Chapter 27 Negligence
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The main gate of the Thick Earth Hall was wide open, with four young disciples in brown robes standing at either side, greeting the bustling crowd with respectful salutes.
Chu Zhiyuan looked down at his official robe, and decided not to enter.
After having lunch and taking a short rest, he changed into a regular brocade robe and left the Prince Qing Mansion to visit the Thick Earth Hall.
A few Prince Mansion Guards were waiting outside. Guo Chi and Zou Fang accompanied him into the Thick Earth Hall.
Even though he realized there was no Grandmaster within the Thick Earth Hall, he remained cautious.
Upon entering, there was a spacious courtyard, unexpectedly vast, as large as a football field, paved with clean blue bricks.
To the north stood a main hall and two side halls, with an imposing and solemn architectural style.
In the main hall was a statue of the Earth Venerate, while the side halls contained statues of the Earth Mother, each depicting her with different features.
Dozens of people were lined up slowly entering the main hall, with others kneeling in worship in the side halls as well.
He followed the stream of people into the main hall.
The Earth Venerate statue stood three zhang tall, with slender fingers forming a handprint, the figure looked lean, with a long beard and wide robe, different from the attire of the Da Jing Dynasty, looking more ancient.
Before the statue of the Earth Venerate was an incense burner, beside which stood a handsome young man handing incense sticks to the devotees with a solemn and respectful demeanor.
Chu Zhiyuan stepped forward to receive the incense from the young man, inserted it into the incense burner, and bowed.
His Super Sense did not detect anything unusual.
The Earth Venerate and the two Earth Mother statues were unremarkable clay figures, their paint merely somewhat unique.
The handsome young man was astonishingly at the Innate Second Layer, which surprised him.
This young man was around the same age as him, and their cultivation levels were comparable.
He himself had trained in the Small Purple Sun Technique, then progressed to the Great Purple Sun Technique, a secret inherited from the Imperial Family, one of the world's top Miracle Techniques.
He also had Super Sense, and had practiced many Miracle Techniques from the Mingwu Hall. Although the Jade Lock Gold Barrier Skill took some extra time, the sharpness of a well-honed blade was not compromised by time.
Thus, he had reached the Innate Fourth Layer.
While this young man was not as astonishing as Huang Shiron, he could still be considered a prodigy in martial arts.
"Ah!"
Just as Chu Zhiyuan turned to leave, several exclamations of surprise arose beside him.
An elderly man suddenly collapsed, and the handsome young man stepped forward to support him.
The elderly man was already pale-faced and breathing heavily, and when he barely managed to bow his head, he stumbled and nearly fell, but was caught by the young man in time.
"Father!"
"Father!"
Two earnest-looking young men hurried forward to support the elder.
The handsome young man spoke in a steady voice, "Don't move him, I'll handle it!"
"Young Sect Leader…"
"Quiet! Stay calm!" the handsome young man commanded.
He gently laid the elder on the ground, then turned to wave his hand, "Everyone step back!"
The crowd hastily retreated, leaving space clear.
Chu Zhiyuan observed the handsome young man and the elder from within the crowd.
The elder's breathing was weakening rapidly, clearly indicating a heart problem, possibly a heart attack; any further delay would be fatal.
He was on the brink of secretly intervening; he couldn't just stand by and watch someone die.
However, he saw the handsome young man swiftly press a few fingers on the elder's chest, then stood up, formed handprints with both hands, and began mumbling solemnly.
This reminded Chu Zhiyuan of Zhu Yishan, the high Elder of the Thick Earth Sect.
Was he about to perform a ritual?
With his Super Sense, he witnessed the originally unremarkable Earth Venerate statue suddenly light up.
Chu Zhiyuan found it astonishing.
The Earth Venerate statue had hidden mysteries, unnoticed by him!
A soft glow suddenly emanated from the Earth Venerate statue, landing on the young man's hands forming seals.
With his hands forming seals, he lightly pressed them against the elder's body.
"Hmm…" The elder slowly opened his eyes.
"Father? Father!"
"Why the fuss? I'm not dead yet!"
The elder, still somewhat dazed, instinctively scolded them.
His gaze slowly cleared as he flipped over to sit up, almost kneeling forward, but the young man held him up.
The handsome young man dispelled his handprints and gestured, "No need for that, elder. The Earth Venerate protects!"
The elderly man nodded forcefully, "The Earth Venerate has shown his power. Many thanks to the Young Sect Leader! Many thanks!"
His old life had been saved.
