Chapter 8: The First Scroll - The Abundant Water Plantain, Sudden Turmoil

"Brother Chen, want to have some?"

A round-faced, slightly plump young man came from the side hall. His small eyes revealed a sharp and quick-witted nature. He smiled and waved a large roll of millet cakes in his hand.

His hair was neatly combed and held in place with a wooden pin. He wore a gray robe, a wooden pendant at his waist, and white cloth wrapped around his legs, with a pair of multi-eared hemp shoes on his feet.

It was clear that although his family might not be wealthy, he paid great attention to details.

Chen Huaisheng suddenly found his memory much better.

In his previous life, he had worked too hard, and with age, his memory had deteriorated.

Introducing himself to seven or eight people at once, as he did last night, would have made it impossible to match names with faces.

But now, he could clearly recall the other person's self-introduction.

Wei Wuyang from Huozhou, Chen Huaisheng remembered.

After obtaining the Dao bone, one could basically no longer eat the ordinary grains and cereals of mortals. They could only consume the spirit-rich crops like jade millet, jiahe, and spirit rice grown in spirit fields.

Eating the food of ordinary people would only add impurities to the body, which was detrimental to cultivation. Long-term consumption could even cause the Dao body to degenerate, eventually reverting to an ordinary person.

"Brother Wei, I've already had breakfast," Chen Huaisheng said, patting his stomach. "I drink the morning dew, so I eat a little less."

The chubby young man also laughed, his eyes squinting almost shut. "I can't help it; I haven't entered the Dao yet. This craving for food is hard to resist. Most of the things in my bag are millet cakes and steamed buns."

Chen Huaisheng was willing to make more friends among these people.

Disciples of major sects, more friends mean more paths. Who knows what kind of fortune they might have in the future? Making friends with them would be beneficial and cost nothing.

"Are you preparing to set off?" Chen Huaisheng asked in surprise, seeing the chubby young man had already put his bag on his back.

"Not yet, we need to wait. Master Yu is going to investigate the surroundings to see if there are any issues. Brother Chen, you're from around here, so this should be the deep part of Yushan, right?"

The chubby young man was also quite talkative. "I feel like we've traveled at least three or four hundred miles from my hometown, Huozhou."

Huozhou Prefecture is to the east of Yiyang Prefecture, and it's roughly the same size as Yiyang Prefecture.

"Sort of, Liao County has two parts farmland and eight parts mountains. If you go further west or north, like Meng County, it's basically all mountains."

Chen Huaisheng nodded, asking curiously, "You all seem very cautious. I noticed that Master Yu set up a magical array for vigilance last night and even established a lookout. Is it because of the beast I mentioned?"

The chubby young man's face showed a mysterious expression. "Not entirely. It seems Master said this area isn't very peaceful. Better to be cautious. I heard that in the past, recruiting disciples was simple; they just took them along. But this time, they gave us all divine wood talismans for protection, as you saw yesterday. We're heading to your Dingling today, and we'll probably know what's going on."

Not peaceful? What could be not peaceful?

Chen Huaisheng was also puzzled.

Yiyang Prefecture has six counties, and Dingling is the seat of the prefecture. It is half mountain and half hill, along with Xiyang and Zhugao counties. Liao County, Meng County, and Anfeng County are in the mountainous area.

Although it is in the Yushan mountains, it is still quite far from the forbidden areas in the heart of Yushan. There hasn't been any special situation reported.

Like Guzhen, where Yuangbao Fort is located, it is purely in the mountains. Apart from being slightly special due to its proximity to Southern Chu, there's nothing else to note.

However, Southern Chu and Great Zhao have been at peace for several decades.

Great Zhao's defense focus has always been in the west, while the south and east have been relatively peaceful. Even the border residents have mutual exchanges. Has anything changed in the few years I've been away?

After they finished preparing, everyone was ready to set off.

A walking charm was applied to their waists, and Chen Huaisheng once again witnessed the extraordinary nature of the major sects.

Ordinary people could only walk ten to twenty miles in the mountains, and only the physically strong could manage that. For those with the Dao bone, fifty to sixty miles was not a problem, but seventy to eighty miles would be quite challenging.

But with the walking charm's spiritual power entering the body, he felt his meridians become unblocked, and spiritual power surged.

