Chapter 268
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Chapter 268: New Year’s Eve
Emerging from a quiet alley, Wang Chen had altered his appearance and attire.
He had reverted to his identity as "Wang Xiu."
Thanks to the mystical artifact known as Thousand Transformations, he had crafted several personas, ready to switch between them as needed.
At times, he became so engrossed in his role that he could entirely forget his true self, fully embracing the new identity.
With such an impeccable disguise, his real identity remained undisclosed.
Navigating through the streets, Wang Chen adeptly returned to his home.
Yet, upon reaching his doorstep, he noticed the main door bore a large hole, patched with two thick wooden planks and secured with a hefty lock.
Furthermore, this door wasn’t the original one!
What had transpired?
As Wang Chen was about to vault over the wall, the neighbor’s door creaked open.
Chen Qi peeked out, "Wang Chen?"
He was visibly delighted, "You’re finally back!"
Wang Chen nodded, gesturing towards the damaged door, "What happened here?"
"Don’t ask," Chen Qi approached with a bitter smile, explaining, "While you were away, the city lord’s office came looking for you three times."
Unable to find Wang Chen, the visitors were incensed. They not only smashed his door but also barged inside, turning everything upside down, leaving a mess.
Chen Qi, unable and unwilling to confront them, could only help clean up afterward.
He had both replaced and repaired the courtyard gate.
Chen Qi swiftly unlocked the door and sighed, "Recently, many newcomers have arrived in town, causing chaos and a spike in petty thefts, so I added a lock."
In truth, additional locks only deterred the honest, not the thieves.
Feeling he had failed Wang Chen, a look of guilt crossed Chen Qi’s face.
Wang Chen said, "Thank you, you’ve done a lot."
"It’s nothing," Chen Qi scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, "Wang Chen, about the spiritual rice I owe you…"
"No worries," Wang Chen interrupted with a wave, "You can repay me whenever it’s convenient for you."
Chen Qi was a decent man, and Wang Chen wasn’t concerned about the small amount of spiritual rice he had borrowed.
But some people…
Wang Chen gazed at the hole in the door, reminiscing about the chickens he once raised.
Chen Qi, relieved, suggested, "Wang Chen, tomorrow night is New Year’s Eve. If you’re free, join us for a New Year’s Eve dinner at my place. My wife has been wanting to properly thank you for your help."
So, tomorrow is the last day of the year?
Wang Chen’s mind wandered for a moment, and he nodded instinctively, "Alright."
Chen Qi was delighted, "Then I’ll have my wife prepare everything. Wang Chen, we’ll meet again tomorrow."
After speaking, he bowed to Wang Chen and hurried off.
Wang Chen paused, not immediately entering his home.
He first visited a nearby carpenter’s shop to arrange for a new courtyard gate.
Only then did he venture inside to inspect.
Though the house had been tidied, the damage in many areas was unmistakable.
Wang Chen descended into the hidden chamber.
The first layer of the hidden chamber had not been spared; many items had vanished without a trace.
Yet, this layer’s true purpose was to mask the existence of the second and third levels below.
The intruders, misled by the first layer, failed to uncover the deeper mysteries.
But Wang Chen marked this debt!
He decided to purchase new tables, chairs, benches, and cabinets from the carpenter, essentially renewing the furniture in both the upper and lower rooms, ushering in the new while discarding the old.
By the time the carpenter left, night had fully fallen.
Wang Chen secured his home, repositioned the brass mirror, and then descended to the third level of the hidden chamber.
He summoned the Cultivation Panel and invested 1000 points of Heavenly Merit into his root bone.
【Root Bone: 7】
Seven points of root bone!
The original owner’s root bone and comprehension, the two fundamental attributes, had only been two points; under normal circumstances, he would have no hope of breaking through to high-level Qi Training, let alone breaking through to open a house.
Since Wang Chen arrived, he had added four points to his root bone, and with the boost from the Tongtong fruit, this most important attribute for cultivation saw a significant enhancement.
Seven points of root bone meant at least an "above average" rating!
This indicated that in terms of cultivation talent, Wang Chen surpassed most cultivators.
With seven points of root bone, the probability of breaking through to open a house was much higher.
He could also use one less spirit pill.
If he could push it to eight or even nine points, he could advance to the Purple Palace without needing a spirit pill, facing no major obstacles!
Unfortunately, Wang Chen had already added points to his root bone four times; the fifth time would require 10,000 points of Heavenly Merit.
How many cultivators would he need to kill?
He didn’t bother to calculate, as it was simply not possible at the moment.
Even if he gained new Heavenly Merit, Wang Chen would prioritize investing it in his comprehension, as that attribute was equally important.
As soon as he finished adding points, it felt as if countless ants were crawling and biting inside all his bones, overwhelming his body with a sensation of soreness and pain, making him wish he could shatter his bones into pieces.
But Wang Chen endured it easily and even found it quite refreshing!
After sweating profusely, he returned to normal.
His root bone was now stable!
This lifted Wang Chen’s spirits.
By the next evening, he carried ten pounds of magical beast meat and went to visit his neighbor.
Seeing Wang Chen arrive with meat, Chen Qi’s family was both surprised and delighted, quickly inviting Wang Chen to sit down.
Chen Qi’s two children saw the magical beast meat in Wang Chen’s hands, and their eyes lit up with excitement.
They were at the age of being greedy for good food, having not had meat in a long time.
They would even munch on raw meat.
Wang Chen handed the meat to Lady Chen, adding a dish to tonight’s New Year’s Eve dinner.
Lady Chen had already prepared half a table of dishes.
Although she had exhausted her culinary skills,
the limited conditions at home meant that only a stir-fried egg barely counted as a meat dish.
Without the meat Wang Chen brought, this New Year’s Eve dinner truly lacked substance.
Chen Qi felt very apologetic, "Wang Chen, you’ve had to spend money again."
Now, the rice prices in Dongwu Town had skyrocketed, and magical beast meat followed suit, making it very hard to obtain.
Especially in these past few days, due to the upcoming New Year, everyone wanted to get some meat to make a decent New Year’s Eve dinner. He had exerted a lot of effort but only managed to trade for a few eggs.
He felt guilty toward Wang Chen.
Wang Chen smiled and shook his head, picking up chopsticks to taste the stir-fried egg, "It tastes good."
He called Chen Qi and the two children to sit down, "Let’s eat together."
The kitchen fire was blazing, the main room was brightly lit, and the aroma of food filled the air.
Everyone gathered together, chatting and laughing.
Although life was still difficult, at least on this New Year’s Eve night, there was joy to be enjoyed!
