Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Jing Shuhan spread her divine sense and swept it across the entire manor in an instant. She nodded slightly and said, "The Chen family ancestral hall is still there. It seems that what my husband said is true."

After saying that, she walked towards the gate.

Chen Yuan followed, but the two gatekeepers remained sitting on the steps chatting idly, seemingly oblivious to his presence.

The two walked through the tightly closed gate, strolled around the screen wall, passed through the main hall, and arrived in the backyard.

Inside a large hall, a dozen people, including men and women, young and old, were having a meal around a large round table.

There were more than a dozen dishes on the table, including both meat and vegetables, which was very plentiful, but the dishes were quite simple.

No one spoke; everyone held their bowls and chopsticks, chewing slowly and quietly.

Just as Jing Shuhan was about to reveal herself, Chen Yuan shook his head slightly: "Why disturb their meal?"

Jing Shuhan nodded, and the two waited to the side.

After a while, the old man sitting in the main seat put down his bowl and chopsticks; there wasn't a single grain of rice left in the bowl.

The man appeared to be around fifty or sixty years old, with a lean and wiry appearance, and sat there with an upright posture.

He picked up a white handkerchief from the table, wiped his mouth, got up and left, without uttering a single word from beginning to end.

The two followed behind the old man, passing through the corridor garden and arriving at a study.

The servants waiting there lit candles and served fragrant tea. The old man sat at his desk, picked up a book, and began to read.

Just then, a calm voice entered his ears: "Are you the current head of the Chen family?"

The old man was startled and looked up to see a man and a woman standing in the study. The man was handsome and the woman was beautiful and refined. Both were dressed in white, looking otherworldly and unlike ordinary people.

He let out a soft sigh, put down the book in his hand, stood up, and bowed respectfully: "The two young heroes have mistaken me for someone else. I am Zhu Yunxiu, and I am not a member of the Marquis of Dangkou's household."

Chen Yuan frowned: "The Chen family has already moved away from this place?"

The old man looked Chen Yuan up and down, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Young hero, are you perhaps unaware that five years ago, Marquis Dangkou was punished by the court and beheaded for his defeat at Yurong Pass, which resulted in heavy losses of his troops and generals?"

"The Chen family was also implicated. The men were all exiled and sent to the border army, while the women were sent to the brothels and the mansion of the bandit leader. Their once glorious life has been completely ruined."

Chen Yuan was taken aback. Jing Shuhan's expression turned slightly cold as she asked, "Since the Chen family has been punished by the imperial court, why is their ancestral hall still in the manor, and why has this ancestral home fallen into your hands?"

The old man sighed softly: "Young heroes, you may not know this, but after I passed the county-level examination, I failed the imperial examination repeatedly. So I decided to join the army at the border and served as a secretary in the bandit-suppressing officer's tent. I offered advice and strategies to the bandit-suppressing officer and made some contributions."

"Later, through the recommendation of the Marquis of Dangkou, he entered the court as an official. With the help of the Marquis of Dangkou, he held several positions and was transferred to the position of Prefect of Yuzhou."

"Since the Marquis of Dangkou has suffered this calamity, I have also been attacked. I have decided to retire and return to my hometown. I bought this estate from the Ministry of Revenue's Property Office and moved my whole family here to avoid being destroyed by others."

"And he would sweep and clean the Chen family ancestral hall from time to time, offer incense and worship, and guard the tombs, doing his best to repay the kindness of the bandit leader."

Jing Shuhan's expression softened slightly: "You do know how to repay kindness."

The old man pondered for a moment and then asked, "You two young heroes are so concerned about the Chen family, could it be that you have some past connection with the Chen family?"

Chen Yuan said calmly, "Three hundred years ago, I was also a member of the Chen family."

The old man was taken aback, then cupped his hands again, his eyes filled with disbelief: "So you are two immortal masters. I was blind and have been rude. Please forgive me."

Chen Yuan said, "We are merely Taoist cultivators and do not deserve such a title."

