The session ended after two more hours of talk, with Shen Yu just sitting on the mat and ‘chatting’. He was not very active, but at least he responded to everything as best as he could, that would be enough for the clan, he guessed.
In his estimate, the clan shouldn’t mind him picking up Hunter’s fans, because after his earlier confirmation of hate on a live session, it didn’t matter whether these fans still appreciated him in future, at least they would make up the numbers for now.
When he got out of his room, feeling slightly tired, his pale face was seen by Shen Meng, who brisk walked towards him and helped him by holding his hand. “Do you need water? I will bring some,” her golden eyes were very gentle, as if soothing a young child.
Shen Yu felt somewhat better, he didn’t mind the extra help. “Sister Meng, about what I asked you earlier…”
Shen Meng tutted, “Look at yourself first, take some rest, you did well for your first session.”
Shen Yu was puzzled, “You were watching?”
Shen Meng made an agreeing sound, “We all watched, it was… quite a bit interesting.”
“I see…”
After a while Shen Meng let go and Shen Yu walked downstairs where he was sure his mother was staying. Their mother didn’t always stay in the main house these days, she was busy with cultivation so she often took off and went to the hills for better access to Qi. She had been like a free spirit when she was younger, after entering the clan through marriage, she had not given herself enough time to make progress in cultivation or even her hobbies. These days, as if her greatest weight had been lifted, she stayed far away from the main house as she could, she only came back when she missed Shen Yu and other kids.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Within this month alone, she had went to and fro a total of 8 times, which was very often, but Shen Yu loved her for it, she did all she could to help her children when they were in need, even if some things were out of control for her.
“Shen Yu,” mother Shen was delighted when she saw her youngest son, how she had missed him, “you did so well with your first live session, I am proud of you.”
Shen Yu’s pale face finally had some color on it, only his mother could make him feel so flustered, “I did alright, not exceptional. You don’t need to exaggerate,” he deadpanned.
Mother Shen didn’t comment on it, she stood up from her couch and came to hug Shen Yu, the floral scent clinging to her blouse reminded Shen Yu of the warmth of Jasmine, his mother loved that wild flower. “I fear something bad would happen whenever I am gone, I can only breathe easy when I see you in front of my eyes.”
“Mom, nothing bad will happen, don’t speak like that,” Shen Yue interrupted from her side of the couch, she was sitting next to Shen Bo and Shen Xi, Shen Laoyang and Shen Hao were not around. Right then, Shen Meng also sat on the same couch, making up the numbers, there was an air of unity. The couches in their home were thankfully long and sturdy, it wasn’t too crowded when the siblings wanted to sit together.
If not in personality, everyone hoped to have some form of unity in front of mother, and it often came into existence when they had family meeting or a casual gathering.
The last time one of the siblings went on a mission was when Shen Hao carried out his bronze level mission, that had been a year ago. The Shen Clan wasn’t one of those who had keen interest in mission worlds, they also focused on business matters which used up more labor resources. Generally, the clan members took a 2-3 years of leave in between every mission, it was not only meant to utilize themselves in developing their home business but also serve in the military.
The reason why Shen Clan was well known was because they participated in military affairs, and although father’s branch was declining in status and power, the siblings Shen Hao and Shen Laoyang, did participate in militia very often. Shen Bo was more optimistic about management, so he opted out of military service. On the other hand, Shen Xi, picked up a very different career path, he was a sensational idol, and he was well suited for entertainment industry, his flirty nature complemented his career.
Shen Yu was the only one who was not doing anything, it was also one of the reasons for their clan being angry with him. He was a waste of space, as one cousin put in so bluntly. It had hurt, but at that time Shen Yu was helpless in the face of mockery.
“Shen Yu, although I am not going to say anything to father, you have to know you weren’t very careful there,” Shen Bo said, eyeing their mother wearily who was glaring at him to stay shut. But Shen Bo never listened to mother, his momentum loud, “the entire session was prepared well, but you also brought up Hunter, you know how father is when Matsuda clan is mentioned…”
“Father didn’t call for brother, means he doesn’t care as much, why are you bullying him?” Shen Yue snorted, looking at Shen Bo as if staring at a traitor. Shen Bo rolled his eyes, “I am asking him to be careful, do you have to be so defensive? I don’t care what he does with his sessions, but if he brings up another clan, it is just stirring up trouble for himself.”
