Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 251 [Providing Cover] (6700)

Chapter 245 [Providing Cover] (6700)

Having not heard Gu Qingyi's voice for a long time, Chen Yan was stunned for two seconds upon suddenly hearing this little clip's voice.

But then, just as he was hesitating about whether or not to acknowledge Gu Qingyi, he immediately realized that this was definitely not the right place to acknowledge Gu Qingyi!
Then, there was silence in the inner hall, presumably because Gu Qingyi and Elder Tie from the inner sect had already left.

·
The elders in the hall had all left. Chen Yan was in a daze, but he still remembered to stand there and bow to see them off.

Elder Nangong Yuan, the leader of the outer sect, a handsome middle-aged man, actually walked up to Chen Yan. With a gentle expression, he slowly said in an approving voice, "Not bad, the person Sheng'er recommended is indeed quite clever."

"Thank you very much, Elder Nangong!" Chen Yan nodded quickly, looking flattered.

Nangong Yuan said calmly, "Now that you are my outer disciple, do your job well. The sect's rewards and punishments are fair. If you have good talent, you will always have your day. Even if you are not talented, as long as you remember to serve the sect, you will have a place."

Chen Yan lowered his head and remained silent.

Nangong Yuan smiled slightly, turned around and walked towards the back hall.

Chen Yan stood in the hall for a full half minute before raising his head.

Did he still care about Nangong Yuan's empty promises? What kept echoing in his mind was Gu Qingyi's words just now!

Is it her?
It must be her!

It must be her!

It can only be her!

How could I mistake the voice of my wife, Gu Xiaoniang?

After a short while, Chen Yan finally suppressed his thoughts—this was not the right place!

He took a deep breath, slowly raised his head, and was about to leave Jing'an Hall first.

Just then, another person came out from the inner hall. It was Elder Qian from Jing'an Hall, but for some reason, he had returned after leaving.

“Zhao Shanhe.” Elder Qian walked up to Chen Yan.

Chen Yan said in a low voice, "Elder Qian."

“You handled things well just now. Elder Nangong Yuan told me that he praised you for being ‘restrained and polite.’ Being able to earn a word of praise from Elder Nangong Yuan in the outer sect will naturally make it easier for you to stand out in the future.”

Chen Yan remained silent, only bowing his head in a respectful and joyful manner.

Elder Qian thought for a moment and said, "Your personality is suitable for the Weapon Forging Hall, but in my opinion, this rigorous, restrained, meticulous, and cautious nature is not as good as coming to my Jing'an Hall..."

Chen Yan chuckled inwardly.

Rigorous and restrained? Careful and cautious? That's because you haven't seen me when I'm audacious, reckless, crazy, and insane.

I dare to single-handedly slaughter a village of ferocious beasts!
I'm super brave, okay?

Seeing that Chen Yan just kept his head down and didn't speak, Elder Qian wasn't angry. He smiled slightly and said, "Ah... that's right. You were recommended to the Weapon Refining Hall by Nangong Sheng. With his appreciation, your future in the Weapon Refining Hall will naturally be bright."

"Alright, I don't want to steal someone else's thunder, but if you ever have any good or bad news in the future, you can always come to Jing'an Hall to find me."

Chen Yan also began to have doubts.

Logically speaking, he didn't actually make any great contributions to this case. In the early stages, he was just an eyewitness, and his only contribution was personally capturing Donghai.

Is Elder Qian worthy of showing such goodwill towards me?
However, he quickly realized what was happening.

Whether you do a good job or not is less important than whether the big boss likes you!

Nangong Yuan is the top leader of the outer sect. There are so many outer sect disciples. Apart from the stewards and elders, not to mention the management of the industries scattered throughout the realm, there are thousands of outer sect disciples in the main sect alone. How many of them can get even a word or two of praise from him?
A word of praise from the big boss is naturally more important than making any contributions.

Clearly, the political and bureaucratic culture is the same as the real world.

