Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 143 [Where is it?] (6200)

Chapter 138 [Where is it?] (6200)

After the seven-day mourning period for the old village chief, he was sent to the funeral home for cremation, followed by the funeral procession and burial.

Chen Yan stayed in the village for seven days without leaving for a single moment.

During the daytime funeral and at night when the spirits are kept vigil, the Zhao family's children and grandchildren have been wearing the hats of filial sons and virtuous grandchildren for the past few days, sitting by the mourning hall burning paper money, kowtowing, and returning the greetings.

Chen Yan, with a white cloth tied around his waist, also silently followed along, busying himself with various tasks.

During the banquet, he would sit quietly to the side, holding a rice bowl, and eat in silence.

Chen Yan didn't shed a tear, and in fact, he didn't know how he was feeling.

There was definitely sadness, but besides the passing of the grieving old man, there seemed to be a faint sense of melancholy.

The old man was right; he'd had enough in his life.

Live freely, live with clarity.

He has both a son and a daughter, and owns a house and land. Moreover, with that treasure that shields him from the whims of fate, he may have lost some of his luck, but he has also avoided all illnesses and disasters.

Most people die in a wretched state when they get old.

You may experience physical weakness and be plagued by illness; this process may last for several years.

The old man escaped all of this; before he suddenly fainted, he was in good health, able to eat and sleep well.

A person who has lived to this point should be content.

The old man lived to the age of seventy-four, and he felt quite content.

·
During the funeral procession, Chen Yan followed the procession up the mountain. At the very front of the procession was the old man's son, carrying the urn containing the ashes.

Then I saw people carrying white banners, playing music and setting off firecrackers along the way.

Some people were carrying paper houses, luxury cars, and sacks upon sacks of paper money...

Chen Yan carried nothing and followed the group empty-handed—he wasn't needed to do any work. The Zhao family was a prominent clan in the village, and there were many Zhao family members in the village. Based on blood ties, many things didn't need to be done by someone like him, an outsider with no blood relation.

When the old man was being buried, Chen Yan was at the back of the line. He shoveled a shovelful of soil onto the grave, then clapped his hands and handed the shovel to the next person.

Finally, after burning some paper money, Chen Yan quietly lined up in the queue and kowtowed.

The funeral ended just like that.

There are still two, seven, three, and so on... but these have little to do with Chen Yan. He's an outsider and won't get involved.

When Chen Yan returned to the village after descending the mountain, he saw Lu Sisi standing under a utility pole at the village entrance.

The girl leaned against the lamppost, looking at her with concern. A small yellow dog wagged its tail and paced back and forth at her feet beside her.

Lu Sisi stayed in the village with Chen Yan for a full seven days.

In fact, Chen Yan originally wanted her to return to Jinling Prefecture.

The reason I brought her back this time was so that the old man could see his girlfriend before he died, thus putting an end to his wish.

Lu Sisi arrived, and Chen Yan was very grateful for the girl's actions. He had originally planned to let her go back the day after the old man passed away.

But Lu Sisi refused to leave.

The girl went to the village store and bought rice, flour, oil, eggs, and other things. Chen Yan helped with the funeral arrangements at the Zhao family's house during the day, while the girl stayed home, lighting the stove and cooking. When Chen Yan returned in the evening, he could have a hot meal.

At night, when Chen Yan lay in bed, Lu Sisi would hug him from behind and gently pat his body.

When Chen Yan wanted to speak, she listened quietly.

Chen Yan didn't want to talk, so she just stayed quietly by his side.

Today is the day of the funeral, and Lu Sisi has been standing at the village entrance waiting.

Seeing the funeral procession return, Lu Sisi quickly found Chen Yan in the crowd, then silently walked over and gently took his hand without saying a word.

"Are you OK."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan nodded, a slight smile appearing on his face, and said in a low voice, "Yes, it's nothing."

·
At the lunch banquet, Chen Yan went with Lu Sisi. They didn't eat much, just sat down symbolically, offered a toast, and then greeted the Zhao family's children, grandchildren, and other relatives.

