Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 117 New Year's Eve (10,000 words, please subscribe and vote)

[The Mirage Court Musician's rank has been upgraded to LV4]

[Skill "Loyal Judgment" level upgraded to LV5]

[Skill "Pancake Debut" level upgraded to LV10]

[Skill Mastery Level Upgraded to LV10]

Next came the exciting review session, and Chen Ye was quite satisfied with the series of prompts.

This upgrade is comprehensive, especially the maxing out of the two support skills, which brings about a qualitative leap.

His impeccable stage presence made his disguise flawless, while his keen observation skills brought his insight to its peak...

So although this trip had some twists and turns, it was very rewarding.

The group returned to Zhenhaiwei, leaving all subsequent matters to Qi Shihao.

Jingyun Nunnery has affected the reputations of many women in the city. To avoid panic and gossip, Qi Shihao consulted with the government and decided to keep the matter a secret.

To the outside world, they claimed that the Jingyun Nunnery in Xishan had accidentally caught fire at night, burning down the Taoist temple and causing heavy casualties among the nuns. After that, they completely sealed off Xishan.

The people of Zhenhaiwei also thought it was an accident, and after a few days of sighing, the sadness was overshadowed by the upcoming New Year.

Chen Ye's life returned to normal.

As the year draws to a close, business at Guang Le Lou is booming. Chen Ye added several more performances, all of which were sold out. Then, amidst the reluctant calls of his fans, he announced his retirement from the theater.

As the New Year approaches, the entire Zhenhaiwei is immersed in a festive atmosphere.

Every household hung red lanterns and pasted newly written Spring Festival couplets. Children dressed in new clothes chased and played in the streets and alleys, and the air was filled with the sweet aroma of roasted nuts and candies.

The invitations sent to Chen Ye's residence piled up like a small mountain, but Chen Ye politely declined all invitations except for those to the Lu and Qi families' banquets.

For him, such insincere social interactions were far less satisfying than having a peaceful meal with friends.

Despite his relaxed demeanor, Chen Ye never let his guard down.

After all, Chen Ye had heard Jingxin's dying curse very clearly. Although he didn't know the specifics, it was like a sharp thorn that remained stuck in his heart.

Meanwhile, at the City God Temple.

This place is especially popular with worshippers.

People flocked to the temple to offer incense and pray for peace and prosperity in the coming year, crowding the temple to capacity.

Ge Kun was so busy he barely had time to breathe, greeting worshippers and distributing blessing cards, his brows covered in sweat.

His master, the old temple keeper with white hair and beard, lit three sticks of incense in the main hall as usual, quietly observing the incense and praying for blessings.

Incense observation is an ancient Taoist divination method that uses the shape of burning incense, the direction of the smoke, and the state of the ash to predict good or bad fortune.

The old temple keeper had spent his entire life observing incense offerings and was already a master in this art.

But today, as soon as he lit the three incense sticks, his heart skipped a beat.

The incense stick's flame was not a bright orange-red, but rather had an eerie dark blue hue. The rising smoke did not rise straight up, but instead resembled three twisted venomous snakes, intertwined and refusing to dissipate.

What alarmed him even more was that the half-burnt incense ash remained solidified and did not fall, like a sharp sword hanging over his head, exuding an ominous aura.

Bad luck!

The old temple keeper hurriedly tried to calculate with his fingers, but the heavenly secrets were in complete chaos, and he couldn't figure anything out, which made him even more frightened.

"Master, what's wrong?" Ge Kun finished his business outside and entered the hall. He saw that his master's face was pale and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. He hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

The old temple keeper's voice was hoarse as he pointed to the broken incense stick, "The City God has warned us that this is a very bad omen. Zhenhaiwei... is likely to suffer a bloody disaster!"

Upon hearing this, Ge Kun's heart sank.

He knew that his master's incense-reading technique had never been wrong.

He immediately released his divine sense and carefully examined the entire City God Temple, but found no signs of evil spirits. Everything was as usual.

But the more this happened, the more uneasy he felt.

The unknown is the scariest thing.

“Master, don’t worry, I’ll go and reinforce the magic array at the City God Temple right away. I’ll also notify Qi Tou of the yamen and have him strengthen the defenses,” Ge Kun said in a deep voice.

The old temple keeper nodded slowly, looked worriedly at the bustling street outside the window, and sighed softly.

Hopefully, it's not too late.

New Year's Eve arrived in the blink of an eye.

The lights of thousands of homes in Zhenhaiwei were on, and the sound of firecrackers rose and fell, enveloping the entire city in a hustle and bustle of peace.

Chen Ye's mansion was equally bustling with activity.

He, Tiedan, Chunyan, and several close brothers from the opera troupe sat around a large round table, enjoying a steaming New Year's Eve dinner.

Chunyan's face was flushed in the glow of the charcoal fire, and her bright eyes would occasionally steal glances at Chen Ye, her gaze sparkling with a touch of girlish shyness.

Tie Dan ate heartily, his mouth greasy with food, while also serving food to Chen Ye.

"Brother Chen, eat more! This braised pork knuckle is so tender and delicious!"

Chen Ye smiled and agreed. Looking at the lively scene before him, he was momentarily reminded of watching the Spring Festival Gala with his family in his previous life.

The same festive atmosphere, the same family reunion.

Chen Ye picked up his wine glass, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to return to Earth.

"Come on, everyone! New year, new beginnings! Let me raise a glass to you all!"

Everyone raised their glasses, laughing and chatting happily.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, it was soon midnight.

"Look, someone's setting off fireworks!"

Someone shouted, and everyone rushed into the courtyard.

Phew—bang!

A dazzling firework suddenly burst open in the night sky, followed by hundreds and thousands of fireworks rising one after another, illuminating the dark night sky as bright as day.

At the height of the city's celebration, several dark figures moved silently in some shadowy corners of Zhenhaiwei.

Like ghosts blending into the night, they evaded all patrolling watchmen and constables, moving swiftly and mysteriously, converging on the same target from different directions.

City God Temple!
……

Inside the main hall of the temple, the old temple keeper sat cross-legged in meditation, his eyes closed.

The fireworks and cheers outside had no effect on him whatsoever.

Ge Kun, along with several young Taoist disciples, was reinforcing the talisman arrays in the backyard, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Suddenly, the old temple keeper, who had been sitting quietly, trembled and abruptly opened his eyes!
Something is wrong!
An extremely dangerous aura surged in from all directions like a tidal wave!
He suddenly stood up, his gaze fixed on the tall statue of the City God in the center of the hall.

That is, at the same moment!

Click!

With a crisp cracking sound, the City God statue, which had received incense offerings from the people of Zhenhaiwei for hundreds of years and should have been indestructible, suddenly had a clear crack appear between its eyebrows!

Then the crack, like a hideous scar, quickly spread downwards, covering the entire body of the statue like a spider web.

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(End of this chapter)