Then, a thought struck Chen Yan, and he took the opportunity to look up at Elder Qian: "Elder Qian, that person from the Gu family..."

Elder Qian immediately understood and smiled, “The reason we didn’t let you go before was because we were worried that the Gu family would summon you for questioning. Now that they’ve questioned you, it seems there’s nothing to worry about. Just wait one more day. If they don’t come looking for you tomorrow, and you want to leave the day after tomorrow, come to my Jing’an Hall, and I’ll give you a magic token to enter and exit the mountain protection formation.”

Chen Yan smiled, bowed in thanks, and then left.

·
Stepping out of the hall, he saw that everyone outside had already left, leaving only Zhao Wuji waiting there. As Chen Yan came out, Zhao Wuji's gaze towards Chen Yan couldn't help but show a hint of envy.

"Junior brother!" He walked up to him affectionately, then lowered his voice and said, "It seems you handled things well, junior brother."

"It's alright," Chen Yan replied casually.

"You haven't come out for so long, did you receive praise from Elder Qian?"

Chen Yan smiled and said, "Elder Qian said I can go out and travel now. I will come to Jing'an Hall the day after tomorrow to pick up my travel permit. I will then come to find Senior Brother Wuji."

"No problem, no problem!" Zhao Wuji patted his chest and laughed, "I have a very good relationship with the senior brothers who issued the cards. Just come find me the day after tomorrow."

He paused, then looked at Chen Yan with eager eyes: "Did you see Elder Nangong? Is he a man of imposing presence, commanding respect even without anger?"

It seems that customs all have something in common – even the lowest-ranking animals like to gossip about the big boss.

"With Elder Nangong's status, I didn't dare to look at him too much, and I kept my head down while answering questions." Chen Yan deliberately sighed, "However, after the questioning, Elder Nangong said a few words to me, and he was very kind and approachable."

Zhao Wuji's heart burned even hotter upon hearing this.

Even if he were in the outer sect for ten years, he might not have the chance to show his face and say a word to the number one big shot in the outer sect, let alone get the number one boss to say a few words to him.

Thinking of this, Zhao Wuji couldn't help but sigh: "Your luck is truly bizarre. You've only been in the sect for a few days, and even someone like Elder Nangong knows your name..."

"It was just a coincidence." Chen Yan said casually, "I'm not particularly talented, and I'm a rogue cultivator with no connections. It was only by stumbling upon this case that I got the chance to be conveyed to by an important person."

"That's just luck!" Zhao Wuji was still envious.

Just as Chen Yan was about to exchange a few polite words and take his leave, he suddenly saw two Xueyaguan warriors dressed in leather armor walking quickly towards him from the side of the corridor.

"Which one of you is Zhao Shanhe?" the warrior on the right asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, that's me." Chen Yan turned around and looked at the two of them.

"The garrison commander has a message for you," the warrior said calmly, his eyes bright as he looked at Chen Yan.

Chen Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he said with a hint of surprise, "Please speak!"

"The town general said that Zhao Shanhe took my Gu family's boat. Since he paid for it, regardless of the route taken, whether it was open or covert, he still encountered this kind of thing. It means that my Gu family did not take good care of the passengers and frightened the guest. If we do nothing about it, we will lose the dignity of the Gu family."

Later, he also captured the thieves involved in the interception of the ship, which was his achievement.

He was a passenger on my Gu family's bus and also helped the Gu family catch a thief. We absolutely must thank him for something like this!

After saying that, the warrior turned around, took a jade bead, one of those disposable storage devices, from his companion, and presented it to Chen Yan with both hands.

"There are two thousand coins in here. Please accept them with gratitude, as they represent the Gu family's wishes."

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow and, without hesitation, reached out and took the jade bead.

Yes! Why wouldn't you want it!

This is the pocket money that the stepmother gave to her eldest son!
Why shouldn't I accept it!

Besides, back in Jinling Prefecture, her son supported her for half a year! Now that she's in this realm, what's wrong with her mother giving herself some pocket money?
What's wrong?

