Chapter Thirteen: Taking the Painting

  The young man looked at Yang Chen with discontent and said, "How did you come again? I said no means no!"

  Yang Chen's eyebrows furrowed, and he said: "Senior brother, why can others go down the mountain, but I'm not allowed to?"

  "Because of that, I won't allow it!" The young man's mouth curled up in a sneer, and he spat out the words one by one.

  Yang Chen narrowed his eyes and immediately understood the young man's intention. He turned around and walked directly outside.

  The young man watched Yang Chen leave, snorted coldly and muttered to himself: "Really not awake, what doesn't pay out, still want to go down the mountain? Go dream!"

  Yang Chen couldn't understand the young man's meaning, the young man was clearly asking him for benefits, he knew that people like the young man, once you let them taste the sweetness, they would take advantage of it.

  However, Yang Chen was in dire need of going down the mountain once and retrieving that painting.

  After thinking for a long time, Yang Chen finally decided to hand over the wooden sign to the young man in exchange for an opportunity to go down the mountain. After all, what was most important to him was to hurry back and retrieve his painting. Besides, he only had one more chance to use the wooden sign anyway, so even if he gave it to the young man, it wouldn't be of much use to him.

  Since a decision had already been made, Yang Chen directly turned around and walked back towards his residence.

  The young man saw Yang Chen coming and going back, and sneered in his heart. With a dissatisfied expression, he said: "What's the matter, is there anything else?"

  Yang Chen looked deeply at the young man, took out a wooden sign from his bosom and handed it over, saying in a low voice: "Shixiong!"

  The young man smiled, nodded in satisfaction, and directly took over Yang Chen's wooden sign. He looked at the sign and immediately frowned slightly, saying: "Your wooden sign has actually been used twice already!"

  Yang Chen nodded calmly.

  The young man furrowed his brow, let out a displeased cold hum, and immediately put it into his storage bag. At the same time, he took out two talismans and threw them directly at Yang Chen, saying impatiently: "These are two one-time-use talismans! Go quickly and come back quickly!"

  Yang Chen's face lit up with joy, and he hastily picked up the Ling symbol.

  This talisman is a yellow paper with some simple patterns drawn on it. Such talismans are the worst, but they have one advantage: the usage method is simple. Just stick it to your body and you can use it.

  Of course, if it were to be exchanged for some other such talismans, although they are also inferior, but they would be much more precious than this one. After all, this talisman only has one use, that is, going up and down the mountain, and there is no other use besides this.

  However, this spirit symbol was also obtained by Yang Chen in exchange for that wooden sign. To know that the wooden sign can only be used once, but its value is far higher than this spirit symbol.

  "Hmph, nothing's wrong, scram!" The young man said to Yang Chen with some anger, apparently because of the wooden sign that could still be used once.

  Yang Chen didn't get angry, he took a deep look at the young man, turned around and walked straight outside, meanwhile thinking to himself: I'll make you spit it out sooner or later!

  Yang Chen walked out of the youth house and didn't rush down the mountain. After all, it was already dark now, if he rushed down the mountain himself, although he had a spiritual symbol that could ignore the restrictions on the mountain road, but the mountain road at night was extremely difficult to walk, for safety reasons, Yang Chen decided to wait until dawn tomorrow before going down the mountain.

  Yang Chen returned to his room and studied the two talismans for a while before placing them beside his pillow and falling asleep.

  The second day, as soon as the sky was bright, he got up from bed and walked directly outside. According to his memory of when he came, after walking for about a minute, he finally arrived at the intersection of the road down the mountain.

  Yang Chen glanced down at the mountain and then took out the disposable talisman from his bosom, directly sticking it to his chest.

  Yang Chen looked at the talisman and saw that it was properly attached, then he directly walked towards the mountain road in front of him. As soon as he took his first step, a faint glow flashed on the talisman, and he knew that the talisman had started to take effect.

  Yang Chen was a farmer's child. Walking on mountain roads wasn't a problem for him at all. A moment later, Yang Chen walked down from the Tian Dao Gate.

  However, just as Yang Chen had just stepped out of the Tian Dao Gate's range, the spiritual symbol on his chest also automatically fell off, apparently having lost its effect and turning into a ordinary yellow paper.

  But this was no longer important to Yang Chen, what's important was to quickly retrieve that painting.

  Yang Chen did not go directly to where he hid the painting, but instead wandered around in circles, then found a place to sit cross-legged and started meditating.

  It wasn't until late at night that Yang Chen slowly opened his eyes, cautiously looked around, got up and walked towards the place where the painting was hidden.

  Yang Chen arrived at the place where the painting was hidden and did not rush to take it out. Instead, he looked around cautiously and then walked away into the distance.

  He wandered around under the Taoist temple, waited for about an hour, and after making sure that there was no one around, he carefully walked towards where the painting was hidden.

  Yang Chen had to be careful, after all this painting was too important to him. If he could get his hands on this magical painting, then his food problem in the Tian Dao Gate would be solved.

  Besides, he believed that this painting must have even more wonderful places, it's just that he hasn't discovered them yet. If one day he did discover them, then maybe he would be able to cultivate his spiritual energy and become an inner disciple.

  Yang Chen carefully made his way to the hidden painting, looked around cautiously once more, and only after making sure no one was watching did he crouch down and start digging into the ground in front of him.

  He dug about 25 centimeters deep, a smile appeared on his face, and he saw the painting buried by himself here. He hurriedly took out the painting from the pit.

  Yang Chen didn't even bother about the mud stuck on the painting and hastily put it into his own bosom.

  As soon as the painting scroll entered his bosom, Yang Chen felt a strange power entering his body. In an instant, a refreshing feeling spread throughout his body, and all his hunger and fatigue disappeared without a trace.

  Yang Chen smiled slightly and looked around before hastily walking towards the Tian Dao Gate.

  Now that he has obtained the painting, there is no point in staying here. Moreover, it's so dark outside, and if something dangerous happens, it's not impossible. For safety's sake, it's best to return to Tiandao Gate as soon as possible.

  Besides, it is much easier to climb up a mountain at night than to descend from it.

  "Little brother!"

  Just as Yang Chen had just taken out the Ling symbol and was about to stick it on himself to enter the Heavenly Gate, a somewhat seductive voice came from one side.

  Yang Chen was taken aback, turned his head towards where the sound came from, slightly furrowed his brow, and instantly changed color.

  About 6 meters away from Yang Chen, there was a white fox about 40 centimeters long, staring at Yang Chen.