“My father-in-law is the guardian of the ancestral hall and home of the Chen family, where the memorial tablets of my parents, brothers and sisters are located. He has done me a great favor.”

"If you take this pill with water, you will live to be a hundred years old and be free from the suffering of illness."

After saying that, he took out a jade bottle, poured out a pill, and pushed it with his hand, sending it slowly flying toward the old man.

This is a Qi Refining stage pill he refined in his early years. It has been stored in the mustard seed ring for hundreds of years, but its medicinal power has not diminished in the slightest.

Seeing this method, the old man had no more doubts and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, Immortal Master, for bestowing this elixir!"

He took the pill with both hands, turned around and put it into a teacup. It dissolved instantly, releasing a fragrant aroma. Just smelling it made him feel invigorated and light-footed.

The old man picked up his teacup, drank it all in one gulp, and felt completely refreshed.

He bowed to Chen Yuan again: "When I was in the camp of the Bandit Suppressor, I once heard the Bandit Suppressor mention in his drunken state that there was an ancestor of the Chen family who became an immortal hundreds of years ago and bestowed upon me immortal techniques. I thought it was just a drunken joke."

"Now that I think about it, the ancestor mentioned by the Marquis of Dangkou must have been a celestial master."

"Now that the Chen family has encountered great calamity, we earnestly request the Immortal Master to intervene and persuade the court to rescind its decree, pardon the Marquis of Pacifying Bandits, and restore the Chen family's title."

Chen Yuan shook his head slightly: "I have indeed bestowed upon you immortal techniques, but you are far from becoming an immortal and attaining enlightenment."

"The Chen family rose to prominence through military achievements, but has now declined due to defeat. This is reasonable, and I, Chen, will not interfere."

The old man said unwillingly, "Immortal Master..."

Chen Yuan interrupted, "How is the Zhao family now?"

The old man sighed and asked, "Which Zhao family are you referring to, senior?"

Chen Yuan said, "The Chen family and the Zhao family are on good terms and support each other in the court. Now that the Chen family is in trouble, has the Zhao family offered any help?"

The old man pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized and said, "Immortal Master, are you referring to the Zhao family of Lord Lingchuan?"

"I have heard the Marquis of Dangkou mention that the Chen family and the Zhao family seemed to have some past relationship."

"But the Zhao family's descendants were mediocre. They lost their military positions decades ago, and their relationship with the Chen family gradually broke down."

"Thirty-six years ago, the last Earl of Lingchuan was a womanizer and a licentious man."

"At the age of twenty-one, he died suddenly from excessive excitement after taking aphrodisiacs while having intimate relations with his concubines."

"But he left no heirs to inherit the title, the direct line of succession was cut off, and the once grand Lingchuan Earl's Mansion vanished into thin air."

Chen Yuan recalled Zhao Shan's care for him, his eyes filled with complex emotions, and he shook his head slightly: "The clouds in the sky are like white robes, changing in an instant like greyhounds. They exist in the same time throughout history, and there is nothing in life that is not possible."

"You must not spread what happened today, lest you bring disaster upon yourself."

As soon as he finished speaking, he grasped Jing Shuhan's hand, and the two of them vanished into thin air, as if they had never existed.

The old man looked at the empty study, remained silent for a long time, then suddenly sighed and turned to look out the window.

As dusk settled and the sky grew dim, white clouds drifted like wisps of cotton.

The old man recited softly: "Floating clouds in the sky are like white robes, changing in an instant like greyhounds. From ancient times to the present, all things exist in the same moment, and nothing in life is impossible..."

……

Behind the mansion, in front of a magnificent building, the figures of Chen Yuan and Jing Shuhan slowly emerged.

The two black wooden doors were tightly closed, solemn and dignified, with the words "Chen Clan Ancestral Hall" written on the plaque.

The two sides are inscribed with gold couplets: the right reads "Diligent study and upright writing, we should remember the virtues of our ancestors," and the left reads "Assisting the ruler and aiding the hegemon, we should carry forward the achievements of our ancestors."

