Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 321 [Stewardly Seeking Truth]

Chapter 315 [Sneaky Ambitions]

Chen Yan noticed that when the ghost clan member left, his face was filled with deep shame and resentment.

After the ghost clan member left, Chen Yan walked to the entrance of the wooden shed, looked outside, and then confirmed one thing: he and Gu Tongbing were under house arrest.

Outside the wooden shed, there were five or six demons in the distance, clearly guarding the area.

Holding a knife or a bow and arrow, they all appear agile and valiant.

Chen Yan glanced at him, then turned around and saw that Gu Tongbing was already sitting on the straw mat.

“Hey, tell me what that shepherd and that ghost were talking to, shouting at each other.”

Gu Tongbing looked up and laughed, "How did you know I could speak the Ghost Clan's language?"

Chen Yan remained expressionless: "Now I know."

Gu Tongbing shook his head: "Alright, but... these ghost clans, some of the tribes below are really going too far."

·
After Gu Tongbing explained the situation, Chen Yan finally understood what the shepherd and the ghost clan member had been arguing about.

In general, it was that the demon clan member questioning and accusing the shepherd of violating the rules of the demon clan and the will of the Venerable Saint for his own selfish reasons.

He further rebuked the shepherd, saying that his actions would bring disaster to his tribe and people.

So the demon questioned and accused him, and the shepherd got angry and rebuked him, trying to suppress the demon with his authority. However, the demon seemed to have a backbone and refused to back down, continuing to accuse the shepherd in the name of righteousness.

In the end, the shepherd seemed a little guilty and didn't want to openly punish the ghost.

From this, Gu Tongbing made a guess: this ghost clan member must have a high status in this tribe, and is not some lowly nobody. He must have a certain status, so the chieftain cannot force him to be subdued by authority.

As for why this shepherd dared to do such a thing, Gu Tongbing also made a rough summary and analysis based on the content of the argument between the two.

Simply put, this pastor was acting on his own private matters.

·
Just like the pastor's words at the beginning.

He was very dissatisfied with the Ghost Clan's practice of selling a portion of the spots for the Heaven-Striking Ceremony to various sects and aristocratic families outside the clan.

Of course, his reasons were high-sounding: the Heaven-Striking Ceremony had been suspended for decades, and countless talented individuals within the Ghost Clan had not had the opportunity to cultivate. Now that it had finally been held once, the Ghost Clan members should be given priority, and the spots should not be given to other sects and families.

These words seem to be made out of a sense of justice.

However, Chen Yan later realized that something was wrong.

Where does a person who commits acts of extortion and plunder come from to have such a sense of justice?

Moreover, he only needs one spot, no more, no less, just one.

There must be some special need involved, which doesn't seem like it's out of a sense of justice.

Sure enough, after Gu Tongbing translated the conversation for Chen Yan, it turned out that this was indeed the case.

This shepherd had a son.

My age is neither too young nor too old, but it's right at a certain point where I need to quickly achieve enlightenment and enter the path of cultivation. If I delay any longer, I'll be even older, and it will be too late to start cultivating.

If we wait a few more years, it might affect his future potential for spiritual cultivation.

The reason for the delay is that there has been no grand ceremony to strike the heavens for decades, so the children have not had the opportunity to cultivate.

Logically speaking, as a herdsman in the White Elephant tribe, he should be considered a high-ranking member of the tribe.

Now that the Heaven-Smashing Ceremony has been held, his son, who is a high-ranking member of the White Elephant Tribe and holds a position within the tribe, should theoretically be entitled to a priority spot.

The problem is, they just didn't get it.

The exact reason is unclear, but it seems from their conversation that the shepherd's son had made some mistake and violated the tribe's rules, and was punished by the White Elephant chieftain, losing his qualification to participate in this year's Heaven-Piercing Ceremony.

The spot was given to someone else.

So the pastor was unhappy.

He dared not disobey the White Elephant leader's orders, so he decided to find another way and get a spot for his own son.

He had a wicked idea.

Therefore, criticizing the Oni race for selling off their spots is not out of any sense of justice.

