23: Are You Abandoning Your Fiancée?

Though life here was peaceful and lacked the dangers of the outside world, Shen Yifei's heart grew cold. He detested this kind of existence.

He glanced at his watch. It was already nine in the evening.

A sudden pang of emotion stirred within Shen Yifei. The expensive watch on his wrist, the clothes he wore – all were gifts from his junior sister (a term for a female fellow apprentice or disciple who joined after him).

In this world, she was perhaps the only woman who truly cared for him.

As for Su Muqing, trying to elicit genuine concern from her was harder than reaching for the sky. Shen Yifei was growing weary; the gap between his ideals and reality was simply too vast.

He pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello, Xiao Lian, where are you right now?" Shen Yifei asked, his voice calm.

His junior sister’s (Yi Lian) given name was Yi Lian, and Xiao Lian was her affectionate nickname. Shen Yifei rarely addressed her this way, which made his sudden change of address today noteworthy.

"What's wrong, Senior Brother (a term for a male fellow apprentice or disciple who joined before him)? Has something happened?" Yi Lian frowned, her voice tinged with worry from the other end of the line.

She understood Shen Yifei’s personality well. When her senior brother spoke to her in such a somber tone, it usually meant he was in a bad mood.

"Nothing. Just tell me your location. I’ll come find you first thing tomorrow morning," Shen Yifei stated indifferently.

"What?! Why are you coming to find me? Are you abandoning your fiancée?"

"Stop with the nonsense. Just tell me where you are."

"No! You have to tell me why first!" Yi Lian retorted, pouting.

Shen Yifei was at a loss. What could he do when his junior sister was so stubborn?

"Alright, I’ll call you later and explain. I need to go back and pack my things first."

With that, Shen Yifei hung up the phone.

Su Muqing was in the driver's seat, and she had naturally overheard everything Shen Yifei said.

She had always assumed Shen Yifei clung to her because he liked her. She never expected him to be so decisive, ready to leave at a moment's notice.

"Are you really leaving?" Su Muqing raised a graceful eyebrow.

Shen Yifei frowned. "As you wish."

Su Muqing saw the impatience on his face. A flicker of confusion crossed her mind, and she bit her lip, asking, "Shen Yifei, since you knew nothing could happen between us, why did you agree to this ridiculous engagement with my grandfather in the first place? Are you and my grandfather… hiding something from me?"

"Since I’m leaving anyway, there’s no harm in telling you," Shen Yifei sighed.

Just as he was about to reveal everything, Su Muqing’s phone suddenly rang.

"Excuse me, it’s my grandfather’s call." Su Muqing said to Shen Yifei, then picked up her phone and answered.

"Hello, Grandfather, you’re coming home? Okay, yes, I’ll be back with Shen Yifei right away."

After hanging up, Su Muqing calmly said to Shen Yifei, "My grandfather is coming over tonight. You can tell him yourself later."

"Alright," Shen Yifei responded, his mood sour seeing the woman’s cold demeanor.

When they arrived at the Yuhe Mountain Villa Estate, the two had barely stepped out of the car.

Before they even reached the villa’s entrance, an elderly man in a black suit emerged to greet them, accompanied by a middle-aged bodyguard.

The old man was Su Muqing's grandfather, Su Yunshan, the CEO of Tianrong International and a renowned business magnate.

Su Yunshan, with his full head of white hair, looked vigorous and spirited. He smiled and shook Shen Yifei’s hand. "Xiao Lang, have you been comfortable these past few days? My granddaughter hasn’t caused you any trouble, has she?"

"It’s been fine, just fine," Shen Yifei replied with a forced smile, thinking, *Your granddaughter doesn't even treat me like a person, how could I be comfortable?*

Su Muqing was puzzled to see Su Yunshan’s attitude towards Shen Yifei, which seemed even more cordial than his usual demeanor towards her. She couldn’t fathom why her grandfather was so exceptionally polite to this junior.

"Hello, Elder Su," Shen Yifei returned the polite handshake with Su Yunshan.

"Xiao Lang, let me introduce you. This is my bodyguard, A Fei," Su Yunshan said with a smile.

The man in the black suit standing beside Su Yunshan was exceptionally tall and robust. His temples were streaked with grey, indicating he was past middle age, yet he exuded immense vitality. His expression was stern, and his footsteps were steady, giving off an incredibly formidable aura.

Shen Yifei glanced at A Fei and noticed the man’s hands were remarkably rough and calloused.

*Interesting. Has this person practiced Iron Sand Palm (a martial arts technique focused on hardening the hands, often by striking sand or iron filings, to deliver devastating blows)?*

Iron Sand Palm is a rare hard-body cultivation technique that integrates offense and defense. Martial practitioners who train in such arts develop incredibly rough hands but possess tremendous internal force, capable of crushing hard stones with their bare hands.

*This person’s skill is commendable, but still merely third-tier.* This was Shen Yifei's assessment of him.

A Fei cast a disdainful glance at Shen Yifei, a flicker of contempt in his eyes. He seemed to doubt Su Yunshan’s earlier words.

Su Yunshan had claimed Shen Yifei was a super expert, but A Fei thought Shen Yifei was too young, at most a mere greenhorn. How could he possibly be an expert?

A Fei found it hard to believe and couldn't help but want to test Shen Yifei's abilities.

"Mr. Shen, hello!" A Fei stepped forward, extending his right hand.

"Hello," Shen Yifei reached out and shook his hand.

The next moment, Shen Yifei’s expression subtly changed. The instant their hands clasped, he felt a sudden, immense force emanating from A Fei's palm.

*A contest of grip strength? I’m happy to oblige!*

Shen Yifei secretly chuckled, subtly increasing his own force.

Their hands were firmly clasped, both men subtly exerting their might against each other.

Soon, A Fei’s expression shifted. Shen Yifei’s strength was somewhat beyond his expectation.

In just a few seconds, Shen Yifei’s power had already matched A Fei’s, and it was still increasing.

A Fei’s face grew strained. He was using every ounce of his strength, beads of sweat dotted his forehead, his old face flushed red, yet despite straining with all his might, he was still at a disadvantage.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

A few crisp sounds of bone straining echoed. A Fei couldn't hold on any longer.

"Haha, Mr. A Fei, please excuse my presumption," Shen Yifei immediately released his grip, smiling faintly.

A Fei's face was a little embarrassed. Given the previous trend, if the handshake had continued, his hand would have been injured. It was clear that Shen Yifei had held back.

"Mr. Shen, I have to admit defeat. My apologies, I was the one who was presumptuous." A Fei's gaze at Shen Yifei now held a trace of reverence.

Having trained in Iron Sand Palm, he had never encountered a young man with such immense grip strength. It seemed Su Yunshan was right; this young man was truly extraordinary!

Su Yunshan had observed the entire scene and, of course, understood what had transpired. A faint smile played on his lips, and he became increasingly satisfied with Shen Yifei.

*Indeed, my benefactor’s (a term for one who has given significant help or saved someone's life) disciple is truly an exceptional individual!*

Su Muqing, who had been completely at a loss, interjected, "Don’t just stand outside. Let’s go inside and talk."

The group entered the villa’s main hall.

"Elder Su, are you here to see me about something?" Shen Yifei asked Su Yunshan.

Su Muqing frowned delicately, thinking, *Who do you think you are? Why would Grandfather travel all this way just for you? He’s obviously here to see me.*