Chapter 540: The Last Chance to Catch Up to Big Sister

Just at this moment, Zhang Jianzhu arrived by riding her sword.

"What are you all doing?"

"Playing chess."

"All gathered around this?"

"Go."

"So that's it." Zhang Jianzhu stood among the crowd, eyeing the two of them, "How do you play this thing again? I'll play a couple of rounds too."

"..."

Chen Shu thought for a moment upon hearing this and had an idea, but still said: "You're not very good at it, are you? Although your intelligence seems to have improved a bit recently, you lack patience. I'm afraid that as you play, you'll pull out your sword. We are playing chess, you are playing sword."

"You're the one playing sword!" Zhang Suannai pointed at them, "I am the Sword Master now, on the same level as your elders. You should show me some respect!"

"Oh, that's not what I meant..."

"Who says I have no patience? I have plenty of patience. We Sword Sect Disciples practice the sword for a lifetime; our whole bodies are made of patience!"

"Then come on!"

Chen Shu vacated the seat.

"Good!"

Zhang Suannai sat down instantly; it was still warm.

"Since you are both beginners, as an expert, it would be too much of a bully to play against Brother Wuming," Chen Shu said cheerfully, "Then I will explain the rules of Go one more time, guide you through a game, and then you can practice against each other."

"Come, come, come!"

Zhang Suannai was full of fighting spirit.

That morning, the nameless person received two sword strikes due to improper chess play.

Some onlookers, not understanding the principle that "a true gentleman does not speak while watching chess," saw the Group Leader, Wu Eiwei, Yan Keling, and Dharma Master Tongdeng each receive a sword strike; the rest, having only complained about the nameless person, did not receive any strikes and left unscathed.

Lunch was Yuer Chicken again.

This time it was pickled vegetable and bamboo shoot Yuer Chicken, leaning more towards a clear broth, fresh and appetizing, a different flavor profile from yesterday's red oil Yuer Chicken.

In the afternoon, Zhang Jianzhu took everyone around the mountain, took her little sisters for a few laps on their swords, and after dinner, everyone prepared to leave.

Of course, dinner was still Yuer Chicken.

This time it was a drier, spicy Yuer Chicken.

Little Master Xuanzhen smacked her lips while eating, and was still wanting more as she walked out of the dining hall.

"Will the tourist restaurants on the mountain also sell Yuer Chicken in the future?"

"Yes, our scenic area management department and the restaurant chefs have already come up with a sales plan, charging based on different soup bases, Mini Pots, and large, medium, or small pots. At the same time, you can add meat and vegetables, or order side dishes to boil, to charge," Zhang Jianzhu explained, "From now on, this will be the greatest specialty of our Sword Sect."

"I feel sorry for Brother Tongdeng, who cannot taste the deliciousness of Yuer Chicken."

"Amitabha..."

"I say, you might as well stay for two more days before leaving. Our chefs have developed a new Yuer Chicken flavor that even Chen Shu hasn't made before."

"Next time, next time. It's close anyway, it doesn't even take ten minutes to fly here," Little Master Xuanzhen waved her hand, "The main thing is that tomorrow the Eagle Clan of the Eastern Continent Demon Kingdom is coming to our Yuan'an Temple for a friendly visit to discuss the Dao, and I have to go receive them."

"The Eagle Clan?"

"The same clan as Senior Sister Jin," Little Master Xuanzhen paused, looking a bit scared as she said, "It seems Senior Sister Jin is coming too."

"Then you're in trouble."

"I hope she doesn't speak ill of me in front of my fellow disciples, uncles, and aunts."

"Don't worry, she definitely will."

"..."

Little Master Xuanzhen shook her head repeatedly and let out a long sigh.

The Group Leader looked at Chen Shu and his group: "Then how are you leaving? Do you have a flying car in your Storage Artifact, or will you carry them while flying?"

"I'll put them inside my Crystal."

"Is that the Storage Artifact with the very stable space?"

"Yes."

"Then you might as well put them in too," Zhang Suannai said from the side, "You fly faster than them anyway, let them catch a free ride."

"It won't fit. A Ninth Stage can hold at most three or four; any more and it will affect the stability of the space," Chen Shu paused, "Besides, we aren't going back to Yujing. We need to go back to Bai City and will come back in a few days, so it's not on the way."

"Oh!"

"Let's go, let's go..."

Everyone waved their hands, said their goodbyes casually, and stepped off the cliff one by one, flying towards the distant clouds.

The Ninth Stage is just great. The three-thousand-kilometer distance from Jianzhou to Yuanzhou is only a ten-minute journey. Chen Shu even felt that he didn't need to ask for leave for Taozi; he could pick her up and drop her off for school in Yujing every day.

When Chen Shu and the others arrived, Wei Lvshi was watching the news in the living room, and the smell of takeout still lingered in the house.

"Morning, Wei Lvshi."

"Oh! The hero has returned in triumph!"

"Why the sarcasm..."

"How would I dare to be sarcastic to you? You are so powerful now, everyone has to flatter you, right?"

"Your cultivation has grown again, Wei Lvshi."

Chen Shu ignored her attitude and remained smiling.

Regarding Wei Lvshi's psychological issues, he had adopted a multi-layered strategy—

First, on the first day he returned, after leaving Chen Banxia, he had already brought a few people back once.

At the time, the news had not yet reported on the Plane War, and Wei Lvshi did not know either, only assuming he had finally finished his cultivation in the Mijing and returned. Although angry, she only made a few small, sarcastic remarks, and Chen Shu quickly coaxed them into being happy.

At the same time, he had Chen Banxia prepare Wei Lvshi psychologically.

No sooner had they left than the news reported it.

