Chapter 284: Chapter 281 [Night Surprise]
Chapter 281 [Night Startle]
The IOU was signed.
The middle-aged woman’s face immediately became friendlier.
Soon, the bowl of plain water in front of her was removed. At the middle-aged woman’s instruction, Erya served fragrant tea. The white porcelain teacup was accompanied by a few types of refreshments: jujubes, tea-flavored crisps, dried cashews, and a plate of black sesame seeds. This was already the local standard for treating honored guests.
The middle-aged woman’s leek-cutting knife was gleaming, but she wasn’t one for words—perhaps she wasn’t skilled at conversation. Instead, she left Erya to chat with Chen Nuo, while she had her disciples end their punishments and then went into the kitchen to get busy. Before long, smoke began to rise from the kitchen chimney. Chen Nuo watched as the woman killed a chicken in the courtyard, slitting its throat and disemboweling it.
Only Wu Daodao was pitifully pawing at the door panel outside, stretching his neck and craning his head to peek inside. From time to time, he surreptitiously winked and whispered to his disciple in the kitchen, "The chicken should be braised in soy sauce."
"Leave the chicken’s rump for me."
"Add more chili."
Chen Nuo sat in the courtyard, curious as to where Wu Daodao found the confidence to think he would still get dinner tonight.
Unexpectedly, as dusk fell, a dinner table was quickly set up in the main hall. After arranging the bowls and chopsticks, the middle-aged woman walked up to Chen Nuo. "Please, guest, come to the table for dinner."
"Sister-in-law, you’re too kind," Chen Nuo said with a smile as he rose.
"It’s nothing, just simple fare. Besides, you spent over a hundred thousand; letting you scrounge a meal is the least we could do," the woman said, rolling her eyes.
...Sister-in-law, do you realize how easily you could get hit for talking like that?
Chen Nuo wore an awkward smile as he approached the dinner table.
"Wu Daodao!" the woman shouted towards the courtyard.
"Yes?"
"Come back for dinner!"
"Alright~"
Wu Daodao walked in smiling, straightening the tuft of hair on his brow as he went. Entering the main hall, he first greeted Chen Nuo with cupped hands. "Junior Brother, it’s been a while. Apologies for letting you witness our domestic squabbles today."
"Shisao actually let you eat?" Chen Nuo whispered with a chuckle.
"It’s a rule of our Qingyun Sect: arguments must not interfere with meals! Heaven and earth are vast, but eating is paramount!" Wu Daodao answered with a grin.
What a great rule!
Chen Nuo sighed, watching as Wu Daodao swaggered to the main seat, picked up his chopsticks, and tapped them neatly together. The dishes on the table weren’t lavish, but they were decent: a plate of stir-fried potatoes, a bowl of boiled broad beans, and a plate of cold-dressed lotus root. The only meat dish was a large bowl of braised chicken. The soup was a pot of meatballs simmered with vegetable seedlings—a standard four dishes and one soup.
Wu Daodao took the main seat, the middle-aged woman sat to his right, and Chen Nuo to his left. The remaining four disciples sat wherever they could. The four poor kids... The chubby San Pangzi, who had been whipped on his rear that afternoon, could only grimace and perch on the very edge of the bench, resting on just one buttock. Erya sat next to Chen Nuo. With his sharp eyes, Chen Nuo noticed that this "Situ Beixuan" had hands swollen like pig’s trotters. He had watched the middle-aged woman punish her by striking her palms that afternoon; the girl hadn’t even whimpered, though the injury looked quite severe. Lao Si, the youngest girl, had received the lightest punishment—copying scriptures. When she came to the dinner table, her face and hands were covered in ink; she was too lazy to wash, as she had to continue copying after the meal anyway.
The one who seemed to have the best bearing was the eldest disciple, Tiezhu (Nangong Yin). He had a sturdy frame, an upright posture, and spirited eyes. But just as he sat down, the moment his buttocks touched the bench, BANG! The bench shattered beneath him! The pair of chopsticks in his hand also snapped suddenly.
Chen Nuo was taken aback.
"Shiniang implanted two streams of hidden force in him as punishment," Erya whispered from beside him. "These two streams of force are constantly tormenting his meridians. It’ll take him three to five days to dispel them."
Chen Nuo felt that this Qingyun Sect family was truly bizarre.
But they seemed quite accustomed to it. The family sat down to eat, their expressions normal. Even when Tiezhu, the eldest disciple, shattered the bench and snapped his chopsticks, the others merely glanced casually before continuing to eat.
Only the woman remarked coolly, "If you can’t control your strength, then stand and eat. Are there any iron chopsticks left in the kitchen?"
