How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 473 A Street of Mages?

"Crack!"

The door to the back room suddenly opened, and Zhang Wen walked out.

Zhang Fude and Li Xiuwen, who were still wondering which powerful immortal was so bold, immediately snapped out of their daze upon hearing the voice, their faces breaking into gentle smiles. Their speed was comparable to the face-changing act in Sichuan opera.

"Zhang Wen, you must be tired. Come and sit down," Zhang Fude said warmly, but his eyes were fixed on the other man's neck, wrists, and fingers, looking carefully for any magical treasures such as necklaces, bracelets, or rings.

Unfortunately, apart from the fingers being visible, the neck and wrists were completely invisible, making it impossible to determine whether there was any magical artifact.

"These are all the snacks you liked to eat when you were a child. Come and try them and see if the taste has changed." Li Xiuwen handed over the shopping bag that was already full.

"Thank you, Auntie." Zhang Wen didn't stand on ceremony, took the shopping bag, and pointed to the north side of the supermarket, saying, "Uncle, Auntie, I want to go back to the old house for a look."

Li Xiuwen paused for a moment, then took out two keys from the drawer under the cashier. "Here, come back early, we'll make dumplings together tonight."

"Okay, Auntie." Zhang Wen took the keys, nodded, and walked towards the supermarket entrance.

Watching Zhang Wen's retreating figure, Zhang Fude immediately turned around and winked at his wife.

After so many years of marriage, Li Xiuwen naturally understood her husband's meaning, so she immediately formed a hand seal and pointed to Zhang Wen, who had already stepped one foot out of the threshold.

'Faint!'

"Shh!"

A colorless and odorless 'qi' shot towards Zhang Wen, but after hitting Zhang Wen's back, it dissipated and disappeared.

"?"

Li Xiuwen raised an eyebrow, staring intently at Zhang Wen as he walked out of the supermarket and disappeared into the distance, her eyes filled with undisguised shock.

how could this be?

She had used this spell countless times. Unless it was a god more powerful than her, not only mortals, but even demons would have to lie down on the spot.

"Is it useless?" Zhang Fude asked in a low voice.

"Mm." Li Xiuwen nodded.

If her husband's magic doesn't work, and hers doesn't work either, then the problem must lie with Zhang Wen.

"Do you think it's possible that," Zhang Fude said after thinking for a moment, "that some magical artifact was left behind in the mortal realm and he just happened to find it?"

After hearing this, Li Xiuwen looked at her husband with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot, "Find it? You've been in the human world for so many years, and you can control the land, have you ever found a magical artifact?"

"Uh..." Zhang Fude opened his mouth, but couldn't utter the last word.

Not only him, but even his colleagues had never heard of anyone finding a magical artifact in the human world.

That's weird, that's so damn weird!

"I'll find a chance to check if he has any magical treasures on him later," Zhang Fude said.

All magical artifacts have names and identities; as long as one sees a magical artifact, one can know which powerful deity is secretly helping Zhang Wen.

"Be careful not to be noticed," Li Xiuwen instructed.

"You can rest assured that I'll handle things well," Zhang Fude said, patting his chest.

Zhang Wen walked north from the supermarket and arrived at the old house after only forty or fifty meters.

The small courtyard with its blue brick and gray tile roof is nestled among several newly built two-story buildings, looking somewhat out of place. The withered grass on the outer wall trembles violently in the cold wind, and the chain on the large iron gate is already covered in rust.

Zhang Wen took out his key, inserted it into the lock, and twisted it several times before he could barely open it, but the key was bent from the twisting.

The yard was piled high with snow, a thick layer because no one had swept it, and there were even some cat and dog paw prints on it.

He walked through the snow to the old house, took out another key to open the door, and the moment he pushed it open, a smell mixed with dust and mildew hit him.

A thick layer of dust covered the ground, the walls were moldy from the dampness, and the ceiling was covered with fine spider webs. The cold wind blew in from outside, causing the dust to swirl around.

Looking at the house, Zhang Wen felt a pang of sadness. Since he went to university, the house had been empty, and in just a few years, it had fallen into such a dilapidated state.

Actually, the house didn't belong to him. The IOU clearly stated that his parents had mortgaged the house to a creditor. Now that he had paid back the money, he had essentially redeemed the house from the creditor.

Zhang Wen went into the house, opened all the windows to let the wind blow away the musty smell, then picked up a broom and started sweeping from the inner room.

No matter what, this is his home. There's a saying, "There's no place like home." Even if he doesn't come back to live here, he can't bear to see it dilapidated.

The broom swept across the ground, raising clouds of dust. Zhang Wen covered his nose with his sleeve and continued sweeping inside the house.

After sweeping the floor, he took a basin to fill it with water. He turned on the tap, but there wasn't a drop of water in it.