There is no change here; it is exactly the same as what Chen Yuan saw when he returned to Chenjia Village more than 160 years ago.

Chen Yuan flicked his sleeve, and the wooden door opened silently.

He stepped inside, and Jing Shuhan sighed softly as she followed him through the courtyard to the main hall.

There are four golden pillars in the hall, with ever-burning candles, and it is clean and tidy, obviously someone cleans it from time to time.

A multi-story wooden platform stands in the center of the hall, enshrining numerous memorial tablets.

On the top layer are two chestnut wood tablets, inscribed with "The Spirit Tablet of Chen's Great-Grandfather Tiezhu" and "The Spirit Tablet of Chen's Great-Grandmother Li."

The second floor houses two chestnut wood memorial tablets, from right to left: "The spirit tablet of Chen's great-grandfather, named Da Niu," and "The spirit tablet of Chen's great-grandmother, Chen's mother, Liu."

Further down, each floor has more and more memorial tablets.

Chen Yuan's gaze fell on the two memorial tablets at the top, his expression somewhat complicated.

He picked up a stick of incense from the bottom of the altar, blew on it gently, and the incense burned itself without a flame, then was placed in the incense burner.

Chen Yuan knelt on the prayer mat and kowtowed heavily three times before finally standing up.

Jing Shuhan also picked up a stick of incense, lit it, placed it in the incense burner, and bowed gracefully.

Chen Yuan stood to the side, his eyes gentle. He took out a scroll, slowly opened it, and inside was a painting, which had turned slightly yellow.

The painting depicts a young man dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, whose appearance is identical to Chen Yuan's. He holds a long sword in both hands, assuming the starting stance of the Five Tigers Severing the Gate Sword Technique. His eyes are sharp, and he exudes extraordinary heroism.

In one corner of the portrait, a line of words is written in delicate small regular script: "Mid-Autumn Festival of the year Yihai, my second brother has been away from home for twenty-one years. As I gaze at the moon, I miss my distant brother. I specially invited the master painter Han Bai to create this painting."

Chen Yuan gazed at himself in the painting, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

After Jing Shuhan stood up, she looked at the painting and said softly, "Was this painted by someone commissioned by my husband's younger sister?"

Chen Yuan nodded.

"My husband really doesn't care about the Chen family anymore?"

Chen Yuan turned to look at the densely packed memorial tablets and said calmly, "Life and death are preordained, wealth and honor are determined by fate."

"Ordinary people without cultivation cannot live more than a hundred years. Even if they are rich and noble for ten or a hundred generations, as long as there is a spoiled son or grandson, or if he or she gets involved in court politics or falls into chaos, they will not be able to escape decline."

"When I left to cultivate the Tao, I left behind gold, silver, wealth, land and estates, and asked Senior Brother Zhao for his assistance."

"The Chen family has gone from being a poor peasant to a wealthy landlord, and later became a marquis and general, enjoying three hundred years of wealth and honor. I have done everything I could to be kind and righteous."

"These days, ups and downs are commonplace, so why should I interfere?"

Jing Shuhan said, "But they are, after all, the descendants of my husband's siblings, and his relatives. How can my husband bear to see them suffer such a calamity?"

Chen Yuan paused for a moment, looked down at the painting in his hand, and slowly nodded: "You are right. Although I do not wish to preserve the Chen family's wealth and status for generations, they are still the descendants of my elder brother and younger sister."

"I cannot bear to see him exiled to the border and left to wander in the dust, so I must step in to save him."

"But what happens to them afterward is none of my business."

"I have made countless enemies and have too many adversaries. You should not take care of them, otherwise, if people find out that they are my descendants, it will bring disaster upon them."

Jing Shuhan smiled and said, "Don't worry, my husband, I understand." Chen Yuan bit his tongue, spat out a drop of blood, and raised his hand to form a hand seal.

The essence of blood condensed into a blood bead, which shimmered with light and slowly flew out of the ancestral hall.

