A Show of Favor and Might

Meng Ke covered her mouth, her eyes wide open.

"Honey, you're amazing! When will I be able to train like you?"

"That depends on how much effort you're willing to put in."

Shen Jingchuan pinched her cheek:

"However, you can't just keep practicing like crazy; you need to balance work and rest. Remember, no more than six hours of practice a day, don't overdo it."

"Yes, I've got it."

"Just do what you need to do during the day, and meditate and cultivate at night. It's just like taking a nap, it won't interfere with anything."

Meng Ke nodded obediently, then suddenly remembered something:

"Oh, right, there's something I wanted to tell you."

"You say."

"It's the kind of pills you gave my mom and me last time. We both took them, didn't we?"

Meng Ke carefully considered her words:

"I'm fine, not too much of a change, but my mom... she doesn't look much like my sister anymore, and everyone around her has noticed something's wrong. A few days ago, Professor Wen even called me, I don't know where he heard it from, but he asked me why my mom had changed so much."

"What did you reply?"

"I said I didn't know." Meng Ke shrugged.

He said he didn't mean anything by it; he's just a doctor who's really curious about this kind of thing and wants to know what's going on. He also said that if it's inconvenient for me, he won't ask, but if possible, he'd like to learn about it so he can benefit more people in the future.

Shen Jingchuan didn't rush to speak, but he understood perfectly well what was going on.

It's obvious. It's most likely that Old Elder Yang has been looking after Meng Ke and her daughter for him. He was originally entrusting them with their safety, so it's impossible that they didn't notice such a big change.

Professor Wen's phone call was full of nice words about medicine and benefiting people, but it wasn't hard to guess his true intentions—he also wanted a piece of the pie and some benefits.

Shen Jingchuan thought for a moment and realized that his only real weaknesses on this earth were Meng Ke and her mother; he had no other ties.

With his current cultivation level, there is almost nothing in this mortal realm that can threaten him. It's not like they would drop a missile just for someone like him—he hasn't provoked anyone, and he has no intention of making enemies of this world.

So there's no need to hide from this.

He already had a plan in mind: simply giving people whatever they wanted was a bad strategy, and would only make them look down on him;

First, find an opportunity to show off a little, so they know their place and have a sense of awe. Then, take the opportunity to give them some incentives and curry favor with them.

A combination of firmness and leniency, a balance of kindness and severity, is the best way to achieve the desired outcome.

He bought six of those pills in total. He gave two to Meng Ke and her daughter, and had four left on him. It wasn't that he couldn't afford them.

Having thought it through, he picked up his phone and dialed Professor Wen's number in front of Meng Ke.

The phone rang only twice before being answered, the voice conveying a warm and flattering tone.

"Oh, Mr. Shen?" Professor Wen's voice rose a few decibels. "It's so rare, so very rare. It's not easy to get a call from you."

"Meng Ke told me that Professor Wen is quite interested in the recent changes in her mother." Shen Jingchuan leaned back in his chair, his tone indifferent.

The person on the other end of the phone, fearing he might misunderstand, quickly explained.

"Mr. Shen, please don't overthink it, please don't overthink it!"

Professor Wen said repeatedly:

"I was truly acting with the intention of pursuing knowledge and treating patients. This is truly amazing! I've practiced medicine my whole life, and seeing this makes me incredibly eager to learn a trick. I can guess that this must be your method. If you would be so kind as to share your knowledge, it would be an immense blessing for me."

"I understand if it's inconvenient for you. This is definitely a closely guarded secret of yours, and I would never dare to force you to share it, absolutely never."

Hearing his impeccable and polite words, Shen Jingchuan nodded inwardly. Such a person, who knew his place and knew when to advance and retreat, was worth continuing to associate with.

Where are you now?

"I'm in the courtyard you often visit," Professor Wen said quickly.

"Elder Yang is here too?"

"Yes, yes, he's playing chess with Elder Li and Elder Wang in the courtyard."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jingchuan thought it was perfect. Several influential people had been gathered together. On this trip, he could show off his skills and give some gifts to those who needed them, thus resolving the issue all at once.

He immediately said, "Professor Wen, I'll be right there. We can talk about it when we meet."

"Alright, alright! We'll be waiting for Mr. Shen."

After hanging up the phone, Shen Jingchuan took out the four Life-Extending Pills, put them into four small porcelain bottles, and then put them back into his Storage Ring.

"Come on, Xiao Ke, let me show you off."

"Showing off?" Meng Ke blinked.

"Yeah, to put it bluntly, it's just—showing off."

Meng Ke raised her hand and patted his arm.

"Don't speak so vulgarly."

Shen Jingchuan laughed heartily, put one arm around her waist, and released a flying sword with the other. The sword flashed and landed in front of her feet, hovering in mid-air.

He pulled her up and stepped onto the platform together. Caught off guard, Meng Ke cried out in surprise, wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, and pressed herself against him.

He deliberately slowed down when he started, afraid of startling her. Once he was steadily in the air, he checked his direction and spoke gently.

"I'll gradually increase the speed, don't be afraid."

He didn't dare fly too high, because flying too high would only draw attention;

It's better to slow down and increase the speed, so that even if ordinary people on the ground look up, they will at most see a flash of light, which will disappear in the blink of an eye. They won't even have time to take a picture, and it won't cause any trouble.

Let's go!

The sword light suddenly accelerated. The two places were both at the foot of West Mountain, less than ten kilometers apart. In less than half a minute, the person was already above the courtyard.

Shen Jingchuan suppressed the sword light and slowly descended.

In the courtyard, Professor Wen had just hung up the phone and came to find Elder Yang to tell them that Shen Jingchuan was coming. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard a ripple of air above his head, accompanied by the sound of wind.

He subconsciously looked up and froze—in mid-air, Shen Jingchuan, with Meng Ke in his arms, was descending slowly on a sword.

Over at the chess stall, three elderly men, Elder Yang, Elder Li, Elder Wang, were playing chess when they also noticed something amiss. It was as if a gust of wind had suddenly swept them over, and they all turned around to look at this scene.

Shen Jingchuan landed steadily in the courtyard, a few steps away from them. With a flash of sword light, the flying sword vanished without a trace.

He nodded slightly to Professor Wen, then turned to Elder Yang and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Elder Yang, it's been a long time."

Elder Yang stared at him blankly, unable to come to his senses for a long time.

He had lived for over eighty years and seen all sorts of storms and strange things, but at this moment, he was still deeply shaken.

He had only ever heard of such things in legends, and it was nothing like the illusions in movies or wire work. This was a real, tangible fall from mid-air.

Elder Li and Elder Wang, standing to the side, were also quite shocked. However, all three of them had spent the majority of their lives in high positions and were highly cultivated. Although their faces showed some emotion, they managed to keep their composure and did not lose their composure on the spot.

Elder Yang's throat bobbed, and he stammered twice before managing to get back to the point.

"Young Friend Shen..."

He quickly stood up, greeted them repeatedly, and reached out to pull Shen Jingchuan along:

"Oh dear, really... Please, please have a seat!"

The group moved to a nearby pergola, where tea tables and tea sets were set up. Elder Yang personally gestured for them to sit, and even Meng Ke was not left out.

"Xiao Meng, come on in, sit down with us, sit down with us."

Meng Ke was secretly puzzled. She recognized Elder Yang; although the old man had been polite to Shen Jingchuan before, he had ultimately treated him as a junior.

But now, his words and expression clearly indicated that he was on equal footing, and even subtly looked up to him, as if the person standing in front of him was an extraordinary master.