Chapter 63 Damn it, what does this have to do with bumping into a ghost and being haunted by it...?

Li Chen said apologetically, "Well... it's not that my body is weak, it's just that I only know how to do that one skill. I don't know if I didn't learn the others, or if I just didn't intend to continue learning them. Sigh... I can't remember many things from the past, which is quite a hassle..."

Li Chen was trying hard to recall when he heard Han Shannan say in a low voice, "You said before that you learned to dance to make a living. Weren't you in the Zen cultivation world before? You and the Sword God are friends. Were you in the sword cultivation world before? After the Sword God had an accident, were you kicked out? And you're in poor health, and you're carrying around sweet fermented rice balls. Was it because you had no other choice that you learned to dance?"

Li Chen said, "Your guess at the beginning was pretty accurate, but as for what happened later... I shouldn't be as badly off as you said."

"I remember, about two months after I left the world of sword cultivators, then...then..."

Li Chenjin suddenly stopped speaking. She frowned, closed the storybook, and for the first time began to recall those long-blurred memories.

In her hazy memories, it seemed as if she had walked through the world for a long time and experienced a lot.

At the same time, she also remembered that she had only wandered aimlessly with the sweet fermented rice balls for about two months. During this time, the two of them, one person and one dog, ate various wild fruits and vegetables, sometimes hungry and sometimes full.

Just when she was so ill that she could no longer walk, she happened to meet Zen Master Mingcun, who was giving a sermon, and he brought her back to the Zen practice community.

She had never thought about those things from the past, nor did she want to.

Those vague memories seemed to have appeared out of nowhere; she had never actually experienced them, nor had she ever learned to dance, yet she had been able to perform them just now—something was definitely not right…

Seeing that Li Chenjin remained silent and didn't respond to his calls, Han Shannan quickly shouted, "Hey! Why did you suddenly freeze again? Are you really going to vomit blood?!"

Li Chen was startled by his suddenly louder voice. After regaining his senses, he grabbed the storybook and slammed it on the man's forehead. "Keep your voice down! We finally managed to sneak in here. Be careful not to get kicked out!"

Han Shannan rubbed his forehead and said, "What are you afraid of? Aren't we going to be kicked out sooner or later? I can't dance, and you only know one song. We can sneak in, but once we're on stage, who can you beat?"

Li Chen smiled lightly, as if he wasn't worried about it at all. "Who said that just because you've snuck in, you have to go on stage early? Didn't you say that I'm not feeling well? Then we can just postpone it, right?"

"Think about it, there are so many people participating in the Biyun Competition, and there will inevitably be quite a few who want to show off. If we are careful, those outsiders will not be able to control us for a while."

After hearing this, Han Shannan felt it made perfect sense, so he stopped worrying about it and went to play fetch with the sweet fermented rice balls.

Although it's inevitable that the two of them will make some noise when they play together, they won't bother her anymore, which allows her to read her book in peace.

As for her memories, she couldn't figure it out even if she racked her brains. She might as well ask the old monk Mingcun after she returned to the Zen community.

There are still four or five days before the battle for Biyun begins. During this time, they don't need to worry about three meals a day. Every day at the appointed time, someone will put the food outside the door. After eating, they don't need to wash the dishes and chopsticks. They can just leave them outside the door, which saves time and effort.

The only downside was that her sense of taste, which had only recently begun to recover, had disappeared again. The beautifully presented food tasted bland to her, while the person and dog across from her were enjoying their meal immensely.

Li Chen looked at the person and dog across from him, who were engrossed in eating, and couldn't help but smile. He then looked down at the eggplant in his bowl.

This was a bite of food that Han Shannan had picked up for her when he noticed she hadn't touched her chopsticks, even though she was enjoying her meal earlier.

Although the boy knew how to respect his teacher, he didn't really respect him much. After taking that bite, he ignored her and focused on the delicious food in front of him, as if he wanted to comfort his tongue, which had suffered for many days while following Li Chenjin through hardship.

Li Chen stared at the person across from him who was eating with great relish for a while, and even saw a bit of appetite in him. Just as he picked up the piece of eggplant from the bowl, before he could even bring it to his mouth, he felt his hand holding the chopsticks suddenly tighten, as if it had been grabbed by something.

She subconsciously looked at her right hand and discovered that there was now an extra hand on it.

She was slightly taken aback, and looked up following the hand that had suddenly appeared, only to find that there was someone standing next to her at some point.

The man sat down next to her and, to her astonishment, took the chopsticks from her hand.

With a "thud," the eggplant that had fallen back into her bowl was thrown onto the table by the person who suddenly appeared.

Li Chenjin: "..."

She didn't speak, and the room fell silent. The sounds of Han Shannan and the sweet rice balls eating disappeared, and even their food vanished without a trace.

The only thing she could hear at that moment was her own breathing and heartbeat.

She watched as the man threw away the eggplant that had been in his bowl, then slowly picked up a new piece of braised eggplant and placed it in her bowl. He then took her hand again, put the chopsticks back in her hand, and, holding her hand, picked up the extra food from her bowl.

