Chapter 5 Of Riches and Honour (1/2)

However, when he gave a thought to that, he was actually closest to Shen Lian other than his own daughter in the entire family.

Shen Qingsan zoned out when Shen Lian nudged him – so it seemed that he had been staring at Shen Lian all this while.

”Come on kiddo, let's head in.” Shen Qingsan gave Shen Lian a tight hug. ”We could visit your cousin brothers as well,” he sighed.

Even though he was not particularly close to his nephews, he was still really upset about their sudden departure from this world.

In spite of his newfound biological connection with Shen Qingsan, he was not used to having an uncle. Back when he decided to live as Shen Lian, he did so out of his guilt for taking over the real Shen Lian's body. However, he was mentally an adult; this was not a change that he could accept overnight.

Moreover, Shen Qingsan was strong. To the frail Shen Lian, his hug was a suffocating one; one could only imagine how uncomfortable it was for Shen Lian.

Shen Lian could no longer breathe. He had no choice but to express his discomfort by coughing. Shen Qingsan took the hint and released Shen Lian from his iron grip. ”Look at how skinny you are. You must have suffered a lot back in the mountains. It was my fault for not visiting, I was simply too caught up with other things,” Shen Qingsan said apologetically.

Shen Lian did not know what to say; he could not possibly admit that he was weak. He swore to himself that he would get stronger physically. Looking at how strong his spirit, EQ, and memory were, he was arguably more suited to be someone like Jiang Zuo Mei Lang. However, he really hated being physically weak.

Trailing behind Shen Qingsan, he noticed how simple the interior of the residence was. The lack of grandeur gave off an elegant vibe. To be fair, Shen Lian would not have been impressed if the residence was as grand as a palace. After all, Shen Lian was an adult from the modern world, and he had seen a lot back in his time.

Shen Qingsan could not help but notice Shen Lian's composure. Shen Lian did not look around curiously; he was following Shen Qingsan around with grace.

Shen Qingsan was impressed by how at ease Shen Lian was. Maybe it was his training from the cultivation of Daoism, but his level of easiness was simply unrivaled by anyone of his age in the state.

He thought to himself, 'The old man's crazy idea might be a great idea after all'.

As Shen Lian and Shen Qingsan walked into the hall, they were greeted by the sight of an old man with white hair. The old man was sharp and did not look lethargic at all. Shen Lian's grandmother – Old Master Shen's wife, had passed on many years ago. Old Master Shen's solitude added to his authoritative presence.

Shen Lian was in awe of Old Master Shen's composure. Even after losing two of his grandchildren, he did not look devastated at all. He was indeed a character with the heart of stone.

Perhaps it was Shen Lian's resemblance with his mother, Old Master Shen felt relaxed immediately after seeing Shen Lian in the hall. ”This child looks so much like his mother,” Old Master Shen remarked.

After bowing respectfully to Old Master Shen, Shen Lian looked around discreetly. He took notice of the middle-aged man next to Old Master Shen and figured that he was his eldest uncle, Shen Qingshi. Shen Qingshi had grief written all over his face. His eyes were swollen and he looked so fragile that Shen Lian suspected him to be weaker than himself. It would seem that Shen Qingshi had not been resting well.

A beautiful woman stood next to Shen Qingshi. With her thin lips tightly pressed, Shen Lian thought she looked mean. The woman who was not impressed or moved by Shen Lian's presence would be Shen Qingshi's wife, Shen Lian's aunt - Xu.

She did not look particularly sad, mainly because Shen Lian's late cousins were not of her own blood.