Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chapter 165 Things change and people change
Chen Yuan was shocked and asked, "Chen Village was destroyed?"

The old man sighed and said, "That's right. Chenjia Village suffered a great disaster that year. The villagers could not survive and all became rioters. They looted Mr. Chen's farm and I was forced to join the thieves. But later I found an opportunity and quietly escaped from the rioters and hid in the Chimang Mountains."

"I hid in the mountains for several months. When I came out and asked around, I learned that after the government put down the rebellion, they killed all the rioters, but bandits and rebellions were still rampant everywhere. So I returned to Chenjia Village and lived here for fifteen years. Although life was poor and hard, it was stable and I didn't have to worry about dying suddenly. It was a good destination..."

Chen Yuan frowned and asked, "What about the manor of old rich man Chen? Was it also attacked by the mob?"

The old man shook his head and said, "No, three years before the riot, the family of old rich man Chen sold their farmland and moved to another place. Although disasters hit all places at that time, the harvest in Leping County was relatively good. Mr. Chen bought 100 acres of good irrigated land from old rich man Chen. I once heard him say that old rich man Chen was getting old and confused, and he abandoned his family and business and moved far away. Unexpectedly, old rich man Chen avoided the chaos. This is fate..."

Chen Yuan felt relieved and asked, "Father, do you know where the rich man Chen and his family moved to?"

The old man said, "I don't know. Mr. Chen left in a hurry. He sold all his land and farm right after his 70th birthday. I heard from the villagers that he went to the north of the Chimang Mountains. Please forgive me, it's been so long. If you hadn't asked me today, I would have forgotten about it."

He bowed to Chen Yuan and apologized repeatedly.

Chen Yuan said, "You are too polite, old man... Mr. Chen has a daughter. Do you remember which family she married into?"

The old man said, "I know about this. The daughter of Mr. Chen was married off more than 30 years ago. At that time, I was just an ordinary guard in Mr. Chen's manor, and I even went to the wedding banquet with Mr. Chen."

When Chen Yuan heard that his younger sister had married into the family, he knew that she must have moved to another place with her parents and brother to avoid the chaos. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, but then he asked, "Does the father-in-law still remember the son-in-law who married into the family?"

Upon hearing this, the old man looked Chen Yuan up and down, becoming suspicious as to why he was asking such a question.

But he then thought of all the peculiarities of Chen Yuan, and answered honestly, "I remember, speaking of that son-in-law, he was a well-known figure in the surrounding area. He was a peddler from another village, surnamed Zhang, and was quite handsome. It was said that he had secretly engaged to the daughter of the rich old man Chen, and even agreed to elope, but they were caught by the villagers. The rich old man Chen was furious, and in front of the villagers, he beat the peddler Zhang half to death and wanted to kick his daughter out of the house."

"But the daughter of the old rich man Chen insisted on marrying Zhang the peddler, and she wanted to kill herself for it. The old rich man Chen had no choice but to agree to the marriage, but he required Zhang the peddler to come to the house with ten taels of silver to propose marriage, and to become the son-in-law of the Chen family. Zhang the peddler was also very tough, so he really agreed. After returning home, he worked hard from dawn to dusk for three years, and saved up ten taels of silver. He came to the house to propose marriage, and became the son-in-law of the Chen family."

Chen Yuan shook his head: "This girl...how are you doing after you two got married?"

The old man shook his head and said, "This is something that happened in the Chen family mansion. How could outsiders know about it? But the peddler Zhang later had four children with the daughter of the rich man Chen. They should be living a good life."

Chen Yuan nodded and bowed to the old man, "Thank you for telling me, may I have another bowl of water?"

Upon hearing this, the old man quickly turned around, scooped a bucket of water from the water jar, poured it into the earthenware bowl, and said with a smile: "Although this bowl is a little broken, the water is the spring water that I picked from the Chimang Mountains. It is clear and sweet. If you don't mind, you can drink more. You can't drink it when you go out of town."

Chen Yuan smiled, but had no intention of drinking the water. Instead, he touched his storage bag, took out a jade bottle, poured out a pill from it, and gently placed it in the earthenware bowl.

The elixir dissolved as it entered the water. The originally clear spring water turned into a light green color. A misty gas rose up, filling the room with fragrance.

Seeing this strange sight, the old man stared with his eyes wide open and stood there with his mouth open. Then he came to his senses, knelt on the ground, and bowed to Chen Yuan, stammering, "I kowtow to... to the immortal!"

Chen Yuan raised his sleeves and an invisible force lifted the old man up. He smiled and said, "Don't be polite, old man. I can't be called an immortal, but just a seeker of truth. Thank you for the gift of water. I will return this bowl of water to you. After drinking it, you will be free of all diseases and live to be over a hundred years old."

The old man was overjoyed and wanted to kneel down and kowtow, but was stopped by an invisible force. He knew that it was the immortal who stopped him, so he could only bow and said respectfully: "Thank you, immortal, for the water!"

He picked up the earthenware bowl with both hands, put it to his mouth, tilted his head back, and drank all the water in the bowl.

After the green water entered his stomach, the old man felt a cool feeling flowing into his limbs and bones. The places that used to feel pain, itching, discomfort and stiffness all became extremely comfortable. For a moment, he forgot about the outside world, closed his eyes, and indulged himself.

