Chapter 3148: My Wife and I Roleplay Daily Life 33

Green Bamboo lowered its head, thought for a moment, then looked at Jin Chen again, as if making a difficult decision. Then it gritted its teeth and opened the box towards Jin Chen.

At the moment the box opened, specks of spiritual light floated out from within, like fireflies, gently dancing in the air. Those specks of spiritual light emitted an extremely pure and massive fluctuation of Spiritual Power; to a cultivator, each speck was an opportunity that could be encountered but not sought.

One could even say that the power contained in these specks of spiritual light was greater than the portion inherited by Shen Guiyan.

Therefore, Chenshu did not immediately stop it.

Those specks of spiritual light, as if attracted by something, flew toward Jin Chen one after another and entered his spiritual abode. Jin Chen's pupils widened slightly for a moment, then he instinctively sensed his Nascent Soul, which had been filled by this sudden surge of Spiritual Power to the point of nearly breaking through to the mid-stage.

But at the same time, Green Bamboo's body began to slowly dissipate.

Its form became increasingly transparent, starting from the feet, turning bit by bit into tiny specks of light that drifted away with the wind.

But Green Bamboo's expression was not fear or sorrow, but relief.

It looked eagerly at Jin Chen, "Remember! If you encounter the Demon Emperor's manifestation, ask my benefactor…… whether the affection back then was genuine, why he didn't come to keep the appointment, and whether that token is still kept. If you obtain the answer, bring that token back here. My benefactor left a lingering thought before his ascension, just to wait for the Demon Emperor's answer."

That doesn't sound too difficult to accomplish. Jin Chen then asked, "What if not?"

"Then don't come back." Green Bamboo's voice began to waver, its form growing fainter, "You will surely exterminate or reseal the Demon Emperor, and then my benefactor's lingering thought will also dissipate."

With those words, Green Bamboo fulfilled its mission; the last trace of its form dissipated within Zhu Lin.

A gust of wind blew past, the bamboo leaves rustling, as if seeing it off.

Zhu Lin returned to silence; Shen Guiyan bent down, picked up the wooden box, closed its lid, and placed it into his storage ring.

The opening of the secret realm was about to enter its final stage.

When the secret realm opened on the seventh day, the three great inheritances had already found their owners; Shen Guiyan took one, Northern Border Young Lord Situ Ming received the second, and Wonderful Dharma Sect's chief disciple Ling Long took the third. The three agreed on a meeting place according to the secret realm's customary rules.

Situ Ming was a tall young man with a square face, his whole body wrapped in the Northern Border's distinctive biting chill. Ling Long was a slender woman with gentle brows and eyes; the handle of her whisk was inlaid with extremely fine runes, indicating at a glance that her cultivation was not low.

The three groups exchanged greetings, shared their names and origins, and each explained the general direction of their inheritance.

Situ Ming glanced at the number of people from the Carefree Immortal Sect over there and, still being polite, said, "Since we all have received the inheritance, we must have sensed it as well; this secret realm is probably not only meant to give cultivators opportunities, but also left a backup plan waiting for us."

Ling Long nodded, "The Dharma scroll I brought back contains a passage that matches the approximate location of the Demon Emperor's previous manifestation. After the secret realm ends, I intend to visit the Carefree Immortal Sect to discuss the sealing matter with everyone."

Shen Guiyan replied, "The Carefree Immortal Sect stands ready at any time."

But within the Carefree Immortal Sect there were more urgent matters.

From the day Chenshu emerged from the Cold Pool, he had been counting the days. Jin Chen's spiritual abode contained the wood spirit and the inheritance power forced in by Green Bamboo; the former was fine, having already refined over half through three days of dual cultivation, but the latter had just entered his body, still lingering in his spiritual abode without fully merging with his Nascent Soul.

Such a condition is fine for cultivators whose spiritual abode is stable, but if they encounter an environment with violent external Spiritual Power fluctuations, the two could clash. The secret realm's spiritual energy is chaotic, its restrictions and formation patterns far denser than outside, really unsuitable for quiet refinement.

Chenshu's plan was to return as soon as possible; once back in the Carefree Immortal Sect, he would find a place with abundant and tranquil spiritual energy, letting Jin Chen slowly fuse the two powers.

According to the secret realm's original opening schedule, the days weren't too tight. But for some unknown reason, on the day that should have been the last for sending everyone out via a light formation, the secret realm did not deploy the light array to transmit the cultivators out, as if the secret realm had postponed its closing by a few days on its own.