It's just a selfish excuse to vent his anger because his son didn't get a spot due to special circumstances.

However, his attempt to seize Chen Yan and Gu Tongbing's spots by trickery aroused strong dissatisfaction from that ghost clan member.

To put it more bluntly, this behavior goes against the will of the Venerable Saint of the Ghost Clan!

To put it bluntly, it also violates the beliefs and rules of the White Elephant Tribe.

Moreover, this wasn't the first time this pastor had done something like this.

Judging from the content of their argument, in the past few days, the shepherd had sent people to intercept three or four groups of outsiders who were heading to the Blackwood tribe to participate in the Heaven-Piercing Ceremony.

However, the three or four people intercepted earlier did not have tokens—they were genuinely just there to observe the ceremony and watch the spectacle.

However, the intentions and orders previously displayed by the shepherd had already greatly displeased the ghost people.

However, due to the authority of the shepherd and the fact that they ultimately failed to seize the property, they had no choice but to release the person, thus avoiding any actual violation. Therefore, this demon was still forcibly enduring the situation.

But today, when this shepherd did this again, the demon under his command once again erupted in dissatisfaction.

After a barrage of questions and accusations, the pastor became enraged, but ultimately dared not go too far.

He knew, of course, that what he was doing was taboo and had already provoked strong dissatisfaction among his subordinates, and he dared not insist on forcibly ordering its implementation.

Because... unless he can be ruthless enough to kill all his subordinates who know about it to silence them, if the truth comes out, even if he is the shepherd, he will be in trouble.

They had no choice but to appease the ghost clan member for the time being, promising not to steal anything, but instead to have him "persuade" Chen Yan and Gu Tongbing, the two outsiders, to agree to sell them a quota token.

After hearing Gu Tongbing's words, Chen Yan couldn't help but give a wry smile: "The matter isn't complicated, but do you have any ideas? What should we do?"

Gu Tongbing raised an eyebrow: "Hmph, if I still had my cultivation, I would have already started a massacre, torn that damn herdsman to pieces, burned his tribe, and stormed out."

Chen Yan frowned, looking at Gu Tongbing: "Don't talk such meaningless nonsense. Now... wait? There's something wrong with what you're saying."

Chen Yan suddenly realized what was happening, looked at Gu Tongbing, and had a strange expression on his face.

Gu Tongbing is cunning and ruthless. Given his cunning nature, how could he utter such impulsive nonsense as "If I still had my magic power, I would kill them all"?

It seems as if she deliberately used such words to provoke him?
Sure enough, after Chen Yan realized what was happening, he looked at Gu Tongbing with displeasure. Gu Tongbing chuckled, as if Chen Yan had seen through his intentions, but he didn't care and said in a low voice, "Don't look at me like that. There are only two options now."

"Either we fight our way out, or we just give in and give him a token."

He paused as if on purpose, then said, "However, although I have the token, I only have one. I know you went to the Heavenly Ceremony, most likely with some special purpose in mind."

You saw my token before, you must have wanted to keep it for yourself!
"You're not just going to the Heaven-Striking Ceremony to observe; you... want to participate in the ceremony?"

He's testing me again...

Chen Yan rubbed his forehead and sighed, "Gu Tongbing, aren't you afraid I'll kill you in a fit of anger?"

"Alright, alright, if you want to keep this token, then you'll have to find a way to fight your way out." Gu Tongbing's smile vanished, and he said seriously, "However... I'm afraid we won't be able to win."

Although this herdsman only has one tribe under his command, he must have some cultivators among them.

Without going into too much detail, there are definitely cultivators at the second realm. I think that shepherd is probably at the second realm. And the ghost clan member who led us in is most likely also at the second realm.

In this tribe, let's not talk about the most powerful or the most advanced. But... there are bound to be a few at the second level. Besides, the Ghost Clan's cultivation method is special; a Ghost Clan member at the second level can fight a member at the third level!
"Although you possess the strength of the third realm, if several second-realm ghosts were to come, you alone would be no match for them."

