Put Away Your Divine Techniques Now! Chapter 3 - 2 [Starting Strong?]_2

Chen Yan: ?

His immediate thought was: Can lifespan truly be calculated with such incredible precision? Accurate down to the very minute?!

The more outlandish the old lady's pronouncements became, the less Chen Yan felt any real anxiety; he had simply grown accustomed to her tales.

Over the years, she had spun countless such yarns, even claiming his own mother was a White Fox.

He peered at the old lady, scrutinizing her every detail.

Chen Yan's inner monologue concluded that this, like so many times before, was just another one of her elaborate pranks.

Hadn't she once told him, to learn the techniques of the Fire Cloud Evil God, he needed to eat a spoonful of stir-fried chili peppers daily?

That summer, Chen Yan's posterior ached for a fortnight!

And thinking back on how she tricked him into stepping barefoot on cow dung, all because he wanted to learn the Celestial Deformed Leg after watching TV, brought tears to his eyes even now.

Regardless! Chen Yan had become far too familiar with his grandmother's peculiar ways.

Their twenty years together were seasoned with her no-holds-barred pranks and jests.

'Fine, old lady,' he thought, 'you want to put on a show?

Go ahead!'

A stubborn resolve hardened within him, and Chen Yan fell silent. He marched straight to the kitchen, procured a pair of chopsticks, and focused his attention on the bowl of cold noodles before him.

The old lady watched him eat, a benevolent smile gracing her lips.

"Oh, and my funeral attire is also ready," she suddenly declared out of the blue. "I'll need to try it on later to see if it fits. If not, Tailor Liu can still make alterations before dusk."

"...Alright, alright," Chen Yan sighed, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

·

Later that night, confined to his small room, Chen Yan tossed and turned, a vague sense of unease lingering.

Yet, the thunderous snoring emanating from the old lady's room next door—like collapsing mountains and roaring seas—filled him with a strange vigor.

Such lung capacity! Such spirit!

He mused that if he didn't quit his unhealthy city habits of smoking and drinking, she might very well outlive him and send him off herself.

This thought somehow eased Chen Yan's disquiet. He turned over and finally drifted off to sleep.

·

The exhaustion from his journey home had truly taken its toll. It was nearly noon the following day when Chen Yan finally stirred. Before he could even brush his teeth, the old lady dispatched him to the village entrance to fetch soy sauce.

Yawning, he ambled towards the village entrance and suddenly noticed a black car speeding past.

'Hmm? A fancy car.'

But no, it wasn't just any fancy car.

'That's a Maybach.'

Having spent a few years at university in the sprawling Jinling Prefecture, Chen Yan had indeed seen a bit of the world.

'Could some wealthy investor have come to our village?'

Chen Yan glanced back repeatedly, only to see the Maybach execute a hard brake a few dozen meters ahead. It quickly reversed, pulling up beside him once more.

The window glided down, revealing a stern, rugged face that bluntly inquired,

"Are you Mr. Chen Yan?"

Chen Yan blinked in surprise.

However, observing the man's intimidating demeanor, they certainly didn't appear to be friendly folk.

Chen Yan quickly shook his head. 'No.'

"Oh... then can you tell me how to get to Chen Yan's house?"

Chen Yan offered a placid smile and casually gestured in the opposite direction. 'About 500 meters that way, cross the river bridge, and then turn right.'

"Thanks."

The Maybach accelerated away. Chen Yan turned and sprinted towards the residence of the village security director—whose two sons were both police officers—and whose yard housed two formidable dogs.

Yet, mere seconds later, the Maybach reappeared.

With a sharp maneuver, it cut off Chen Yan's path. Two burly men clad in black suits emerged from the car, their objective clear as they advanced directly towards him.

"Kid, don't play dumb. We've seen your photo; you are indeed Chen Yan!"

Chen Yan struggled futilely, a wave of panic washing over him.

'No!'

'If you weren't supposed to catch on, you shouldn't have!'

'And if you were going to catch on, you should have done it later!'

'This awkward timing is truly unbearable!'

·

Without further discussion, the two men unceremoniously bundled Chen Yan into the car, pushing him into the back seat before taking positions on either side, effectively sandwiching him.

The Maybach sped off into the distance.

Inside the vehicle, Chen Yan cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

The driver, the front passenger, and the two hulking figures flanking him—

A total of four individuals, all attired in black suits, exuding a palpable air of menace.

Their coarse features and buzz cuts were so pronounced that, had they been extras in a major Chinese drama playing mobsters or fugitives, no makeup would have been required.

Chen Yan managed a strained smile, asking, "So, esteemed gentlemen, what is it you require of me?"

Silence was his only reply.

As the vehicle continued its journey away from the village, Chen Yan, after a brief moment of apprehension, cautiously offered, "Gents, I suffer from kidney deficiency; my kidneys aren't of much worth... Furthermore, I have a fatty liver, so my liver holds little value either..."

The burly man to his left could no longer contain himself and spoke up. "Cease your nonsensical ramblings. We have no interest in your organs."

From the front passenger seat, the man in the black suit, evidently the leader, turned his gaze towards Chen Yan. "Do not be alarmed. We are not ill-intentioned individuals. Our boss simply wishes to have a meeting with you."

Boss?

What boss could this be?

...

The Maybach exited the village limits and, after a journey of over ten minutes, entered the adjacent town.

Within the town stood the finest establishment, known as the Grand Eastern Hotel.

The two characters denoting 'Grand' seemed to overtly display the owner's rather limited cultural background.

Though the name suggested grandeur, the establishment was, in reality, merely a humble two-story structure.

The car halted in the open area behind the hotel. Chen Yan was then guided out and directly led to the hotel's uppermost floor.

The door situated at the culmination of the corridor was swung open, and one of the men in black made a welcoming gesture, indicating for him to proceed inside.