Chapter 53

Shan Heyuan's heart skipped a beat, instinctively sensing something was amiss. "What scene? Are you referring to the scene before I transmigrated?"

"No. It's a scene from the cultivation world, where you're the only person there," Shen Duheng said. "You've only been here a short time, and I already met you?"

Shan Heyuan: "To be precise, I met you in the first month after I woke up."

Shan Heyuan's expression also turned serious. "The people from the Supreme Harmony Sect told me that they found me in the valley. At that time, my meridians were blocked and full of impurities. Coupled with the language barrier and lack of common sense, they judged that I might have just transmigrated here."

Shen Duheng: "So you yourself aren't sure exactly when you transmigrated here?"

Shan Heyuan nodded. "I suspect I may have been in this world for some time now."

After so many things had happened, Shan Heyuan couldn't help but have his own guesses.

But the truth was shrouded in mystery, and he himself didn't know what the truth was.

Shan Heyuan thought for a moment, then added, "Many times, my luck is abnormally good. And when I fight other cultivators, my mindset isn't quite normal either."

He had never experienced real communal living and rarely heard ordinary monks' opinions of him, but he could sense that he often felt out of place.

Previously, he thought that feeling of being out of place was due to his identity as a time traveler.

Looking back now, things were probably not that simple.

Shen Duheng understood the implication of his words and said, "In that case, we're afraid we'll have to go back and investigate again."

"That's what I think too."

Chapter 53

Shan Heyuan and his team decided to investigate the past.

However, we cannot set off yet.

They are being monitored, and their every move is likely being watched by many people.

In order to clear their names, they must work normally for the time being.

Shan Heyuan went to work.

Having been absent from work for a long time, Jiang Zhi and Li Jian, along with their disciples, have been temporarily managing the Spirit Plant gardens for the two classes of Lan Zi Bing and Ding.

Fortunately, he had a good foundation from before.

Despite everyone's sporadic care, the Spirit Plant still grew very well.

The Spirit Plant survived, Shan Heyuan, grateful to Jiang Zhi and Li Jian, specially invited them out for drinks after work.

The two of them didn't stand on ceremony.

In the evening, the small tavern on the east street of the Sword Reverence Academy was bustling with people.

Tall, Spirit Artifact lamps adorned every corner of the tavern, like stars in the sky.

People were coming and going around, and most of them spoke with the accent of Sword Reverence City. The food on the table was also a specialty of Sword Reverence City.

Faced with this scene, Shan Heyuan felt a sense of relaxation, as if he had returned to a familiar environment.

They achieved a lot in Fu Province, but working non-stop was exhausting and they were under a lot of mental strain.

He's been afraid to sleep soundly at night lately, lest he say something inappropriate while talking in his sleep.

It's much better now that we're back in Sword Reverence City.

While you shouldn't drink to the point of losing your mind, it's okay to have a few more sips to relax.

As soon as the spirit wine was served, Shan Heyuan poured wine for the two of them, saying, "You've both worked so hard these past few days."

Jiang Zhi raised his glass, gesturing for everyone to clink glasses. "You've really worked hard. Brother Shan, let me tell you, you can't just treat us to one meal; you'll have to treat us to at least three."

Li Jian: "Let's have two more meals, making it five. Three meals to reward us for our hard work, and the other two to quell our jealousy."

Shan Heyuan didn't expect Li Jian to say that, and immediately laughed, "Please, please, besides, why do you have any reason to be jealous of me?"

"With your ability to advance as easily as eating and drinking, what's wrong with being jealous of you?" Jiang Zhi's eyes were full of envy as he looked him up and down. "I didn't expect that you would actually Core Formation just one month."

Shan Heyuan: "Well, it's all about accumulating knowledge and experience before unleashing it."

Jiang Zhi: "You 'accumulate strength before unleashing it' nonsense! How long have you even been cultivating?!"

Shan Heyuan knew that his cultivation speed was astonishingly fast, so he was too embarrassed to say anything more. He could only raise his wine cup and toast each of them as a way of begging for mercy.