At this point, Gu Tongbing deliberately paused again, looked at Chen Yan, and suddenly his tone became strange: "However, there are ways to win even if you can't beat them."

If you can't beat them, you can hide!

Wang Chuyi, where is the hiding spell you used to evade my search?

"That spell, even I, a Celestial Realm cultivator, could dodge. There are probably only a few Second Realm cultivators in this Ghost Clan tribe. If you use that spell, you can take me with you and escape this place!"

Chen Yan turned his head and frowned as he looked at Gu Tongbing.

In the end, this guy still wanted to find out his true strength and weaknesses.

Sure enough, he couldn't forget about how he had used the mirror world to escape his pursuit.

But that's not surprising. It's no wonder he's worried about a spell that can evade the Celestial Realm's search.

However, Chen Yan would not bring Gu Tongbing into the Mirror World unless absolutely necessary.

This person is too shrewd! He might just figure out something about us.

Bringing Yun Zhao into the mirror world was already a risk—and he had covered Yun Zhao with a cloth to prevent him from seeing the reality within the mirror world.

But Chen Yan didn't want to take any risks when faced with Gu Tongbing, who was a hundred times more shrewd and intelligent than Yun Zhao.

Chen Yan sneered, "Actually, there is another way."

"what?"

"I'll use that spell to escape and leave you behind. You're just a burden to me anyway."

Gu Tongbing: "…………"

·
As the two were talking, they suddenly heard footsteps outside. Looking up, they saw the ghost clan member return.

He didn't return empty-handed this time; he carried a woven tray in his hands, bent down, and crawled into the cave to place the bamboo tray on the wooden platform.

On the tray were a pile of various fresh fruits and a large piece of roasted meat.

"Gentlemen, I've brought you some food."

As the ghost clansman spoke, he didn't rush to leave. Instead, he stood there, staring at Chen Yan and Gu Tongbing. After scanning the two of them for a few moments, he suddenly sighed and said in a low voice, "I can't persuade the Shepherd. I'm afraid he will insist on going his own way."

Chen Yan nodded: "He really has such audacity to dare to do this openly..."

“His son won’t live to see next year.” The Ghost Clan member said in a low voice, “The young shepherd broke the rules of the White Elephant Tribe and was punished by the White Elephant Tribe’s chief and priest, who stripped him of his eligibility to participate in this year’s Heaven-Piercing Ceremony.”

However, he is already quite old, and his potential has been largely exhausted. If he waits another year or two, or even two or three years, his mortal body will begin to decline. At that time, even if he enters the Dao and embarks on the path of cultivation, his potential will be very limited.

The shepherd had only one son, whom he loved very much.

More importantly, the rules of my Ghost Clan's White Elephant Tribe are special. If the son of the shepherd fails to cultivate, or if his cultivation potential is insufficient and his cultivation level is limited, he will not be able to inherit the position of shepherd in the future.

When that time comes, the position of shepherd will have to be given to someone outside the family. This is an outcome that the shepherd would never want to see.

As the day of the grand ceremony drew closer, he... grew increasingly anxious, fearing he might truly lose his mind and take a dangerous gamble.

Chen Yan looked at the ghost clan member and blinked: "You, um... you want to help us?"

“I’m not helping you, I’m doing this to protect my own tribe. His stubbornness will bring trouble to the tribe. If the chieftain finds out about this evil deed in the future, or even if it provokes the wrath of the Venerable Ancestor, it may implicate the tribe.”

Chen Yan sighed: "I just hope he doesn't lose his mind."

I'm just very curious, how dare he? How dare he defy the will of the Sage and do such a thing?

The ghost clansman lowered his head and whispered, "The Venerable Ancestor... has not shown his face for decades, nor has he offered the slightest protection."

Decades is a long time; it has been long enough for many people to forget the authority of the Venerable One.

For decades, no divine decrees have been issued, and for decades, no one has experienced the majesty of a sage. This has inevitably fostered a sense of complacency in many. They feel that the sage is too distant and unlikely to concern themselves with their affairs.

