Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 235 [Visiting? Going to jail?] (7000)

Chapter 229 [Visiting? Going to jail?] (7000)

Jiang Mo spent about an hour surveying the scene. Chen Yan, on the other hand, stood obediently under the trees in the woods, refusing to make any rash moves.

The junior brother following Jiang Mo wasn't too worried about watching over Chen Yan, and just let him roam freely in the forest. In his mind, a low-level rogue cultivator like Chen Yan should naturally be trembling with fear and obediently obey orders when facing a sect with the lineage of a sage like theirs.

Later, several more figures flew into the forest, all dressed in apricot-yellow robes, just like Jiang Mo and the others, clearly indicating they were from the same sect.

Seeing his fellow disciples arrive, Jiang Mo finished his on-site investigation and jumped off the damaged flying boat.

Clearly, Jiang Mo held the highest status among them. The other fellow disciples all bowed and greeted him, but Jiang Mo simply waved his hand and said indifferently, "Any findings from the patrol around here?"

"...Reporting to Senior Brother, no, we have searched the surrounding area for hundreds of miles, but we have not found any suspicious people."

Jiang Mo received this reply and did not show any disappointment. He nodded and said, "That person is extraordinary and probably not someone you can find. Well, sending you to search around is only better than nothing. Since we have not found anything, let's go back and report to the sect and ask the higher-ups to make a decision."

As he spoke, Jiang Mo turned around and looked at the damaged flying boat in the forest. He flicked his sleeve, and a small bronze cauldron flew out from it, floating in mid-air with a precious light. As a cloud of green mist emanated from the cauldron, the damaged flying boat turned into a stream of light and was absorbed into the cauldron.

Even the broken boxes and medicinal herbs scattered on the ground in the forest turned into streams of light and fell into the bronze cauldron in an instant.

Jiang Mo then put away the bronze cauldron, turned around to look at his many junior brothers, and finally his gaze fell on Chen Yan, who was standing far away under the tree.

"He is a survivor from the ship, and taking him back can serve as a witness. There are some things that still need to be investigated."

Jiang Mo pointed at Chen Yan.

The junior disciple who was following him waved to Chen Yan: "Hey! Come here, your senior brother wants you to come back with us."

Chen Yan had anticipated this, so he nodded calmly.

Jiang Mo casually took something out of his sleeve, threw it on the ground, and with a flash of silver light, it quickly shot into the air and transformed into a giant paper crane!

The large paper crane was like a small boat, with its wings spread out, it was nearly ten meters wide.

Jiang Mo led his many fellow disciples onto the crane, and Chen Yan was naturally taken up with them.

As the crane raised its head, it let out a loud cry, flapped its wings, and flew away.

Standing on the crane's back, Chen Yan felt an unnerving stability beneath his feet, without the slightest vibration or tremor. The magical array contained within this paper crane was probably even more sophisticated than the Gu family's flying boat.

As the wind swirled and the clouds dispersed to both sides, the people on the crane remained completely unaffected by the wind.

On the paper crane, everyone talked with Jiang Mo about what they had learned. Surrounded by everyone, Jiang Mo recounted his story and then mentioned Chen Yan. He explained that Chen Yan was the only survivor on the ship, had seen the perpetrators, and was the quickest to react last night, escaping the cargo ship and thus surviving by sheer luck.

When he said these things, his disciples didn't react much. Two or three of them just glanced at Chen Yan with curiosity, looked him over, and then looked away.

Jiang Mo was the focus of everyone's attention—these sect disciples didn't care much about the ship interception incident; they only came out to inspect it as a matter of management because it happened in their own backyard.

After explaining the case, they all began to fawn over Jiang Mo.

"Senior Brother Jiang Mo, now that your shift at Jing'an Hall is over, you'll be returning to the inner sect to prepare for the Heavenly Tribulation and break through to the Celestial Realm, right?"

"With Senior Brother Jiang overseeing things for three years, our brothers and sisters have benefited a lot! The head of the hall doesn't usually manage things, but Senior Brother Jiang is like our head."

"Yes, after Senior Brother goes back this time, he will return to the inner sect in the latter half of the month. All the brothers and sisters should give him a proper send-off."

"Senior Brother is exceptionally talented, a true prodigy of our sect. His return to the inner hall to break through to the Celestial Realm will surely be a resounding success, a smooth path ahead! Let us congratulate Senior Brother in advance on breaking through to the Celestial Realm and achieving the Great Dao!"

Faced with a barrage of flattery, Jiang Mo didn't feign indifference, but thanked them all with a joyful smile.

