The Bustle of Home (continued)

Si Jingyu understood why the other party was angry, but didn't take it to heart. Instead, she provoked further, saying with a half-smile, "Oh, isn't this the future young patriarch of the Si Clan? It seems you've matured a lot in just one year. It looks like you've gained experience from Lineage affairs. Congratulations, congratulations indeed!"

"How delightful--"

Seeing that there were other people present, Si Huaruo finally managed to swallow the last word, suppressing her anger as she said, "You left so carefree, forcing me to take over as the acting young clan leader. Do you know how much I've suffered this past year? Every day is just official business, official business, official business. Forget about drama practice, even my cultivation time has been squeezed out. What's worse, before you left, you actually left two months' worth of official business unfinished! Did you know you could just walk away and deliberately leave me with this mess?!"

"Oh dear, that's really unfair. I don't have the ability to predict the future, how could I have foreseen such an accident? But consider this a kind of training. You must have had a very fulfilling year, which is truly enviable. Unlike me, I just lie in a chair and waste my life sunbathing every day. Occasionally I go out for a walk to see Otherworld Domain scenery, but I gain nothing. My life is so decadent, and I've even gained several pounds. I need to work hard to lose it when I get back." Si Jingyu had a look on her face, as if she had gotten the better deal but was still being smug.

Si Huaruo knew the other party was intentionally provoking her, but her anger still surged. "So that's how it is... I've asked the Lineage spirits several times to tell you to come back soon, but you've made excuses to avoid it. You were just trying to take the opportunity to be lazy and extend your vacation..."

Si Jingyu swiftly opened her flower fan, covering her mouth with a laugh, and said, "I admit that what I did was wrong. As compensation, I will give up my bid for the next clan leader and fully support you in fulfilling your mother's wish. By the way, let's start by removing the 'acting' title from your title and making you the true young clan leader."

Si Huaruo immediately bristled, her golden hair standing on end. "Who cares! If you're really sorry, then hurry up and take back the position of young clan leader! I don't want that kind of thing!"

"Oh dear, to actually refer to the position of the young clan leader as 'that kind of thing' is quite careless. Such remarks can severely hurt the feelings of the clan members. As the designated next clan leader, you still need to hone your social skills."

"If I hurt their feelings, who will take care of mine? They're all so greedy and insatiable. I've had enough of dealing with so many things every day. What's the point of the Lineage owning so many shops? Are we already overwhelmed with so many businesses? Shrink our business empire and focus on one thing!"

"Doesn't the expansion of the Lineage's influence prove that your efforts have paid off? With great power comes great responsibility. Don't see the Lineage business as a burden; treat it as a cause you're striving for, a way to hone your abilities. That's how you'll discover the joy in it."

Si Huaruo lowered her head, her fists clenched and trembling, and said in a low voice, "It's been a year, and your ability to infuriate people has improved by leaps and bounds... Hmm, I should have realized sooner that you can't communicate with someone like you peacefully. Let me see if you've neglected your martial arts training since then!"

When their conversation fell apart, Si Huaruo angrily struck out with her palm, the force of which could split stone tablets. However, she disdained a sneak attack and gave a special reminder before making her move.

Si Jingyu used her fan to precisely strike Si Huaruo's wrist, using a Flow-Deflecting Art the force of her palm strike to the side, causing rocks to fly everywhere.

Si Huaruo didn't care that her move failed. She would only start to think about whether there was a trap if Si Jingyu could even withstand the first move. She immediately closed in and unleashed a series of Hundred Beasts Illusory Dance Palm.

Si Jingyu chuckled, tossed his fan to Si Shuiyun behind him, and unleashed the Moon-Reflecting Palm with both hands. The palm technique was elusive and unpredictable, with a touch of Daoist School cloud hand. After parrying several moves, he had already stuck Si Huaruo together, preventing her from using her full power.

Si Huaruo was shocked. Originally, Divine Arts were her forte, but she was not as good as Si Jingyu in close combat. However, she had been working hard for the past year, practicing martial arts diligently, and with the guidance of a famous master, she had made rapid progress. She thought that Si Jingyu had been slacking off for the past year and would definitely be surpassed by her. She did not expect that the other party's skill in using energy was even better than before, reaching a level of subtlety, and his control was extremely precise and meticulous.

Si Jingyu's left hand undulated like waves, leading Si Huaruo's right hand in a large circle. At the same time, a powerful spiral force pulled Si Huaruo's left hand along. The two forces alternated continuously, one circle after another.

Si Huaruo tried to move away to escape, but was tightly entangled. The two fought and moved, and in the blink of an eye they were already a hundred feet away, but they still couldn't break free.

"You're lying to me again. Your martial arts skills have clearly improved by leaps and bounds, yet you said you were just being lazy and sunbathing, trying to lure me into your trap."

"Hey, you're wronging me again. I have indeed wasted most of the past year, but only ordinary geniuses need to work hard to become stronger. Those who can become stronger without effort are peerless geniuses—their talent is too high, and I'm helpless about it." Si Jingyu continued to speak teasingly and provocatively.

In fact, she didn't make much progress in martial arts. The real reason was that she had cultivated Dustless and Stainless Glazed Pure Body, and the power of her soul also enhanced her intuition, allowing her to sense changes in force more subtly and make targeted adjustments.

"Hmph, you think I'd believe that? Don't think you're the only one making progress."

Suddenly, Si Huaruo formed a sword with her fingers, gathering a sharp Sword-Ray at her fingertips. She silently slashed across, forcing Si Jingyu to retreat. Then, she pointed her finger to the sky, her face showing anger. Her anger merged with the Sword Qi, plunging straight into the clouds, and the wind howled in all directions.

