Swallowing the Stars: The Wind Sword Master.

Chapter 70 Shu Heng, riding high on success

The second day of the new year.

early morning.

Ning Ze drove Shu Yi to his father-in-law's house.

As soon as the two entered the door, the mother-in-law, Yu Lan, happily welcomed them in.

"You guys arrived so early? I thought we'd have to wait until eight or nine o'clock."

"We only had a few days off, and we have to leave on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. I have to visit my two uncles and also my comrades. We probably have to leave this afternoon."

Ning Ze replied with a slight apology, while turning his head to look into the living room. Grandpa Shu was watching TV there, and his brother-in-law was chatting with another boy of about the same age. He didn't see the snobbish father-in-law.

Seeing that Grandpa Shu had turned around, he quickly called out, "Grandpa." He then handed the things in his hand to Yu Lan and walked inside.

"Ning Ze is here. How's your training going lately?" Shu Hongjing was very happy and also very curious about the training camp.

"Brother-in-law."

"Brother-in-law," both boys called out.

Ning Ze patted the two of them on the shoulder and replied with a smile, "Not bad, steady progress."

"I've never known, Ozawa, what kind of organization is your training camp? Why do you only get a few days off for the Lunar New Year?"

Yu Lan was very happy after putting the things down. A gift worth 30 million was no small sum. The fact that she could spend so much money on a gift showed that Shu Yi had not suffered any hardship in her life.

Hearing this, Ning Ze was taken aback. He turned to look at Shu Yi, his eyes seeming to ask, "You haven't told them yet?"

When the two got married, they were told not to talk about their talents, but after going to the training camp, are they still keeping it a secret?

Shu Yi smiled brightly, a dimple appearing on each side of her pink face, giving her a cunning look.

She gestured towards Shu Hongjing with her lip, as if to say, "It's not up to me; Grandpa won't let me say it."

"Young people have their own things to do, why are you asking this?" Shu Hongjing spoke up decisively at this moment, his tone critical. Yu Lan had no choice but to give up. She was just a little curious, as her family was not short of money now.

"Where did he go? He's been gone since early this morning. Didn't he know Xiaoze was coming today?" Shu Hongjing's tone wasn't very friendly. The "he" he was referring to was undoubtedly Shu Yi's father.

"The HR manager, Mr. Sun, invited him for drinks, saying there was some business to discuss," Yu Lan replied honestly.

"Hmph! Discussing business on the second day of the Lunar New Year, no manners at all!" Shu Hongjing scolded.

Yu Lan certainly didn't dare to talk back. What she really wanted to say was that the family business was on the rise, so it was fine to be a little busy during this period.

Turning his head, Shu Hongjing's expression softened again. "How long will you stay this time? When will you graduate?"

"It will take at least half a year, and I'll graduate around that time," Ning Ze replied thoughtfully. After half a year, when his strength surpasses that of the God of War, he will naturally be able to graduate.

At that time, the trial room will still be somewhat effective, but the gravity room will probably be useless to him.

He doesn't have many rivals in the base city, and the inspectors probably don't have time to fight him, so he can only go to the wilderness to hunt king-level monsters. Since he's hunting monsters, he might as well stay at home than stay in the training camp.

"A year? That fast?" Shu Hongjing was a little confused. He had heard that training at headquarters would take at least three to five years, and after three to five years, one would emerge as a strong person. How could it be over in just one year here?

Yu Lan pursed her lips. "That's fast? They've only been married a few months before leaving again. They came back for the New Year, but left again after only a few days."

"I cultivate faster," Ning Ze replied with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Shu Hongjing's face lit up with joy. He turned around and said, "Why don't you two take this opportunity to ask your brother-in-law for some pointers? He's a martial arts genius; you don't get to see him easily!"

"Brother-in-law, what's your strength now?" Shu Jie's eyes lit up. His brother-in-law's strength had always been a mystery. No matter how he asked, his sister wouldn't say, and his grandfather was even more mysterious. He was very curious.

"Just consider him very strong!" Ning Ze smiled but didn't give a precise answer.

The other boy next to him, the child of Shu Yi's second uncle, seemed a little depressed. He didn't seem to like Ning Ze very much. But in this family, he had no right to speak. If he dared to disobey the old man, he would definitely be scolded. He hadn't even seen his father recently and didn't know where he had been sent. He was also a little scared.

Shu Jie pursed his lips, rolled his eyes, and said, "Brother-in-law, my talent is no less than yours. I'm almost 600kg in my second year of high school, and I'll weigh 750kg by the time I graduate. I'm going to become a martial artist when I'm a freshman in college!"

