Chapter 97: Junior Sister, Let’s Descend the Mountain!

Chen Huaian carefully picked up the faded amulet.

The characters on it had already lost their color, like ink that had been soaked in water, blurring and making it difficult to discern what was written.

Previously, he had treated the amulet as a mere game giveaway, so he hadn't connected the events of his daily life to it. But now that he knew the Thunderfire Talisman was real, could this amulet also be genuine?

Chen Huaian narrowed his eyes.

The amulet had faded after he returned from Mount Tai.

Several accidents had occurred during his trip to Mount Tai—first, he broke his leg, and later, he encountered a landslide.

Either of these incidents could have left him in serious trouble.

But in reality?

Not only had he returned from Mount Tai unscathed, but he had also been lucky enough to receive a generous reward from a true benefactor, earning him his initial capital.

"So, did the amulet actually work, which is why it faded?"

Chen Huaian played with the amulet, then brought it up to his nose to sniff it.

He had washed the amulet before, but the faint fragrance still lingered—it wasn't the smell of laundry detergent. He felt his speculation was pretty close to the mark.

"If only I had another amulet, I could test it… Maybe I'll log into the game later and ask Li Qingran for one?"

He wasn't sure if this was feasible.

But if it was, wouldn't he be able to get all his future items for free?

He allowed himself a small moment of anticipation.

"By the way, there's also that procession at Mount Tai. They must have been a phenomenon caused by the spiritual energy resurgence. At the time, I thought the emperor figure seemed strange, but only the Demon-Slaying Division would know the specifics of what happened there… After all, they sound like a very official organization, so their intelligence-gathering capabilities should be decent."

Baji, lying on the sofa, silently listened to Chen Huaian's muttering.

Its small body shrank further into the corner.

This is bad.

Disaster is looming.

The boss has fully realized that something is off about this world.

Could this be the trigger for the boss's memories to return?

Would its true form as a glutton still remain hidden?

There was no way to stop the boss from encountering the anomalies of this world now.

No, it still had to run—it had to find a way to escape!

It looked at the spiritual plant on the windowsill, deep in thought.

At its current rate of absorbing spiritual energy, in about a week, it would likely reach the strength of a two-hundred-year-old monster. By then, it could forcefully break through the window and escape. Sure, it might get severely injured by the talismans, but as long as it could escape, a little injury was nothing compared to staying here and risking its life at any moment!

While Baji was seriously plotting its escape, Chen Huaian continued to examine the other items.

The spirit stone bracelet was likely real. Half of the beads had already turned cloudy, probably because the spiritual energy within them had been depleted. As for how and when the energy was consumed, that would require further testing.

The potted plant on the windowsill was also strange. He tried cutting a leaf but found it impossible to cut. He decided to keep it and see if it would change in the future, like growing a mouth or something. As for the Black Scale Sword, he had already decided to sleep with it at night.

Hanging such a divine weapon above the bed was a waste of a treasure!

It had to stay close to him, absorbing his unique aura!

Hehe!

The orange glow of the setting sun fell on the coffee table, the glass reflecting a dazzling light. Chen Huaian was momentarily blinded, only then realizing that it was already dinner time.

On the arm of the sofa, his fully charged phone chimed with a notification.

After experiencing so many chaotic events today, Chen Huaian was exhausted. He unplugged the charger and opened the electronic girlfriend game on his phone.

He still had some ideas he wanted to test.

However, when he opened the game, he found that Li Qingran wasn't in her room.

She was standing at the peak of Luoxia Mountain, bathed in the glow of the setting sun. In front of her were the senior sister, Yue Qianchi, and the sect master, Su Qinian. The three of them looked serious, as if they were discussing something.

"What's going on here?"

Chen Huaian turned up the volume.

The voices of the three immediately became much clearer.

"Li Qingran, the journey is long, and your cultivation is still weak. This time, I'll have your senior sister escort you. The two of you can look out for each other on the road!"

"But wouldn't that be too much trouble for Senior Sister?" Li Qingran's gaze shifted between Su Qinian and Yue Qianchi. She pursed her lips, her face full of hesitation.

"Ah, it's no trouble at all." Yue Qianchi waved her hand dismissively. "My cultivation has already hit a bottleneck. Master has long wanted me to travel the world to broaden my horizons. It'll also help me break through to the next realm."

She looked at the dazed Li Qingran, then leaned over and nudged her arm, her smile carrying a hint of deliberately feigned flattery. "Hehe~ Junior Sister, I'm not escorting you for free. You'll have to cover the drinks on the road!"

"Hmph! Drinking every day—it's a wonder you're not dead yet!" Su Qinian raised his hand to smack Yue Qianchi's head, but she dodged with a laugh.

Looking at this mischievous disciple, Su Qinian could only sigh in frustration. He turned to Li Qingran and said helplessly, "Your senior sister is addicted to alcohol. Keep an eye on her during the journey. I'm afraid she'll cause trouble if she drinks too much!"

With things having reached this point.

Li Qingran had no choice but to nod and bow slightly. "I'll remember, Sect Master. Please rest assured. I'll make sure Senior Sister drinks less on the road."

"Pfft~ Old Man Su, you think Junior Sister can keep me in check? Bleh—!" Not far behind Li Qingran, Yue Qianchi was hanging upside down from a tree, making faces at Su Qinian.

Su Qinian pretended not to see.

"Well, you two should prepare. It's about time to set off."

He took out two spirit stone pouches and handed them to Li Qingran.

"Although the Sword Pavilion is currently short on resources, as the sect master, I must provide you with the necessary funds for the journey. Here are twenty low-grade spirit stones—ten for each of you."

Li Qingran: "…"

Yue Qianchi: "…"

"What? Is it not enough?" Su Qinian's expression hardened, and he pushed the pouches forward, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Li Qingran had no choice but to accept them. "Thank you, Sect Master."

"Sect Master?"

She tugged at the pouches, but they didn't budge.

The Sword Pavilion Master's grip was incredibly tight.

It wasn't until Yue Qianchi came over and pried Su Qinian's fingers open one by one that the two pouches finally ended up in Li Qingran's hands.

"Master, if you didn't want to give them, you could've just said so." Yue Qianchi's eyes were practically rolling into the back of her head.

Su Qinian, whose thoughts had been exposed, coughed lightly. He summoned his flying sword, tossed it into the air, and in a flash, stepped onto it.

"Hmph! Take care, you two. I'm off!"

Sect Master Su left in a very dramatic fashion.

His sword and body merged as he drifted through the clouds.

Only Li Qingran and Yue Qianchi remained on Luoxia Peak, bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

The air was filled with the scent of grass dried by the sun.

It was a pleasant smell.

Reminiscent of summer nights.

Li Qingran looked at Yue Qianchi.

Her senior sister's face was illuminated by the sunset, a brilliant red.

Yue Qianchi turned her gaze away from the clouds Su Qinian had left behind, wrapped an arm around Li Qingran's shoulders, and laughed. "Come on, Junior Sister, let's descend the mountain!"

…

At the peak of Luoxia Mountain, the red clouds stretched for miles.

Above, a great sword cultivator used the clouds as ink and his sword as a brush.

He wrote:

"Safe travels."

…

…