Beneath the mountain gate, silence reigned.
Everyone tilted their heads back, gazing toward the direction where the two figures had vanished, no one speaking for a long time.
The moonlight still fell coldly upon the bluestone slabs, the wind in the bamboo grove still rustled softly, and the stream still trickled along.
It was as if the scene of those two Earthly Immortals standing side by side, chatting and laughing cheerfully just moments ago, had merely been a phantom dream in the mountain night.
Yet they knew it was no dream.
The Staff Grandmaster was the first to come to his senses. He looked down at his hand gripping the wrought bronze staff.
That hand, which had still been trembling slightly moments before, was now steady.
Taking a deep breath, he turned around and let his gaze fall upon the young man leaning against the carriage railing by the supply cart, yawning.
He walked over to Chen Zui, planted the wrought bronze staff beside himself, cupped his fists, and bent slightly at the waist.
“Young Hero Chen.
Earlier, it was our own shallow foresight, and our words caused much offense. I hope you will not take it to heart.
We all heard Elder Qi’s words clearly just now.
Without the intelligence you obtained from Zhizhou Tower,
and without that spear strike of yours stopping Elder Qi before the mountain gate,
there would be no Earthly Immortal Realm for Elder Qi today.
I, Qin Tiegu, shall remember this debt of gratitude.”
He paused. Behind him, the eight martial artists in martial attire also stepped forward in unison to stand side by side with him.
“There are still more than three hundred li left on this journey to Jinyang City.
If anything happens on the road, we will certainly heed your advice, Young Hero Chen, and never take matters into our own hands.”
Chen Zui finished his yawn and rubbed the corners of his eyes.
Looking at the men in front of him who were all bowing with cupped fists in unison, the corner of his lips curled into a faint smile.
“There is no need for Senior Qin to be so courteous.
You are all seniors of Furnace-Listening Pavilion. As a mere junior, how could I dare speak of people heeding my advice or not?
In any case, we all share the same goal: delivering the sword ‘Sheiru’ safely to Jinyang City.
If anything happens on the road, we can simply discuss it together.”
Qin Tiegu looked up, taking in Chen Zui's nonchalant expression, and nodded.
“Good. We shall discuss things together.”
At that moment, A-Tong poked his head out.
Looking at his martial uncle and then at Chen Zui, his eyes curved into crescents of laughter.
“That’s wonderful!
Martial Uncle, you finally stopped arguing with Big Brother Chen!
All along the way, your faces were pulled longer than the bellows in our casting furnace!”
Qin Tiegu’s old face flushed red, and he shot a glare back at A-Tong.
A-Tong hurriedly pulled his head back into the carriage, but barely two breaths later, he poked it out again, winking and making faces at Chen Zui.
Chen Zui chuckled. Just as he was about to say something, a crisp system prompt suddenly chimed in his mind.
【Detected that the host sincerely helped Qi Tianchen without seeking reward, allowing him to see the relic left by Xie Qingyi, shatter the shackles of his heart, and step into the Earthly Immortal Realm.】
【Old-fashioned Warmth trait triggered.】
【Experience Points Awarded: 1,500 points.】
【Detected that the host resolved the long-standing grudge between two sects with a sincere heart, and witnessed a breakthrough of the Boundless Realm with a mortal body. Sensing this, the Heavenly Dao specifically bestows a gift.】
【Please choose one of the following two rewards:】
【1. Passive Skill: Clear Mind, True Nature.
Mind like a clear mirror, discerning the finest details.
Comprehension is increased by thirty percent when comprehending martial arts techniques.
Grants a certain chance to trigger an epiphany when observing the martial arts of others, comprehending the essence of their techniques.】
【2. Passive Skill: Purple Qi from the East.
Heaven-bestowed fortune, boundless blessings.
Greatly increases the probability of encountering fortunate opportunities while traveling the martial world.
