Above the Galaxy
Chapter 274 - 184: There’s a Thief! _2

Chapter 274: Chapter 184: There’s a Thief! _2

Shen Boyu waved his hand and said, "A single flower does not make a spring, a garden full of flowers brings the spring to bloom. If others aren’t allowed to, but only we are... wouldn’t that become a privilege? We cannot do such a thing, it would draw criticism. If everyone does it together, a garden full of flowers, that would be beautiful."

"I didn’t expect Grandpa to still have such childlike interests."

"Old child, old child, people, as they age, aren’t they just like children?" Shen Boyu said with a laugh. "You young people have the energy and vitality, thinking you have plenty of time to waste and wanting to conquer the stars and the sea... We just think about holding onto this bit of land we have."

"Grandpa, you’ve already done very well, the Shen family’s reputation is illustrious, ranked as the foremost among noble families... All this is the precious wealth you elders have left us."

Shen Boyu shook his head and said, "Others might not see it, but don’t you know the truth? A tall tree catches the wind. How did the Shen Family come to power? We waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood..."

"When the Tang family fell, the Shen family rose. But now, hasn’t the Shen family become another Tang family? In recent years, the person at the top has been making big moves in the military, placing his confidants and people from several other families... Suppressing some, pulling in others; this person’s tactics are much cleverer than his predecessor’s..."

"There’s also a rumor lately, some people say your great-grandfather has been the Military Minister for too long and should be moved to another position to shake things up... What do you think they’re trying to do? Strike the snake at its severest part? Capture the king first to capture the thieves?"

"Grandpa, we are not thieves," Shen Xinglan spoke up to correct Shen Boyu.

"You are still too young," Shen Boyu said with a smile. "Not thieves now, but when they decide to capture you, you will be. Whether you’re a thief or not, isn’t that up to them to say?"

"I understand. ’Give a dog a bad name and hang him.’"

"If your great-grandfather is moved from his position, wouldn’t that leave us leaderless? Can we still rely on our people in the army? Won’t they immediately lean towards another mountain? With no reliable people left, won’t we be just bare commanders then, at their mercy?"

"Why, even though the Shen family has remained low-key and restrained, never showing off, are we still so envied?"

"It’s because of power. You gain a bit, and they lose a bit. You lose a bit, and they can gain a bit. As long as you hold it, you become their greatest enemy."

"You must have thought about a way to break this situation, right?"

"No," Shen Boyu said bluntly. "The only way out is to give up everything, but can we? Dare we? After giving up, is there still a way to survive?"

Shen Xinglan looked thoughtfully at Shen Boyu and said, "So, Grandpa, the purpose of calling me back is?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just got a can of fine tea and wanted to share it with you. Among all the children at home, it feels most comfortable to drink tea with you... The other kids are either dull or too clever by half... drinking a good tea with them feels tasteless."

"Thank you, Grandpa." Shen Xinglan raised his tea cup, using the tea as a substitute for wine, toasting Shen Boyu.

"What for? It’s already not easy for us old folks to have you young people listen to our ramblings..." Shen Boyu raised his tea cup and drained it in one gulp, then said, "But I heard that something interesting happened at White Crane Academy in the last few days?"

"I knew Grandpa came for this," Shen Xinglan said with a smile. "Indeed, it did."

"Who do you think did it?"

"Not quite sure..." Shen Xinglan shook his head.

"Not quite sure... that means you already have a suspect in mind, right?" Shen Boyu said with a chuckle.

"Tang Fei," Shen Xinglan said directly. "Grandpa, you’ve met him."

"Tang Fei?" Shen Boyu’s expression faltered, asking, "Why suspect him? Is there any evidence?"

"No, just intuition..." Shen Xinglan said aloud. "You know, my feelings rarely mislead me."

"Tang Fei..." Shen Boyu chewed on the name and said, "It’s a mess, my mind’s a mess... I thought through several possibilities, but never would it be him... Why? On what basis?"

"I also can’t figure it out, hence it’s just a suspicion..." Shen Xinglan said.

"But, a little chaos can be good. When there’s trouble at one’s own home, they won’t always be focused on whether others have an electrical leak."

"Does Grandpa want to get involved?"

"We’ll see the timing," Shen Boyu said. "It’s not time to make a move yet."

He paused, then continued, "But, this Tang Fei is indeed an interesting person. Surprisingly, you two ended up becoming fellow apprentices... The connections in this world are really indescribable."

"Master calls this the catfish effect."

"Ha, does Xuanyuan Mingjing value this young man so much?" Shen Boyu exclaimed.

Looking at Shen Boyu, Shen Xinglan said, "Grandpa, don’t you also think highly of him? When he visited, you couldn’t stop praising him."

"Thinking highly of and valuing are not the same," Shen Boyu said. "This kid carries a bandit’s air, daring to say what others won’t, daring to do what others can’t... perhaps he really can carve out a piece of the sky for himself."

Shen Xinglan lowered his head to drink his tea, smiling without a word.

Anyway, he would never be that catfish.

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Ever since Tang Fei tasted the benefits from the "Netherworld Scroll" Sword Manual, he had devoted most of his thoughts and time to it.