Chen Yan then left with Lu Sisi.

He didn't like the atmosphere at banquets.

Back in her old house, Lu Sisi went into the kitchen, cooked a pot of noodles, and cracked a few eggs into it.

Chen Yan took a few bites; the taste was bland, but he ate it with relish.

The food at the banquet was, of course, much more lavish, but Chen Yan disliked the atmosphere there. He forced a smile to hide his deep sorrow, and there was also an air of relief about him...

In short, it's very awkward.

Sitting in his old house, it was cold and quiet, with only Lu Sisi by his side and a bowl of egg noodles in front of him.

But Chen Yan felt it was warmer here.

After the two finished eating their noodles, Chen Yan took the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen, stopped Lu Sisi from helping him, washed the bowls and chopsticks himself, then checked the stove and turned off the fire.

Turning his head, Chen Yan looked at his girlfriend with gentle eyes.

"Let's go home."

"Okay." Lu Sisi nodded.

·
There wasn't much luggage to pack. I was actually in a rush when I came, so I only brought one suitcase and didn't pack more than two changes of clothes.

Lu Sisi came along without bringing any clothes. The day after the old man passed away, Chen Yan drove Aunt Zhao to the county hospital to get a death certificate, and on the way, he bought two sets of underwear for Lu Sisi at a shopping mall in the county town.

After seven days, both of them had oily hair. Although they had changed their underwear, their outerwear was filthy.

·
After locking the door and leaving the house, Chen Yan drove Lu Sisi back to Jinling Prefecture.

As the car drove out of the village, Lu Sisi looked out the window at the village houses gradually disappearing into the distance, and suddenly whispered, "Chen Yan."

"Ok?"

"We'll come back for Chinese New Year, okay?"

Chen Yan was taken aback.

He sighed softly: "Uncle Zhao was the last person I cared about and was close to in the village... Now that he's gone, this place doesn't feel like home anymore. Whether I come back for the New Year or not doesn't matter."

"Yes." Lu Sisi forced a smile and looked at Chen Yan, her eyes shining. "I came back with you. I'm your family."

She paused for a moment, then said solemnly, "As long as you have family, you have a home!"

Chen Yan's heart stirred. He turned his head to look at Lu Sisi and caught the sincerity in the girl's eyes.

Chen Yan was driving and didn't dare to look around too much, so he looked away. He stared at the road ahead, but something suddenly came to his mind.

I've lost my family...

Lu Sisi, does she have one?
·
Eighteen-year-old Lu Sisi has been plagued by misfortune since childhood, disliked by her parents and relatives...

Even during the Spring Festival, her parents chose to stay away from her—but last Spring Festival, she still went back to her hometown with them to celebrate the New Year.

An 18-year-old girl went to another city to celebrate the Chinese New Year with other people, and her parents didn't even ask about it.

No, Chen Yan even suspected that her parents might not know at all.

For Lu Sisi, at eighteen years old, she has probably already been living this kind of "life without family" for a long time.

·
Chen Yan took a deep breath, freed one hand, and took Lu Sisi's hand.

“I am your family too.”

·
It was already evening when we arrived in Jinling City.

Chen Yan originally planned to drive straight back to his apartment complex, but Lu Sisi made a request: "Let's go eat hot pot."

"Ok?"

"I've been eating whatever's available in the countryside these past few days, and my cooking isn't very good, so I'm sorry to have troubled you. Now that you're back, shall we go out and have a nice meal?"

Lu Sisi looked at Chen Yan with expectant eyes.

Chen Yan wasn't really in the mood, but of course he wouldn't refuse such a simple request from his girlfriend—Lu Sisi's gentleness and understanding during this trip back to her hometown had deeply touched him.

It's truly remarkable that she's gone to such lengths for herself.

"Okay. Let's go eat hot pot." Chen Yan nodded with a smile.

Lu Sisi took out her phone, quickly set up a navigation, and went to the nearest branch of a certain hot pot restaurant.