Jiang Zhi downed a cup and sighed, "You didn't see it, but today, many teachers' eyes almost popped out of their sockets when you arrived. Our Sword Reverence Academy has recruited so many geniuses, and among them, your cultivation speed is among the best."

Shan Heyuan: "It's all thanks to Shen Duheng's help."

Jiang Zhi sighed, "Why isn't there a senior like that by my side? I also want to be taken care of by a senior."

Li Jian: "Take me with you."

Shan Heyuan smiled and poured them more wine, "Drink, drink."

"You're just trying to shut us up with alcohol." Jiang Zhi took another sip. "I heard the academy is planning to invite you to be a professor in the Planting Institute, not a teaching assistant?"

Shan Heyuan asked in surprise, "Where did you get this news? How come I didn't know about this?"

"Well—" Jiang Zhi hesitated for a moment, "Anyway, I heard it from a leader, but I can't tell you which leader it was."

Li Jian: "Brother Shan's planting skills were already among the best in the Planting Institute. The reason he was an assistant instructor instead of a master was simply because he lacked a formal academic background. Now that his cultivation has improved, those old masters don't care about that anymore."

Shan Heyuan: "I haven't heard about it. It might be a rumor?"

Jiang Zhi smiled mysteriously, "I don't think it's a rumor. Want to make a bet?"

Shan Heyuan said decisively, "No!"

"You rascal," Jiang Zhi snorted, "You say you don't believe it, but you're actually too scared to even take a gamble."

Shan Heyuan smiled, raised her glass and clinked it against his. "Excessive gambling is bad for your health."

After discussing the academy, Jiang Zhi and Li Jian became curious about Shan Heyuan's experiences in Fu Province.

Jiang Zhi: "What happened to you over there? I heard it involved Spirit Jade Palace?"

Shan Heyuan sighed, "How could we lowly cultivators know? We were just unlucky to get caught up in this and even detained for questioning for a while."

Jiang Zhi: "So their secret realm was really stolen? I heard the realm's Realm Spirit has also gone missing."

Shan Heyuan: "It seems so. That's what the cultivators guarding us said, but who knows? The battles of powerful beings are none of our business, we small cultivators have no place to interfere."

"That's true." Jiang Zhi looked at him sympathetically. "Come on, let's have a drink to celebrate getting out of trouble."

Shan Heyuan: "Don't just drink one cup, let's have three. These days have worn me out, I've aged several years."

Jiang Zhi looked at his smooth, jade-like face and sighed, "Brother Shan, you really have a thick skin."

Li Jian was laughing so hard he almost dropped his cup.

Shan Heyuan didn't dare to drink too much, and when he felt a little tipsy, he put down his glass.

When he was leaving the theater and heading home, he specially summoned a small dog.

Recent events have been truly exhausting for him, and he desperately needs a happy little dog to pet and relieve some stress.

The cats and dogs near the Sword Reverence Academy were all familiar with him. A big yellow dog defeated its companions, hopping and skipping over to him, sticking out its tongue and saying, "Fellow Daoist Shan, would you like me to shrink down so you can pet me?"

Shan Heyuan squatted down, lay on the puppy, and hugged its neck. "It's just right that you don't have to maintain this body shape."

The big yellow dog stuck out its tongue, opened its round eyes, turned its head and rubbed against him, looking at him sympathetically. "You human cultivators have it so tough."

Shan Heyuan sighed deeply, "Who can argue with that?"

Back home, Shen Duheng was reading a book on a recliner in the yard.

There's been a lot going on lately, Shen Duheng comes home every day to see him at least once a day.

Seeing him walk in reeking of alcohol, Shen Duheng didn't say anything, but went to the kitchen to cook a bowl of sweet soup and brought it to him.

Shan Heyuan accepted the sweet soup with both hands and explained, "I used my Spiritual Power to neutralize the effects of the alcohol; I wasn't drunk."

Shen Duheng nodded. "I know."

Shan Heyuan slurped up a mouthful of the warm, sweet soup and exclaimed sincerely, "Brother Shen, it's so wonderful to have you!"