GRMFBS CH114

99: [Hello everyone.]

99: [[Cat waving]]

99: [Let me change my group name first, I wasn’t paying attention when registering just now and typed it casually.]

After a while, Happy Guessing Game stiffly popped up.

Happy Guessing Game: [Ahaha, welcome newcomer.]

The other people in the group awkwardly followed the process of welcoming the newcomer while cursing Book of Secrets in their hearts.

Pulling the main subject over while we are gossiping about them, is there something wrong with you?!

Zhan Yan left completely satisfied with the prize pool points. From now on, there was another channel to upgrade the Gossip System. How great!

After tossing about for so long, it was also bedtime. Zhan Yan received Gu Jiancheng’s daily goodnight kiss call.

Previously, the bigshot Deep Shadow forcefully showed off swallowing the Black Nest. Although he had recovered mentally, the consumption of his abilities required time to recuperate.

While recuperating, he also continued to look for the Monster Doctor. This damn pervert left a provocative message for him in the Black Nest and then ran away cleanly. Knowing that Deep Shadow would definitely find his weakness from the Black Nest, he quickly ran away to hide and cleaned up his tracks perfectly. Gu Jiancheng followed various clues, only to find a group of abandoned pawns used to protect the chariot.

It was quite difficult to find the Monster Doctor. Gu Jiancheng simply stopped looking for now and focused on recuperating.

If the Monster Doctor was capable, he should hide forever. As long as he wanted to cause trouble, there would definitely be traces. Gu Jiancheng went to look for the broker again, telling him to keep a close eye on the black market’s movements.

After calculating it over and over, this was about all he could do. In the matter of finding the Monster Doctor, Wan Shitong’s network-type ability couldn’t be used, the Magician needed a lead to find the way, and Approaching Science was the strongest information-type person he knew. He had asked him last time, but unfortunately, what he could find out about the Monster Doctor was also limited, so he couldn’t be relied on.

Not to mention the remaining information-types; letting them investigate Deep Shadow, they should at least find something, right? In the end, none of them could do it, too useless!

Winter vacation was almost over, and school would start soon. He would be able to see Yan Yan when school started! But he wanted to see him even earlier.

Zhan Yan: [You said you’re coming to Yunjin City to take the train back to school with me?]

Gu Jiancheng: [Mhm, what do you think?]

He thought this idea was fantastic! He could see him several hours earlier!

The two of them could sit closely next to each other on the high-speed train, watching the scenery flash by outside the window, wearing a shared pair of earphones, and playing a TV show on the tray table. If Yan Yan got tired, he could also sleep leaning against his shoulder.

Furthermore… if Yan Yan agreed, he could absolutely arrive in Yunjin City a few days early!

Putting aside whether he would meet the parents for now, he could spend time together with Yan Yan in advance—

Zhan Yan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Zhan Yan: [You’ll take a train to Yunjin City first, and then take a train to school? Aren’t you tired? Don’t waste train tickets, it’s just a matter of a few hours.]

Gu Jiancheng: […Oh.] Gu Jiancheng was extremely disappointed.

He had been missing him for a whole vacation!

Zhan Yan: [Besides, I’m not at home right now either, you wouldn’t see me even if you came.]

Gu Jiancheng hummed and hawed, pestering him until he wrangled a promise to do their internships together after school started.

After hanging up the phone, Gu Jiancheng suddenly realized that he only said he was going to Yunjin City to go to school with Yan Yan, and didn’t mention his little scheme of arriving in Yunjin City early.

But Zhan Yan said he wasn’t at home these next few days…

Ah, he had been seen through.

Gu Jiancheng propped up his face and began to smile, his earlobes gradually dyeing red.

Yan Yan had seen through him, but didn’t say anything.

He felt that he had been indulged and coaxed.

It wasn’t something he had forced through his pestering.

…

Zhan Yan went to sleep, but the group he newly joined today was still awake.

After he went offline, the group was silent for a while before people slowly started to pop up.

Happy Guessing Game: [Why am I so reluctant to hand over this prize pool?]