·
As Chen Yan entered a hot pot restaurant located in a shopping mall, feeling the lively atmosphere and the bubbling aroma, he suddenly understood something. He turned to look at Lu Sisi, and unconsciously tightened his grip on her hand.

Lu Sisi seemed to have abandoned her usual frugal nature, taking the menu and ordering a large table full of various foods. Even though she knew that the two of them could not finish it, she still did not stop.

When the food on the table was piled up so high that it couldn't be stored any longer, Lu Sisi was still using chopsticks to feed Chen Yan crispy pork.

There must have been a birthday celebration for some customer in the shop, because soon the song that everyone in China is familiar with started playing.

"...Say goodbye...Say hi~"

Lu Sisi blinked and sang along softly. Chen Yan smiled, cooked a piece of beef tripe, and placed it on the plate in front of the girl.

"Thank you."

"Ok?"

"Thank you," Chen Yan said with a smile.

·
There are two places in this world where even people with depression can feel a little better.

One place is a farmers' market, and the other place is a hot pot restaurant.

Both places are full of the warmth and vibrancy of everyday life, brimming with positive emotions.

People who are in a bad mood will feel better after walking to these two places.

Chen Yan understood the reason why Lu Sisi suddenly suggested eating hot pot.

That evening, the two of them returned to the villa smelling strongly of hot pot. After entering the house, they embraced and went back to the master bedroom together. Chen Yan carried Lu Sisi into the bathroom.

Lu Sisi's behavior tonight was strange. She was different from her previous shyness. She was still shy, but she tried her best to suppress her shyness and actively responded to Chen Yan, using her gentleness to soothe Chen Yan's sadness.

In the middle of the night, Chen Yan held the sleeping Lu Sisi in his arms on the warm and soft bed, his eyes filled with warmth and a smile.

He quietly got up, got out of bed, and walked out of the bedroom.

Lu Sisi slept soundly. When she returned home in the evening, the girl was almost completely exhausted.

Besides, Chen Yan gave her a calming talisman after she fell asleep—it should allow her to sleep soundly until dawn.

·
Chen Yan went downstairs to the basement and then into the training room.

He took out the red mahjong tile.

Ever since the old man passed away and handed this thing to Chen Yan, Chen Yan had never really been in the mood to examine this treasure carefully.

He's been in a daze these past few days—he experienced this feeling in the first few days after the old lady passed away, but later, when the grief subsided, he came back to life.

But this time, the old man's funeral was real.

Chen Yan had been struggling with his emotions for the past few days and hadn't been in the mood to examine the baby—until tonight, when he finally felt alive again.
He held the mahjong tiles in his hand and examined them carefully for a while.

Chen Yan confirmed one thing: there was something wrong with the material of this thing.

During the Chinese New Year, the old man showed this to him. At the time, Chen Yan didn't look at it too closely and thought it was just the material of ordinary mahjong tiles.

Ordinary mahjong tiles are usually made of plastic, while better ones are made of wood or ox horn.

But there are no mahjong tiles here...

Chen Yan couldn't tell what it was made of!
It feels slightly warm and smooth to the touch, but it is definitely not jade.

The color is slightly yellowish, with a slightly aged feel, but it doesn't feel like it's actually old; rather, it has the natural aged feel that comes with the material itself.

There was a slight fluctuation of vital energy, but it wasn't quite accurate to call it a fluctuation; rather, it resembled a certain rhythm.

A very subtle rhythm.

It can shield one's destiny and fortune; in other words, it can shield one's secrets.

Based on Chen Yan's knowledge, this treasure must contain some kind of mysterious and advanced magic array.

Or is it some kind of rare and special treasure?
However, there's one thing Chen Yan is certain of!
Although this thing is currently in my possession, it has not been "activated" nor is it blocking my luck!

Chen Yan could clearly see the fluctuations in his own fortune.

That's not surprising at all.

This thing isn't like radar or anything like that; it can't be blocked or detected when you get close to it.

Otherwise, if someone were standing or sitting very close to the old man while he was alive, would they be blocked out? Of course not!

Therefore, there must be some special usage.

