Chapter 76: [Supreme Forgetting Emotion?]

Hu Tiangou drank himself into a stupor and spilled everything he knew about Chen Yan—though none of it was truly secret or important.

Still, Secretary Yan felt this trip had been worthwhile.

After finishing the drink, he sent the drunken Hu Tiangou off, his eyes sharp and clear—how could a young pup like Hu Tiangou possibly match the drinking stamina and table tactics of a seasoned veteran like him?

Recalling Hu Tiangou’s words, he pulled out a small notebook he carried with him and quickly jotted down a summary.

An hour later, Boss Fang sat in his office, listening to Secretary Yan’s report while studying the notes on the paper.

“...That’s basically all I heard, Boss. According to Hu Shangke, Xiao Chen Laoshi is quite easy to get along with.”

Boss Fang rubbed his eyebrows.

“Lustful? Likes money?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Boss Fang shook his head and smiled: “That’s normal. Who the hell doesn’t like money?”

And as for men—how many don’t like beautiful women?”

Especially young guys with strong appetites—who doesn’t want a girl?”

As he spoke, Boss Fang picked up a pen and crossed out the four characters “lustful and money-loving” on the paper.

“That guy Hu doesn’t know shit. Likes reading a few comics and that makes him lustful? Likes watching a few borderline videos and that makes him lustful?”

With Xiao Chen Laoshi’s abilities, if he really were lustful, he’d already be living in luxury and debauchery.”

Every man’s got a few terabytes of hard drive teachers on his computer.”

Boss Fang dismissed it and continued: “Everyone likes money, but Xiao Chen Laoshi loves it the right way. When Luo Qing paid compensation, I offered him half—he refused outright.”

Someone like that likes money, but isn’t greedy.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Secretary Yan immediately nodded. “Besides, the other points Hu Shangke mentioned are worth paying attention to.”

“For example, Xiao Chen Laoshi is very loyal to friends—he never breaks a promise. That shows he has principles and boundaries.”

“Good!” Boss Fang nodded seriously. “People without principles can be bought and used—but so can anyone else. Only those with principles can be true friends.”

After sending Secretary Yan out, Boss Fang kept staring at the paper.

“Hmm, likes big boobs and long legs... I like those too.” Boss Fang stroked his chin and sighed: “Too bad I don’t have a daughter or sister with big boobs and long legs.”

Then again—

With my looks and physique, if I really had a beautiful daughter with big boobs and long legs, my head might turn a different color!”

If it were my own sister, then my father’s hair color would be the problem!”

Boss Fang had a clear-eyed assessment of his own looks and physique.

With my wealth, I could easily buy a beautiful woman with big boobs and long legs and deliver her to Xiao Chen Laoshi’s doorstep—no challenge at all.

But Boss Fang, well-versed in the ways of the world, knew well: the more capable someone is, the less likely they are to accept favors easily.

If the relationship isn’t solid, they won’t even accept your gifts.

Besides, he already has a stunningly beautiful young girl at home.”

...Wait, that’s right.

Last time I visited, his sister was exactly the type—big boobs, long legs.”

·

Chen Yan lay around at home for three days—not truly idle, just suddenly relaxed.

Originally, after getting the secret manual, he’d planned to train hard and become a top master.

Now, with his Nascent Soul cultivation blocked and his ceiling sealed, even if he trained himself to death, he’d still be stuck in the [Common Cultivator] tier.

The transcendent realms—Ascension, Sainthood—were utterly out of reach. This dampened Chen Yan’s enthusiasm for cultivation.

But he was the type who took things lightly; after three days of slacking, he regained his focus.

The finish line is short? Doesn’t matter.

Short has its advantages...

If the ceiling is low, then with effort, he’d reach the top quickly.

Finish early, then lie down and rest.

Besides... staying forever in the Common Cultivator tier isn’t so bad.

The Domains aren’t a great place anyway—and he had no desire to go there.

