Chapter 162 The Child's Rebellion: The Reason for Running Away from Home Was Surprisingly...
When Shen An turned fifteen, he entered his belated rebellious phase.
As a super "second-generation official" born with a silver spoon in his mouth, his first half of life can be described as smooth sailing.
My father is the former regent and now the richest man in the country; my mother is the protector of the nation and a goddess; my cousin is the emperor; and my older cousin is a female demon.
He could walk sideways in the capital and no one dared to stop him; he could walk upright in Jiangnan and no one dared to interfere.
But on such an ordinary morning, the main hall of Shen Garden was thrown into turmoil because of a note left behind.
"Outrageous! Outrageous!"
Jiang Mianmian held a crumpled piece of Xuan paper in her hand, pacing angrily around the hall. "That brat! He actually dared to run away from home? And he even learned to leave a note before leaving?"
Shen Jin sat to the side, calmly sipping his tea, though his eyes held a slightly cold glint.
"What is written? Read it aloud."
Jiang Mianmian took a deep breath, unfolded the letter, and read it aloud:
To my irresponsible father and gluttonous mother:
My son is gone. Don't worry about him.
My son is fifteen years old, possessing unparalleled martial arts skills, yet he is trapped in this lavish cage, a prince in name only, a parasite in reality. I refuse to be a hothouse flower; I want to venture into the martial world! I want to uphold justice! I want to find… my true self!
Signed: "Shen, Lonely, An, who has no standing in this family."
After reading it, Jiang Mianmian slammed the letter on the table.
【ha? 】
Loneliness? A parasite?
I've been feeding and caring for you, and you're talking to me about being lonely?
"You call yourself a chivalrous hero? You're more like a menace to the martial arts world! That one brick you threw, and you didn't become a hero, but you definitely became a murderer!"
[Chen Jin! Your son has gone too far! Arrest him immediately! I'm going to break his legs!]
Shen Jin put down his teacup, picked up the letter, glanced at it, and a mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"The true self?"
He chuckled softly, "Looks like he has too little homework, giving him time to think about all sorts of nonsense."
"Shadow One".
"Your subordinate is here."
"When did the Crown Prince leave?"
"Your Highness, they climbed over the wall at 3:45 AM." Yingyi suppressed a laugh, "They were carrying that cloth bag containing gold bricks, and also a... oil-paper umbrella."
Which direction did they go?
"Heading west, they say they're going to... the Mount Hua Sword Tournament."
Shen Jin stood up and straightened his sleeves.
"Prepare the car."
"I want to see how long his 'true self' can last."
...
Ten Mile Slope, west of Lin'an City.
There is a simple tea stall here, a place where traveling merchants would rest.
At this moment, a young man dressed in fine clothes, carrying a giant sword and with a large gold brick at his waist, was sitting imposingly at the broken wooden table.
It was Shen An who had run away from home.
He struck what he thought was a very dashing pose and slammed the oil-paper umbrella onto the table:
"Waiter! Bring the wine! Bring the meat!"
"Alright! Please wait a moment, sir!"
The waiter brought over a pot of cheap liquor and a plate of sliced cooked beef.
Shen An picked up the wine bowl and took a hearty gulp.
"puff--!"
The next second, he spat it out, his tongue sticking out from the spiciness.
"What kind of wine is this? It tastes like horse piss! It's so spicy! Don't you have chrysanthemum wine? Don't you have fruit wine?"
The waiter rolled his eyes: "Sir, this is the middle of nowhere, where would we get chrysanthemum wine? Take it or leave it!"
Shen An pouted, looking aggrieved.
[The martial arts world... seems a bit different from what's described in the book?]
Aren't true heroes supposed to drink fine wines and eat delicacies? Why is this bitter and spicy water all I get?
He picked up another piece of beef.
Hard. Gets stuck in your teeth.
It's impossible to chew.
Waaaaah... I miss my mom's braised beef... I miss my dad's roast duck...
No! Shen An! You must be strong! You are destined to become a great hero! What is this little hardship?
He forced himself to swallow the beef, despite his disgust.
After finishing the meal, we paid the bill.
"Fifty coins in total." The waiter held out his hand.
Shen An touched his pocket.
It was completely empty.
He left in a hurry, only taking the gold bricks with him and forgetting to bring the loose silver.
"that……"
Shen An took the five-pound gold brick from his waist and placed it on the table with a thud. "I don't have any change. Can I use this to pay for it?"
The waiter looked at the large, golden brick, then at Shen An's air of nobility.