The message stayed for over a minute before becoming [Recalled].

Happy Guessing Game: [This is clearly the prize pool we used to try and break through the information grey fog!]

[Recalled]

Pure White Puzzle: [@Book of Secrets Bro, I really can’t understand.]

[Recalled]

Pure White Puzzle: [Your operation is too godly. Even if you pulled the person in just one day later?]

[Recalled]

[Recalled]

[Recalled]

…

Book of Secrets: [Stop recalling, do you think people won’t guess what happened when they see a bunch of recalled message records the next day?]

The group fell into dead silence again.

After another while, Gnawing a Big Melon slowly popped up.

Gnawing a Big Melon: [Our group won’t just become useless from now on, right?]

It wouldn’t go that far. The information-type bigshots all had a knack for gossiping, and they also had rich experiences of social death from accidentally bumping into the main subjects while gossiping. They would just be awkward for a while, and afterwards, they’d act like nothing happened and joke around as usual.

At six-thirty the next morning, Zhan Yan got up, washed up, and prepared to start his morning exercise. It got bright later in the winter, and although the sun had come out at this time, the sky was still dim.

Zhan Yan originally thought he had woken up early enough, but when he went out of his room to look, good heavens, the open space near the hotel was already full of people doing morning exercises. They were all seniors who came to attend the cultivators’ gathering.

Grandpa Weng Yan had just finished a set of boxing. Seeing Zhan Yan come out wrapped in thick clothes, he said: Weng Yan: [You’re only getting up for morning exercise now? The sun has already risen at this time!]

Granny Zhuo Shu rolled her eyes at him.

Zhuo Shu: [Are you addicted to lecturing people?]

She then smiled genially at Zhan Yan. Zhuo Shu: [Nowadays, very few young people get up for morning exercise. It’s already very good that Little Yan can get up.]

Grandpa Weng Yan’s social circle gathered around.

Person: [How does Little Yan do his morning exercise?]

Person: [Just a morning jog? That won’t do! What can a morning jog train?]

Person: [Come, come, come, Granny will teach you a set of Wuqinxi (Five-Animal Exercises).]

Person: [Why would he learn Wuqinxi at his age? He should practice the Yijinjing (Muscle/Tendon Change Classic).]

Person: [It’s better to learn Tai Chi with me, it nourishes life, strengthens the body, and overcomes the strong with the soft.]

…

Grandpa Weng Yan’s social circle ended up fighting over what exercise method to teach Zhan Yan.

Weng Yan took the opportunity to pull Zhan Yan away and taught him a set of Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade).

Zhan Yan learned very quickly. Weng Yan was very satisfied, stroking his beard and saying: Weng Yan: [Not bad, not bad. Looking at your form, you’ve had a foundation in practicing movements before.]

Zhan Yan: [Yes, I used to dance square dances with the uncles and aunties in our residential area.]

Weng Yan: […]

Weng Yan: [What square dance! That thing is just an ordinary activity, don’t dance it anymore in the future. Practice this set of Baduanjin well; practicing it well will be good for you!]

Weng Yan glared at him.

Weng Yan: [Also, from now on, you must get up before the sun rises for your morning exercise. That breath of air at sunrise is especially important. Remember to practice the way I taught you. But don’t mess around blindly on your own, don’t randomly guide your Qi. Without someone watching, it’s easy for problems to occur! Just breathe naturally.]

Zhan Yan humbly learned. Zhan Yan: [Then can I teach it to others?]

Weng Yan: [Sure.]

Weng Yan agreed very easily. What they could directly teach others to practice were not their own secret inheritances; they were all simple ones that absolutely wouldn’t cause problems when practiced, but they were definitely better than the various messy fitness methods circulating among the general public outside.

After Zhan Yan finished learning, it was almost time for breakfast. The group of old seniors went to the hotel’s restaurant together.

Weng Yan proudly showed off to the others.

Weng Yan: [Little Yan learns very fast! He understands as soon as he hears it, and he masters it as soon as he’s taught! He learned it all in just one morning!]

Granny Zhuo Shu chuckled and served a bowl of porridge.