Besides, even if he stayed in this world, he could never reach the Heavenly Human realm—the Dao here forbade it.

So really... it makes little difference.

He’d just be slightly weaker in Nascent Soul than the top Common Cultivators.

And I’m not the type who hunts monsters and steals treasures. Besides, this world has no real masters.

Take that woman Chu Keqing—same Return-to-Origin realm as me, and even weaker. Yet she’s called a regional expert, known far and wide as [Purple Old Man].

If I reach the next level, the Platform Ascension realm, I’d be able to walk this world with impunity.”

After three days of slacking, Chen Yan resumed training with renewed vigor.

But his main focus shifted to Gu Qingyi’s [Finger Sword] technique.

It was simple, practical, and deadly—perfect for the offensive power he needed right now.

Truthfully, what Chen Yan really coveted was Gu Qingyi’s dazzling [Formless Severing Slash]!

He’d tentatively asked Gu Qingyi, hinting at his desire to learn it.

Gu Qingyi fell silent for a moment, then said slowly: “I wouldn’t mind teaching you—but you couldn’t master it.”

“Why?”

“I only perfected the Formless Severing Slash on the Prison Platform—cultivated through killing, nourished by killing aura.” Gu Qingyi asked: “How many lives have you taken?”

Chen Yan whispered: “When Grandma was still alive, I killed two chickens in the countryside. And recently... I finished off that Mountain Demon.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Gu Qingyi said nothing, only tilted her head and looked at him calmly: “Stop wasting your thoughts on nonsense.”

Then she walked away slowly.

Chen Yan opened his mouth... I’ve been looked down on by this woman!

·

“Pfft. Gu family’s Formless Severing Slash is barely top-tier—powerful, but too dangerous, never reaching supreme rank. That little Gu girl thinks it’s peerless. Youthful ignorance.”

On the second-floor windowsill of the neighboring villa, the old man lounged in his chair, legs crossed, one ear tuned to the quiet conversation between man and woman across the way.

With his cultivation and perception, a hundred meters was nothing.

He sat up, sipped tea from the pot beside him, then reclined again, eyes half-closed in thought.

The Gu girl has talent, but her Formless Severing Slash carries too much killing aura. The Gu family’s entire method is already too extreme.

She entered the Dao through killing intent—this is a shortcut. Keep going, and in a few years, that killing intent will crystallize into a heart demon—she’ll either lose her cultivation, or die.

Unless... she cultivates [Supreme Forgetting Emotion]!

Forgetting emotion to sever the heart demon and dissipate killing intent—that’s one path.

But those who cultivate Supreme Forgetting Emotion are all madmen. Who else would willingly turn themselves into cold, lifeless stone?”

·

Lu Sisi sat at her desk, holding a copy of Dazai Osamu’s *No Longer Human*.

She hadn’t really read much—she’d once loved this book.

It wasn’t that she particularly admired the Japanese author; back then, her own life felt bleak and hopeless, and Dazai’s cold, detached tone toward humanity gave her a strange sense of resonance.

Dazai died by suicide in his thirties, having attempted it multiple times in his life—this self-destructive, life-weary streak matched Lu Sisi’s old mindset.

But now... holding the book, she couldn’t get into it anymore.

Lu Sisi sighed, returned the book to the shelf, and picked up her phone to check WeChat.

These past few days, she’d occasionally exchanged idle chatter with Chen Yan on WeChat—meaningless small talk.

Scrolling through the messages, a faint smile lingered on her lips.

The content was truly dull.

But... she remembered reading somewhere: falling in love is like this.

Even if you see two cats fighting on the street, you want to excitedly tell your partner about it—that’s what falling in love looks like.

As the girl’s thoughts drifted aimlessly, her door suddenly opened.

Her father, Yang Jiaming, walked in.

Yang Jiaming was from Hong Kong, and his name fit that region’s conventions.

