Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 114 He Zishi

While He Yan was busy preparing gifts for the Shen family these past two days, He Tianming, the head of the He family, seemed to have figured out some things.

Privately, he summoned He Yan and instructed him to be fully responsible for maintaining good relations with the Shen family in the future.

He Tianming knew that among the current senior members of the He family, there was no one with the insight and understanding as clear as He Yan. If this matter were handed over to someone else, something might go wrong.

He Yan readily accepted this offer.

Time flies, and the day of the opening of the martial arts school and academy has arrived.

According to Shen Yuan, opening the martial arts school and academy was not a big deal; he had no intention of opening them to the public.

It only recruits the Li people from Jinliu Village, and at most, people from Heishi Village and Huishuitan will be included later.

But Shen Wenxing felt it was necessary to celebrate.

Shen Yuan understood his thoughts. The current situation was becoming increasingly chaotic, and various forces were all eager to make their move.

Shen Wenxing simply wanted to use this opportunity to enhance the Shen family's reputation and build closer relationships with other forces in the surrounding area.

This was not unreasonable, so we simply went along with his wishes.

On the day of the opening, some gentry and powerful families in Anyang County, and even some prominent families in Yunzhong County, sent people to deliver congratulatory gifts.

Among them, the most eye-catching were naturally the people from the He family.

The last time the He family sent people was to congratulate the Shen family's second son on their wedding. This time, the Shen family only opened a small martial arts school and academy, yet the He family still sent people to congratulate them again.

This move even led many people to have a wild guess.

It seems the He family in Yunzhong is trying to curry favor with the Shen family?

He Yan didn't care at all.

He had already arrived at the side room in the courtyard and was walking towards Shen Yuan and his son.

Behind him followed a handsome boy of about twelve or thirteen.

Although the boy was still quite young, he appeared gentle and refined, with an extraordinary air about him.

After everyone was seated, Shen Yuan glanced at the young man, then cupped his hands towards He Yan and said, "Elder He, this is..."

He Yan turned around and glanced at the boy, then said with a smile, "Zishi, come and pay your respects to your Uncle Shen."

The young man nodded slightly, walked slowly to Shen Yuan, bowed and said, "Zishi greets Uncle Shen."

Shen Yuan nodded in return, and He Yan introduced, "Zishi is my only grandson. Hearing that I was coming to Blackwater Pool, he came along to broaden his horizons."

"So it's my nephew." Shen Yuan looked He Zishi up and down and nodded with a smile.

This young man was born into a prestigious family, yet he possessed little arrogance and was remarkably humble, which was quite rare.

After exchanging pleasantries, He Yan got straight to the point: "Upon hearing that the Shen family was going to open a martial arts school and an academy, the patriarch immediately ordered me to prepare some congratulatory gifts."

"Unfortunately, time was short, and I couldn't find many presentable gifts in time."

He Yan waved his hand, and outside the room, the He family warriors who accompanied him carried in several wooden boxes in single file.

The wooden box was opened, and He Yan introduced, "These are four superior stance training techniques treasured by my He family. When combined with medicinal diets, they are more effective than ordinary stance training techniques."

"That box contains a hundred blood toad remains that are a hundred years old, and the other boxes contain some books."

"These are all genuine works or unique copies of sages treasured by my He family."

"This is just a small gift; I hope Patriarch Shen will not find it offensive."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting: "Elder He, you are too kind. The gift is so valuable that I am humbled."

"I hope that Elder He will convey my gratitude to your esteemed master upon his return."

He Yan smiled and waved his hand: "It's nothing, it's nothing."

After exchanging pleasantries, He Yan solemnly cupped his hands and said, "Patriarch Shen, I have another request to make, but I don't know if I should say it."

Shen Yuan paused slightly, then smiled and said, "Please speak, Elder He. If I can help, I will certainly do so without hesitation."

He Yan glanced back at his grandson and sighed, "Zishi is the only son of my lineage. He is honest and simple. If it were before the immortals descended, with my status in the He family, I could have protected him for life."

"However, there are undercurrents between the major powers now, and the members of my He family have been targeted for assassination many times."

"There is also open and covert infighting among the various factions within the family. I really can't bear to see this child suffer all this at such a young age."

Shen Yuan nodded slightly but did not speak.

He Yan sighed and continued, "Patriarch Shen, I wish to keep Zishi in the Shen family."

"Whether he studies literature, practices martial arts, or does nothing at all, as long as he can live a peaceful life, I will be content."

Meeting He Yan's gaze, Shen Yuan appeared deep in thought.

He didn't know whether He Yan's words were true or false.

But since the other party has already spoken, it would indeed be awkward to refuse them outright.

After some thought, he said solemnly, "To be honest, Elder He, in these times, I cannot guarantee my nephew's safety..."

"Patriarch Shen, rest assured, I have naturally considered the consequences since I have made this decision."

"If Zishi stays here and something untoward happens to him, it will be a calamity destined for him."

"I will not have any complaints about this."

Shen Yuan sighed softly.

He knew that once He Yan had said this much, he had no room to refuse.

"If that's the case, then I'll have to trouble you, my dear nephew."

Seeing that he agreed, He Yan looked at He Zishi behind him with a happy expression and said, "Why don't you hurry up and thank your Uncle Shen?"

He Zishi approached Shen Yuan again, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you for taking me in, Uncle!"

Shen Yuan nodded and then looked at Shen Wenxing beside him: "Boss, why don't you take your nephew Zishi for a stroll first?"

Shen Wenxing stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and then led He Zishi out first.

After the two left, He Yan spoke with a solemn expression: "Patriarch Shen, the immortals have been descending for several years. In these years, with the support of the Immortal Sect, the strength of various forces and families has greatly increased."

