Ch67 - Extra 1.3

The duel with Shen Xie turned out as expected. Even with three opponents, the trio couldn’t turn the situation around. Ji Qinghuai was also transformed into his original form by Shen Xie for his previous provocations and he couldn’t turn back into a human for a while. He could only walk around as a cat.

Kitten Ji was depressed. He was so confident before, but now his face hurt.

Shen Lian held back his smile and said, “You Master and disciple haven’t seen each other for a long time, you must have a lot to catch up on.”

He looked at the honest kitten in Xie Yan’s arms, “Little guy, I’ve prepared a cake, do you want to try it?”

Ji Qinghuai was not a person without eyes. Knowing that he should not be present at this time, he nodded. Qin Lang stretched out his hand to hold the kitten, but it stretched out its paw and swatted his hand away, obviously unwilling.

Shen Lian thought for a while, reached out hesitantly, and successfully managed to hug the kitten.

Qin Lang: “…”

The three people and cat didn’t stay any longer, and Shen Lian brought them to the tea room to rest. Because he knew that Ji Qinghuai liked to eat pastries and desserts, Shen Lian specially made different types to entertain their guests. Just by looking at their exquisite appearance, everyone knew that this cake must be very delicious.

But Ji Qinghuai wasn’t interested.

The cat’s dark emerald eyes darted from time to time, seemingly uneasy. It thought about it and poked Shen Lian with its paw.

“Meow…”

At this time, in the garden, Shen Xie looked at his respectful and obedient disciple with his head slightly lowered in front of him and said nothing. He looked at Xie Yan with scrutinizing eyes, like a sharp blade cutting the surface of flesh and blood and peering into the depths of his heart.

In Xie Yan’s opinion, his Master was unfathomable, he could never guess what Shen Xie was thinking.

After a long time, Shen Xie finally opened his mouth, “What else do you have to say, say it all at once ba.”

Xie Yan finally spoke, “I only want to ask you to witness our marriage, and secondly, I want to thank Master for saving Ji Qinghuai.”

“I only helped save Ji Qinghuai because he is Elder brother’s child, not because of you.”

Xie Yan didn’t refute anything. With straight legs bent, he knelt on the ground and continued, “Third, Xie Yan came to apologise to Master.”

“Plead guilty.” Shen Xie smiled meaningfully.

“Yes.”

“Master, please punish me.”

Shen Xie didn’t answer. He looked at Xie Yan again in silence and said after a long time, “If I punish you today, will you change your mind if this happens again in the future?”

“Won’t change.” Xie Yan replied decisively. “From beginning to end, no matter how hard I try, there is no possibility of surpassing you, and I have never thought of doing so because I am clear that I do not have that ability, let alone the drive that you have.”

“But watching Ji Qinghuai die in front of me. I can’t do it. I’d rather risk myself because I know that without me, you can still cultivate a better disciple. But if Ji Qinghuai dies, there will be no more of this person in the world.”

When he said these words, Xie Yan kept his head down, but he could feel the oppressive gaze that fell on him. It was so strong that he didn’t dare to raise his head. At this time, Xie Yan completely shed his usual sharpness. In front of Shen Xie, he was as well-behaved as ever.

Shen Xie said calmly, “I didn’t spend so much effort on you just to hear this.”

“Xie Yan understands.”

“No matter how Master punishes me today, I will not have any complaints.”

Shen Xie fell into silence again.

While he was looking at Xie Yan, those dusty past events flooded his mind like a tidal wave and he remembered a lot of things.

After a long time, Shen Xie’s voice sounded in Xie Yan’s ears again, “This won’t happen again.”

Xie Yan was stunned.

He raised his head, looking very surprised.

Shen Xie turned around and raised a smile. “Tell Ji Xianzhi that I will personally come to the door with a dowry gift in three days. The Ji family, don’t be negligent.”

Xie Yan recovered, and immediately leaned over and kowtowed to Shen Xie, “Thank you, Master.”