Lu Sisi’s father had several brothers named Jiajin, Jiaye, Jiawei...

Hmm—if she’d been allowed into the family genealogy, she’d be a Yang too.

According to the Yang family genealogy, Lu Sisi belonged to the Hui generation—if she’d been included, her name would’ve been something like Yang Huixin.

But now, Lu Sisi liked her name fine and didn’t want to change it.

“Sisi, doing homework?” Yang Jiaming sat beside his daughter, his tone mild but not affectionate.

“Reading a novel,” Lu Sisi shook her head. “It’s vacation—I’m not studying.”

“I haven’t asked about your grades this semester—any failed courses needing retakes?”

“No, I passed everything,” Lu Sisi answered carefully.

Yang Jiaming was slightly surprised, paused, then said: “Good. No failures means you worked hard this semester.”

I’ve always worked hard... the girl sighed inwardly.

Father was clearly making small talk; he pulled a small pendant from his pocket: “A few days ago, your mother and I took your younger brother on a trip, and at a temple, your mother got this talisman for you—it’s meant to keep you safe.”

Lu Sisi hummed in acknowledgment, nodded, and took it, but didn’t wear it—she just held it in her hand.

Looking at his daughter’s clear, lovely face, now filled with distance and unfamiliarity, Yang Jiaming sighed.

He wasn’t truly biased toward sons; having a son didn’t mean he loved his daughter any less.

When she was first born, he had been overjoyed, as if he’d found a priceless treasure, and he had cherished her as his dearest jewel.

But later…

His daughter suffered constant illnesses and misfortunes, and worse—anyone who drew close to her was dragged into inexplicable calamities.

Not only his wife, but even he himself had been in two car accidents—both times, his daughter had been in the car.

Add to that the fortune-teller’s verdict from Hong Kong, combined with the actual events of those years, and Yang Jiaming and his wife grew increasingly fearful, slowly pulling away from their daughter.

After their younger son was born, the distance grew even greater.

Between them, there was an unspoken fear: that their daughter’s misfortune might drag down their younger son, so they even kept the boy from getting close to his elder sister.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Yang Jiaming said softly. “During the Spring Festival, we’re going to Hong Kong…”

“Mm, I understand. I’ll stay home quietly and cause no trouble,” Lu Sisi replied softly, nodding.

“...Good, you’re always the most well-behaved.” Yang Jiaming reached out, as if to stroke his daughter’s hair—but his hand hovered in midair, then dropped without touching her. Without expression, he turned and left the room.

After her father left, Lu Sisi sat silently at the desk for a while—though she felt a pang inside, it wasn’t as sharp as she might have expected.

Over the years, she’d grown used to her family’s distance.

Especially since she came of age, every year her parents took her brother to Hong Kong for the New Year, leaving her alone at home.

In past years, this might have left her quietly heartbroken—but this year, her feelings felt subtly different.

Lu Sisi sat quietly for a moment, then slowly pulled out her phone and sent a WeChat message to Chen Yan.

“Will you be in Jin Ling during the Spring Festival?”

Moments later, Chen Yan replied: “I’m going back to my hometown for the holiday.”

Lu Sisi’s eyes dimmed slightly; this disappointment felt even stronger than when her father had told her she’d be left alone in Jin Ling for the New Year.

But then, Chen Yan suddenly sent another message.

“If you’re bored staying in Jin Ling, you can come with me to the countryside for a few days. It’s lively there during the New Year.”

The girl’s eyes lit up instantly!

With a spark of joy in her gaze, she jumped up and opened her wardrobe, carefully examining her clothes.

If I go to his hometown for the New Year, I’ll meet his relatives—what should I wear?

Hmm, this one looks too childish… this one’s too dull in color, not lively enough… oh no, this outfit’s style is way too old…

·

【Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve! Wishing you all a Happy New Year and a joyful, harmonious festival!】

【Reminder: Updates will continue normally during the Spring Festival.】

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