“He did mention he didn’t get along well with Hunter, so I think that will do,” Shen Xi coaxed, his voice soothing and flirtish, “Although I wouldn’t mind him mentioning Hunter again, he just stole his followers. Haha~”
“He did well, he is already a Golden Ticket Holder, your father will understand he can’t always keep such close eye on his kids,” their mother spoke up, silencing others, there was a smile in her voice as she sat back on the couch, bringing in a glass of water for Shen Yu, “even if your father saw it he won’t mind, not because he was satisfied with Shen Yu, but because Shen Yu will be going to the mission world soon, it isn’t advisable to put pressure on young minds at such time.”
Shen Yue snickered, “I get it, father is afraid brother will break or something.”
Shen Bo frowned, but Shen Xi chuckled, “Indeed, who hasn’t seen how cold that man is, all he thinks about is profit.”
Mother Shen smiled shallowly, “If only I had the power to protect you all, your father is not that bad, but he is lost when it comes to handling kids…”
“Don’t defend him mother, he is just cruel,” Shen Yue mumbled. She stared at Shen Bo who looked awkward, and said, “well some don’t really hate father, so there’s that.”
Shen Xi coughed to hide his laugh, “I am going to welcome any reprimands he has for me; it is kind of fun when you consider it from a different perspective.”
Shen Meng finally spoke, “Can we not do this, even if father isn’t here, it is not good to talk behind his back.”
Mother Shen agreed, “Although your father is strict at hand, but he does think for the family. You all are already this big, your mother just wishes for you to think for yourself. If you wish to service the clan, I won’t say anything, but if you want to do something for yourself, I also don’t want to worry. Shen Bo wants to follow Shen Hao and I am not against it, your father is not perfect but he also isn’t a bad cultivator, if you want to learn from him, you can. As for myself, I am already this old, I will be focusing on cultivating to 5th stage.”
“Yes mom.” ”Yes, mother,” came differing replies.
Then mother Shen finally looked at Shen Yu and patted his head with gentle care, “Shen Yu, you got hurt more than anyone else in our family. I can never forgive your father for it, and although I want to say good things about that man to make you feel at ease, I can’t. He was the sternest with you, and this clan as well, they didn’t care about you at all, I am not satisfied with how they treated you. I don’t have the power to protect you, my family standing isn’t good, but you need to know that if you ever want to escape from some things, I will do my best to support you.”
Shen Yu clutched her hand as she came to pat his head again, “Mother, I don’t blame you. I know… you did what you could. You also gave me a chance at Academy, so I am grateful for that.”
Mother Shen smiled ruefully, “I could have done more if only my cultivation was at power with your father. In marriage it is better to be of the same cultivation stage, or else, things are not always as fun, it becomes easier to subdue others… well, your father never raised his hand against me, so that I am grateful for, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t punish me for even the ficklest of things.” She laughed at that memory as if it was very distant, “I had known Shen clan was harsh with punishments, but I only experienced it after I became a Dao companion with your father. I just wish… that now you won’t suffer anymore. Use this Golden Ticket wisely, and don’t… don’t get hurt over there, just come back halfway if you must, but don’t go overboard, I won’t stand it. Yes?”
Shen Yu nodded, “I will cultivate my core first, I have the manual as well. I won’t dive into dangerous situations. Don’t worry, mother,” he already had some plans in mind.
Mother Shen sighed, she felt more at ease after talking about it. She was a beautiful woman with soft features and dark doe eyes. She had dark hair that cascaded down in long curls, her wheat-colored skin favored her soft look… but with a thin body that looked so young, anyone who saw her would think she would break under a gust of wind. Years of pressure in the family had made her mentality more fragile, even if she put up a strong front for her kids, the siblings knew she would take some time to heal, and she needed to get out of the house for that.
So, among the siblings, nobody ever asked her to stay, they feared she would crumble if father got angered again. Generally, the parents avoided each other, but now and then they would argue because of Shen Yu or Shen Yue, the only two who were the youngest and still growing. Now that Shen Yu had an opportunity, their father had gone a little lax with their mother, he came home after longer intervals, and didn’t get mad when he saw mother Shen going out to cultivate.
This all was possible because Shen Yu had an opportunity.
Poor mother, she deserves her own freedom and independence 😢😢