22 Stupid Friends

"Hey, hey, don't make a racket here." Manager Xin quickly stopped the two of them before they could start fighting. Both of them have decent martial arts and Wei Liuying specifically specialize on defense, making her capable to prolong the fight and exhaust her opponent's stamina.

Shi Yan humped. His sore spot has always been his face. It was not his decision to be born with this feminine face, alright!

"Still angry?" Wei Liuying asked with a faint smile.

"No," Shi Yan replied and sighed. "You finally smile again. Is there something bad that occurred in Wei Household to make you look so solemn like an old man."

"That's my natural face."

"So natural to the point that you wore that face constantly?"

Wei Liuying resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "That's why it's called natural, Idiot Young Master Shi."

"… Let's get out and have a bout."

"Not on the street. It'll be a huge disgrace if you lose to a much younger woman in terms of martial arts and knowledge."

Shi Yan's face turned ugly. He turned around to look at Manager Xin. "Quick! Help me to fend off this evil woman!"

Manager Xin shook his head. "That's not possible."

"Manager Xin, charge Young Master Shi ten times the price of the volume 4."

"Got it."

"No!" Shi Yan wailed. He might be a successful merchant with several chain stores, but it didn't mean that he wanted to waste so much money just to buy the book. "You're so ruthless, Liuying!"

"20 times."

Shi Yan: "…" fine, you win.

Wei Liuying smiled when she saw Shi Yan's defeated look. She met him three years ago in this small store because he was trying to study. At that time, she had just made the first book and wanted to try her luck with Manager Xin. Shi Yan was close with Manager Xin, so he also peered into the content.

The two of them got into an argument and Shi Yan lost terribly because of his lack of knowledge. He accused her of cheating, but when he heard her real age, he was speechless.

Since then, he would come to this store occasionally on weekends and the two of them continued their bout in debate. Once, their debate escalated into a fight and it was at that time Shi Yan realized that Wei Liuying could also fight. He respected her more and often asked for her help in study too.

This small store was the only place Wei Liuying could relax. The two of them would never meet outside this store as they acted as if they didn't know each other. But in this place, they acted without care about each other's background.

"What's the book this time about?" Shi Yan changed the conversation as he glared at Wei Liuying. Her smug expression didn't look fit on her face.

Wei Liuying corrected her expression and returned back to her normal neutral face. "It's Han Shi Kingdom's North area History."

"History?" Shi Yan peered at the manuscript, but Manager Xin moved away.

"I need to copy this first lest you destroy it with your rough hand."

Shi Yan: "…"

"Young Master Shi, you also come from the north, so I want to know your view too," Wei Liuying said unhurriedly while Manager Xin was already busy preparing some bamboo scroll. He needed to copy the manuscript by hand.

"Why don't you visit the north if you wish to know more about the history? There are more people who lived there, and I'm sure that you can compile better books," Shi Yan complained.

Wei Liuying's eyes flickered. If only it was possible, she also wanted to do that. However, it was impossible for her to leave her own residence with her status. All she could do to gain knowledge was simply by reading books that her mother provided her to help her brother's study.

"If I have the chance, I'll visit the north."

"When that happens, I'll bring you to meet my sister," Shi Yan said with a grin. "She has been very curious when I told her about you."

Wei Liuying looked at Shi Yan. "Did you return back to your hometown?"

"I did. A few times, in fact. If you can ride a horse, it's just a few days' journey. Besides, I only visit the capital city a few times in a year to check on my stores," Shi Yan replied calmly. "This time, I will come to meet my old friend too, though."

"Old friend?"

"Yeah. He's my customer, friend, and also teacher," Shi Yan said calmly. "I can't tell you who. It's a secret."

Wei Liuying nodded. She understood that each of them have a secret. The only reason why they could maintain this relationship was simply because they didn't try to peer deeper into each other's life. All they talked in this place was mostly about books and some unrelated manner.

It was then Wei Liuying recalled something. "May I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Is there anyone with the surname Yang who served Prince Ji Sheng?"

"Yang?" Shi Yan was surprised. "Are you talking about Yang Xian?"

"Yang Xian?"

"He's not that known here, but in the north, he's famous. Yang Xian is Prince Ji Sheng's right hand and also the strategist in many battles. He was once an orphan that Prince Ji Sheng took under his wing, but he slowly rises to become a noble through military achievement."

Normally, one could only become a noble by academy examination. But since it was the time of war, there were some exceptions made. One of them was the promotion through military achievement.

Wei Liuying was thoroughly surprised. She didn't know that there was actually another talented person by Prince Ji Sheng's side.

It seemed she had to be more careful when she walked out next time.