"No, Shiniang. He broke the last pair last month when you punished him; he crushed them himself," one of the other disciples replied.
"Then figure out your own way to eat," the woman said nonchalantly.
Tiezhu said nothing. After a moment’s thought, he simply reached out and began to eat with his hands.
This meal was incredibly awkward for Chen Nuo. Every time he extended his chopsticks to pick up food, especially when reaching for the bowl of braised chicken, he felt six pairs of eyes—large and small—fixed intently on him from around the table. If he picked up a slightly larger piece of chicken, he could sense the four youngsters instantly glaring at him. Chen Nuo sighed, scooped some soup with a spoon to pour over his rice, and quickly wolfed down half a bowl. Then, clasping his hands, he said, "I’m full."
Only then did the middle-aged woman nod. "Alright. The guest has finished. You may eat."
Hearing this, the four youngsters seemed to unleash a torrent. Instantly, chopsticks flew like a whirlwind, devouring everything in sight. There wasn’t much food on the table to begin with. Although a whole chicken had been braised, there were four growing children to feed! As the saying goes, adolescents can eat their parents out of house and home, and these kids were at their hungriest stage. In moments, the plates on the table were picked clean.
Wu Daodao, however, was exceptionally quick with his chopsticks, managing to snatch a chicken leg from amidst the four youngsters. He was now gnawing on the bone until it was picked clean. Finally, he leisurely picked his teeth and poured himself half a bowl of meat broth to wash it all down.
After dinner, the eldest disciple, Tiezhu, went to chop wood—his Shiniang had ordered him not to sleep until he’d chopped fifty catties. Erya washed the dishes and tidied up. Lao Si, the youngest girl, continued copying scriptures. Chen Nuo wandered over curiously. When he reached Lao Si, he paused, stunned. The child, who looked to be only a few years old, held the writing brush with an expert posture. Beneath the brush tip, lines of scripture were copied in neat, beautiful small regular script! Even Chen Yanluo himself couldn’t produce such calligraphy!
"You wrote this? It’s so good?" Chen Nuo couldn’t help but ask.
The little girl looked up at the guest, pouted, and said softly, "Of course, I have to copy it well! Shiniang will take these handwritten scriptures to sell at the market in a few days."
Chen Nuo was speechless.
Looking outside the kitchen, he saw the eldest disciple, Tiezhu, swinging his axe. He chopped wood with movements as smooth as flowing water, each strike a display of beautiful form. The simple act of chopping wood, the flash of the axe with each swing, was minimalist yet possessed a strange, subtle aesthetic.
Then he looked at San Pangzi, the chubby third disciple. The boy had somehow gotten onto a roof beam and was sitting cross-legged, meditating with his eyes closed. At first glance, it seemed ordinary, but on a second look, Chen Nuo couldn’t help but utter an "Eh?" Using his spiritual power to perceive, Chen Nuo was amazed to find he couldn’t sense even the slightest leakage of spiritual power from the boy! Clearly, his control over his spiritual power had reached an extraordinarily high level!
Recalling what Erya had said when he met her a few days ago... The Qingyun Sect is truly a family of freaks! Looking at it now, is Wu Daodao, who always seems so eccentric, actually the most useless one among them?
"Junior Brother, come over for a smoke and a chat?" Wu Daodao had already moved a reclining chair outside the main hall into the courtyard and was beckoning to Chen Nuo.
Chen Nuo walked over and sat beside Wu Daodao. Wu Daodao pulled out a pack of "Yellow Mountain" cigarettes and offered him one. Chen Nuo took it, lit it, and took a drag.
"You came all the way from Jinling. Surely you didn’t rush here just to donate money to my Qingyun Sect, did you?" Wu Daodao asked with a smile.
"I certainly came to express my gratitude. You were a great help last time, Senior Brother. I owe you for that kindness, and it must be repaid," Chen Nuo replied with a smile.
"Alright." Wu Daodao nodded. "This visit must have cost you a fair bit. And that IOU you signed, that’s for over a hundred thousand, you know."
"It’s just an IOU... Isn’t Shisao afraid I’ll default?" Chen Nuo couldn’t help but whisper.
Wu Daodao glanced into the inner room, ensuring his wife wasn’t in the courtyard, then lowered his voice. "Junior Brother, let me give you some advice. You might get away with defaulting on others’ debts, but don’t even think about defaulting on my wife’s! With that IOU in hand, if you dare not pay, she’ll really show up at your door to collect."
"Shisao... is that formidable?" Chen Nuo asked.
