Chapter 68: [Damage Control]

Chen Yan left the restaurant. His first few steps were unhurried, but once he reached the street corner, he suddenly broke into a sprint, even activating the Escape-Character Art, and in the blink of an eye he had vanished from this street.

A rule of the jianghu: play it cool, then run.

Besides, he had to run…

Chen Yan's Decree·Immobilization Art was something he had only just begun to learn after his recent surge in strength. Facing Purple Elder, whose cultivation was on par with his own, he wasn't even confident he could hold her in place for long.

If he didn't run, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep up the bluff.

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On the way, Chen Yan gave Fang Fang Zong a call, briefly asking about the situation with this "Purple Elder."

Fang Fang Zong was very surprised that Purple Elder had actually sought out Chen Yan, and he swore up and down repeatedly that he had absolutely not leaked any information about Little Chen the Master.

Chen Yan didn't pay that any mind, only pressing carefully for details about Purple Elder. Fang Fang Zong held nothing back either, telling him everything he knew.

After hearing it all, Chen Yan couldn't help but frown, thinking it over.

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According to Fang Fang Zong, this woman called Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing was already a top-tier expert in the mystic arts around Jin Ling Prefecture, with a very big reputation.

But… Chen Yan replayed the exchange he'd just had with this woman.

Especially the moment he used Decree·Break-Character Art to shatter her talisman force, then used Immobilize-Character Art to pin her in place.

This woman had reacted as if she'd seen a ghost.

It wasn't just the kind of reaction of 【being locked down by the opponent's spell, unable to move, very dangerous】.

Casting spells… is it really that hard for the cultivators of this world?

From this woman's meaning, casting spells directly without talismans — was this ability something that shattered her basic understanding?

This woman Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing had cultivation on par with his own, was quite famous around Jin Ling Prefecture, and was even the sect master of some Cloud Sect.

Yet she couldn't even cast spells, only talisman arts. In other words, she hadn't reached the realm of "acting without external aids."

This was clearly a problem: her cultivation didn't match her skill set.

But Chen Yan himself, shortly after first stepping into cultivation and before reaching the Return-to-Origin Realm, could already cast spells. Yet this Purple Elder couldn't.

It wasn't just the matter of spellcasting.

There was also the Qi-Reading Art! This woman's Qi-Reading Art was incomplete even compared to the version passed down by the old grandma he'd learned from.

When Chen Yan used Qi-Reading Art on Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing, he could tell her cultivation was about the same as his own.

But this woman couldn't read the depth of his cultivation at all.

It seemed Gu Qingyi was right — the cultivation inheritance of this world really was far too crude, with many things incomplete.

"This… is actually good. It should be enough to scare her."

Chen Yan's heart settled.

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Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing stood by the table in the restaurant for a full ten-plus seconds before her body suddenly went slack, and as if drained of all strength, she stumbled two steps backward and dropped into a chair.

It wasn't that her strength had vanished — it was that the shock in her heart churned like towering waves.

Her feelings at this moment were complicated: alarm, fear, and even a trace of an excitement she couldn't quite name.

Spellcasting!

This senior could actually cast spells out of thin air, without any external aid!

In all the people she'd met in her life, including her own late teacher, none had ever managed this.

After thinking for a few seconds, the woman's gaze hardened.

Luo Qing deserves to die!

To think he'd offended such a master? A master like this — Cloud Sect, from her own teacher's generation onward, had spent a lifetime seeking such an opportunity without finding one! And now they'd finally encountered one, but Luo Qing had gone and offended him?

Fortunately, the other party didn't seem to want to pursue it further — after teaching Luo Qing a lesson, he didn't seem to intend to do anything else.

But… that wasn't enough!

She, Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing, had been able to carve out the reputation of 【Purple Elder】 around Jin Ling Prefecture — her guests were all learned scholars, no unlettered folk ever crossed her threshold — and beyond her exquisitely skilled talisman arts, she was naturally an extremely shrewd person, never lacking in methods or brains.

Having met such a master, was she really going to be satisfied with just the other party not pursuing the matter?

"If there's a grievance, settle it. If there's a rift, smooth it over!"

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Chen Yan hadn't actually finished his meal — of the four dishes and one soup, he'd barely touched a few chopsticks' worth, and barely had two bites of rice.

After walking two streets, he wandered into a ramen shop and had a bowl of noodles.

After this encounter with Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing, Chen Yan gave up on the idea of going to find Lu Sisi for an afternoon date — he wasn't in the mood.

So he'd just obediently be a dutiful son.

After finishing his noodles, he went to the wood shop and picked up the custom-made spirit tablet.

