Free Web NovelChapter 143: Chapter 143: Not a Vegetable, Huh?
The two Golden Core Ancestors gathered the Foundation Establishment Elders for a secret discussion, then departed in a great hurry.
The Foundation Establishment Elders who remained each gathered their disciples, sorted them by Sect, and then promptly took them away as well.
Qin Muxian led the disciples from their sect, and Zong Ziqi naturally returned to the Sect with them.
Before leaving, he asked Jiang Xu if he wanted to return with them.
Jiang Xu had originally planned to go back with them.
But then he thought of the "World’s Number One Talisman" shop, so he declined.
And so, after saying his goodbyes to Ding Shiping, Shan Lanlan, and the others, Jiang Xu parted ways with them.
...
「Back at the Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace.」
By now, it was already evening. Jiang Xu returned to the inn and slept soundly for a full day.
It wasn’t until the evening of the next day that Jiang Xu slowly woke up.
During the trip to the Secret Realm, which had lasted less than a month, Jiang Xu hadn’t gotten a single day of good sleep.
He only ever dozed lightly, never daring to relax too much, lest he relax himself into nonexistence.
Now that he was out, of course he had to get some proper rest.
’Elder Demon Su has been dealt with, the Ancestors know about the Demons, and it’s been confirmed that the only thing in the Secret Realm is an ancient seal. Things should finally be safe now, right?’
It seemed Elder Demon Su’s plot had been foiled, and the seal wouldn’t be broken after all.
And after the two Ancestors informed the other Golden Core Cultivators, security around the Secret Realm would surely be tightened. The Demon Dao would likely never have another opportunity like this to access the Secret Realm.
Jiang Xu mused, ’Doesn’t that mean the Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace is now secure?’
’So what’s the point of going back to the Sect!’
’It’s safe here, I can earn Spirit Stones, and most importantly, I’m free. Why on earth would I go back?’
The more Jiang Xu thought about it, the more sense it made. His desire to return to the Sect faded.
’My little shop has been closed for so many days, people have probably forgotten about it. What kind of special offer should I run to attract customers?’
Jiang Xu opened his door and started walking toward the "World’s Number One Talisman" shop.
...
"You’re back?"
After Jiang Xu opened the door, a voice suddenly reached his ears.
He looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was the old man who had always been like a person in a vegetative state—no, it was Elder Li.
Jiang Xu was stunned.
’Hasn’t he been in a vegetative state all this time? How can he talk?’
But then Jiang Xu recalled that when he first arrived, he vaguely remembered Elder Li speaking a couple of sentences to him.
Now, after he’d been away for nearly a month, Elder Li had spoken another sentence.
’Hm?’
’Could it be that he only speaks if enough time passes? If I came every day, would he stay silent?’
’If that’s the case, doesn’t it mean that Elder Li isn’t actually in a vegetative state or mute and unable to speak?’
’He just doesn’t *want* to.’
’In fact, Elder Li probably sees everything that happens. He’s just too lazy to react!’
HISS—!
Jiang Xu broke out in a cold sweat.
Although Jiang Xu had always upheld the fine virtue of respecting the old and cherishing the young and hadn’t been particularly disrespectful to Elder Li...
...when he first came to the shop, he had, during his spare time while making repairs, gotten bored and "studied" Elder Li a bit.
He’d pinched his nose, squeezed his cheeks, fiddled with his eyebrows, and poked his eyes. He’d even checked his pulse several times just to confirm if Elder Li was still alive.
’Oh, sweet mother of mine!’
Jiang Xu quickly rushed forward, bowing apologetically. He immediately started pounding Elder Li’s back, kneading his shoulders, and tapping his arms and legs, fawning over him obsequiously.
"Aiya, Elder! You must be tired from sitting here for so long, revered sir. Here, here, let me help you stretch your muscles and joints so you don’t get stiff!"
After bustling about for a good while, Jiang Xu said nonchalantly:
"Um, well, as long as you’re all right, that’s what matters. I was so worried before! If you’d just said something, none of this would have happened!"
After waiting for a moment, Elder Li gave no reaction, just as before.
Only then did Jiang Xu carefully return Elder Li to his original position.
Afterwards, Jiang Xu began to tidy up the shop—sweeping away dust, inspecting the Talismans, restocking merchandise, and so on.
As he organized, Jiang Xu’s mind raced with thoughts about Elder Li.
’A former genius, now a vegetable. What on earth happened in between?’
Jiang Xu recalled what Yu Wenfeng had said before.
’The Cloud Seal Celestial Book can’t enter the mind, forgotten as soon as it’s seen? Hmm, sounds just like me in school. I’d forget things as soon as I saw them, too. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have ended up working on a construction site.’
At this thought, Jiang Xu felt a strange sense of kinship with Elder Li.
Turning his head, Jiang Xu secretly sized up Elder Li from head to toe.
’The Cloud Seal Celestial Book is a type of writing, and writing needs a medium like a book or paper to be recorded on. If Elder Li left to study the Cloud Seal Celestial Book, he must have a book or something similar with it written down.’
But just now, while he was massaging Elder Li, he had secretly searched and hadn’t found anything like a Storage Bag on him.
’If it’s not on Elder Li’s person, then...’
Jiang Xu suddenly thought of something.
Why had Elder Li never left this little shop?
He didn’t eat or drink, didn’t move, showed no reaction whatsoever, and simply stayed inside this shop.
Then...
In this shop...
could there be...
Jiang Xu shivered, then glanced guiltily at Elder Li. Seeing that the elder wasn’t looking his way, he relaxed.
He scanned the small shop, his eyes sweeping over every inch of the place.
Under the guise of tidying up, Jiang Xu began to search every corner of the shop.
He suspected that a book containing the Cloud Seal Celestial Book had to be hidden somewhere in the shop.
Since Elder Li couldn’t memorize the Cloud Seal Celestial Book, if his purpose for leaving the Sect was to find a way to remember it...
...then he would have to carry the book with him to check at any time whether he had made any progress.
And now, Elder Li never left the shop.
There were two possible reasons.
The first was that Elder Li had lost all hope, picked a random place, and was preparing to live out the rest of his days in a state of feigned death.
The second was that he had found a way to memorize the Cloud Seal Celestial Book, but this method only worked inside the shop, or the method itself was located within the shop.
In any case, Jiang Xu had nothing better to do right now. There was no harm in trying to find it.
Jiang Xu searched the shop from evening until late morning the next day.
He found nothing at all.
’How can this be? There’s nothing in this shop but Talismans. I’ve checked for hidden compartments, looked for mechanisms, and turned everything upside down. How can I not find a single book? Could it be I guessed wrong? That Elder Li doesn’t need a written copy of the Cloud Seal Celestial Book to test himself?’