"Hahaha..." Ning Ze hadn't reacted yet, but Shu Hongjing burst into laughter instead. "Then you'd better work hard!"

Ning Ze patted Shu Jie on the back and said with a smile, "Come on, let's go outside and practice. Strength isn't just about talking."

Shu Jie walked out the door in a huff, Ning Ze followed behind, and Shu Qing also went out together.

Seeing that everyone had left, Shu Hongjing, looking like a playful old man, darted around with his eyes and quickly waved for Shu Yi to come over.

"Grandpa, what's wrong? Why are you being so mysterious?" Shuyi found it quite amusing.

Shu Hongjing asked in a low voice, "What's that kid's strength now?" He was incredibly curious, but since his family was there, he didn't want them to know for the time being.

Shu Yi's smile brightened again, and she winked mischievously, "Grandpa, guess."

Shu Hongjing scratched the back of his head and tentatively asked, "Intermediate-level general?"

Shu Yi shook her head with a smile, as if to say that you guessed wrong.

"A high-ranking general?" Shu Hongjing's eyes widened in surprise.

Shu Yi shook her head again with an adorable expression, but remained silent.

This terrified Shu Hongjing. His lips trembled slightly as he asked, "Could it be a low-level War God?"

He felt it was impossible. He could tell from the other name of the elite training camp: "War God Reserve Team". Since it was a reserve team, it was obviously not the War God.

Ning Ze said he would graduate in a year, which meant he would become a War God in a year. He was still a high-level general, but Shu Yi didn't say that, so he could only ask for this seemingly impossible answer.

Shu Yi shook her head with a smile on her face and said softly, "It's getting close."

Shu Hongjing suddenly realized that being "somewhat close" meant being "somewhat close" to a beginner-level War God.

The old man said unhappily, "You little brat, you're still trying to fool me. Isn't this just a high-level warrior?" Then he chuckled and said, "That's right, this kid is indeed talented. He's improved his strength by one level in just a few months."

Shu Yi froze for a moment, then, recalling their conversation, she realized what had happened and immediately covered her mouth, chuckling to herself.

"If you say so, then it is." After saying that, she blinked, looking deliberately mysterious.

Shu Hongjing was a little depressed. What does it mean to be trapped by one's own actions?

He was afraid that Shu Heng would embarrass him, and his father-in-law was obsequious to his son-in-law, so he had been hiding Ning Ze's whereabouts from his family. Since there were no martial artists in their family, it was easy to keep the truth from them.

The result was quite the opposite. He had kept it a secret from his family, and now Shu Yi was keeping it a secret from him directly. This felt really bad. At most, Shu Heng would just be clueless, but he felt like he had cat claws scratching at his heart.

Outside the courtyard.

Ning Ze was instructing Shu Jie in his cultivation. As for the other Shu Qing, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the two were enemies, so he couldn't be bothered with him.

"Punch decisively, without hesitation..."

"Everyone's body structure is different, and this standard movement is not 'standard' either. What you are learning is the technique, how to mobilize the power of your whole body to throw this punch. You are too rigid about the form right now. You can try to punch however you feel comfortable. That way, your punching power can be increased."

"Once you find that feeling, keep practicing until you develop muscle memory. If you exert force in the same way every time, you will naturally know how to punch, how to redirect your power to other parts of your body, and then integrate it all. Every attack in combat will contain the power of your whole body. Further, you will learn how much power to use and what effect to achieve, and completely control your body... until you reach a completely new level."

Just as Ning Ze was training Shu Jie to make continuous progress, a Mercedes-Benz SS500 stopped not far from the villa. A middle-aged man with ruddy cheeks got out of the car. He was wearing a black formal suit, with a black briefcase tucked under his arm, and walked forward with a beaming smile.

"Dad," Shu Jie called out.

"Uncle." Shu Qing's voice was somewhat annoyed. He felt uncomfortable seeing Shu Jie's progress. But Ning Ze ignored him, so he naturally didn't dare to speak.

"Dad." Ning Ze smiled in a formulaic way.

After being greeted three times, Shu Heng snapped out of his daydreams about the company's soaring success. He gave a low hum and said in a affected tone, "I'm here. When did you get here?"

"I arrived at seven o'clock," Ning Ze replied simply.

"Fine, you can play with Xiao Jie here." Shu Heng didn't say much, and walked into the villa with an arrogant air, his head held high enough to see the air defense system overhead.

Ning Ze's expression was somewhat strange.

It seems... the reason the Shu family's business is so good is because he entered the elite training camp, which not only protects them but also ensures the stability of their business and even provides support.

Grandpa Shu must know about this, so is it really okay for him to act like a successful person now? How can the old man tolerate him like this?

inside the room.

