Chapter 19: Thirty People In Position (Part 1)

“Ahem!”

Seeing Captain Ye come out, Chen Yi put away his sword, straightened his expression, and said, “It was an error in estimation. This scroll was painted on human skin. After the Spiritual Energy Revival, it also became an aberrant entity, and it’s even stronger than the fake Zhong Kui inside it. I suggest you don’t keep carrying it with you. Hand it over to the Demon-Suppression Department to suppress and seal.”

Before Captain Ye could speak, Da Huang barked twice.

It shook its head, wagged its tail, and was just short of opening its mouth to say: Give it to me, give it to me.

Chen Yi did not agree.

The books had never written what the cultivation regulations for demon beasts were. What if eating aberrant entities gave it diarrhea? Better wait until he found a cultivation method for demon beasts first.

Chen Yi personally rolled up the dried-out human-skin painting scroll, tied it tightly with the red cord, then silently took the human-skin painting scroll and left the space.

Once he was outside the space, the mission automatically completed.

Ding!

Side Mission: Resist Foreign Enemies completed.

Reward: Talisman Gift Pack x1, low-grade spirit stone x5.

Chen Yi happily accepted the newly arrived spirit stones, feeling that his gradually deflating wallet finally had a little stock again.

After that, he looked at the Talisman Gift Pack in his other hand.

It was a navy-blue rectangular box, ten centimeters wide and twenty centimeters long. The box had hidden cloud patterns on it, with flowing fluorescence, a warm feel, and an extremely high-end texture.

Chen Yi opened the box and saw a stack of talismans made from yellow paper and cinnabar inside.

Chen Yi took the talismans out. There were five in total. After studying them with the system, they were respectively the Sealing Talisman, Explosive Talisman, Light-Body Talisman, Obstacle-Removal Talisman, and Strength Talisman.

Their effects were clear at a glance just from their names.

Chen Yi thought for a moment, took out the Sealing Talisman, and held it in his hand. He placed the others back in the box, then tucked the box into his jacket pocket.

After sensing that no one was around, he returned to the sect. As soon as he stepped through the Mountain Gate, he called out, “Officer Pang, come here for a moment.”

Pang Xiaolei was still frustrated that he had had no sense of presence in this aberration-exorcism mission. With a body full of strength and nowhere to use it, after coming out, he could only vent it by practicing punches.

The guards here had all trained in military boxing and had a foundation in fist techniques. Then, by using the Spirit-Charge Fist technique to circulate spiritual energy, they had basically all reached the proficient stage with ease.

But to reach minor achievement after that, they would need day-after-day training.

After all, they did not have an idling system. Heh.

Called over, Pang Xiaolei stopped moving and walked over.

He was wearing a tank top. His injured hand had not fully healed yet, but the charred skin had fallen away, revealing fresh flesh underneath, with faint traces of muscle regrowing under the nourishment of spiritual energy.

Chen Yi looked at Pang Xiaolei’s arm a couple more times, then handed him the human-skin painting scroll with the Sealing Talisman stuck on it. “Can I trouble you to help me send this to Captain Pang? Right now, you’re in the best condition, so I can only trouble you.”

“Sure.” Pang Xiaolei took the human-skin painting scroll, his gaze landing on the Sealing Talisman pasted on it. “What’s this?”

“A Sealing Talisman. It’s a precaution, and it can be sent over for research while we’re at it. Maybe the hidden danger of aberrations being impossible to completely eliminate can be solved.”

“Sealing Talisman?” Pang Xiaolei fell into thought, knowing this had to be something rewarded by a system mission, and he took it especially seriously. “I’ll deliver it as soon as possible.”

After Pang Xiaolei left, Chen Yi first went to comfort his parents and children, then stroked Da Huang’s head and praised it. He also said, “Wait for now. Wait until I’ve studied your cultivation method first. There will be many aberrations in the future. If eating aberrations really is your cultivation method, then the future will be paradise for you.”

Da Huang understood. “Woof!”

It wagged its tail and went to watch the children.

Only then did Chen Yi look toward the other few people.

Tang Qirui’s aptitude was ordinary, and he was still cultivating.

The first cultivation session was similar to enlightenment. One lost track of time while sensing something from nothing, so it was best not to interrupt him.

