Chapter 256: Chapter 147: Qingyao’s Support

Chen Cheng had no desire to continue this pointless banter, but Shen Qingyao seemed fixated on the question. Looking him in the eye, she asked faintly, "You said I look a lot like Shen Qingshuang. In that case, tell me... which one of us is prettier?

You must be honest. Don’t favor her just because you know Shen Qingshuang better.

And don’t even think about trying to fool me with lies. I might not have any special talents, but I’m an expert at reading people.

I’ll know if you’re lying just by looking into your eyes."

’To think that Shen Qingyao, a direct heiress of the Shen Family—one of the Four Great Clans of the Inner City—and hailed as one of the Twin Beauties of Linji City, would act as willfully as the young lady of any common wealthy family.’ This came as quite a surprise to Chen Cheng.

When a woman asks if she’s prettier than another, the answer she wants to hear is, of course, that she is.

If Shen Qingyao had asked him to compare her to Mu Xiaowan, Chen Cheng would have declared his wife prettier without a second thought, and he would have been telling the truth.

But Shen Qingyao and Shen Qingshuang were so evenly matched in appearance, so close in rank, that it was impossible to choose.

After a moment’s hesitation, Chen Cheng could only shrug and try to dodge the question:

"Miss Qingyao, we who cultivate the Martial Dao should be focused on improvement and dedicated to our training. As for our ’skin bags’? They’re just our outward appearance. They aren’t important, and there’s certainly no need for comparison."

"What you say is true, of course, but Shen Qingshuang and I have already compared our Martial Arts Power. I reached the Small Success in Bone Forging Realm before her, so naturally, I’m a little stronger."

At the mention of Martial Arts Power, Shen Qingyao held her head high and puffed out her chest, looking rather smug. Still, she refused to let the matter drop. "You just need to tell me which of us has the superior looks and disposition. That’s all.

You can’t change the subject again. Coincidentally, I’m wearing women’s attire today, a purple, cloud-patterned uniform, and I’m also carrying a longsword. I’m dressed almost exactly like Shen Qingshuang, so it should be easy to compare."

"Sigh... very well, I’ll take another look." Chen Cheng let out a soft sigh and resigned himself to carefully observing the somewhat haughty and willful young miss of the Shen Family.

In terms of looks, Shen Qingyao and Shen Qingshuang were known as the Twin Beauties of Linji City. Both possessed skin as smooth as polished jade and were rare, peerless beauties of national renown.

Moreover, they were full-blooded sisters, practically cast from the same mold, making comparison impossible.

In terms of disposition, Shen Qingshuang was cold and distant, possessing an icy, aloof beauty. Shen Qingyao, on the other hand, was as radiant as a peach blossom and as clever as a fleeing hare, possessing a lively, spirited beauty. This, too, was impossible to judge.

’Fine. Since I have to be honest, I’ll just compare them based on my own preferences.’

With that thought, Chen Cheng looked for an answer from a different angle.

Shen Qingyao and Shen Qingshuang were about the same height, both possessing long, firm, and slender legs. They both seemed to be wearing chest bindings or Inner Armor, but the curves were still quite distinct. However, Shen Qingshuang’s ’assets’ seemed a bit more... substantial.

"Senior Sister Qingshuang is a bit fiercer," Chen Cheng said with a straight face.

"She’s had that icy look since she was a child, of course she’s fierce!" Shen Qingyao pouted. But then she noticed where Chen Cheng’s gaze was resting and suddenly understood. A blush crept onto her pretty face.

"Hmph, that’s only because I usually wear men’s clothes..."

Her words were little more than a whisper, nearly inaudible. Shen Qingyao lifted her chin with a huff and began to wander about the Chen Family courtyard, inspecting her surroundings.

Shen Qingyao was a guest, after all, so Chen Cheng felt it wasn’t his place to rush her.

"Hm, everything is so neat and tidy. Not bad. Just like it was before."

Shen Qingyao remarked casually as she strolled about the courtyard.

Chen Cheng, however, was curious. ’I don’t recall ever inviting her to the Chen Family estate.’

Shen Qingyao turned around, a grin playing on her lips as she read his expression. "You’re curious why I said that, aren’t you?

Oh, well, I doubt you could guess. This estate used to be the villa where Shen Qingshuang and I would spend our summers. As children, we came here often to admire the beautiful view of Jishui Lake from the rear terrace."

As she spoke, she started toward the rear courtyard, muttering to herself, "Shen Qingshuang must think very highly of you, to actually give you this villa."

Chen Cheng didn’t know how to respond. He was essentially living in her property for free; anything he said would sound inappropriate.

Just as the two of them entered the rear courtyard, they saw Xi’Er and Dong’Er squatting by the garden, their little bottoms in the air as they teased some sparrows. Except for when Chen Cheng was Cultivating Martial Dao, the Chens’ rear courtyard was always full of flocks of birds.

There seemed to be even more birds today. In addition to the usual flocks of noisy, chattering sparrows, Xi’Er had somehow managed to attract a pair of egrets.

The egrets were quite proud. When Xi’Er offered them minnows from the wooden basin, they refused to eat from her hand, insisting on dipping their long beaks into the basin to peck at the fish themselves.

"Hey, you two have to behave! No messing around, or I’ll give you a smack!"

"That’s right! We’ll spank your bottoms if you don’t listen!"

...

"Heh, your two little maids are quite amusing." Shen Qingyao found the scene delightful, her beautiful eyes sparkling. "How come Qingshuang and I never thought to attract egrets to play with when we were children?"

Chuckling, she walked forward, looking as though she wanted to join Xi’Er and Dong’Er in their game.

Seeing a stranger approach, the birds all scattered into the air, but they were reluctant to fly far and simply circled overhead.

Xi’Er and Dong’Er scrambled to their feet and scampered over to offer their greetings.

"Greetings, Master."

Xi’Er was twelve this year, and her features were growing more delicate and lovely by the day.

Dong’Er, at nine years old, still had an adorably naive and childish face.

After paying their respects, the two girls hid behind Chen Cheng, furtively peeking out to size up Shen Qingyao.

"This is Miss Shen, Shen Qingyao. Now, hurry and pay your respects."