Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 318 [Born into the Family]

Chapter 312 [Born into the Family]

Chen Yan's personality can be described as cold and indifferent, but he adheres to one simple, unwavering principle.

Brotherhood, number thirty-nine, the bald leader.

This man was Chen Yan's closest friend in the Brotherhood, besides Gu Jinjia. Back in Xueya Pass, after Chen Yan joined the Brotherhood, Gu Jinjia wasn't there, and it was this bald-headed big brother who took care of him, showed him around Xueya Pass, and even personally took him to exchange for merit points.

Even when that guy named Luo Shang was plotting against his white beast, it was the bald guy who was the first to stand up and scold Luo Shang away.

We drank together, and one of us kowtowed to the other.

This person, to say we have a very deep friendship, it's not that serious.

But no matter what, we're friends.

It's unacceptable for Chen Yan to watch a friend die right before his eyes and do nothing!
Chen Yan made a decision almost without hesitation.

He rushed out!
·
Keng!
Clang! Clang! Clang!

Several sword-like energy beams shot towards him in succession. The bronze-masked man reacted extremely quickly, raising his sword horizontally to parry the sword energy from all directions!
Chen Yan had already rushed up to them!
He raised his hand, and an object instantly materialized in his palm!
A three-colored light flashed and swept down!

The three-colored divine duster was made from the natal feather of the great demon Lark!

Below the Celestial Realm, everything can be farmed!
One viewing!
The man in the bronze mask raised his longsword to block, but with a whoosh, the sword in his hand shattered into pieces and flew out of his grasp!
The man in the bronze mask fell backward!

Without hesitation, Chen Yan raised his hand and brought it down again!
Second viewing!
Golden light burst forth from the bronze-masked man, and the Golden Light Technique was activated once again!
As the three-colored divine light descended, it was like hot soup poured on snow. The defensive golden light of the Golden Light Technique was dissolved upon contact with the three-colored divine light! The bronze-masked man's body trembled, and he staggered backward violently once again!

Chen Yan felt that the flow of vital energy in his body was sluggish. After activating the Three-Colored Divine Spear twice, a large amount of vital energy had been flowing out continuously!
He gritted his teeth and raised his hand to strike again!
Third viewing!
"what!!!"

The man in the bronze mask let out an angry growl!

·
A figure flew backward, as if slammed by an invisible force!

The figure struggled in mid-air, but his whole body was shrouded in a layer of tri-colored divine light. No matter how hard he tried, he could not break free. After his body shot out, it crashed directly into a big tree!

With a crack, the tree trunk was smashed into pieces, but the figure burst through the tree and plunged into a breakthrough in the distance!

The bronze-masked man's body was stuck in the earthen slope on the ground, with a pit beneath him and the surrounding soil full of cracks.

His dark black robe was covered in cracks and was tattered.

Even the bronze mask on his face was covered in cracks, and blood could be faintly seen flowing down his chin from his neck...

"..."

The bronze-masked man lay on the earthen slope, breathing heavily, looking somewhat broken, his body trembling slightly!

Chen Yan, however, held the three-colored divine duster in his hand, coldly looking at the bronze-masked man in the distance, and strode towards him again!

The bronze-masked man's eyes, hidden behind the mask, looked at Chen Yan and at the duster in his hand that shimmered with three different colored lights, filled with fear and apprehension.

Finally, he struggled and climbed out of the embankment, took a deep look at Chen Yan who was chasing after him with a duster in hand, gritted his teeth, shook his body, and soared into the air!

He was clearly injured as well. He was in mid-air, staggering as he flew northeast and disappeared into the distance.

Chen Yan looked up at the bronze-masked man who had flown away and roared, "Thief, don't run away!!"

As he spoke, he seemed to be making a move to chase after them.

However, although he shouted loudly and raised the three-colored divine duster high, he never brought it down, and he didn't even move his feet, taking another step forward.

Finally, after more than ten seconds, the figure of the bronze-masked man disappeared from the sky.

