Shen Mo and Chen Mengze's sudden disappearance had worried Chen An greatly, even affecting his progress in opening his Spirit Sea!
Now that the two had returned safely, Chen An was naturally in high spirits. He drank quite a bit and spoke at length.
Perhaps knowing that his cultivation was no longer high enough to offer them much guidance, he did not discuss cultivation much. Instead, he spoke of the glorious, turbulent years of the past...
He spoke of how he had once fled with the newborn Chen Mengze in his arms, escaping the pursuit of cultivators from the Liu and Wu Families; how, at Shen Mo's father's urging, he had joined the River-Facing Sect; how he had struggled through both the Inner and Outer Sects to earn the position of an Outer Sect deacon; and how he had hunted demonic beasts in the Linjiang Mountain Range, painstakingly earning cultivation resources!
Beyond that, he recounted many foolish and amusing things Shen Mo and Chen Mengze had done in their childhood, only collapsing drunkenly onto the stone table once he had drunk his fill.
After helping Chen An into the house and settling him down, Shen Mo invited Chen Mengze for a walk to discuss her plans for breaking through to the late Origin Core Realm!
Cloud and mist rose beneath their feet, and the two strolled leisurely through every corner of the Mountain and River Domain.
The Mountain and River Domain of today was already utterly different from the Mountain and River Realm of more than a century ago. Because the grotto-heaven lay within the Immortal Realm, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had grown countless times denser. Its scenery and local produce also far surpassed those of old.
The moonlight was perfect.
A gentle breeze drifted over them,