Chapter 19: Thirty People In Position (Part 2)

For now, he would stop looking here. Chen Yi turned and left. Seeing everyone still bitterly cultivating outside the Sect Main Hall, he carried that little bit of secret delight in his heart and went inside to sleep with the children.

Early the next morning.

His parents brought the children away from the Sect Main Hall, and Da Huang followed as well.

During the day, they generally would not stay in the sect space. The adults had things to busy themselves with, and the children wanted to go out and play. With Da Huang watching the children, his mother, Xiang Lan, was much more relaxed, and she could even find time to go down the mountain and carry back some vegetables and meat.

As for cooking the meals, of course Xun Shiming and the others took turns doing it.

The Chen family’s unusual actions had long since drawn the villagers’ attention.

After connecting with the state, the couple breathed a sigh of relief on one hand, but on the other, they became even more afraid of leaking the slightest thing. Whenever asked, they said it was a secret mission.

Chen Jiankang was the village chief of Lishui Village. Although there had never been any so-called secret missions in the past, that did not mean there were none now. It was also very normal for them to be responsible for receiving people.

Although the villagers of Lishui Village muttered behind their backs, not many asked them to their faces.

These few days had been muddled through like this.

When the bus full of people drove up the mountain, the village aunties were gathered together picking vegetables while chatting about the recent changes in the village.

“People keep coming lately.”

“Did Chen Yi do something big? I say, educated people really are impressive.”

“Isn’t that right? A helicopter even came to our village a few days ago. It was the first time I’d ever heard such a loud noise. Do you think the helicopter was just passing by, or did it come to pick someone up?”

“Passing by, of course. Who could it pick up in our village? We don’t even have a place to park.”

“Park? Haha, that’s called a helipad…”

As they were laughing and talking, the aunties saw young, strong men getting off the bus. Every one of them was upright and spirited, wearing camouflage uniforms. On the open ground of the parking lot, they quickly formed ranks, then split into two columns and passed through the village, heading toward the terraced fields.

Their eyes followed the ranks. Everyone was shocked, wondering what these people, who were obviously soldiers at a glance, had come to Lishui Village to do.

“Did they discover a mine?”

“It must be a mine. It’s that what’s-it-called rare stuff, the kind used in building airplanes?”

“Old Chen too, not leaking even the slightest news.”

“Eh!” Someone in the watching crowd let out a cry of surprise. “Isn’t that Wang Xiaosan?”

“Oh my! Ping’an is there!”

“Ping’an! Ping’an! What are you all doing?”

Wang Ping’an had returned to his hometown. Looking at the familiar uncles and aunties, and being called over and questioned by them, his feelings were indescribably complicated.

He shook his head, indicating that it was inconvenient for him to say. Without stopping, he followed the team forward. Only when they reached the end of the village did Wang Ping’an and two other teammates stop there together.

He was responsible for stopping the curious villagers who crowded over. He said, “Second Uncle, Third Grandpa, Eldest Uncle, Fourth Auntie, stop asking. It’s a classified mission. When it’s time to announce it, it will naturally be announced… I really can’t say. There’s a confidentiality agreement. Don’t worry, it’s not a bad thing for our village… It’s noon, so hurry home and eat and rest… Mm-hm, these fields are definitely still yours. As for exactly how they’ll be handled, once the higher-ups come up with a regulation, I’ll tell you at once. Don’t worry, the government won’t let us suffer losses…”

Wang Ping’an talked until his mouth was dry and finally stopped the curious villagers. At this time, the people from the county Security Bureau also rushed up after receiving a call and took over the work of Wang Ping’an and the other two.

The three of them finally had a moment free and looked expectantly toward the orange grove not far away.

Before leaving, Wang Ping’an gave his parents a look telling them not to worry, then finally looked toward his youngest brother.

“Bro! Bro! Come here, I only have one thing to say!”

“Bro! Hey, bro, don’t go!”

“The orange grove! Is it the orange grove? Chen Yi brought you guys to ram into a tree, mmph mmph mmph…”

Wang Ping’an covered the mouth of his disaster of a younger brother, glared at him with a huff, and growled, “What else do you know?”

Wang Xiaosan grinned and winked exaggeratedly at his brother. “There are aberrations too. I saw them. Chen Yi took care of a human-head balloon aberrant entity all by himself. I saw it with my own eyes. Are you guys going over there because of this?”