Taking the tablet, he saw that, as requested, a vertical line of characters had been carved into it: 【Spirit Tablet of Chen Jue, Seventeenth Generation Eldest Son of the Chen Clan】.

Chen Yan examined it closely. The craftsmanship was quite refined — it seemed the shop's claim that their masters did everything by hand and it was absolutely not machine-carved was probably true.

He paid the balance happily, and the wood shop thoughtfully threw in a piece of yellow satin, wrapping the tablet and putting it in a bag for Chen Yan to carry off.

Reaching the intersection, he saw a vendor pushing a cart selling roasted sweet potatoes.

Chen Yan's mouth watered at the sight, so he stopped and bought a few. He peeled one open, eating it as he hailed a car by the roadside, and put the rest into the bag.

Returning to the villa complex, just as he reached his front door, Chen Yan saw that in front of the neighboring villa's gate in the distance, another moving company's truck had parked.

But this time, furniture was being unloaded from the truck and carried into the villa.

"They just moved out yesterday, and someone's already moving in today?"

Chen Yan was a little curious — were the houses in this complex really selling that well? Weren't people saying the real estate market was in a slump?

But it was only a passing curiosity. Chen Yan glanced over a couple more times, then turned and went back into his own home.

Stepping through the courtyard gate, he saw Gu Qingyi's familiar figure, still leaning back in her chair as usual, sunbathing in the garden.

Gu Xiaoniang squinted her eyes, looking as though she were dozing, but the moment Chen Yan pushed open the courtyard gate, she opened her eyes and glanced over.

"Back so soon?"

"Mm." Chen Yan answered casually, walked over, and tossed a sack of roasted sweet potatoes into Gu Qingyi's lap, instructing offhandedly: "Just out of the oven. The outside doesn't feel hot when you touch it, but the inside definitely is, so be careful when you eat."

Gu Qingyi took it with wide eyes, pulled out one sweet potato, looked it over twice in her hand, then gently broke it open.

Golden-red flesh, with a sweet, fragrant aroma drifting up.

Gu Qingyi couldn't help swallowing, took a bite, and her eyes lit up.

She leaned back in her chair and ate one sweet potato in one go, then stood up, smiling as she carried the bag inside.

Chen Yan was standing beside a wall cabinet in the living room, examining something.

"What are you looking at?"

"Finding a place for my father's memorial tablet." Chen Yan sighed, patted the tablet wrapped in yellow silk in his hand: "The ghost marriage is still several days away, the tablet needs to be enshrined, right? Can't just toss it into some random drawer."

"Fair enough. Although Chen Jue's reputation is notorious, he is still your father after all." Gu Qingyi nodded seriously.

Chen Yan rolled his eyes at Gu Qingyi: "The way you put it, is he my father, or your husband?"

A section of this wall had originally been hollowed out to make a wall cabinet shelf, with a few decorative pieces displayed on it.

Chen Yan and Gu Qingyi cleared the shelf out, made room, and placed Chen Jue's memorial tablet squarely in the center.

"Isn't it missing an incense burner?" Chen Yan looked it over and asked casually.

Gu Qingyi glared: "You're asking me?"

"Well, I haven't lost a husband either."

Gu Qingyi refused to take that lying down: "I haven't lost a father either!"

A twenty-two-year-old dutiful son and a twenty-one-year-old legitimate mother, the two glared at each other.

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"Chu!"

After Fang Fang Zong got through on the phone, the moment the other side picked up, he said coldly, brimming with anger: "Is this how you do things? So clueless?"

On the other end of the line, Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing was silent for a moment, then said slowly: "Fang Fang Zong, the matter isn't—"

"Don't waste my time! Before, I sold you face and didn't plan to pursue the matter, but it's your side that doesn't play by the rules!

I hired the expert to act, so what! If you have a problem, come at me!

I've been in Jin Ling for so many years, spent so much money!

I'm not made of clay either! If you really want to do something, let's lay our cards on the table and have it out! See if I, surnamed Fang, am afraid of you!

Why did you go find Chen Chen Laoshi? Come at me! It was I who asked Chen Chen Laoshi to do it!"

Fang Fang Zong's anger surged, and his words lost all politeness. Earlier he still respectfully addressed her as "Elder Zi," now it was straight to "Chu" — that kind of address.

On the other end of the line, Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing didn't get angry either. She quietly waited for Fang Fang Zong to finish his tirade, and only after he was done did she speak in a calm tone, slowly: "Fang Fang Zong, the fault lies with my side. Give me two hours. In two hours, I'll come to apologize in person."

After saying that, the woman hung up the phone.

Fang Fang Zong was stunned.

Come apologize in person?

