Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 438 The Merits of Spirits and Demons, the Immortal Path in the Mortal World

Under the starlight, the young woman's figure was as graceful as a line of water.

Beside the fence, a small mouse stretched out its fluffy head, while Wei Yuan, with his spiky soft hair, stood close together, craning his neck to look.

Chen Xu crossed the netherworld and came here. When he suddenly saw this scene, he had a strange feeling, as if he had seen some strange tales from mythology.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, already sensing something was amiss.

Two little demons could be heard whispering to each other:

"This demon comes every night; it's clear it's not going to let Brother Chen go. We can't defeat it. What should we do now? Should we go and seek help from Brother Chen's teachers?"

The mouse said, "No, my Ninth Master said that these spirits come from the energy of merit."

The scholar accomplished a great deed, and his merits were so great that they even benefited his family.

But his family members were just ordinary people, so how could they possibly afford such an enormous benefit?
Therefore, all kinds of resentment and evil spirits in the world naturally gathered together and gave birth to these kinds of spirits.

This is a test for the Chen family themselves; outsiders should not offer assistance lightly.

If we were to forcefully intervene, the power of this spirit would increase accordingly. Not only would we be unable to defeat it, but even if Mr. Wu or Magistrate Feng came, I'm afraid they would still be unable to defeat it.

What's even more frightening is that such actions might cause Brother Chen to suffer a backlash.

The two little demons were whispering amongst themselves, unaware of Chen Xu's arrival.

This is because Chen Xu had just used the Netherworld technique, and when crossing between the two realms, he would habitually shroud himself in mist to conceal his existence.

With such concealment of his aura, even though Wei Yuan and Chen Xu had a connection through the Jade Leaf Knot, they were unable to sense him for a moment.

Hearing the two little demons talking, Chen Xu quickly figured out the situation.

A thought struck him, and his mind immediately wandered outwards, silently peering into the houses within the fence.

In the several rooms lived Chen Xu's father, Chen Qianshan, and mother, Luo Shi, Chen Xu's elder brother, Chen Ping, his third younger brother, Chen An, and his younger sister, Chen Xuan.

At this moment, Chen Xuan was curled up and fast asleep in the side room closest to her parents' main house.

Chen An was also fast asleep in his room, sprawled out on his back. In his sleep, he even murmured contentedly in his sleep:
"Second brother passed the imperial examination with top honors, that's wonderful! I'll ask him to persuade our parents to send me to a martial arts school to learn martial arts."

In the future, my second brother will become the top scholar in the civil service exam, and I will become the top scholar in the military exam.

Martial arts champion, hehe..."

He was laughing so hard in his dream that drool was dripping from the corner of his mouth.

Chen Qianshan and his mother, Luo, did not seem to be sleeping soundly. They tossed and turned, sighed, and at times seemed to be having a nightmare.

In her dream, Luo cried out in pain:

"No, no, how can we accept so much gold and silver for nothing?"

"We can't possibly repay this! How could we accept such an extravagant gift? Oh dear... my heart aches!"

Chen Qianshan was laughing and crying at the same time in his dream:
"Father, your grandson has passed the imperial examination with top honors! You can rest in peace now! Hahaha..."

Good, good child! You've come to take your parents to the capital, haven't you?

Oh my, let me, Chen Qianshan, sit in this grand master's chair today.

Wait a minute, why is this chair poking my butt?
No, no, it's too hard on my butt! This chair is so hard, it's uncomfortable for me. Waaah, even wild boars can't eat fine chaff, why am I like this…”

The couple each had their own nightmares.

Their information was slightly delayed; they only knew that Chen Xu had passed the imperial examination with top honors, but they were unaware that Chen Xu had briefly disappeared after taking charge of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.

In fact, the number one scholar in the provincial examination had already exhausted the Chen family's imagination.

As for what exactly the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is all about, and what role Chen Xu played in it, given the Chen family's position, they couldn't really understand it.

All they knew was that ever since the news of Chen Xu's success in the imperial examinations spread, the surrounding villages and towns had been in an uproar.

The magistrate of Jichuan County personally came to the Chen family to announce the good news, and teachers and students from the county school also came one after another, some bringing gifts and others offering congratulations.

Among them was a Master Wu, who always took special care of them, but that's another story. After Chen Xuzhong became the top scholar in the imperial examination, countless other gentry and wealthy households came to him with their land and property.

People offered them money, arranged marriages, and tried to establish connections... some even offered to compile their family genealogy.

Some people, knowing that Chen Xu's marriage was unlikely to be arranged, set their sights on the other three young men in the Chen family.

But my younger sister Chen Xuan is only ten years old. How can you talk about being close to someone so young?
As a result, Chen Ping, the eldest brother, and Chen An, the third brother, became highly sought-after.

In short, it's all very chaotic.

Chen Qianshan and his wife felt as if they were caught in a huge dream, experiencing both joy and, more than anything, a sense of bewilderment.

How can someone who has suddenly become rich after being poor resist all kinds of temptations?

Fortunately, although Chen Qianshan and his wife had not experienced any major events, they were exceptionally good at upholding their principles.

When faced with a decision they dare not make, they simply say:

“We country folk are unsophisticated and know nothing. If you have anything to say, let’s wait for my son Chen Xu to come back.”

Whenever Chen Xu is invoked, it always has a deterrent effect, and ordinary people dare not make demands.

However, Chen Qianshan and his wife still have their own troubles.

The outside disturbances were one thing, but another was that the eldest son, Chen Ping, had somehow taken a liking to the daughter of a sorceress in the next village.

Recently, he has been begging his parents to help him find a wife.

Chen Qianshan and Luo Shi did not want to avoid helping Chen Ping with his marriage, but they were still a little uneasy about becoming in-laws with a sorceress.

The couple refused to agree, repeatedly saying only:

"It would be best if your second brother came back and approved your marriage before we make a decision."

His judgment is certainly sound; we should just trust him.

Chen Ping pleaded repeatedly to no avail, and for the past two days he has lost his appetite and fallen ill with lovesickness.

Chen Ping had trouble falling asleep at night.

He listened to the sleep-talking of his family members in the quiet night, his face contorted with pain.

Suddenly, the sound of a woman crying outside the door startled him awake.

Chen Ping rolled out of bed, not even having time to put on his outer robe, and hurriedly pushed open the door to leave.

Under the starlight, a couple in love meet.

Chen Ping was both surprised and distressed, and hurriedly said:

"Mengniang, what brings you here? It's so chilly tonight, how could you go out alone? Go back, go back!"

Mengniang leaned against the door, tears welling up in her eyes, and said, "You're driving me away, so you really want to break up with me."

It was wrong of me to harbor any more delusions. Let us part ways here and never see each other again.

You've risen to prominence thanks to your brother, while I... I'm just a country girl, how could I possibly be worthy of you?"

Chen Ping immediately became anxious. Through the fence gate, he quickly reached out and grasped Mengniang's hand, saying:

"No matter how capable my brother is, he is still him, not me!"

I'm just a country bumpkin, how could I possibly look down on you, Mengniang?

On the contrary, I have no ability whatsoever and am unworthy of you.

Mengniang immediately stretched out her slender hand, pointed a finger at Chen Ping's lips, and said softly, "But my uncle and aunt won't allow me to be with you, they won't let me into the house."

"My dear Chen, what shall we do from now on?"

Chen Ping froze, then gradually gritted his teeth.

(End of this chapter)