Chapter 18: Is This Bug Exploitation? (Part 1)

The restrictions of the Mountain-Protecting Grand Array activated, warning Chen Yi that an outside enemy had invaded.

Although he could see that the person standing outside was Captain Ye, Chen Yi did not let him in lightly.

The distance between them was extremely close, but the other man could not see him at all. He rubbed his forehead while reaching around with his hand, his face full of confusion.

Tang Qirui was still marveling over how amazing it was to see something with his own eyes, so naturally, he had not left.

He also saw Captain Ye outside the grand array, and a trace of hesitation and probing appeared in his eyes.

But very soon, he realized something and said, “Could it be…”

At the same time, Captain Ye realized it as well.

He took off the backpack on his back and removed a rolled-up scroll from inside, looking thoughtful.

It was the first time Chen Yi had seen it, so he asked, “What is that?”

“An aberrant tool.”

“…”

When it came to that, Chen Yi understood.

In the book, these things were extremely flashy in the early stages. They came from the companion objects of aberrations, such as the carousel little girl and her carousel, or the painting immortal aberration inside this scroll and the scroll itself.

Some aberrations would possess certain objects. After the aberration was eliminated, those objects would display certain peculiar methods, and later became weapons used to fight aberrations.

Most likely, the Mountain-Protecting Grand Array had stopped Captain Ye because of this aberrant tool.

Captain Ye held the aberrant tool, looking thoughtful. After hesitating for a moment, he put the aberrant tool back into the backpack, left the backpack by a tree, and tentatively continued walking toward the orange tree.

Chen Yi received a prompt from the system, asking whether he permitted Captain Ye to enter.

This had never happened before.

It seemed that Captain Ye, who was carrying something uncanny, had already been regarded by the system as an unfriendly disciple of doubtful identity.

Chen Yi selected agree.

Captain Ye, who was touching the orange tree, suddenly grasped empty air and staggered into the sect space.

The feeling after entering the space was hard to describe.

It was like taking a sip of ice water in the middle of summer, and also like being surrounded by warm sunlight in winter. Even the air carried a faint sweetness. The temperature and light were exactly right, making it feel as if all the pores on Captain Ye’s body had opened.

He could be considered someone who had seen the world, but the moment he entered, he still froze.

The blue-jade steps were like a stairway to heaven, winding upward through the orange grove. At the end, one could see a white-jade archway, as well as a corner of the great hall with its golden jade tiles.

If it had only been these things, Xia had so many famous mountains and great rivers that similar scenery could always be found somewhere.

The key was the dense spiritual energy these buildings presented. That lustrous glow made it seem as if even the air itself was shining. After just a few breaths, he felt as though he had become a little younger.

Immortal methods!

Chen Yi was already used to this and still had his attention on the backpack Captain Ye had left outside.

“Captain Ye, why did you bring an aberrant tool here? I heard that every aberrant tool is especially precious and can only be used during missions.”

Captain Ye came back to himself and forced his gaze away from the beautiful scenery before him to look at Chen Yi.

“This aberrant tool is bound to me. It needs to eat my offerings every day, and using it consumes my lifespan. I can only carry it with me wherever I go.”

Chen Yi raised his brows and glanced distractedly at the system.

Tsk!

Only thirty-two years old?

That aged face looked like his vital essence had been sucked dry. Could the thing in the painting be a fox spirit?

“It is Zhong Kui,” Captain Ye said with a smile. “To be honest, my family has some connection with Daoism. My grandfather was a feng shui master. When I was young, he took me through the streets and alleys, and the one we worshiped every day was Celestial Master Zhong Kui. Later, I joined the army. After my grandfather passed away, the relic he left behind was this Celestial Master Zhong Kui.”

Chen Yi thought about it. What did this count as? A domesticated aberration?

That was not quite right either. Zhong Kui was an existence imagined by humans. An aberration that had been deified was not an aberration, but an incense god.

The portrait of Zhong Kui had been worshiped day and night, visualized every day, and passed down for several generations. In the end, it was possible that it had become a tiny incense god.

It was just that, in the sect system’s eyes, heretical practices were still heretical practices. An aberration deified was clearly an alien category, so it had been refused entry.

Chen Yi looked at Captain Ye. “Do you want to keep it?”