Wang Ping’an’s brows tightened enough to pinch a fly to death. After a few seconds of silence, he said, “You saw it with your own eyes? Have there been any strange things around you these past few days? Do not tell anyone else about this.”

Wang Xiaosan had not yet realized the seriousness of the problem and said with a cheeky grin, “Got it. I’ll wait for your news.”

Wang Ping’an released the arm clamped around his brother’s neck and glared at this worrisome younger brother.

Cognition was contamination.

According to the Sect Master, this disaster of a younger brother of his was probably not very safe anymore.

“I’ll wait for your news, bro!” Wang Xiaosan waved farewell to his third brother, thinking that he was about to see the truth clearly, and was extremely excited.

Later, when he thought about how to thank his third brother, he remembered the North Mountain nectarines his third brother had often taken him to pick when they were children. They were on the other side of North Mountain. There was a peach grove there, with old trees decades old. The nectarines they bore were delicious, with honey-sweet yellow flesh…

Over here, Wang Pingyuan was worried about his younger brother, and he walked the whole way absentmindedly.

Only when he arrived in front of the orange trees did he suddenly come back to himself. Looking ahead, he was as if on a pilgrimage.

The thing Chen Yi had brought back had not only saved his own life and could save even more people’s lives, but had also brought Lishui Village changes that were difficult to measure, yet certainly good.

What sort of miraculous sect was this, and what would it be like?

…

Ding!

Recruit disciples: 27/30.

Ding!

Recruit disciples: 29/30.

Ding!

Recruit disciples: 29/30.

Chen Yi was smiling as he processed the disciples’ entry into the sect. Looking at the mission reminders flooding the screen before him, he was excitedly looking forward to the reward for the number of people. In the end, the number reminder stopped jumping, and the number got stuck at twenty-nine.

That’s it?

This, this, this. Was it trying to drive someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder to death?

Chen Yi looked toward Captain Ye.

Captain Ye was responsible for receiving this new batch of sect members. They were thirty outstanding soldiers selected from the guard team and the legion. Their information had been entered into a booklet, which was currently in Captain Ye’s hands.

Pang Xiaolei was assisting Captain Ye at the side in checking the personnel. Then he explained, “There are still three people guarding the road entrance, waiting for the Security Bureau people to come over. This time, we entered the village with such a big fanfare that I only thought of this when we were almost here, so I left three people behind.”

Captain Ye nodded.

Before their overall strength became powerful enough, it was still better for as few civilians as possible to know about the existence of aberrations. “Cognition was contamination” had now already been established as a rule of the Special Action Team.

Captain Ye looked toward Chen Yi.

Chen Yi nodded. “I understand.”

Captain Ye said, “Then I’ll take them to complete their entry.”

“Good.”

Chen Yi watched them leave, his gaze sweeping over the newly arrived people. Seeing that everything was being pushed forward in an orderly manner and that there was nothing for him to do, he went to the Mountain Gate to wait.

Who could possibly know how urgently he wanted to complete the mission?

He wanted to watch his ten spirit stones come over!

He waited and waited. After almost half an hour, when Chen Yi’s feet had already begun to ache from standing, he suddenly jolted.

Through the Mountain-Protecting Grand Array, he sensed that someone was passing through the array.

Immediately after, a familiar figure appeared at the end of the bluestone steps.

Third Brother Ping’an?

It was not really unexpected.

Wang Ping’an had originally been a member of the Special Action Team. He had also had contact with Chen Yi, and he was a villager of Lishui Village. In the end, becoming one of the first members sent here for further training was also very normal.

Wang Ping’an naturally saw Chen Yi as well.

Chen Yi was wearing straight-leg jeans and a dark green T-shirt. It was clearly the simplest outfit one might see on a city street, yet the figure standing at the Mountain Gate at this moment made Wang Ping’an look up to him like a lofty mountain, excitement rising in his heart.

Thinking back to that day’s mission, if not for Chen Yi, he would definitely have been left there. The same went for his teammates and captain. Who knew how many lives they would have had to leave behind before they could eliminate that terrifying aberration? Yet Chen Yi had solved it with ease.

He wanted to learn those methods too, and that strength made him admire Chen Yi even more.

In the past, he had already respected Chen Yi for being good at studying. Now, not only did he respect him even more, he also felt honored by association.

This was the outstanding student of their Lishui Village, and now he was Sect Master Chen, someone of decisive importance even to the state.

“Sect Master.”

