Although Wang Jing's body was immobilized, his consciousness remained entirely clear. He heard the conversation between Qi Jingchun and Wang Zhu loud and clear.
Outside the house, the tension between the two had reached a breaking point, and Wang Jing began analyzing the situation in his mind: "Wang Zhu is no human!"
Combining this with phrases like "folded heaven" and "resident sage," he managed to piece together the general context. Drawing on his business acumen, he summed it up internally:
"This world is a massive project held by multiple shareholders. Qi Jingchun is merely a managing director replaced every sixty years, while various major and minor shareholders lurk behind the scenes, and the true controller remains unknown. Wang Zhu was supposed to be the largest shareholder, but helplessly signed a gambling agreement, saddled with heavy debts, and could only 'sell herself' into debt repayment while facing severe oppression. Qi Jingchun's earnest advice faintly reveals one thing: he resembles a rebellious front-line management executive ready to rebel against the big and small shareholders."
The commotion outside abruptly ceased, and everything returned to peace. Looking at the teapot and tea sets slowly fading away before him, Wang Jing felt a deep sense of dread, finally and profoundly grasping the world of swords:
It was unscientific, the waters ran deep, and these were all untouchable immortal figures!
Just as he had anticipated, the moment he and Chen Ping'an regained mobility, it was as if nothing had ever happened...
Chen Ping'an was quietly eating his porridge, as if Zhigui had never been here at all.
"Big Brother Wang, teach me how to box!"
Pulling back his thoughts, Wang Jing said firmly, "Alright, starting today!"
In the courtyard, though Wang Jing did not know how to teach martial arts, he possessed boundless patience and could only demonstrate the punches over and over again through personal example so that Chen Ping'an could understand.
And Chen Ping'an learned by mimicking his every move. Although his aptitude was somewhat dull, his spirit was truly commendable.
No matter how many times he fell, he did not care, even uttering the bold ambition to practice a million punches!
Wang Jing felt deeply inspired as well!
Accompanied by a system chime, Wang Jing signaled for Chen Ping'an to take a break.
"Ding! Task of teaching Chen Ping'an to learn the Mountain-Shaking Fist completed. Reward: One Thunderbolt-Raging Talisman of the Sea of Heaven for the glabella. Please check and claim!"
Wang Jing suddenly felt a wave of dizziness in his head, countless flashes of lightning surging within his consciousness. He squatted down in agony, letting out whimpering cries.
Before long, a surging force poured into his glabella, until the white light flashing between his eyebrows gradually grew smaller and smaller, finally vanishing completely!
Thinking Wang Jing had suffered a stroke, Chen Ping'an looked at him with full concern.
Wang Jing simply laughed heartily. "It's nothing, I was just comprehending the Iron Head Skill!"
Half-convinced yet still doubtful, but noticing that Wang Jing's complexion was indeed fine, Chen Ping'an scolded with a smile, "How come I never noticed you love joking around so much!"
Days passed quickly. Thanks to the immediate efficacy of the spiritual fish, the master of the Lu family on Fulu Street treated him as an honored guest, acting entirely like a "dupe" who had been sold yet happily helped count the money.
The woman, who had always hoped her husband would "amount to something," beamed with joy as well. She praised him endlessly, viewing him as a "Guanyin bringing sons" and a "living Buddha on earth," frequently bringing her husband to visit and bestowing money and gifts.
Yet, keenly aware of the peculiarities of this world, Wang Jing had the two clients help keep the secret, forbidding the spread of the longevity preservation secret method to avoid the adverse effect where the tallest tree in the forest catches the wind!
Thus, flush with cash, Wang Jing spent a warm, worry-free winter with Chen Ping'an.
Yet Chen Ping'an always maintained his original aspiration; aside from practicing boxing, he never wished to exact anything from Wang Jing.
In the blink of an eye, early spring had arrived, and peach blossoms were budding. Even that lingering cold snap making a sudden comeback proved helpless against the thick cotton quilts inside the humble home.
On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon raises its head, candlelight illuminates the rafters, peach branches strike the walls, and snakes, insects, and vermin have nowhere to hide...