He thought Captain Ye would nod, but unexpectedly, the other man shook his head. “Who dares use something that sucks away a person’s lifespan? If I use it a few more times, I’ll die of old age. Now that I have the sect, as long as I cultivate properly, I’ll have ways to fight aberrations. It’s just…”

After thinking for a moment, he added, “It’s a relic left behind by an elder. I don’t know how to handle it.”

Chen Yi nodded. “I can try.”

Captain Ye’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Sect Master.”

See? Just like that, Chen Sect Master had become Sect Master.

Although it was only a tiny difference in address, the mentality behind it was completely different.

Chen Yi took on the matter not because he absolutely had to compete with the nation for loyalty, but there was no harm in gaining more recognition if he could.

Dealing through a layer between them was always uncomfortable.

Chen Yi left the space, picked up the backpack, and when he went back inside, the Mountain-Protecting Grand Array did not stop him.

He had the highest authority.

After that, he took out the scroll and held it in his hand. His fingers, which were touching the scroll, paused. This texture…

“What’s wrong?” Captain Ye was a little nervous and saw Chen Yi’s hesitation.

Chen Yi carefully brushed his palm over the scroll.

It was not an illusion. The scroll had warmth, and its texture was like leather. Looking at its color as well, could it be…?

Chen Yi raised his eyes and, without showing any change in expression, tossed the backpack to Captain Ye. “I’ll study it a bit and give it to you in a few days.”

Captain Ye nodded, swung the backpack behind him, and looked up toward the Mountain Gate.

If one ignored his overly aged face, his posture was still very handsome.

They passed through the Mountain Gate. Aside from Pang Xiaolei and the others sitting on the muddy ground of the Sect Main Hall to cultivate, they did not see the children or his mother anywhere.

Chen Jiankang explained, “They probably knew you were coming back and went out to meet you, so you missed each other.”

“…”

After not seeing them for one night, he did miss the children a little.

Seeing that he was silent, Chen Jiankang waved a hand. “I’ll go outside and make a call. You receive your guests properly.”

“Okay.”

They split up.

Chen Yi took Tang Qirui and Captain Ye toward the back, to the Sect Main Hall and the Scripture Pavilion.

Unlike the others, although they had learned the Spirit Nurturing Art, they did not immediately cultivate. Instead, they walked while talking.

“The Sect Main Hall exists as the face of the sect. For now, I’m afraid it won’t be of much use. Perhaps it will need to be temporarily remodeled into offices and dormitories…”

“The peach tree has to be fenced off. We once found a one-hundred-and-ten-year-old peach tree, but it was completely useless against aberrations. Judging from the height and branches of this peach tree, it must be over a thousand years old at minimum. Not a single branch or leaf can be wasted.”

“The Scripture Pavilion is of great importance. Sect Master Chen, can you set up access restrictions? People can’t keep entering casually.”

The last point hit exactly on Chen Yi’s thoughts. These past few days, people had been going in and out of the Scripture Pavilion constantly. They were either taking manuals or cultivating, causing the children and Da Huang to be unable to nap up there. Chen Yi had also lost the chance to use Technique Transmission.

The function of Technique Transmission still needed to be studied. Chen Yi really did not want to become a Technique Transmission machine, so if only he could perform Technique Transmission, he would probably hide this function for the time being.

Chen Yi did not have much ambition. He simply wanted to live a little more easily. Anything that might affect his ability to slack off had to be considered carefully before he made a decision.

Finally.

Tang Qirui coughed dryly and said with some difficulty, “Also, Sect Master Chen, I want to ask… can the name The Lurker Sect be changed?”

Chen Yi also coughed awkwardly and replied, “No.”

Just as the three of them were looking at one another in awkward silence, a yellow figure wagged its tail and ran over from the Mountain Gate.

Even more shocking was that it was carrying two three-year-old children on its back.

This large yellow dog looked handsome and mighty. It was clearly only an extremely ordinary medium-sized dog from the countryside, but it had grown to resemble a large dog. Its back was broad and its steps were steady. Even as it ran, the two little children on its back were not jostled much.

Captain Ye’s eyes lit up at the sight, and he nearly drooled on the spot. “Aiya, this dog! Sect Master, you really know how to raise dogs. What breed is this? It’s way too handsome!”

What Chen Yi looked at were the two children on the dog’s back.

Good heavens!