Imperceptibly favored by the Heavenly Dao, turning misfortune into fortune and calamity into auspiciousness.】
Leaning against the carriage railing, the curve at the corners of Chen Zui's lips slowly lifted higher.
Fifteen hundred experience points.
Adding in the experience farmed from the Azure Dragon Sect and those ambushers earlier,
the harvest from this trip had already far exceeded his expectations.
Not to mention this additional trait reward.
He narrowed his eyes, his gaze scanning back and forth between the two options.
Clear Mind, True Nature increased comprehension by thirty percent, with a chance to trigger epiphanies when observing others' martial arts.
For his practice in the Way of the Spear, this was undoubtedly an immense boost.
Purple Qi from the East increased the chance of encountering opportunities, turning misfortune into fortune and calamity into auspiciousness.
Simply put, it made his luck better.
Though he had relied on his own spear technique and system traits along the way,
he had to admit that in many situations, luck was far more important than strength.
Meeting Liu Yinsheng at the gates of Qingya Academy, seeing the intelligence about Furnace-Listening Pavilion at the Zhizhou Tower branch, witnessing Qi Tianchen's breakthrough at Mirror Water Villa...
Which of these things hadn’t been driven by luck?
Chen Zui pondered for a moment, and his mind was made up.
“Choose Purple Qi from the East.”
He murmured in his mind.
When it came to comprehension, he had confidence in himself.
Along the Path of the Spear, he had never felt that something was beyond his ability to learn or comprehend.
Yet luck was not something one could earn merely through one's own hard work.
The martial world was fraught with peril, and he would have more business to meddle in and more fights to wage in the future.
Having an extra measure of fortune on his side meant an extra guarantee of survival.
【Passive Skill: Purple Qi from the East acquired.】
【Heaven-bestowed fortune, boundless blessings.
Greatly increases the probability of encountering fortunate opportunities while traveling the martial world.
Imperceptibly favored by the Heavenly Dao, turning misfortune into fortune and calamity into auspiciousness.】
The system prompt settled in his mind.
Chen Zui felt a subtle warmth wash over his entire body, as if a wisp of exceedingly faint and gentle purple qi had poured in through the crown of his head.
It flowed slowly along his meridians for a full cycle before ultimately sinking into his dantian and vanishing without a trace.
He looked down at his hands, then looked up at the moon on the horizon, feeling no obvious difference.
Yet he knew that from this moment on, something had changed.
“Big Brother Chen, what are you smiling at?”
A-Tong's voice pulled him back to reality.
The little fellow was leaning over the carriage window frame, tilting his head as he looked at Chen Zui with a face full of curiosity.
“Nothing.”
Chen Zui reached out and patted A-Tong on the head.
“Go to sleep. We have to travel early tomorrow morning.”
A-Tong mumbled a response and shrank back into the carriage.
Before long, the sound of steady breathing drifted from inside the carriage.
The eight martial artists in martial attire also began to take their rest.
Some leaned against the carriage shafts with their eyes closed to rest their minds, some sat cross-legged on the bluestone slabs meditating to regulate their breath, and some carried weapons as they patrolled and kept guard in the surroundings.
After the tossing and turning of this night, everyone's stamina had been substantially depleted.
Yet their spirits were extraordinarily high.
The news of Qi Tianchen breaking through into the Earthly Immortal Realm was like a shot in the arm, making everyone forget their exhaustion.
Chen Zui did not sleep.
Laying his long spear horizontally across his knees, he leaned against the carriage railing and gazed at the faint belly-white dawn gradually appearing on the distant horizon, mentally tallying the gains from this trip.
With fifteen hundred experience points in hand, the new trait Purple Qi from the East, plus the unformed divine spear that Qi Tianchen had personally promised to forge for him...
Meddling in this business had truly been worth it.
He closed his eyes, a faint trace of a smile lingering at the corners of his lips.
Before the first light of dawn broke through, he too drifted off into a light sleep.
Early the next morning, as the sky was just turning light, the convoy packed up and took to the road once more.
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