Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 183 Cultivators Gather at Jiang Village

The leader was Jiang Yan, who was wearing a Zhongshan suit. He was quite obese, and wearing this suit reminded Chen Anran of a certain leader.

Behind Jiang Yan stood several members of the Jiang family, all dressed in plain clothes, with solemn expressions. However, Jiang Yun was not among them.

Jiang Yan, with her round belly, came forward to greet her, her Zhongshan suit stretched a little too tight.

"Oh dear, fellow Daoists, you've come from afar! You must be tired! The mountain path is difficult to walk on, please come in, please come in!"

His voice was loud and clear, with the straightforwardness and warmth characteristic of the Sichuan and Chongqing region. Several members of the Jiang family behind him bowed and greeted him.

Just as He Qingyun was about to step forward to introduce the two parties, Jiang Yan's eyes, which were squeezed into a narrow shape by his fat, lit up. His gaze swept over the crowd and landed precisely on Chen Anran.

"Oh my! Isn't this young friend Chen? I didn't expect you to be here! I was saying I'd visit your Yunyin Sect in a few days!" Before He Qingyun could speak, Jiang Yan rushed over to Chen Anran, his face beaming with an almost exaggeratedly enthusiastic smile. He stretched out both hands to shake Chen Anran's hands. "Since we parted at the Feng family, I still vividly remember your brilliance that day, and I admire you immensely!"

Jiang Yan's words drew sidelong glances from the other righteous cultivators and the Longhu Mountain disciples led by He Qingyun.

Many of those present at last year's Righteous Path Conference knew this "Fellow Daoist Chen" from the Cloud Hidden Sect. Their impression of the Cloud Hidden Sect was that it had a shallow foundation, was quiet and had few members, and that the sect leader and two disciples were like fairies.

Unexpectedly, the Yunyin Sect became on good terms with the Jiang family, a thousand-year-old family of cultivators. Moreover, judging from Elder Jiang Yan's appearance, he valued this Fellow Daoist Chen highly, and even showed some respect and flattery.

Chen Anran shook hands with Jiang Yan. "Elder Jiang, you're too kind. The Feng family's situation that day was the result of everyone's concerted efforts."

"Hey, don't be modest, don't be modest!" Jiang Yan waved his hands repeatedly, his round face trembling slightly.

He then turned to Su Wan and the others as if he had just noticed them, his smile undiminished: "This must be Sect Leader Su Wan, right? Truly a fairy-like beauty, with extraordinary bearing! Fellow Daoist Qi Lan and the two virtuous nephews from the Feng family are also here, as well as the Li family, the Han family... Not bad, not bad..."

Jiang Yan's greetings were thorough and considerate, though perhaps a little too smooth, but his enthusiasm was hard to dislike. He stepped aside to make way and gestured for them to enter: "Fellow Daoists, you must be tired from your journey. Please come in and rest! The meal is ready."

The group followed Jiang Yan into the villa. Passing through the gate, they found themselves in a typical antique garden layout, with pavilions, towers, bridges, and flowing water. Under the hazy glow of the magic array and the lanterns under the eaves, the garden exuded a unique tranquility and elegance.

"Our Jiang family's villa may not have much else, but it's quite spacious and the formation is still sturdy," Jiang Yan explained as he led the way. "After the earthquake, the earth's energy was very chaotic, but the estate itself was basically unaffected. Please feel free to settle in. If you need anything, just let us know!"

He led everyone to a spacious hall where two large round tables were set up, steaming hot and filled with various dishes, mainly Sichuan style, with red oil and soy sauce, and a fragrant aroma, but also accompanied by a few refreshing side dishes and soups.

"Don't be so formal, sit wherever you like!" Jiang Yan invited. "We're all family, don't be shy! Have something hot to eat first, to fill your stomach. Zhang Tianshi and the head of Maoshan will probably be here a while."

Everyone was indeed hungry and took their seats. Qi Lan seemed somewhat hesitant about the table full of bright red dishes, choosing only the lighter fare. Feng Lie glanced at the pot of boiled fish, his Adam's apple bobbing almost imperceptibly. Feng Changyuan remained gentle, serving food to everyone.

