Chapter 186
Before the words had even left his mouth, Chen Huai'an sensed something was off.
Lin Lingling exuded a sharp, unstoppable aura, a force that radiated from within her, something he had never noticed before.
“She might have awakened her spiritual root,” Old Li said, glancing at Lin Lingling, who was staring intently at her toes, uncertainty lacing his voice. “The concept of spiritual roots comes from Kunlun Xian Gong. It’s said that those with a spiritual root can resonate with corresponding elements. For instance, someone with a fire spiritual root can control fire and won’t be harmed even in a sea of flames... This girl can resonate with guns, and I’ve heard that Wang Jingshan from the Wang family can resonate with blades, confirming his awakening of a blade spiritual root. So, I was wondering if Lin Lingling might be in a similar situation?”
“Is that so?” Chen Huai'an narrowed his eyes, realizing this was no trivial matter. If Lin Lingling truly had a gun spiritual root, she would be a promising talent worth nurturing.
He swiftly pulled out the Shrimp King, which had been hammered into the alloy wall by the Nine-Turn Spirit Orchid, and tossed it at Lin Lingling’s feet. “Try to see if you can resonate with this gun.”
The Dragon Sniper: “???”
Lin Lingling: “…”
“Governor Chen, the gun she resonates with isn’t this one,” Old Li coughed lightly.
“Oh!” Chen Huai'an snapped back to reality and extended a hand toward Lin Lingling. “Come, give me your hand. I’ll check your depth. And remember, don’t resist at all, or I’ll throw you over my shoulder.”
With no long gun available for Lin Lingling to test, he decided to look inward instead. A small amount of Qi wouldn’t allow him to peer into another’s depths, so he needed the cooperation of three eggs.
Lin Lingling bit her lip, hesitating before placing her hand in Chen Huai'an’s palm. The reflection in the glass door showed her flushed ears.
“Don’t resist! I’m going in,” Chen Huai'an said as his consciousness entered Lin Lingling’s body.
Soon, he found himself deep in her spiritual sea, where an exaggeratedly large gun lay, its barrel wrapped in fiery serpents, exuding an overwhelming presence. The fire serpents sensed his consciousness and immediately took a defensive stance.
To avoid harming Lin Lingling, Chen Huai'an quickly withdrew.
“How is it, Governor Chen?” Old Li rubbed his palms together, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Lin Lingling gazed at Chen Huai'an, holding her breath, feeling as if the air around them had suddenly stilled.
“Well, it’s… not bad,” Chen Huai'an said, his lips twitching. Inside, he felt a mix of envy and resentment, while outwardly he maintained a nonchalant demeanor.
Damn it.
Why? What’s the reason!?
That old man from the Wang family had a single-blade spiritual root, and that was fine. But Lin Lingling, who usually seemed like a silly little girl, was even more extraordinary.
A single gun spiritual root combined with a single fire spiritual root.
In the Cangyun Realm, she would undoubtedly be a prodigy!
Spiritual roots for weapons were rare, and having a single five-element spiritual root to complement it was a perfect match.
Despite his inner turmoil, Chen Huai'an stated matter-of-factly, “Lin Lingling has a single gun spiritual root and a single fire spiritual root. Well… among ordinary people, that is indeed a rare talent, but compared to me, there’s still a slight gap…”
“I actually have a spiritual root? Really! I really do!” Lin Lingling pointed at herself, her mouth forming an O shape.
“Yes, you do,” Chen Huai'an replied, smiling wearily.
“Then, what about you? What’s your spiritual root?” Lin Lingling asked, looking at him with curiosity.
Since he mentioned there was still a gap, surely his spiritual root must be even more impressive, right? She was dying to know!
“Me?”
Chen Huai'an fell silent for a moment at the question. Then, taking a deep breath, he placed his hands on his hips and laughed three times.
“I possess all five elements: gold, wood, water, fire, earth, thunder, ice, wind, poison, and sun! I wield every weapon: swords, guns, axes, bows, whips, hammers, and fists… I am the one in ten thousand with a complete spiritual root!”
As Lin Lingling and Old Li looked on in shock and admiration, Chen Huai'an felt his ears grow warm. He waved his hand dismissively and turned away, leaving them with an enigmatic silhouette.
His voice echoed in the room, deliberately lowered: “Ahem, you must keep this a secret! Such a genius as I might attract the envy of evil forces!”