Even on the treacherous mountain paths, he felt as light as a swallow, moving swiftly and nimbly.

Chen Huaisheng was also amazed.

This walking charm was not very useful for Yu Xianxian and Xuan Chimei, who were already cultivators, but it was extremely useful for Chen Huaisheng and Wei Wuyang, who had not yet entered the Dao.

By the time it was almost dark, the city of Dingling, about 160 miles away, was already in sight.

One cannot deny the abundant resources and comprehensive categories of the major sects, from weapons, magical artifacts, talismans, robes, armor, and elixirs, all of which have dedicated supply support.

Each item consumes a vast amount, beyond imagination.

Wealth, cultivation, companions, and territory—wealth is the first. Without sufficient wealth, one cannot be called a major sect.

With a sigh, Chen Huaisheng followed the group into Dingling, the seat of Yiyang Prefecture.

With the memories of two people, Chen Huaisheng's impression of his hometown, the prefectural city, had become somewhat blurred.

The Chen family is one of the five major surnames in Yuangbao Fort, but Chen Huaisheng's branch is relatively weak.

His parents died early, and although he had two uncles and one uncle, they were all ordinary people. None of his cousins were of the Dao bone.

When he was seven, his Dao bone was revealed, causing great excitement in his branch. Unfortunately, his spiritual root remained dormant until he was fourteen.

This situation is considered to be of relatively poor quality among those with the Dao bone.

But even so, he was still a congenital Dao bone.

However, the Chen family is large and complex, with several distant branches still producing Dao bones.

Every year, about two to three hundred babies are born in Yuangbao Fort, and the probability of a Dao bone appearing is variable. In some years, only one is identified, while in others, up to four are identified.

On average, it's about one to two per year, with two being the most common.

After his spiritual root awakened at fourteen, Chen Huaisheng discussed with his clan and left.

He did not stay in Yiyang Prefecture or Yigou, but first went to Jizhou, then to Qiaozhou and Sui Prefecture to seek the Dao.

But now he has returned, somewhat dejected.

Dingling City is much more bustling and prosperous than his hometown, Liao County, with a larger population.

Although it is clear that the lives of ordinary people in the city and countryside are still hard and poor, they are relatively stable. However, one can also see cultivator disciples strutting proudly in the city streets.

The group went to the Dao Hall.

This is a civilian institution in the cultivation world within Great Zhao, but it also has some semi-official characteristics.

Major sects and noble families coordinate through Dao Halls in various regions, and the hosts of Dao Halls are often local cultivation world figures.

The elegant and refined entrance of the Dao Hall, the unique and graceful archway, and the flying eaves and pavilions of the Dao Hall are even more magnificent and splendid than the local government offices, which also demonstrates its influence.

Chen Huaisheng gradually began to view everything around him with the mindset of this world.

To survive better, he needed to understand this world.

Following the group inside, Chen Huaisheng felt that something was not right.

The Dao Hall was in chaos, with some people arguing intensely, and a few others whispering with faces of gloom, tension, or anger.

"How many times has this happened? Still hiding the illness and deceiving oneself! Next time, it could be us!" A red-faced, broad-mouthed man shouted in anger.

"Last year's incident, how long did they investigate? No results. Then two more incidents happened, and still no results. Now this happens again. Shouldn't we think about how to deal with it?"

"Brother Dao, calm down. This time, we must all discuss and come to a conclusion. We can't let it be like before."

Another cultivator with a somewhat ethereal and dignified appearance, wearing a dark robe, had a gloomy face.

"This time, it's my junior from Lingyun Sect. Shouldn't we be angry and anxious? But we need a direction for the investigation."

"Hmph, just sitting and talking, can we really find the culprit?"

The broad-mouthed man's tone softened slightly, but his words still carried a hint of sarcasm.

"It's only now that it's happened to your Lingyun Sect that you're worried. The previous times, you were the most careless, finding all sorts of excuses to evade and敷衍, …"

Pierced to the core, the dark-robed cultivator also lost his composure, his face turning grim.

"Brother Wu, are you deliberately looking for trouble? Shouldn't we all be working together to overcome this crisis? Saying such cold words is too unrighteous!"

Several others, seeing the two arguing, subconsciously looked at the middle-aged cultivator who was stroking his chin in thought.

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(End of Chapter)