Confucian and Taoist Cultivation Starting from the Equipment Slot

Although the demon-slaying mission ended abruptly, he still gained a great deal.

Putting aside the points gained from hunting demons and completing missions, the fact that he could practice the cultivation techniques ahead of time alone made the trip worthwhile.

At the same time, he also encountered all sorts of demons and monsters, and he had to always be vigilant about the fact that there are always people more powerful than him and that there is always something beyond his reach.

Thinking of the cultivation technique, he also thought of that guy from Shengtian Prefecture.

I wonder how he is doing. Did he see Xu Yi?

Thoughts flooded his mind, and before he knew it, he was back at the entrance of the Chen residence.

"Greetings, Second Young Master!"

"The second young master is back! Quickly go and tell the master that the second young master is back!"

When the servants saw Chen Zhuo, they all ran to report.

This left Chen Zhuo somewhat confused. He was just going home, why was he making such a fuss?

He grabbed a servant's arm at random. "Has my father returned?"

The man said somewhat timidly, "Young Master, Master has been back for several days."

"Father has been back for several days now? That's good."

Upon hearing the news of his father's return, Chen Zhuo finally felt a huge weight lifted from his heart.

He then prepared to go to the backyard, where his father usually practiced martial arts at this time.

On the way, he suddenly noticed something strange: the cat that had always dominated the Chen family was gone!

He clearly remembered that before they went out to exorcise demons, almost everyone had a cat and they would pet it all day long, but now it was gone.

"Perhaps Father has found a new way to handle this!"

He hasn't forgotten the special nature of those cats.

There is gas in a cat's body.

The panel's description states that it is a device that gathers energy from heaven and earth.

I just don't know what this device is.

As soon as Chen Zhuo stepped into the backyard, he suddenly stopped.

He saw his father chatting and laughing with a woman in the backyard garden.

Judging from their intimate manner, their relationship is clearly not simple.

He suddenly remembered the surprise his junior sister had mentioned. A surprise? It was more like a shock!

At this moment, Chen Tiansheng also noticed Chen Zhuo.

"Xiao Zhuo is back! Let me introduce you, this is my savior, you can call her Aunt Xie."

Upon hearing Chen Tiansheng's words, Xie Yaoyin blushed.

Chen Zhuo also looked at his father with suspicion.

It seems that her father really had this idea, "Aunt, is the title of stepmother."

The woman didn't object to her father's statement, which clearly indicated that the two of them tacitly accepted the relationship.

Their gazes fell on Chen Zhuo, whose mind raced.

This new woman looks like her stepmother; that should be a done deal.

Such things are normal in Qingshan County. It is rare for someone like Chen Tiansheng to not remarry for several years after his first wife's death.

Besides, it might be better if a woman in the house took care of things.

Moreover, judging from his father's attitude, it seemed pointless for him to object.

So he said in a low voice, "It depends on Father's wishes, but what about my elder brother?"

Chen Tiansheng waved his hand dismissively, "You don't need to worry about that, he's already agreed!"

Chen Zhuo glanced at the woman; she looked quite ordinary. Although she was somewhat pretty, she didn't seem like a lady from a prominent family.

"I just don't know if he's capable of managing this household."

Chen Zhuo muttered to himself.

This is not because he looks down on people from ordinary backgrounds.

Rather, the emphasis on matching social status in this era is based on certain principles.

"Men are in charge of external affairs, and women are in charge of internal affairs." These women from well-to-do families received their upbringing and education from a young age.

Their abilities to manage household affairs, staff, and relatives were all learned in similar family environments.

For a woman of ordinary background to suddenly become the matriarch of the Chen family, without these abilities, would have made the entire family a mess.

But seeing the two looking so sweet together, Chen Zhuo swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth.

As long as my father is happy.

Anyway, I don't get involved in managing the household affairs. As long as it doesn't affect me, let them do whatever they want.

As he came out of the backyard, he bumped into his older brother, Chen Zheng.

He glanced in the direction Chen Zhuo had come from, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

"You've seen her?" Chen Zheng's words seemed nonsensical, but Chen Zhuo understood them.

"I've seen him."

"Don't you have anything to say?" Seeing Chen Zhuo's calmness, Chen Zheng became somewhat uneasy.

"What do I have to say?"

Chen Zhuo retorted, "He's not the eldest son in the family, so it's none of my business."

It seemed that Chen Zheng had also figured this out, and he sighed silently.

The two exchanged a glance but said nothing more.

What happened next unfolded exactly as Chen Zhuo had predicted.

Chen Tiansheng made a high-profile announcement of the matter, and then, with the county government and the Academy of Literature pulling the strings behind the scenes, it became a major celebratory event for the entire Qingshan County.

Clearly, they also wanted to use this joyous occasion to briefly dispel the fear of the approaching long night.

In fact, they did it.

On the day of Chen Tiansheng's wedding, people from all over the county came to congratulate him. People of status came to show their support, and it was a great thing for people of no status to simply come and have a meal.

"Congratulations, junior brother," Gu Qing'e said with a smile, looking at Chen Zhuo, who had no expression on his face.

"Why congratulate me? This is my father's happy occasion; you should congratulate him," Chen Zhuo corrected.

"Haha, congratulations Uncle Chen!"

Suddenly, Chen Zhuo seemed to have thought of something and looked at him with a deep gaze.

"Junior sister, did you already know this news beforehand and lied to me about it being a surprise?"

"Uh, well," Gu Qing'e ran her fingers through her hair, "I'm not taking the blame for this."

"It was Master. Back then, he muttered something about Uncle Chen having good luck with women, which was strange and illogical."

"Based on my analysis, isn't having romantic luck a good thing? So..."

Fine, Chen Zhuo reluctantly accepted this explanation. The literati of their landscape painting school all learned some methods of image observation, so it was not surprising that they came to this conclusion.

After Chen Tiansheng's wedding, Chen Zhuo's life continued to involve running between the Academy of Arts and his home.

Occasionally, I also attend regularly held literary gatherings.

Unfortunately, it's not possible to resonate with heaven and earth every time.

However, thanks to his copied and adapted poems, he gained some fame in Qingshan County.

As his most famous work, "The Long Night," gradually gained popularity, his art of war reached a new level.

【Combat (lv.2 Mastery): Upon activation, dashes forward a short distance, dealing fixed damage to enemies along the way. If the target has wounds, it will instead deal piercing damage (2/2).】

Once the War Word Technique reaches the Proficiency level, the most noticeable change is that it requires an additional charge.

In the past, ink was used to quickly cast a second spell, but not anymore.

The effects of the literary technique can be released twice.

Time passed slowly, until one day, rhythmic gongs and drums suddenly sounded in the air.

The gongs and drums sounded nine times in a row, and the long night began.