During the seven days before the Heaven-Crashing Ceremony, three hundred thirty-three strikes will be made at sunrise and sunset each day.
This is the highest etiquette of the Black Wood Tribe to welco guests from all around.
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Chen Yan did not enter Black Stone City; as an outsider, he was not qualified to reside there.
Black Stone City is not large, but it is the core area of the Black Wood Tribe, where the priests, elders, cave masters, and Yama reside, along with so high-ranking tribe mbers.
Outsiders, even guests sent by the major sects to attend the Heaven-Crashing Ceremony, can only stay outside the city.
About five hundred ters outside the city walls, a row of tall, broad, and imposing earth towers have been built. The four-directional guests of this Heaven-Crashing Ceremony have all been arranged to stay here.
Chen Yan was sent by the White Elephant to the foot of one such earth tower, about ten ters high, observing many carriages and horses parked below, along with dozens of various-sized flying boats in the nearby open field, displaying flags of various sects and families.
Ghost Race warriors in black, with short knives at their waists, were guarding under the earth towers. Each looked sharp, with solemn and vigilant expressions.
These are likely patrolling Ghost Race warriors, far more than Chen Yan had anticipated!
From the peripheral village, to Black Stone City, and to this place... he had seen at least a dozen patrol teams of Ghost Race warriors along the way.
Each team had at least ten, at most twenty to thirty people.
At this mont, under this earth tower, the patrolling Ghost Race warrior teams numbered no less than a hundred!
Among them, several clearly had obvious Primordial Qi fluctuations, with the strongest likely having a Second Realm cultivation—sa as the Shepherd Master.
"Sothing feels off," Chen Yan glanced at Gu Tongbing.
Gu Tongbing tilted his head, "Hmm, indeed, sothing feels off. There are too many patrolling Ghost Race warriors, as if sothing big is about to happen.
It also seems like they’re guarding against sothing."
Chen Yan chuckled, "Could it be...the events of those intercepts on the way are having an impact?"
Gu Tongbing also laughed, "Makes sense; perhaps the commotion caused was too significant."
After they dismounted from the White Elephant, they watched as Zhan Li, from another White Elephant, jumped down and walked over.
She is a Cave Maiden of the Black Wood Tribe, truly one of its upper echelons, and this is her ho base.
Chen Yan initially wanted to bid farewell with a few words but was surprised that Zhan Li showed no intention of leaving. Instead, she politely escorted Chen Yan into the earth tower.
There were at least seven or eight similar guest-accommodating earth towers around, arranged in a line formation.
Zhan Li guided Chen Yan and Gu Tongbing into this earth tower, evidently the tallest and most imposing among the row.
With Zhan Li personally leading the way, as soon as they stepped inside, several Ghost Race people greeted them hastily, respectfully paying homage to Zhan Li.
Zhan Li gave so instructions in a low voice, and these few Ghost Race people imdiately summoned more ghostly servants, then led them upstairs toward the top of the earth tower.
Chen Yan and Gu Tongbing were invited into a room on one side of the top floor—this earth tower is designed like a square with a courtyard, with a circle of rooms surrounding the inner courtyard.
Upon ascending the top-floor stairs and entering through a door, they found a room much larger and more spacious than Chen Yan had imagined—especially its length!
Then, an astonishing remark from Zhan Li left Chen Yan stunned.
"This entire floor is yours. I’ve instructed that no one else is to stay on this floor."
Chen Yan was taken aback, looking at Zhan Li in confusion.
Zhan Li leisurely explained, "The eastern and western sides of this floor are split in half. Please have your Gu Family Third Brother reside on the west side..."
She then looked at Chen Yan, "I will serve you on the east side."
Serve ?
Chen Yan couldn’t help but feel a chill on his back and imdiately shook his head, "No need to trouble the Cave Maiden. Since you’ve graciously sent here, I’m already grateful. Surely, you must have many things to attend to back at your main base, so I won’t dare take up more of your ti.
I can stay here on my own."
Zhan Li shook her head, "Serving you here is my priority over anything else."
After speaking, she turned and instructed so Ghost Race attendants around her, who then began tidying and cleaning the rooms one by one.
Not long after, Zhan Li led Chen Yan further into an inner room, revealing a massive fan-shaped space inside, at least a hundred square ters in area.
In the center was a soft couch placed on a straw mat, with various benches and tables beside the earth tower windows, along with wooden cabinets storing all sorts of instrunts.
There were even so peculiar Ghost Race herbs.
"I’ve had them prepare a practice room at the back, and soone went to fetch the tools to activate the Spirit Gathering Array. If you wish to train, you can ditate and circulate your Primordial Qi in the practice room."
Zhan Li softly advised Chen Yan, her tone gentle, "However, since we’re close to the Sacred Mountain, the Primordial Qi contains the tal and fire power of the five elents. Be cautious when circulating it, and don’t force it, risking your own ridians."
Chen Yan furrowed his brows, watching Zhan Li.
Zhan Li’s tone beca even softer, "I’ve prepared herbs and a large tub for bathing. Daily herbal baths can neutralize and remove the tal and fire energy absorbed into your body while circulating your Qi.
Additionally, I also know a special technique for massaging the ridians, bones, and muscles.
After your daily herbal bath, I personally massage you once, allowing the dicinal power to disperse and guiding the excess tal and fire energy out of your body."
Wait, wait!
Massage...expel...
No, is this massage even proper?
Chen Yan couldn’t help but twitch his eye corners.
"Cave Maiden, how about we speak frankly?" Chen Yan glanced around; Gu Tongbing had already gone to see his own room, and Zhan Li had dispatched her Ghost Race attendants to work. At this mont, only Chen Yan and she were around.
Recalling Zhan Li’s strange attitude along the way, Chen Yan simply asked, "What exactly are your intentions? Is there sothing you desire from with such an attitude?"
Seeing Zhan Li lower her head without speaking, Chen Yan frowned, "Regarding the matter of my injury by the Shepherd Master, I have already accepted benefits from you, so naturally, I will keep my promise and not speak of it elsewhere..."
Zhan Li sighed, "That matter is no longer important."
"Then what exactly do you want to do?" Chen Yan stared at Zhan Li, suddenly letting out a mischievous laugh, "Surely you haven’t taken a fancy to and want to recruit into the Black Wood Tribe?"
"No, no, no!" Zhan Li cleanly shook her head, her tone sowhat flustered, "How would I dare have you join? However..."
She swallowed a mouthful of saliva, speaking cautiously, "However... if you do fancy , it’s not out of the question, I...I can also serve in bed."
With that, this Ghost Race Cave Maiden, a cultivator of the Celestial Human Realm, gritted her teeth with determination, as if ready to heroically sacrifice at any mont.
Chen Yan: "......"
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[I rested for three days, not because I didn’t want to continue but because I couldn’t.
About my physical condition, I could choose surgery for treatnt, but after learning about it, I’d have to stop working completely for several days, and the recovery ti post-surgery would be lengthy. So after consideration, I’ve decided on a more conservative treatnt.
This way, I can at least maintain a normal state, continue writing, and keep up with updates.
The treatnt ti will just be a bit longer. Mm, that’s the general situation. Don’t worry, it’s not a life-threatening illness. I’ll fix my health~]
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