The remaining four were each sitting at the base of the wall in the Sect Main Hall like frost-bitten eggplants. Some were even still sunk deep in the lingering fear of having been contaminated, their faces defeated.

The contamination of aberrations pointed straight at the greatest fear in one’s heart. Those who had never encountered it simply could not imagine what kind of terrifying scene it was.

People who were not resolute enough would suffer severe mental trauma the first time they encountered an aberration. The fact that they were still very quiet now, without any sign of breaking down, could only mean their quality was indeed good.

Of course, the first to recover was still the experienced Captain Ye.

Seeing Chen Yi come over, he got up and walked forward to meet him. “I want to go to the Scripture Pavilion and pick a cultivation method.”

“All right.”

Chen Yi nodded and looked at the white hair at the back of Captain Ye’s head.

Although the aberration had been sealed, Captain Ye had not become younger. In fact, because he had just entered the world inside the painting, he seemed to have aged a little more.

Who knew whether cultivation could let him regain his youth?

There was no need to even think about the Qi Refining stage.

Only Foundation Establishment as soon as possible would work.

Chen Yi waited for Captain Ye to finish picking a cultivation method and come out. Then he brought his parents, children, and Da Huang into the Scripture Pavilion.

After coaxing the children to sleep and placing them on the meditation mats, he had his parents and Da Huang find meditation mats too. Chen Yi sat on the highest lotus meditation mat and selected Technique Transmission.

The cultivation that had originally been like dripping water instantly became a gurgling stream. He would not say it was advancing a thousand miles in a day, but this cultivation speed was still much faster than that of even the most talented person.

Sensing the spiritual energy in his parents’ bodies increasing little by little, Chen Yi nodded in satisfaction.

Although it cost money, if they could cheat their way through cultivation, what else was there to think about?

Earning more money was the real major matter.

An entire afternoon passed just like that.

Ding!

Sword Manipulation has reached major achievement.

At dinner, the system sent a notification.

Chen Yi found a moment to glance at it.

Spirit-Charge Fist: major achievement, sixty-eight percent.

Light Art: proficient, eighty-eight percent.

Dust-Removal Art: proficient, eighty-eight percent.

He decided that after Dust-Removal Art reached minor achievement, he would switch to idling another cultivation method. It was just a spell for automatic bathing. What was the point of idling it to such a high level? It was only that since it was already at eighty-eight percent, it would feel unreasonable not to finish it.

There was also the Spirit Nurturing Art.

As his main mental cultivation method, even with idling, its speed had slowed.

At this time yesterday, he had been at Qi Refining fourth stage, five percent. Now he was only at fifty-five percent. It looked like he would still need another day before leveling up.

So slow.

Should he keep cultivating tonight?

“Sect Master, are we going to North Mountain tonight?” Captain Ye had a strong sense of responsibility.

Chen Yi thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Everyone is tired today. Rest properly. I think Xun Shiming has faint signs of a breakthrough, so we still need to treat it carefully.”

Xun Shiming nodded.

Captain Ye said nothing more.

Besides the reason Chen Yi had given, another reason he was not going tonight was that he was waiting for Pang Xiaolei to return and hand in the mission.

He had sent back the human-skin painting scroll that was an aberrant entity within an aberrant entity, and had even attached a Sealing Talisman as a bonus. He believed Pang Sen’s side would make some considerations and send more people over.

Aberrations were erupting frequently in the outside world. The sooner the Night Watchers had the strength to resist them, the better. They could not wait, and Chen Yi, who wanted to obtain a divine ability, did not want to wait either.

Once he obtained the divine ability, and with his cultivation reaching Qi Refining fifth stage around this time tomorrow night, he would be even less afraid of that aberration on North Mountain, whatever the hell it was.

In truth, Chen Yi did not want to act personally at all, but right now there was no absolutely reliable manpower, so it could only be him.

How could one allow another to snore beside one’s bed?

His life, property, closest loved ones, and family all lived here. Every unfavorable factor had to be eradicated!

Thinking that he had to go eliminate an aberration again tomorrow, Chen Yi worried there might be danger. After resting for a while after dinner, he simply went to cultivate again.

This time, no matter what, his parents and children refused to go in with him.

They were not cultivation material. Sitting there dryly was truly uncomfortable. Besides, adults could sit still, but children could not.

So they simply set up a tent in the Sect Main Hall and let the children crawl around inside and outside the tent to play.

A little after ten at night.