In a corner not far from them, Shen Lian held a silver gradient cat and eavesdropped on their conversation. Hearing Shen Xie’s words, the hanging heart finally settled and the little cat secretly sighed in relief.

At this point, they no longer needed to listen. Shen Lian held the kitten and left as silently as they had arrived. When they returned to the living room, Qin Lang and Ye An were talking, and when they saw the pair approaching, they stopped talking.

Shen Lian put the kitten on the table and let it play by itself. Now that the kitten was no longer worried, it helped itself to a piece of cake and devoured it. Shen Lian thought it was cute and wanted to pet it, but saw it eating happily and decided not to disturb it.

With a gentle look, Shen Lian turned to Qin Lang and Ye An. Unlike Ji Qinghuai’s outgoing and casual nature, Ye An was a little nervous when Shen Lian looked at them.

Shen Lian waited quietly for a moment but saw that Ye An just stared at him while hesitating. He took the initiative and said, “If you guys want to ask something, go ahead.”

Hearing this, Ye An first looked at Qin Lang and then said, “That time when there was an accident at home, I was too young and I haven’t yet figured out some things. Since both you and Uncle Shen knew about it, why did you…”

Ye An did not complete his sentence, but Shen Lian could guess what the rest of it was.

“It’s not that we couldn’t save them.” Shen Lian explained. “When we arrived that night, we found no one but you. We couldn’t be sure if everyone else was dead or alive. We just suspected that your mother was still alive.”

Shen Lian sighed, “We thought about rescuing your mother discreetly, but she secretly took the poison to prevent Weisheng Minghong from succeeding. Weisheng Minghong didn’t know about it and thinking it was medicine, he consumed it and inversely became poisoned. Although he escaped from death, how could the poison created by your mother be easily cured?

His body gradually broke down and at first, he could still rely on his demonic core to sustain himself, but he was an arrow at the end of its flight, so he didn’t hesitate to make a big move to find you.”

After listening to him, Qin Lang wanted to ask something but hesitated.

Shen Lian saw through Qin Lang’s thoughts and said, “You want to ask why we disregarded this matter for many years even though we already knew about it, right?”

Qin Lang did not deny it.

The kitten listened to them quietly, tilted its head and looked at Shen Lian, waiting for him to answer.

“Weisheng Minghong deserves to die, but he cannot be dealt with by us.” Shen Lian continued. “The Weisheng family isn’t ordinary. We don’t have sufficient evidence, so he won’t admit to his wrongdoings easily. Killing him is easy but difficult to explain to the public.”

“However, it’s different for you. You’re asking for a blood debt and no one can say anything because it is a family matter.” Shen Lian said to Ye An, “There wasn’t much I could do, I could only take care of you secretly these years and let you grow up safely. Many of it can’t be explained in a few words, not everything can be done our way.”

He said to Qin Lang again, “This is the reason why you guys were able to get out in one piece this time. Your father looks like he doesn’t care about this matter on the surface, but if it gets serious, he would never sit back and watch.”

The two people and cat were stunned.

Ye An suddenly remembered a previous incident and asked, “When I went to Fusheng Pavilion, Pavilion Master Meng asked me to use my blood as payment. Was that your intention?”

There was a moment of silence before Shen Lian replied, “Yes.”

He looked down at the kitten in front of him. “At that time, the only way we found to save this little guy was to use your blood, but at that time, you hadn’t known Qin Lang for a long time. We weren’t sure if you were willing to help him and we were even more afraid that you would do something because you were afraid of being used, so we took some when you completed your transaction.”

Qin Lang wondered, “Since you already know how to remove the poison, why didn’t you just remove it directly?”

Shen Lian did not speak.

Seeing this, the kitten swayed its tail and let out a “Meow”.

Qin Lang understood and didn’t ask any further questions.

