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Chapter 284: The Happiest Time
Chapter 284: The Happiest Time
On the outskirts of Linyang Fangshi, a bustling market town for cultivators.
Lu Chen effortlessly entered the town, strolling down streets that still held a sense of familiarity.
"Get your slightly used top-grade flying swords here! Only thirty spirit stones!"
"Dan pills on clearance sale! Buy ten and get one free!"
"Fresh demonic beast meat! Just caught from the secret realm and slaughtered on the spot!"
Along the streets, peddlers from various stalls eagerly called out to passing cultivators, their enthusiastic shouts lightening Lu Chen's steps.
As his eyes scanned the streets, memories long sealed away in the depths of his mind suddenly came to life.
Many of the shops he had once frequented remained unchanged.
"Hmm? Has the shop that sold spiritual beast cubs changed owners?"
His steps faltered as he noticed a familiar corner to his left. Where there used to be a shop selling various first- and second-grade demonic beast cubs and eggs, there was now a pharmacy in its place.
Lu Chen clearly remembered how he had bought the Red-bearded Carp and the Iron Claw Crab demonic beasts from that very shop after he started harvesting the white light orbs.
As he ventured deeper into the alleyways, even his calm Foundation Establishment stage mindset couldn't help but stir up feelings of nervousness as he neared his old home.
He took a deep breath and made his way to the small courtyard where he had first stayed.
Standing at the gate, the bricks and tiles of the courtyard wall evoked a profound sense of warmth and familiarity.
He carefully extended his spiritual sense, detecting some simple furnishings inside the house, but no one seemed to be home.
The half-acre spiritual field in the backyard had fallen into disrepair, with a few different types of first-grade spirit plants growing in poor condition. Weeds had overtaken the field, indicating that the current owner wasn't skilled in spirit plant cultivation.
Lu Chen gazed at the overgrown spiritual field from outside the wall, and his mind's eye seemed to see a low-level, handsome young man diligently tending to the field. He remembered the meticulous process of searching for insect eggs in the soil, the awkward attempts at using the Spirit Rain Technique, and the daily attention to the growth of the spirit plants until the appearance of the white light orbs.
"The place where it all began..."
He sighed softly.
"Now, I have my own peak within the Inner Sect of Sky Sword Sect, with Spirit Rain and Wood Birth techniques at my fingertips, cultivating countless rare spirit plants of the third to sixth grade."
"But my happiest moments were when I was at the Qi Condensation stage, tending to this half-acre spiritual field and cultivating the common Spirit Glow Grass."
Lu Chen's thoughts turned nostalgic.
He turned and arrived at the courtyard where Zhang Hong had lived, his spiritual sense instinctively probing within.
Just as he was about to knock on the door, Lu Chen's eyes narrowed, his expression turning cold.
With his spiritual sense, he detected the presence of two mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators inside, but none of them had the auras of Zhang Hong, Zhang Xiuyuan, or Xu Wan!
Based on his past experiences at the Qi Refining stage, it was uncommon for rogue cultivators in Fangshi to change residences. After all, rogue cultivators were generally weak and couldn't afford to take risks. Stability was their top priority.
Moving out of one's residence usually indicated that something unforeseen had occurred, and most often, it wasn't for the better.
With this in mind, Lu Chen boldly projected his spiritual sense into the courtyard.
"Who's there?" a coarse voice asked from inside.
After a few breaths, the door opened, and a fierce-looking cultivator stepped out, holding a top-grade flying sword in one hand and a few first-grade talismans in the other.
The moment he laid eyes on Lu Chen, his spiritual sense swept over him, immediately sensing the unfathomable depth of Lu Chen's aura.
"I have some questions for you, and I suggest you answer truthfully. If I sense any deception, the consequences may be beyond your ability to bear."
Lu Chen, also known as Lu Xuan, asked directly.
"Please ask, Senior. I dare not hide anything from you," the fierce cultivator quickly replied.
"Good."
Lu Chen nodded.
"Tell me, how did you come to possess this courtyard?"
"I purchased it from the real estate agent in the market town. That agent left quite an impression on me."
"Then, what happened to the original owners of the courtyard?"
"Before I bought this place, I did some inquiries. Apparently, the owner's son had decent talent and joined a small sect. For the sake of their child's cultivation environment, the whole family moved closer to that sect."
The fierce cultivator chose his words carefully, afraid that any misstep might anger Lu Chen.
"So, they moved for the sake of Little Yuan's future. I didn't expect that little rascal to have some talent," Lu Chen said, feeling slightly relieved upon hearing the reason for Zhang Hong's family's departure.
"Okay, you may return inside." Lu Chen glanced at the middle-aged cultivator with a fierce countenance and said, "I'll be on my way." With that, his body transformed into a floating light and vanished before the cultivator's eyes.
"Yes, farewell, Senior!" the cultivator shouted. It was only after a long while, when he could no longer sense Lu Chen's aura, that he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped the fine sweat that had formed on his forehead without him realizing it and felt a lingering fear.
"I never expected that the few loose cultivators who owned this courtyard would actually be acquainted with a Core Formation cultivator," he said, still shaken by the thought of what might have happened had the courtyard's origins been less than legitimate.
"He really did join a small sect," Lu Chen's figure reappeared after a while, his tone half-pleased and half-regretful.
He was pleased that Zhang Xiuyuan had some talent and managed to enter a sect, gaining an opportunity to change his cultivation fate.
As for his regret, it was that he would be unable to meet the Zhang family, a family he had trusted and helped during his stay here.
In the brief moment he had been away, he had inquired about the Zhang family's whereabouts from a few elderly loose cultivators living nearby and was relieved to learn that Zhang Xiuyuan had indeed joined a small sect.
From their conversation, he learned that the sect was located thousands of miles away from Linyang Fangshi, and the journey there was not entirely safe. Additionally, finding them might take some time, so Lu Chen reluctantly abandoned the idea of visiting them.
"I wonder when we'll meet again," he sighed. By nature, he was cautious, and with the Spirit Light Group's protection, he rarely needed to venture out in search of opportunities. It had been seven or eight years since he joined the Sky Sword Sect, and this was his first trip out to the distant market town.
He didn't know when he would have the chance to come out again.
Lu Chen looked at the Zhang family's courtyard, and his mind's eye seemed to see a simple-minded young boy standing behind a couple of loose cultivators, affectionately calling him "Uncle Lu."
He quickly adjusted his mindset and made his way towards the central area of the market town.
"It's been so many years, I wonder how Elder He is doing," he thought, a smile unconsciously forming on his lips as the image of a thin and elderly man flashed through his mind.
(End of Chapter)
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