Chapter 7

Half a month later, at Zhao Family Village.

The front pond was green, the pines and cypresses were lush, the purple water flowed horizontally, and the birds flew away, leaving behind the fragrance of flowers.

Zhao Laohu, however, had no heart to appreciate the beautiful scenery. He paced back and forth in the courtyard, fuming with rage.

The others all kept their heads down, not daring to say a word.

"Chen Yan, I will grind your bones to dust and scatter them to the winds."

Zhao Laohu gritted his teeth, the hatred in his heart almost impossible to wash away even by the vast lakes and seas.

After all, the last time he had led a group of people to attack the Chen family courtyard, a heavenly horse had appeared out of nowhere, beating them until their noses and faces were bruised, and they had fled in disgrace.

As a result, not only had he himself been kicked by the heavenly horse, causing him to lie in bed for half a month in excruciating pain, but the news had spread far and wide, turning the incident into a laughingstock.

How could the always arrogant Zhao Laohu bear this humiliation?

"Devil, devil."

Zhao Sanbao, still acting crazy, clapped his hands and laughed foolishly.

"Devil you, you fool."

Zhao Laohu, already in a rage, saw his foolish son and it was like pouring oil on the fire. He jumped up and slapped him, shouting, "Get out of my sight, you fool."

"Master,"

Huaniang, Zhao Laohu's most favored concubine, spoke softly and bravely, "Master, don't let your anger harm your body. Let's sit down and think of a way."

"What way?"

Zhao Laohu's eyes blazed with anger, and he was extremely agitated, shouting, "Even Tiezhu was kicked by that damned horse and is still bedridden. Where can I find someone to deal with him?"

Huaniang's beautiful eyes flickered, and she said confidently, "Master, I know someone who can definitely deal with Chen Yan."

Zhao Laohu turned around sharply, urgently asking, "Who?"

"The one from Tongling Mountain."

Huaniang hesitated for a moment but still spoke.

"The shamaness."

Zhao Laohu realized who she meant, his expression changing. The shamaness was not an easy person to deal with. To get her to act, he would have to pay a high price.

After a long while, Zhao Laohu's expression turned fierce, and he made a decision. His voice was as cold as if it had been pulled from an ice cave, "A great wrong cannot go unavenged. Huaniang, prepare the offerings and come with me to the Tongling Mountain temple."

At the Chen family courtyard.

Moss covered the steps, and the shadows of the pines were uneven.

Chen Yan stood still in the courtyard, his body as steady as a six-sided pillar, his mind as fluid as flowing water.

"Ha!"

Chen Yan took a step forward, exhaling and opening his voice.

In the next moment,

His dantian vibrated, and true qi gushed out, flowing through his meridians to his limbs and bones, giving him a feeling as if clouds were rising all around.

"Phew,"

After a while, Chen Yan felt the true qi in his body calm down, and he exhaled a breath of turbid air.

"Very good."

Chen Yan nodded in satisfaction, feeling that he was one step closer to the perfection of his qi cultivation.

Ever since he had obtained a sum of ill-gotten wealth from Zhao Laohu, Chen Yan had had Ying buy medicinal herbs and prepare medicinal dishes to strengthen his foundation and cultivate his primordial energy.

It had to be said that the medicinal dishes were very effective, and combined with the top-notch guiding technique, the Six Jia Upper Yuan Gong, his cultivation progressed much faster than in his previous life.

"After all, I once cultivated to the Yin Spirit realm. Even though my strength has not yet been restored, my perspective remains, and cultivation comes easily to me."

As Chen Yan walked and thought, he unconsciously arrived at another small courtyard.

"Hmm,"

Chen Yan's gaze fell on a stone mill.

The base was as tall as a person, and on top was a sky-blue grinding stone, with a thick wooden pole inserted into a groove.

By pushing the wooden pole, one could rotate the grinding stone to grind flour.

"This grinding stone is quite large."

Chen Yan's face showed surprise. Just by looking at it, he knew that it would take at least two hundred pounds of strength to move the grinding stone.

"Indeed."

Chen Yan, thinking of this, immediately acted. He grabbed the wooden pole with both hands and pushed hard. The grinding stone began to turn, and he quickly calculated, "It takes two hundred and twenty pounds to move the grinding stone."

"Truly strange."

Chen Yan stroked the wooden pole, which was smooth, clearly due to Ying's frequent use over the past few months. He wondered, "How can a weak woman like Ying grind flour?"

At that moment, Ying came in from outside, her big, round eyes twinkling, and said, "Young Master, it's time to eat."

"Ying, come here."

Chen Yan beckoned, "When I was sick, did you use this stone mill to grind flour every day and sell it at the market to earn money?"

"Yes,"

Ying nodded and smiled, "But now we have silver, so I haven't ground flour for over twenty days."

"I haven't seen you grind flour."

Chen Yan let go of the wooden pole and pointed to the grinding stone, "Ying, show me how you do it."

"Sure,"

Ying agreed, took a few steps to the stone mill, and skillfully grabbed the wooden pole, pressing it against her abdomen and pushing.

Creak, creak, creak,

The grinding stone turned, making a creaking sound, like a cheerful tune.

"Interesting,"

Chen Yan squinted his eyes. He could sense that when Ying started pushing the wooden pole, a faint golden shadow appeared above the grinding stone, its face indistinct.

With the force of this golden shadow, Ying didn't need to exert much effort to grind the flour quickly.

"Is there a spirit helping her?"

Chen Yan smiled. This world was truly becoming more and more fascinating.

"Yah, yah,"

"Yah, yah,"

"Yah, yah,"

Just as Chen Yan was about to ask Ying to stop, a series of yah-yah sounds suddenly rang out.

"What is this?"

Chen Yan turned his head and saw that, at some point, over a dozen dolls had emerged from the ground. They were about half a foot tall, plump and white, wearing red bibs and small bare feet, emitting a fragrant aroma.

The dozen plump dolls broke off willow branches to make wreaths, wore them on their heads, and danced in a line, swaying and singing yah-yah sounds, like an unknown tune.

"How cute."

Ying also saw the plump dolls and immediately let go of the stone mill, running over and picking one up. It felt soft and weightless.

"Yah,"

Sensing a stranger, the plump doll called out in a babyish voice, immediately shrinking back and trembling in fear.

As for the other plump dolls, they remained unchanged, still dancing in a line, singing their tune, and yah-yahing happily.

"Truly strange."

Chen Yan also reached out and grabbed one, pinching it. It didn't feel like the skin of a normal baby but was cold and smooth, like metal or jade, with no sign of life.

"Yah, yah,"

The plump doll, timid, curled into a ball, its little pigtails shaking.

"How cute."

Ying pinched the plump doll's chubby little hands and feet, smiling with delight.

"Never heard of, never seen before."

Chen Yan put the plump doll on the ground, watching it wobble like a clumsy little chick, then join the group of plump dolls, its fear disappearing, and it started singing yah-yah happily again.

"Truly interesting."

Chen Yan waved his sleeve, enveloping all the plump dolls, and walked out, saying, "Let me see what mysteries they hold."