HBWMA -Chapter 20 Family and the Promise

In the pavilion area, just after Jiang Huashan stepped out of the garden, the old master’s expression darkened. He lifted his cane and tapped Shen Qian hard on the bridge of his nose.

“Knock it off. Kneel.”

Shen Qian’s expression changed slightly. He didn’t dare ask a single question—he got up and immediately dropped to his knees with a thud.

“Dad—”

The old master no longer carried the gentleness he had earlier. His gaze was sharp and cutting.

“Don’t call me Dad. I, Shen Zhuang, don’t have a son as heartless and vile as you.”

Shen Qian didn’t dare argue. He bowed deeply until his forehead hit the ground with a heavy sound.

“Dad, please calm down. Your son is useless—I’ve brought trouble to you and the Shen family.”

The old master closed his eyes, not even bothering to look at him. His cane tapped the ground lightly but steadily.

“Thirty-something lives. How did you people even have the heart to do it?”

Shen Qian kept his head down, his body pressed close to the ground.

“Dad, I mishandled this matter. I truly didn’t expect Yao Ge to be this insane—she hired killers and set a fire just to kill A-Ling and his mother. She was retaliating because I sent A-Nian overseas.”

“And you still have the nerve to say that?” The old master’s eyes narrowed slightly. Then his tone shifted abruptly. “The Yao family—no one knows what connections they’ve pulled in these past few years. Their momentum is rising fast. At this rate, forget the Fu and Zhou families—even our Shen family’s influence might be overshadowed.”

Shen Qian’s expression shifted.

“With you here, Old Master, the Yao family’s juniors won’t be able to turn the world upside down.”

The old master let out a cold snort.

“Turn the world upside down? Nanwan is the largest port city in A Country. Your wife burned down a mountain just to kill a mistress, and thirty-something innocent people in the Berlin district died in that fire. And you still say she wouldn’t dare to ‘turn the world upside down’?”

A month ago, a major incident had shaken Nanwan City: a fire broke out in a villa in the wealthy Berlin district, and 35 innocent residents were killed in the flames and smoke.

The old master’s anger deepened.

“You two really are a pair—one ruthless, one scheming. Do you really think you can cover the sky with one hand?!”

“Dad!” Shen Qian hurriedly grabbed the old master’s cane as he stood up. “I had no choice. The Yao family is in full force right now. Yao Ge and I are husband and wife in name and reality—if anything happens to her, I’ll be implicated too.”

The old master’s anger flared even more.

“So what you’re saying is—you tacitly allowed your wife to murder and silence people?”

Shen Qian’s brow jumped. He quickly denied it.

“Dad, even a tiger won’t eat its own cubs. I only hid A-Ling and his mother—I never had any intention of killing them. It was Yao Ge who went too far!”

The old master gave a cold laugh.

“You still have the nerve to say that? Have you forgotten how Jiang Huashan called you just now?”

“Smiling tiger. Hypocrite. Traitor.”

Shen Qian’s expression changed slightly. Only then did he realize the old master already knew everything—and had deliberately allowed Jiang Huashan’s rudeness earlier.

A bunch of debt-collecting demons.

The old master rubbed his temples.

“Speak. What exactly did you come here for this time?”

Shen Qian’s eyes lit up slightly. He said respectfully,

“Dad, A-Ling narrowly escaped death that day because he happened to be at school for extra classes. Yao Ge is extremely extreme in temperament, and I’m worried something like this might happen again, so…”

The old master studied him.

“So you want me to adopt your son?”

Shen Qian’s gaze flickered slightly, a bit awkward.

“Dad… A-Ling is also your grandson.”

The old master lifted his eyes and glanced toward the flower hall. From his angle, he could only see Shen Guiling’s back.

But that alone was interesting.

The flower hall and pavilion were only separated by a corridor of seven or eight meters. The commotion just now hadn’t been small—there was no way the child hadn’t heard it. Yet he hadn’t even turned his head once.

He seemed to know his boundaries.

The old master withdrew his gaze and looked back at Shen Qian with clear disgust.

“I don’t have that kind of blessing. And I don’t even want to look at what kind of mess your household is!”

Shen Qian’s face darkened. He and Yao Ge also had a son named Shen Nian. Three years ago, Shen Nian had caused a fatal highway crash during illegal street racing and gambling—two dead, one injured. After that, the old master personally sent him to S Country.

“Dad, A-Ling is different from A-Nian. Yao Ge is always afraid that A-Ling will compete with A-Nian, so she refuses to let him go. But I know A-Ling—he’s been obedient and sensible since childhood and has never had any intention of competing. If it weren’t for this incident, he would already be studying at American-Leading High.”

American-Leading High was a joint elite university in S Country. Its students came from all over the world, all top-tier talents. Unlike ordinary universities, graduates usually went on to research institutes. Even the worst of them became leading figures in their fields.

Although the Shen family’s children didn’t follow the traditional academic path, admission to American-Leading High still proved Shen Guiling was far above his peers.

The old master raised an eyebrow.