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When Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing said two hours, she meant it.

Fang Fang Zong watched the clock. About an hour and fifty minutes after he made the call, Assistant Yan knocked and entered from outside the office.

"Boss, um... Elder Zi is here, she wants to see you."

Fang Fang Zong frowned, snorted darkly: "Show her in."

This time, Fang Fang Zong didn't stand up. He just leaned back in his executive chair, body tilted slightly upward, watching Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing walk in from outside the door.

This woman... her mood seemed a bit off?

Fang Fang Zong was no fool either. At first glance, he could tell something was off.

Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing on ordinary days gave off a still-waters-run-deep feeling — looked composed, calm and serene.

But today, the moment she walked in, there was a trace of agitation between her brows; the whole person just seemed a bit ungrounded.

Although she was trying hard to restrain it, it was like someone who had just missed their train — that un-peacefulness in the eyes couldn't be hidden.

After entering, Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing didn't put on any airs either. She walked straight to Fang Fang Zong's desk, took out a bank cashier's check from her bag, and gently placed it on his desk.

"Fang Fang Zong, I've already gotten to the bottom of the matter. It was Luo Qing who went back on his word and played dirty, who didn't play by the rules.

I've brought the money. Compared to the figure we discussed last time, I've doubled it.

A small token of my regard. I ask that my lord not bear grudges against a petty person. All the fault lies with me, Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing, for failing to discipline my people, for not keeping my senior brother in line."

After speaking, Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing stepped back, bowed slightly, and actually gave Fang Fang Zong a shallow bow.

Fang Fang Zong: "..."

This woman... what on earth has happened to her?

To back down and go soft so easily?

No, wait!

In this stretch of Jin Ling, the name "Elder Zi" carried some weight too! She had dealings with plenty of the powerful and wealthy, and with all her mystic arts, when had anyone ever seen her so pliant?

Then it must be...

She went to find Chen Chen Laoshi today, so...

Fang Fang Zong's mind worked fast, and he quickly arrived at a guess: she must have hit a wall at Chen Chen Laoshi's place!

However, the other party's pliancy disrupted the momentum Fang Fang Zong had been trying to muster for a confrontation, and his emotions suddenly lost their thread.

He swallowed down his smoldering anger, then said glumly: "Luo Qing offended me, and it was I who hired the expert to deal with Luo Qing. If you want to fight, you should be coming after me, Fang Mou."

"A thousand wrongs, ten thousand wrongs, it's all me, Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing, acting without clarity." Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing shook her head, not offering a single word of rebuttal, and said straightforwardly: "Paying compensation, apologizing — I, Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing, will not so much as frown. If President Fang is still not satisfied, name a path, and I, Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing, will do my best to carry it out."

Hmm… looking at this woman, she sure took a beating over at Chen Chen Laoshi's place!

President Fang's eyes darted quickly, and he shook his head, saying: "The matter between you and me ends here. You paying compensation and apologizing on Luo Qing's behalf is already an answer to me.

But that fellow Luo Qing — how did you handle him?"

Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing slowly fished her phone out of her bag, opened the photo album, and placed it in front of President Fang.

President Fang took one look, and his face immediately changed in shock.

On the phone screen was a photograph.

In the photograph, Luo Qing was lying on the ground, his expression twisted in agony — both his legs were bent at unnatural angles!

"Luo Qing's legs are broken. He cost you, President Fang, one broken leg; I gave him two."

Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing's tone was calm: "I broke them with my own hands, just before I came."

This woman is ruthless enough… President Fang raised an eyebrow.

What else is there to say?

Apologized, paid compensation, and broke his legs.

She's done everything that could be done. To press further would mean going for Luo Qing's life, wouldn't it?

But that really isn't necessary.

"This incident, and today's matter, are all our fault." Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing's tone softened slightly as she said slowly: "I ask President Fang to be magnanimous.

Besides, please, President Fang, say a few kind words on my behalf to Senior Chen — just say that I, Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing, acted rashly, and now only wish to do my best to make amends…"

Seeing Chu Seeing Chu Keqing sighed, then shook her head and said: "President Fang, that's all I have to say. I'll take my leave."

This woman paid no heed to President Fang's stunned expression, turned on her heel, and left.

She went straight out of President Fang's company, came downstairs, and got into a car.

The one driving was her female assistant, who turned her head and said softly: "Elder Zi, where are we headed now?"

"The three people who beat up Luo Qing back then — they run an internet cafe, right? Go there!"

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【Dear readers, stop always saying it's too short.

The public version updates twice a day, adding up to seven or eight thousand characters — that's not short.

What author goes on a posting spree on the public version? The platform won't allow it either.】

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