bookbashuk Chapter 218 When Cultivators Invade Children's Playground
Chapter 218 When Cultivators Invade Children's Playground
Chen Anran sighed and said apologetically to Zhang Nanshan and Daoist Tianbao, "I'm sorry to have made you two seniors laugh. I'll contact Jiang Yun and Asheng right away and ask them to adjust the facilities in the children's playground back to a mode suitable for ordinary tourists, especially children."
"Hey, no rush, no rush." Zhang Nanshan smiled and waved his fan. "Since you're here, why don't you go take a look? I've lived most of my life and I've never ridden a 'flying carousel' before."
Master Tianbao coughed lightly and adjusted his glasses: "Safety first, experience second. However... if there really is a protective array, observing an application of the emerging 'Mechanical Rune Fusion Technique' wouldn't be a problem."
Chen Anran could easily tell that the two were itching to go, so he could only smile helplessly and say, "Then please come with me to take a look, so that I can give Jiang Yun and the others some advice."
Lingdang got even more excited upon hearing this: "Yes, yes, yes! Old Zhang, Old Tianbao, you guys should try it! It's really awesome! Let me tell you, that swing—"
"Sister Lingdang!" Little Ling'er lifted her head from Chen Anran's arms, her eyes still red. "Don't say anymore..."
"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore." Lingdang quickly shut up, but still couldn't help winking at the two Taoist priests.
So the group left the hotel and headed towards the children's playground. Little Ling'er held Chen Anran's hand tightly, hiding beside him, clearly still shaken.
Before even reaching the amusement park, we could hear excited exclamations and laughter from afar—not the innocent voices of children, but the voices of a group of young people.
In the renovated children's playground, young disciples from Longhu Mountain and Maoshan Mountain had already "occupied" all the facilities.
The carousel was no longer its gentle, slow rotation; it was now carrying several young disciples on its seats, tumbling and spun rapidly before stopping abruptly. A faint silver rune aura swirled around the horse, clearly the work of Jiang Yun. Mo Han, seated on the carousel, was waving and shouting excitedly, while He Qingyun gripped the handrail tightly with a helpless expression, yet remained perfectly steady.
The little train was even more extravagant; the tracks had been modified into a combination of spiral ascents and rapid descents. A train carriage roared past, the wind it stirred up rustling the leaves on either side. Several Maoshan disciples sat on board, all looking excited and utterly fearless.
Over at the trampoline, a disciple was jumping very high, but when he landed, he was gently supported by a soft, transparent light barrier, which slowed his descent. Just as Lingdang had said, "there was a safety formation protecting him."
The swing area was even more lively, with two disciples competing to see who could swing the highest, their afterimages blurring and laughter filling the air.
Zhang Nanshan's eyes lit up, and he even forgot to wave his folding fan: "Goodness, these kids certainly know how to have fun."
Master Tianbao couldn't help but laugh: "It seems that young friend Jiang's transformation is very much to the liking of young cultivators."
Zhang Nanshan's folding fan had been closed at some point, and he was gently tapping it in his palm, his eyes sparkling with a childlike eagerness. He turned to Daoist Tianbao and chuckled, "Old friend, how about it? Shall we go... and experience the fun of youth?"
Master Tianbao pushed up his glasses. "Since we're here, why not experience it for ourselves instead of just observing?"
Zhang Nanshan and Daoist Tianbao exchanged a glance, their usually dignified and composed faces now showing a childlike eagerness. However, being leaders of their respective sects, they quickly regained their composure, though the glint in their eyes remained undisguised.
"Ahem," Zhang Nanshan cleared his throat, pointing his folding fan at the carousel that was spinning up and down, "Since it's to observe the art of fusion of mechanical runes, this old Taoist will... reluctantly experience it myself, so I can also judge whether this design is truly 'safety first'."
Master Tianbao took off his glasses and put them in his trouser pocket. "Since Brother Zhang is so kind, I will certainly accompany you."
Chen Anran found it amusing to see the two seniors trying to be serious but unable to hide their curiosity, but still gestured for them to enter.
Zhang Nanshan tucked his folding fan into his waistband, rolled up his sleeves, and strode towards the carousel. Daoist Tianbao followed closely behind, the two walking steadily, truly displaying an air of "dedication to scholarship."
After the carousel stopped, the young disciples quickly jumped down and respectfully bowed, saying, "Master."