Shu Yi whispered something in Shu Hongjing's ear, and the old man's eyes widened and widened until they seemed to pop out. His mind was buzzing, repeating the same phrase over and over: "Ning Ze is a mid-level War God." "Ning Ze is a mid-level War God!"

"Bang!"

The villa door suddenly opened, startling Shu Hongjing. Looking closely, he was furious and yelled, "How old are you? Opening the door with your feet? Don't you have hands? Get out! Come back in!"

This reaction startled Shu Heng. He had been somewhat emotional, after all, Shu Yi and Ning Ze's marriage had caused him to be beaten twice and lose face, so he had unconsciously kicked the door when he entered.

But having to go out and walk through again after you've come in seems a bit excessive, doesn't it?

"Dad, I'm already in here. If I leave now, where will I put my face?" Shu Heng said reluctantly, with a pleading look in his eyes. He had already given in.

"Get out." Shu Hongjing's voice was very calm, but those who knew him well knew that he was already a little angry.

Shu Heng wanted to persist a little longer, but Ning Ze was outside, and it would be a real loss of face for his son-in-law to laugh at him. He could only say in a low voice, "I'll be more careful next time. I am, after all, the chairman of a group now. Please give me some face."

Shu Hongjing scoffed, "You?"

Their company has been doing very well for the past three months, with orders coming in almost endlessly. They've even started to diversify into other areas of business, and the company has evolved into a conglomerate.

Previously, he could only speculate, feeling that someone was helping them with their business. But he saw how hard Shu Heng worked for the company, and with that dedication, he tolerated Shu Heng being a little unruly.

Now that he heard Shu Yi mention Ning Ze's strength, he knew perfectly well that his family's improved business was due to someone's favor, all in order to establish a relationship with Ning Ze.

In his mind, the God of War was basically the pinnacle; legend had it that there was only one being in China who surpassed the God of War. Now, his grandson-in-law was already a mid-level God of War, and so young at that—they were incredibly fortunate! That's why people came to curry favor with him.

When Shu Hongjing thought about it again, he felt very uncomfortable.

Why?

The company is doing so well that Shu Heng is extremely busy; the key point is this "busyness".

Judging from his previous demeanor, he must have been obsequious and flattering in public before he managed to close the deal.

Actually... their family doesn't need it at all!

It's obvious that other people are doing business with them to curry favor, but Shu Heng is begging them like that, which is really embarrassing!

It's not just a disgrace to the Shu family, but also to their grandson-in-law.

This man still believed that he had done the business because of his own abilities, so Shu Hongjing naturally disliked him. He was both angry and amused. Seeing that Shu Heng still hadn't left, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

"I'm afraid of losing face if I tell him the truth, and I'm afraid of losing face if I don't tell him the truth. How did my son turn out like this?"

Shu Heng couldn't bear that look. He was a grown man; being hit once was embarrassing enough, but twice! Any more would be unbearable. He could change without being hit!

"Okay, I'll go out. I'll go out!"

Shu Heng, carrying his briefcase and bending over, walked outside. Seeing his spineless appearance, Shu Hongjing shook his head and sighed. He was such a grown man, and his daughter was about to give birth. If he had been a little more assertive and upright, he wouldn't have to be in charge of the household at his age.

The door closed gently.

Meeting Ning Ze's smiling gaze, Shu Heng thought he didn't know the reason, so he coughed twice, "Ahem, what does Xiao Ze want to eat? I'll have your mother prepare it."

"Stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork? I like this." Ning Ze was about to burst out. He was the God of War, and he could hear him clearly even if he spoke from 500 meters away.

This father-in-law is truly hilarious.

"Okay, I'll have your mom make it for you." Shu Heng replied in a pretentious manner, shrugged his shoulders to adjust his posture as he entered the house, and muttered to himself, "Make it for you, make it for you, make it for you." His expression was a little fierce, but it eventually turned into helplessness. He gently pushed open the door and went in, putting on a smile.

Ning Ze smiled slightly. He didn't want this person getting involved in anything important, but he was quite amusing, and Ning Ze didn't mind. After all, he was calling him "Dad," so it wouldn't be long before he did.

He turned his head away.

Shu Jie diligently practiced the basic fist techniques, which were the best fist techniques for martial artists to train their bodies. They were universally used across the globe, and Ning Ze had also practiced this technique before.

Ning Ze's tone became much sterner, "Put some effort into it. If you don't have any strength when you're practicing your punches, how much power do you expect when you're hitting a punching bag or fighting a monster? You can't fool yourself when it comes to your training."

Shu Jie's eyes hardened considerably as he gritted his teeth and threw punch after punch, each one delivered with all his might!

(End of this chapter)