The atmosphere here was lively and enthusiastic, while Chen Yan sat quietly on the edge.

But I couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.

It seems that whether in the real world or in the realm of existence, the four words "human relationships and social customs" are unavoidable no matter where you go.

·
The paper crane descended to a lower altitude after flying for only an hour.

Sitting on the paper crane, Chen Yan saw that the floating immortal mountain in the distance was still floating in the sky, but on the ground, a mountain base was rising up.

It was as if some great force had sliced ​​the mountain horizontally, and after the top half was cut off, it flew into the sky and became a floating fairy mountain.

The mountain bases on the ground still stretch for dozens of miles.

The section of the mountain that was cut across the landscape was transformed into a flat area, surrounded by trees, with a magnificent complex of pavilions and towers built in the center.

Golden borders and red walls, grand halls, stilted eaves...

Outside the mountain gate, there is indeed a wide stone staircase leading down to the foot of the mountain.

From his seat on the paper crane, Chen Yan could see that at the end of the stone steps leading down to the foot of the mountain, there was a tall stone archway in front of the stone steps, with a stele standing beside it.

Around the stone tablet, however, a dense crowd of people were still prostrating themselves on the ground in worship.

Burning incense and praying is just like the way believers do in temples.

As the paper crane soared through the air toward the temples on the mountainside, some of the believers at the foot of the mountain saw it, pointed to the sky and shouted, and then in a rush, they all knelt down and kowtowed.

Chen Yan could see clearly that, under the Qi Observation Technique, the group of believers at the foot of the mountain had no primordial energy swirling around their heads; they were clearly just a group of mortals.

·
The paper crane landed on an open space in front of the palace, where large stone bricks were laid out seamlessly.

Jiang Mo led his fellow disciples to jump off the paper crane, while Chen Yan was the last to stand on the ground. Jiang Mo put away the paper crane, looked at everyone, then glanced at Chen Yan, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Luo Wuji."

Upon hearing this, some of the junior disciples immediately responded and stepped out from the crowd.

It was the junior brother who had followed Jiang Mo the first time Chen Yan had met.

"Go and take this... this Fellow Daoist Zhao to Jing'an Hall and ask him to record what he encountered and saw."

He paused, his expression solemn, and said in a deep voice, "Do not slack off! This matter concerns the Gu family, and is related to the Venerable Saint's family. We cannot neglect our duties! We must investigate the matter thoroughly, leaving no trace of anything and every word with evidence, so that when the Gu family sends someone to inquire in the future, we will have written proof."

"I accept the order." Zhao Wuji solemnly cupped his hands, then turned to look at Chen Yan with a strange expression.

Afterwards, everyone dispersed, and Jiang Mo headed straight for the main hall in front of the open space.

Chen Yan didn't pay much attention to these things. After landing, he kept looking around curiously, carefully examining this "Venerable One's Dojo".

He sat quietly on the paper crane, listening to these people chat and gleaning some information.

Knowing that this "Saint's Dojo," also known as the [Heavenly Demon Yin Yang Harmony Sect], is divided into inner and outer sects.

The immortal mountain that I saw floating in mid-air on the flying boat was the location of the inner sect, which was not easily accessible—even among the sect's disciples, only those from the inner sect were allowed to set foot there.

On the sacred mountain, there are magic arrays and magical artifacts left behind by the Venerable Ones to protect it.

The palace complex on the next mountain base will be the outer gate.

Within this outer gate, the buildings Chen Yan saw were basically in the style of the so-called "ancient" architecture. The only difference was that the buildings were tall and magnificent, no less impressive than those in the real world, but there were faint magical arrays flashing everywhere.

The faint energy fluctuations emanating from the magic arrays in some places actually made Chen Yan feel a sense of vigilance and killing intent, which suggested that these were places where passage was prohibited.

He was engrossed in reading when Zhao Wuji walked up to Chen Yan and glanced at him, saying, "Alright, you've heard what my senior brother said. Now come with me."

Chen Yan was prepared, and smiled as he cupped his hands in greeting: "Thank you for your trouble, fellow Daoist."

Zhao Wuji waved his hand: "I'm just doing my job."

Zhao Wuji then led Chen Yan from the left side of the square, through an archway, across a long corridor, and around a bend at the end, to a building.

The three characters on the building, written in a flamboyant style, clearly read: Jing'an Hall.

Outside the two doors on either side, a variety of weapons were laid out, including knives, spears, swords, and halberds, but they were all clearly damaged.

