Put Away Your Divine Techniques Now! Chapter 1253 - 372: [Three People, Two Shadows]_4

Wang Chuyi chuckled, his honest and simple face filled with joy: "If you like to eat it, I’ll dry more next year."

Chen Yan hadn’t seen Wang Chuyi for a long time and felt that the guy looked more robust. Using the Qi Observation Skill to check him, he found that Wang Chuyi’s Primordial Qi was flowing smoothly, indicating a First Realm Cultivation, and his realm was stable without any signs of instability.

It was evident that he had cultivated solidly, and Chu Keqing must have guided him attentively.

What touched Chen Yan even more was finding upon returning home that the woodshed now had a large pile of firewood, along with a pile of prepared coal.

Wang Chuyi had come to Chen Yan’s house this afternoon before Chen Yan returned, gathered the firewood, chopped it into neat pieces, and stacked them carefully.

Chen Yan had him sit down for a chat, and Wang Chuyi even helped light the stove, pulling up a chair to sit in the kitchen by the stove, talking sporadically.

When the topic turned to Wang Chuyi’s recent situation, Wang Chuyi didn’t hide anything, telling Chen Yan everything honestly.

Now, that pair, Great Immortal Huang and Rabbit Spirit, has already moved into the mountain temple, shutting the door and living their small lives with Wang Chuyi.

As for Wang Chuyi’s master, being unable to bear the situation, simply moved out to live in the county town.

Usually, unless there’s some ritual in the countryside requiring his presence, he doesn’t come back, spending most of his time away.

Nowadays, the master has grown his hair out again and doesn’t even wear his monk robes — he was never a real monk anyway. Now, he just lives in the county town, occasionally going to the square for exercises or boxing.

The county town house was bought by Wang Chuyi, using the gold gifted by the demon.

This year’s gold price increased dramatically, doubling the value. Wang Chuyi sold a gold bar and bought a small house in the county town for his master.

He himself has actually earned some money now.

The days at Cloud Sect were not spent in vain.

Since entering cultivation under Chu Keqing, Wang Chuyi has truly awakened. Chu Keqing even arranged a position for him at the academy as an instructor in name.

Though he can’t teach courses on the Taoist Family or philosophy, occasionally guiding the affluent students through Qi practice and meditation is quite simple for him.

For someone like him already initiated into cultivation, these are basic skills.

Chu Keqing also treated him kindly, giving him a monthly stipend of ten thousand. In the academy, food and accommodation are free, allowing him to save all the stipend.

After staying at the academy for a few months, he saved up a few hundred thousand yuan.

Moreover, he and Chu Keqing had agreed that in the coming year he will return to the academy to be a meditation and Qi practice instructor, required to serve at the academy for at least six months each year, with a monthly salary of twenty thousand, including meals and accommodation.

This treatment is considered quite low for a properly initiated cultivator, but since his cultivation stems from Cloud Sect, serving and giving back to the sect after initiation is only appropriate.

Besides, Wang Chuyi doesn’t have other skills; he can’t really stay home living off others, letting the two Demonesses support him for life.

On the night Chen Yan returned to the countryside, Wang Chuyi even stayed up until midnight with his two demon wives to visit and express thanks to Chen Yan.

Especially the demon master and disciple, who knelt down to Chen Yan, calling him "Benefactor."

Chen Yan did not shy away, accepting their grand gratitude calmly.

After all, this relationship was able to be fostered with his help.

Moreover, the demon master’s disciple needs to absorb Wang Chuyi’s innate Yang Qi for their cultivation. Helping Wang Chuyi become an initiated cultivator allows his body to nourish through Essence Nourishing, with Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi Entering the Body, also benefiting the demon master and disciple’s cultivation greatly.

Thus, they calling Chen Yan a benefactor was fitting.

This year’s Spring Festival came late, with the climate being a warm winter. By the time the actual Spring Festival arrived, the temperatures weren’t cold anymore.

No snow appeared and the winter’s harshness was mostly gone, leaving the air with a faint hint of early spring’s moisture.

On the night of New Year’s Eve, Chen Yan was busy in the kitchen all afternoon like the previous year, making some dishes with Lu Sisi, including frying spring rolls.

That night, they sat together at the table, sharing a New Year’s Eve dinner.

Though last year it was a lively trio, this year it’s become a little couple — although the atmosphere is sweeter, the lively feeling of the New Year seems a bit less.

Late at night, almost at twelve o’clock, Chen Yan accompanied Lu Sisi to set off firecrackers in the yard.

Firecracker sounds were already coming from the village end, far off, making it seem like the whole village was enveloped in smoke and fumes.

Chen Yan stood in the yard, clasping Lu Sisi and leaping onto the rooftop, gazing at the village scene.

The village elder’s house in that direction had no lights...

After the old man passed away, his children lived in the county town and hadn’t returned for the Spring Festival, likely spending it in the town.

Those who often played mahjong with the old lady... and the house of Uncle Niu beside their own home was also dark, likely with the family in the town too.

The tailor’s house at the village end wasn’t lit either, hmm, I heard the old tailor had a stroke earlier this year and couldn’t make it through the late autumn, having passed away...

Nowadays in the village, things have changed, and the people he was familiar with are all gone...

In this village where he lived from childhood to adulthood, the familiar aura seems to be gradually fading.

In this era, the younger people are all moving out, heading to the cities to develop.

Left in the village are just the elderly, and once these elderly are gone one day, perhaps... at that time there will be very few people in the village whom he knows.

·

At midnight, in the underwater mansion, at the practice room in the backyard.

The Fire Copper beneath the Spirit Gathering Array suddenly emitted a faint glow.

Afterward, a gray mist surged, transforming into a graceful figure after wriggling.

Zhou Qingning stood within the array, her eyes initially tightly shut. As the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi within the array gently fluctuated, her eyes suddenly opened abruptly!

Her gaze was indifferent, devoid of any emotion!

Then, her figure lightly spun, slipping out of the practice room, floating upwards, emerging from the water curtain atop the mansion, and instantly leaping out of the lake.

The Circadian Star Array surrounding the mansion surprisingly did not hinder Zhou Qingning at all, not even causing her body technique to falter!

She only needed a mere glance to fly forward, precisely navigating through the array without a hitch, each step accurately treading through the operational gaps of the array!

Within just a few blinks, she had passed through the array, disappearing into the mountain forests.

Her eyes glanced open slightly, surveying the surroundings, then seemed to perceive something, swiftly recognizing the direction, her speed immediately accelerating and darting ahead!!

The direction she headed towards was the villa area!

Late at night, Zhou Qingning landed in the villa yard.

She then approached the villa door, gracefully bowing down, prostrating herself, assuming a standard five-body prostration position.

"Ancestral master above, Qingning has awakened!"

Within the villa, the Saintess Ghost’s figure appeared, quietly observing Zhou Qingning bowing outside, nodding subtly.

In the breeze, a faint sigh seemed to be heard.

"Awakened, remembered everything?

Then... let’s begin."