After saying this, the ghost suddenly stopped talking, realizing he had spoken out of turn. He quickly composed himself and said coldly, "Tonight... after dark, when night falls, I will come to let you leave. I will take you out then, and you must leave immediately and never come back. As long as you are not caught by his men, this matter... will be considered as not having committed a serious crime."

Having said this, the demon gave the two of them a deep look, then turned and left.

After he left, Chen Yan watched the man's retreating figure, raised his eyebrows slightly, turned around and sat down, picked up the fruits and roasted meat, and began to eat heartily with a calm expression.

Gu Tongbing also sat down, but he wasn't feeling well. After eating a few bites, he lost his appetite, leaned back on the straw mat on the ground, and closed his eyes to rest.

Chen Yan then didn't say anything, and just sat there meditating and circulating his vital energy.

And just like that, the daytime flew by.

After dark, at nightfall.

The sounds of people in the tribe gradually subsided. Looking into the distance, only a few torches flickered in the village formed by the wooden huts, but there was no longer any noise from people.

Chen Yan sat quietly, then suddenly his ears twitched and he slowly opened his eyes.

The ghost clan member had already run quietly all the way to the cave entrance and glanced inside at Chen Yan and Gu Tongbing.

Gu Tongbing slowly sat up from the straw mat, looked at Chen Yan, and then looked at the ghost clan with a complicated expression.

The ghost clansman took a deep breath and lowered his voice, saying, "I sent some people away. The ones patrolling the valley entrance and the forest now are all my brothers."

I'll take you away. Don't make a sound, move quietly, and come with me now.

After giving a greeting, he turned and walked out. After a few steps, he found that there was no movement behind him, so he turned around and frowned at Chen Yan and Gu Tongbing. He found that the two of them were sitting on the ground without any intention of getting up.

The demon frowned and urged in a low voice, "Why aren't you leaving? Time is running out, I've only just managed to get here..."

Chen Yan suddenly smiled slightly, squinting at the ghost clan member, and slowly said, "We won't leave. We'll stay here and think it over. Maybe by tomorrow morning we'll have figured it out and be willing to sell a token to the Shepherd."

The demon was taken aback.

Gu Tongbing chuckled softly beside him, "Well, even if we can't figure it out, maybe your herdsman will think it through after a night of reflection, pull back from the brink, and let us leave."

The demon man shuddered, gritted his teeth, and his gaze gradually turned cold as he stared at the two of them: "What...does this mean?"

Chen Yan deliberately sighed, his gaze towards the ghost clan member carrying a deeper meaning, and he chuckled softly, "Our meaning is actually quite simple."

People from the mountains and countryside, it's fine if they do other things, why would they think of playing tricks and schemes against us city folks from out of town?
"You and that shepherd, you two are putting on a show for us, a crude and clumsy scheme. Do you really think you can fool us?"

Upon hearing this, the ghost clan members' faces immediately turned ugly.

Gu Tongbing also sighed, "One plays the good cop and the other the bad cop. They got up just to trick us into believing you, so you could lead us out at night to a place you've prepared where no one will notice, then kill us and steal our tokens."

Did they think that this way, no one would know?

The demon's face darkened, but he still stubbornly insisted, "You...you're wronging an innocent person! I..."

Chen Yan laughed and said, "I guess the reason you didn't rob us when you met us outside the valley yesterday was because there were other tribesmen around. With so many people around, it would be hard for you to do this for the chieftain. You were afraid that the news would leak out and be seen by too many unrelated people, so you tricked us into coming to the tribe."

You pretend to be righteous and outspoken, disapproving of the pastor's perverse actions, trying to gain our trust and deceive us.

"Then take us to a secluded place, where your and the shepherd's trusted men will surely be lying in ambush. Those who could kill us and steal the token must also be your trusted men, capable of keeping quiet, right?"

The ghost clansman shuddered, gritted his teeth, and looked at Chen Yan with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty in his eyes.

Chen Yan sighed: "Indeed, decades is too long. So long that many ghosts have forgotten the majesty of the Venerable Saint, and too many scheming and despicable people have sprung up below."

(End of this chapter)