Jiapingguan Chronicle

Shen Haolin heard footsteps approaching from afar, gestured to Jin Jing and Bai Meng, and paused their conversation. The three of them looked in the direction of the sound.

When Shen Cha saw that they had noticed her, she waved to them, slowly stopped, and stood still to wait for them to come over.

When Shen Haolin saw Shen Cha and Hongye appear in his line of sight, he was stunned for a moment, but he still quickly walked a few steps to Shen Cha's side.

Before Shen Cha could speak, Shen Haolin grabbed her hand.

"what happened?"

Shen Haolin breathed a slight sigh of relief when he felt that Shen Cha's hand was not as cold as he had imagined.

"Lord Duke!" Hongye bowed to Shen Haolin, and then greeted Bai Meng and Jin Jing who came over.

"Why are you here?" Shen Haolin asked, somewhat puzzled. "Weren't you supposed to be having a heart-to-heart talk with Uncle Shi tonight?"

"When I got back, we had almost finished talking, and it seemed like it went quite well." Hongye yawned, stretched, and snuggled up to Jin Jing and Bai Meng, saying, "Xiao Cha was a little worried because you hadn't returned by this time. She hadn't planned to come, but after waiting a while and still not seeing you, she decided to check." She looked at Shen Haolin, then at Bai Meng and Jin Jing, "Very busy? How come you've been busy until this late?"

"I've been busy, but not this busy. There was a small accident, otherwise I would have been back long ago." Bai Meng spread her hands helplessly. "Is there any food at home? We're starving!"

"Yes!" Hongye nodded. "I just got back not long ago and haven't had a chance to eat yet. Brother Mu said he would prepare something, but I didn't know you hadn't eaten either, so I probably didn't prepare enough." She looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha. "Take your time, I'll go back and tell them."

"No need, we can prepare when we get back." Shen Haolin waved his hand. "I've passed the point of being hungry, so I'm not particularly hungry anymore."

"How can you be so busy that you don't have time to eat?" Shen Cha frowned, pulling Shen Haolin towards the Marquis's residence. "What happened?"

"It's not a big deal, but if it's not handled properly, it could cause some trouble." Bai Meng said helplessly, pulling Hongye and Jin Jing along the way. "I have to say, these little brats of the Wanyan family are all quite troublesome. Even though only Wanyan Xi is here, we can all feel how their elders in the Wanyan family are going to have their white hair popping out like crazy." He looked at Hongye. "However, this time it has something to do with you."

"With me?" Hongye was taken aback, but immediately realized, "Then I understand, it's because I beat him up, and he has to rest for another half a month?"

“That’s right!” Shen Haolin turned around and smiled at Hongye. “He said you bullied him!”

"This kid really deserves a beating. In my opinion, one beating isn't enough; he should be beaten up twice more."

"agree!"

Shen Haolin, Bai Meng, and Jin Jing said in unison, looking at each other with expressions of helplessness on their faces.

"So you've even learned to tattle?" Shen Cha sneered, glancing at Hongye. "You didn't hit her hard enough."

“I think so too!” Hongye rolled her eyes. “It’s definitely too light. Half a month doesn’t seem enough. He should rest for longer.” She rolled her eyes again. “What did that kid say? What did he say?” “Actually, he wasn’t accusing you. He was just feeling sorry for himself, thinking he was no good and hadn’t made any progress after practicing for so many days.” Bai Meng chuckled mischievously. “You know, he just showed his usual self.”

"Is there something wrong with this kid?" Hongye pointed to her head and said irritably, "He's been a good-for-nothing for over ten years, and he's only been determined to work hard for a short time, yet he's already thinking about beating me? What about all the work I've done over the past ten years? Besides, a teenager like him can already stand on his own two feet. What kind of behavior is this, crying like that!"

"Crying is just a tactic; she's afraid she won't achieve her goal!"

"What's his purpose? He should just lie in bed for half a month!" Hongye rolled her eyes. "Originally, he was supposed to calm down for a while because he broke his leg, but he got even worse. I don't know who told him that if your leg is broken, you can train your arms, and if your arms are broken, you can train your legs. During that short period when his leg was broken, I could see him on the training ground every day without taking a single day off."

"He has high standards for himself."

"That's asking for too much, way too much!" Hongye rolled her eyes. "Not only is he asking for a lot, but he also has high expectations. He hopes to be able to take on ten or a hundred people at once, which is just wishful thinking!"

"Kids are always like that, right?"

"To be honest, his aptitude isn't that great. Given his talent, it's already quite impressive that he's reached this level in just over half a year; he's already made up for his shortcomings with hard work. If he doesn't stop..."

"The consequences would be unimaginable."

"Yes, I realized I couldn't persuade him anymore, so I decided to let him rest for a while longer, otherwise, given his condition..."

“He might get even more seriously injured!” Bai Meng understood Hongye’s words very well. He patted her arm. “Actually, it’s not just you who said that. I’ve already talked to him about it before in Xijing City. I’ve talked to him more than once or twice. I told him that he can’t push himself so hard, that he could easily hurt himself, and that he should do everything step by step and take it slowly. He seemed to listen to me and agreed to everything I said, but I know that he didn’t really take my words seriously at all.”

"This little brat has a lot of pent-up energy, and he always gives people the feeling that he's not going to live for today."

"Hey!" Jin Jing clapped her hands. "That's exactly what I felt."

"Anyway, he just came to us, and Haolin and I tried to persuade him again, but it didn't seem to work. I asked him if he knew why other people could land steadily from high platforms, but he broke his leg. He said he knew, but he also said that knowing was one thing, but he..."

"He can't rest, right?" Seeing Bai Meng nod, Hongye snorted. "If he can't do it himself, then let us help him out. Let him calm down while he's recovering, so that he won't get in trouble with us when he's on the battlefield, right?"

"He has to be able to figure it out, but judging from his expression," Bai Meng sneered, "he might not be able to figure it out."

“What’s so difficult about that?” Hongye thought for a moment. “The next round of recruit assessments is about to begin. There are a few assessments we can let him observe, so he can experience the cruelty of the battlefield.” She looked at Jin Jing. “How about it?”

"It's not impossible, is it?" Jin Jing said to Shen Haolin and Shen Cha, who had turned around to look at them. "How about letting this kid truly experience what it's like to face death?"

Shen Haolin and Shen Cha didn't speak, they just nodded. (End of Chapter)