SFS Chapter 24 Request
Chapter 24 Request
At noon, in the market town of Xiaojianshan.
The streets were bustling with people, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares, bargaining, and monks chatting mingled together, creating a long-lost sense of everyday life.
As Chen Bai walked on the stone-paved South Street, he felt the sun shining outside for the first time in three months, and his whole body felt relaxed and refreshed.
He first went to the corner at the end of South Street, where Wei Bo usually set up his stall to sell talismans.
Today, a stranger dressed in black was squatting in that spot. A coarse cloth was spread on the ground, with some scattered pieces of monster bones on it. Business didn't seem to be doing very well, and he was picking at his nails out of boredom.
Wei Bo is not here.
Chen Bai didn't care and turned to walk towards the center of the market.
He had a hearty meal at a restaurant called "Baiweilou".
After taking the fasting pills for three months, my mouth felt so bland it tasted like birds.
A dish of smoked pheasant meat, a bowl of jade marrow rice, and a pot of bland sake cost a total of three spirit shells.
The pheasant meat was sliced as thin as paper, smoked until fragrant, and melted in the mouth; the jade marrow spirit rice was crystal clear, with a faint sweetness when chewed.
Chen Bai ate slowly, listening to the idle chatter of the rogue cultivators at the next table as he ate.
"Have you heard? There's another beast tide in Qixiang City over in the Ten Directions Mountains. The Spirit Sword Sect has even sent their true disciples to help."
"Didn't Little Sword Mountain just experience a beast tide? Why is there another one?"
"That's right. I heard that a Foundation Establishment level demon has appeared this time, and both sects have lost several true disciples."
Upon hearing this, Chen Bai's heart stirred slightly.
Seven Fragrance City.
This is the territory of the Shaotang Kingdom, adjacent to the Shifang Mountain Range. There is also another small immortal sect there—Sanfeng Daoist Temple. Unlike other immortal sects, it is said that when it recruits disciples, it does not accept men, but only women.
He finished the remaining wine in his cup in one gulp, paid the bill, and left Baiweilou.
It was already afternoon when we returned to Mingzhenfang.
After three months of absence, a thin layer of dust had settled outside the wooden house.
Chen Bai pushed open the wooden door. The room was fairly tidy—it seemed that fat Wei Bo did indeed come to look after things often. On the table was a note, under three spirit stones, with a few lines of writing crookedly on it:
"Brother Bai, the Qi Gathering Talismans are all sold out. We got twelve spirit stones in total. I only took two as a delivery fee, and I'll leave the remaining ten here for you."
There are too many people waiting to buy talismans. If you don't come out of seclusion soon, I'll have to raise the price.
Wei Bo respectfully submits this.
Chen Bai smiled and put the spirit stones and the note into his storage bag.
He lay down on the bed, intending to rest for a while before going to the market to see if he could find some useful fragments of magical artifacts.
I had just closed my eyes when I heard a series of hurried footsteps outside.
"Bang!"
The wooden door was pushed open and slammed against the wall with a dull thud.
Wei Bo's fair, round face was covered in sweat, and the hem of his Taoist robe was covered in dust, making him look like he had run a long way.
He leaned against the doorframe, catching his breath, and before he could catch his breath, he hurriedly said, "Brother Bai! You're finally out of seclusion! I've been waiting for you at the market gate for almost two days!"
Chen Bai sat up abruptly, calmly putting away his storage bag, and asked, "How did you know I was leaving seclusion today?"
"How should I know!"
Wei Bo wiped his sweat and plopped down on the stool in front of the table. "I squat at the entrance of the cave every day."
I waited half a day yesterday, and half a day today. Just now, when I went to Baiwei Restaurant, the manager told me you were coming this way, so I followed you here.
Chen Bai raised an eyebrow slightly.
Although Wei Bo usually has a playful and joking demeanor, he is not an impatient person.
Something must have happened for him to be squatting at the entrance of the cave every day.
"What's wrong?" Chen Bai asked. "Did something go wrong with the talisman?"
"no."
Wei Bo shook his head, picked up the teapot on the table to pour himself a drink, but found it was empty, so he put it down dejectedly. "It's...it's me who needs your help."
"Speak."
Wei Bo took a deep breath, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his round face that Chen Bai had never seen before.
He gritted his teeth and whispered, "I want to beg you to save the Qi family mother and daughter."
Chen Bai's expression remained unchanged: "Xue Zhen contacted them?"
"Um."
Wei Bo said, "Two days ago, Xue Zhen's two lackeys blocked them in the alley outside."
I thought something bad was going to happen, but for some reason they just stood guard outside and didn't make a move.
"The message from Madam Qi is that Xue Zhen has been giving them instructions every day these past few days, muttering things like 'Senior Brother Wang' and 'True Disciple.' She didn't quite understand them, but she remembered those few words."
"A true disciple?"
Chen Bai repeated the word, then frowned.
Although the Spirit Sword Sect is only a minor immortal sect, the disciples who can be listed as "True Disciples" in the sect are at least at the Innate Realm or above.
If this matter involves innate cultivators, it is beyond his control.
Wei Bo saw his concerns and quickly said, "I don't ask you to deal with Xue Zhen. His early stage of the embryonic breathing realm is not something we can confront head-on."
"I just need you to hold off those two lackeys, Xue Pan and Xue Shan, for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. I'll take the opportunity to go in and bring the Qi family mother and daughter out, then take them to my uncle's house in Ruoshui Town to hide."
After he finished speaking, he added, "Xue Zhen just went there today, and he won't go again until tomorrow evening. Today is the perfect time to make our move."
Chen Bai looked at him without saying anything.
Wei Bo felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, and a blush gradually spread across his round face, even turning his neck a liver color.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.
"Why are you getting involved in this?" Chen Bai asked.
Wei Bo remained silent for a long while before speaking directly:
I like her.
The sound wasn't loud, but it was very clear.
Chen Bai didn't speak, but simply raised an eyebrow.
"Madam Qi, she..." Wei Bo raised his head, and a serious look appeared on his usually playful round face. "She doesn't look down on me."
I've been working in this market for three years, and even my father says I'm useless. But she cooks porridge for me, mends my clothes, and even says I..."
He paused, then lowered his voice: "They even said I was born with a festive appearance."
Chen Bai's lips twitched slightly after hearing this.
festive.
This certainly sounds like the kind of evaluation Wei Bo would receive.
He stood up, straightened the cuffs of his Taoist robe, and said in a calm tone, "Xue Pan and Xue Shan are two different people; they appear to be ordinary martial artists."
I lack experience in direct confrontation and cannot guarantee complete success.
"Enough! Enough!"
Wei Bo's eyes lit up, and he jumped up from the stool. "I saw that you were light and agile just now, and your aura was deep and profound. You are much stronger than before you went into seclusion."
Brother Bai, your dantian must be full of qi by now, right?
Chen Bai nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Wei Bo's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he grabbed his sleeve and pulled him outside: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go, let's go, while it's still early!"
……