novelapdf Chapter 120 The Sacrifice, A Shocking Change
Chapter 120 The Sacrifice, A Shocking Change
The three siblings, master and apprentice, left the old clan's land and headed towards the cemetery in the back mountains.
Chen Hongxian had a bellyful of questions, and finally had the time to ask them.
"Why does that monkey seem so familiar with my brother? It's like... it's like..."
"It's like the tapeworm in my brother's stomach, knowing everything?"
"Yes, that's right. He even called himself the Monkey King. Could it be that he eavesdropped when my brother was telling the story of Journey to the West?"
Seeing the red line, Chen Yunling was still a little confused, and couldn't help but chuckle.
Chen Chunan patiently explained, "I've told you about the method I cultivate; it's the path of internal alchemy. This monkey is the manifestation of my brother's inner ape; it knows almost everything my brother knows. It's essentially my brother's two minds within one body. It's the same as Sun Wukong from Journey to the West that I told you about."
"Heart Monkey? So, brother, are you planning to take Chen Yunling on a trip together?"
Chen Hongxian recalled that her brother had told Chen Yunling earlier that day that he wanted to become a wanderer.
She had heard the story of Journey to the West and knew what the pilgrim meant.
"Yes, the cultivation of the Great Elixir has its ease and difficulty, and it depends on both myself and Heaven. If one does not cultivate and accumulate merit, one will be constantly hindered by demons. The cultivation of the Inner Alchemy requires enlightenment, and to understand the word 'emptiness,' one needs to travel, experience, and practice the Five Virtues, achieving unity of knowledge and action. The more one experiences, the stronger one's mind becomes. This process of travel is called the journey of the practitioner."
After speaking, Chen Chunan turned to Chen Yunling.
"The Wuzhen Pian says: 'The Yin Fu Treasure Characters exceed three hundred, and the Dao De Ling Wen fills five thousand. Countless immortals throughout history have attained true understanding here.' If you wish to understand your mind and nature, to discern the five thieves and know the five virtues, I will transmit to you the 'Huangdi Yin Fu Jing' and the 'Dao De Jing.' You must constantly experience and comprehend them, and the Great Dao will naturally reside within them. During this journey, if you have any questions, ask me promptly."
Chen Yunling quickly nodded and said, "This disciple understands!"
Looking at the two of them, Hongxian couldn't help but whisper, "Brother, can I come along too? I want to be a traveler as well."
Seeing the little girl's timid yet expectant expression, I knew she was reluctant to leave.
This time, the fact that I was able to cultivate peacefully in the Cold Moon Cave for so long is already a testament to my maturity.
It's normal to feel reluctant when you hear that you have to leave.
"You'll have to ask your master. If she agrees, I'll take you with me to become a pilgrim."
When Hongxian heard her brother agree, she exclaimed with delight, "That's wonderful! I'll go back and tell Master!"
Seeing her master and his sister interacting, Chen Yunling felt both envious and bittersweet.
But she kept her identity in mind and kept her head down as she walked.
Before long, the three of them arrived at the cemetery on the back of Tianmu Mountain.
Chen Chunan led Chen Hongxian to a secluded grave.
The tombstone in front of them reads "Tomb of the late father, Chen Min, and mother, Zhang Ru."
Chen Chunan and Chen Hongxian did not use any magic. They used the most primitive and simple sickles and shovels to repair the grave and clear away the weeds.
This world also has a netherworld, but unlike the myths and legends of the previous life, it doesn't have the Great Goddess Houtu, the King of the Underworld, the Ten Kings of Hell, and so on.
In this world, whether human or cultivator, if no external force intervenes within three days of death, the power of the netherworld will pull them into reincarnation.
Therefore, this world does not place as much importance on sacrifices as it did in the previous life.
Therefore, it was almost a year after he left Jiangzhou that he realized he had not yet visited the graves of his biological parents in this life to offer sacrifices.
Although today is a day of ancestor worship, the brother and sister are not sad.
Hongxian was especially happy that she had spoken about her foundation-building achievements to her parents' gravestone while praying.
"Brother, if Mom and Dad knew how much we've accomplished, they would be so happy. Hehe~"
"Of course, our family's Hongxian has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. If our parents knew this in the afterlife, they would definitely send up wisps of smoke from his grave to celebrate."
