Chapter 110 Crisis

  Update 2!

  Dark clouds enveloped everything, as black as ink. Turning back to look, where was the grand and magnificent Hu Zhuang? Only tombstones stood like mountains, towering above. Below them was a huge cave, deep and bottomless. Inside, only the sound of wailing ghosts and howling wolves could be heard, echoing out continuously. Listening to it made one's heart feel like it was being clawed by a hundred paws, so unbearable that one wanted to cry out loud... Suddenly, a thunderclap shook the earth, and heavy rain and strong winds came pouring down. A ghostly creature burst out of the huge cave, with sharp beak and long claws, baring its teeth and brandishing its claws as it charged straight at me...

  Ouch!

  Chen Jianchen involuntarily moved, and as he got up from the table, he suddenly came to his senses. He saw that everything in the room was calm and peaceful, with only a faint light remaining; outside, the wind and rain were swirling, making it impossible to tell what time it was.

  It was all just a dream after all...

  Chen Jianchen was extremely exhausted today, both physically and mentally. He fell asleep on his desk while reading a book earlier.

  Recalling that eerie and terrifying dream, he had a thoughtful look on his face, and his sleepiness vanished into thin air. He put on some clothes, opened the window, and saw that outside it was windy and rainy, with dark clouds covering the sky like a vast sea. His thoughts were stirred up. He turned around and went back to his desk, spread out a piece of white paper, ground the ink, picked up his wolf-haired brush, hesitated for a moment, and then started writing on the paper with bold strokes:

  "Encountering hardships, meeting with misfortune, proud bones standing tall, scratching head in self-pity, sighing at the bitterness of fate, ridiculed by ghosts and monsters... Just as the yellow bell is abandoned, the earthen pot makes a loud noise; borrowing good fortune to express oneself through writing, making all under heaven know about half a lifetime of decline..."

  He wrote extremely smoothly, and in one breath, a hundred or so words of the article appeared on paper, with ink flowing freely, very refreshing.

  It's been ages since I've felt so relieved...

  Chen Jianchen threw down the pen in his hand, and his mood suddenly became much more pleasant.

  Pffft!

  Close your eyes, introspect the world of Mud Ball Palace, radiant light surrounds it. The text in the middle section of "Three Stands True Chapter" suddenly emitted a bright light, several lines of words flowed out from top to bottom, carefully counting them, there were actually more than 50 characters.

  Fifty strokes of righteous energy.

  The true energy has solidified into a sword, now about the thickness of an ordinary electric wire, over five inches long. Just by looking at it, it seems that the luster has been subdued a lot, and the shape of the hilt is even more distinct, with the outline of the scabbard also taking shape. From a single sword, it has transformed into two parts: the blade and the scabbard, with a more complete structure.

  A gentleman should wear a sword.

  In the Tianyun dynasty, there were regulations on civilian weapons, but scholars who had obtained the title of "Xiucai" or above were qualified to wear a precious sword. Only when one held a pen in their right hand and a sword in their left could they be considered a true scholar. However, as history has evolved to this day, the trend has changed, and scholars who know how to wield a sword are now extremely rare. The pen will not be discarded, but the sword in the left hand has been replaced by various types of folding fans. Even on cold winter days, they would habitually open their paper fans with a flourish while chatting eloquently.

  Swinging fans and appreciating snow is also a major fashion trend today.

  A dream breaks through, is it like Taoist's enlightenment or Buddhist's sudden awakening?

  "The True Chapter of the Three Stands" has always been particular about mental states. Although mental states are vague and elusive, even to oneself, they can be truly reflected in the cultivation of Qi - the realm of "establishing words" is already gradually entering a wonderful state.

  Chen Jianchen was delighted in his heart, it seemed that choosing to be a Jiona industry teacher for this period of experience would also bring many gains if he devoted himself to understanding it, and it belonged to the "walking ten thousand miles" part.

  Dong dong dong.

  Someone knocked on the door, and when I opened it, it was Jiona with her hair disheveled. She wasn't wearing a coat, but had casually wrapped herself in a quilt and walked in, probably just getting out of bed.

  "Sir, I couldn't sleep."

  Jonna looked at the open window in the room and then at the desk, asking: "Sir, are you writing an article?"

  "Uh-huh."

  Jianna glanced at him and said, "Sir, can't you be less serious? Bossing around with a stern face will make you age faster."

  When he heard this, Chen Jianchen coughed dryly and awkwardly - after the little fox spirit had rushed into his arms and cried loudly today, her temperament seemed to have undergone some subtle changes. It was no longer the initial hostility and disdain, nor the caution during the transition period, but a lively and natural manifestation, restoring the original cunning nature of the fox.

  This seems somewhat unnatural for Chen Jianchen.

  He has a big principle in dealing with people, always emphasizing cleanliness and simplicity. Friends are friends, enemies are enemies, and the distinction is clear-cut. Therefore, no matter who he deals with, he does not want to make the relationship too complicated, it's better to be simple.

  It's just that relationships between people are always unsatisfactory, often starting with a single thread, which slowly branches out and becomes complex.

  "Actually, Chen Jianchen is not a serious person by nature, but in order to intimidate Jiaona, he must put on the appearance of a gentleman, so as to have enough dignity: 'Miss Huangfu, it's late at night, men and women should keep their distance, you'd better go back to your room and sleep.'"

  Jianna smiled slyly: "You are human, I am a fox spirit, and there is no saying that humans and fox spirits should not be intimate with each other."

