Chapter 32

"Master Lian, don't joke around. Old Master Xu has plenty of mansions in the city. Why would he come back to our inn and pay a thousand taels of silver per person per day? Unless he's gone mad." Uncle Wu muttered. Shen Lian was good in every way, except for his lazy nature and his fondness for jokes.

"Rest assured, he will definitely come tomorrow. I'm tired, so I'll go back to my room first. Don't let anyone disturb me." Shen Lian waved his hand and headed upstairs.

He lived in Room No. 1, but he had changed the room name to "Presidential Suite" to satisfy his whims.

Pushing open the window, the moon rose in the east, lingering among the stars.

Shen Lian sat cross-legged on the slightly hard bed.

He slowly closed his eyes, feeling a deep loneliness in his heart.

The sky is high, but the human heart is higher.

As the ancients said, the heart has the depth of mountains and rivers, and the complexity of a city.

Because the human heart is immeasurable, there are infinite possibilities.

When he closed his eyes, everything was pitch black, as if he had entered a starless, moonless space, with no sense of direction or the passage of time.

Shen Lian's five senses gradually faded, and the outside noise, the chirping of insects, and the rustling of the wind all became faint and eventually disappeared.

Only because his mind was free of distractions could he achieve a state of purity and strength.

The moonlight seemed to flow like mercury, freely illuminating Shen Lian's physical form.

He felt a movement in his heart, as if the moonlight was being contained in a vessel.

It continuously condensed.

First, it formed a silver-white ball of light, continuously absorbing moonlight and turning pale yellow.

The light ball gradually shrank, like a pea, and slowly drifted toward a bronze lamp. Passing over the wick, it suddenly illuminated the entire room.

The bronze lamp was shaped like a goose standing and looking back to catch a fish. The goose's neck and the lamp body were connected by a joint, and the fish's body and the goose's neck and abdomen were hollow and connected.

The abdomen was filled with water, so the smoke from the lamp would flow through the goose's neck into the water in the abdomen, reducing the smoke in the room and keeping the air fresh and clean.

This lamp was not a product of this world but a replica of the "Han Goose Fish Bronze Lamp" made by Shen Lian.

Manager Wu only found the lamp exquisite but did not understand its true value.

Shen Lian suddenly opened his eyes, and the small light point disappeared. His eyes were as clear as stars.

The smoke from the lamp cycled back into the water, not polluting the outside world. This was Zen!

It was a reminder for Shen Lian.

Now, his mental energy could already condense moonlight, generate flames, and light a lamp. The power was not great, but the significance was profound.

Because this was not martial arts but magic.

Shen Lian thought: If he had seen this in a web novel before, would he be considered a magic apprentice, capable of casting a simplified version of a first-level fireball spell?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile.

Because he also practiced the Divine Foot Scripture, making him both a martial artist and a magician.

A gentle breeze blew, stirring the lamp and Shen Lian's clothes. Feeling the breeze on his face, he couldn't help but stand up and gaze at the moon.

Even with a thousand magical arts and myriad powers, he only wished to be like this moon, eternal and unchanging.

******

Spring came and went, and autumn arrived. Time flew by.

Shen Lian's body had grown to fifteen years old, clear and refined, like jade and mist. Every time he went out, the women in the city would vie to watch him.

If Shen Lian were still as weak as before, there would have been a saying of "Shen Lian being watched to death" in the world.

Xu Hong, who was naturally a coward, came the next day after Shen Lian left. Even though Shen Lian charged an exorbitant price, he still wanted to stay at Shen Lian's "Youjian Inn" to avoid the two remaining demons from coming back to seek revenge.

No one outside knew what had driven Xu Hong mad, but a few people in the Xu family understood, though they dared not spread the news due to Xu Hong's warning.

Only Shen Lian's aunt, Lady Xu, knew the whole story from Xu Hong, so she treated Shen Lian even better during festivals, even with some respect, which amazed the servants who were used to the lady's harshness. They said that Master Shen Lian was unassuming but highly skilled.

After staying for more than half a year, there was no news of the other two Five Blessings Gods, so Xu Hong returned to his own home.

However, Xu Hong's strange behavior piqued the curiosity of the people in Qingzhou City. Combined with some of Shen Lian's inventions, such as the "Goose Fish Bronze Lamp," which people found useful, the "Youjian Inn" gained a great reputation.

Even though the room prices kept rising, it couldn't stop the enthusiasm of passing merchants and curious scholars.

This was something Manager Wu had not anticipated. From the initial bleakness to the current boom, it truly brought him a happy dilemma, as Shen Lian had promised to give him a share of the monthly profits, which was already considerable for him.

Only Shen Lian remained calm, indifferent to wealth.

During the day, he practiced martial arts and qi, and at night, he cultivated his spirit, focusing on his cultivation.

Though he was in the secular world, he was not troubled by it.

The Divine Foot Scripture was easy to obtain, but to reach its highest level was extremely difficult. Even someone with the talent of the green-robed man took thirty years to break through the final barriers of the Ren and Du meridians in a life-or-death situation.

Even though Shen Lian had a strong spirit, allowing him to practice for longer periods without feeling tired and to control his internal qi with great precision, he had only managed to unblock the other meridians but had yet to break through the Ren and Du meridians.

Moreover, since half a year ago, no matter how much he practiced the "Supreme Clarity Spirit Treasure Natural Heart Locking and Spirit Stabilizing True Explanation," his spirit had not grown even a bit. He could only travel outside as a ghost during dusk, overcast days, or at night.

If it were daytime, the intense sunlight would be harmful, and he wouldn't last long if he left his body in broad daylight.

Qingzhou City was in the northwest, not as cold as the desert, but winter was still harsh.

It had snowed for three days, and the city was covered in white.

Even though the inn had lit stoves, the cold could not be dispelled.

Shen Lian was also in the downstairs hall. Since his cultivation had hit a bottleneck, he no longer thought about it except for his daily practice, to avoid developing an obsession.

A few days ago, he had been anxious and forced himself to practice the "Supreme Clarity Spirit Treasure Natural Heart Locking and Spirit Stabilizing True Explanation," hoping to break through his realm. His mind was more restless than when he first encountered the Five Blessings Evil God.

If it weren't for Manager Wu reporting the monthly accounts to him, causing him to lose his temper and scare Manager Wu into fainting, he might not have realized that his personality had changed. If he had continued to indulge in cultivation, he would likely have gone down the same extreme path as the green-robed man, even if he didn't go mad.

Therefore, Shen Lian was even more vigilant. He always believed that his predecessor had no experience, no guidance, and practiced alone in the mountains, which led to his eventual madness. He had warned himself not to follow the same path.

He didn't expect to be so arrogant, thinking that because he had read many web novels about immortals and received some guidance from Ling Chongxiao, he could continue to practice alone and achieve immortality.

If he hadn't realized his mistake in time, not only would he not achieve the Dao, but even preserving his life would be difficult.

The cold wind, like a knife, seeped through the gaps of the tightly closed door, accompanied by a dull knocking sound.

PS: Thank you to Futu Liangsheng for the 588 reward, Kaimu for the 588 reward, Zhuan Kang` Teammate for the 588 reward, and Long Ke, Minna, Shuyou 160210090646530, Shuyou 160212014700036, and Teiyu Zhidance for their rewards.

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