Chapter 83: Massive Gains, Astonishing Wish
Night fell, the moonlight pale and ghastly.
Above Wuqing County, occasional shrill screams echoed.
In Chaodou Hutong, big red lanterns hung at the Chen family gate, a cluster of warm light shining through the cage gauze, illuminating inside and outside the house, bright and appealing, exuding a sense of stability and harmony.
In the main hall, an Eight-Immortal Table and a small table had long been set up.
One table for the children, one for the old and young men.
The rich aroma of dishes permeated the main hall.
The steaming heat from the tabletops intermingled with the faces of everyone in the room.
No one drank alcohol, just chatting and eating dishes.
Chen Shun’an sat in the host position, just like a family patriarch old master, with everyone occasionally watching his movements and expressions.
As long as he sat there, it was like a golden beam holding up the sea and pillars supporting the sky, stabilizing the peace of this small world.
In the afternoon, a small incident occurred.
At the well, a water carrier named Lu Ze came to ‘seek refuge’ with Chen Shun’an, also wanting to band together for warmth.
Lu Ze’s ancestors had some background; in his great-grandfather’s generation, he was a treasury guard, working in the money treasury with plenty of profit, smuggling thousands of taels of silver each year from the dry routes.
But later, probably because some walked the broad highway while others took narrow goat paths, uneven spoils led to trouble, and they were all stripped of official status and demoted to commoners.
The Lu Ze family thus completely declined, and by his generation, he barely managed as a water carrier.
Cultivation neither high nor low, third-rate late stage cultivation.
Normally, he got along amiably with his colleagues.
For his arrival, San Dezi and Scarred Liu had no objections; more brothers meant more strength!
But Chen Shun’an broke his usual pattern and decisively refused.
San Dezi and Scarred Liu were somewhat puzzled, but since Chen Shun’an was the host, they naturally had no reason to question aloud.
Lu Ze was stunned, not expecting Chen Shun’an to disregard colleague sentiments, and he shamelessly said a few nice words.
But Chen Shun’an was unmoved by profit or persuasion, quite cold, rejecting repeatedly.
Seeing this, Lu Ze looked darkly annoyed and turned to leave without looking back.
And the reason was none other.
Chen Shun’an smelled a familiar yet faint fragrance on Lu Ze.
He was also burning hibiscus paste fire.
With Lu Ze’s family background, he indeed had channels to obtain hibiscus paste fire.
Probably, Lu Ze knew the Guo Lu Society Brothers were coming for the paste fire, even with thunderous might indiscriminate, killing all burners.
That’s why he panicked and sought a backer indiscriminately.
Or rather, a shield.
……
Late at night, lying in bed, Chen Shun’an slowly opened his eyes, still catching a faint soapberry hair fragrance at his nose.
He silently withdrew his arm from under Wan Niang’s neck.
Wan Niang was sleeping soundly, her lips curved up, seemingly having a sweet dream.
Wearing only thin undergarments, her thick black hair gathered from her shoulder to her chest, like a shimmering black satin wrapping around the peaks.
Exposing a pair of snow-white, bright arms.
To avoid complications or melodramatic events, Chen Shun’an had Wan Niang stay at his house these past few days.
Chen Shun’an’s house was a bit small, with only one bedroom.
But fortunately, Chen Shun’an’s bed was very large.
And Wan Niang seemed to gradually have some psychological preparation in ‘that aspect’, not being coy, shy, or timid.
After all, between the two, except for that last layer of window paper not pierced, they had done everything they shouldn’t.
Chen Shun’an turned over and got out of bed, rehung the mosquito net, and with a flash of his figure, arrived in the courtyard.
A piece of cloud shared the distant sky, with a moon hanging like a lonely wheel.
All around was pale white, night wind howling, with occasional distant dog barks.
Chen Shun’an strolled around nearby Chaodou Hutong, saw no suspicious figures, and after confirming San Dezi, Scarred Liu, and others were asleep, returned to the courtyard.
Chen Shun’an took out the stone bottle containing five-wheel water, and with a thought, summoned the Precious Proclamation.
【Grass Talisman（7/100）】
【Wish: 1309】
Seeing such a massive amount of wish for the first time in his life, even Chen Shun’an was shocked.
“You’re all too curious about me!”
Even now, whispers still echoed in Chen Shun’an’s ears—
“Heavenly Pride youth! My Old Zhang family also has a Heavenly Pride youth hahaha… but where is he?”
“Could it be some divine being manifested? Otherwise, how so coincidental? This old lady must go fulfill her vow…”
“Strange, why did the Flying Immortal Tablet react like that? Who left the forceful finger? Looks like I need to return to the ancestral land first; it feels off, something’s not right.”
“This nameless strength like fire burning my body tormented me all day, my wrist swollen and unbearable! Today, who was that?!”
“The break is fresh, my matchlock gun split in two in a flick; could it be ghosts and gods? But…
Alas, alas, I didn’t kill anyone, why destroy my gun! Wait, no, I seemed to miss the target a few times, stray bullets out; hope I didn’t injure others. Ashamed, ashamed…”
“Graceful as a startled swan, elegant as a roaming dragon; must be a lightness skill expert who slew the body thief, don’t know if male or female, what age, really makes this servant curious.”
At the Zhang family paying respects to the tablet and seeking cultivation.