“So the carefully raised one at home is rotten to the core, while the casually raised one outside is a genius? You’re quite good at raising children.”

Shen Qian had nothing left to say.

“Dad… please forgive me this time.”

The old master thought for a moment and waved his hand.

“Call that child over. Let me take a look.”

Shen Qian finally let out a breath of relief. He pushed himself up from the ground.

“Yes, Dad. Please wait a moment.”

With that, he limped out of the courtyard.

The boy in the courtyard was still admiring the flowers. When Shen Qian approached and spoke to him, he lifted his head, his eyes showing a hint of surprise as he looked toward the pavilion.

The boy’s gaze was clear and pure—untainted, the kind only youth possesses.

The old master lowered his eyes silently, slowly rubbing the purple sandalwood dragon-headed cane in his palm.

“Dad.” Shen Qian led Shen Guiling into the pavilion. “This is A-Ling.”

Shen Guiling lowered his head respectfully. “Old Master.”

Shen Zhuang first glanced at Shen Qian, then shifted his gaze to Shen Guiling. “Raise your head. Let me take a look.”

Shen Guiling lifted his head. His features were clean and refined.

Shen Zhuang’s eyes narrowed slightly. His tone remained calm. “He does look like promising stock. From a distance just now, my old eyes were failing me—I almost thought A-Xi had returned.”

Shen Lanxi was the legitimate grandson of the main branch. Among all his grandchildren, the old master favored him the most. Mentioning Shen Lanxi at this moment clearly meant he was satisfied with Shen Guiling.

The stone in Shen Qian’s heart finally settled. “Dad, does that mean you agree?”

The old master waved his hand. “No rush. Go kneel in the Buddhist hall at the back first. I still have a few questions to clarify.”

Shen Qian paused awkwardly and glanced at Shen Guiling, but since the old master had spoken, he didn’t dare object. Before turning away, he lightly patted Shen Guiling’s shoulder and left the pavilion.

After Shen Qian left the courtyard, the old master slowly spoke again. “What’s your name?”

“Shen Guiling.” The boy’s voice was clear, steady, and unhurried.

The old master nodded, looking more satisfied the more he observed him. “How old are you?”

“Fifteen.”

At this age, he should already understand most things he needed to.

Shen Zhuang asked, “Did you hear what I discussed with your father just now in the pavilion?”

Shen Guiling hesitated slightly, then nodded.

Shen Zhuang continued, “Then what do you think about it?”

The gentleness in Shen Guiling’s eyes finally cracked. His entire demeanor turned cold. “That woman killed my mother. What do you think I should feel?”

It was a rather disrespectful answer, but Shen Zhuang didn’t mind. To him, this was the normal reaction. If someone faced their mother’s killer without any emotion, he would instead suspect ulterior motives.

Shen Zhuang nodded. “I don’t care what you think. But if you want to enter the Shen estate, you must abide by one rule…”

Shen Guiling remained expressionless.

“Shen family forbids internal conflict. The Shen family has stood firm in Country A for a century because of this rule. If you want to be part of the Shen family, you must obey it.”

Shen Guiling lowered his gaze, his emotions unreadable. “Why? Yao Ge committed arson and murder. Why are you protecting a murderer?”

Shen Zhuang shook his head, speaking with gravity. “Family honor outweighs everything. If one day you reach my position, you will make the same choice.”

Shen Guiling asked, “So in your eyes, nothing is more important than family honor?”

Shen Zhuang slowly rubbed the dragon head of his cane. As if remembering something, his gaze darkened. “Of course there is.”

That answer made Shen Guiling pause slightly.

Shen Zhuang quickly returned to himself and looked at the boy. “So? Have you decided?”

A faint, mocking curve appeared on Shen Guiling’s lips. “Do I even have another choice? If I leave the Shen estate, I won’t even be able to keep my life.”

Shen Zhuang shook his head. “The Yao family is powerful, but not powerful enough to touch a child of the Shen family. Your father hid your existence and your mother’s affairs very deeply. I only learned about you through the Nanwan arson case. You’re still a child—adults’ mistakes shouldn’t be borne by you. So regardless of your answer today, I will not allow the eldest daughter-in-law to act recklessly.”

Shen Guiling frowned slightly. “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

Shen Zhuang said, “There’s an old saying: ‘It is better to offend an old man than a young one with potential.’ I can see you are different from other children. If you rise, your future will be limitless. So I must make an agreement with you before your wings fully develop. Of course, I won’t force you to abandon your mother’s revenge in exchange for family honor. That would be unfair to you. As compensation, I will raise you by my side. As long as you do not harm the family’s interests, the Shen family will be your support. At the same time, if you still cannot let it go, I will arrange a new identity for you and let you leave all this turmoil behind. But one day, if you return on your own strength to seek revenge, the Shen family will treat you as an enemy and eradicate you with full force. Do you understand now?”

Shen Guiling’s eyelids lifted slightly. A clear, wavering light stirred in his eyes, reflecting Shen Zhuang’s solemn face.

At that moment, a breeze drifted through the hall, causing the budding purple peony in the courtyard to bend gently.