Chapter 340: Chen Changan's Worries
Several more days passed, and little by little, Chen Changan put the matter of the Heavenly Demon Venerable out of his mind.
He had always been an open-minded person and knew well that some things simply could not be forced.
Since he could not figure it out for the time being, he chose not to dwell on it.
He had understood this principle long before transmigrating to this world—after all, when the boat reaches the bridge, it will straighten itself out, and when the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road. Rather than exhausting his mind on an unsolvable mystery, it was better to put his energy into more meaningful matters.
Thus, his thoughts gradually shifted toward cultivating the Spirit Realm.
This small world he had created with his own hands was developing and expanding at an astonishing speed.
Every morning, when the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, he would separate a strand of divine sense and enter the Spirit Realm, quietly observing the growth trajectories of those martial artists.
One day in the lower realm equaled one year in the Spirit Realm.
After many years of effort, Zhao Xin had finally succeeded in establishing the North Pole Immortal Sect.
This sect was located in an extremely cold region with harsh conditions, yet it possessed uniquely advantageous cultivation resources.
Zhao Xin understood the cruelty of conflicts in the martial world, so he set strict rules forbidding his disciples from descending the mountain to participate in dynastic struggles.
He hoped that his disciples would focus on cultivation and improving their own cultivation bases, rather than being seduced by worldly power and wealth.
Moreover, after several years had passed, Zhao Xin himself had cultivated to the Tongxuan Realm. He could use various supernatural abilities and even fly on a sword, which in the eyes of ordinary mortals was enough to be called an immortal.
…
In Chen Changan's eyes, this steadily growing Spirit Realm was the sect's final trump card.
Aside from that, there was another matter that had been lingering in his heart—the issue of confessing the truth to his daughter, Chen Xingcai.
It was clearly a very simple matter, yet every time he tried to speak, the words simply would not come out.
Those long-prepared sentences would turn into hesitant, vague muttering the moment they reached his lips.
"This can't go on…" Chen Changan sat on a stone stool in front of the wooden hut, staring blankly at the distant sea of clouds.
He decided to begin beating around the bush and lay some groundwork first.
Thus, much like a scene from many years ago—
Whenever Chen Xingcai came to visit him, he would suddenly put down his teacup and sigh softly. "Eating alone is quite lonely. It would be nice if there were one more person to eat with."
Chen Xingcai blinked her big eyes and tilted her head as she looked at him.
Then, the next day, when Chen Changan saw the gray bear squatting nervously beside the dining table right on time for the meal, his mouth twitched.
This demonic beast, which had already lived in Immortal Spirit Valley for many years, was clearly living quite comfortably. Its body was a full circle larger than before, and its cultivation had broken through to the late stage of the Returning Origin Realm.
At this moment, it crouched beside the table, its two front paws placed neatly on its knees, its eyes filled with fear.
It was obvious that someone had forced it here with a blade at its neck.
Chen Changan sighed, clapped his hands, and the gray bear, as if granted amnesty, shot away with a whoosh and vanished into the depths of the forest in an instant.
A few days later, when Chen Xingcai came to see him again, Chen Changan decided to change his approach.
He pointed at two thrushes playing on a tree branch outside the window and said in a deliberately profound tone, "Xingcai, look. Those two birds look very happy together."
There was a hint of emotion in his voice, yet his gaze secretly observed his daughter's reaction.
Chen Xingcai followed his finger and looked over, seeing the two thrushes preening each other's feathers on the branch, occasionally letting out clear, pleasant calls.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows over them.
It was indeed a warm and harmonious scene.
She fell silent, her long eyelashes casting shadows under the sunlight.
She was not stupid. How could she not know what her own father was like?
Since when had he become so roundabout?
The more Chen Xingcai thought about it, the more alarmed she became, and a terrifying guess surfaced in her mind.
Her father's hints were so obvious—could this be the legendary… urging her to get married?
Her fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes as countless thoughts flashed through her mind. Did Father think she was already old? Or had someone in the sect said something? But how old was she really…
No, in the eyes of mortals, her age was indeed appropriate for marriage…
"Father…" she spoke cautiously, her voice trembling slightly. "Your daughter is still young… I do not intend to seek a dao companion for the time being…" As she said this, her cheeks flushed faintly, and she avoided meeting her father's gaze.
Chen Changan froze in place, nearly letting the teacup slip from his hand.
Scalding tea splashed onto the back of his hand, yet he did not notice it at all.
He blinked, failing to immediately understand why his daughter had suddenly brought this up.
But soon, he realized that his hints had been completely misunderstood.
Looking at his daughter's uneasy expression, Chen Changan suddenly found it a little funny, but then he truly began to worry about her future.
He recalled her usual carefree demeanor, spending her days either chasing the gray bear all over the mountains or dragging a few senior brothers and sisters around to fool about everywhere.
"This girl…" Chen Changan sighed silently in his heart, his gaze drifting unconsciously into the distance.
A terrifying possibility suddenly occurred to him. Could Xingcai end up single for her entire life?
Once this thought emerged, it spread wildly in his mind like weeds.
He seemed to see a scene tens of thousands of years in the future—Chen Xingcai sitting alone on a mountaintop, accompanied only by that decrepit gray bear, while everyone else had long since paired up and was living happy, fulfilled lives…
No, wait… given Xingcai's personality, what was even more likely was…
A far more frightening image suddenly appeared in Chen Changan's mind. A youth with seven-colored hair, dressed in bizarre clothes, riding a spirit-artifact motorcycle spewing green smoke, came roaring into Immortal Spirit Valley with a loud boom.
The youth threw an arm around Chen Xingcai's shoulders and shouted arrogantly at him, "Old geezer, my ghostfire bike is parked outside Immortal Spirit Valley. Go find someone to watch it for me, or I'll skin you alive!"
This imagination instantly made Chen Changan's blood surge, veins bulging on his forehead.
He abruptly grabbed his daughter's shoulders and said earnestly, "Xingcai, if you ever look for a dao companion, you must bring him to see Father first."
Seeing her puzzled look, he hurriedly added, "Father doesn't mean anything else. I just want to see whether his body is healthy…"
As he spoke, he clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking audibly.
Chen Xingcai stared at her father for a long moment, her small mouth slowly pouting.
Finally, she gave Chen Changan a long-lost—big eye roll.
"Father!" she stamped her foot angrily. "What kind of nonsense are you thinking about!"
With that, she turned and ran off, leaving Chen Changan standing there alone, his fist still clenched, his face filled with worry.
…
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