"Brother! You're so annoying! All you do is make fun of people! I don't want to talk to you anymore!"
"Haha, this is no joke. When you were in the Foundation Establishment stage, the elders of the three and seven clans were incredibly excited. Even when I wiped out the entire Liu family, they weren't this excited."
"That's because your cultivation has progressed too dramatically."
The brother and sister wiped the tombstone clean and then kowtowed three times to conclude the memorial service.
After the two siblings finished the ritual, they waited for Chen Yunling on the stone steps not far away.
Chen Yunling walked over slowly after a while.
Chen Chunan noticed that the little girl's eyes were red, and guessed that she had just had a good cry.
Chen Chunan sighed. It was good that he could vent; if he kept it bottled up, something terrible would happen sooner or later.
Chen Chunan knew that Chen Yunling's feelings for the clan leader Chen Daoping were complicated.
Although Chen Daoping usually doted on her, he also made her become a substitute for Chen Hongxian, who had a higher talent, even though it was a life-or-death situation.
This experience almost changed her personality.
She lived in fear for two years before being rescued, and at that time she harbored resentment.
However, by the time Chen Chunan rescued her, the old clan chief had already died, and this grief overwhelmed her long-accumulated resentment.
As the ancients said, great joy and sorrow lead to profound enlightenment. Hopefully, this experience will help her to improve her character.
...
The three stayed in Lingzhou for three days.
On the third day, the nine True Essence of Fire that Qian Qianqian had gathered also arrived.
Upon receiving the news, Chen Chunan took the two women to the Wanfang Chamber of Commerce again.
Qian Qianqian waited directly on the second floor this time.
As soon as Chen Chunan arrived at the door, he saw Han Yanran approaching him with a reserved expression to lead the way.
When she learned yesterday that Chen Chunan's contract with the Chamber of Commerce had been terminated ahead of schedule, she was quite disappointed that she had lost a long-term source of income.
Unexpectedly, Chen Chunan offered 30 seventh-grade talismans as a condition for completing the contract.
She became incredibly wealthy overnight, amassing enough fortune to achieve the Golden Core stage.
She only learned from Qin Sheng after pressing him that Chen Chunan was already a Nascent Soul True Monarch, on par with the young lady.
Qin Sheng thus became the head of the Lingzhou branch.
When she saw Chen Chunan again, she didn't dare to act the same way as before.
Chen Chunan knew the reason for her change in attitude, but he also knew that the two of them could never go back to how they used to get along.
He simply nodded and went upstairs to the second floor.
Qian Qianqian had been waiting for a long time.
Upon seeing Chen Chunan's arrival, her beautiful eyes lit up, and she then handed over several strange glass beads.
Within each glass bead, a tiny fire spirit swims.
Chen Chunan probed with his divine sense and felt that the world before him was incandescent, and an extremely strong burning sensation made his divine sense ache.
Chen Chunan nodded: "The money and goods are settled. I won't stay any longer, Fellow Daoist Qian, farewell."
Qian Qianqian never expected that Chen Chunan would leave in such a hurry.
He had no choice but to take out a jade pendant and hand it to Chen Chunan.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, please wait. Although you are unwilling to join my Chamber of Commerce, I will not force you. This is the Wanfang Token of my Wanfang Chamber of Commerce. It can mobilize the power of any Wanfang Chamber of Commerce in any state, and can also be used to contact me directly. Consider it a way to establish a good relationship with you."
Looking into Qian Qianqian's sincere eyes, Chen Chunan solemnly accepted the gift.
"I will forever remember your kindness, Friend Qian. Farewell."
...
Chen Chunan and his group had just left the Wanfang Chamber of Commerce when they received a message from Han Yuqiu.
The message contained only one sentence: Chi Mianxi was taken away.
Chen Chunan was deeply shaken, and a murderous intent slowly spread throughout his body.
Both Hongxian and Chen Yunling sensed the killing intent and looked at Chen Chunan.
"Brother, what's wrong?"
"Master, what happened?"
"Chimianxi has been taken away! It must have been the Tianhou clan; they're the only ones with the most motive!"