Naturally, some were happy and some were worried.

The happy ones were cultivators who hadn't yet reaped enough benefits; the worried ones were those eager to leave as soon as possible.

Time is running out.

The burning sensation inside Jin Chen's Nascent Soul gradually intensified, that inheritance power beginning to stir uncontrollably. Chenshu took out the stone bed of the small cold pool inside the cave cliff, letting Jin Chen sit and refine upon it; the stone bed's proximity to the cold pool could somewhat alleviate the heat on the surface of his Nascent Soul.

Jin Chen sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and regulated his breath. Chenshu retreated to the cave entrance to guard him, while Shen Guiyan and several senior martial brothers and sisters arrived one after another outside the cave cliff, each taking a position to surround the entrance, never leaving it.

About half an hour later, the cave interior suddenly transmitted chaotic Spiritual Power fluctuations.

"It's… it's a sign of qi deviation!" Su Wan Zhao shouted, "Not good!"

Everyone's expressions changed; they rushed in and saw Jin Chen already collapsed on the stone bed, his face pallid, fine cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Chenshu stepped forward two paces, supporting him into his embrace, one hand probing his dantian as Spiritual Power slowly entered his Nascent Soul. After a moment, his expression turned grave and stern, his brows tightly knotted; the two forces pressed into a cramped space, neither yielding, stirring the surface of his Nascent Soul into unstable Spiritual Power, yet the overall meridians suffered no damage, nor the hidden injury of qi deviation.

Ling Long, who entered the cave afterward, stepped out from behind the crowd; as the chief disciple of the Wonderful Dharma Sect, she had seen many symptoms of qi deviation, "I have studied the signs of qi deviation quite thoroughly; let me take a look."

She squatted down, her palm hovering above Jin Chen's brow for a moment before withdrawing, pondering for a few breaths, "What has happened to Fellow Cultivator Jin Chen recently?"

Chenshu gave a brief explanation; Ling Long nodded, "No serious problem."

"It's just…" Ling Long hesitated, seeming to consider how to phrase it.

"Perhaps he will lose consciousness for a period until all his Spiritual Power is refined by his Nascent Soul. During that time… Fellow Cultivator Jin Chen might return to simplicity and authenticity."

"Return to simplicity and authenticity… what does that mean?" Qian Duoduo did not understand.

Ling Long explained, "His habits will become closest to how he was in his youth, before he began cultivation."

"Bad." Ye Xiao Man sucked in a breath of cold air, "Will Chen'er not end up becoming your rival again?"

Chenshu didn't respond, pulling Jin Chen closer into his embrace, lowering his eyes to gently smooth his furrowed brow; he already had the plan to forcefully tear open this secret realm.

Fortunately, after just half an hour, Jin Chen gradually woke up on the stone bed.

Jin Chen opened his eyes, his gaze somewhat dazed as he scanned his surroundings; at the cave cliff entrance, everyone stood tense, daring neither to draw too close nor to speak and disturb him, simply watching him from the mouth of the cave.

Jin Chen slowly sat up, his gaze sweeping over each person's face; his beautiful peach-blossom eyes held a timidity never seen before, like the eyes of a mountain fawn described in storybooks—clear and naive, tinged with vigilance and unease, as if he were both curious about and afraid of this world.

Everyone: "!!!"

Heart-stopping blow!

Everyone present was struck by that gaze for an instant, leaving them afraid to even breathe as they looked at Jin Chen, who in turn looked at each of them and then elsewhere, as if searching for something.

Jin Chen slowly fixed his gaze on Chenshu's face.

"Jin Chen?" Chenshu tentatively called out.

After a few breaths, Jin Chen just stared at Chenshu, unwavering, neither approaching nor speaking; the faint timidity in his eyes gradually gave way to a hint of grievance.

Chenshu understood, walking over; Jin Chen rose from the stone bed, leaned forward, wrapped his arms around Chenshu's waist and pressed himself into his embrace, holding tightly, his face buried in the crook of the shoulder, a picture of complete reliance.

"Master."

Chenshu's pupils contracted sharply; "Return to simplicity and authenticity… he's returned a bit too far back, hasn't he?"

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, not understanding. Ye Xiao Man ventured, "Hey, Chen'er, are you missing your Master?"

Jin Chen furrowed his brows, lifted his head to glance at Ye Xiao Man, then at Chenshu, seeming not to quite understand what she was saying.

Chenshu's Adam's apple rolled as he reached out to stroke Jin Chen's occiput, speaking softly, "It's Senior Brother."