At Kui Xing Tower, moving like a flying immortal, flicking to intimidate the Guo Lu Society few, palm print on the tower body, breaking a hundred practicing cultivation.
These two events left extremely profound influences.
Especially today in Kui Xing Tower, those who vaguely sensed Chen Shun’an’s presence and were shocked by his flying immortal-like speed had been chattering in Chen Shun’an’s ears all day.
No need to say more, these three were Yi Zi Hall Master, Xiao Qingchou, Zhou Qing, all genuine first-rate experts.
And besides these who directly faced ‘divine might’, many more had indirectly heard of Chen Shun’an.
For example, Zhao Guangxi, Liu Ru Yue, Red Fifth Master, Bai Manlou, and others.
Zhao Guangxi: “Again? What divine being is this, protecting me in secret repeatedly; could it be some ancestor of my Old Zhao Family?”
Red Fifth Master: “Could it be, this person is him? Azure Gang Yang Huo in his hands isn’t casting pearls before swine.”
…
Among the over a thousand points of wish from these people, most was curiosity, with a small portion fear and awe.
But the wish from the Zhang family side was relatively scarce; Chen Shun’an guessed it might be due to lack of ‘manifest divine power’ or ‘spreading tales’ channels.
Moreover…
Heavenly Pride youth?
Hearing this title, Chen Shun’an’s expression was odd.
Shaking off the strange thoughts in his mind, Chen Shun’an turned to examine the wishes one by one, summarizing the patterns.
Chen Shun’an discovered that first-rate experts provided extremely substantial wish, starting at 20 or 30 points.
Far exceeding that from sharing blessed water with Master Li.
This was also normal; how could a drop of water compare to a life-saving grace?
Especially Yi Zi Hall Master, Xiao Qingchou, Zhou Qing—these three, perhaps due to close contact with Chen Shun’an, had more surging emotions, providing nearly a hundred points of wish each!
But still unable to touch the boundary of 100 points of wish.
A hundred strands of wish form incense.
To condense incense in one step seemed to require more conditions.
For example, definitively knowing that in heaven and earth, there exists a ‘Water Origin Great Emperor’ divine being.
Letting the world know the divine name, guiding the incense.
But even so, Chen Shun’an never expected such a bountiful harvest today!
“Gratitude, fear, curiosity, worship are sources of incense, while manifest divine power and spreading tales are paths to incense…
Each gaze of Water Origin Great Emperor upon the mortal world, each walk in the red dust, will draw offerings of wish and incense!”
Chen Shun’an pondered silently.
So-called deities are actually quite simple.
Become god after death, manifest divine power before people, display divine miracles.
But Chen Shun’an, as an innate divine being, naturally didn’t need to die again.
He only needed to satisfy the latter two.
However, the manner of manifesting divine power and the type of divine miracle, how profoundly they affected believers or bystanders, would lead to differences in quantity and purity of wish and incense.
Thunder and raindrops are both heavenly might, meeting demons or Buddhas both for salvation.
“High in the divine palace, enfeoff the three origin water officials, shepherd heaven and patrol guards, or ensure one area’s fine weather and good harvests, or protect Four Seas Ferry with abundant fish and shrimp.
Even raising towering waves, turning fields to seas, punishing all heretics, letting the world spread the divine name of Water Origin Great Emperor… all can make incense!”
The more Chen Shun’an envisioned, the more his heart surged.
Moreover, this was only regarding the status of ‘Profound Dao Water Origin’.
Water Origin Great Emperor in trinity, with ‘Universe’ and ‘Control Life and Death’ two more.
“Watch the universe change, control yin and yang life and death, He is the origin nurturing life, also the end of all things perishing, one thought Water Origin for heaven’s heart, path of divinity vast, filling past and present… after all, the river of time is also a river, under my Water Origin Great Emperor’s domain!”
At this moment, Chen Shun’an seemed to transform into the Water Origin Great Emperor with complete divine status, his face hidden in endless moonlight glow, impossible to glimpse.
Only those eyes, brilliant as exploding stars, pierced boundless ages to see the future shore.
Then, Chen Shun’an took out his pipe, took a hard puff, smoke swirling to interrupt his soaring thoughts.
Just consider it an old man briefly youthful and wild.
Now, time to add points.
【Invest all wish into Grass Talisman】
【Grass Talisman（20/100）】
【Grass Head God divinity further awakens】
【When Grass Talisman progress over half, invest 5 points divine power to select next divine aspect】
【Wish: 9】
The next moment, faint divine glow like moonlight flowed over Chen Shun’an’s body surface, making his skin shine brilliantly, only a vague human silhouette, no facial features visible, appearing extremely mysterious.
The divine glow quickly retracted and vanished.
But Chen Shun’an keenly sensed some indescribable changes on himself.
Similar to each previous Grass Talisman progress increase and divinity awakening.
But more pronounced.
Like a river dam holding water, accumulated for years then gate opened, forming qualitative change.
“Every 20 points Grass Talisman increase is a small milestone?”
Enlightenment rose in Chen Shun’an’s heart, then he walked to the water vat in the courtyard.
The golden scaled perch maintained the grass carp illusion, its body motionless in the water, gill covers opening and closing slower, big eyes staring, seemingly asleep.
The golden scaled perch sensed Chen Shun’an approaching but stayed still, no reaction.
Deep into the night, time to sleep!
And Chen Shun’an looking at this grass carp, said,
“Change back.”