"This is the Jing'an Hall of my sect, responsible for patrolling the sect's stability and deterring villains." Zhao Wuji said to Chen Yan, "Now that you're here, you'll have to recount what happened last night in detail. Don't be impatient. Explaining it clearly will only benefit you. If you don't explain it clearly, you might get yourself into trouble."

These words carried a hint of warning, which Chen Yan understood perfectly. He nodded and said, "I understand. Thank you for your guidance, fellow Daoist. I will speak frankly and without any concealment."

Upon entering the building, Zhao Wuji led Chen Yan into a side room. The room was simply furnished. Zhao Wuji asked Chen Yan to wait there, and after a short while, he and a middle-aged man walked in.

The middle-aged man who entered was clearly of much higher status than Zhao Wuji. Zhao Wuji walked beside this man, bowing slightly as he went.

The middle-aged man had a square face, a long beard, and a dignified appearance. He wore a long black robe, but the belt around his waist was apricot-yellow.

After the man walked in, he sat down behind the stage, squinted, and scrutinized Chen Yan with eyes as sharp as lightning.

Zhao Wuji coughed lightly and said slowly, "Fellow Daoist Zhao Shanhe, this is Elder Qian from the outer sect of my sect, Jing'an Hall. Just answer whatever he asks you."

Chen Yan nodded: "Alright, then please ask, fellow Daoist."

Elder Qian remained silent, only squinting at Chen Yan, while Zhao Wuji asked the question.

Zhao Wuji took a deep breath: "First, tell me everything that happened to you last night, and don't miss a single detail."

"……it is good!"

Chen Yan nodded and began to tell his story.

As he recounted his story, Elder Qian casually waved his sleeve, and brush, ink, paper, and inkstone appeared on the table. The brush danced, moving like a dragon or a snake, and began to write on the paper on its own.

Chen Yan spent nearly ten minutes recounting the events before looking at Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji nodded and said loudly, "Is that so... Do you have anything to add?"

"That's all." Chen Yan shook his head.

Actually, he was hiding something—he omitted the part where he threw Donghai at the murderer.

Chen Yan now somewhat regrets omitting this detail—he had already omitted it when recounting the events of his first meeting with Jiang Mo, his intention at the time being not to leave a bad impression. Actually, bringing it up now wouldn't be a big deal, but since he hadn't mentioned it before, saying it now would only create more trouble.

Zhao Wuji nodded and turned to look at Elder Qian.

Elder Qian then opened his eyes, his gaze falling on Chen Yan's face. He suddenly spoke softly, "You saw that vicious man with your own eyes. Describe his appearance and mannerisms to me."

When Elder Qian spoke, his voice was surprisingly calm, lacking the imposing aura of his imposing appearance. Instead, his tone sounded rather friendly.

Chen Yan pondered for a moment and slowly said, "That person was covered in golden light. My cultivation is insufficient, so I cannot see through his protective aura and therefore do not know what he looks like."

As for the rest... he used a flying sword, which shimmered with golden light and was extremely sharp. I personally witnessed the manager on the cargo ship also summon his own flying sword to fight back, but in just one exchange, the manager's flying sword was shattered.

Is there anything else...?

Chen Yan thought about it again: "That person has a technique that uses the power of the primordial spirit to search."

Elder Qian nodded, glanced at the brush still writing rapidly, and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"That's all." Chen Yan shook his head.

After pondering for a moment, Elder Qian suddenly asked, "How did you get on the Gu family's cargo ship?"

Chen Yan let out a breath and recounted his experience of disguising his identity, including how he had to spend money and pull strings in Xitai City to get a ride on a boat.

Elder Qian nodded, glanced at Chen Yan, and said calmly, "So you've returned from Xueya Pass. You must have experienced a lot of battles there. No wonder you reacted quickly when we were attacked last night. Of all the people on the ship, you were the only one who escaped."

Chen Yan nodded and slowly said, "As the elder said, I did indeed kill several ferocious beastmen and cut off several heads at Snow Cliff Pass."

"I won't question you about paying for a boat ride... Although it's against the rules, it's common for members of aristocratic families to be of mixed quality. Besides, it's not a matter for my sect."

Elder Qian sighed: "Alright, I've recorded what happened. As for you..."

He looked up at the window and then said softly, "Zhao Wuji, take him to the outer disciples' quarters and find him a place to stay for now."

"I accept the order!" Zhao Wuji quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

Elder Qian waved his sleeve, and all the writing implements on the table vanished, along with his figure, which disappeared without a trace like the wind.