Looking at the thin layer of frost on the outside of the water pipe, it was clear that the tap water had frozen.

Zhang Wen had no choice but to carry the bucket back to the supermarket to get water.

"Huh? Why are you back so soon?" Zhang Fude asked in surprise.

"The tap water at the old house is frozen, so I came back to get some water to mop the floor," Zhang Wen explained.

"Don't delay any longer. In a few days, once everyone's back at work, I'll hire some cleaners to give the house a thorough cleaning, inside and out," Zhang Fude said.

"No need, I'm free anyway, so I'll just treat it as exercise," Zhang Wen said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fude didn't know what else to say, so he stepped forward and said, "Here, let me fetch you some water."

He reached for the bucket, but instead of grabbing the handle, he grabbed Zhang Wen's wrist.

Huh?
It seems there are no bracelets.

"Uncle, no need, I can do it myself," Zhang Wen said, then walked towards the bathroom.

"Why are you being so polite with your uncle!" Zhang Fude grabbed at Zhang Wen's other wrist as he tried to snatch it.

still none.

That leaves only the necklace.

You can't exactly wear a bracelet on your ankle, can you?
"Uncle, really, there's no need." Zhang Wen used his body to block his uncle.

Zhang Fude looked at the back of Zhang Wen's neck, wanting to pull open his clothes to see his neck, but such a movement would be too deliberate and easily arouse suspicion, so he had to give up the idea in the end.

“Okay, if you need any help, just say the word. Don’t be shy about asking me for help,” Zhang Fude said, releasing the person at the same time.

"Ah."

"..."

Busy figures moved back and forth inside and outside the house, gradually bringing life to the once desolate old house.

The dust on the ground was gone, the cobwebs in the corners were swept away, the peeling paint was gathered in the corners, and even the furniture was revealed to be in its original state.

Three hours later, it gradually got dark.

Standing inside the house, Zhang Wen looked at the newly renovated space and a smile appeared on his lips.

A tabby cat walked through the middle of the yard. It was probably the first time it had seen a person in this yard. It stared at Zhang Wen for a while, and then quickly slipped away.

Zhang Wen closed the doors and windows, locked the main gate again with the iron chain, and then walked towards the supermarket.

Because Uncle Zhang's children are studying abroad, it was just the three of them on New Year's Eve this year.

Prepare the dumplings in advance, then sit in front of the TV and wait for the Spring Festival Gala.

In the north, it's cold, and apart from setting off firecrackers, there's basically no outdoor activity. Besides watching the Spring Festival Gala, there's not much else to do. Of course, if there are many people in the family, they can play mahjong or cards, but they must turn on the TV and use the Spring Festival Gala as background music.

The sound of firecrackers outside grew more and more intense, and dazzling fireworks bloomed in the night sky, making the windows as bright as day.

At this time, the firecrackers are like a signal; once they're done, it's time to cook the dumplings.

Zhang Wen set off a string of firecrackers at the supermarket entrance, then sent New Year's greetings via text message to people he knew. By the time he returned home, the dumplings were already cooked.

Eating dumplings and watching the rest of the program, Lunar New Year's Eve passed by simply like that.

First grade of junior high school.

Someone's child set off a firework early in the morning, and with a "whoosh" and a "bang," it woke Zhang Wen up.

He got dressed and went outside. Uncle Zhang and his wife were already up and making breakfast in the kitchen.

Today's breakfast was very simple; it was just reheating the leftovers from yesterday.

After breakfast, Li Xiuwen winked at her husband, Zhang Fude, who immediately understood and said with a smile, "Zhang Wen, your aunt and I are going to Uncle Song's house next door to play mahjong. We arranged it yesterday. If you're not busy, just stay in the shop. If you need anything, just pull up the shutter and get busy."

Zhang Wen knew that the couple didn't have any other hobbies besides playing mahjong, so he said, "Uncle, I hope you and Aunt have good luck and win every time."

"Thank you for your kind words. Once your aunt and I win, we'll treat you to hot pot," Zhang Fude said, then went to get his coat.

Zhang Wen watched Uncle Zhang getting dressed and suddenly thought of the skill panel, wondering if playing mahjong counted as a skill.

If you count, then he could easily increase the mahjong skill points of the couple, and then be invincible at the mahjong table, dominating everyone.

He remembered seeing a news report a few years ago that mahjong seemed to have formal competitions and should be considered a skill.

Thinking of this, he immediately looked at Uncle Zhang's skill panel.

"Zhang Fude, skill: 56 points in spells..."

"???"

Zhang Wen's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with surprise, as if he had seen a ghost.

Spell?

How can there be magic?
Could Uncle Zhang be a sorcerer?
Zhang Wen wondered if he was seeing things, so he quickly rubbed his eyes and then looked at Uncle Zhang's skill panel again.