"Whether it's the Immortal Sect's instructions behind the scenes or the growing ambitions of those aristocratic families and forces, the open and covert struggles between various parties have been quite fierce recently."

"It is said that some time ago, the Zhang family of Yingchuan County and the Miao family of Sanshan County clashed over a place that was suspected to be a blessed land. Both sides even sent innate martial artists, and both suffered losses."

"In the end, the Miao family of Sanshan County had a slight advantage, killing two innate martial artists from the Zhang family of Yingchuan and seizing that territory."

Shen Yuan nodded.

The Shen family, residing in a remote corner, has not yet been affected by these struggles, but they have heard some rumors. The waters of Yangnao are becoming increasingly murky, which is why he is so eager to cultivate his own power.

Some time ago, a strange event occurred in He County, and the entire Yangnao region seems to be slowly recovering after that event.

If this continues, it won't be long before the spiritual energy concentration in Yangnao Land becomes increasingly concentrated.

At that time, the number of practitioners will increase, and the existing order will be challenged once again.

“Patriarch Shen, my He family and the Shen family have both benefited from the grace of Luoxia Mountain, and we must cooperate well in the future.”

Shen Yuan cupped his hands and smiled, "Of course, our two families should look out for each other."

While the two were chatting, other guests arrived one after another, so Shen Yuan had to excuse himself and leave to attend to the other guests.

In the blink of an eye, it was evening.

After the guests left, the grandfather and grandson stood by the roadside on the path at the entrance of the manor to say goodbye.

He Zishi was about the same age as Shen Wen'an, but his temperament was far less mature than Shen Wen'an's. As the parting was imminent, his eyes were full of reluctance, and tears were faintly visible.

He Yan reached out and gently straightened his grandson's clothes, his eyes also filled with reluctance as he said in a deep voice, "Zishi, you must listen to Patriarch Shen here."

"Learn more and observe more from the elder brothers of the Shen family."

"Grandpa will come to see you when he has time."

He Zishi nodded hard, holding back his tears, but dared not utter a word.

He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would burst into tears.

As He Yan spoke, he pulled a heavy cloth bag from his pocket.

"Here is some gold. Take it and use it. If you need more, just write to your grandfather and he will send you some more."

"Go on, you're a real man. Don't cry like a woman and make people laugh."

He Zishi took the cloth bag and walked towards the manor, looking back every few steps.

He Yan watched his departing figure with a complex expression.

But in the end, he hardened his heart, turned around, and got into the carriage.

When He Zishi turned around, he saw that the carriage had already gone far away, and tears could no longer be held back from flowing down his face.

He clutched the money pouch in his hand, ran forward a couple of steps, then stopped and stood there watching the direction the carriage had disappeared.

"Cry if you want to."

Shen Yuan appeared behind him without him noticing, and spoke with his hands behind his back.

He Zishi quickly wiped away his tears and bowed slightly, saying, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Uncle."

"It's just that... it's just that my nephew lost his father at a young age and grew up with his grandfather."

"This is the first time I've left him, and in my heart..."

Shen Yuan smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, "You're still young, don't feel ashamed to shed tears."

"Tell your uncle, do you plan to study literature or martial arts in the future?"

He Zishi hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "I have never learned martial arts in the He family, but I have learned to read and write from several teachers in the past few years."

Shen Yuan nodded slightly: "So, do you plan to continue studying literature in the future?"

He Zishi shook his head slightly: "Don't laugh at me, Uncle, but I don't really like reading either."

"But Grandpa said that as a son of the He family, one should cultivate one's character by learning literature and etiquette, so that I..."

Shen Yuan smiled after hearing this.

From this perspective, He Yan's family tradition education for his descendants is quite good.

"It's alright, think it over carefully and do whatever you like."

He Yan entrusted this child to the Shen family with the ultimate goal of ensuring that he could live a peaceful and safe life.

Even so, Shen Yuan would not make decisions for his life.

As long as his safety is guaranteed, that's fine.

He Zishi nodded.

"Thank you uncle."

Shen Yuan smiled and patted his shoulder, speaking like a kind old father: "Let's go, it's time to eat."

As the two turned to head towards the manor, the sound of a carriage suddenly came from the road in the distance.

Shen Yuan stopped and turned around.

Upon seeing the familiar carriage, a smile appeared on his face.

The carriage came to a slow stop, and the driver jumped down and bowed respectfully.

He called out "Master," then went to the carriage and lifted the curtain.

Shen Wenping poked her head out of the car, saw Shen Yuan, and said with a smile:

"Did Father know that his daughter was returning today and came to greet her specially?"

Shen Yuan smiled and looked at her, saying, "I had some things to do at home today and forgot you were supposed to come back."

Shen Wenping pouted, muttering unhappily, "Couldn't you at least try to make our daughter happy a little?"

She stepped out of the carriage carrying a wooden box, and her gaze fell slightly on He Zishi beside her.

"Father, who is this?"

Shen Yuan immediately introduced, "Zishi, this is my daughter Wenping, she is a few months older than you."

"This is He Zishi from the He family. He will be staying at our house for a while."

Looking at Shen Wenping, He Zishi hurriedly straightened his clothes and bowed, saying, "Zishi greets elder sister."

Upon seeing this, Shen Wenping chuckled and said, "Oh, just like your second brother, a bookworm."

He Zishi felt somewhat embarrassed by her teasing.

Shen Yuan explained from the side, "That's just Wenping's personality, don't take it to heart."

"Let's go."

The three of them walked together toward the manor.

Thank you again to "Cat Outside the Old Alley" for the generous donation! I'm so grateful!
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(End of this chapter)