Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 42 Sword Training
Jinliu Village.

As evening approached, a father and son walked slowly along the path at the entrance of the village.

Is something on your mind?

Shen Yuan turned around and asked his second son, who seemed preoccupied.

Shen Wenyan raised his head, forced a smile, and shook his head.

"Did you upset the teacher again today?"

“Father, the teacher said... after the summer harvest, he will take me on a study tour.”

After a long silence, Shen Wenyan finally spoke his mind.

"Study Tour?"

"That's a good thing."

"Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. You're all grown up now, it's time for you to go out and see the world with your teacher."

Shen Yuan smiled faintly and offered words of comfort.

But Shen Wenyan panicked upon hearing this and hurriedly chased after him, saying:
"When my elder brother left, he asked me to take good care of you and Mother at home."

“As the sage said, ‘While parents are alive, one should not travel far.’ Child…I worry about you and your mother.”

Looking at his son, who was only a head shorter than him and already considered a handsome young man, Shen Yuan smiled.

“Father, I’ll talk to the teacher tomorrow and ask him to postpone the study tour for another two years, at least until my elder brother comes back!”

Shen Yuan shook his head slightly.

"Anu, you've been a student of the Master for five years now, haven't you?"

"Father asks you, why did the sage say, 'While one's parents are alive, one should not travel far'?"

Shen Wenyan was slightly taken aback after hearing this, but without much thought, he replied directly, "As a son, one should fulfill one's filial duties. How can one fulfill one's filial duties when one is far away from home and not by one's parents' side?"

"That's right. Let me ask you again, what can you do while staying by your parents' side?"

Looking at his father's ambiguous smile, Shen Wenyan hesitated.

"I can help you and Mom take care of your younger siblings. I can also help you with farm work in spring and summer, cut pig feed, and go up the mountain to chop firewood..."

“Your father and mother can do all of these things.”

"Father is not yet forty, but in his prime. You brothers do not need to take care of the family's affairs."

"The Master wants to take you on a study tour because he hopes you can become a useful person as soon as possible. If you pass the imperial examinations in the future, it will be a way of showing filial piety."

Shen Wenyan fell silent. He suddenly realized that his eloquence, which even made Master Lu suffer, was completely useless when facing his father.

Over the years, my father has rarely asked too much about my studies, nor has he often lectured me on profound principles.

But even in his few words, he always speaks concisely and succinctly, using the most ordinary language to express truths that even he cannot refute.

"Father is more like a teacher than a teacher..."

Unable to refute, Shen Wenyan could only mutter something under his breath.

"You brat... if the teacher finds out about this, he'll come after you with a ruler to settle the score!"

Shen Yuan chuckled and patted his shoulder, saying, "Let's go, your mother should have already cooked dinner."

When the father and son returned home, the little girl Shen Wenping immediately rushed up and pestered Shen Wenyan to read to her.

The youngest, Shen Wen'an, is already a martial arts fanatic.

Despite his young age, he is very diligent and practices standing meditation whenever he has time.

For this reason, Shen Yuan had considered more than once whether or not to send him to Huang Qingzhou.

With the eldest son, Shen Wenxing, not at home, it's difficult for him, a half-baked martial artist, to teach his youngest son.

More importantly, it's medicinal cuisine.

If we start giving Xiao Wen'an medicinal diets now, with his diligence, he might break through to become a postnatal martial artist in a year or two.

After all, it can be concluded from various indications that Shen Wen'an was born with a ninth-grade bloodline.

However, the youngest son is rather introverted, homesick, socially awkward, doesn't like to talk, and is also too young.

His wife was also reluctant to let him leave her so soon, which is why the matter was delayed again and again.

Inside the kitchen, Shen Yuan came up behind his wife.

“Anu said that after the summer harvest, Master Lu would take him on a study tour.”

Hearing this, Hu Yufen paused slightly in her spoon, then slowly turned around and asked, "What did Anu say?"

Shen Yuan laughed: "That brat is homesick and can't bear to leave us. He wanted to wait two years, but I gave him a good scolding."

"It's good for children to go out and see the world now that they're older."

“As a great Confucian scholar, Master Lu will surely visit scholars all over the country when he takes Anu out. This is a rare opportunity.”

Unable to hide her sadness, Hu Yufen glared at him and said, "You're so carefree. Shitou just left, and now Anu is leaving too. They're both your children. Don't you feel empty inside?"