Jiang Yan sat down next to Chen Anran naturally and personally served him a large bowl of spicy Sichuan-style spicy blood curd: "Young friend Chen, try this. It's our chef's specialty, absolutely delicious!"

"Thank you, Elder Jiang." Chen Anran thanked him, took a bite, and found it spicy, savory and delicious. It seemed to have a faint trace of mild medicinal power mixed in, which showed that the Jiang family had put thought into their food.

During the meal, Jiang Yan couldn't stop talking once she started. She talked about everything from the Feng family's competition to the local customs and products of various places, and then she remarked on the strangeness of the earth dragon's surge.

"To be honest," Jiang Yan lowered his voice, his chubby face bulging with a serious expression, "something's not right about this. Our Jiang family has some knowledge of geomancy and mineral veins. The traces at the epicenter of this earthquake are very ancient, unlike what those shady methods could produce these days. And..."

He paused, his small eyes sweeping over the crowd, and his voice lowered even further: "The 'awakening' trace that Zhang Tianshi and the others discovered reminds me of a legend told by the elders of our clan..."

"What rumors?" Qi Lan put down her chopsticks, her amber vertical pupils fixed on Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan chuckled and put another piece of spicy chicken on Chen Anran's plate: "Oh dear, these are all old, outdated legends, don't take them seriously! Once Zhang Tianshi and the others arrive, they'll definitely have a conclusion. Eat, eat!"

He was clearly holding back, unwilling to say more before the person in charge arrived. The others didn't press him further, but a deeper layer of doubt clouded their hearts.

Halfway through the meal, footsteps could be heard outside the hall.

Zhang Nanshan's somewhat lazy yet reassuring voice rang out first: "Oh, it smells so good? Looks like we've come at the right time, we're lucky to get a free meal."

Zhang Nanshan and an elderly man with a slightly plump build, a kind smile, and dressed in a simple Taoist robe walked in side by side. It was none other than Master Tianbao, the head of the Maoshan sect. Both of them had their robes covered in dust and bits of grass, and their faces showed obvious fatigue, but their eyes were still clear and sharp.

Everyone in the hall immediately stood up to greet them.

"Master Zhang, the head of the Tianbao Sect."

"Sit down, everyone sit down. We don't need these formalities." Zhang Nanshan waved his hand and naturally walked to the main seat and sat down. Master Tianbao sat down next to him with a smile.

Jiang Yan quickly called for more bowls and chopsticks. Zhang Nanshan didn't stand on ceremony, picked up his chopsticks and ate a few mouthfuls of food, then sighed contentedly, "The warmth of home cooking is the most comforting thing."

He took a sip of tea before slowly speaking: "The situation is more complicated than expected."

The hall fell silent immediately.

"Brother Tianbao and I examined the core of the earthquake's epicenter," Zhang Nanshan said, putting down his chopsticks with a serious expression. "The remaining formations there are not simply destroying the earth's veins, but rather 'guiding' and 'awakening' something that is dormant deep underground. The methods are extremely ancient and sinister, at least several hundred years old, or even earlier. Moreover, there are fresh traces of blood sacrifice, not large in scale, but very 'refined,' the purpose of which is to strengthen this guidance."

Master Tianbao continued, "The cruel essence of that blood sacrifice is not small in its aim. Although we have temporarily stabilized the earth vein nodes and prevented that thing from being fully 'awakened,' the guidance has not been completely interrupted, but has become slower and more covert. If we don't find the person who set up the array and completely destroy the array's core, sooner or later there will be major chaos. What's even more troublesome is..."

He looked at Zhang Nanshan, who picked up the conversation with a wry smile: "What's even more troublesome is that the yin and turbid energy emanating from that 'thing' that was being guided has begun to corrupt the surrounding earth veins and living beings. The longer it drags on, the deeper the corruption becomes, the more difficult it is to cleanse, and the greater the harm to mortals. The situation in Qinglong Town is just the beginning."

Feng Changyuan frowned: "So, the most urgent task is to find the array's core and the evil cultivator who set it up?"

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