Besides, it's only two thousand coins?

Stepmother, you didn't give enough! With your status, shouldn't you have given at least 100,000 or 200,000? You'd be too ashamed to admit it!
·
Well, giving too little was just a joke in Chen Yan's mind.

Two thousand coins is not a small amount in the realm.

In Snow Cliff Pass, an experienced hunter-warrior would have to hunt down eight or nine ferocious beastmen several times before he could earn enough to survive. This would involve fierce fighting, risking death in the wild, and having no place to bury his body.

·
Zhao Wuji, standing to the side, opened his mouth wide, speechless for a moment.

This new disciple named Zhao Shanhe was just an eyewitness involved in the case a few days ago, but in just a few days, he has transformed into an outer disciple of a saintly sect of the same rank as himself!

He had been flattering Jiang Mo, a senior brother in the inner sect, for so long, but Jiang Mo didn't seem to appreciate him much. Instead, he directly gained the favor of Nangong Sheng, a senior brother in the inner sect—Nangong Sheng would ask him to drink with him every night!

Moreover, he has now caught the eye of Elder Nangong Yuan, the number one boss of the outer sect!
This is another gift from the Gu family's benefactor, the general of Xueya Pass! His name is also registered with them!

For a moment, Zhao Wuji was also filled with confusion.

Within the sect, I've been sucking up to this person today and that person tomorrow, but after all these years, I've gotten nothing in return!
·
Chen Yan returned to the small courtyard outside the Southwest Cemetery. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard the sound of "Robbery! Robbery! Robbery!" coming from inside.

My neighbor, Senior Brother Wang, was holding a chisel and chiseling away at a piece of wood.

When Chen Yan entered, Old Wang didn't even look up, concentrating on his work.

However, the stove next to the door was still burning.

Chen Yan walked into the courtyard and greeted him with a smile, "Senior Brother Wang, you're busy, aren't you?"

Old Wang didn't look up, but continued chiseling wood while shouting, "You're back?"

"OK."

Old Wang was taken aback, and looked up to stare intently at Chen Yan.

"what happened?"

"Your 'uh-huh' sounds a bit like someone from the Gu family."

The Gu family? They clearly have a Northeastern accent!

Chen Yan laughed and said, "I came back from Xueya Pass. There are many Gu family members there, and their accents are influenced by that accent."

Old Wang then looked away: "The fire in the stove isn't strong enough. Could you add some firewood? Once the pot is hot, could you rinse it clean so I can steam the meat?"

"to make!"

Chen Yan first went back inside to put his things away, then put them into his storage jade pendant. He rolled up his sleeves and went out. He first went to the well to fetch water to wash his hands, then went to the stove to add firewood and blow on the fire.

The water in the iron pot was already hot. Chen Yan picked up a bamboo brush and scrubbed the iron pot clean.

He did these things personally, as if it were the most natural thing in the world—other cultivators would certainly not do it this way; they would just cast a cleaning spell, clap their hands, and walk away. Who would wash things by hand?

However, Chen Yan grew up in the countryside and was used to doing these kinds of things. He did the job very smoothly.

After he finished his work, he found that Old Wang was looking up at him.

"You're quite the character, kid. You've done this job quite a bit, haven't you?"

Chen Yan smiled and said, "Before I attained enlightenment, I was an ordinary person. My family was poor, and I was used to doing chores since I was a child."

Old Wang nodded: "It's good to stay true to your original aspirations."

After thinking for a moment, Old Wang said, "Since you know how to do these things, then you can steam the meat today. I'm busy right now, otherwise I'll have to finish cleaning up first."

"I'll come, I'll come!"

Chen Yan had gotten used to hanging out with Lao Wang these past few days, so he spoke to him without any formality. He then rolled up his sleeves, took out the marinated and dried game meat, cut off a large piece, then took out a knife to cut it into pieces. He took out a steamer, first lining it with a bright green lotus leaf, and then placing the meat on top.

