Chapter 31

Chen Lian, who stood motionless, had a呆滞 gaze, devoid of any vitality, yet his features were clear and every hair was visible.

The ethereal Chen Lian, however, had a blurry figure, barely discernible.

It was now close to dusk, with the setting sun casting its rays.

The black aura in the room was invisible to the naked eye of a mortal.

Xu Hong hid nearby, clutching the beam, trembling with fear, and saw another Chen Lian appear before the first, enveloped in the rays of the setting sun, appearing almost transparent.

The faint scent of sandalwood wafted over, blending with the sunset like a poetic painting.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and Chen Lian lunged at the large wild black boar, swordless in hand but with a stern sword intent in his heart.

At this moment, Chen Lian suddenly entered a state of spiritual clarity. The originally devastating Divine Soul-Slaying Sword technique was a move that would kill a thousand enemies but also harm oneself, using one's divine soul as a blade to attack the enemy's life soul.

It was like a narrow encounter, a close combat.

In the struggle for life and death, each side was left to their fate, with a strong sense of desperation.

Therefore, every time the man in the green robe used the Divine Soul-Slaying Sword, he had to rest for a long time, as the damage he inflicted on others was also inflicted on himself.

It was a mutual annihilation of soul power.

However, Chen Lian's mind was now at its most refined, his spirit suddenly leaving his body, intending to directly attack the wild boar's life soul.

But suddenly, all the agitation and evil in his heart vanished, leaving him carefree.

He fell into the same state of mind as when he first left his body, where the world was indifferent and all things were treated like straw dogs.

The primordial deity holding the ruyi appeared out of nowhere, suddenly transforming into Chen Lian, the sandalwood scent mixing with the sunlight, penetrating Chen Lian's divine soul, though hot, without any fire.

A bright moon slowly rose, the last rays of the sunset fading, marking the twilight.

It was also the moment of the fusion of yin and yang, and Chen Lian suddenly understood the meaning of "calming the mind" in the *Shangqing Lingbao Natural Lock Heart and Stabilize Spirit True Explanation*.

By calming the mind, he could hone the sharpest edge, and with a single thought, it would become a divine weapon, capable of cutting through iron and stone without any damage to himself.

He entered the state of no thoughts, as if observing a deity, ignoring the harm the sunset and moonlight could do to his divine soul, becoming one with the surroundings.

His features became more vivid, and he lunged forward, the wild boar letting out a mournful cry.

Chen Lian's divine soul had already returned to his body.

Xu Hong saw the wild boar fall to the ground, its eyes white, clearly not alive.

He had already guessed that this wild boar was the plague god, and the thought of Yan Shi being ravaged by such a thing made him feel nauseous.

Chen Lian, seeing the wild boar with its black and shiny fur, standing on end, but without the usual stench of a wild boar, thought: This thing is a spirit, I wonder how its meat tastes.

He remembered hearing that the meat of such creatures was good for nourishing one's vital energy.

He was practicing the *Divine Foot Scripture*, converting essence into qi, and his body was in the stage of development, needing nourishment.

When Yan Shi regained consciousness, Xu Hong also told her about the Five Pass Gods, finally saying with some panic, "What if his companions come later?"

Although Chen Lian had killed this wild boar that had transformed into a Five Pass God, there were still four others, and Xu Hong was afraid that Chen Lian would be at a disadvantage fighting them alone.

At this moment, the twilight had not yet passed, and the moonlight was floating. Chen Lian seemed like a piece of unpolished jade, his entire body bathed in mist and clouds, his act of slaying demons and evil spirits truly making him seem like a celestial being descended from heaven.

As soon as Xu Hong spoke, he felt he had said something wrong, fearing that he might upset Chen Lian, as if suggesting that Chen Lian was not capable.

His mood changed in an instant.

He quickly added, "Of course, with Little Lian here, these demons are nothing to fear."