"Excuse me, excuse me." Zhang Nanshan waved his hand, but his gaze was already fixed on the wooden horses with silver patterns flowing around them. He chose the tallest white horse, nimbly flipped it onto the horse, and his movements showed no signs of old age. Daoist Tianbao chose a blue-maned horse next to him, sat down gracefully, and even straightened his robes.
The carousel slowly started, initially rotating at a normal, steady pace. Zhang Nanshan, perched atop the white horse, even somewhat demurely stroked his beard, commenting, "Smooth start, stable rune activation; this Jiang family lad has a solid foundation..."
Before the words were even finished, the silver patterns flowing around the wooden horse suddenly lit up!
"Yoho—!"
The previously steady rotation suddenly accelerated, and the entire disc platform began to tilt and undulate. The white horse was not simply bouncing up and down, but leaping and swirling along a complex spatial arc, sometimes as if riding the wind, sometimes as if treading on waves. The surrounding scenery instantly turned into blurry blocks of color and flew backward, with strong centrifugal force and a feeling of weightlessness alternating.
Caught off guard, Zhang Nanshan was jolted backward, nearly biting his tongue. He quickly channeled a wisp of spiritual energy to steady himself, letting out a soft "Ouch!" But the light that flashed in his old eyes wasn't fear, but rather pure excitement. Far from being afraid, he mimicked the young man beside him, trying to loosen his grip on the handrail. Relying solely on the strength of his waist and legs and his spiritual energy to subtly adjust to the unpredictable trajectory, his white hair and robes fluttered wildly in the wind, and he let out a hearty laugh: "Interesting! Truly interesting! This centrifugal rune connection... marvelous!"
The same was true of the Taoist priest Tianbao standing next to him.
The two laughed loudly, having a great time, and were not at all like venerable sect leaders, but rather like playful old children who had discovered a new toy.
Chen Anran watched from below, shaking his head helplessly, yet unable to suppress a smile. Little Ling'er nervously gripped his hand, burying her face in his leg, only daring to peek upwards with one eye. Seeing her two grandfathers having so much fun, it didn't seem so scary anymore, though her little mouth remained pouting.
Immediately afterwards, Zhang Nanshan and Daoist Tianbao experienced almost all the facilities in the renovated children's playground.
While they and their two disciples were enjoying themselves, the area around the amusement park had become crowded with people.
Most of them were resort staff, with a few individual guests staying at the hot spring hotel. They had come out of curiosity after hearing the unusual cheers and wind, but were so stunned by the scene before them that they couldn't move.
"Th-what is that...?" An older woman carrying cleaning tools stared in disbelief.
"Is this how you ride a miniature train?" A young tourist, holding up his phone, originally intended to take pictures of the scenery, but the lens was firmly locked onto the "miniature train" whizzing along the spiral track. The young people on board, far from being afraid, were excitedly waving and shouting, "This speed...this gradient...is it safe?"
"Mommy, I want to play on that trampoline too!" A little boy tugged at his mother's clothes, pointing to the Maoshan disciple who jumped three stories high and was gently caught by the light screen.
"No, no, that's too high, it's terrifying!" The young mother shook her head repeatedly, but her face couldn't hide her curiosity. "Old Zhao and the others said this place... isn't it supposed to be all about quiet and health? How come it has something like this..."
A buzz of discussion arose, mixed with astonishment and bewilderment.
Yin Xiaohao, the bartender who believed in science, was also among the crowd. He had just finished preparing his midday cocktails when he was drawn in by the commotion outside.
When Yin Xiaohao saw this scene, his eyes widened. He stared intently at the trampoline and swing that defied the laws of physics, his lips moving silently as if he were reciting Newton's laws and the law of conservation of energy. His face gradually turned pale.
"...This isn't scientific." He finally murmured, his voice barely audible to himself. "Elastic potential energy conversion couldn't possibly reach that level... What about air resistance? And that light screen... a holographic projection? No, the haptic feedback is too realistic... Could there really be immortals in this world?"
The tourists nearby heard his muttering and looked over curiously. Yin Xiaohao, however, was completely oblivious, staring intently at the "unreasonable" facilities in the park, his worldview undergoing a silent shock.
Chen Anran noticed the crowd gathered on the periphery and saw Yin Xiaohao's distraught appearance. A thought flashed through his mind, and he knew that Jiang Yun and Asheng's "generous gesture" would probably cause some ripples among ordinary people.