"Er... how should I put it?" Wu Daodao scratched his head, a wry smile on his face. "Last year, a family in the neighboring village asked us to assess their feng shui. Afterward, they tried to welsh on the payment, claiming the reading wasn’t good. My wife grabbed a stick and went to their door. Over sixty able-bodied young men from their village couldn’t stop her. She forced her way into their house and shattered their main roof beam with one blow..."
Chen Nuo chuckled. "Shisao is quite the expert, then."
"...She really is," Wu Daodao sighed. Seeing Chen Nuo’s apparent nonchalance, Wu Daodao thought for a moment and added, "Junior Brother, I know you’re no ordinary person, but whatever you do, don’t provoke my wife... Her abilities are probably not to be underestimated!"
"Oh? How formidable?"
Wu Daodao considered. "I learned martial arts from Teacher Jiang, you know that, right?"
Chen Nuo shot Wu Daodao a sidelong glance, his expression clearly saying, Using you as a benchmark isn’t very convincing.
"I’m not comparing her to me!" Wu Daodao blushed and said in a low voice, "When I first met my wife, she watched me practice with Teacher Jiang. Afterward, she gave me her assessment in a single sentence."
"Oh? What did she say?"
"She said... ’Farmer’s techniques. What’s the point of learning that?’"
Farmer’s techniques? Chen Nuo smiled. Old Jiang’s martial art, while one couldn’t claim it was incredibly powerful, definitely involved the cultivation of internal energy. It was undoubtedly a sophisticated form of Ancient Martial Arts. The Song Family in Hong Kong built a considerable enterprise relying on this very set of inherited skills.
"So, your wife versus our master, Old Jiang—who’s stronger?"
"I don’t know; they’ve never fought." Wu Daodao shook his head, hesitated, then whispered, "But my wife once said... her exact words were: ’Someone like our Teacher Jiang? She could take on eight of them with one hand.’"
Ho ho? Such audacity? Alright, even though Old Jiang’s strength isn’t exactly top-tier among Ability Users... that’s still quite a boast.
"My wife has a sharp tongue and a peculiar temper, but one thing about her is she never boasts or makes empty claims."
Chen Nuo’s heart stirred. He recalled seeing this Shisao that afternoon—the powerful flow of consciousness he’d sensed when probing her with his spiritual power. And when she’d acted, he hadn’t even been able to catch her whip... It seems she really has some skill...
Seeing Chen Nuo’s expression turn serious, Wu Daodao chuckled. "Alright, alright, Junior Brother. I know you’re not short on money. To others, over a hundred thousand is a huge sum, but to you, it’s a drop in the bucket. It’s not that I’m greedy, Senior Brother, but I did put in considerable effort last time. Asking for a hundred thousand isn’t excessive. Don’t skimp on this. Settling karma might not be bad for you either."
"Senior Brother, you jest. I genuinely intended to donate. I’ll definitely give the money."
"Good, then that’s settled." Wu Daodao nodded with a smile. Then he added, "Alright, so, is there anything else you came to see me for this time?"
Well... there is something. Naturally, it’s about fleecing the flock. In Jinling, Chen Nuo only knew a few Ability Users, and he’d already fleeced them all. The only ones left whom he knew and were nearby were Wu Daodao and his Qingyun Sect. Initially, Chen Nuo thought that within the Qingyun Sect, only Wu Daodao and little Iris were targets for fleecing. But after coming here today... Hmm, let’s count. Wu Daodao, his wife, Erya, the eldest disciple Tiezhu, and San Pangzi meditating on the beam—they could all clearly be considered Ability Users. As for Lao Si, the girl with the beautiful handwriting, she’s a maybe... But even excluding the youngest, Lao Si, the Qingyun Sect still has five Ability Users! More than he’d anticipated!
Only... This matter... is indeed a bit difficult to bring up. To say he wants to watch their whole family sleep? People would probably think he’s a psycho! What if it’s like with Xicheng Xun, engaging in spiritual power interaction while they’re awake? ...Definitely not! The way that Japanese girl, Xicheng Xun, reacted... Anyone who knows, knows! That kind of spiritual power interaction, the kind that elicits such a response... Is Chen Nuo really going to try that with Wu Daodao’s family? With Wu Daodao? Two men interacting with spiritual power, and one of them ends up in ecstasy? How disgusting would that be? With Wu Daodao’s wife? That’s even more inappropriate! And the four kids... that would be downright criminal! He wouldn’t be wronged if he were dragged out and shot for five minutes straight! Unsuitable! Highly unsuitable! After thinking it through, it’s best to wait until they’re asleep. The "side effects" of spiritual power connection within a dreamscape, after they’ve fallen asleep, are minimal, almost imperceptible.