Chen Yan was finally relieved. He let out a long breath and plopped down on the ground!

He put the three-colored magic duster in his hand into his storage jade pendant, then lay down on the ground with his legs spread wide.

At this moment, he was completely drained of energy, unable to muster even a shred of strength, and even lifting a finger was difficult. He just panted heavily.

The bald man on the ground struggled to sit up and looked at Chen Yan with a complicated expression. He then looked at the bear den from which Chen Yan had just jumped out, his face filled with confusion and uncertainty.

Suddenly, another figure crawled out of the bear den, startling the bald man!
Gu Tongbing, dressed in tattered clothes, crawled out using both hands and feet, his movements even somewhat wasteful. Then he stood there and patted the dust off his clothes.

His face was covered with a torn piece of cloth, leaving only his eyes visible.

The bald man hissed, "You, you are..."

Gu Tongbing waved to him without saying a word and walked towards Chen Yan.

Walking up to Chen Yan, Gu Tongbing stood in front of Chen Yan and looked down at Chen Yan's face—probably due to exhaustion, Chen Yan's face was pale and his forehead was covered in cold sweat, looking completely drained.

Gu Tongbing hesitated for a moment, then slowly squatted down, leaned close to Chen Yan, and whispered, "What's wrong?"

"My energy is exhausted." Chen Yan moved his lips with difficulty a few times and answered with four words.

Gu Tongbing nodded, his eyes filled with a complex and strange expression: "The magic weapon you used to drive that guy away... has usage restrictions?"

Chen Yan barely opened his eyes and looked at Gu Tongbing.

Gu Tongbing seemed to smile. Although his face was not visible, there was a hint of amusement in his eyes: "Now, it seems you can no longer treat me as a prisoner."

Chen Yan pursed his lips and remained silent.

"Hey! What... what are you trying to do to him?!"

Behind him, the bald man had struggled to his feet and was barely standing there, but he was clearly staggering. Blood from his chest stained his clothes, but he picked up the broken axe from the ground and pointed it at Gu Tongbing: "You! You want to hurt him?!"

Gu Tongbing didn't turn his head, but just smiled and said, "Hmm, you're quite loyal. He saved you just now, and now you're afraid I'll hurt him?"

As he spoke, he reached out and patted Chen Yan's shoulder: "Hang in there, don't faint. Give me my things so I can save you."

Chen Yan gave Gu Tongbing a deep look.

Gu Tongbing's gaze was calm: "My 'Sleeve Universe' magic weapon is in your hands. Give it to me so I can get the elixir to save you."

Chen Yan's eyes flickered, and he took a deep breath. Although he felt his vision blurring, he still bit his lip and took out the "Hidden Universe in the Sleeve" and handed it to Gu Tongbing.

"Aren't you afraid I'll retaliate and kill you?"

Chen Yan forced a smile: "You swore an oath to the Heavenly Dao."

Gu Tongbing sighed: "Get some rest. I won't hurt you."

Chen Yan chuckled dryly, finally succumbing to overwhelming fatigue, and closed his eyes.

Gu Tongbing opened his sleeve and, after a moment's thought, took out a bottle of pills. He poured out a wax pill, cracked it open, took out a pill, and put it into Chen Yan's mouth. He gently pinched Chen Yan's throat twice, and Chen Yan's throat moved before he swallowed it in one gulp.

Gu Tongbing was relieved and put the medicine bottle back into his sleeve. He looked very tired and slowly sat down on the ground.

He was poisoned and unable to use his magic or cultivation. The fact that he simply took something out of his sleeve was a forced effort, disregarding his poison injury, and he barely managed to squeeze out a trace of magic to use.

Even this one move left him exhausted, and the faint poison wounds were aggravated, causing him to feel a dull ache all over his body.

The bald man had already staggered over.

He witnessed Gu Tongbing rescuing Chen Yan, and released the axe from his hand. As he walked over, he took out a medicine bottle from his pocket, swallowed a healing pill, and stopped seven or eight steps away from Gu Tongbing, then threw the medicine bottle over.