Chen Yan paused for a moment, then turned to look at Zhao Wuji. Zhao Wuji sighed, "Alright, the questioning is over. There shouldn't be any more problems. Let's go, I'll take you to your lodgings."

Chen Yan frowned and said, "So you want me to stay here? And... for how long?"

Zhao Wuji pursed his lips: "How would I know?"

No! Chen Yan was somewhat anxious, but he knew this was a sect that inherited the legacy of a sage, and he couldn't refuse. He could only suppress his emotions and ask in a low voice, "After all, I am an innocent victim. I can't stay here forever. I still need to go to the City of No Return..."

Zhao Wuji glanced at Chen Yan with some surprise and chuckled, "You're quite a strange person. If a rogue cultivator has the opportunity to enter our sect, it's an incredible stroke of luck. They wish they could stay here forever. They can't be driven away, and they just want to have the chance to become disciples here and leave this world."

Chen Yan's heart stirred.

Zhao Wuji sighed: "As for how long you'll stay, don't ask me. Elder Qian hasn't given any instructions, how would I know? He told me to arrange your accommodation, so I'll arrange it for you."

However, after a pause, he finally said a few useful words.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao Shanhe, let me be frank with you. You are indeed unlucky in this matter, but we are helpless when we encounter such things... If this had happened elsewhere, it would have nothing to do with our sect."

But it just so happens to happen in the mountains outside our sect, within a thousand miles of our sect's territory.

This forces us to take action.

If you're impatient, we're impatient too.

This matter concerns the Gu family; they are a family of Venerables, with a Saint Venerable standing behind them. They will definitely send people to investigate, and they will also have to negotiate with our sect.

We must hand over everything we find and record to them.

"If I tell you this, you'll probably have to stay here until the Gu family sends someone to negotiate. Only then can we hand over the recorded conversation, the recovered cargo ship wreckage, and your testimony to the Gu family."

Chen Yan: "..."

Doesn't this mean I'm being held under house arrest here?
Chen Yan took a deep breath and asked politely, "Then may I ask, fellow Daoist, when will the Gu family... send someone to negotiate?"

"I don't know. The incident just happened. As you saw, Senior Brother Jiang Mo came back with us. He must have gone to the hall to report to the elder in charge of the outer sect. After the elder in charge finished questioning you, he still needs to see the transcripts of Elder Qian's questioning of you."

After reading it, the elder in charge will understand the matter and then have someone write a letter to inform the Gu family and the nearby city government. This process will probably take two days.

As for when the letter will be sent out in two days, and when the Gu family will react or send someone... how would I know?

Chen Yan's eye twitched as he listened.

Damn it... just going through the motions, huh?

"You don't need to worry. Now we understand that you really have nothing to do with this matter. You are just an innocent person who was caught up in it. But since you are the only witness, you are a human testament. Both we and the Gu family have to hand you over before we can let you leave."

Zhao Wuji still had some humanity left. He walked over with a smile and patted Chen Yan on the shoulder: "Since you're here, make the best of it. You can stay in the outer courtyard of the outer gate as a guest—you should know what a great opportunity this is!"

Those independent cultivators from the mountains and wilderness, if they had the chance to be guests within a sage's sect, it would be something they couldn't even ask for, no matter how hard they tried.

"Visiting someone? Isn't that like going to jail?" Chen Yan sighed.

"Don't worry, you're just a guest," Zhao Wuji said. "Elder Qian asked me to arrange for you to stay in the outer courtyard, which means you're a guest. If he suspected you and forcibly detained you, that would be like locking you up in a cell!"

Chen Yan could only accept it, but then another thought suddenly occurred to him: "Well... since I'm a guest, will you... restrict my movements? Or am I confined to my room and not allowed to go out at all?"

“Since Elder Qian didn’t say you were confined to your quarters, he naturally won’t prevent you from going out. If you live in the outer courtyard, you can consider yourself an outer disciple of my outer sect and move around freely in the outer courtyard—as for those forbidden areas, don’t wander around… even if you do, you won’t be able to get through.”

Chen Yan nodded, but a growing interest was gradually emerging in his heart.

·
The outer courtyard where the so-called outer disciples of the Heavenly Demon Yin Yang Joyful Union Sect reside—to be precise, they are not outer disciples, but rather "prospective outer disciples."

According to the sect's rules and procedures, the people living here are newcomers who have just joined the sect—but are not yet sect disciples. They must undergo three months of selection and training in the outer courtyard.

Only those who pass the test can formally join the sect and become outer disciples—as for inner disciples, that's another realm, so we won't discuss it for now.

