Qu Sifan shook his head and said, "Master Chen’s casual remark has greatly benefited me."
Previously, he would only follow the scripts and never thought there could be problems with the pill formula, but now Chen Mo has given him the courage to question authority!
This change in mindset is most precious, something years of hard practice cannot exchange for!
Chen Mo still felt that Qu Sifan was making a big deal out of nothing, but just as he was about to say something, he suddenly felt the surroundings grow quiet.
Looking up, he saw the devotees staring intently at him, their eyes glowing green as if they were prisoners who had been locked up for three years and were now seeing the Oiran of the Courtesan House.
Chen Mo felt a slight chill down his spine.
Before he could react, the crowd surged up all at once.
"Mr. Chen, please give me some guidance too!"
"Help me adjust my Alchemy Dao, I beg you!"
"I’ve been stuck at Fourth Rank for five years, unable to concoct a perfect Spirit Pill, please help me take a look, Mr. Chen..."
"Nothing else, let me kneel to you first!"
Qu Sifan is a professional at exploding Pill Furnaces; he’s blown up enough furnaces in three years to circle the Demon Suppression Department twice!
And now, just because of Chen Mo’s one sentence, he directly achieved Fourth Rank with a perfect Spirit Pill!
Seeing the situation, how could the crowd hold back?
In their eyes, Chen Mo had become a shining "Enlightenment Golden Core"!
Surrounded by the sea of people, Chen Mo couldn’t help but feel a bit of a headache. He had originally come to the Demon Suppression Department to take advantage, so how did he suddenly become the one being taken advantage of...
At this moment, a deep and stern voice rang out:
The scene immediately quieted down.
The void rippled, and a man with a figure as straight as a pine tree walked out slowly, his broad square face composed and eyebrows constantly furrowed, exuding an aura of silent authority.
"Honorable Counselor."
"Greetings, Honorable Counselor."
The devotees bowed and saluted one after another.
Yuan Junfeng, hands clasped behind his back, coldly remarked, "Look at your disgraceful behavior, what conduct is this? Although Mr. Chen is a devotee, he is also an esteemed guest invited by Elder Ling, and should not be subjected to your rudeness?"
The crowd lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound.
Chen Mo pursed his lips, this guy must have been watching the show in secret and only now popped out to play the good guy.
But from the tone of his words, is Ling Yishan the one who wants to see me?
The Commander of the Demon Suppression Department, Ling Yishan, is usually very low-key and rarely shows himself, but he’s undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with!
Why would someone like him suddenly want to see me?
Could it be because of Ling Ningzhi...
Yuan Junfeng extended his hand and said, "Mr. Chen, please this way."
"Honorable Counselor, you’re too kind."
As Chen Mo took a step forward, the scene before him suddenly changed.
He found himself in a quiet courtyard, in the center of which stood a giant locust tree so large it would take dozens of people to encircle it, its twisted branches forming a canopy like an umbrella, almost covering the entire courtyard.
Under the tree’s canopy, an old man wearing coarse linen clothes lay on a reclining chair.
His face was aged and heavily wrinkled, holding a palm fan, at a glance, he looked like the most ordinary of old men from the streets, appearing simple and ordinary.
Ling Ningzhi stood beside him with her hands behind her back, wearing a moon white Daoist robe. The sunlight filtered through the lush canopy and fell in dappled patterns on her exquisitely beautiful face, giving her a dreamy golden edge.
Her Cloud Head Shoes moved slightly, and her eyes, like clear ponds, focused on Chen Mo.
"Ahem, are you Chen Mo?"
The old man cleared his throat and spoke.
Chen Mo cupped his hands and said, "Subordinate Chen Mo, has seen Commander Ling."
The old man squinted his cloudy eyes and directly asked, "Ningzhi is innocent and naive, ignorant of matters between men and women; she has been cultivating in the mountains since childhood and never interacted with men. She’s only recently returned to Tiandu City, and you’ve already managed to allure her... Boy, what do you have to say about this?"
Ling Ningzhi stomped her foot in embarrassment and irritation, "I said, we are not in that kind of relationship!"
"As for what kind of relationship it is, this old man will judge, but now, this old man wants to hear his answer." Ling Yishan looked steadily at Chen Mo.
Though he didn’t intentionally exert pressure, his long-held authoritative aura made others feel prickly and uneasy.
If Chen Mo dared to admit it, he might even respect the boy as a man.
If Chen Mo hemmed and hawed, dodging and deflecting, he would never allow the two to meet again! Gratitude is one thing, but he wouldn’t let Ling Ningzhi follow a man without accountability!
Seeing Chen Mo remain silent for a long time, disappointment flashed in Ling Yishan’s eyes, ready to have Yuan Junfeng see him out.
Ling Ningzhi lowered her head, a surge of indescribable bitterness welling up in her heart.
So was she overthinking this...
"What do I have to say?"
After hesitating for a long time, Chen Mo cautiously said, "Willing to be infatuated?"