He moved swiftly, quickly washing some scallions and ginger, slicing the ginger and cutting the scallions into sections, and then placing them on top of the meat.

Place the meat steamer rack inside the iron pot, then put a large bowl on top of it, filled it with some rice grains (like gold ingots), and poured in water...

After finishing his work, Chen Yan simply moved a stool over and sat down not far from Old Wang.

The sun was shining brightly today, but the place was foggy and humid. Although the sun felt warm on my skin, it wasn't very pleasant—Chen Yan rarely sunbathed in the yard on weekdays.

However, Chen Yan became interested in watching Old Wang do woodworking. After watching for a while, he realized that Old Wang was actually carving a wooden sword.

Judging from Old Deng's craftsmanship, he must be quite skilled. The wooden sword is already quite well-carved, and he stops every now and then to polish it with a piece of sandpaper.

"Old Wang, what's going on?"

"I found a piece of lightning-struck wood in the mountains. Judging from its age, it's over a hundred years old. I'll use it to make a wooden sword. Lightning-struck wood has the power to ward off evil spirits. I'll make a low-grade magic weapon, and I can sell it for some money at the artifact hall. Next time I leave the sect and go to the town at the foot of the mountain, I can exchange it for some wine."

Chen Yan sighed: "Old Wang, all you do every day is eat and drink. You don't touch your martial arts or cultivation at all."

"What's the point of cultivating Tao?" Old Wang shook his head and chuckled, "I've already figured it out. Cultivating Tao is not as good as making yourself comfortable."

"You live life with clarity."

Chen Yan gave a thumbs up.

He already knew that the sect's artifact hall, in addition to providing logistical benefits to disciples, also sold some magical artifacts, equipment, and materials.

At the same time, it also made acquisitions.

Moreover, the sect offers good benefits, and the prices of goods sold within the sect are lower than those in the market.

It means not to make money off one's own disciples.

Well, so we're just going to be friends?
The price of recycled materials is also fair, at least reassuring, and won't cheat our disciples.

Chen Yan's heart stirred. He remembered that he was currently short of money. If it weren't for the two thousand yuan of pocket money that Gu Xiaoniang gave him today, he would have already spent most of the money he earned from Xueya Pass.

Since Qiwutang buys back items and offers fair prices...

"Old Wang, does the Artifact Hall accept talismans?"

"receive."

Chen Yan slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Alright!"
He then moved a table out of the house and placed it at the doorway. With a wave of his hand, he took out a stack of talismans and some cinnabar.

With a wave of his hand, he grasped the fox-tail pen in his grasp.

Having regained his footing, Chen Yan lowered his wrist and began to write...

In an instant, the brush moved swiftly, and runes appeared on the paper.

His talisman-drawing technique was already extremely skillful; he had put in a lot of hard work when he practiced the "soul-sealing" technique.

Now, he drew several "Light Body Talismans" and "Escape Techniques" in one go, as well as several "Six Yang Righteous Qi Talismans".

After thinking about it, I drew a few more talismans to ward off evil and bring good fortune.

He drew for about half an hour, and when he looked up, he found that Old Wang was already standing in front of the table, with his hands behind his back, staring longingly at his pen.

"What's wrong?" Chen Yan picked up his pen.

"You... your technique is quite good." Old Wang's eyes seemed to reveal a strange meaning, but it quickly disappeared.

"It's alright, I have a skill to make a living. I used to sell talismans in Xueya Pass." Chen Yan casually revealed the persona he had created for himself.

"Your technique... is it a spirit-sealing technique?" Old Wang squinted.

"Yes, there is no spiritual energy in the Badlands outside Snow Cliff Pass, so it is impossible to cast spells. Therefore, the talisman I drew using the spirit-sealing technique is particularly effective there."

As Chen Yan spoke, he exhaled, "It does consume vital energy."

Old Wang chuckled, but his eyes fell on Chen Yan's fox-tail brush: "Your brush is not bad either, it's not an ordinary one—it must be made from the tail hair of an enlightened fox demon."