After that, they didn’t continue the topic and chatted about some everyday things. Both Ji Qinghuai and Qin Lang had no impression of Shen Lian, but in fact, they saw him a lot when they were young, but neither of them remembered that. Shen Lian also shared with them the story of Ji Qinghuai getting into fights with others just after learning how to walk, causing Ye An’s filter of his male god to shatter all over again.

On the side, the party in question, Kitten Ji, was extremely proud.

I won! I’m really awesome!

Shortly after, Xie Yan came to them alone. He saw the well-fed kitten already yawning, went to the table and picked up the lazily sprawled kitten, saying to Qin Lang and Ye An, “Let’s go back.”

Shen Lian did not keep them for long and saw them off. After returning, he headed straight to the garden. He looked up and saw that Shen Xie was teasing the fox he raised, but teasing it was only his one-sided thinking.

The little fox wasn’t willing and even wanted to bite him.

The little fox felt that Shen Xie was just as annoying as the cat. He wanted to scratch the person several times, but his paws only swiped the air over and over again. He was so annoyed that he no longer recognised his six relatives.

Finally, Shen Xie found his conscience and let go of the little fox. The little fox scurried away the moment its feet hit the ground, dashing away from the lunatic.

Shen Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He walked over to Shen Xie and sat down, picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea, “He’s quite terrifying.”

Shen Xie disagreed with Shen Lian’s praise, “My arrogance is backed by my strength, but he’s only arrogant.”

“You still have the nerve to say that.” Shen Lian disapproved of his impromptu opinion, “Huaihuai’s body hasn’t fully recovered, yet you’re bullying him and winning.”

“As if he could beat me when he recovered completely.” Shen Xie did not care about this at all.

Shen Lian didn’t comment. He felt that Shen Xie’s attitude towards Ji Qinghuai was somewhat contradictory and somewhat hypocritical, “I can see that you quite like Huaihuai.”

Shen Xie didn’t answer immediately, and pondered for a moment, “Maybe because he has a similar temperament to when I was young but not as smart as me at first glance.”

Shen Lian: “…”

As an elder, please have some face.

Shen Xie wasn’t interested in saving face and went over to hug Shen Lian from behind. His chin rested on his shoulder and his calm voice sounded in Shen Lian’s ear. “Letting him hear those words, are you afraid of scaring people away?”

Hearing this, Shen Lian couldn’t help laughing, “That’s Young Master Ji, he dares to provoke the God of War, how can he be intimidated with just a few words?”

After joking, Shen Lian drank tea slowly, and said straightforwardly, “Huaihuai was worried that you’ll bully Xie Yan so he asked me for help. Although I know that his worries are redundant, there are some things that he should know in his heart.”

The second half of the sentence made Shen Xie fall into contemplation.

“I just don’t want Xie Yan to be like me, but there are some things I can’t tell him straight out like that.” Shen Xie said, “Actually, I know that when it is time to make a decision, he won’t ignore the bigger picture because of the children's affection. He dares to be impulsive only because those burdens have not yet fallen on him and he’s not our only choice.”

Shen Xie lifted his eyes and looked into the distance, his thoughts drifting. “I’m still alive so even if the sky falls, I can carry it for them again. They don’t have to tire themselves out for the time being. When I die…”

“Brother!” Shen Lian hurriedly interrupted Shen Xie’s words.

Shen Xie returned to his senses, turned his head slightly, and met the other pair of eyes. The handsome and unparalleled face in front of him looked angry and anxious at the same time.

Shen Xie smiled and coaxed, “Okay okay okay, don’t talk about these unlucky things, let’s talk about something else.”

Although he said that, he was still thinking about it in his heart. After a while, Shen Xie said again, “Little Li, I have a question to ask you.”

Facing Shen Lian’s doubtful eyes, Shen Xie asked about the knot that had been hidden in his heart for many years, “These years… Have you ever blamed me?”

Both of them fell silent.

Under the clear sky, the wind picked up at the right time and gently brushed through the lush rose bushes. It blew past Shen Lian’s ears, gently tugging at a few strands of soft black hair.