This is the Bloodline Tracing Technique, which Foundation Establishment cultivators can use to find their bloodline descendants. However, its range is limited, covering only a radius of ten miles.

However, with Chen Yuan's current cultivation level, after performing this technique, all bloodline descendants within a radius of ten thousand miles will be clearly revealed.

The two immediately followed the guidance of the blood bead, and with a burst of light, they flew into the sky.

Chen Yuan spread his divine sense and scanned the surroundings, saying, "The Chen family has been branching out for over three hundred years and has many descendants. Although most of them have nothing to do with the Marquis of Dangkou's mansion, we still cannot ignore them."

The two flew forward, and Chen Yuan's divine sense swept over all the descendants of the Chen family guided by the essence blood.

If someone falls into prostitution, becomes a beggar, or lives in poverty, he will help them or give them gold and silver, and no one will notice.

……

Peizhou, Yurong Pass.

Peizhou was originally under the jurisdiction of the State of Cheng, but in recent decades, the State of Qi suddenly launched a large-scale military campaign, conquering and winning battles in all directions, expanding its territory. Ten years ago, Peizhou was incorporated into the territory of the State of Qi.

This area became the new eastern frontier of the State of Qi, guarded by Chen Yunxiao, a veteran general and hereditary Marquis of Dangkou, who confronted the army of the State of Cheng, engaging in constant battles with both sides experiencing victories and defeats.

The Qi state had a strong military. Although Marquis Chen Yunxiao, the bandit leader, was not a famous general, he had been well-versed in military books and strategies since childhood and was knowledgeable in military tactics.

He played a steady and methodical game, winning more often than he lost. Even when he suffered a minor defeat, the losses were minimal, and the court never punished him.

Five years ago, Chen Yunxiao’s favorite eldest son got married. Overjoyed, he rewarded the troops and drank all night, causing them to become lax in their defenses.

Taking advantage of the situation, Cheng Guo launched a night attack on Yurong Pass, resulting in more than half of Chen Yunxiao's 50,000 troops being killed or wounded.

The three thousand heavily armored elite cavalry they relied on most were reduced to only six hundred, suffering a crushing defeat and fleeing the pass.

The Emperor of Qi was furious. He stripped Chen Yun of his title of Marquis of Xiaoxiao, beheaded him, and displayed his head to the public. The entire Chen family, young and old, were also punished.

The Marquis of Dangkou's mansion, which had stood for three hundred years in the Qi court, vanished without a trace.

Yu Rong Pass was a strategic point in Peizhou, easy to defend and difficult to attack. After Cheng State recaptured the pass, it used it as a base to launch attacks. Qi State, which had already absorbed most of Peizhou, was once again in turmoil due to the outbreak of war.

Over the past five years, the State of Qi has launched three military campaigns in an attempt to retake Yurong Pass, but has failed each time.

Just a month ago, the Emperor of Qi, taking advantage of the clear skies and crisp air after the autumn harvest, issued an edict to send an army of 100,000 to attack Yu Rong Pass for the fourth time.

However, the Cheng Kingdom was well prepared. Yu Rong Pass was well-equipped with weapons and provisions, and its soldiers and generals were skilled and capable. The pass was firmly defended and could not be breached.

On this day, the Qi army returned empty-handed once again. Corpses littered the ground below Yurong Pass, and the remains of battering rams, siege ladders, and siege towers were everywhere.

The stench of molten gold and fresh blood mingled together, creating an unbearable, foul atmosphere that permeated the battlefield.

Qi soldiers held up white flags, covered their mouths and noses with thick cotton cloth, collected the corpses, and cleaned the battlefield to prevent the bodies from rotting and causing disease, and also to prepare for the next siege.

The Cheng soldiers at Yurong Pass did not stop them; if an epidemic were to break out, they too would suffer.

Moreover, Cheng believed that Yu Rong Pass was exceptionally strong and that with the army's meticulous defense, Qi would find it extremely difficult to breach, so he did not care about these minor matters.

