Chapter 63: Old Deng?
At the break of dawn, Chen Yan rose from his slumber. After washing and tidying himself, he descended the stairs, only to spot Little Madam Gu once again lounging in the courtyard, though he had no idea when she had moved a chair outside. The early morning wind was sharp as a blade, stinging against the skin, yet she reclined in her seat, eyes half-closed, a look of utter enjoyment upon her face.
“Hmph, let’s see how long you can last, violent woman!” A most unfilial thought surfaced in Chen Yan’s mind.
Last night… there had been a minor disagreement between them.
It had all started with a phone call from the tailor’s shop handling his custom-ordered wedding attire. The tailor, who had been scheduled to take measurements in person, had encountered unforeseen circumstances. Thus, the shop requested that he send over the required three-body measurements instead.
Without much thought, Chen Yan had turned and asked Little Madam Gu directly.
The result? His so-called “Honored Stepmother” had picked up a wooden staff and chased her “beloved son” around the courtyard for twenty whole minutes.
“I’m still too young for this!” Chen Yan lamented. “Despite my vast theoretical knowledge, I remain a mere inexperienced youth, untarnished and naive. If I were truly a seasoned scoundrel, I would never have asked such an idiotic question.”
With that thought, he cast one final glance through the window at the twenty-one-year-old Little Madam Gu, shook his head, and left the house.
—
Through the augmentation of his external support, the Vital Energy Circulation Method granted him seven to eight times the normal cultivation efficiency. However, this came with an unforeseen side effect—his body had been nourished beyond its limits, to the point where he felt overly saturated with energy.
Every morning, he awoke feeling an unstoppable surge of vigor, as though an untamed flood of strength coursed through his veins, demanding release. The cultivation manual had warned of such a phenomenon—when the practitioner’s body became burdened by an excess of energy, it required either medicinal tonics to balance it or rigorous physical training to disperse the excess vitality.
Unfortunately, the manual did not provide any formulas for such medicinal brews, and Chen Yan was no master of traditional medicine. However, it did advise that martial training could aid in refining the body, channeling the overflowing energy, and preventing stagnation.
“Still… is this so-called ‘stagnation’ really a serious issue?” Chen Yan mused as he read the passage.
Luckily, the villa complex was built at the foot of a mountain. A road at the rear entrance led directly to the Back Mountain, with a winding path extending all the way to the peak.
Stepping out of the residential area, he stretched his limbs before beginning his run. From the base to the summit, a single journey spanned ten kilometers. With the incline factored in, it promised to be a solid exercise.
For one full hour, Chen Yan ran without stopping—up the mountain, down again, then up once more. It was only after two full circuits that his body finally began to sweat.
His entire form radiated heat, his skin practically burning to the touch. Yet at last, the unbearable sensation of being on the verge of bursting subsided.
Having finished his training, he strolled leisurely back into the villa complex.
At its center lay a communal leisure area, where the property management had set up some basic outdoor fitness equipment. On most mornings, elderly residents gathered here for light exercise or to socialize. Though there were no large-scale dance groups, there were still those who brought their birds out for air, or even practiced swordplay in the old traditional manner.
It had become a hub for the retired elite of the community.
By the time Chen Yan arrived, it was already past eight. The usual crowd of elderly folk had long since dispersed, leaving the central square deserted. He found a random seat and sank into it, retrieving his phone to pass the time.
With practiced ease, he opened a certain short-video app, switching to a secondary account.
“A man’s blood and energy surge in the morning—who doesn’t feel the urge to browse some borderline content? There’s nothing wrong with it, is there?”
And as for why he didn’t just do this at home?
“Would you watch such things in front of your mother?”
With a flick of his finger—
“Hmm, that’s a rather impressive bear.”
Another swipe—
“Oh? A fine waist indeed.”
Yet another—
“This one’s even larger! But it looks padded…”
He scoffed. “Hmph, those legs have definitely been stretched too much.”
Just as he was about to continue his leisurely critique, a hoarse voice sounded from directly behind him.
“Go back, go back. The last one was bigger.”
—
“Hm?”
Startled, Chen Yan snapped his head around—only to find an old man standing behind him, his face mere inches away, his head practically resting on Chen Yan’s shoulder. His half-lidded eyes remained fixed on the phone screen, studying it intently.
