Chapter 79: Xiao Chen Leaves the Valley
On the other side, Xiao Chen had indeed encountered trouble.
Chen Chang'an, who was hurrying toward the scene, had no idea what kind of great surprise his eldest disciple was about to bring him.
Time returned to a few days earlier—
That day, Chen Chang'an's external incarnation had just finished a fierce battle with four black-armored knights. In order not to miss his beloved disciple, he created another avatar and rushed toward Qingyang City without pause, traveling day and night.
Because he was in such a hurry, all his attention was focused on the avatar, which led to the following scene—
"Daddy, daddy, I want to eat meat tonight, is that okay?"
"Mm."
…
In truth, Chen Xingcai had already discovered a secret many days ago.
Whenever her father sat comfortably in a reclining chair, smiling, he would always be extremely prone to distraction.
And whenever her father was distracted, no matter what she said to him, most of the time his only reply would be a single word: "Mm."
Thus, clever little Xingcai, whose intelligence sometimes bordered on excessive, began a long-term plan from that moment onward.
First, she consulted Uncle Wu, who usually filled in for her father supervising her and her senior brothers' cultivation, and asked him about the spell of sound recording.
Although Uncle Wu was very strict with his disciples and with Chen Chang'an's two disciples, whenever it came to Chen Xingcai, he would always show leniency.
What's more, this was a rare request from the young lady in her studies, and it was only a harmless little spell, so Uncle Wu naturally taught her everything without reservation.
Therefore, after Chen Xingcai confirmed several times that her father had once again fallen into this "distracted" state, she finally revealed her tiny demonic tail.
After testing him with that evening's dinner and a few minor matters, her wolfish ambition finally became clear.
"Daddy, from now on, can I be half an hour late to Uncle Wu's morning lessons?"
"Mm."
"Daddy, can I stop eating green peppers and bitter melon in the future?"
"Mm."
"Daddy, can Teacher Xiao Hei lend me more storybooks to read?"
"Mm."
…
After carefully recording her conversations with her father using the sound-recording spell, and seeing Chen Chang'an still in his absent-minded state, little Chen Xingcai suddenly conceived an even bolder idea.
Then…
"Daddy, am I your favorite, Xingcai?"
"Mm."
"Hehe…"
"Daddy, will you find a mother for Xingcai?"
"Mm."
"Daddy, do you think Teacher Xiao Hei—"
"Master, may I leave the valley with Elder Yao for a while… Eh? Xingcai, you are here too."
"Ah, it's Senior Brother! Well… Senior Brother, I still have something to do, so I'll be going first!"
Seeing the upright young man walk in from the main gate, Chen Xingcai, feeling guilty, immediately fled in a hurry.
Thus, in a certain sense, Chen Chang'an might have been saved by his eldest disciple without even realizing it.
…
After receiving his master's "affirmative" reply, Xiao Chen left the valley with Elder Yao in high spirits.
The main reason was that Elder Yao had been teaching Xiao Chen alchemy in recent days, and the annual Pill Refining Conference in Huiyue City was about to begin. Elder Yao had deliberately decided to take Xiao Chen there to broaden his horizons.
Although Xiao Chen had already acknowledged Chen Chang'an as his master, and Elder Yao would never dare to compete with a Saint Venerate for a disciple, in his heart, he still regarded Xiao Chen as his own.
The next morning, with the mist not yet dispersed, Xiao Chen followed Elder Yao into Huiyue City.
The bluestone slabs at the city gate still glistened with dew, while the air was already filled with a faint medicinal fragrance. Shops lined both sides of the street, crowded with all sorts of spiritual herbs, pill furnaces, and jade bottles. The cries of vendors rose one after another.
"Three-hundred-year-old Crimson Blood Ginseng, only for one third-grade Qi Gathering Pill!"
"High-quality Mysterious Ice Sand, essential for alchemy, miss it today and wait another year!"
Xiao Chen looked around, dazzled, and could not help but whisper, "Master, why are there so many alchemists here?"
Elder Yao stroked his beard and smiled. "The annual Pill Refining Conference of Huiyue City is the greatest event within a thousand miles. Rogue alchemists, sect disciples, even some reclusive old monsters all come to join the excitement."
As he spoke, a sudden commotion arose ahead.
"Move aside! Everyone move aside!" Several young cultivators in splendid clothes pushed through the crowd arrogantly, their chests embroidered with the emblem of a silver moon—disciples of Huiyue City's native alchemy family, the Moonflower Pavilion.
The onlookers quickly stepped aside, clearly wary of them.
Elder Yao narrowed his eyes and said softly, "Do you see? These are the so-called 'local tyrants.' We must keep a low profile this time. We came mainly to observe, so once inside the Pill Conference, try not to clash with them."
Xiao Chen nodded, though he muttered inwardly, "It's just alchemy, why put on such airs… even my master, ranked first on the Heavenly List, never acted so high and mighty."
Just as he was thinking this, a sweet fragrance drifted by. Turning his head, he saw a plain-clothed girl standing quietly at the street corner, a few crystalline spiritual herbs displayed before her as she waited for buyers.
The herbs gleamed like jade, with faint light flickering through the veins of the leaves. They were none other than the extremely rare Starshine Grass!
Elder Yao also noticed, surprise flashing in his eyes. "Eh? Where did this girl get such a fine treasure?"
Xiao Chen was just about to step forward to ask when those Moonflower Pavilion disciples also spotted the girl, their eyes instantly showing greed…
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