Shen Yuan gently hugged her from behind and said, "Aren't there still two little ones, Wenping and Wen'an?"

"Besides, it's just a study tour, it shouldn't be too long, don't worry." Hu Yufen twisted her body and handed over the full bowl of rice in her hand, saying with dissatisfaction, "Our father wasn't this cruel to you back then, I don't know where you got your personality from."

Shen Yuan took the bowl and laughed, "It's precisely because my father wasn't ruthless that I didn't become successful and am now just an ordinary person toiling in the fields."

"It's all thanks to my father's compassion that I met you."

"loquacious!"

His words instantly dispelled Hu Yufen's low spirits.

"Go ask Master Lu tomorrow. We need to take Anu's matter seriously. Master Lu has been taking care of her meticulously all these years."

Since Shen Wenyan became Lu Zhiyuan's disciple, apart from the clothes he was wearing...

Lu Zhiyuan took care of everything for the couple, from their daily meals and writing materials to their swords, never causing them any trouble.

Emotionally speaking, the two are teacher and student, but their relationship is more like that of grandfather and grandson.

Shen Yuan nodded and helped carry the food to the courtyard.

"Wen'an, wash your hands and eat."

Hearing the shout, Shen Wen'an stopped practicing, silently fetched a basin of water, washed his hands, and sat down at the dining table.

"Is this kid going to go crazy from practicing martial arts? He never seems to go out and run around all day..."

Hu Yufen handed over the food, muttering to herself.

A five-year-old child is at the age where they are active, energetic, and love to play outside.

But his youngest son was quite good; he spent all his time practicing martial arts at home. He never cried or made a fuss, and his quietness was worrying.

"Mother, I'm not stupid."

Shen Wen'an took the rice bowl, shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, and then looked at Shen Wenyan and said, "Second brother, after you finish eating, can you teach me swordsmanship?"

Practice sword?

Shen Wenyan looked at him strangely and said, "You're not even as tall as Jian, what are you practicing swordsmanship for?"

"You should practice writing more when you have nothing to do. Your younger sister can write a lot of characters now."

"If I can write, will my second brother agree to teach me swordsmanship?"

Shen Wen'an asked stubbornly.

"Wen'an, stop fooling around and eat your food." Hu Yufen interrupted the two brothers' conversation.

Shen Wen'an didn't say anything more and silently ate the rice in his bowl.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, he stopped Shen Wenyan, who was about to teach his sister to write, and looked up at her, asking, "Do you still stand by what you said earlier?"

Shen Wenyan scratched his head and looked at Shen Yuan.

"If he's interested, then you can teach him."

With his father's approval, Shen Wenyan said helplessly, "Then your second brother will have to see your handwriting first. If it's not good, I won't teach you."

The two brothers entered the house.

"Second brother, your younger brother can write." Shen Wenping looked up and spoke, and Shen Wen'an had already started writing.

Writing is not difficult. Once you know how to write, the next challenge is controlling the pen.

Although Shen Wen'an is only five years old, he has been practicing martial arts with his older brother Shen Wenxing since he was three years old, and he is already very skilled in body coordination and control.

He simply dislikes this style, not that he's incapable of writing it.

After writing down dozens of words, Shen Wen'an's handwriting was actually better than Shen Wenping's, who practiced every day.

"That brat is hiding his true abilities."

Looking at the still-wet ink and slightly flamboyant style of the writing in front of him, Shen Wenyan was somewhat surprised.

"Can we practice swordsmanship now?"

Shen Wen'an put down his pen, looked up, and asked.

“Of course.” Shen Wenyan unfastened the sword from his waist and led him into the courtyard.

"What do you use as a sword?" he asked with a smile, looking at his younger brother who had followed him out empty-handed.

"Second brother, wait a moment." The little guy said, and hurriedly ran into the room. A moment later, he came out with a slightly worn wooden sword.

"what?"

"Isn't this the sword Father made for my eldest brother years ago? Where did you find it?"

Shen Wen'an did not answer, but simply waited quietly for him to begin.

Thank you all for your support. I'd like to give you a brief update.

I asked the editor yesterday, and the data is pretty good. It's all thanks to the support of you all! I, the author, am deeply grateful to you all!

The author has already started stockpiling chapters and will definitely give everyone a big update when the book goes live. I conservatively estimate it will be 20,000 words, but it might be more. I'm begging for your support with monthly tickets again. Thank you so much!

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(End of this chapter)