Light Art and Dust-Removal Art both upgraded to minor achievement.

Chen Yi took out the spirit stone from Dust-Removal Art. Looking at the spirit stone, which had dimmed a little, he was just about to place it on Transport Art. That impressive bearing of curling a finger and having things fly over was something he had coveted for a long time.

But when he saw another AFK slot that had lit up at some unknown time, joy rose in Chen Yi’s heart. Without even thinking about it, he placed the spirit stone in it.

Gale Legs could finally be cultivated through idling!

This was the cultivation method Chen Yi had always wanted to learn. He had Sword Manipulation for fighting and Gale Legs for running. He could attack when advancing and defend when retreating. At all times, his life had to be held in his own hands.

Apart from that, Chen Yi thought of another cultivation method related to safety.

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Yi ultimately took the spirit stone off Light Art and hung it on Aura Concealing Art.

Perhaps it was simply his nature. Chen Yi had always disliked standing out. Handing the sect system over to the state was his sense of responsibility and shared honor, but for him personally, he still hoped he could keep a low profile while doing things.

The bird that sticks its head out gets shot.

After cultivating all the way to seventy percent in Spirit Nurturing Art in one breath, Chen Yi moved his sore, aching body and knew he would not be leveling up today.

Mental cultivation methods were far harder to practice than techniques. As his cultivation improved, it was estimated that in the later stages, advancing a single level might take several years, or even decades. He had to keep his mentality balanced. One could not become a fatty in a single bite.

Besides, when he transmigrated in, he had made a grand vow to avoid the ending where the villain’s old father appeared only to end up living in a grave. Cultivating the children’s values depended chiefly on companionship.

If he poured his whole heart into cultivation, would the children not still walk the original old path from the book? Whenever he thought of such adorable children having such a tragic future, his chest tightened in waves, and he could not fully settle down to cultivate either.

Past ten, the children still had not slept. After sleeping in the special space for several days in a row, the children were already completely used to it. When they saw Chen Yi come back, they went through the whole set of hugs and kisses. Then he told them a few bedtime stories, and after they drank a bottle of milk, they fell asleep.

Xiang Lan was an especially virtuous and plain mother and grandmother. At least within the family, she handled the logistics extremely well.

Chen Jiankang, meanwhile, had work to busy himself with, and still had to receive the people arriving one after another from the province and the capital. The fact that Chen Yi had been able to connect with the state so quickly was indeed thanks in large part to Chen Jiankang.

Before going to sleep, Chen Yi went out and circled around to the back of the Sect Main Hall.

There was a large stretch of space here. The orange grove served as the boundary, and there was an invisible spatial barrier that prevented entry and exit. Two temporary tents stood abruptly in the space. Lifting the tent flap, one found the temporary toilets inside.

These had been built by Pang Xiaolei and the people he brought over these past two days.

Leaving the sect space to use the toilet made it easy for the villagers to discover the secret, so they could only solve it within the sect.

After Chen Yi finished taking care of his urgent needs, he suddenly remembered something. When he came out again, he hurried toward the peach tree.

His gaze landed on the ground, and he thought to himself, Just as expected.

The blood that had gushed out when he stabbed the human-skin painting scroll had originally flowed in a large patch beneath the peach tree. Afterward, those who left had left, and those who cultivated had cultivated, so no one had really paid attention to this piece of ground.

Six hours had passed since the aberration was eliminated. The pool of blood beneath the peach tree had already become very faint. Perhaps if he had come any later, nothing would be visible at all.

It had not seeped into the soil. It seemed more like it had been absorbed by the peach tree.

Chen Yi lifted his head to look at the peach tree’s branches and vines. Sharp-eyed, he discovered that the place where he had previously chopped the branch no longer showed any scar. Instead, a branch as thick as a child’s arm had grown there.

Were aberrations fertilizer for the peach tree?

Da Huang could also eat aberrations.

Did that mean nonhuman animals and plants had to rely on devouring to strengthen themselves?

Chen Yi did not immediately think of something and then go do it.

The main thing was that he believed such a large sect would certainly have an answer to tell him.

Having a spirit of exploration and research was not bad. It was just that in peaceful times, each day passed was one fewer. There were not many chances for trial and error. Chen Yi was more willing to follow the conclusions of predecessors first, then search for the path most suited to him.

Next Chapter >