bookbashuk Chapter 373 Settling In
Chapter 373 Settling In
Taking a deep breath, Chen Anran put aside these distracting thoughts. He reached out and gently placed his hand on Xiao Ling'er's head, somewhat awkwardly rubbing her soft hair.
"They will come back," Chen Anran said. "We came here to find them."
Xiao Ling'er raised her tear-filled face and looked at Chen Anran.
"Really?"
"Really." Chen Anran nodded. "So you need to eat well, sleep well, and practice your skills diligently. They'll be happy when they come back and see that you've grown taller and more capable."
Xiao Ling'er sniffed hard, wiped her face haphazardly with the back of her hand, and hugged the rabbit in her arms even tighter, but stopped crying. She looked at Chen Anran, a faint hope rekindling in her eyes: "Then... then Junior Uncle, when are we going to find them?"
"Soon." Chen Anran withdrew her hand. "But we need to make some preparations first. This place is different from before. It's big and chaotic outside. We need to settle down in this new home first and get a foothold before we can go out to find them without any worries."
He stood up, walked to the display shelf, and picked up the small incense burner. The burner was cool to the touch, carved with simple cloud patterns, and still contained a very faint aftertaste of the calming incense blended by Su Wan.
"This incense burner," Chen Anran said, "when your senior sister gave it to you, didn't she say that if you were feeling troubled, you should light an incense stick and sit quietly for a while?"
Xiao Ling'er nodded: "Master said that fragrance can calm the mind, and it can also... can also convey thoughts of longing to people far away."
It was a very childish statement, but Su Wan said it seriously, and Xiao Ling'er always believed it.
"Then light one." Chen Anran placed the incense burner back in her hand. "Tell them what you want to say. Tell them we're here, and ask them... to wait for us."
Xiao Ling'er held the incense burner, lowered her head, and looked at the warm luster on the burner. After a long while, she softly hummed in agreement.
Chen Anran gave Xiaoling a few more instructions, then asked Zhao Mengmeng to stay with her before turning around and leaving the room.
Back in the square, before Chen Anran could even stand up straight, she was surrounded by a crowd.
Feng Wenzheng and Jiang Yan stood at the front, followed by several important elders and core disciples from both families. Even Daoist Tianbao came over with his hands in his pockets.
"Young friend Chen," Feng Wenzheng said, bowing first, his tone earnest, "Now that we have arrived in this realm, we are deeply grateful for your hospitality and for sharing our journey with us. However, each family has its own traditions, and disciples also need a place for quiet cultivation and training. It is probably not a good idea for us to stay in your sect's guest rooms and side halls for too long, and it may also cause obstacles."
Jiang Yan nodded in agreement, his smile unchanged on his chubby face, but his words were equally sincere: "That's exactly right. Fellow Daoist Chen, the resort down the mountain has complete buildings and a spacious layout. We've discussed selecting a suitable area there, making some minor modifications, to serve as a temporary place for each family to stay and operate. This would alleviate the pressure on your sect to accommodate everyone, and also allow each family to settle down and establish themselves in this realm as soon as possible."
Master Tianbao stroked his beard and added, "Besides, if we spread out, there will be less noise. Our mountain and the houses below have already attracted enough attention by appearing out of nowhere. If hundreds of people are crowding in one place every day, the mixed spiritual energy fluctuations will attract unnecessary prying eyes."
Behind them, the members of the Feng and Jiang families, as well as the people from Maoshan and the Miscellaneous Affairs Department, etc., did not speak, but the meaning in their eyes was very clear - everyone hoped to have a small world of their own where they could relax and manage.
Chen Anran's gaze swept over the crowd, his expression calm, showing no surprise. This was entirely within his expectations. The Cloud Hidden Sect's mountain gate was the core, the "eye of the formation," and the last bastion; it was impossible for outsiders to reside there long-term. The modern buildings at the resort at the foot of the mountain, after adapting to the ancient environment, would actually be excellent initial bases.
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He hesitated for a moment, then looked at Fatty Li, who had been waiting beside him.
"Fatty."
"I'm here, Master!" Fatty Li immediately straightened his back.
"You and Zhao Mengmeng are most familiar with the layout of the resorts down the mountain, but Mengmeng can't come right now. So you'll need to communicate with each resort about their needs, delineate the areas, and clearly define the boundaries."
Fatty Li listened attentively and nodded repeatedly, "Understood! Don't worry, Master, leave this to me! I guarantee I'll handle it perfectly!"
"Hmm." Chen Anran then looked at Feng Wenzheng, Jiang Yan, and the others, "After the areas are designated, each family can arrange their own manpower for reorganization."
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces showed relief.
"There's one more thing," Chen Anran continued, "After everyone has settled in, we need to send out some skilled and capable disciples to explore the detailed situation within a 30-kilometer radius of this mountain. The terrain, the distribution of villages, the direction of roads, the points of spiritual energy anomaly, and even the birds and beasts, herbs and minerals... everything, big or small, needs to be recorded. This matter is crucial to our future survival and expansion."
Feng Wenzheng solemnly replied, "That is only right! Exploring the outside world and gathering intelligence are the foundation of our survival. The Feng family will certainly send capable members to participate."
Jiang Yan also said, "The Jiang family is skilled in surveying and mapping, which will come in handy."
Master Tianbao chuckled: "This old Taoist may not be good at much else, but I do have some experience in identifying the earth's energy and detecting demonic auras. Count me in."
"We'll discuss the specifics of the allocation later." Chen Anran nodded. "Let's settle things down first."
Having received clear instructions, everyone felt reassured. After discussing a few more details, they dispersed, some returning to their guesthouses to pack, others following Fatty Li down the mountain to inspect the resort in person.
The square gradually returned to quiet.
Chen Anran stood alone for a moment, then turned his gaze down the mountain. There he saw Fatty Li's sturdy figure leading the way, leading a large group of people up the stone steps toward the resort, pointing and gesturing as if he were surveying the landscape.
………………
Meanwhile, deep in the shade of the mountain path.
Qi Lan carried the food box, her figure as nimble as a cat leaping and bounding across the stone steps. She didn't run at full speed, but instead kept a focused mind, keenly sensing the changes around her.
The spiritual energy in the air was rich and vibrant, yet it possessed a primal, untamed "wildness," quite unlike the thin and docile spiritual energy of the Dharma-ending Age. The scent of vegetation was even stronger, the soil was mixed with more humus, and the distant cries of birds and beasts sounded exceptionally clear and aggressive.
"Is this the world three thousand years ago?" Qi Lan's nostrils twitched slightly, and her amber vertical pupils slowly scanned the deep forest on both sides. "The spiritual energy is plentiful, but the taste... is like a pot of thick soup with the foam not skimmed off."
She moved with incredible speed, reaching the foot of the mountain in no time, and walked through the quiet, deserted main street of the resort. The modern buildings stood out starkly against the backdrop of the primeval forest, yet they also became the most reassuring signs of civilization at that moment.
The door to Miaoxianju remained tightly shut. Qi Lan stepped forward, and without knocking, pushed open the side door and slipped inside.
The room was dimly lit and quiet. Qi Lan went straight to the innermost secret room and pushed open the half-closed wooden door.
Lingdang remained curled up in the blanket in the corner. Hearing the noise, her ears twitched, but she didn't look up. The massive stone figure stood guard by the door, like a silent stone statue. When he saw Qi Lan, a smile forced onto his honest face.
Qi Lan placed the food box on the only small table in the room. "Eat."
She walked up to Lingdang, squatted down, and gently ruffled Lingdang's messy hair: "Get up, stop pretending to be dead. Chen Anran asked me to bring you food."