She watched as the man led her by the hand, picked up an eggplant from the bowl, and brought it to her lips.

Her eyes reflected the strange smile that slowly spread across the face of the person opposite her. Then, the person opened their mouth and silently said, "We'll meet again soon..."

Li Chenjin: "..."

Damn it.

What's the difference between this and bumping into a ghost and being haunted by it?

Is this the retribution for reading too many stories about ghosts and monsters, and of people taking things by force?

Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard a voice: "Hey? Hey! What are you spacing out for? You've dropped the food on the table!"

"It's okay if it falls, but you picked up a piece and put it in your bowl and didn't eat it for a long time. I called you, but you didn't respond. Are you having another heart attack?"

Li Chen suddenly snapped out of his reverie, looked up at Han Shannan across from him who was filled with worry, and smiled, saying, "Oh, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something and got lost in thought."

Han Shannan asked suspiciously, "Are you really alright? You've been spacing out a lot lately. Is it because you've been traveling and seeing patients lately, and it's made your heart condition worse? Why don't you find a doctor to take a look at you? Isn't it said that a doctor can't heal himself? I didn't really believe that before, but I've seen you've been taking medicine for so long without getting better, so maybe there's some truth to it?"

Li Chen waved his hand and said, "I'm really fine. My heart condition may have worsened a bit, but there's no need to trouble other doctors. Although there's some truth to the saying 'a doctor cannot heal himself,' Master Mingcun and his disciples have all examined my heart condition, and it's already good that it's maintained as it is."

As she spoke, she turned her head to look at her side.

Shen Zhengyuan was naturally not there, but there was an extra chair next to her.

Han Shannan followed her gaze and also noticed the extra chair. He scratched his head in surprise and said, "Hey? Why is there an extra chair next to you? I don't remember there being one in the room before..."

Li Chen said calmly, "Wasn't this the place from the beginning? You're mistaken."

"I...I remembered wrong?" Han Shannan scratched his head in great confusion. "That shouldn't be the case. I clearly remember that it wasn't there in the first place..."

"Ouch... Why does my hand hurt so much? It feels like I was hit, but that shouldn't be the case... Could it be that I picked up too much food and it cramped up?"

Li Chenjin rubbed his nose and said, "Oh, I suppose so. Your memory and health don't seem to be very good either. I guess you've been traveling with me these past few days and you've gotten tired. Get some rest, okay?"

"Think about it, if you collapse from exhaustion later, wouldn't I, with my worsened heart condition, have to take care of you? What if I fall ill while taking care of you? What will happen to the dog, Jiu Niang Yuan Zi? Will it be left to take care of both of us?"

Han Shannan's expression was very complicated as he looked down at the ground.

The sweet fermented rice balls had already finished eating and were squatting beside him, looking up at him with their tongues sticking out. Their eyes were bright and sparkling, as if they were waiting for him to finish eating so they could play games together.

Normally, he would play with the sweet fermented rice balls for a while, but after listening to Li Chenjin's words, he felt that what she said made a lot of sense, so he immediately stood up, walked to the bedside, and sat down cross-legged.

Before closing his eyes, he glanced at Li Chenjin with great concern and instructed, "I'm going to meditate for a while, so please don't touch me. I don't want to go into a state of demonic possession."

Li Chen nodded and said seriously, "Don't worry, I will absolutely not touch you! You must meditate well, Cultivator Han. Don't get up until you've meditated for a full day and night, lest you really collapse later."

"Master Han, although I don't want to trouble you, the safety of my life and that of the sweet rice balls really rests on your shoulders. You must take good care of your health and regulate your breathing properly."

"Don't worry!" Han Shannan replied, "As long as I'm here, you and the sweet rice balls will definitely be safe!"

After saying that, he hurriedly closed his eyes, mobilized all his spiritual energy, and gradually entered a meditative state.

Li Chen raised an eyebrow, slowly finished the remaining rice in his bowl, and then took the empty bowl outside the door.

Sweet fermented rice balls are not a playful creature. As long as Han Shannan doesn't talk to them or tease them, they will lie quietly on the ground without making a sound.

Now that Li Chenjin finally had some peace and quiet, he felt great. Humming a tune, he slowly returned to the table, took out the storybook he hadn't finished reading, and continued to flip through it.

After a few leisurely and comfortable days, the day arrived when the Pavilion Master of Qilu Pavilion invited guests from all sides to a banquet before the official start of the Biyun Competition.

The two followed behind the maids in the Weeping Dew Pavilion, slowly walking downstairs.

As they walked up the wooden stairs leading downstairs, Han Shannan suddenly felt that something was not quite right.

He looked around, then suddenly leaned close to Li Chenjin and exclaimed in a low voice, "Look! Has that statue gotten bigger?"

"And another thing, isn't that statue the one we saw in Xicheng Town before? Although the style of its clothes is different from those in Xicheng Town, it looks exactly like you..."