The three-month selection and training process allowed the sect to assess the talents, temperament, comprehension, and other qualities of these prospective disciples.

If you fail to meet the requirements, you can leave the sect and find your own way out, and from then on, you will have no further connection with the sect.

Of course, some were willing to stay and became menial servants within the sect.

Within a sect, those who do odd jobs always need someone to fill the gaps; it's impossible for cultivators to do things like washing clothes, cooking, and cleaning themselves.

In addition, the sect needs manpower in many other areas.

For example, the farms and medicinal herb fields at the foot of the mountain all require manpower. And even cultivating spiritual herbs and medicinal plants is not something that ordinary people can handle.

Those who were eliminated were, after all, novice cultivators—even if they lacked talent and had no hope of advancing, remaining only as first-level cultivators, they were best suited to perform these menial tasks.

The Heavenly Demon Yin Yang Harmony Sect is a sect inherited from saints, and is also one of the so-called... well... leading sects of the righteous path!
He is also quite famous in the realm.

When Chen Yan heard Zhao Wuji mention that the sect had more than 10,000 menial servants, most of whom were scattered throughout the sect's businesses in various places.

Only the outer disciples numbered one thousand and the inner disciples one hundred—those were officially considered disciples of the sect.

·
Chen Yan was led by Zhao Wuji into an outer courtyard—a courtyard house with a layout similar to a traditional Chinese courtyard house. The surrounding buildings were all three stories high, with four rooms on each floor. It could accommodate a total of thirty-six people.

After Chen Yan was brought by Zhao Wuji, he casually pointed to an empty room for Chen Yan to stay in. Zhao Wuji only gave Chen Yan a token that emitted a faint fluctuation of Yuan Qi.

According to the rules of the sect, neither outer disciples nor prospective disciples may leave the mountain gate without permission—they cannot leave even if they want to, as there is a magic array separating them.

On the ground, in the outer gate's territory, he held the token given to him by Zhao Wuji—the token of a reserve disciple.

You can walk through part of the outer gate.

Chen Yan learned that even within the outer sect territory on the ground, prospective disciples could only access about one-third of the area.

It's just a few practice rooms, lecture halls, morning and evening classes, and accommodations—equivalent to dormitories.

This batch of reserve disciples from the outer academy is said to number in the hundreds—but according to convention, only one in ten will survive in the end.

Chen Yan wasn't a prospective disciple; he was just temporarily assigned to stay here. Zhao Wuji didn't bother explaining the rules to him in detail, simply telling Chen Yan that daily meals would be delivered by servants to each of the lodging courtyards, one meal a day, delivered in the evening. Then he hurriedly left.

Chen Yan sat in the room he was assigned. The room was fairly spacious and clean, with a bed, two futons, a desk, and two candles.

To Chen Yan's surprise, there was a brand-new set of clothes for a prospective disciple of the sect on the bed—a pale yellow robe, and even two sets of shoes and socks were provided.

"The treatment is pretty good." Chen Yan thought to himself that since he was already here, he might as well make the best of it and was no longer anxious.

There were actually a few books in the room. He picked them up and flipped through them. They weren't any martial arts techniques, but rather some mantras and formulas that taught people how to meditate and enter a state of deep concentration, helping them to gather their thoughts and focus their minds.

He didn't go out; instead, he simply sat on the bed, meditating and circulating his vital energy.

After all, it is a sect of saints. Even if it is an outer sect on the ground, the concentration and thickness of the spiritual energy here are the best places Chen Yan has experienced in the domain!
The energy here is much stronger than in the energy arrays of those paid training rooms outside!
He didn't go out, unaware that his arrival had already surprised many prospective disciples in the courtyard.

Some people whispered among themselves, speculating about Chen Yan's background.

Someone whispered, speculating, "The three-month selection period for outer disciples has already passed ten days. For someone to suddenly join halfway through at this time means either this newcomer is exceptionally talented, prompting the outer elders to make an exception and admit them, or they have some extraordinary background! Fellow disciples, we must not act rashly. Let's be kind to others, cultivate good relationships, and avoid sowing discord!"

As a result, Chen Yan didn't leave his room until the time it was time to deliver the meal. When he walked into the courtyard, the many prospective disciples who were busy carrying the lunch boxes and rice buckets that the servants had brought to the gate all stopped in their tracks when they saw Chen Yan come out.

After a few seconds of silence, it's unclear who started it, but everyone bowed and greeted Chen Yan.

"I've met fellow Taoist!"

Chen Yan: ? ? ?
(End of this chapter)