102: Extraordinary Declaration

Shen Xiaochuan stood at a high vantage point, lightning flashing above his head.

His clothes were gone, and his body was covered only by a layer of light.

Purple patterns moved beneath his skin, as if they were alive.

He looked down at the city below; it was brightly lit.

He jumped down.

The wind was strong, making his ears ache.

He quickly approached the ground, stopped ten meters above the roof, and landed lightly without making a sound.

Below, there were people everywhere.

The Old Craftsman knelt on the ground, his hands supporting him.

Lolia was prostrate, her hair clinging to her face.

An auntie who had been buying groceries held her child, her forehead pressed against the stone.

Everyone kept their heads bowed, not daring to move.

"Everyone, get up."

Shen Xiaochuan's voice was not loud, but everyone heard it clearly.

No one moved.

"I said, stand up."

He walked down from the eaves and jumped onto a flagpole to stand.

"Who told you to kneel? When did I ever say I wanted you to kneel to me?"

Someone looked up for a second, then immediately lowered their head again.

Shen Yan stood at the front, his fists clenched tightly, wanting to speak but not daring to.

"Listen," Shen Xiaochuan looked at everyone, "We do not worship Heaven or Earth; we only need to rely on ourselves."

"I have become stronger today, but this is not the end; it is the beginning."

"You can also become stronger. As long as you don't admit defeat and keep fighting, one day you will be able to stand higher than me."

He pointed at Shen Yan: "You, come here."

Shen Yan was stunned for a moment, then slowly walked over.

"Tell me, should I let you kneel?"

Shen Yan shook his head: "You shouldn't."

"Why?"

"Because... the knees of a Huaxia man cannot be bent."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded: "Correct. We do not kneel to Heaven or Earth; we only rely on ourselves to stand tall."

"I have become stronger today, which is not the end, but the starting point. You can do it too. As long as you are willing to work hard, you need not fear reaching even higher places."

He opened his hands: "Learn from me, be like me, surpass me. That is what I wanted to say."

Everyone was silent for a few seconds.

Then someone stood up.

Then a second, and a third.

The Old Craftsman stood up with his cane, and Lolia wiped her face and also stood up.

The auntie handed her child to someone else and straightened her back.

Shen Yan suddenly knelt on one knee, not to worship, but to swear an oath.

He looked up and said loudly: "I, Shen Yan, from today on, will definitely become stronger, never stopping until death!"

Shen Xiaochuan looked at him, his lips twitching slightly.

"Good. Then don't stop."

After saying this, he turned, jumped back onto the roof, pushed open the door, and went inside.

As soon as he entered, he smelled a fragrant aroma.

Lilith and Lilia were busy in the kitchen.

The pots were hot, and the oil was sizzling.

They heard the noise and turned around, and were shocked to see Shen Xiaochuan covered in wounds, draped only in a layer of light.

"Sir!" Lilith ran over, "Are you injured?"

"I'm fine," Shen Xiaochuan waved his hand, "I'm hungry. Cook, the more the better."

Lilia asked, "What kind of meat should we cook?"

"Whatever you have. Beast meat, pork, fish, eggs, cook it all. Stewed, stir-fried, deep-fried, boiled, take turns."

Lilith's eyes widened: "How much do you want to eat?"

"I don't know. I'm extremely hungry right now, and no matter how much I eat, I can't get full."

The two did not dare to ask more and quickly got to work.

Lilia cut the meat, Lilith lit the fire, and they used three pots at once.

The first pot of braised pork was ready in ten minutes; Shen Xiaochuan sat at the table and grabbed it with his hands, swallowing it in one gulp.

"More."

The second pot was fish soup; when it was served, he drank three large bowls in a row, not even spitting out the bones.

Next came fried chicken, roasted sausages, steamed eggs, and stir-fried vegetables, one plate after another.

Shen Xiaochuan's face was covered in grease, and he didn't care that the corners of his mouth were split, just focused on swallowing.

He ate with his left hand, tore meat with his right, his cheeks bulging.

