Chapter 167: Familiar Daily Life
In Immortal Spirit Valley.
Chen Chang'an sat cross-legged on the bed within the 'Sect Master's Secret Chamber', thin strands of pale purple Innate Primordial Qi coiling around him.
He slowly opened his eyes, a flash of understanding flickering through his gaze.
"So that's how it is..."
With a gentle flick of his fingers, the strand of Primordial Qi coiled upward like a swimming dragon.
After days of focused comprehension, he had finally fully grasped the mysteries of the 'Invincible' Great Dao.
What surprised him was that this strand of Innate Primordial Qi automatically reset during each daily transition between day and night. This meant he could experience fifteen minutes of 'Dao Union' every day.
A faint smile touched Chen Chang'an's lips. This was truly an unexpected boon.
Yet the 'Invincible Great Dao' felt somewhat useless—methods to avoid conflict and resolve crises were skills he already mastered instinctively. Why need specialized Dao Union experience? When he tried to activate the Great Dao's true meaning, he discovered it had no apparent effect beyond making his aura more restrained.
"Forget it." He shook his head, temporarily setting aside this profound mystery.
Stillness bred movement. After secluding himself for days, it was time to go out.
His divine sense spread like flowing mercury, instantly enveloping all of Immortal Spirit City and Immortal Spirit Valley.
Xiao Chen, Han Yu, and Jiang Che had not yet returned—they must be out training again. Ji Lingxiu was at the City Lord's Mansion reviewing documents, her desk piled high with account books. Most surprising was Chen Xingcai—this little girl was practicing swordsmanship beneath the back mountain waterfall, her small face etched with determination.
It seemed the Hong family incident had affected her deeply.
Chen Chang'an chuckled softly when a sudden thought struck him.
He hadn't appeared in that identity since the Hong family matter.
West of Immortal Spirit City, Ping'an Ward, morning mist lingered.
On the bluestone-paved street, Chen Chang'an leisurely set up his divination stall.
A coarse cloth sign swayed gently in the morning breeze. Before the stall lay a fortune-telling cylinder, a divination plate, and a mottled turtle shell—indistinguishable from any ordinary street diviner.
As the morning mist cleared in Ping'an Ward, more people appeared on the bluestone street.
"Well now! Isn't this Master Chen? You've finally returned!" Old Zhang, the tofu seller, spotted the familiar gray cloth robe from afar, waving that tattered folding fan.
Chen Chang'an smiled warmly, cupping his hands toward the neighbors: "Hope you've all been well."
"Master Chen, you've been gone quite a while. Where did you travel to?" Auntie Liu from the teahouse wiped her table while curiously leaning closer.
"Yes indeed! The ward's been less lively without you!" Old Wang, the sugar figurine seller, chimed in.
Chen Chang'an waved his hand, casually replying: "Just went out for a walk, saw a bit of the world."
"Oh, but you don't know—" Auntie Liu suddenly lowered her voice, mysteriously pointing diagonally across the street, "While you were away, Miss Ah Li has become a completely different person!"
Chen Chang'an paused: "Hmm?"
"She keeps a cold face all day and barely speaks!" Old Wang added, shaking his head, "Folks in the ward say she misses you!"
"That's right!" Old Zhang slapped his thigh, "We're straightforward folks here—why beat around the bush? Master Chen, you'd better make your move!"
Chen Chang'an's mouth twitched. He gave a dry laugh: "You jest. What does Miss Ah Li's temperament have to do with me?"
"Oh, stop pretending!" Auntie Liu winked, "Miss Ah Li used to be so cheerful! Now she won't even smile—isn't that because she misses you?"
Miss Ah Li...
Cheerful...
How did you connect these two completely unrelated things...
Chen Chang'an felt speechless.
He was rendered helpless by the neighbors' relentless teasing, just about to offer another vague excuse when he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
He slowly turned around—
Ah Li stood three steps away, arms full of peculiar odds and ends, her cold eyes fixed directly on him, frost seemingly forming in their depths.
Chen Chang'an: "..."
The neighbors instantly fell silent, each lowering their heads to busy themselves with their own tasks, pretending nothing had been said.
"Cough... Miss Ah Li, good morning." Chen Chang'an managed a dry laugh.
Ah Li shot him a cold glance without speaking, walking straight to her own stall and arranging her items one by one.
Chen Chang'an rubbed his nose and sheepishly returned to his divination stall, sighing inwardly: "These neighbors... truly enjoy stirring up trouble..."
He stole a glance toward Ah Li, saw her expression remained frosty, and decided not to provoke her further. Instead, he began fiddling with his fortune-telling cylinder and divination plate, putting on a show of reading fortunes for others.
—After all, with system information at hand, a few casual words could always fool some people.
Meanwhile, Ah Li's stall remained filled with bizarre objects incomprehensible to ordinary people—tattered talismans, unidentified ores, several yellowed ancient texts, and even a rust-covered copper bell.
Each went about their business, just like any other day.
...
In the afternoon, sunlight lazily spilled across the bluestone pavement. Pedestrians walked in small groups, each occupied with their own affairs.
Wang Sanniang, the tofu seller, leaned against her stall, waving a cattail-leaf fan with idle strokes. Though over forty, she retained her charm, with traces of youthful beauty still visible in her features. Ward residents jokingly called her "Tofu Beauty."
"Amitabha."
A deep Buddhist chant suddenly sounded.
Wang Sanniang looked up to see a monk in gray robes standing before her stall. His face was gaunt, yet his eyes were profound like ancient wells, revealing no emotion.
"Come for alms, Master?" Wang Sanniang asked with a smile. She casually sliced a piece of tender white tofu from the board, wrapped it in a lotus leaf, and offered it: "Freshly made, still warm."
The monk accepted it without thanks or greeting palms. He merely gave her a silent glance before turning to leave.
"Well now, this monk..." Wang Sanniang paused, unable to resist muttering, "Can't even say thank you? What a waste of good tofu!"
Before she finished speaking, she felt a sudden chill down her back, as if being watched by something, causing the hairs on her neck to stand up. She glanced around—street traffic flowed normally with nothing unusual—but the cold sensation persisted.
"How strange..." She shrank her neck, quickly clamped her mouth shut, and dared not speak further.
—This scene happened to fall under Chen Chang'an's notice.
He had been waving his folding fan while reading the marriage fortune for a worried scholar when his peripheral vision caught the monk's retreating figure.
The monk walked without his gray robes stirring, his steps so light they seemed to float.
Chen Chang'an's gaze sharpened, a sense of unease rising in his heart.
—This demeanor felt familiar.
He instinctively turned toward Ah Li across the street and found her also staring in the direction the monk had left, her brow slightly furrowed, a thoughtful glint in her eyes.
Hey readers! If you're eager to dive into advanced chapters, consider joining our Patreon. By joining, you'll get access to 20 chapters ahead and enjoy 8 new chapters per week. Plus, we have 8 more exciting fics with the same chapter release rate, giving you a total of 64 chapters per week! Join now and keep the adventure going!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/Alex_Cruise