"My wound medicine is quite good, do you need it?"

Gu Tongbing looked down and shook his head, saying, "It's thoughtful, but I can't use it."

After saying that, he threw the medicine bottle back.

The bald man took a deep breath: "We met by chance, if it weren't for you guys just now..."

Gu Tongbing chuckled, then shook his head and looked at the bald man, saying:
“You are the thirty-ninth in the Brotherhood, named Sha Sishi, but that is actually a pseudonym. You are a collateral descendant of the Shi family in Yuehe City, Western Xinjiang, so your surname is actually Shi, and your real name is Shi Silang.”

Because his family had fallen into poverty when he was young, he only received a body cultivation technique passed down by a collateral branch of the Shi clan. After making progress in the cultivation, he entered the sect and cultivated all the way to the second realm of cultivators.

As a low-level rogue cultivator, lacking cultivation resources, and given his focus on body cultivation, he is well-suited to develop in Snow Cliff Pass. In the harsh soil mountains outside the pass, ordinary cultivators cannot use vital energy or spells, so a body cultivator like you is actually better suited to fighting against the ferocious beast race.

Later you joined the Brotherhood, number thirty-nine, and traveled through Snow Cliff Pass under the name Sha Sishi.

At this point, Gu Tongbing looked calmly at the bald man with a shocked expression and said leisurely, "Am I right?"

"..."

The bald man's expression suddenly changed. He took two steps back and pointed at Gu Tongbing: "You, who are you?!"

"Who I am is none of your business." Gu Tongbing shook his head: "You are a good person at heart, and your combat strength as a body cultivator is not bad. You would be considered a key figure among the brothers. However... your brain is not quite up to par, so you are not good enough for me."

After a pause, Gu Tongbing said calmly, "I know you'll probably disagree with what I'm saying. However, right now, it's clear that he saved your life, and I'm on his side, so by any measure, you and I are not enemies."

So there's no need for you to be so worried and wary of me.

After hearing this, the bald man seemed to realize what was happening, but he still looked at Gu Tongbing with some doubt: "You, how do you know so much about my background?"

"It's not important. I'm telling you this just to let you know that I understand you very well. We are not enemies."

As he spoke, Gu Tongbing pointed at Chen Yan: "And since he saved you, he is naturally not your enemy." The bald man looked at Chen Yan lying on the ground with surprise and suspicion—but Chen Yan's appearance at this moment was the same one he used when he used the name "Zhao Shanhe".

The face he used when he joined the Brotherhood back when he was hanging out in Xueya Pass, staring at the name "Wang Chuyi," was not the same one he used back then.

The bald man's appearance was naturally unrecognizable.

The bald man hesitated for a moment, but finally let out a sigh of relief: "You're right. If you had any ill intentions towards me, you wouldn't have saved my life. As for anything else, I have no right to ask."

As he spoke, he slowly knelt down on one knee: "However, I am a person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. I, Sha Sishi, have been saved today, so I owe you my life! If it is convenient, please tell me your name so that I can repay you if I have the opportunity in the future."

Even though my cultivation is meager and I cannot help my benefactor in any way, I will pray to Heaven every day after I return, asking Heaven to bless my benefactor!

"Hmm, you do have a good temperament." Gu Tongbing said indifferently, "Well, whether we repay the favor in the future or not, we'll talk about that later. Right now, there's something I can do with you."

The person who saved your life is injured, and I'm not feeling well myself, so please stay and take care of him for now. You may leave later when he wakes up.

This request wasn't unreasonable, and the bald man immediately nodded and said, "Exactly!"

Then the bald man helped pick up Chen Yan and put him back in the bear den.

The poor mother bear and her two cubs were driven away by the bald man.

However, the mother bear seemed to be overjoyed. After being driven out, she fled in panic with her two cubs, as if she couldn't wait to get away from these terrifying humans.

The bear den was filthy, but the bald man took out a clean meadow from his storage equipment and laid it under Chen Yan.