While stir-frying, Lilith snuck a look and whispered to Lilia: "If he eats like this, won't something happen to him?"

Lilia shook her head: "I don't know. But his eyes are still empty, which means he's not full yet."

The third round brought the main dishes. A whole roasted lamb was brought in; Shen Xiaochuan used a knife to chop off a leg, crunching loudly as he gnawed on it.

Next was stewed snake meat, stir-fried beef liver, and braised pig head meat; the two took turns cooking without stopping.

An hour later, Lilith's hands were shaking.

She spilled half the soup while ladling it. Lilia took over the spatula and also started sweating.

Both were exhausted, their clothes soaked, their faces covered in cooking fumes.

But Shen Xiaochuan was still eating.

The table was piled with bones and empty plates, and new rice was brought up, covered with three layers of meat.

"Can you still cook?" he asked, looking up.

Lilia panted: "Yes... we can still cook."

Lilith gritted her teeth: "The last pot of soup will be ready soon."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded: "You've worked hard."

As soon as these words were spoken, their eyes reddened.

They continued to work, simmering a pot of ginseng chicken soup with Spiritual Plant roots, stewing it for twenty minutes.

Just as the soup was served and Shen Xiaochuan was about to reach for it, he suddenly stopped.

He looked at their backs.

One was leaning against the stove, the other was squatting and wiping sweat, both of their shoulders were trembling.

"That's enough," he said, "I won't eat anymore."

Lilia turned back: "But you're not full yet..."

"I'm full," he interrupted, "Eighty percent full is enough. If you keep going, you'll collapse from exhaustion."

He put down his chopsticks, took the copper gear pendant from his bosom, wiped it, and hung it around his neck.

"Go get some rest. Work as usual tomorrow, but you don't need to rush so much."

The two didn't move.

"Still not going?"

Lilia said softly: "We want to finish making this bowl of soup."

"Then finish it," he sighed, "But this is the last time I will eat this much. In the future, cook according to portion, don't exhaust yourselves."

They nodded, ladled the soup out, and placed it in front of him.

Shen Xiaochuan picked up the spoon and slowly took a sip.

As the hot soup entered his stomach, he felt his body stabilize. The Thunder Force inside him stopped rampaging, and his energy calmed down.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Opening his eyes, the lightning in them had faded.

He looked out the window.

Dawn was approaching, and gray light shone on the eaves.

The lights in the city were still on, but the people had dispersed.

Shen Yan was still standing in the center of the square, not having left. He looked up at the Main Hall, standing very straight.

Shen Xiaochuan did not call him.

He turned his head back and continued drinking the soup.

After finishing the last bite, he put down the bowl.

"Clean up," he said, "I'm going to take a bath."

He stood up and walked toward the bathroom, patting Lilia on the shoulder as he passed the kitchen.

"You did very well."

She looked up and smiled, tears falling down.

Shen Xiaochuan didn't look back and opened the door to go in.

The water was running.

He took off the layer of light and stepped into the water. Black grime flowed down his body, and the water turned murky.

He scrubbed three times, changed the water three times, before finally coming out.

Changing into clean work clothes, he dried his hair. He returned to the table and sat down, waiting for the sisters to finish up.

Lilith turned off the fire, and Lilia wiped the stove. The two moved slowly but didn't stop.

After the last pot was washed, Lilia leaned against the sink for a moment before straightening her back.

"That's enough," Shen Xiaochuan said, "Go to sleep."

They responded and walked toward their room, supporting each other.

The door closed.

The Main Hall quieted down.

Shen Xiaochuan sat still, listening to the wind outside.

A rooster crowed in the distance.

He looked down at his hands.

Lightning was still flashing in his palms, moving around his fingerprints. He clenched his fist, then relaxed it.

At this moment, there were footsteps outside the door.

Very light, but they had come.

He looked up.

The door was pushed open a crack.

Shen Yan stood outside, covered in sweat, his chest heaving.

"I... I want to know," his voice trembled, "How do I train? Where do I start?"

Shen Xiaochuan looked at him.

He didn't speak.

He stood up, walked to the door, and closed it.