Chen Yan’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest!
Given his cultivated Qi-Observing Technique, his senses had become extraordinarily keen. A regular person could not approach within ten steps of him without his awareness. Yet this elder had managed to lean in so close without him noticing?!
Instinctively, Chen Yan activated his Qi-Observing Technique and took a closer look.
At first glance, the old man’s fortune appeared utterly unremarkable. Strangely, however, there was a hint of “decayed peach blossoms” in his fate—a sign of a colorful past, perhaps? His body showed no trace of Vital Energy, and his lifespan seemed to be nearing its natural end.
In other words, he was just an ordinary old man.
Chen Yan let out a silent breath of relief. “I must have been too absorbed in my video browsing.”
Smiling, he turned and greeted the elder, “Old sir, you gave me quite the fright.”
The man’s face bore the marks of age, his skin loose, wrinkles deep. His once-defined features suggested that he had been rather handsome in his youth. He wore a knockoff set of martial arts training attire, a jade pendant hanging from his neck—fine-quality white jade, no less.
Not surprising. Given that this was a villa complex, the residents were all wealthy. Wearing expensive accessories was nothing unusual.
Clearing his throat, the old man stepped back slightly, looking mildly embarrassed.
Only then did Chen Yan notice the birdcage in his hand, a black myna perched inside.
The old man scrutinized him in turn, his narrow gaze unreadable. Then he shook his head and muttered, “Youngsters these days scare too easily. What’s so frightening about an old man like me?”
His gaze drifted toward Chen Yan’s phone. “What were you watching just now?”
“Dance performances!” Chen Yan replied righteously.
“Excellent. I have quite the expertise in dance appreciation myself. How about we exchange insights?”
“…”
Chen Yan hesitated, then asked tentatively, “Where is your wife?”
“No wife,” the old man responded after a pause. Then, after some thought, he added, “A solitary man.”
Great. A senior bachelor?
Chen Yan, never one to be miserly, unlocked his phone once more. The old man, with a brazenness befitting a rogue cultivator, hooked his parrot cage onto a nearby exercise rack and planted himself beside Chen Yan with the ease of a longtime acquaintance.
Moments later, Chen Yan realized—this old vagabond was no common street idler!
Not only was he peering over at Chen Yan’s screen, but he also whipped out his own phone and, without hesitation, followed every single borderline-content account that Chen Yan had been tracking.
If you’re a fellow traveler on this path, shouldn’t you at least share your findings?
“I’ve never followed any accounts on mine,” the old man chuckled, clearly reading Chen Yan’s thoughts. “Just downloaded this app yesterday, never used it before.” To prove his words, he opened his following list—indeed, it was empty.
“Not many people can resist this temptation these days, Elder,” Chen Yan mused.
“I just returned from abroad.” The old man shook his head.
“They have ‘guest performers’ overseas too.” Chen Yan gave him a sidelong glance.
“Not interested in foreign women.”
…So, in this regard, he was surprisingly old-fashioned?
Chen Yan rolled his eyes.
The old man sized him up, then grinned. “Boy, you won’t watch for free.”
“Hm?”
“Your complexion is ruddy, your Qi and blood are abundant—too abundant, in fact. Few young men in this era have a physique as vigorous as yours.
The ancients say: ‘The moon at its fullest must wane, water at its brim must spill.’ This excess vitality may not be beneficial in the long run. Come find me later, and I’ll prescribe you something. Follow my instructions, take it for a while, and you’ll attain balance between Yin and Yang, harmonizing your Qi and blood.”
Intrigued, Chen Yan narrowed his eyes. “Elder, are you a physician?”
“Something like that. Haven’t practiced medicine in years.” The old man waved dismissively.
Yet, Chen Yan took his words to heart.
This old fellow… might actually know something.
He was well aware of his own condition. His body brimmed with too much vital essence, to the point of imbalance. Lacking the knowledge to refine medicinal solutions, he had been relying on martial training to burn off the excess energy.
But this old man had discerned his problem in a single glance… perhaps he truly had some skill.
As he was pondering, a voice rang out from a distance.
“Grandfather!”
Chen Yan turned his head toward the central square’s entrance. A young woman was sprinting toward them.
His principles dictated that one glance was enough.
