengzhong's immediately changed attack.

The two fists collided, and Shen Jiahao, despite not holding back, was still forced back two steps.

Shangguan Zhengzhong smiled, his expression unfathomable.

Shen Jiahao's eyes widened. Seeing that Shangguan Zhengzhong was about to throw another punch, he quickly hooked his back foot back and presented the sword with both hands, saying, "I was wrong!"

Shangguan Zhengzhong stopped his right fist and resumed his nonchalant demeanor.

Everyone in the room was somewhat surprised.

Especially Zhui Feng, the only one who knew martial arts, was full of amazement.

Zhui Feng had always heard that the people of the Great Jin were more ruthless than those of the Southern Jin, and seeing it today, he found it to be true!

Shangguan Zhengzhong truly deserves to be called the number one general of the Great Jin!

This wasn't the first time Lili had seen people fight, but these two were a rising star destined for greatness, and the other was the current leader of the Jin Dynasty.

Shen Jiahao was panting heavily. It was only a matter of a moment, just a few movements, but it felt like it had taken up half of his strength.

He thought himself incredibly strong, but to Shangguan Zhengzhong, it was like a child being tickled. He was panting heavily, while Shangguan Zhengzhong seemed to have only moved a couple of times.

Is this the power of martial arts?

Shen Jiahao's eyes lit up even more. He was not discouraged at all; on the contrary, he became even more determined in his decision.

That's amazing! That's amazing!

His brute strength is nothing compared to skillful techniques; he must learn martial arts!

Shangguan Zhengzhong took his sword, relaxed, and coughed, covering his mouth as if to relieve his tension.

Shen Jiahao was startled and quickly went to help him up: "General Shangguan, are you alright?"

Yu Chi Ye was extremely worried: "Divine Physician Sikong, what's wrong with my uncle?"

Physician Sikong, unfazed, said, "It's nothing serious. He lost too much blood and fell into a coma, his meridians are all lacking in vital energy. Now that he's just woken up, he's already doing this twice. Do you think he wouldn't be in pain?"

Yu Chi Ye seemed to understand but not quite: "So that means I won't die? That's good, that's good."

Shangguan Zhengzhong twitched his lips. After confirming that he and Yuchi Ye were no longer in danger, Shangguan Zhengzhong decided not to bother with his troublesome nephew anymore.

On the contrary, it was Shen Jiahao in front of them.

Standing there, he exudes a unique aura that makes it immediately clear that he is no ordinary person.

This young man had an extraordinary physique, with strong and flexible tendons and veins. His limbs were long and powerful, with smooth yet not exaggerated muscle lines, exuding explosive power.

He has excellent flexibility, and most importantly, he is very strong.

It wasn't brute force; you could tell he was quite agile. But compared to him, Shen Jiahao's impulsiveness seemed rather reckless.

He had initially suspected the child knew martial arts, but now it seemed he knew absolutely nothing about it.

But what's strange is that even though he clearly knows nothing about it, he still gives people a sense of being unfathomable.

Shangguan Zhengzhong raised an eyebrow and said, "Not bad. Have you ever practiced martial arts?"

Shen Jiahao shook his head: "I've never done martial arts, but I've carried loads, dismantled firewood, and hoeed the ground!"

Shangguan Zhengzhong narrowed his eyes: "How's your stamina?"

Shen Jiaqing had the most to say: "My eldest brother is incredibly strong. He gets up before dawn and runs several laps around the village, then works all day. After that, he drags us younger brothers out at night and makes us practice horse stance!"

Lili giggled: "But Fourth Brother, you always sneak away under some pretext."

Shen Jiaqing panicked: "I didn't sneak away, I left openly and honestly!"

Shangguan Zhengzhong nodded in satisfaction. In fact, he knew the answers to these questions at a glance. He was just trying to find out more about him.

After all, if he really wanted to take on apprentices, he couldn't just look at their abilities.

