Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 24 Lin Gui Suffers Misfortune
Early the next morning.

Chen Li got up, filled a basin with water from the water tank, and prepared to wash his face and brush his teeth.

I accidentally saw my face reflected in the water.

He was slightly taken aback.

Compared to when he first transmigrated, he looked several years younger. His skin was no longer as sallow as before, but rosy and radiant. His eyes and brows had lost some of their superficial sophistication and slickness, and gained more of a proud and ambitious spirit.

With just a simple change in temperament, a person's entire image can be completely transformed.

"If I said I was only thirty-five years old now, I bet some people would believe me." Chen Li's eyes were filled with joy.

Being reborn as a forty-year-old middle-aged man has always been a source of anxiety for him. Although he has a long lifespan ahead of him, and even longer if he is fortunate enough to achieve Foundation Establishment in the future, who wouldn't want to be younger right now?

Even if it seems so.

Now his heartache has finally been resolved.

After quickly washing up, he checked his equipment. His magical artifacts and sword were always with him, and he also kept the three talismans—the 'evil-repelling talisman,' the 'protective talisman,' and the 'lightness talisman'—close to his body. He took some of his own smoked jerky and water, and then went out in a cheerful mood.

Today he plans to take a day off and go out into the countryside for some fresh air.

Autumn arrived quickly.

Not long ago it was the scorching summer, but now the autumn winds are blowing. Since the war broke out again, the entire shantytown has become visibly much quieter.

However, Chen Li was happy with this arrangement.

There are fewer potential outlaws.

The security situation here will probably be much better.

Since my time travel, every time I go to the market early in the morning, I can always see some bloodstains on some secluded and deserted paths, and sometimes I can even see some human remains and fragments.

In this seemingly 'peaceful' shantytown during the day, the darkness under the night sky never ceases.

What's even more frightening is that the people here have become accustomed to it and are no longer surprised.

Even Chen Li... has gotten used to it.

……

Standing in the wilderness.

Chen Li activated a 'guiding talisman'

The colors before my eyes quickly faded, and the world turned into black and white.

It is safe in all directions.

Chen Li randomly chose a direction and strode forward.

The scope of a directional sign is limited; it's better than nothing, but it only provides psychological comfort.

Of course, he didn't plan to go too far.

Coming to the countryside to get some fresh air and change my mood is only one reason; the main purpose is to practice 'spiritual finger flick'.

As the power of the 'Spiritual Energy Flick' grew stronger, it was clearly no longer appropriate to continue practicing at home, as the noise was too great. Although he always released it onto the mud, it still caused quite a commotion.

Furthermore, he hasn't practiced using the new magical artifact much since he got it. If he doesn't practice until he's proficient, he'll probably be flustered when he actually needs to use it.

It must be admitted that although the resumption of this war did not affect Green River Workshop, it still inevitably made Chen Li feel a little uneasy.

As he walked, he used his 'spiritual energy flick' to shoot down the insects that were startled by his footsteps.

Small flies and mosquitoes are spared with mercy, while slightly larger ones are ruthlessly shot.

When spiritual energy is activated with a flick of the finger, it is silent and invisible, but once the magical structure is destroyed, it will explode violently, and any insects hit will be pulverized and burst into a cloud of dust.

At that moment, he heard faint voices.

Chen Li quickly stopped what he was doing, took a few steps back, and waited quietly for the other person to pass by.

The group that arrived consisted of three independent cultivators, carrying herb baskets on their backs and hoes in their hands. They chatted and laughed all the way. When they saw Chen Li, they were taken aback for a moment, then bowed in greeting before continuing on their way. Their laughter and chatter resumed only after they had gone some distance.

Chen Li withdrew his gaze and continued practicing.

He practiced intermittently, stopping frequently, without being impatient, and carefully controlling the consumption of his spiritual energy.

Until nearly noon.

An invisible burst of energy instantly traveled forty or fifty meters, striking a tree as thick as a large bowl. The next moment...

There was a "boom".

The tree was blown in half.

He looked away and quickly opened the game panel.

To everyone's astonishment, the spiritual power flick had changed from "Master" to "Grandmaster: 1/3200".

"call!"

Chen Li exhaled and looked at the 3200 experience points needed to break through to the Grandmaster level.

"Practice is getting slower and slower!"

This was the easiest skill to learn, consuming little spiritual energy and activating quickly. Even so, it took him more than four months to advance to the Grandmaster level. As for the other skills, they were even more difficult.

None of these skills can be improved in a short time; they can only be honed over time.

Especially with talismans for warding off evil spirits, we are still only at the 'beginner' stage.

"It's time to learn a new skill!"

……

It was evening, almost time to get home.

I noticed a large crowd gathered at Lin Gui's house next door, and it was noisy inside, as if they were having a heated argument.

Chen Li leaned closer to take a look.

It was discovered that Lin Gui had indeed gotten into trouble.

The four middle-aged female cultivators cursed and tore at Lin Gui, scratching and clawing with their fingernails. Lin Gui's clothes were disheveled, his face was covered in blood from the scratches, and he kept dodging and weaving, letting out pig-like screams.

"Stop fighting, stop fighting!"

"You damned bastard!"

"Giving birth to a child without an anus!"

"They specialize in making poison pills to harm people..."

"My deadbeat husband feels unwell every day if he doesn't take the pills. Where are we going to get that kind of money? This is going to kill us!"

Lin Gui shouted in protest, "This isn't a poison pill! This isn't a poison pill! I take it every day! Look at my rosy complexion..."

This statement undoubtedly added fuel to the fire.

"I told you you're not a poison pill!"

"May your face glow with health!"

"Kill this filthy alchemist."

"Strip him naked and drag him out so everyone can have a good look at him."

……

At this moment, Lin Gui saw Chen Li, his eyes lit up, and with a burst of strength, he broke free from the female cultivators and scrambled to hide behind Chen Li: "Fellow Daoist Chen, please help me, save my life!"

"What, are you going to stand up for that stinky alchemist?" A female cultivator stepped forward, her face sharp and aggressive.

Chen Li felt a chill run down his spine when he faced this group of female porridge-like creatures.
"Alas, everyone, please calm down... You see, arguing like this is not a solution and will not help. How about this, each of you should make a list of how many pills you bought, and let Fellow Daoist Lin make up for it as much as possible to settle this matter. What do you all think?"

"I have money, I have money! I have records of how many pills each family bought, what kind of pills they bought, and how much they paid. I'll refund them all, refund them all!" Lin Gui shouted loudly, finishing the sentence in one breath with remarkable fluency.

"A refund alone is not enough; we also need compensation."

"That's right, my man's body has been poisoned. If you don't compensate me, I'll tear you apart tonight."

Although the women still looked fierce, their anger had clearly subsided; all that remained was haggling over whether they were satisfied with the compensation.

Chen Li quietly withdrew from the crowd, shook his head speechlessly, and hoped that Lin Gui would learn his lesson and restrain himself.

Otherwise, they would probably have to flee to other markets.

(End of this chapter)