Had they gone to wreck the fields?

Their faces were covered in muddy water, their hair clumped strand by strand, and they were so dirty that their original appearance could barely be seen.

Watching the children climb down from the dog’s back, Chen Yi originally wanted to use his minor-achievement Dust Removal Art to clean them up. In the end, before he could even form the hand seal, the children called out “Daddy, Daddy,” and crashed into Chen Yi’s arms.

After not seeing their father for an entire night, the children had been terribly uneasy and missed him terribly too.

They wrapped their arms around Chen Yi’s neck and refused to let go.

His parents came over just then. As soon as his father arrived, he said, “How could you let the children play in the fields? What would you do if something happened?”

His mother, Xiang Lan, said, “Da Huang and I watched them without blinking. How could anything happen? Children need to be let loose to play. That’s when they’re happy. Otherwise, what do you expect? Our youngest has things to do too. He can’t possibly take the children with him wherever he goes.”

Chen Jiankang’s back bent a little as he muttered, “Even so, they couldn’t get this dirty…”

His daughter heard him, tugged at her little floral clothes and her grimy little hands, then raised her head and pouted. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I wasn’t good. I got my clothes dirty.”

Actually, the original owner had been all right. The main issue was that Du Yuan had always demanded that the children stay clean, and had scolded them more than once because of this.

Chen Yi approved of the original owner’s approach, and he also approved of his mother Xiang Lan’s thinking, so he said to his daughter, “How could that be? Linlin is so cute and so good. It was the mud that wasn’t good. The mud started it first.”

Everyone: “…”

Even children knew that did not make sense, but they were amused by their father and giggled happily.

Chen Yi laughed with them, but as he laughed, his smile faded. He looked at Tang Qirui and Captain Ye. “I’m afraid I’ll need to spend some time with the children. Please make yourselves at home.”

Tang Qirui and Captain Ye smiled in understanding, nodded, and walked toward the Scripture Pavilion.

Chen Yi did not deliberately avoid others either. After playing for a while beneath the peach tree and soothing the children, he snapped his fingers at the two children.

With a click.

The Dust Removal Art was successfully cast. In the blink of an eye, the two beautiful little darlings stood clean, adorable, and spotless before him, as if they had bathed and changed into new clothes.

“Wow!”

His mother, Xiang Lan, who had been watching the whole time, widened her eyes. “Is this magic?”

Chen Yi smiled and said, “Envious, aren’t you? I told you to cultivate, but you keep putting it off. Once you reach the third stage of Qi Refining, you can use all kinds of little spells that make life convenient. This Dust Removal Art is only one of them.”

Many people found bathing and washing clothes troublesome, yet had no choice but to do them. The Dust Removal Art was indeed the best companion for daily living.

Chen Yi snapped his fingers again and cleaned himself up as well.

Then he went to his mother. With another click, his mother was clean too. Even her hair, which had been too busy to wash these past few days because she had been taking care of the children and moving house, became clearly separated strand by strand, silky and smooth.

Xiang Lan touched her hair, then touched her clothes, and smiled. “It’ll be fine once you get through this busy period. While I’m still young, I’ll help however I can. Cultivation isn’t something that has to be done in just one or two days.”

Chen Yi nodded.

From Xiang Lan, he saw that mother who had also devoted herself wholeheartedly to him. He wondered whether he could still go back…

Just then, Da Huang suddenly started barking.

Chen Yi turned his head and saw it baring its teeth viciously at the scroll he had casually tossed beside his feet.

This was…

Chen Yi was a step slow before he smelled the thin, drifting stench in the air.

Did an incense god count as an aberration or not?

Perhaps Chen Yi would only know once he truly saw an upright deity, a true incense god.

The Zhong Kui portrait that harvested lifespan whenever it was used clearly had nothing to do with incense gods.

Then there was this stench unique to aberrations.

All that could be said was that it was an aberration that knew how to let out a long line to catch a big fish.

Chen Yi told his mother to take the children farther away. He drew the peachwood dagger from his calf and was considering whether cutting it once would allow the scroll to remain intact when…

Ding!

The system rang.

Side Mission: Resist the Foreign Enemy (Optional)

Reward: Talisman Grand Gift Pack x1, low-grade spirit stone x5

One: Resist the Foreign Enemy (0/1 incomplete)

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