He moved carefully and cautiously, without any unnecessary movements or glances, behaving properly and honestly.

After finishing, he carefully withdrew from the bear cave, sat down at the entrance, and whispered, "Please rest here, I will guard the entrance. If you need anything, just call me."

Gu Tongbing had been observing coldly until now, but finally sighed: "Not bad, you know what's good for you."

After saying that, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a small iron box about the size of a thumb, and tossed it over.

"Open it and apply the plaster inside to your palm."

"Ok?"

The bald man was taken aback.

Gu Tongbing sneered, "Just look down at your palm and you'll know."

The bald man looked down and, sure enough, saw a coin-sized mark on each of his palms. The mark had seeped into his skin, causing no pain, itching, or any sensation.

Moreover, the color is very light, and it is difficult to notice unless you look closely.

Gu Tongbing's tone was indifferent:
"When you threw me the medicine bottle earlier, I put some powder on it when I returned it to you." Gu Tongbing said calmly, "My companion was injured and unconscious, and I was also feeling unwell. This is a desolate place. Although we saved your life, we can't judge a book by its cover, so I gave you some medicine in case you had any bad intentions."

The curse I cast on you is called the Copper Coin Heart-Eating Curse. If you harbor any evil intentions, a single incantation from me will cause the poison to devour your heart and kill you.

However... now that you're so obedient and useful, I might as well detoxify you.

You won't blame me for my intentions, will you?

The bald man shuddered, his expression strange. He looked at Gu Tongbing with complicated eyes for a moment, then sighed and said with a wry smile, "You have quite the deep thoughts... But you're right, you saved my life, how could I dare to blame my benefactors?"

After saying that, he opened the iron box in front of Gu Tongbing, took out some oily ointment, and applied it to his palm.

After reading it, Gu Tongbing nodded: "This is an antidote ointment that I made myself. It can neutralize hundreds of common poisons. You can keep it for yourself."

The bald man smiled wryly: "Thank you, benefactor."

After a moment's hesitation, the bald man couldn't help but ask, "My benefactor, this place is dangerous. If we stay here, what if those villains come back..."

Gu Tongbing shook his head, his tone calm, and said, "Those people ambushed the flying boat. Naturally, they had to do it in a way that was obvious to others. They had to leave immediately after the operation was over."

The masked man was injured and fled, but he'll surely be worried that the ambush will be noticed nearby, and someone will eventually find this place to search for him. Therefore, he won't be coming back.

This place is safe for now.

However, at the latest, search and rescue personnel will definitely find this place within two days.

So we'll rest here for the day and leave first thing tomorrow morning.

The bald man nodded without saying anything more, but Gu Tongbing asked, "But what about you, Sha Sishi? What are you doing here?"

The bald man didn't hide anything and replied, "I...I came with the Li family's flying boat. Originally, I was going to the Blackwood Tribe's Heaven-Smashing Ceremony."

He paused for a moment, then slowly explained the origin of the story.

"Since you know my direct lineage and that I am originally from a collateral branch of the Shi family in Yuehe City, Western Frontier, then I have nothing to hide."

The Shi family is deeply rooted in Yuehe City, with many branches. However, my branch has long since declined. Although we are called members of the Shi family, our ancestral blood ties have long faded. In the eyes of the true master family, my distant branch is no different from a servant.

My family has long since fallen into decline. My father worked for the Shi family in his early years, but died while traveling.

After my father died, my family fell into decline and became deserted. I obtained a physical cultivation technique from the family and was able to begin practicing it, which gave me a way out.

But actually, I have a younger sister.

My younger sister lacked the talent for cultivation, so she couldn't enter the Daoist path. Fortunately, she was quite intelligent and had some talent for studying. Later, I asked someone to send her to the Li family's territory, where she became a maid in one of their properties. Eventually, she became a companion student at the Li family academy, which provided her with a stable livelihood.

Later, my sister married a servant in the Li family. More than ten years ago, she gave birth to a son, who was also taken in as a servant in the Li family, and thus began to make a decent living.