Qi Lan and Shen Zui then walked over and came to Chen Anran's side.
Qi Lan looked languid, her amber-colored vertical pupils under the brim of her cat-ear hat sweeping over the noisy children's playground, then glancing at the pointing crowd on the outside, before yawning expressionlessly: "Tsk, making such a commotion."
Shen Zui stood beside her, his sullen expression deepening. "Master's gone wild again..."
Chen Anran looked at them: "Fellow Daoist Qi, Fellow Daoist Shen."
Qi Lan smiled slightly and said to Chen Anran, "I didn't expect our two new neighbors to have such a skill." After speaking, Qi Lan's gaze fell on Lingdang, who was having a great time at the amusement park. "Much better than some of our neighbors."
Chen Anran smiled without saying a word. If Jiang Yun and the others didn't have this skill, he wouldn't have invited them here. However, just like Qi Lan, he didn't expect that in addition to refining those small "cyber artifacts," Jiang Yun could also combine mechanical arts and rune arrays and apply them to the modification of such large facilities.
I wonder if they've done anything else in other parts of the resort.
Chen Anran decided to go find them later to get to the bottom of things, otherwise she couldn't stand the possibility of another "surprise" like this.
Not far away, Zhang Laoshi and his apprentices were also present, and they were equally dumbfounded.
One of his apprentices, still holding a measuring tape and blueprints, stared dumbfounded at the spinning carousel and the whistling little train, muttering, "Master...we were helping Boss Jiang and his team install...these things?"
Another apprentice swallowed hard, his voice dry: "The blueprints they gave us were really weird back then, saying we needed to reserve 'energy pattern slots' and 'array sensing points'... I thought it was some kind of new lighting effect..."
Zhang Laoshi himself had already pulled out his old-fashioned fountain pen, which he had used for over ten years, and was scribbling something rapidly in a crumpled notebook: "...This needs more money! No, how much more money do I need to pay to make up for the shock my worldview has suffered!"
Although Zhang Laoshi had long suspected that Chen Anran and his group on the mountain were extraordinary, and after learning the reason why General Manager Zhao and his group were investing and developing here, he had even greater respect for the people on the mountain. However, he only thought that they were people with real skills and never really thought of them as "immortals".
Zhang Laoshi's mood is now similar to Yin Xiaohao's.
As the sun set, Zhang Nanshan and Daoist Tianbao finally finished their fun. When they arrived at the amusement park entrance, both were radiant and full of energy, their eyes still brimming with lingering curiosity and amusement. They exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.
"The younger generation is truly formidable!" Zhang Nanshan took the folding fan handed to him by his disciple, unfolded it with a whoosh, and fanned himself vigorously a few times. "This set of things from the Jiang family lad may not be of much benefit to the cultivation of the Great Dao, but his ingenuity and the courage to integrate new things are truly interesting!"
Master Tianbao straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, nodded and smiled, "Indeed interesting. I just can't understand how the Jiang family could have produced such a young prodigy..." Before he could finish speaking, the two of them stopped talking at the same time, their gazes turning to the ordinary staff and tourists outside the amusement park who were pointing and discussing among themselves, and the relaxed smiles on their faces faded slightly.
Master Tianbao sighed softly, his voice lowered: "But such ingenuity would be too astonishing to ordinary people."
Zhang Nanshan slowed his fanning motion, looking at Yin Xiaohao in the crowd with a shattered worldview and Zhang Laoshi and his apprentice with expressions of shock and calculation, and shook his head: "The Jiang family boy was a bit careless in his actions. This resort is ultimately an open place; being too conspicuous is not a good thing."
Chen Anran, who had already led the now calmed-down Xiaoling over, replied, "What the two seniors say is absolutely right. Jiang Yun and Fellow Daoist Asheng are exceptionally skilled and ingenious, which is a good thing. However, when it comes to facilities open to the public, we really need to be careful. I will discuss with them later to adjust the model back to one suitable for ordinary tourists, or add a clearly defined 'special experience area' with warning signs."
"That's how it should be," Zhang Nanshan nodded. "But there's no need to be too harsh. It's good that young people have ideas; we can guide them gradually. I think their approach could be an excellent way to enrich the experience if used within the sect or in specific cultivation exchange activities."
This is where dreams begin, and where dreams come true.