Chapter 5

But now, if you calculate it, among the third generation of the Shen family, apart from his daughter Ruoxi, the one with the closest blood relation to him is actually Shen Lian.

Shen Qingshan felt many emotions, but he was awakened by Shen Lian's voice, realizing he had been staring at Shen Lian for a long time.

Shen Qingshan hugged Shen Lian tightly and said, "Good child, let's go in quickly." He paused, sighed, and added, "And let's go see your two cousins."

Although the two nephews were not very close to him, he was still deeply saddened by their sudden departure.

Shen Lian found it quite uncomfortable. On one hand, although he had become the new owner of this body, Shen Qingshan was indeed his uncle by blood, and he had decided to continue living with this identity as a way to make up for taking over the previous body. However, he had the consciousness of an adult, and although he knew that accepting this identity would bring nothing but benefits, he still found it hard to fully adapt psychologically.

On the other hand, Shen Qingshan was still strong, and Shen Lian was currently very weak. His tight embrace felt like an iron clamp, making him extremely uncomfortable.

Shen Lian, feeling suffocated by Shen Qingshan, had to cough a few times. Only then did Shen Qingshan let go, somewhat apologetically saying, "Looking at your thin and weak appearance, you must have suffered a lot in the mountains these past two years. It's also my fault for being too busy and not finding time to visit you."

Shen Lian couldn't say much. He couldn't admit that he was now just a weakling. He secretly vowed that he would definitely train his body to be strong in the coming days. Although his soul was powerful, and his emotional and intellectual intelligence were high, and he had a photographic memory, he really didn't want to be a weakling.

Following Shen Qingshan into the courtyard, the Shen family's residence was as simple as ever, with no elaborate gardens, and more white mourning clothes. Of course, with Shen Lian's modern perspective, even if the Shen family's residence were as grand as a palace, it wouldn't impress him much.

He followed Shen Qingshan through the halls and rooms, and when they reached the main hall, his demeanor was natural, without any curiosity or looking around, which made Shen Qingshan look at him even more favorably.

This child had truly immersed himself in the path of cultivation. Not to mention other things, just his calm and composed demeanor was something few of the young people in Qingzhou Prefecture could match.

He thought to himself: Perhaps the old man's seemingly absurd idea was actually a good one.

Shen Lian and Shen Qingshan entered the main hall, where an elderly man with silver hair and a vigorous spirit sat in the center, showing no signs of aging. His grandmother had passed away many years ago, so Grandfather Shen held even more authority in the family, making him hard to approach.

Shen Lian felt even more respect. The death of two close grandsons was a tragic event, yet Grandfather Shen showed no excessive grief, truly a man of iron will.

Perhaps because Shen Lian resembled his mother, Grandfather Shen's usually stern face softened, and he said to those around him, "This child really looks like his mother."

Shen Lian bowed to Grandfather Shen and carefully observed the people around him. The middle-aged man next to him was likely his eldest uncle, Shen Qingshi, with a sorrowful face, dressed warmly, and looking even weaker than Shen Lian, with swollen eyes, indicating he hadn't slept well for several days.

Next to him was a middle-aged woman with a somewhat harsh appearance, thin lips tightly closed, showing no warmth towards Shen Lian's arrival. This was his eldest aunt, Lady Xu.

She didn't seem particularly sad, perhaps because the two deceased cousins were not her biological children.

On the other side stood a mother and daughter. The mother, older, dressed simply, with a gentle and kind face, though with some crow's feet, which added to her mature charm.

She held a bright and beautiful young girl, who looked a bit older than Shen Lian, wearing a light green silk dress, simple and elegant, with a well-developed figure, standing tall and graceful like a lotus about to bloom, in the prime of her youth, needing no makeup. Even Shen Lian, who was used to seeing beautiful women, felt his heart beat faster at the sight of this ancient-dressed girl.

Unlike the uniform, artificially enhanced beauties he was used to, this girl, though not as finely crafted as those who had undergone surgery, had a natural freshness. Growing up in a wealthy family, she had smooth, tender skin that would attract attention wherever she went.

In his previous life, this girl could be considered a late-stage lolita, but in this world similar to ancient times, she was already of marriageable age. If it weren't for her mother's favor with the old man, she wouldn't still be unmarried at seventeen.

This mother and daughter were naturally his second aunt, Lady Chen, and his cousin, Shen Ruoxi.

After so many years, the Shen family didn't know how to interact with Shen Lian, especially given his sensitive status.

And the reason Grandfather Shen wanted Shen Lian to return might be due to other considerations. After all, to the old man, granddaughters and grandsons were no different. If his eldest uncle, like his second uncle Shen Qingshan, couldn't have children, the inheritance of the large family estate would be in doubt.

Shen Lian, being cautious, answered Grandfather Shen's questions and responded to the adults' inquiries, carefully maintaining his composure.

The old man didn't show any particular affection towards Shen Lian, perhaps because he was used to being strict, or perhaps because the loss of his grandsons had saddened him.

When Grandfather Shen finally felt tired and went to rest, Shen Lian noticed that Lady Xu's gaze towards him became even more unfriendly.

Shen Lian was very clear that if he acted foolishly, it might make the other party happier, and the old man might not pay as much attention to him.

After all, the eldest uncle had no descendants and was ill, and might not be able to have a son in the future. When dividing the family estate, they couldn't inherit the majority as before. With Shen Lian's return, their share would naturally be reduced.

After this, a servant led Shen Lian to his room. Surprisingly, the room's furnishings hadn't changed much over the years, which made Shen Lian somewhat surprised.

He had a servant girl prepare a cup of ginseng tea. After drinking it and feeling warm, he began some bodyweight training alone in the room.

Bodyweight training involves using one's body weight to exercise various parts of the body. The advantage is that it doesn't focus on a specific muscle group like equipment training, but rather trains the entire body simultaneously.

If someone else had entered, they would have seen Shen Lian grabbing the bed frame, bending his arms to lower himself, his chest touching the edge of the bed, and then slowly straightening his arms, as if performing a shameful act that might make others think of inappropriate things.

This was actually a basic bodyweight exercise from his previous life. After reaching the limit he could sense with his soul power, he slowly got up. After a while, he began another exercise.

After finishing, his body naturally generated many warm currents, spreading throughout his limbs and bones, due to the effects of the ginseng tea.

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