"Sir, please don't joke around."
The waiter looked incredulous. "You want a piece of brass to pay for your meal? Are scammers really this willing to go to such lengths these days? If it were gold, how much would it cost? We can't make change here!"
"This is real gold!" Shen An exclaimed anxiously. "My father even carved the words on it!"
"Go away! If you don't have money, just say so!"
The waiter's expression changed, and he called out to the people behind him, "Manager! Someone's trying to dine and dash!"
Suddenly, several guys surrounded them.
Shen An was dumbfounded.
He, the Crown Prince Regent, was actually treated as a swindler who ate and dashed?
Can we take action?
"No, Dad said we can't bully ordinary people. These guys aren't skilled in martial arts either; if I hit them with a brick, I'll kill them..."
Just when Shen An was in a dilemma and was preparing to pawn the jade pendant.
"I'll pay his bill."
A clear, cool female voice came from outside the teahouse.
Shen An suddenly turned around.
A familiar carriage was parked by the roadside. The curtain was lifted, revealing Jiang Mianmian's face, which had a half-smile, and... Shen Jin's all-seeing eyes.
Beside the carriage, riding on horseback, was his fiancée—Jiang Guoguo.
Jiang Guoguo tossed a silver ingot to the waiter, then rode her horse down to look down at Shen An:
"Master Shen, you're out of money already?"
"Your dream of wandering the martial world is only worth fifty coins?"
Shen An's face instantly turned red to the roots of her neck.
Society died.
This is a social death that is even more terrifying than not having money to pay the bill.
"Father...Mother...Cousin..."
Shen An hunched his neck, like a little quail soaked by the rain.
Shen Jin alighted from the carriage and walked to his son. He didn't curse; instead, he picked up the cheap liquor bottle on the table, smelled it, and then handed it to Shen An.
"Weren't you supposed to be a chivalrous hero?"
"Drink it."
"This is what true江湖人 (jianghu people) drink."
Shen An looked at the bowl of wine that had just made him cry from the spiciness and shook his head desperately: "I won't drink it! It tastes too awful!"
"It tastes bad?"
Shen Jin sneered, "The martial world is inherently bitter. Do you think it's your mother's storybook? Or do you think it's your backyard?"
"Without money, you can't move an inch. Without power, you're at the mercy of others."
"You can't even afford a meal, and you want to be a hero?"
His words were so earnest and piercing, each one cutting to the heart.
Shen An lowered her head, her eyes reddening.
He just wanted to prove he wasn't a good-for-nothing who relied on his parents, and that he could be independent. But reality slapped him hard in the face.
After leaving the Prince's mansion, he couldn't even get a meal.
"Alright, alright, stop lecturing."
Jiang Mianmian couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she came over and hugged her son. "The child is still young, it's good to have dreams. Although these dreams... cost a lot of money."
Son, this is what you call 'wanting to beat up society because you haven't experienced its harsh realities.'
Now you know you were wrong, right?
"Mother...I was wrong."
Shen An buried her head in Jiang Mianmian's arms, "I want to go home. I want to eat braised beef."
"Okay, let's go home."
Jiang Mianmian patted his head.
"but……"
Jiang Guoguo suddenly interjected, "Now that we're out, we can't go back empty-handed. Cousin, I'm looking for a fresh... uh, wild boar specimen. Go catch one for me in the woods over there, and we'll call it a day."
Shen An's eyes lit up.
Catching wild boars?
He's an expert at this!
"No problem! I'll go right now!"
He picked up the gold brick and, in an attempt to save face, roared as he charged into the woods.
After an incense stick has burned.
Shen An returned dragging a wild boar weighing several hundred pounds, looking for praise.
Shen Jin looked at his son, then at the unfortunate wild boar.
"Hmm, not bad."
Shen Jin nodded, "Although my brain isn't working so well, my strength... hasn't diminished."
"Go home."
Shen Jin turned and got into the car. "Tonight... we're having a whole pig feast."
"Yay!"
Shen An threw the wild boar onto the roof of the car and happily climbed onto the vehicle.
What martial arts world, what chivalrous heroes?
Nothing smells as good as homemade braised pork.
Where can I find the protection and warmth of my parents?
This dramatic "runaway" ended abruptly at the cost of "a free meal" and "a wild boar."
Shen An understood that true strength is not about leaving one's parents to wander.
Instead, even after gaining sufficient ability, they are still willing to... stay by their side and be a happy "parasite".
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