Chapter 810 - 243: [Old Wang Next Door]_3
After speaking, he laughed and said, "Junior Brother, if you’re not leaving in the next few days, you can wait. Last year, I picked some Green Spirit Fruits from the mountains and brewed a vat of wine. The taste isn’t quite right yet, but in about ten days to half a month, it should be ready to drink.
By then, we’ll have meat with wine!"
Chen Yan nodded and smiled, "Then I’ll be troubling you, Senior Brother."
"Not a trouble at all. I’ve been here for decades, and usually, besides me, there’s not even a ghost in this courtyard. Well, a couple of people did live here in the past few years, but they were restless, practicing diligently every day, just thinking about increasing their cultivation, or thinking about going out to earn merits, get a promotion, and move to other promising halls...
Sigh, if you ask me, what’s the point of cultivating immortality? In the end, it all amounts to nothing.
In life, if you can’t find happiness, what’s the point of living for a thousand or ten thousand years?"
However, Chen Yan still maintained his "new disciple" persona, and politely said, "Cultivation, naturally, we must pursue the Heavenly Dao. As cultivators, we all hope to one day comprehend the Heavenly Dao, understand the Heavenly Principle, and be able to..."
As he spoke, the old Wang sighed, "The Heavenly Dao... is it so easy to comprehend? Even if one understands the Heavenly Dao, so what..."
After speaking, he waved his hand, "Well, if Junior Brother wants to practice, you might as well go to the Outer Sect’s practice room. The Primordial Qi there is much more abundant than here. The water vapor in this courtyard is too heavy, and if the attributes clash while practicing, it might not be good."
"Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother." Chen Yan replied with a polite smile.
Old Wang then stood up, "I offered the porridge, you tidy up the pots and bowls, fair and square, right?"
"Okay!" Chen Yan nodded in agreement.
For a cultivator, cleaning pots and bowls is just a matter of performing a cleansing technique.
After Chen Yan finished these tasks, he saw that old Wang had returned to his room, then took out a bag, walked to the corner, and started bringing in those flower pots.
He checked them one by one, pulling out the dead ones and tossing them in a pile, making room in the pots for some seedlings taken from his bag, planting them with a small trowel, patting down the soil with a sense of engrossed busyness.
"Senior Brother, I’m going out for a while."
Chen Yan greeted him, and old Wang just waved his hand without saying a word.
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Chen Yan went out and headed straight for the Outer Sect Jing’an Hall. After reporting, he went to find Elder Qian and informed him of his intentions.
Elder Qian’s attitude toward Chen Yan was quite positive. After listening, he slowly said, "The matter of the Gu Family’s merchant ship being intercepted has already been explained clearly. People from the Gu Family have also come to ask you about it, and this matter no longer concerns you.
If you want to leave the sect to travel, you could be allowed to go.
However, you just captured that East Sea, and that thief has some connection to you. The people from the Gu Family will likely still want to ask you questions about it, so you can’t just leave immediately..."
As Elder Qian spoke, he pondered slightly, then said, "Yesterday when they came to inquire about this, they reported on your capture of East Sea. They didn’t say much about it.
But currently, the Gu Family people are living in the Inner Sect of the Immortal Mountain, and it’s not appropriate to disturb them over such a minor issue.
You should patiently wait for a few days. When the opportunity arises, I’ll ask the people from the Gu Family. If there are no issues, you’ll be allowed to leave."
Alright then, Chen Yan sighed inwardly.
Capturing East Sea has, after all, brought trouble upon myself.
If it weren’t for East Sea, I might have been able to leave with just a request.
He understood that Elder Qian wasn’t intentionally making things difficult for him.
It’s just a matter of strict hierarchy.
The people from the Gu Family are considered nobility.
While I am merely a low-ranking disciple within the sect, and an Outer Disciple at that.
The status gap is vast, and my small matters seem hardly worth troubling the nobles with.
A low-ranking disciple, just wait it out.
If they ask questions and find I’m not present, it would be the sect showing disrespect to the Gu Family.
As for myself, a very low-ranking Outer Disciple—how big could my matters possibly be?
Chen Yan considered that if he truly wanted to leave, he might be able to ask Nangong Sheng for a favor, and potentially get away.
But, that would appear too deliberate.
With all the secrets I carry, it’s best to keep a low profile now that no one’s attention is on me.
With that thought, he thanked Elder Qian and then left.
In the days that followed, Chen Yan stayed daily in his small courtyard.
He practiced meditation and cultivation, occasionally eating old Wang’s wild game.
The spiritual crane that old Wang hunted, it took them four days to finish eating.
Then they ate a few meals of cured beast meat as well.
This fellow’s cooking skills are quite good, making food that tastes rather special.
However, every day, while Chen Yan busied himself in his room with meditation and circulating Primordial Qi, old Wang never engaged in cultivation, either cooking or busying himself with the flower pots and plants in the courtyard.
Otherwise, he’d be swinging his arms, going for a stroll outside.
Five days passed without Chen Yan seeing him practice for even a minute!
Finally, on the sixth day, as Chen Yan was sitting indoors circulating Primordial Qi, he heard a voice coming from outside.
Zhao Wuji called out from the yard, "Junior Brother Shanhe!"
Chen Yan opened the door and saw Zhao Wuji looking anxious, "Junior Brother, quickly come with me, people from the Gu Family want to ask you questions."
Breathing a sigh of relief, he continued, "Junior Brother, your assigned place is too far. Why not let me ask a Senior Brother from the Artifact Hall to help you find somewhere better to stay?"
Chen Yan declined with a smile, "It’s fine here, there’s food and drink, and the scenery is nice. No need to trouble Senior Brother."
Zhao Wuji sighed, "Suit yourself! Come with me quickly, don’t keep the Gu Family’s noble guests waiting."
In the courtyard, old Wang sat on a stool at the door of his house, with pieces of wood laid out in front of him. He was holding a carving knife, carefully sculpting something.
Just as Chen Yan was about to leave, old Wang suddenly smiled, raised his hand, and tossed something towards Chen Yan.
Chen Yan caught it; it was a tiny wooden carving, about the size of a thumb, shaped like a treasure sword.
Chen Yan couldn’t help but chuckle, "Senior Brother Wang, are you treating me like a child, giving me a toy?"
"I found some Yang Gan wood in the mountains and carved a trinket for you. Carry it with you, its fire attribute can repel moisture."
Chen Yan laughed heartily, carelessly pocketed it, and left with Zhao Wuji.
Zhao Wuji, from start to finish, paid no mind to old Wang, only speaking in a low voice to Chen Yan after they left, "You seem to get along well with this grave-keeping Senior Brother?"
"Yes."
"That’s strange. This person is reputed to have a strange temperament and isn’t easy to get along with."
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After Chen Yan left, old Wang sat on the stool, raised his head to look at the sky. His face, like weathered tree bark, gradually became expressionless. He looked up at the sky and shook his head, sighing.
"Little rascal, showing off with that sesame-sized bit of Transformation Technique. If someone sees through it and captures him, won’t I lose an entertaining neighbor?"
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