Wei Lvshi was both frightened and angry, but could only vent her skills on Feixin, where their power was reduced by eighty percent; Chen Shu ignored them, copied and pasted a few kind words, and the power was reduced directly to zero, roughly equivalent to Wei Lvshi never having unleashed her technique.

Then he had Chen Banxia say a few nice words to share the fire...

Finally, waiting until Wei Lvshi had finished her internal buffering, he would return himself, acting as if nothing had happened.

As it stands, the strategy could be called perfect.

Chen Shu still had one backup plan...

He simply pulled the little cat-girl beside him over and pushed her toward Wei Lvshi.

Taozi, looking like a miniature version of Xiaoxiao, had a serious face; she raised her head and stared straight at Wei Lvshi, but said softly, "Auntie~ don't be angry anymore. Chen Shu did it to protect us, and he knows he was wrong."

A tail was wagging back and forth behind her.

"Oh, Taozi is so well-behaved!"

Wei Lvshi's heart was about to melt; she hurriedly pulled Taozi over and picked up a bag of dried fish from the table: "Auntie bought these especially for you..."

"Thank you, Auntie~"

Taozi felt a bit uncomfortable; she raised her eyes to sneak a glance at her master, then a glance at Chen Shu, and feeling the sacred mission upon her, she endured it and obediently acted as a little cutie by Wei Lvshi's side.

At this moment, the television news happened to move to the next item:

"Yesterday, the Sword Sect held a low-key inauguration ceremony for the new Sword Master, keeping everything simple. The new Sword Master is Zhang Suannai, who participated in the Plane War. It is reported that Zhang Jianzhu was the closed-door disciple of the old Sword Master and has possessed outstanding talent since childhood..."

The news included a photo of the inauguration ceremony, which looked like it had been found from some attendee; it was likely that someone had posted it on their Feixin feed.

Wei Lvshi was stunned for a moment, turned to look at them, but pointed at the television:

"This, Suannai, is she..."

"That's the one."

"She... became the Sword Master?"

"Can't imagine it? But actually, if you were familiar with the style of the Sword Sect, you wouldn't find it strange," Chen Shu said. "I wouldn't even be surprised if their sect called a dog to be the Sword Master."

"Then when are you going to be the Sect Master of the Spirit Sect?" Wei Lvshi squinted at him, her tone very interesting.

"..."

Here we go again.

Chen Shu gave Taozi a wink.

"Auntie~"

Taozi held up an orange: "I peeled an orange for you... Achoo!"

She gave a tiny sneeze.

Then she rubbed her little nose, not liking the smell of the orange.

"Oh, thank you, Taozi!"

Wei Lvshi was immediately all smiles again.

Chen Banxia, watching from the side, was delighted and secretly gave her younger brother a thumbs up—

Managing parents, it really has to be you.

"You know, right?" Wei Lvshi said while eating the orange Taozi had peeled, her mood also improving, "That Talent Academy you two attended, they've been beating drums and gongs every day recently, and have been reported by the surrounding residents for disturbing the peace."

"And then?"

Chen Shu sat down and played with Taozi's hair.

"They're still beating drums and gongs now, and it's useless even when the police go; reporters have even shown up, and the moment they open their mouths, they face the camera and say: Chen Shu and Ning Qing are from our school." Wei Lvshi spoke as if telling a joke, especially the last sentence, which she imitated vividly, her tone also carrying a hint of pride.

Upon realizing this, she paused, then calmly tucked that pride away and glared at Chen Shu again.

The changes in this person's expression were quite interesting.

Chen Shu saw it clearly, but did not show it.

"What are your plans for the future?"

"Waiting to take over as Sect Master of the Spirit Sect," Chen Shu answered honestly, "and possibly going to Yujing Academy or Ling'an Academy to be a teacher."

"You're going to be a teacher?"

"Just to pass the time."

"Don't mislead your students."

"How could I..."

"Just use your own judgment."

"You got it."

Chen Shu continued to chat with Wei Lvshi. With Taozi Daren, the favorite by Wei Lvshi's side, putting in a good word, Wei Lvshi's emotions were basically stable. She even asked Chen Shu about many things not mentioned in the news, clearly also having some curiosity and concern.

During this process, Chen Jiaoshou remained deep in thought; Chen Shu guessed he was probably thinking about listed companies related to the Sword Sect, wanting to get some inside information.

Slowly, the night grew deeper.

Wei Lvshi and Chen Jiaoshou finished their showers and went to sleep, and Chen Banxia also returned to her room to organize her lesson plans. Chen Shu, Qingqing, and Taozi strolled on the street outside.

"Brother-in-law..."

"What's wrong?"

"Um..."

The little girl turned her head to look at Chen Shu, hesitating: "I heard you guys say yesterday that after you become gods, you're going to cultivate new geniuses to become gods..."

"You heard that from so far away?"

"Yes."

"She learned the Wind-Following Ear," Ning Qing said from the side.

"..." The little girl was silent.

"Impressive, impressive," Chen Shu praised.

"Is it true?" the little girl asked again.

"Probably."

Chen Shu calculated—

There are twenty geniuses with marks in this generation, plus Qingqing, who has no mark but is better than those who do, making a total of twenty-one. There are eighteen available sources of origin currently being assimilated by this Plane. It seems like a deficit of three, but in reality, there are far more than three gods who, like the Sword God, are too ancient and about to exit the stage; the surplus sources of origin also need to find successors.

"Me, me, me!"

The little girl immediately raised her hand, her eyes full of fighting spirit.

This was the last chance to catch up to her sister.

"Me, me, me~"

The little cat-girl also raised her hand.

What a little mimic.

Chen Shu smiled and patted their heads one by one.