With that in mind, Chen Nuo slowly said, "Actually, there’s nothing much. After my recovery this time, my body has been getting better and better. Thinking that I still owe Senior Brother such a huge favor, I decided to visit and reciprocate your kindness. Besides that, there really isn’t anything else."
Wu Daodao nodded but suddenly spoke up, "Junior Brother... I know what you’re saying isn’t entirely true... However, you are full of secrets, and if you don’t wish to share, I won’t ask... After all, you won’t harm me."
"Of course," Chen Nuo nodded.
"However, I do have a question I’ve been wanting to ask you."
"What would Senior Brother like to ask?"
"You... what exactly is your background?" Wu Daodao frowned, speaking in a low voice. "You are Chen Nuo... yet not Chen Nuo! During this incident, we’ve all seen the original Chen Nuo. You, Junior Brother, are clearly using another’s body to resurrect! I, Wu Daodao, may not be a master of my craft, but I’m certainly not blind! Junior Brother... who are you really? Or are you... some ancient ghost from who knows where?"
Chen Nuo smiled but didn’t answer. Instead, he asked, "What do you think, Senior Brother? Didn’t you say that you and I share a special fate... that you can glimpse heavenly secrets and see things? So... what did you see?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Daodao’s complexion suddenly changed!
A sudden silence fell between them. Wu Daodao took puff after puff from his cigarette; having finished one, he immediately lit another.
Suddenly, Wu Daodao raised his hand in a gentle wave, as if shooing away mosquitoes. But Chen Nuo clearly noticed a strange and gentle power flowing from the tips of Wu Daodao’s fingers, enveloping both of them.
"This is a silencing spell," Wu Daodao whispered. "A simple little trick. Now they won’t hear our conversation."
"Whatever Senior Brother wants to say, just say it."
"Well... I had a dream."
Chen Nuo’s heart stirred. "What kind of dream?"
Wu Daodao’s eyelids twitched. A look of alarm appeared on his face, which he forcefully suppressed. "A sky ablaze with fire, ruins everywhere! I... along with my wife and my disciples, we all died! The only survivor was my disciple skilled in the Yin-Yang Technique, Erya! She alone escaped, and in the end, she was saved by someone. That person helped her to finally escape!"
Chen Nuo’s heart sank! However, he showed no reaction on his face and calmly asked, "This... should just be a dream, right?"
"Hehe." Wu Daodao shook his head. "The weird thing is this: I had this dream before I went to Jinling for Teacher Jiang’s birthday celebration! We didn’t even know each other back then. And in the dream, the one who took Erya away, who saved her... was you, my Junior Brother!"
This time, Chen Nuo’s expression changed! Just as he was about to ask something, a cough came from the inner room, followed by the middle-aged woman’s disgruntled voice, "What’s so secretive that you need a silencing spell for a simple chat, Wu Daodao? What are you two whispering about that can’t see the light of day?"
Wu Daodao’s face turned pale. He quickly whispered, "Junior Brother, I don’t want my family to worry about this. We’ll find some time to talk in detail later! Tomorrow, tomorrow! Tomorrow I’ll take you for a stroll up the mountain. When there’s no one else around, we can talk."
With that, he dispelled the silencing spell.
Later that night, Chen Nuo stayed at the Qingyun Sect. Although the Qingyun Sect looked shabby, there were enough side rooms. Chen Nuo was settled in a guest room furnished with the kind of sturdy wooden bed commonly seen in rural areas. The bedding was old, carrying an indescribable scent.
Lying in bed, Chen Nuo suddenly sat up. He listened intently to the sounds outside. In the courtyard, insects and frogs chirped, but otherwise, all was quiet. After listening for a while, Chen Nuo felt assured. The entire Qingyun Sect family must be asleep.
Then it’s time... to shear the sheep!
With this thought, he extended a tendril of his Spiritual Force Tentacles, letting it drift gently out of the bedroom. The Spiritual Force Tentacles crept along under the eaves, spreading out bit by bit... He remembered the locations of the rooms where Wu Daodao, his wife, and the four disciples slept. As the Spiritual Force Tentacles were about to approach...
Suddenly, Chen Nuo’s heart jolted! A stern shout erupted in the courtyard!
"You scoundrel! Daring to use the art of Yin Spirit Projection within my Qingyun Sect! Sneaking around in the dead of night, what nefarious deeds are you plotting?!"
BOOM!
With a tremendous crash, a whip shot out from one of the rooms. It instantly reached Chen Nuo’s bedroom, blasting his wooden door to splinters! The whip, like a venomous snake, lashed towards Chen Nuo, who was sitting on the bed!
"You little thief, take that!!!"