Beneath the brilliant starlight, Wang Jing leaned obliquely against the doorway, watching Chen Ping'an inside the house holding a candle in one hand and brandishing a peach branch in the other, muttering superstitious folklore incantations. An epiphany struck him: "Even humble vermin struggle to survive, let alone human beings?"
At this moment, Gu Can the snot-nosed kid pushed open the courtyard gate in a frantic, blundering rush, his face beaming with excitement as he blurted out, "Big Brother Wang, Chen Ping'an, I heard outsiders are coming to the town tomorrow. Should we fleece them for all they're worth?!"
Through days of living together, Wang Jing frequently helped out Chen Ping'an's good brother Gu Can and his former kiln-working colleague Liu Xianyang. Currently, the four of them were as close as could be!
Heralded as the Four Gods Gang of the town: the "God of Wealth" Wang Jing, the "God of Dullness" Chen Ping'an, the "God of War" Liu Xianyang, and the "God of Curses" Gu Can.
The four brothers stood in sincere unity, overcoming numerous difficulties and obstacles. The scholar Zhao Yao once remarked: "Upon seeing these four, even the Buddha scratches his head in perplexity, and the Dao Ancestor trembles three times!"
Tonight, why were only three gods gathered to plot a "grand undertaking"?
The "God of War" Liu Xianyang had desperately wanted to come, but was grounded at home forging iron by his master Ruan Qiong! He couldn't get out...
Wang Jing pulled out a handkerchief and tossed it to Gu Can. "Wipe your snot..."
Looking completely unbothered, Gu Can beamed excitedly. "Are we doing this or not?!"
Wang Jing said with a playful tone, "Whether we do it or not, we won't know until we see them."
Wang Jing was increasingly eager to explore the mysteries of the folded heaven, and these outsiders were most likely "shareholder confidants." Such an opportunity could not be missed.
Chen Ping'an had already finished the folk "ritual" and spoke up, "I'm quite curious about what those outsiders look like."
Early the next morning, Zheng Dafeng, the slovenly gatekeeper of the town, was awakened by the commotion made by the outsiders.
Looking sleepy, disheveled, and swearing away, he scratched his crotch as he stepped outside. "What the hell are you barking about, ruining my sleep!"
The "Three Gods Group" had long been waiting on the side. With keen interest, Wang Jing stared at the tall fairy and plump matron walking back and forth on "patrol" for a long while, thinking to himself: "Is this what they mean by having a body in the rural townships while your heart is at Paris Fashion Week?"
When the main gates swung wide open, the plump matron's hand was holding a little boy dressed in red brocade who shot a look of utter disdain at the three of them, blurting out in a foreign dialect: Vermin!
Chen Ping'an looked utterly bewildered, Gu Can deeply inhaled a hanging snot, but Wang Jing understood every word.
With a swift grab, he seized the boy's embroidered brocade collar, hoisting him high into the air with one hand. The little boy's short limbs dangled in empty space, struggling violently, yet to no avail.
The plump matron's expression changed drastically as she sharply rebuked, "Audacious! You rustic brute, what do you think you're doing?!"
The corners of Wang Jing's mouth lifted slightly in a dismissive sneer. "Your son lacks discipline. Didn't you hear his rude words?! Truly, a doting mother ruins her child!"
Trembling all over with rage, the plump matron bared her murderous intent, the surrounding air seeming to congeal into ice.
A tall old man, whose appearance resembled an ape, offered advice with a gleam of schadenfreude, "Madam, the bigger picture matters most..."
The tall old man was carrying a delicately carved, charming-looking little girl on his shoulders who actually clapped her hands repeatedly, excitedly shouting at the little boy in red brocade, "Wow! You're as tall as me now!!"
Baring his teeth in a hideous, ferocious grimace, the little boy in red brocade yelled with venomous hatred, "Die! You must all die! I'll have my dad slaughter every single one of you!"
Wang Jing spat heavily onto the ground, utterly disgusted. "Playing the 'my dad is so-and-so' card, huh?!"