The so-called "houseborn son" refers to a servant who is sold into servitude within a family and has been given the family's surname.

They were considered loyal followers of the master, their lives, honor, and disgrace all entrusted to him.

Such servants, if they have offspring, will all take the surname of their master, thus forming a loyal family clan.

Hearing this, Gu Tongbing nodded.

As the eldest son of a prominent family, he naturally knew the traditions of such aristocratic families, who have always been more willing to value and cultivate their own sons.

Especially in talent cultivation, they prefer to select talented individuals from their own families for training and will give them more important roles—because they are more loyal and trustworthy.

"My sister's husband has the blood of the demon race."

And coincidentally, my sister's son, who is also my nephew, showed some remarkable talent for cultivation from a young age. He was valued by the Li family and was nurtured as a promising talent. From childhood, he received various medicines from the family to cultivate his innate abilities.

This time, the Li family obtained some spots for the Heaven-Piercing Ceremony, and my nephew was fortunate enough to be selected by the Li family as a candidate to participate in the Heaven-Piercing Ceremony for enlightenment.

Hoping that this would allow them to cultivate the Ghost Clan's techniques and enter the Dao, they would be highly valued by the Li family and at least start as managers.

My sister wrote to me, letting me know about this happy news. She added that the Li family has a good reputation, and they…”

At this point, Gu Tongbing nodded, interrupting him, and said with a smile, "The Li family has a good family tradition, known for its generosity and kindness, and has always had a set of methods to win people over."

Your nephew has ghost blood and was chosen to participate in the Heaven-Piercing Ceremony, so the Li family allowed your nephew's family to attend the ceremony together.

So you were invited here too?

The bald man smiled bitterly and said, "My sister is in poor health, and my brother-in-law was sent to the northern frontier on official business. So, I, as her uncle, was invited by my sister. I used my sister's letter, which had the Li family's permission token, to ride the Li family's flying boat to attend the Heaven-Piercing Ceremony. As a member of my nephew's family, I wanted to share in this glory."

I came here on the Li family's flying boat, but I never expected to encounter such an ambush and assassination on the way.

Fortunately, I was used to killing at Snow Cliff Pass and was more vigilant. I seized the opportunity to jump overboard and escape. I thought I could hide here and escape, but I was still found.

Gu Tongbing stared intently at the bald man, his gaze seemingly calm, but he stared for a long time.

Just as the bald man was starting to feel uneasy, Gu Tongbing sighed softly, "Alright, you should go out now and take a look around, cover up the traces of the battle that just happened nearby."

"...Okay, I'll go right now!"

The bald man climbed out of the bear den and quickly walked away.

At this moment, Chen Yan, who was lying in a corner of the cave, slowly opened his eyes and looked coldly at Gu Tongbing.

Gu Tongbing sighed: "You've been awake for a while now, haven't you? Can you please stop pointing your finger at me like that?"

Chen Yan remained unmoved, his left thumb pointing at Gu Tongbing from afar, his tone indifferent: "You just tried to kill him."

Gu Tongbing twitched the corner of his mouth and said in a low voice, "Ambush and kill the Li family is also part of the plan, but he's a witness. If he gets out, the matter will inevitably be exposed..."

Seeing Chen Yan's grim expression, Gu Tongbing said with a wry smile, "I did think about killing him just now, but... I've given up."

The ointment I gave him really did work to detoxify him.

As he spoke, he flipped his hand, and a small iron box, about the size of a thumb, appeared in his palm.

Chen Yan looked at it and thought it looked just like the old-fashioned tin box of mentholatum he used when he was a child.

“I actually have two boxes of ointment on me, one is poison and the other is antidote. What I just gave him was the antidote,” Gu Tongbing said earnestly.

Why did you change your mind and stop killing?

"It's because of you," Gu Tongbing said with a wry smile. "Although I wanted to kill him to silence him, you were willing to risk your life to save him. If I killed him, wouldn't I be completely offending you?"

(End of this chapter)