The thin red lips moved slightly and a clear and pleasant voice broke the silence, “A long time ago, someone asked me a similar question.”

“So what did you say?” Shen Xie asked.

“How to answer…”

With the trailing words, Shen Xie’s heart was lifted, and the hands holding Shen Lian tightened unconsciously. This was a very tense moment for him, but Shen Lian suddenly smiled cunningly. “It’s a secret.”

Shen Xie: “…”

But on second thought, Shen Lian had already told him the answer.

“You’ve grown crooked.” Shen Xie relaxed silently and recalled, “You were so obedient in the past, but now you’ve learned to tease me.”

Shen Lian laughed lightly, “It’s been so many years, I can’t have not grown at all.”

“Then you can grow somewhere else.” Shen Xie said, “For so many years, you’ve always called me brother, it seems that you have never called me anything else.”

“It was you who told me to follow you.” Shen Lian said. “You are my elder brother and I am your younger brother, what else would I call you if we weren’t brothers?”

Shen Xie’s brows creased with a smile, “Young people today call their lovers ‘darling’ or ‘baby’. When they get married, they call them ‘husband’. You choose one.”

Shen Lian: “…”

Is this what you call “going somewhere else”?

Shen Xie urged with a smile, “Don’t be embarrassed, choose one, or shall I help you choose one?”

“Screw you.” Shen Lian pushed the cheeky guy away and glared at Shen Xie with his beautiful eyes, “Go water your flowers.”

“I am the dignified God of war and you want me to serve those flowers and plants?” Shen Xie asked in disbelief.

“No dinner for you if you don’t water them.” After speaking, Shen Lian got up ruthlessly and left decisively.

Shen Xie looked at Shen Lian’s retreating back and then the wooden barrel not far away.

Flowers are worth more than me?

He couldn’t help but sigh.

The world is getting worse and worse.

After lamenting, Shen Xie rolled up his sleeve and silently fetched water to water the flowers.

In comparison, the most comfortable people today were Ji Xianzhi and his wife. Their noisy son wasn’t at home and the house was a lot quieter. The two were wrapped up in their own comfortable world.

When Ji Qinghuai and the others came back, Ji Xianzhi and Qin Xiaorou were watching TV in the living room. Hearing the movement outside, Qin Xiaorou turned her head to look at the door. Before she could see Qin Lang and the others, a silver gradient cat scampered in quickly, skillfully jumping onto the sofa and burrowing into her arms.

“Meow…”

The cat’s head rubbed against Qin Xiaorou’s arms, looking aggrieved.

Qin Xiaorou asked, “Qingqing, what’s wrong?”

“Meow.”

Somebody bullied me!

Ji Xianzhi turned to look, “Hmm?”

Xie Yan and the others came in later, and Qin Lang explained the whole story in detail.

When he learned that his son had spouted out the crazy words that astounded everyone, Ji Xianzhi calmly commented, “Deserved it.”

Ji Qinghuai: “…”

Qin Xiaorou patted her son’s head, feeling helpless, “Qingqing, although you are already very powerful, in front of Mr Shen, we must still keep a low profile.”

Ji Qinghuai: “…”

The kitten was already wronged enough, and Qin Lang, who was watching the fun on the side, even laughed disgracefully, and when he laughed, it caused Xie Yan to smile as well.

The kitten felt it had lost a lot of face today and frantically rolled around in Qin Xiaorou’s arms.

I don’t care, I won’t listen. I’m being bullied. I’m not happy!

“Alright, alright.” Qin Xiaorou smoothed the kitten’s fur, “Do you want to eat your favourite dishes for dinner?”

Hmph.

Then the cat’s ears twitched.

What exactly are you making?

Qin Xiaorou laughed, “You will know at night.”

The kitten was satisfied, but it kept hmph-ing, very arrogant.

For dinner’s sake, I’m very generous and won’t fuss about it. Hmph.

So the guy who snuck into the barrier was Weisheng Minghong huh