"Old Wang, you have a sharp eye." Chen Yan's heart skipped a beat.

"I'm getting old, and I don't have much skill anymore, but I still have some experience." Old Wang waved his hand, then casually picked up a talisman and squinted at the runes drawn by Chen Yan.

"Sell me a few of these lightness talismans," Old Wang said with a smile. "I need them when I'm traveling in the mountains; they'll save me some energy."

Chen Yan waved his hand: "Take it if you want, we'll just talk about money."

Old Wang smiled, looking at Chen Yan thoughtfully, and suddenly said, "I'll teach you a trick—this isn't Bad Soil Mountain, it's not a place without spiritual energy. You don't need to use those spirit-sealing techniques when drawing talismans, just use ordinary techniques."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan slapped his forehead and sighed, "I've gotten so used to drawing that I've forgotten about this aspect."

After saying that, he picked up the several lightness talismans he had drawn on the table and shoved them into Old Wang's hands: "These are for you."

Then, he picked up his pen again: "It saves more effort by not using the spirit-sealing technique."

Old Wang, however, watched the way he drew the talisman, his eyes flickering, seemingly lost in thought.

·
A moment later, the steamed meat and rice were ready. Chen Yan put down his pen, took a paperweight and placed it on the talisman paper on the table, and went with Lao Wang to move the table.

They moved a round table out of the house and placed it in the yard, then dragged over some small stools.

Old Wang then used a white porcelain bowl to serve meat and rice, and the two of them sat down at the same table.

Before Chen Yan could even take his first bite, he suddenly heard a laugh coming from outside the courtyard.

"Shanhe, I smelled the aroma of meat as soon as I arrived! It seems I came at the perfect time!"

Outside the door, Nangong Sheng, dressed in flowing robes, appeared. In this scene filled with mist and rain, he was once again a handsome man in ancient costume, and he really did have the air of an immortal.

Nangong Sheng strode in, carrying a wine jar in his hand. His steps were light and graceful. He reached the table in a few steps, sniffed the air, and said, "The meat smells so good! Looks like we have some snacks to go with the wine!"

As he spoke, he nodded to Old Wang, who was sitting there holding a bowl: "Old Wang, you've come back from the mountains? Did you bring back anything good this time?"

Seeing that he seemed to be quite familiar with Old Wang, Chen Yan couldn't help but be curious—how could a high-ranking inner disciple be familiar with Old Wang, a low-level old hand in the outer sect?
Old Wang rolled his eyes, but instead of getting up to greet him, he pulled the bowl back and glared at him, saying, "Nangong Sheng, don't even think about taking what's in my hands. I told you last time that if I find anything good again, I won't let you have it for free."

Nangong Sheng didn't speak. He simply turned his head and looked around. With a flick of his finger, the stool that had been placed at the entrance of Old Wang's house, where he sat carving wood, flew over automatically.

Nangong Sheng placed the stool down, sat down, put the wine jar on the table, and gently tapped the seal of the jar. Instantly, a rich aroma of wine wafted out!

Chen Yan's eyes flickered.

He had never smelled such fragrant wine before!
"This is my own 'Eighteen Days of Great Drunkenness'! Let's have a couple of sips together," Nangong Sheng said with a puff of his chest.

Old Wang scoffed, "What do you mean by 'eighteen days of drunkenness'? You brewed it yourself? You tricked me into giving you the recipe."

“The recipe is yours, but I’m the one who brewed it.” Nangong Sheng was surprisingly not angry at all.

Chen Yan took out three white porcelain bowls from his storage equipment and arranged them. Nangong Sheng poured one bowl for Old Wang first.

"Old Wang, come and try my wine. Isn't it more mellow than your original brew?"

Old Wang squinted, picked up the glass, took a sip, clicked his tongue a few times, and actually nodded: "Not bad! Looks like you've put in the effort."