Chen Mochuan struggled to lift the body of a Qi soldier and place it on a cart.

He was wearing tattered leather armor, and although he was tall, he was very thin and looked like a bamboo pole.

The eyes that were exposed outside the cotton cloth were bright and spirited, the forehead was covered with black ash, and the hair was wrapped in cloth and was filthy.

The corpse was in a terrible state; its neck had been mostly severed, and its head was drooping.

Its body was covered in congealed blood, which reeked of foul odor and attracted many flies that crawled slowly on it, making it look quite gruesome.

Chen Mochuan raised his hand and waved it gently to shoo away the flies.

He removed the relatively intact leather armor from the corpse, took off the helmet, and then took out the identification tag, glanced at it, and put it back.

He picked up a dirty, dark yellow burlap sack from the side, wrapped it around the body, and that was it.

Without pausing for a moment, he pushed the cart to a badly damaged hive, pried open the frame of the hive wreckage, cleared away the debris, and continued searching for the body.

An hour later, the sun began to set in the west, and dusk fell.

A piercing gong sounded from Yu Rong Pass. Chen Mochuan, who was clearing away the wreckage of a battering ram, immediately stopped what he was doing, pushed the cart full of corpses, and walked towards the camp where the Qi army had set up in the distance.

To prevent a nighttime attack by the State of Qi, Qi soldiers were required to withdraw at nightfall, regardless of whether the battlefield had been cleared. The sound of the gong served as a reminder.

After the three gongs are sounded, if anyone remains outside the city, the soldiers of Cheng will shoot them with arrows without mercy.

Chen Mochuan and the other Qi soldiers arrived at the camp and lined up in several rows, waiting for the guards to verify their identities before they could enter the camp.

The other soldiers had already removed the cotton cloths covering their mouths and noses, and when they saw Chen Mochuan's corpse on the cart, they couldn't help but show a mocking expression.

One of the soldiers, a thin man with a long scar on his face, said, "Young Marquis, you're working so hard. It seems you'll be leaving our supply camp soon. Don't you think so?"

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd, and someone said, "This is not enough! The young marquis still wants to go to the front lines to fight the enemy, make meritorious contributions and be rewarded, and be reinstated by the court as the Marquis of Pacifying Bandits, so as to restore his family's glory!"

The laughter grew louder and louder. Chen Mochuan ignored their taunts and did not remove the cotton cloth. He simply stood there quietly, waiting to enter the camp.

Everyone felt bored, but the scarred soldier persisted, taunting, "Why isn't the young marquis saying anything?"

"Tell us what it's like in the Marquis's mansion, how many maids the young marquis slept with, and how they slept together, so we can all have a good laugh. What do you say?"

"Young Marquis, how beautiful must the maids in the Marquis of Dangkou's mansion be? Are they comparable to the young ladies of wealthy families?"

"You won't believe me if I say you're ignorant. What young lady from a wealthy family? This is a marquis's mansion! The maids are all hand-picked, like choosing palace maids in the palace. Their figures, their faces, their... tsk tsk! They're even prettier than the most beautiful courtesans in brothels. Don't you think so, young marquis?"

"According to you, the maids in the Marquis of Dangkou's mansion must be celestial fairies! If I could have them just once, I'd be willing to live a life of luxury and luxury!"

"Go to hell! You even took food and bribes! Take a piss and look at your big face in the mirror, you don't even deserve it..."

The crowd roared with laughter, spewing vulgarities and becoming increasingly unrestrained in their speech.

Chen Mochuan remained unmoved, as if he couldn't hear the insults from the crowd, and simply moved forward with the column, getting closer and closer to the entrance of the camp.

Gradually, the other soldiers shifted their conversation to the women they had slept with, and even began making indecent gestures.

Seeing that Chen Mochuan remained unresponsive, the scarred soldier's eyes showed disappointment. He spat at Chen Mochuan's feet and sneered, "Chen Yunxiao gave birth to such a useless piece of trash. Even if he isn't beheaded and his title is passed down to you, the Chen family will still fall into ruin!"

