Chapter 345: The Conviction of Protection
The next morning, before the morning mist had dispersed, several figures had already gathered in front of Chen Chang'an's wooden cabin.
Xiao Chen wore a black Daoist robe and stood with hands behind his back, revealing steadiness between his brows. Han Yu leaned against a tree holding his sword, his sword brows slightly furrowed, as if pondering something.
Ji Lingxiu and Jiang Che stood side by side, talking in low voices. Li Hanzhou stood quietly to the side with a stern expression. Even Lu Xiaoluo, who rarely showed herself, stood quietly in the corner.
During this time, she had assisted Xiao Chen in managing sect affairs and had long since shed the timidity from when they first met; her brows now held a trace of capability.
Besides this, she would occasionally come to visit Chen Chang'an, and regarding her status as a registered disciple, she gradually did not care as much as she did at the beginning.
But only Chen Chang'an knew that her loyalty had been steadily rising over these years, and she was only five points away from meeting the standard for accepting a disciple.
Summoning her this time could also be considered a recognition of her contributions.
The wooden door creaked open, and Chen Chang'an stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces one by one: "Come in."
Inside the room, sandalwood incense curled up.
Everyone took their seats in turn. Chen Chang'an did not waste words and went straight to the point: "You must have all heard about the matter of Tianjing City."
Xiao Chen nodded: "The entire Xuanying Continent is passing on the news that a giant mountain reaching the sky appeared out of thin air, completely burying Tianjing City."
"But very few people know..." Chen Chang'an's voice sank slightly, "This mountain is Buzhou Mountain!"
"Buzhou Mountain?!" Han Yu straightened his body abruptly, evidently having heard of it in some ancient text.
Light flashed violently in his eyes, "The divine mountain that connects heaven and earth in legend?"
At this time, Xiao Chen also nodded and said: "It is rumored that Buzhou Mountain was once the earliest passage connecting the Upper and Lower Realms, but was later snapped in two during a great catastrophe?"
"Correct." Chen Chang'an tapped his fingertips lightly on the desktop, "However, the Upper and Lower Realms of that time are very different from the Upper and Lower Realms of today. But there is one thing that is the same—"
"The reconnection of Buzhou Mountain means that the passage between the Upper and Lower Realms is about to be restored."
He swept his heavy gaze over everyone, "The Upper Realm is an enemy, not a friend, to the Lower Realm. You must restrain the disciples and prepare early."
Everyone's expressions turned solemn, and they nodded gravely.
The room fell silent for a moment, with only the fragrance of tea lingering. Chen Chang'an suddenly spoke again: "There is one more matter."
He paused, "Ji Hongli... is now this Master's Dao Companion."
"Pff—" Jiang Che, who thought his own Master was going to talk about some major event regarding the Xuanying Continent, sprayed out a mouthful of tea.
Ji Lingxiu widened her eyes, and the teacup in her hand fell to the ground with a "clack".
Xiao Chen was relatively calm, only the corners of his eyes twitching slightly a few times.
"In short, from now on, she will be your Mistress—"
But before everyone could react, Chen Chang'an waved his sleeve, and a gentle spiritual force pushed everyone out the door.
With a "bang", the wooden door closed tightly, leaving the disciples standing in the courtyard looking at each other, unable to recover their senses for a long while.
...
Waiting for the footsteps of the disciples to completely disappear at the end of the bamboo forest path, Chen Chang'an finally let out a long breath, and his tense shoulders and back finally relaxed.
He raised his hand to rub his temples, but the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously into a smile—the heavy stone pressing on his heart for all these years was finally lifted.
The sunlight outside the window spilled in through the carved window lattice, casting dappled light and shadow on the bluestone floor.
Chen Chang'an paced to the window, looking at the lush green mountains and forests in the distance, in an unprecedentedly good mood.
"That girl..." He shook his head and laughed lightly, thinking of Chen Xingcai, who had dragged Ji Hongli out early in the morning with great fanfare.
The little girl's eyes were shining brightly as she said she needed to go buy materials to expand the house, even drawing up a long list with great solemnity.
Ji Hongli was being dragged by her sleeve, and that usually cold face rarely showed a bit of helplessness, yet she still gently let her make a fuss.
Thinking of this, the look in Chen Chang'an's eyes softened a few degrees.
Since the truth had been spoken, Ji Hongli naturally should move in to live with him.
As for why he didn't choose Ji Hongli's cave abode, it wasn't because he had any chauvinistic ideas, but really... although Ji Hongli's cave abode was nice, it was located at the very end of the valley.
It was completely outside the coverage range of the System's Sect Master Secret Chamber.
With the changes in heaven and earth today and the reappearance of Buzhou Mountain, who knows what accidents might happen next?
"If only the Sect Master Secret Chamber were 30% larger..." Chen Chang'an rubbed his chin and murmured to himself.
30% larger, and it would just perfectly cover the entire Immortal Spirit Valley.
Immediately after, suddenly sensing something, he lowered his head and discovered that a few pinkish-white flower petals had fallen on the windowsill at some point.
It was the type of mountain peach blossom that Chen Xingcai had pinned to her temples this morning.
A breeze blew past, carrying the fresh scent unique to early spring.
Chen Chang'an suddenly felt that such a calm morning might be the final tranquility before the storm.
But he did not fear. As long as his family was safe under his wings, what did it matter even if heaven and earth overturned?
Reaching out to catch a falling petal, Chen Chang'an gently closed his palm.
Sunlight spilled through the gaps in his fingers, casting dappled light and shadow on the bluestone floor.
He suddenly felt a weight in his chest, as if something warm and heavy had filled his heart.
This was not an illusion—it was happiness, and even more so, responsibility.
Once upon a time, he was all alone; vast as the heaven and earth were, they had nothing to do with him.
But now it was different.
His fingertips unconsciously rubbed against the wood grain on the window lattice, and Chen Chang'an's gaze landed on the peach tree in the corner of the courtyard.
That was the one Chen Xingcai had clamored to plant when she was little, and now it stood tall and lush like a canopy.
On the stone table under the tree, there was still an unfinished game of chess played with Ji Hongli, and the chessboard was already covered with fallen leaves.
He was no longer a loner.
That little girl who would drag his sleeve to act spoiled since she was small, and that woman who would solemnly argue with him about all things having spirits, were all family he was willing to risk his life to protect.
This bond was more precious than any cultivation technique or secret manual, and heavier than any heavenly treasure.
The corners of his mouth rose unconsciously, but in the next moment, they pursed into a determined line.
His right hand slowly clenched tight, and that petal turned into spots of spiritual light in his palm.
Since he chose to possess, he must stand in front of them without turning back.
...
The Upper Realm...
Ji Wuque...
Chen Chang'an stood straight, the light in his eyes more determined than ever.
...
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