When he opened his eyes again, he found that the immortal had disappeared without a trace. He rushed into the yard, knelt on the ground, kowtowed to the sky, and said loudly: "Immortal, I will never forget your kindness!"

……

High in the sky, a white light was passing through the clouds.

While the old man was drinking water, Chen Yuan got up and left, riding on a beam of light and flying towards Leping County.

The pill he dissolved into the water was a Spirit Gathering Pill left over from his early years.

This is the highest level of elixir that any mortal can afford. The spiritual energy contained in it nourishes the body and has extraordinary effects.

As long as the old man does not encounter any accidents, he can live safely to over 100 years old. Even if he is poisoned or injured, as long as the injury is not to a vital part or he is poisoned by a strange poison, he can recover.

Chenjia Village was very close to Leping County. Although he was not running very fast, he had arrived near the county in less than half a quarter of an hour.

It was afternoon, the sun was high in the sky, in order to avoid attracting attention, Chen Yuan descended on an uninhabited hillside a few miles away from the county town, and walked towards the city gate. He did not use the light body technique, but with the strength of his body, he only lightly stepped forward for four or five feet, avoiding pedestrians on the way, and soon arrived at the city gate.

When Chen Yuan was queuing to enter the city, he looked up and saw clear traces of smoke, fire, swords and guns on the walls of Leping County. There were also several collapsed parapets, which should be left over from the chaos fifteen years ago.

There were not many people entering the city, and soon it was Chen Yuan's turn.

He was dressed luxuriously and had an extraordinary demeanor. The soldiers guarding the city did not dare to make things difficult for him and even let him enter the city without questioning him.

After Chen Yuan entered the city, he walked slowly on the streets of Leping County with his hands behind his back, his mind full of thoughts.

He came to Leping County this time to visit his family, especially his younger sister, and leave them some elixirs to improve their physical fitness.

But no one expected that Chenjia Village would encounter a great chaos and become deserted.

Fortunately, my parents and my younger sister avoided the chaos, and my younger sister has already married her beloved. From what the old man said, she is living a happy life, which makes him feel relieved.

But Chen Yuan still had one thing in mind: why did they suddenly leave Leping County?
If you want to get the answer, you can only ask Zhao Shan.

Zhao Shan is a loyal person, and he has received great kindness from me. After I leave, he will keep his promise and take care of the Chen family. He should know the whole story.

Thinking of this, Chen Yuan quickened his pace and walked towards Xingyefang.

He passed several streets and saw the entrance of Baibing Hall from afar, but when he got closer, he found that it had changed beyond all recognition and the words on the plaque had been changed to "Shenbing Hall".

Chen Yuan frowned slightly and walked in.

A teenage boy came up to greet him. Seeing Chen Yuan's extraordinary demeanor, he did not dare to neglect him and nodded and bowed: "Sir, are you here to buy weapons or other ironware?"

Chen Yuan said: "When I came to Leping County before, this place was called Baibing Hall. When did it change its name?"

The servant was startled and said with a smile: "Sir, you are joking. Since I was a child, this place has been called the Divine Weapon Hall. I have never heard of the Hundred Weapon Hall..."

Chen Yuan's heart sank, and he nodded, "I understand, go ahead and get busy."

"Sir, would you like to buy some..."

The servant was halfway through his speech, then froze for a moment, ignoring Chen Yuan in front of him, and turned to greet another guest: "Sir, are you here to buy weapons or other ironware?"

At the same time, Chen Yuan spread out his spiritual sense, covering half of Xingyefang. After finding the person in charge, he walked directly to the back of the hall. Everyone he met along the way ignored him.

This is a basic spell, the invisibility spell, which can conceal the body of a cultivator, but as long as one has magical powers and has practiced the art of the third eye, it can be broken. It is only useful against mortals.

Chen Yuan walked all the way to the back of the hall, crossed two alleys, and came to the largest courtyard in Xingyefang.

Forty years have passed, and the layout of the houses in Xingyefang is completely different from before.

Chen Yuan went straight into the backyard and came to a study room before he lifted the invisibility spell.

Sitting in the room was an old man in his sixties, wearing brocade clothes, with black hair and beard, tall stature and extremely majestic. The true energy in his body was clearly visible to Chen Yuan. He was a marrow-refining warrior.

He saw a person suddenly appear in the room, his face changed drastically, he stood up suddenly, put on alert, and shouted: "Who are you?"

Chen Yuan raised his sleeve and flicked it. The old man in brocade clothes felt as if there was suddenly a huge stone on his body. He was knocked to the ground, his whole body pressed against the ground, unable to move. He wanted to open his mouth to call for help, but no sound came out.

Chen Yuan said calmly: "I have a few questions, I will leave after I finish asking them, you don't have to panic."

After he finished speaking, he raised his sleeve and waved it. The old man in brocade clothes felt that the huge rock pressing on his body suddenly disappeared, and he quickly got up from the ground.

He looked at Chen Yuan in doubt, but did not dare to act rashly. He bowed deeply and said, "Senior... Please tell me, I will tell you everything I know."

Chen Yuan said calmly: "When was this Divine Weapon Hall established? What about the original Hundred Weapon Hall and the Fu Hu Gang behind it?"

Thanks to cellma for the reward!
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(End of this chapter)