But the old man entrusted this thing to him before he died, without saying a word.

It's definitely not that he forgot, and it's definitely not that the old man deliberately didn't say it.

But...

Most old men themselves don't know how to use this thing.

·
Chen Yan sighed.

The old lady left behind many strange things.

That thumb ring was magical enough, and now I've got this mahjong tile too.

But... similarly, I have no idea how to use it.

The old lady didn't leave any instructions.

·
Chen Yan tried it, dripping a drop of blood onto it, but there was no reaction.

Chen Yan wasn't too disappointed, since he didn't have the need to "block the Heavenly Dao" for the time being.

But what about the future...?

Chen Yan was suddenly jolted!

"If activating and wearing this item can shield the Heavenly Dao of this world... then..."

Is it possible to evade the suppression of this world's Heavenly Dao and cultivate to the Celestial Realm?!

even……

Chen Yan subconsciously glanced in a certain direction—that direction was the house in the neighborhood that belonged to the little girl who was half a step into the Venerable Realm!
"If she wears it and it activates... could she also escape the heavenly lightning strikes and emerge from the mirror world?"

After these thoughts flashed through his mind, Chen Yan's interest suddenly surged!

If dripping blood is useless...

Chen Yan held the mahjong tile, trying to infuse it with vital energy.

As the vital energy was injected, there was no response.

Chen Yan thought for a moment, then increased the amount of vital energy he injected, changing it from strands to wisps, and finally to bursts...

However, a moment later, Chen Yan's forehead was covered in sweat.

His own vital energy had been unknowingly exhausted. After he poured all his vital energy into it, the mahjong tile still did not react at all.
No! The things you left behind, old lady, whether it's this mahjong set or that thumb ring...

They're all bottomless pits!
Chen Yan hardened his heart—he had poured all his vital energy into himself, and he couldn't replenish it for the time being. He would need to meditate and circulate his vital energy several times to recover.

But he didn't want to stop and give up!

"A bottomless pit, huh? Let's see if you really are a bottomless pit!"

The thought flashed through Chen Yan's mind, and he immediately took out the Ink Spirit Crystal.

He still had two full Ink Spirit Crystals in his hand, so he unceremoniously extracted their energy and continued to inject it into the mahjong tiles.

Half an hour later, both Ink Spirit Crystals were empty.

"Ha! I refuse to believe it!"

Chen Yan gritted his teeth, put away the Ink Spirit Crystal, but took out the thumb ring!
After putting the ring on his left thumb, Chen Yan took a deep breath.

He started doing something, something he had never done before.

He's extracting vital energy from the ring!

·
The method of extracting vital energy is exactly the same as the method of extracting vital energy from the Ink Spirit Crystal.

At first, Chen Yan easily extracted a stream of vital energy from the ring, circulated it around his body, and then injected it into the mahjong tiles.

Soon, according to Chen Yan's estimation, the amount of vital energy he extracted from the ring was roughly equivalent to his normal fully charged state.

Even after all the mahjong tiles were injected, there was still no reaction.

But just as Chen Yan continued to draw energy from the ring...

"what?"

Chen Yan's expression changed.

The extraction speed suddenly slowed down; the rate at which vital energy was being drawn out was rapidly decreasing, flowing more and more subtly...

It wasn't that the ring's energy had been drained, but rather...

It felt as if there was a force within the ring, pulling at the vital energy that had been drawn out, preventing it from leaving!

At the same time, what Chen Yan found even more strange was...

He seemed to sense a trace of the ring's "will"!
It's as if there's some living will or emotion within this thing.

In short, Chen Yan sensed it.

The will embodied in the thumb ring expresses dissatisfaction!

The more vital energy Chen Yan extracted, the more obvious his dissatisfaction became.

At the end...

Chen Yan suddenly released his grip.

He couldn't muster a single ounce of energy!

No matter how much he urged it, it was as if there was a closed gate in the ring, locking the vital energy inside and preventing Chen Yan from extracting even a trace of it!
At the same time, the will and emotion conveyed within the ring became even more pronounced.