His body was filled with a comforting warmth, especially in his chest, as if a fire was gently roasting it, making him so comfortable he almost wanted to drift off to sleep.
The prior weakness and fatigue vanished without a trace, truly miraculous!
Truly worthy of being the Young Sect Leader!
Indeed, the reincarnation of the Earth Venerate!
"Boundless Earth Venerate!" The handsome young man solemnly bowed his head.
"Boundless Earth Venerate!"
"Boundless Earth Venerate!"
...
The crowd followed suit, bowing their heads and chanting loudly.
...
Chu Zhiyuan stood amidst the crowd, a look of admiration on his face.
This was the power of the statues, different from True Qi, its effects divine-like.
However, this might be the Power of Incense, which the Court detests.
He released an invisible force, squeezing through the people to reach the young man and help him support the elder.
Through his Super Sense, he could instantly see the elder's body clearly, detecting that peculiar force.
That peculiar force was quickly repairing the elder's heart like rain refreshing parched land, producing astonishing results.
He marveled silently.
This power's healing capacity was extraordinary, surpassing the Dragon Transformation Technique.
Even surpassing any healing method from Mingwu Hall.
Indeed, the world is vast, filled with wonders.
When he was reading the records of the Thick Earth Sect, they highlighted its Young Sect Leader, Feng Zhihao.
Feng Zhihao was a cultivational prodigy rumored to be the reincarnation of the Earth Venerate, highly esteemed within the Thick Earth Sect, even poised to replace the Sect Hierarch.
Now, it seemed, Feng Zhihao truly possessed Miracle Techniques and could reveal his saintly power to the public, no wonder he had such a high reputation.
Feng Zhihao, calm and solemn, folded his hands in salute before asking everyone to disperse, lest they delay others from worshipping the Earth Venerate.
His words were effective.
Everyone paid their respects to the Earth Venerate and then saluted him before leaving.
Chu Zhiyuan left the main hall and visited the nearby Earth Mother Temple to pay his respects. Regardless, it didn't hurt to bow before the statues when he saw them.
He used to be an atheist, but after experiencing reincarnation, his beliefs had changed.
After making his rounds, he looked toward Zou Fang.
Zou Fang nodded slightly, found a Thick Earth Sect disciple, whispered a few words, and then the disciple looked at Chu Zhiyuan.
Chu Zhiyuan walked around the courtyard with his hands behind his back.
The disciple entered the main hall and returned moments later to Zou Fang, whispering something.
After Zou Fang listened, he frowned lightly, came to Chu Zhiyuan, and whispered, "We need to attend to the believers first, and will visit you once they're gone."
Chu Zhiyuan raised a sword-like eyebrow and smiled.
"Princely Heir, let's leave!" Guo Chi's face was grim, like an enraged black bear, ready to erupt at any moment.
Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "Then let's wait."
Guo Chi widened his eyes in confusion.
He didn't understand why Feng Zhihao dared to be so presumptuous and arrogant, nor why Chu Zhiyuan wouldn't leave.
Was the Princely Heir really going to tolerate this disgrace!
Chu Zhiyuan said, "This Young Sect Leader is indeed a remarkable person, worth befriending."
"Another arrogant fellow!" Guo Chi grumbled, glaring toward the main hall.
Chu Zhiyuan strolled around the courtyard with his hands, secretly cultivating, his Super Sense expanding to cover a thirty-zhang area.
He focused on Feng Zhihao.
The records didn't reveal Feng Zhihao's disposition, and he didn't expect him to be so rebellious.
Regardless of his official position and status as Princely Heir, it was not something the Thick Earth Sect should overlook, yet he dared to act this way.
This was naturally because he had something to rely on or perhaps harbored resentment.
The root of this was the Thirteenth Prince's concubine, who was his sister.
The Thirteenth Prince, Prince Huai, was Chu Zhichuan's father.
The Prince Qing Mansion could not compare to the Prince Huai Mansion; in Feng Zhihao's view, the Princely Heir of the Prince Qing Mansion couldn't do anything to him.
Chu Zhiyuan observed Feng Zhihao's subtle movements and changes in breathing.
Feng Zhihao presented incense to the believers, his breath steady, not practicing, and with a solemn and sacred demeanor, as if performing a holy task.
Chu Zhiyuan watched for a while and vaguely speculated that Feng Zhihao was refining his heart?
Pure heart and focused mind, was this a cultivation method of the Thick Earth Sect?
After watching for a while, his own heart calmed down, matching the effect of holding the Qingying Sword.
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