Chen Mochuan's eyes finally showed a slight fluctuation, but he quickly calmed down again and remained silent.

Seeing that he was like a stone, the scarred soldier finally stopped his sarcastic remarks and turned away.

Chen Mochuan followed in the middle of the line, moving slowly forward. When the soldiers guarding the village checked his identity badge, they glanced at him and showed a hint of sympathy.

Chen Mochuan pushed the cart to the supply camp at the very back of the camp, handed the corpse over to the soldier in charge of handling the matter, and turned in the collected leather armor, helmets, and weapons before collecting his own food.

The soldiers in the supply battalion had very simple meals, only slightly better than the civilian laborers who accompanied the army: a coarse grain cake, a piece of pickled vegetable, a bowl of rice soup, and a piece of smoked meat as an extra gift during the war.

The camp was simple, and the soldiers ate their meals in an open space. Chen Mochuan came to a corner of the open space and squatted down. The soldiers around him immediately got up and left, as if they were avoiding a plague.

Chen Mochuan didn't care at all. He took off the cotton cloth covering his mouth and nose, revealing a handsome face.

But on his left cheek, a slightly distorted tattoo ruined his handsome face.

Chen Mochuan picked up the multigrain pancakes and pickled vegetable dumplings, chewed them silently, and quickly finished his meal.

He got up and returned to his tent, lay down fully clothed on a straw mat in the corner, and closed his eyes to sleep.

Other soldiers came in one after another, still spouting lewd remarks, which was their only form of entertainment in the military camp.

No one paid any attention to Chen Mochuan until the night was deep and the sound of gongs came from outside the tent. Only then did everyone quiet down and go to sleep.

The tent was filled with the stench of feet and sweat, making one want to vomit, and the snoring was deafening.

But Chen Mochuan didn't react at all, just lay there quietly with his eyes closed, seemingly already fast asleep.

As night deepened, Chen Mochuan suddenly opened his eyes, quietly got up, walked past everyone, and left the tent.

The supply depot was heavily guarded, with provisions, weapons, and armor all heavily protected, but the soldiers' resting tents were an exception.

Chen Mochuan bypassed the few sentries and night patrol soldiers and went to the place where the carts were piled up.

The place was chaotic and disorganized, and the carts weren't valuable, so no one paid any attention to them.

Chen Mochuan bent down and crawled into an open space behind the cart to make sure he wouldn't be discovered. He sat cross-legged with his palms facing upwards and slowed his breathing.

As time slowly passed, Chen Mochuan's breathing became longer and longer, and he exuded an ethereal aura.

Suddenly, a voice entered his ears: "Your aptitude is poor, your body is weak, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth here is so thin that it will prioritize nourishing your physical body, and very little of it will be converted into magic power."

"If you continue cultivating like this, you won't be able to enter the Dao in less than five or six years."

The voice was very calm, but it struck like a bolt from the blue, jolting Chen Mochuan awake from his meditation.

His body stiffened, his face turned pale, and he opened his eyes to look ahead.

Two figures stood in front, but tonight the crescent moon was thin, dark clouds were surging, and the starlight was dim, so their faces were not clearly visible. They could only vaguely make out that it was a man and a woman.

The one who spoke was that man.

Chen Mochuan's heart sank. He slowly stood up and said in a low voice, "What are you saying? I don't understand."

"This is the camp of the Qi army. If you two are discovered by the night patrol soldiers, you will be killed on the spot without mercy."

"You two may leave now, and I will not make a sound. Farewell."

As he spoke, he bowed respectfully and slowly stepped back.

His voice was somewhat hoarse and a little immature, which didn't match his tall stature.

Just then, a bead suddenly appeared in the man's hand, emitting a soft light that illuminated the open space.

Chen Mochuan's expression changed, and he said urgently, "Quickly put away the luminous pearl! If the night patrol soldiers discover it, we will all be doomed!" (End of this chapter)