"Pointing the halberd, glaring angrily, I cleave the crimson clouds!"

The familiar moves instantly reminded Si Jingyu of her life-or-death battle at the Lu Lineage Manor, and she exclaimed, "It seems that senior has reconciled with the ancestor."

She knew that her ancestor had faked his death. As long as her ancestor was willing to come forward and explain what happened back then, the conflict between the two could be resolved. After all, they were both practically dead, so what was there to be upset about? Considering that Shi Muyan had been plagued by enemies all her life and had never had a successor, she would inevitably feel guilty after reconciling. It wasn't hard to guess what would happen next.

"That's right. Senior Shi also instructed me to definitely get my money back from you. Are you prepared to fail again?"

"Ha, you only won by luck once, and you've become so arrogant. It seems I need to remind you of the days when you lived in my shadow."

Si Jingyu knew that if she used her old tricks, her weakness would be exposed. So she used her divine soul to activate her True Qi, and lightning flashed at her fingertips. This was the "Lightning Tribulation Finger Calamity," the ultimate technique of the Glazed Temple.

Sword Qi energy clashed with finger energy, their forces intertwined, and the remaining force exploded, decimating the small grove on the island and creating waves ten feet high that crashed onto the shore. Even the onlookers could feel the vibrations. Both sides were thrown back a hundred paces by the overwhelming impact, their meridians throbbing with pain.

Upon Murong Qing remarked with a serious expression, "I thought that the Si Clan, as the legitimate lineage of the Shaman School, would be fond of acrobatics and focused on dance rather than martial arts. I never expected them to have such a martial spirit, exchanging martial arts techniques even when they meet. No wonder the Si Clan has been able to Xiongba."

Hualiu nodded in agreement, saying, "Although the two of them held back somewhat, this restraint was at most enough to avoid seriously injuring their opponent. When it came to attacking vital points, they showed no mercy, which is already very close to real combat."

Si Ming awkwardly wiped his sweat, not clearing up the misunderstanding, but instead saying, "That's right, it was just a normal martial arts sparring match, everyone don't need to mind. Let's send a telegram to our families first to let them know we're safe."

After much persuasion, they finally managed to get everyone to leave; otherwise, with outsiders present, the two sisters might have fought without holding back.

After staying at the Water Mirror Manor for three days, Si Ming refused the Si Clan's repeated attempts to persuade him to stay. With a letter of recommendation from a professor who was said to be very famous in the academic world tucked in his pocket, he boarded the True Qi Train home.

"Wow, what an amazing metal monster! It can transport so many people at once!"

When she saw the train, Hualiu showed a shocked expression. As a general who had led troops in battle for many years, she knew very well what such a powerful transportation capacity represented, not only the speed of troop deployment, but also the timeliness of message transmission.

If the Barbarian Continent also possessed the same level of technology, I fear that apart from the top-tier Monster Race, the other Monster Race would have no place to survive, and their territory would shrink by half. In particular, the newly formed Monster Race would be wiped out by swarms of martial arts masters as soon as they appeared.

A strong transportation capacity is a major characteristic of industrialization.

While the speed of a train may seem insignificant to the strong, the speed of an army's advance is usually judged by the slowest group, much like the shortest plank in a barrel. Although the Monster Race are all elites, their walking speed is comparable to that of human cavalry, and still falls short of that of a train, not to mention their endurance. Trains don't tire as easily as living creatures.

Once inside the train, Hualiu stopped exclaiming in amazement, but he opened his eyes wide to look around at the unique human landscape of industrial society; everywhere he looked, there were heads.

Although it's not the peak season for students or migrant workers, the space is still crowded and not very spacious, similar to China in the 1980s. All sorts of large and small items are being moved inside, and there are still people in the connecting areas between the carriages.

Of course, this level of passenger flow is already quite good; at least there won't be a commotion of shouts, curses, and apologies every time someone gets up to use the restroom. You know, when trains are really crowded, you can cry from holding your pee.

As for the kind of Duan Yu used to cheat by drinking alcohol and then urinating by expelling the alcohol with his internal energy, that's something most people can't do; you'd need at least a level six Internal Cultivation.

Fortunately, Si Ming and his companions were seated in first class, avoiding the need to squeeze with ordinary passengers. It's worth noting that in Su State, anyone with money can ride in first class, but in the Nation of Beauty, money alone isn't enough; only the nobility are qualified to sit there. Otherwise, it's better to leave it empty. After all, the power of large Lineage is deeply entrenched in the Nation of Beauty, and the people are already accustomed to differential treatment, so no one objected.

It wasn't until she was seated in the luxurious armchair that Hualiu came to her senses. Remembering how she had been mocked for being a country bumpkin on the way there, and the astonished look on the other person's face when they saw her enter the first-class carriage, her face flushed slightly. Si Ming, "This subordinate has disgraced my lord."

She saw some novel things at the Water Mirror Manor, but since Water Mirror Manor is a traditional ancient building passed down from generation to generation, what she saw were just some trinkets. They were interesting, but not surprising. After all, there were many wealthy families in the Barbarian Continent, and their architectural styles were not much different.

Although the people of the Sea Continent consider Water Mirror Manor a symbol of power, even if you are willing to pay an exorbitant price, you may not be able to buy a similar ancient house.

Si Ming comforted him, "It's alright, the first time is inevitable. You'll get used to it after a while. But Su State's industrial level is more advanced than that of the Nation of Beauty, so you should be mentally prepared."