"Indeed, I even got three lashes from Master's ruler for getting distracted while brewing wine." Nangong Sheng laughed heartily, looking at Old Wang: "Having drunk such fine wine, what good stuff did you get this time? Show it to me."

Old Wang shook his head: "I didn't get anything from this trip, I just picked up some junk."

"..." Nangong Sheng looked at Old Wang intently, nodded and said, "Alright, but if you have any good stuff, remember to save some for me."

Afterwards, he and Chen Yan also drank a bowl of wine, picked up their chopsticks and tasted a piece of steamed cured meat. After chewing it, their eyes lit up: "Hmm, this seasoning tastes interesting."

"It's just ordinary scallions and ginger," Old Wang said indifferently. "It came from another world many years ago, but in this realm, it's only grown and eaten by people in the mortal district. People from noble families like you have never eaten the food of the poor."

Nangong Sheng nodded, but said, "The meat of the ferocious beasts hunted by the Beast Clan is pungent; if you use it to accompany wine, the wine must be chilled to taste good."

After he finished speaking, he placed his hand on the wine jar, and in an instant, a layer of snow-white frost appeared on the jar.

Chen Yan remained silent, letting the two bicker as they argued, while he held his wine bowl and sipped it slowly.

This wine... is truly excellent!

Let's not even mention its rich and mellow flavor—after all, all wine is simply fermented and brewed, that's all there is to it.

But after tasting this thing, Chen Yan was amazed by its rich primordial energy, which also subtly carried the effect of cultivating the primordial spirit.

It's a bit like the feeling of a "spirit-nourishing pill." Although it's not strong, after drinking it, you feel refreshed, your body feels soft and supple, and you feel light and carefree.

The three of them ate a bowl of steamed meat with their drinks, but the steamed rice with rice balls was barely touched.

Fortunately, Chen Yan steamed a lot of meat today. After the three of them finished a jar of wine, they also finished a large bowl of meat.

This wine is quite extraordinary. Even with Chen Yan's drinking capacity, he only drank about a third of this small jar, and after finishing it, he actually felt quite tipsy.

Nangong Sheng and Lao Wang seemed to think so too. However, Nangong Sheng laughed and said, "Drinking is all about the feeling. There's a beauty to being drunk. If you're going to have to use your internal energy to recover, then don't drink alcohol, just drink water."

As he spoke, he got up and paced back and forth in the courtyard, waving his sleeves, but unknowingly walked to the table where Chen Yan was drawing talismans.

"Huh? Junior Brother Shanhe, are you drawing a talisman?"

Nangong Sheng lowered his head and picked up a talisman, which was a "Six Yang Righteous Qi Talisman" drawn by Chen Yan using the spirit-sealing technique.

"The calligraphy of this talisman for suppressing evil spirits is quite good." Nangong Sheng nodded approvingly: "I heard you sold talismans at Snow Cliff Pass before, it seems you really have some skill."

As he spoke, he suddenly raised an eyebrow: "Huh? Why is there a trace of vital energy between the strokes of your brush on this talisman?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan was stunned for a moment.

The spirit-sealing talisman-drawing technique of Nangong Sheng...

Don't you recognize it?!

This inner disciple of the Saint Sect, the darling of the Weapon Refining Hall, actually failed to obtain the Spirit Sealing Technique?

While he was still in surprise, Old Wang spoke calmly, his tone tinged with sarcasm: "You don't know, before you came, this kid was drawing talismans. I was joking and talking to him about a few spells, and he unknowingly channeled his vital energy, which ended up staining the talisman paper."

Chen Yan: !!!
He suddenly turned his head, his pupils contracted, and he stared at Old Wang with wide eyes!

Old Wang, however, remained expressionless and gave Chen Yan a smiling look.

But his fingers on the table twitched slightly.

Chen Yan felt a sudden chill run down his spine!

This spirit-sealing technique...

Nangong Sheng, the pride of the inner sect, didn't recognize him!
He recognized this old hand from the bottom of the outer gate!
Moreover, it seemed like he was... covering for me!

·
(End of this chapter)