…
…
------------
Chapter 201: What Path Have You Realized, Governor?
“Governor Chen, don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep it a secret for you!” Old Li saluted with a serious face, while Lin Lingling nodded vigorously, her expression earnest. “Governor Chen, you can rest assured, I absolutely won’t tell anyone, even if the enemy holds a gun to my head, I won’t say a word!”
“Good, you’re both good comrades. I trust you,” Chen Huai'an nodded, feeling reassured.
“Lin Lingling, look how humble Governor Chen is! You should learn from him!”
Previously, Lin Lingling had a simple impression of Chen Huai'an as just a powerful revivalist, a big shot. But now, seeing him—striking down the Corpse King Di Jiang with lightning, saving the entire C Province from peril—she respected him immensely. The bearded uncle had sacrificed his life to protect him, and she suddenly understood why he had done so. Though she still mourned the bearded uncle’s death, she held no resentment toward Chen Huai'an.
At this moment, Chen Huai'an stood in her mind as tall and mighty as the bearded uncle.
This is what a hero is!
His silhouette was so broad.
His gaze was so bright.
He…
“Governor, the stockings you wanted have arrived. We have white silk, white silk suspenders, black silk, black silk suspenders, cross straps, black and white silk butterflies, rose lace, cow print socks, black and white fishnets, sparkling fishnets, polka dot black silk, and black and white floral vines… over a thousand pairs in total, all in the sizes you requested. Some were out of stock, so we couldn’t get a hundred pairs of those.”
Zhao Ying pushed open the back door, followed by several demon-slaying practitioners carrying large bags.
“Old Li? Lin Lingling? When did you two get here?”
She set down the bags and, upon seeing Lin Lingling and Old Li, momentarily lost her train of thought. She quickly turned to Chen Huai'an, who stood with his back to everyone, hands clasped behind him, silent.
Oh no.
Zhao Ying felt she might have made a mistake.
With Chen Huai'an not speaking, she didn’t dare to move.
Neither did the demon-slaying practitioners behind her.
Until one of the bags burst, scattering black and white packaging all over the floor.
“Ahem, these handkerchiefs are quite nice, very, um, trendy,” Old Li said, maintaining a serious expression.
Lin Lingling, lacking the emotional intelligence of the older generation, directly confronted Chen Huai'an, “Governor, why did you buy so many? Are you planning to wear them yourself? Don’t be shy; if there’s anything wrong, just say it. We can totally understand!”
In the shadows under the lights, Chen Huai'an’s fingers twitched.
Xiang Xiaoyuan, standing behind Zhao Ying, raised her eyebrows and quickly stepped forward with a forced smile. “Uh, these are for me and Ying Jie to wear, but there’s just no space in the office, so we’re temporarily storing them here with the governor. Hahaha, ahahaha…”
“I see! It’s perfectly normal to store things that don’t fit in the office here with the governor! Our Governor Chen is so helpful, right, Lin?” Old Li nudged Lin Lingling with his elbow.
However, Lin Lingling still didn’t catch on to Old Li’s hint and scratched her head, saying, “I remember there’s a space warehouse, right? Even if you buy a ton, it wouldn’t fill it up, would it?”
“Uh…” Zhao Ying and Xiang Xiaoyuan were left speechless, one frantically rubbing her clothes, the other’s face flushed as if scalded, palms sweaty.
“Alright, enough with the pretense. What’s the point of all this?” Chen Huai'an suddenly turned around, glaring at everyone, and snorted coldly. “These items are what I wanted! I want them for my path of realization! Unlike you all, who only see lewdness in these things! What do I see? I see history, cultural depth, the wisdom of the working people, and aesthetics!”
Chen Huai'an spoke with conviction, though his hands kept fidgeting in his pockets, pulling them out repeatedly.
“Oh! I get it! So, what path are you realizing, Governor?”
The air in the containment room fell silent for a moment.
“Ahem, San Dan, you’re now a member of the C Province Demon-Slaying Division,” Chen Huai'an didn’t answer Lin Lingling’s question but coldly pointed outside the containment room. “I, in my capacity as governor, command you to run fifty laps on the training field right now. That’s one of your training tasks for today.”
“Then, after I finish running, can you tell me what path you’re realizing?”
Table of Contents