Zhuo Shu: [That’s great. Tomorrow morning, he can learn Wuqinxi with me right on time.]

Weng Yan: […Did I snatch him for nothing?]

Weng Yan: [Shoo, shoo, shoo! The child’s school is starting soon, he can’t stay that long!]

His social circle decided to believe in Zhan Yan’s abilities and quickly arranged a schedule.

Person: [Little Yan ah, how about this: wake up even earlier tomorrow morning. Sunrise is around 6:00 AM right now, so you come down at 5:40 AM. You can learn two sets a day.]

Zhan Yan: …The seniors are too enthusiastic! I completely can’t refuse!

Zhan Yan set his alarm for 5:30 AM in pain and happiness. If he washed up a little faster, he could get it done within ten minutes!

Weng Yan: [Just look around the venue, don’t spend money recklessly. The conference is very open; there are true senior experts inside, but also quite a few fishing in troubled waters.]

After Weng Yan reminded him, he entered the venue and disappeared once again.

Bao Qingshan had nothing to do today and strolled around with Zhan Yan.

After experiencing the chaos of yesterday, everyone was much more cautious today. Ghost cultivators didn’t float around anymore, and demon cultivators also put away their demon bodies. However, their strange clothing hadn’t changed; anyway, they had already been authenticated as otakus.

At the conference, besides the civil faction exchange and martial faction exchange, there were also stalls set up.

Some sold skills, such as Granny Zhuo Shu specializing in treating difficult and complicated diseases, and some sold physical items. Zhan Yan saw a group of people gathered together discussing artifact refinement plans. As they chatted, they pulled out various magical artifacts and props as aids. While using them as aids, someone else took a liking to them, and then the discussion meeting turned into a trade fair.

Zhan Yan and Bao Qingshan listened from the side. They saw a senior pull out a compass inlaid with an abacus from his sleeve.

Senior: [The times are developing, and the world is progressing. We cannot stick to the old ways; we must learn to innovate new ideas and open up new paths. What others have, we will learn. Once we learn it, we combine it with our own techniques. This is the direction of future development!]

It made a lot of sense, and would have been even more convincing if he hadn’t been wearing a Daoist robe mixed and matched with a studded leather belt.

So that compass inlaid with an abacus left behind in the venue yesterday was yours!

Senior: [Look closely! This is the craftsmanship of the Artisan.] The mix-and-match senior pushed the compass to the center of the round table. Senior: [You all know of the Artisan, right? Although his path is different from our traditional artifact refinement, he has many commendable aspects.]

The Artisan’s? Now Zhan Yan was interested!

The Artisan still hadn’t replied to the custom order request he sent. Although he had always heard of the Artisan’s reputation, Zhan Yan had never seen something truly made by the Artisan’s hands.

The Artisan’s reputation preceded him. This group of artifact refiners was very curious, so they all crowded around at once.

Person: [I’m telling you, this abacus can assist the compass in its calculations! Have you ever encountered a situation that was particularly complicated, where you couldn’t figure it out with just mental arithmetic? This is when you can use the abacus.]

Person: [Although the combination looks strange at first glance, if you think carefully, there’s still logic to it.]

Person: [In the past, the terrain was mostly natural. Even if a road was built or a river dug, it wasn’t a hassle to calculate directly. But how fast is infrastructure building nowadays? Look at those high-rise buildings being built, and those winding highways. The environment is many times more complex than before!]

Person: [In the past, reading a compass only required knowing basic arithmetic and quadratic equations, but now you have to extract square roots!]

Person: [Having an abacus is much more convenient. Furthermore, this abacus is no ordinary abacus. First, look at its material…]

Person: [Doesn’t this just equal a modern multi-functional prop?]

Person: [It is indeed a new idea to break out of the encirclement.]

…

Zhan Yan squeezed into the passionate discussion. Zhan Yan: [I have a question.]

The seniors turned their heads together to look at this cute newbie.

Zhan Yan: [Then why not add a calculator to the compass?]

Bao Qingshan: [Pfft.]