It's no longer just "dissatisfaction," but rather a little closer to "annoyance"!
·
"Damn it! You're still angry?" Chen Yan suddenly became fierce: "Your vital energy is all from the little things I've been feeding you over the years! It's all mine! Now I want to use my things, and you won't give them to me?!"

Chen Yan gripped the ring tightly and said coldly, "What exactly are you? A spirit of an artifact?"

The ring gave no response; even the slightest feedback of its will gradually subsided.

Chen Yan suddenly understood; it wasn't that the ring wasn't meant to communicate with him.

But...

"My primordial spirit is too weak? So... I must cultivate my primordial spirit in order to communicate with the artifact spirit?"

Chen Yan possessed a cultivation technique for the primordial spirit—but he had never practiced it.

It's too late to start practicing now, and besides, ever since Chen Yan learned about the two paths of cultivating the primordial spirit and cultivating physical techniques, he's always felt that there are pitfalls in these paths, and he doesn't want to take them.

At this moment, he didn't want to fall into the trap of cultivating the primordial spirit just to study the so-called artifact spirit inside the ring.

and……

Is it really just that my primordial spirit isn't strong enough?
Being unable to "speak" simply means that one's primordial spirit is not strong enough.

If I can't speak, can't I at least hear?
Since this thumb ring can reflect emotions and will such as "dissatisfaction" and "annoyance," it proves that it can express itself.

At least you can communicate with yourself unilaterally.

Even if clichés cannot express it, it can certainly express it!
"So, it's arrogance? You look down on me, thinking my cultivation is too weak to be your master?" Chen Yan sneered, "You consume my vital energy every day. For the past few months, I've been feeding you with my vital energy! And you still dare to be arrogant towards me?"

Chen Yan laughed angrily: "A mere artifact spirit, having consumed my vital energy and been sustained by me, dares to treat me like this?"

He took a deep breath and slipped the ring on a little deeper.

Then he clasped his hands together and quickly made several hand seals. As the hand seals changed, he once again unleashed the power to draw out vital energy!

This time, Chen Yan unleashed his full power! The strength of the extraction was more than ten times greater than before!
"Since they're not to my use, then give them back what they ate and drank from me!"

As Chen Yan increased his strength to draw out the vital energy, the vital energy in the ring was once again extracted bit by bit.

But then the ring reacted again, and the force of the obstruction increased.

In the end, the force of resistance turned into a kind of back suction!
It's like a tug-of-war between forces from both inside and outside.

Chen Yan was increasingly shocked. The suction force of the ring was becoming stronger and stronger, just like an invisible vortex!
Finally, Chen Yan's anger subsided after his initial shock. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Fine, fine! I'm scared of you, I won't smoke anymore!"

But the emotional and willful feedback from the ring seemed to have suddenly disappeared, while the suction force of the vortex continued to increase!

Chen Yan's expression changed!
Finally, he exhausted his strength, and under the pull of his vital energy, he lost control. The vital energy he had extracted was forcibly drawn back into the ring...

At the same time, Chen Yan felt a strange force enter his body, then violently pull something out and absorb it into the ring...

Chen Yan suddenly felt a darkness before his eyes.

·
The damp mist clung to people's faces, making them feel wet and slightly itchy.

Chen Yan slowly opened his eyes. As his consciousness gradually returned, he suddenly sat up and stared wide-eyed at his surroundings!

The surrounding area was a dense forest.

A white mist rose from the forest, reducing visibility to very low levels.

I looked up and saw that the sky was dark, but I couldn't see the stars or the moon, either because of the fog or something else.

The trees in the forest were strangely shaped and rugged, looking more like bizarre rocks than trees.

The branches spread out like twisted claws, standing on the ground yet reaching towards the sky.

Chen Yan shivered, feeling the boundless cold air invading him. His legs and limbs gradually became numb with cold, and only his chest and abdomen were still warm, but even that began to cool down.

Chen Yan got up from the ground and felt that his body was covered in mud and was very damp.

"What is this place?"

(End of this chapter)