I just wanted to show off a little, not come here to embarrass myself.
"How could I refuse your invitation?"
Shi Sheng shrugged, looking completely innocent.
"..."
Damn, you talk a better game than you sing, am I supposed to thank you or what.
"So, want to keep going or what?"
The fight just now didn’t even count as a warm-up.
Shi Sheng looked at Si Nan curiously, waiting to see if he wanted to continue sparring.
"Get lost!"
Si Nan shot Shi Sheng a glare, clearly annoyed.
If he hadn’t known before, fine, but now that he knows Shi Sheng is already a Postnatal Martial Artist, what’s the point of sparring? That’s just asking to get humiliated.
Shi Sheng didn’t say anything to that, but honestly, he thought it was a bit of a shame.
If he’d known they were just going to exchange a move or two, he’d have used more strength.
Of course, Si Nan had no idea what Shi Sheng was thinking inside. If he did, he’d probably start cursing on the spot.
Damn, you thick-browed righteous-looking guy, I always thought you were so honest, but turns out you’ve got a thick face and a black heart too.
"Sir!"
Didn’t even manage to show off in front of Ye Liuyun.
That made Si Nan a little embarrassed when he looked back at Ye Liuyun.
But Ye Liuyun didn’t seem to mind.
"Not bad!"
Instead, he nodded and praised Si Nan.
No matter what, Si Nan being able to break through to the First-class Martial Artist realm was a pretty great achievement.
"Heh heh!"
Si Nan scratched his head, grinning at Ye Liuyun.
Shi Sheng crowded over at this point, too.
"Sir!"
"You’re not bad either. But remember, training is like rowing upstream—if you don’t advance, you fall back. You need to keep at it."
Ye Liuyun didn’t play favorites.
He praised Shi Sheng as well.
"Yes, sir!"
Shi Sheng was determined in his martial training, so he didn’t need Ye Liuyun to say much; he replied with utmost seriousness.
Si Nan, on the other hand, tended to enjoy the easy road sometimes.
But with Shi Sheng here as his comparison, he probably wouldn’t stay stagnant. Some healthy competition is good.
Now that’s what I call getting swept up in it.
...
At first, Si Nan was happy about breaking through to First-class Martial Artist.
But when he realized Shi Sheng had also broken through, Si Nan felt a little bummed.
Guess it’s true what they say—afraid your bro has it rough, but also afraid your bro drives a Land Rover.
"Still hung up on it?"
Riding on horseback, Shi Sheng noticed Si Nan’s glum expression.
He nudged his horse over next to Si Nan, studying his mood curiously, trying to see if Si Nan was still brooding about the sparring match.
"I’m not that petty."
Even if he was kind of bothered inside.
But being asked like that, Si Nan definitely wouldn’t admit it.
He shot Shi Sheng an annoyed look.
"Don’t get cocky. You just have a higher cultivation than me for now. Sooner or later, I’ll surpass you."
Si Nan was serious about it.
He really did plan to spend more time on martial training from now on.
On one hand, the stronger he was, the more he could help his own boss.
On the other...
Si Nan genuinely wanted Shi Sheng to take a loss in public at least once.
"Oh yeah? I’ll be waiting!"
Shi Sheng didn’t react much to Si Nan’s look.
Go ahead and work hard—I’m not going to stand still anyway. By the time you hit Postnatal Realm, maybe I’ll be an Innate Martial Artist myself.
Thinking that,
Shi Sheng felt his Inner Strength become even more relaxed.
"Sir!"
Noticing Shi Sheng’s unconcern, Si Nan couldn’t be bothered with him anymore.
No point dragging this out—he spurred his horse and trotted up to Ye Liuyun.
"Sir, what’s our case this time?"
This time was different.
Usually, Si Nan picked up the cases, but this one had been assigned straight to Ye Liuyun.
Lords Thousand Households and Lords Hundred Households have different work.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard only has ten Lords Thousand Households total; aside from the two Governors, the Lords Thousand Households are basically the face of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
That’s why every so often, cases are assigned directly to the Lords Thousand Households.
Of course,
Most Lords Thousand Households, when they get these assigned cases,
just hand them straight to their subordinates to handle. As for personally getting involved?
Pfft, as if. Better to spend the time having a couple drinks or looking for fun; that’d be way more comfortable.
So in the eyes of many Lords Thousand Households,
Ye Liuyun doing things personally was actually what made him weird.
"Check it out for yourself."
Seeing Si Nan’s curiosity, Ye Liuyun casually tossed the case file over to him.
Shi Sheng came over too.
"Let me see."
Shi Sheng was pretty curious about their upcoming mission as well.
Si Nan, full of disdain, still opened the file and read it with Shi Sheng together.
"Nanmu City?"
Seeing their case destination, Si Nan clearly froze.
"What’s up with Nanmu City?"
Shi Sheng had been reading until Si Nan spoke, then looked over in puzzlement.
Totally not getting why Si Nan was so confused.
"..."
That question made Si Nan’s expression shift straight from surprised to speechless.
With Shi Sheng peering at him curiously, Si Nan didn’t even know where to begin roasting him.
"Next time when you’ve got spare time, don’t just think about practicing martial arts—try learning a bit about the Great Qian Dynasty’s situation too, will you?"
He said, clearly annoyed.