"Zhang Fude, skill: 56 points in spells..."

考！
Could it be that these discerning eyes have malfunctioned?

"Zhang Wen, we're leaving." Li Xiuwen waved to Zhang Wen, who was standing there in a daze, then turned and walked out of the supermarket.

"Hmm." Zhang Wen snapped out of his reverie and responded, but his gaze fell on Aunt Zhang's skill panel.

"Li Xiuwen, skill: 57 points in magic..."

"!!!"

Upon seeing this, Zhang Wen exclaimed inwardly, "Holy crap!"

What's going on with this couple?
Also, what is magic?
"Uncle, Aunt, you..." Zhang Wen opened his mouth, wanting to ask directly, but he didn't know where to start. He couldn't very well say that he could see other people's skill panels, could he?

Doesn't this amount to revealing your biggest secret?
"What's wrong?" Zhang Fude stopped and turned around to ask.

"No, it's nothing, just win more." Zhang Wen forced a smile.

"Don't worry, your uncle is a veteran who has been playing mahjong for decades. He'll definitely win." Zhang Fude finished speaking and made an 'OK' gesture.

"..."

Zhang Wen took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. After all, he was someone who had the backing of a deity. How could he show a naive and ignorant attitude when he saw the skill of magic?

Isn't it just magic?

He also possesses supernatural powers.

Being able to see other people's skill panels and their negative personality traits—aren't these supernatural abilities?

Zhang Wen followed them out of the supermarket, standing at the entrance watching the backs of Uncle Zhang and his wife until they entered Uncle Song's restaurant, at which point he turned his gaze away.

He had been raised by Uncle Zhang and his wife since he could remember, which was about twenty years ago, but he had never seen the couple use magic.

Besides, if you already know magic, why would you need to open a supermarket?
Performing rituals at the homes or companies of the wealthy is more profitable than running a small supermarket, isn't it?
I don’t understand, I totally don’t understand!
"Zhang Wen, Happy New Year."

Suddenly a voice rang in Zhang Wen's ears. He turned his head and saw it was his neighbor, Aunt Wu, who ran a small hotel on this street and was also a mahjong partner of Uncle Zhang and others. She was one of the neighbors who came to the supermarket yesterday.

"It's Aunt Wu! Happy New Year! Where are you headed?" Zhang Wen asked.

"Let's go play mahjong at Old Song's house," Aunt Wu said, pointing to a restaurant not far ahead.

“My uncle and aunt just went there,” Zhang Wen said.

"Really? Then I'd better hurry, or I won't be able to get a table." Aunt Wu said, quickening her pace.

As Zhang Wen watched Aunt Wu's retreating figure, a thought suddenly struck him, and he looked at her skill panel.

"Wu Tonghua, skill: 32 points in magic..."

"?"

Zhang Wen was completely bewildered.

Aunt Wu also knows magic?

Why does a small hotel owner also know magic?
What happened to this world?
Just as Aunt Wu reached Uncle Song's door, the owner of the internet cafe across the street also came out and quickly ran towards Uncle Song's restaurant.

"He Sanxi, skill: 21 points in magic..."

Zhang Wen swallowed hard, then stood there like a snowman, motionless no matter how the cold wind blew.

These uncles and aunts all watched him grow up, so why do they all know magic?

Is this some kind of street lined with monks?

Next, several more neighbors entered Uncle Song's house: Aunt Bai, who ran a bathhouse; Uncle Zhou, who ran a hair salon; and Aunt Ren, who ran a pharmacy. They all knew magic.

"Anyone here? Need a soft pack of Zhonghua cigarettes?"

The sudden sound interrupted Zhang Wen's daze. Seeing a customer enter the supermarket to buy cigarettes, Zhang Wen immediately went in and took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from the shelf.

After the customer scanned the code, paid, and left the supermarket, Zhang Wen stood behind the checkout counter for a moment, then his unfocused gaze suddenly sharpened.

No, we absolutely have to get to the bottom of this!
He strode out of the supermarket, pulled down the shutter, and headed towards Uncle Song's restaurant.

Even if these uncles and aunts had seven or eight skills, he wouldn't be surprised. The only skill that made him unable to calm down was magic.

What is magic?
Can it fly through the air or burrow underground, or even summon wind and rain?

Or, like him, be able to see the negative personality traits in others?

Zhang Wen hadn't gone far when he suddenly stopped about ten meters from the bureau's restaurant because he saw a surveillance camera outside the restaurant.

In order to avoid being discovered by Uncle Zhang and the others, he thought for a moment, then pulled up the hood of his clothes, took out a mask from his pocket and put it on before continuing to walk forward. He stopped a few meters outside the door, pretending to stand by the roadside waiting for a car while carefully listening to the sounds inside the restaurant.

……

(End of this chapter)