Shangguan Zhengzhong remained silent for a long time, which made Shen Jiahao eager to learn more: "General Shangguan, how about it? Could you teach me martial arts? I'll let you sleep in my room, if you can teach me martial arts!"

"Don't call me General Shangguan," Shangguan Zhengzhong said calmly.

Shen Jiahao was confused and thought he had done something to upset him: "Huh?"

Just as Shen Jiahao was about to say something to salvage the situation, he heard Shangguan Zhengzhong ask, "Shen Zhongzheng, how is it?"

No one reacted yet, but Lili smiled and said, "In terms of meaning, 'Zhong' means middle, moderate, and impartial, symbolizing the ability to uphold the principles of fairness and balance in one's conduct; 'Zheng' means upright, honest, and correct, implying high moral character and proper behavior. It's really a good name!"

Lili gave a long speech praising him, and Shangguan Zhengzhong... oh no, Shen Zhongzheng also stroked his non-existent beard with great satisfaction: "Hmm, it's really good."

"Isn't it just my uncle's name reversed?" Chen Ye asked, puzzled.

Shen Zhongzheng glanced at him, and Shen Ye immediately said, "Then I'll be called Shen Ye too. From now on, I'll be Lili's personal bodyguard!"

Lili frowned slightly and smiled helplessly: "Lili doesn't need guards. Lili is just a country girl."

“It is necessary.” Shen Zhongzheng cupped his hands in greeting. “Our two lives belong to the Shen family, so let us work for the Shen family. Consider it a better way to conceal our identities.”

Lili pondered for a moment. Although it was called "doing things," there wasn't much for the Shen family to do. Everyone had their own work to do.

“Okay.” Lili nodded.

Shen Ye was overjoyed, but Shen Jiahao was even more overjoyed: "Wow, does that mean I can call him Master now?"

Shen Zhongzheng raised an eyebrow, remaining silent.

Shen Jiahao didn't care about the consequences; not refusing meant agreeing, since he was shameless anyway.

Shen Jiahao immediately lifted his robe and knelt down, performing a kowtow: "Master, please accept my bow!"

This was Shen Zhongzheng's first time taking on a disciple, and he had little experience. He helped him up and said, "I have nothing right now, so I can't give you a formal apprenticeship gift. But if there's an opportunity in the future, I'll make it up to you."

"Thank you, Master!"

Shen Jiahao was incredibly excited; he could finally learn martial arts!

He has a master now!

Zhui Feng was never at ease; this matter was extremely complicated, and he didn't know how to report it to His Highness.

Shangguan Zhengzhong and Yuchi Ye thus finalized their plan to live with the Shen family under the identities of "Shen Zhongzheng" and "Shen Ye".

However, the Shen family's new house is not yet completed, and there is still some unoccupied space. Since Shangguan Zhengzhong's health has not yet recovered, he decided to stay temporarily with Doctor Sikong.

In any case, the Jin people were convinced that they had killed Doctor Sikong with their own hands, and they would never have imagined that Doctor Sikong was still alive. Therefore, they would not have come to Doctor Sikong's residence again, and thus would not have discovered that the two were hiding there.

Once the Shen family's new house is completed before the New Year, they can come and live with Doctor Sikong.

Shen Jiahao patted his chest and said, "Luckily, Lili, you said you would reserve more guest rooms, otherwise we really wouldn't have had enough room for so many people."

Lili chuckled.

After dinner, the four of them prepared to go home.

The meal was cooked by Shen Jiahao and Zhuifeng. Well...

Lili couldn't wait to go home and eat the late-night snack her mother made.

The divine physician Sikong gave Shen Jiaqing a simple test of her studies, and Shen Jiaqing answered fluently, even answering questions about things not found in the medical book.

The divine physician was very satisfied. Although he couldn't teach him all the time, the child was still young, so it was just as good to lay a solid foundation in theoretical knowledge first.

Shen Jiaqing then picked out two more medical books and confidently promised Doctor Sikong that he could definitely read them.