  Chen Jianchen's face turned stern, and he said, "These words are wrong. Since Miss Huangfu wants to follow me in studying books and etiquette, she should follow the rules of etiquette, which has nothing to do with her identity or background."

  Jianna pouted: "I'm not arguing with you, sir... but I really can't sleep, and I just want to talk to someone. Xiaojuan is sleeping like a dead pig, and Lu sister isn't here. Who else can I talk to besides you?"

  Chen Jianchen's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and he asked: "Are you worried about your father?"

  "Hmm!"

  Jiona supported her pointed chin: "In all these years, I have never been so worried about Father's safety."

  "That's because you used to be so heartless and careless, doing things without considering your loved ones."

  "Maybe..."

  Looking back on the past, one thing after another, I was indeed being reckless and unreasonable: scribbling carelessly on father's treasured calligraphy and paintings, hiding on purpose to make father anxious, throwing a tantrum and overturning tables and bowls at the slightest displeasure... which of these things had any meaning? They were all just the willful acts of a child.

  Chen Jianchen said: "Old official's cultivation is profound and his plans are deep, he will definitely be fine."

  "Your words don't match your heart, sir," said Joanna, "you're just trying to comfort people with kind words again."

  "Consoling others can bring peace and comfort to their minds, so it's harmless to say a few words. This isn't hypocrisy, but rather a genuine human need."

  Jianna blinked her eyes: "Really? But hearing Mr. say so, I think Father won't have any accidents after all."

  Chen Jianchen was taken aback and said: "In that case, let's hurry up and go to sleep. When we wake up, Old Master will be back home."

  Jonna pouted: "But I'm still not sleepy."

  Chen Jianchen was speechless, realizing that he had still thought too simply, thinking that as long as Jiaona was obedient and listened to him, everything would be fine. It turned out that this was just the beginning of trouble. He came up with a plan, pulled out a copy of "The Book of Etiquette" from the bookshelf and stuffed it into her arms, saying: "You go back to your room and read this book cover to cover, you'll be asleep in no time."

  "Really?"

  Joanna was half-believing and half-doubting, but she still bid farewell and left.

  The night has deepened after all.

  After sending away Jianna, Chen Jianchen himself lost his sleepiness and stood at the window with his hands behind his back - although he also didn't know what this sudden rain was all about, but somehow felt that there was a problem in it. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a huge crisis lurking in his heart, making him restless.

  The night has grown deeper and the cold air is getting heavier.

  ……

  Bang!

  A gigantic and terrifying tail suddenly swept out from the forest, stirring up a storm of wind and rain, and maliciously struck towards Huangfu.

  Huang Pu's feet tapped lightly, and he jumped agilely to one side. With a flick of his hand, the copper coin-shaped magic treasure flying in mid-air whizzed down again, this time aiming not for Er Qing's neck but her tail.

  Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

  Two green eyes gleamed brightly as a head the size of a millstone suddenly turned around, and with a loud crash, it charged towards Huangfu's treasure.

  Pong!

  A deafening sound shook the heavens as a copper coin-shaped magical treasure flew through the air, veering off course and slicing a large tree in half at the waist.

  Huang Pu's heart was secretly shocked: the power of the snake demon in front of him completely exceeded his imagination. Although he had just broken through to the Golden Elixir, his foundation was unstable, but its body was too strong. This obviously occupied a very advantageous position among the demon clan. Even if he held a Dongling treasure, he couldn't gain the upper hand in a short period of time.

  Above the Faqi is the Fobao, which is also divided into three levels: Dongling, Dongshen and Dongtian. The effect of the function increases in sequence, and it is said that the highest level of Dongtian-level Fobao can open up a cave heaven blessed land, forming its own world, very mysterious.

  The Dongling-level treasure of Huangfu's outer courtyard, named "Kunshen Jinqian", is specialized in trapping the yin spirit and soul. Once trapped, the yin spirit and soul are separated from their physical body, as if locked in a prison, confined within the "Kunshen Jinqian" and unable to exhibit any abilities.

  The snake demon Qing knew the severity of the situation, relying on its agile body to dodge and weave, tucking its head back while using its tail to strike, only occasionally bringing out its massive head to bite and tear at Huang Fu's exterior.

  Many years ago, Erqing was a small snake performing in the hands of Huangfu Yuanwai. After many years of companionship, a simple and instinctive affection had been cultivated. However, all this changed after Erqing gained consciousness and became self-aware. The snake demon now had its own pursuits and could no longer listen to its old master's words. On the contrary, it stirred up its ferocity, wanting to kill Huangfu Yuanwai, devour his inner elixir, and seize his magic treasure.

  At the same time, dark clouds gathered in the sky, lightning snakes danced wildly, and the air was filled with changing winds and swirling clouds that seemed to be forming a massive whirlpool.

  A whirlpool forms, heavenly calamity arises.

  By then, things will be even more complicated and worse...

  Huang Pu's heart was filled with a few parts of anxiety, and he was about to let Yuan Yao escape, no longer showing mercy, and directly killing the snake demon would be fine.

  "Anida Butsu!"

  Suddenly, a majestic and solemn Buddha's name came from behind, which shocked both Huangfu and the snake demon to immediately stop fighting and retreat to one side. As they looked around, they saw a white-robed monk with snow-white hair, stepping on a wooden board, holding an oil-paper umbrella, floating in.