But after the second glance…
He promptly shattered his principles and took a third look!
Put simply, if you ever saw a woman running in a way that went duangduangduang, you too would reevaluate your stance on moral integrity.
Her features were merely above average, her high nose bridge and deep-set eyes hinting at faint mixed ancestry. But it wasn’t her face that captured attention—it was the athletic wear that made her presence rather… formidable.
Chen Yan glanced at the old man. This unusual elder was now a connection he fully intended to maintain.
“Grandfather, breakfast is waiting at home, and you’ve wandered off again.” The girl caught her breath and latched onto the old man’s arm. “The doctor said you must take your medicine on time—after meals, no exceptions.”
“Bah, what do those quacks know?” The old man scoffed. “I can treat myself. This old body could bargain another five hundred years from the heavens!”
The girl shot him a glare.
Wait a minute… Chen Yan was baffled.
Didn’t he claim to be single, without a spouse?
Where did this ‘granddaughter’ come from?
“Elder, this is…?”
“My granddaughter. My biological granddaughter.” The old man cast Chen Yan a sharp look.
“But you said—”
“Not marrying doesn’t mean I can’t have children,” he declared righteously.
…Fair enough.
The girl gave Chen Yan a polite yet slightly embarrassed smile, then turned back to urge her grandfather home.
The old man rose, and Chen Yan instinctively stood as well—now that his newfound companion in leisure had departed, sitting here alone lost its appeal.
Following a few paces behind, Chen Yan noticed the old man frowning at him.
“Kid, why are you following me?”
What kind of question was that? Of course, he was heading home! And besides, didn’t the old man say he’d prescribe something for him? How was he supposed to find him if he didn’t know where he lived?
Chen Yan remained composed. “Have you considered the possibility that my home is in this direction too?”
“…That makes sense.” The old man nodded seriously, then added, “You go your way. And don’t even think about my granddaughter.”
Ah… so he had noticed the way Chen Yan looked at her.
Chen Yan sighed and pointed at the courtyard gate ahead. “That’s my house.”
The old man’s brows twitched but said nothing, leading his granddaughter away. The girl, at least, remained courteous—giving Chen Yan a somewhat apologetic smile before disappearing into the neighboring estate.
So, the old man was the new neighbor who had moved in just yesterday.
Chen Yan nodded, turned, and entered his home.
—
Back inside, he chose not to mention this encounter to Gu Qing Yi.
Neither the fact that he and an old man had spent an extended period watching provocative videos together, nor that said old man had a granddaughter who ran in a rather captivating fashion…
Neither seemed like appropriate conversation topics between a dutiful son and his noble stepmother.
—
At noon, an unexpected visitor arrived.
It was the girl from next door, holding a handwritten prescription—written in calligraphy with a brush, neat and refined, its strokes exuding an undeniable elegance.
Standing at the courtyard gate, she handed it to Chen Yan with an apologetic expression. “I won’t intrude. My grandfather… well, he has a rather eccentric temper. I hope you won’t take offense.”
Chen Yan glanced up. In the distance, from the second-floor window of the neighboring villa, the old man stood watching.
“Alright, then. Tell the ol—tell your grandfather I appreciate it.”
—
From his vantage point, the old man observed his granddaughter return, exhaling in satisfaction.
Then, his gaze turned toward Chen Yan’s courtyard.
“…A Spirit-Gathering Formation?”
He nodded in approval. “Not a bad setup. Though, the materials are a bit dubious…
And that old turtle I left behind in the back mountain years ago… ended up in his home?”
A tinge of regret crossed his face. “Pity. I spared that turtle back then. Given the timeline, it must have just formed its Demon Core…”
With a dismissive wave of his sleeve, he let it go. “Well, if fate led it there, then it’s his now.”
Shaking his head, the old man retreated into his study, carefully closing the door.
At the center of the room sat a round blessing urn, filled with crystal-clear water—where a lotus might have been cultivated in another season.
The old man settled before his writing desk, lifted a finger, and beckoned—a calligraphy brush leapt from the table, dipped itself into the water, and hovered over a white scroll.
As the brush moved, four golden words emerged:
“Evil Warden Awakens?”
With a flick of his sleeve, he scoffed, “Always dragging me into nonsense. Can’t they just let an old man enjoy his retirement?”
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation