Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies
Chapter 141 - 65: The Ambitious Shanwa, The Forgotten Xiao Hu

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"Get your hot flatbread and steamed buns!"

"Get your hot flatbread and steamed buns!"

The next morning, the sky was clear, and sunlight filtered through the clouds to illuminate the land.

The shops in Taiping County gradually became lively, with bustling pedestrians and constant cries of vendors.

The courtyard where Shen Qing lived was not far from the bustling city, and early in the morning, he was awakened by the sounds outside the yard.

He sat up in bed, stretched lazily, and felt a long-lost comfort and peace.

Shen Qing grabbed his clothes from the foot of the bed and draped them over himself, then opened the door and walked out.

Outside the house, his uncle Shen the Second and aunt were already awake, each doing chores.

Compared to their excitement upon arriving for the first time yesterday, both were much calmer now, even showing a bit of boredom.

This was unavoidable; settling into a new environment naturally led to such feelings.

Shen Qing pondered whether he should find something for his uncle and aunt to do in the future, like selling baked goods as a livelihood.

"Qingzi, you're awake?" Uncle Shen the Second sat on a stone chair, a whetstone on his lap, sharpening arrowheads.

Shen Qing smiled and said, "Uncle, did you sleep well last night?"

"Very well." Uncle Shen the Second, with a notably good complexion, glanced at his aunt instinctively. "We've grown so much and never lived in such a good house. Shanwa even has his own bed now, no longer needing to squeeze in with us. It's quite comfortable."

"That's good. Where's Shanwa?" Shen Qing asked as he looked around.

"He fed your horse this morning. Now we have two horses in the house; the fodder is somewhat insufficient. Do you want to sell your nag?" Uncle Shen the Second asked, looking up.

Shen Qing replied, "Let's not sell it for now; it might be useful later."

At the moment, he was not short of money and could afford to keep the two horses.

Shen Qing went to the stable and saw Shanwa skillfully brushing the horse's mane, his small figure shorter than the horse.

He asked in surprise, "Shanwa, since when did you learn to take care of horses?"

Shanwa paused his actions and said, "Brother, you're up?"

"I learned this from an old master over in the Outer City. I heard he was a stableman, very skilled in horse care. I asked him for advice when he was taking care of old nags."

He walked outside the stable and earnestly said to Shen Qing, "Brother Qingzi, this black horse of yours is excellent. It can probably run a thousand miles a day without issue. Such a horse can't just eat fodder; it needs eggs, soybean meal, salt, and nearly a stone of millet every day."

"Wow, I didn't expect you to know so much." Shen Qing looked at Shanwa, who was four years younger, in surprise. "If you understand these things, I'll give uncle some money later, and you can go to the market to buy some."

"Alright, I'll make sure to get your horse in top shape, Brother Qingzi."

Back when they lived in Hongshan Village, everyone struggled to eat, and Shanwa was malnourished, looking weak.

But after Shen Qing's rise, the conditions of his uncle's family visibly improved, and Shanwa's body gradually became robust, no longer looking like a twig.

Shen Qing smiled and asked, "How's your martial arts training going?"

"I don't know, I just feel a sense of qi inside me, and I'm a lot stronger," said Shen Xiaoshan, lowering his head to feel it.

Shen Qing said, "You've sensed Qi-Blood. Keep practicing, eat well, and drink well. It won't be long before you've reached the Great Perfection of Qi and Blood and become a real martial master."

Shen Xiaoshan's eyes lit up, "Really?"

"Of course. When you feed the horse, also buy some fine grains and meat at the market. You're welcome to eat all you want. Your brother can afford this."

Good horses are fed with premium grains; sometimes they eat better than people, which is why stableman positions are often sought after by wealthy families.

Shen Xiaoshan was ambitious.

Perhaps seeing his elder brother Shen Xiaohu starting to gain prominence, he was unwilling to lag behind and wanted to make a name for himself.

Early in the morning, he ran to feed the horses, likely aiming to train himself secretly by eating horse feed.

He even studied and learned the art of horse care in secret, working hard to acquire a skill instead of relying on Shen Qing.

Such a mindset was rare to find in a poor village like Hongshan Village.

Shen Qing greatly admired this.

Seeing Shanwa's intentions, he naturally wouldn't stop him.

Not only did he not stop him, but he also wanted to support him more.

Now that he had some resources, he might bring back some supplements to nourish Shanwa and quicken his Qi-Blood refining process.

Once these brothers grew up in the future, they would be of great assistance to him.

After all, they were blood relatives, more reliable than others in this world.

At this thought, Shen Qing suddenly realized a problem.

Where was Xiaohu?

They had forgotten to inform him about the move. Where did he go to rest last night?

Shen Qing's expression became odd.

He quickly washed up and stepped out of the room.

Watching Shen Qing leave, Uncle Shen the Second glanced at Aunt Wang, saying, "Dear, once the kids are asleep tonight and there's no one else in the house, let's have a chat?"

Aunt Wang glared at Uncle Shen the Second, "Look at you. If you're so bold, do it now."

Uncle Shen the Second cautiously glanced over to the stable and glared back at Aunt Wang.

"Moving to a new house has made you refined," Aunt Wang teased, grabbing Uncle Shen the Second's arm, "Come, follow me inside."

Bang!

In broad daylight, the door to the side room slammed shut.

Navigating through familiar alleys, Shen Qing arrived at Linfeng Hall and strode in.

Upon entering, he saw Shen Xiaohu standing in the Outer Court, in a horse stance, brow furrowed, and occasionally looking into the distance, clearly worried about something.

Seeing that nobody was lost, Shen Qing secretly sighed in relief.

He quickened his pace, approached Shen Xiaohu, and asked softly, "Xiaohu, what's wrong? You look worried."

Hearing Shen Qing's voice, Shen Xiaohu turned abruptly, surprise flashing in his eyes. He quickly grabbed Shen Qing's arm, his voice trembling, tears welling up: "Brother Qing, you're here! Something big happened!"

Shen Qing was infected by Shen Xiaohu's anxious expression and felt tense.

He patted Shen Xiaohu's hand, signaling him to calm down: "Don't rush, take your time, what happened?"

Shen Xiaohu took a deep breath, steadied his emotions, then whispered, "Last night, when I got home, I found that Dad, Mom, Shanwa, and Sister Fang were all gone! The house was empty! They must have been harmed by bad people."

Unable to hold back a laugh, Shen Qing suddenly felt a bit sorry for this child.

"Brother, what's wrong with you? Say something!"

Shen Qing said, "Xiaohu, you're not a child anymore. Can you stop crying when something happens?"

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