"Teacher, is this all you wanted to see me about today? If that's the case, I'd better leave. I think you're wasting my time."
Shen Rong clearly ignored Li Boyang's words.
Mr. Li Boyang sighed. He knew that ordinary methods wouldn't work with Shen Rong; he had to resort to his trump card. A slight smile appeared on his face as he extended a hand, saying:
"Put your hand in the teacher's hand, and the teacher will tell you why you can't be with the teacher."
Shen Rong glanced warily at Li Boyang, wondering what tricks he was up to, and slowly placed her delicate hand in Li Boyang's palm.
"It's so cold to tear it."
The moment Shen Rong touched the teacher's palm, she felt a chilling coldness spread through her hand and quickly pulled it back.
Seeing Shen Rong's puzzled expression, Li Boyang said calmly, "This is due to my cultivation of the Nine Yin Manual. The coldness in my body will only get worse and worse, and ordinary people simply cannot withstand it. Do you understand?"
Li Boyang didn't use the usual methods to reject her. He knew that it wouldn't work on a girl like Shen Rong who liked to dwell on things, so he used facts to tell Shen Rong that the two of them were not in the same world and that a future together was impossible.
In fact, Li Boyang lied. The reason his body was in this state was due to the influence of the Nine Yin Calamity. Once the Nine Yin Calamity was dealt with, he would immediately return to normal.
"I don't believe it, teacher. You must have tampered with it."
Shen Rong gripped Li Boyang's hand again, enduring the chill, and refused to let go.
Li Boyang looked at her calmly and let Shen Rong hold his hand.
Five minutes later, Shen Rong's face was deathly pale, clearly unable to withstand the chill, yet she still gritted her teeth and persevered.
Ten minutes later, Shen Rong released Li Boyang's hand. He knew his teacher hadn't lied, and a look of despair appeared on his face. He truly couldn't be with his teacher and fell silent.
Li Boyang just watched without saying a word. He knew that Shen Rong was struggling with this situation and that she would be fine once she accepted it.
"I can also practice martial arts."
Fifteen minutes later, after a moment of silence, Shen Rong revealed a resolute expression and spoke for the first time ever.
Shen Rong stubbornly said, "Teacher, teach me martial arts so I can withstand the chill emanating from you."
Even now, she stubbornly believes that as long as she can withstand the teacher's chill, she can stay with him.
“I can teach you.”
He knew Shen Rong's personality; she wouldn't give up until she hit a brick wall, and she wouldn't give up until she reached the Yellow River.
Li Boyang then asked, "But can you withstand the pressure from your father?"
This is a very heavy statement, but it is very realistic.
Just as a glimmer of hope appeared, Shen Rong was plunged into despair once again. She knew what her teacher meant; in reality, her father had already told her more or less that she was of marriageable age.
"teacher"
Shen Rong suddenly looked at Li Boyang pleadingly.
"As long as your teacher is in this world, you are free to make your own choices. That's the only thing your teacher can guarantee you."
Li Boyang sighed. He knew what Shen Rong meant. After Shen Wansan realized that he had no feelings for Shen Rong, he had already begun to arrange a partner for her.
Shen Wansan was a shrewd businessman through and through. After Li Boyang, his first choice for a son-in-law, disappeared, he was already looking for a suitable ally to become his next partner.
He already had several candidates in mind, but now it seems that Hu Chunxue is the most promising candidate, after all, the Shen and Hu families are old friends.
"Thank you, teacher."
Two tears appeared on Shen Rong's cheeks. After slowly finishing her teacher's ceremony to Li Boyang, Shen Rong suppressed her sobs and ran out of the study.
"That's fine, it was bound to happen sooner or later, so it's better to come sooner rather than later."
Li Boyang breathed a sigh of relief and sat down in the chair.
After today, his ambiguous relationship with Shen Rong will come to an end. He has no regrets. This is better for both of them. If this ambiguous relationship continues, Shen Rong will be the one who gets hurt in the end.
Just as Li Boyang cruelly rejected Shen Rong, several fine horses galloped in from outside the Shen residence, led by none other than Zhu Yuanzhang.
7***
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Chapter 139 Zhu Yuanzhang Seeks Talented Individuals
*** Zhu Yuanzhang, mounted on his horse, said to Liu Bowen, who was half a body length behind him, "Strategist Bowen, why is your teacher still living in the Shen residence? Isn't that being a dependent?"
"The teacher's relationship with the Shen family's daughter is somewhat ambiguous, which may be the reason."
After Li Boyang returned to Jinling, Liu Bowen told Zhu Yuanzhang about his teacher's return. Little did he know that just moments before their arrival, Li Boyang had confronted Shen Rong about his past.
"If we personally visit him, will we be able to persuade Master Boyang to come out of seclusion?"
Upon learning of Li Boyang's return, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately canceled all his other commitments for the day and came to visit him. Accompanying him were his right-hand men, Chang Yuchun and Xu Da. He was full of anticipation for this visit to the wise man.
Beside Zhu Yuanzhang, Chang Yuchun said casually, "Don't worry, my lord. If Mr. Boyang is unwilling, I will tie him up and take him back."
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately reprimanded, "Shut up, and don't be disrespectful in front of Mr. Boyang later."
Others may not know, but he does. If Chang Yuchun dared to confront Master Boyang head-on with his terrifying martial arts skills, he would probably be utterly crushed by Master Boyang.
Liu Bowen sighed and said, "It's difficult. My lord, you'd better not have too high expectations."