Chapter 133: Qingshan Village

Upon returning home, Chen Mobai was enveloped in a tight, emotional embrace by Tang Pancui, who was weeping tears of joy. Chen Xinglan had also returned, standing with slightly reddened eyes, watching the mother and son hugging.

They had originally wanted to go to the site to cheer him on, but Chen Mobai had asked them – and even his aunt and uncle's family – not to come, citing potential distraction.

"Brother, you're amazing!" his cousin, Wang Xinying, screamed as she rushed over, throwing herself into Chen Mobai's arms.

Her family had arrived much earlier and had watched the entire spell duel broadcast on the living room TV. After Chen Mobai won the championship, they seemed to have celebrated wildly, as the living room was filled with confetti and streamers.

"Come here, nephew, let me get a good look at you. I never would have imagined!" His uncle, Wang Jianyuan, walked over, patted Chen Mobai's head, and sighed with emotion.

"Well, whose son do you think he is?" Chen Xinglan said proudly. Wang Jianyuan, who usually loved to argue with him, offered no rebuttal this time.

"Your uncle is coming over tomorrow night. Let's have a good celebration today."

This celebration lasted for three whole days. After the family dinner, Chen Xinglan and Tang Pancui invited their neighbors, colleagues, and friends. After all, being accepted into one of the Four Great Daoist Academies was a rare event in Danxia City, happening perhaps only once a century. The previous person to achieve this was the Crimson Robed Daoist Yu Tianguang, who had already formed his Core. Whether Chen Mobai would form a Core after entering the Wuzhi Daoist Academy was yet to be seen, but cultivating a Foundation was almost certainly guaranteed. After all, the success rate for students of the Four Great Daoist Academies in forming a Foundation was as high as eighty percent.

After the celebrations at home concluded, Chen Mobai was pulled back to the school. Representing Fifth High School, he faced over a dozen reporters under a banner at the school gate loudly celebrating "Our Student Chen Mobai Admitted to Wuzhi Daoist Academy." He took photos with He Jingshan and answered many questions.

He Jingshan had initially worried that Chen Mobai, being young, would be flustered by such a large media presence. However, Chen Mobai's maturity surprised him; he answered reporters' questions skillfully, neither arrogant nor servile, displaying strong confidence within his humility.

After his school appearance, dozens more media outlets wanted to interview him. However, Chen Mobai refused all of them. He wasn't swayed by the flashing cameras and microphones, understanding clearly that in the world of cultivators, only cultivation realm was real.

Nevertheless, his home address was quickly found by keen-nosed paparazzi. Although they dared not trespass, their daily loitering in the vicinity greatly annoyed Chen Mobai.

He didn't even dare to go to the Heavenly River Realm anymore. There might be a reporter practicing unique cultivation methods who could detect his disappearance from his room.

At first, Tang Pancui quite enjoyed the feeling of showing off, telling everyone she met that her son had been accepted into one of the Four Great Daoist Academies. But over time, she grew tired of it. Chen Xinglan had already returned to Chixia Academy to continue preparing for his Foundation establishment.

"These guys really won't leave us in peace," Tang Pancui exclaimed. Chen Mobai and Tang Pancui were having dinner after returning home one evening when they noticed a camera pointing at their house from across the street. Tang Pancui was furious but helpless against them.

"Mom, why don't we go back to the village, to Grandma and Grandpa's place, to get some peace?" Chen Mobai couldn't stand staying in Danxia City anymore; he didn't dare go out to meet friends. He could only stay home every day, cultivating, shopping, making ink, and drawing talismans. Although he had the Qi Replenishing Spiritual Water and hadn't fallen behind in his cultivation, he hadn't returned to the Heavenly River Realm in a month. He wondered about the situation with the demon beasts surrounding the island there. Though the general situation was stable before he left, that was where Chen Mobai planned to get rich by earning spirit stones, and he feared something unexpected might happen.

However, on second thought, if something truly unexpected occurred, his current cultivation level would be utterly insufficient. But he had finally gotten connected with the Divine Wood Sect, so he couldn't just give up now. Coincidentally, every year during the holidays, he and Tang Pancui would return to their rural hometown to visit his grandparents. He could use this opportunity to hide in the mountains and avoid the commotion.

"Okay, I'll ask my boss for leave right away." Tang Pancui had also had enough in recent days. Both were people of action; they decided and immediately packed their bags. That same night, they left Danxia City.

Before leaving, Chen Mobai asked his uncle, Wang Jianyuan, to drive them to the bus station. They bought tickets and departed before the reporters could react.

After the mother and son reached a suburban stop by bus, a slightly dark-skinned old man was already waiting for them in a pickup truck, holding a pipe.

The old man's eyes lit up when he saw Chen Mobai getting off the bus. He rushed over and scooped him up in a hug. "My precious grandson, you're finally here!"

"Dad, let's go quickly. I bet a lot of people are still chasing us," Tang Pancui said, putting their luggage into the back of the pickup truck and urging him to leave.

"Once we're in the mountains, I'd like to see who dares to bother you two," the old man snorted, his tone assertive. His name was Tang Lu, the village chief of Qingshan Village and Tang Pancui's father. Chen Mobai's own commanding manner, in a way, came from him.

After getting off at that stop, they drove for another three hours in the pickup truck before finally arriving at a small village nestled among picturesque mountains and terraced fields.

"Xiaocui, I heard your son got into Wuzhi Daoist Academy." Tang Pancui had already boasted to Tang Lu, and he, being unable to keep a secret, had clearly let the entire Qingshan Village know that Chen Mobai was admitted to one of the Four Great Daoist Academies.

Being able to show off in front of others, especially in the place she grew up, instantly invigorated Tang Pancui. "Second Aunt, long time no see! Well, the main credit for this goes to me. If I hadn't taken that little rascal to the temple on the mountain during the holidays to pray for good fortune, how could he have gotten so lucky...?" After getting out of the car, Tang Pancui started chatting with an old woman at the village entrance. Soon, a group of women, having heard the news, gathered around to see the legendary peerless genius whom Tang Pancui had given birth to, supposedly an incarnation of the Wenqu and Wuqu star lords.

Chen Mobai could only offer a polite smile. Fortunately, Tang Lu called him to help with the luggage, and he immediately escaped the crowd of women, vanishing in a flash.

The women didn't follow him, instead remaining gathered around Tang Pancui, who was loudly bragging about her unique experience in raising a child, all of them looking envious.

"Grandma." Upon reaching the innermost house in Qingshan Village, Chen Mobai saw a silver-haired woman standing at the doorway, waiting. He immediately called out to her.

"Ah, my good grandson, you've really brought honor to your grandmother." The woman smiled broadly and proudly embraced Chen Mobai.

That evening, the entire extended family gathered. Besides his grandparents, there were also two great-uncles and his aunt-in-law.

Another two or three days of celebration allowed Tang Pancui to fully bask in the glory.

"Oh, right, tomorrow we're going to the temple on the mountain to fulfill a vow, so don't you go wandering off," Tang Pancui, having just returned from showing off outside, suddenly said this to Chen Mobai, who was in the courtyard mixing ink for talismans using a DIY ink-making kit he bought online on the stone table.

"Mhm, I know." After speaking, Chen Mobai glanced at the turtle shell on the stone table, which he used to press down talisman paper.