C8 The Secret in the Password Box

Shen Yong was taken aback too; he hadn't anticipated his father's grip to be so formidable.

But he quickly came to understand.

Though his father had aged a bit, he was still just in his fifties.

Years of hard manual labor had aged his appearance beyond his years, yet it had also built up his strength.

And now, that strength proved useful!

"Don't worry, Dad! Keep calm! At worst, he's got a severe concussion. There's no risk to his life!"

Shen Yong reassured his father while he helped Zhao Erhu to his feet and checked his pulse, quickly assessing his condition.

Shen Wanshan's slap, while it looked severe, hadn't caused Zhao Erhu any internal damage.

It had merely left a vivid, blood-red handprint on Zhao Erhu's chubby cheek.

Shen Yong pinched Zhao Erhu's philtrum.

Zhao Erhu snapped back to consciousness, looking at Shen Wanshan and Shen Yong with fear. Internally, he lamented, wondering why both father and son had such powerful hands.

"Dad, how's your hand? Is it hurting?"

Shen Yong inquired.

Shen Wanshan examined his calloused, slightly withered hands and responded, "My hands are fine! I actually feel a lot better after giving him that slap!"

"Dad, you still owe him one more slap! Keep going until you've had your fill!"

Shen Yong encouraged, "If he so much as twitches, I'll take him down!"

Zhao Erhu, freshly roused, panicked at the prospect of another slap from Shen Wanshan. Sweating profusely, he hastily pleaded, "Uncle Wanshan, please no more! I admit my mistake! I shouldn't have hit you! Forget about the fifty thousand; thirty thousand will suffice! Pay it back whenever you can!"

Truth be told, Shen Wanshan's earlier slap had already purged his anger, and he had no desire to hit Zhao Erhu again, lest he feel remorse.

That's the nature of an honest man; unless pushed to the brink, he doesn't seek vengeance against those who've wronged him.

Instead, he aspires for peaceful coexistence.

"Erhu! Since you've made that promise in front of everyone, you've got to keep your word!"

Shen Wanshan gestured dismissively, "Stand up! I've no desire to slap you again. The thirty thousand yuan I owe you will be paid back after we've sold this season's ripe peaches."

"Thank you, Uncle Wanshan!"

With that, Zhao Erhu cast a timid glance at Shen Yong.

Without a word from Shen Yong, he didn't dare to rise.

"My dad told you to get up! What are you waiting for, scram!"

Shen Yong's voice was icy.

"Yes! We're going! Right now!"

Zhao Erhu hurried to his feet, signaling to Zhao Dabiao and Zhao Sangou. Together with the youngsters, they beat a hasty retreat.

"Everyone, please disperse! No need to crowd around anymore! Our Shen Yong has been ill, and we'd like some time to enjoy a family reunion," Xie Yun called out.

As the excitement died down, the onlookers dispersed.

Inside, the Shen family of three came together.

Shen Wanshan and Xie Yun couldn't stop smiling as they looked at their son, now back to normal, their joy uncontainable.

"Dad! Mom! I overheard some of the villagers calling me a pig-raising soldier! What's that all about?"

Shen Yong inquired.

"Well..."

Xie Yun trailed off, hesitant.

"If your mom doesn't want to talk about it, I will," Shen Wanshan interjected. "Don't feel ashamed! There's nothing wrong with tending to pigs. The two who brought you back filled us in on your army days!"

"Ah? What exactly did they say?"

Shen Yong was taken aback.

"They claimed you were feeding pigs in the army, slacking off at night, sleeping in the pigsty, and got trampled by pigs when you fell! You've even got the scars to prove it," Shen Wanshan explained.

Hearing his father's words, Shen Yong froze in shock.

He scratched his head, frowning slightly, and questioned inwardly, "Trampled by a pig? Are these gunshot and knife wounds on my body really scars from a pig's hoof?"

However, Shen Yong's lips curled into a knowing smile as he suddenly grasped the underlying reason!

During his time in the service, the man with the dark, weathered face would often berate them as a bunch of "stupid pigs" to push and motivate them!

The absurd story about being trampled by pigs was clearly a tall tale concocted by the man to conceal his true identity.

With this realization, Shen Yong felt a sense of relief wash over him.

"Ah! Yes! Pig farming! That's what I did in the army—I raised pigs!"

Shen Yong nodded, feigning a touch of embarrassment.

"Yong, don't feel down! No matter what role you served in the military, I'm proud of you!" Xie Yun encouraged.

"By the way, those two men brought a safe with them! But they didn't give us the combination, saying it contained your personal items. They said that once you're well, you'll remember the code! Here, let me get it for you."

With that, Xie Yun went into the inner room and retrieved a black safe from the large cabinet where the blankets were stored.

Holding the safe, Shen Yong was stumped. How was he supposed to know the combination?

Moreover, he wasn't even sure what personal items were inside!

"Dad, Mom, just give me a moment! I'll go to my room and check," Shen Yong said.

Shen Wanshan and Xie Yun, aware that many military matters were highly confidential and not to be disclosed even to family, let Shen Yong retreat to his room.

In his small side room, Shen Yong found everything just as he had left it five years ago when he departed for school. Yet, it was all impeccably clean, undoubtedly the result of his mother's diligent care.

As he placed the safe on the bed, a thought struck him—could the Big Black Face have set the army code as the combination?

The army code was etched into their memories; they might forget their own names, but never their unit's number. And that code was sacrosanct—they'd never reveal it, even under duress.

Acting on a hunch, Shen Yong punched in his unit's code and, to his relief, the safe clicked open.

Inside, there were five items:

An intelligence disability certificate, a top-class medal of honor, a Black Dragon Gold Card, a White Blade Flying Dagger, and a photograph of a girl!

The Intelligence Disability Certificate was issued to Shen Yong by the military after he suffered a cognitive decline.

He was awarded the Special Merit Medal in recognition of his distinguished service in the military.

The Black Dragon Gold Card is no ordinary bank card.

It bears no account number, only the image of a golden dragon.

Despite showing a balance of zero, it can be used to make payments of any amount without requiring a PIN.

Yet, the card has its limitations; it cannot be used to withdraw cash, and every transaction is closely monitored.

Shen Yong's signature weapon, the White Blade Flying Dagger, is crafted from a special memory titanium alloy and features an integrated micro-fingerprint recognition chip.

When not in use, it doubles as an elegant bracelet on his left wrist.

With a simple touch from his right thumb, it transforms into an "S"-shaped Waning Moon Flying Dagger.

Designed with aerodynamics in mind, the blade can return to the thrower along its original path after traveling a hundred meters.

The White Blade Flying Dagger is lethal, yet it never retains a drop of blood.

Shen Yong once vanquished a hundred thousand foes, the bloodshed turning the snow-capped mountains crimson, but his dagger remained immaculate.

Now back in his hometown, Shen Yong has little use for the White Blade. Moreover, he has vowed to the Mountain Peach Golden Immortal that he will not take another life.

He longs to wear it on his wrist again, but after a moment's hesitation, he sets it aside.

Casually, Shen Yong picks up a photograph.

It depicts a girl with long black hair and slanted bangs, adorned with a pink headband, seated on a bench beneath a cherry blossom tree, engrossed in a copy of "Military Affairs" magazine.