Chen Lian, of course, would not dwell on such trivial matters, and smiled faintly, saying, "I won't wait for them to come; I'll go find them myself."

Since he had taken on this wild boar, he was not afraid of the other four. At this moment, his spirit was extremely strong, and his determination was unyielding.

Chen Lian walked out the door, the moonlight casting a silver glow on his robe, making him look like he was adorned with silver feathers, his demeanor charming and captivating.

Before long, from the temple in the southeast of the Xu family, there came sounds like a pig being slaughtered or a horse being whipped.

It took a while for the noise to subside. When Xu Hong sent someone to check, the servant reported that there was no movement inside, but that Young Master Chen Lian had asked him to send some strong men to carry something.

When Xu Hong arrived with the men, he saw that the statues in the temple were all toppled over. Chen Lian, seeing Xu Hong, pointed to a pig and a horse on the ground and said, "These horse and pig, along with the previous one, please have Uncle Xu send them back to the inn. Also, could you lend me the cook who made the dishes today for a few days?"

Xu Hong replied happily, "There's no need to lend; I'll give the cook to you."

Yan Shi pulled Xu Hong aside and whispered, "There are only three in total, where are the other two?"

She was referring to the bodies of the Five Pass Gods, seeing only three, and there should be two more.

Xu Hong was startled, fearing that if he didn't ask clearly, he might suffer from not finishing off the snakes.

He said, "Nephew, where are the other two monsters? I'll carry them back for you as well."

"The other two monsters had wings but managed to escape," Chen Lian said, feeling a bit regretful.

However, he currently had no means of flight, and his divine soul leaving his body could not fly, let alone travel a thousand miles in an instant. He also dared not leave his body too far.

In the end, although his divine soul was now very powerful, in this world, it still needed the protection of his body to be safe.

"Perhaps you could stay at my place for a few more days. Don't blame your Uncle Xu for being cowardly, but I'm really afraid of these things," Xu Hong said with a pained expression, thinking that if the two monsters came back for revenge, what would he do without Chen Lian?

"It's late now, I'll go back to the inn first. Uncle Xu, remember to send the things back to me tomorrow, and don't let me see any missing limbs," Chen Lian said, not agreeing to Xu Hong's request, re-tied the sandalwood sword, and walked out.

Xu Hong wanted to stop him but was intimidated by Chen Lian's aura and did not dare to move.

He let Chen Lian go out, the evening breeze blowing on his face.

Chen Lian, moved by the moment, sang softly, "Alone I climb the high tower and gaze at the eight directions, the ink clouds scatter and the moon stands alone. In the vast world, there are countless people, but how many are true men?"

He had not climbed a high tower, but his spirit was already soaring, the heroic sentiment rising, surpassing any high tower.

The line "In the vast world, there are countless people, but how many are true men?" was truly sharp, making Xu Hong's face flush with shame.

******

The inn had already hung up lanterns. It was the first day of business, and Manager Wu was looking at the ledger by the oil lamp, sighing, "The name of this century-old inn shouldn't have been changed. There weren't many guests today."

After all, the Chen family was not a god of wealth, and since the inn was given to Chen Lian, many of the other managers in the Chen family would not easily show their support or actively help Chen Lian attract business before the final decision on the family's inheritance.

Although they had received some gifts, they were not valuable, clearly showing the direction of people's hearts.

At this moment, Chen Lian had already entered the inn and came to Manager Wu's side, glanced at the ledger, and smiled, "Manager Wu, you've worked hard today."

Manager Wu laughed, "Young Master Lian, with so few guests today, the old servant couldn't even work hard if he wanted to."

"Is that so? I think my Uncle Xu's brother-in-law, Xu Hong, will come to stay at our inn tomorrow. You can charge him one thousand taels of silver per day. This way, you'll be both relaxed and earn money, and it won't matter if there are fewer guests, right?"

PS: Thanks to September, Xiao Mao, zxh1973, and Long Ke for their support.

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