Facing Chen Yi, Wang Ping’an did not dare rely on his seniority for all sorts of reasons, nor did he assume the identity of Third Brother. He simply opened his mouth and addressed him directly, treating himself as a student who had come for further training.

Chen Yi actually had quite a lot he wanted to say, but right now, there was something more important to do.

“Let’s not waste words. I’ll just ask you this. Do you want to join The Lurker Sect?”

“Yes!”

Wang Ping’an agreed without even stumbling.

Others might not understand Chen Yi’s strength and might still have some doubts, but he would not. He knew far too well that Chen Yi’s current strength was greater than that of the entire Special Action Team combined.

Ding!

Recruit disciples: 30/30.

Main Mission: Develop the Sect completed.

Reward: Divine Ability: Delusion-Piercing Eye Technique, spirit field x1, spirit seed x1, low-grade spirit stone x10.

Main Mission: Disciple Training.

Reward: outer sect disciple residence, storehouse, low-grade spirit stone x10.

Qi Refining seventh stage: 0/1, incomplete.

Slay demons and eliminate devils: 0/1, incomplete.

Train disciples to Qi Refining first stage: 1/5, incomplete.

Under Wang Ping’an’s gaze, Chen Yi suddenly beamed with joy. Then, with a flip of his hand, a jade talisman as thick as a thumb appeared in his hand. He pressed it to his forehead, where it turned into a streak of light and disappeared.

After that, Chen Yi’s eyes visibly became deep and profound. In the depths of his pupils, something that looked like a flower seemed to be rotating, making it impossible for others to look straight at him.

“Your eyes…”

Before Wang Ping’an could ask, Chen Yi flipped his wrist again. Ten milky-white stones the size of pigeon eggs, their shapes not entirely uniform, appeared. Before Wang Ping’an could take even one more look, Chen Yi put them into his clothes pocket.

Having reaped a great harvest, Chen Yi was in an excellent mood. He quickly completed the entry procedures for the other two team members and had them go to the Scripture Pavilion on their own. Without delaying for even a moment, Chen Yi headed toward the back of the hall.

He had to study the divine ability.

And he also needed to find a place to put this spirit field.

He also needed to look at the newly issued mission.

As for these newly admitted people, as the saying went, the master led you through the door, but cultivation depended on the individual. How exactly they were to cultivate was not something Chen Yi needed to worry about.

He had countless affairs to manage every day. He was quite busy too.

“Sect Master, Sect Master, Sect Master Chen Yi!”

Hearing someone call him, Chen Yi turned to look at Wang Ping’an, who had caught up with him, and asked in puzzlement, “Third Brother, is something wrong?”

“Just call me Wang Ping’an.” After correcting him, Wang Ping’an said, “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Chen Yi looked at him deeply. “Come on, then.”

Chen Yi was in a hurry to go to the place he had already chosen early that morning for the spirit field, but when he saw that the next mission’s reward included an “outer sect disciple residence,” he knew that place would not do.

Once there was a residence, everyone would have a place to live, and his parents would definitely get a room as well.

Although he had initially intended to give this spirit field to his mother for farming, the state would probably use the spirit field for research. It would have to be placed somewhere far from the living quarters.

Besides, since there was an “outer sect disciple residence,” then there would definitely be an “inner sect disciple residence.” Perhaps in the future, there might even be “direct disciple residence,” “elder residence,” and “Sect Master residence.” In that case, the sect’s development needed to be planned more reasonably.

It would be simple to put these buildings down, but probably not easy to take them away afterward.

Chen Yi suddenly thought of something and said, “Third Brother, help me call Minister Tang over. It’s important.”

He had originally wanted to talk to Chen Yi about his younger brother, but when he heard it was important, Wang Ping’an could no longer bother with that. He hurried away.

When he returned, Tang Qirui, who had already smoothly entered Qi Refining, followed behind him.

Tang Qirui’s aptitude really was quite ordinary, and without the assistance of Chen Yi’s Technique Transmission, he had spent a great deal of time yesterday entering Qi Refining. After that, he had consolidated it for several more hours. When Chen Yi went to sleep, Tang Qirui had still been cultivating.

Of course, the benefits of entering Qi Refining were obvious.

Tang Qirui had slept late yesterday, but when he got up early today, he was still full of energy. Moreover, that scholarly and delicate temperament he had before had subtly changed. The scholarly air was still there, but he was no longer weak.

Seeing Chen Yi, Tang Qirui’s eyes were very bright. “Did Sect Master Chen call me because of the placement of the spirit field?”

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