Upon receiving this result, Yin Ci was somewhat disappointed.

Without internal force, he couldn't delve deeply into the art of formation spells. To unravel the formation, one must use internal strength with extreme precision and skill, which requires a lot of practice. He only had theoretical knowledge in his head, and on the battlefield of "formations," he was nothing more than a naive scholar.

This formation was set up by an expert, and for Chen Qianfan to have a fifty percent chance of unlocking it, he already couldn't be considered an ordinary practitioner. Unfortunately Sect Leader Shi only had this one life, and to risk it in a 50-50 gamble was too much.

Shi Jingzhi's first priority in his "Object Addiction" was to preserve his life.

It was no wonder that there was no movement from the person behind the scenes after the prohibition was triggered - they must have known about this outcome. There were people in the world who dared to gamble with their lives, but Sect Leader Shi was definitely not one of them.

And not to mention Shi Jingzhi being one to cherish his own life, even Yin Ci now doesn't want him to take such risks.

It seems that erasing memories is the obvious choice.

The memories that triggered the prohibition...thinking about it, it should have started from the Greedy Butterflies on Huilian Mountain. Human memories are connected, and easily rekindled. If you want to completely remove them, you have to eliminate the full cause and effect.

The mutual dependence and vulnerability in the pavilion at night and the sight of the Buddha's head at dusk will only be remembered by one person from now on.

Yin Ci's heart skipped inexplicably.

Just then, Shi Jingzhi spoke, "Senior, must the choice be made now?"

To Yin Ci's surprise, Shi Jingzhi did not immediately come to a decision.

Chen Qianfan took the pair of small cymbals and said, "It's none of my business. You can choose whenever you want. It's not like it's my head that's aching. If you stay here for a long time, just pay enough rent."

Shi Jingzhi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "...this junior will think about it again."

Yin Ci walked forward, about to say something, but Shi Jingzhi shook his head and made a gesture for him to be quiet.

"Ah Ci, shh." Turning his face away from Yin Ci, Shi Jingzhi's elegant and steady demeanor disappeared, replaced by a pleading look with a hint of confusion. "Don't say anything. Let me think about it first. Is that okay?"

Yin Ci frowned, but Shi Jingzhi whispered again.

"After all, I can't just disregard your opinion."

Yin Ci was once again softened by his words and could only sigh in agreement.

This matter concerns his life, and Yan Qing and Su Si were not too surprised when they saw Shi Jingzhi's hesitation. Shi Jingzhi straightened his clothes and regained his solemn expression: "Yan Qing and Su Si, please help Granny Wei tidy up the rooms and don't let the old lady work hard for us."

His words were spoken in a dignified manner.

Unfortunately, Chen Qianfan lost interest in Shi Jingzhi when he realized there was no memory to be excavated. He squeezed into the "garbage pile" filled with demon corpses, spread out his precious record book, and began to hastily record.

Throughout the whole process, Old Man Chen didn't even lift his head, treating all his beautiful guests like wooden pillars.

Fortunately, Granny Wei was a normal person. She didn't forcibly stop the two servants from the Ku Mountain Sect from running around and cleaning the house, but instead sat down at the table and started embroidering on a piece of coarse cloth.

Her hands were not idle. Granny Wei's embroidery skills were amazing. She embroidered a peach blossom so vividly that it seemed like it would burst out of the fabric.

"Master Chen is just like that. Don't be offended, he has a good heart," she explained in a distracted manner while embroidering.

Shi Jingzhi once again displayed his talent to be likeable and pulled up a chair to sit next to Granny Wei. "Before I came here, I also heard about Senior Chen... Master Chen's deeds. He is truly remarkable."

Yin Ci couldn't help but give Shi Jingzhi a sideways glance - he probably didn't just hear about it, he most likely investigated deliberately, and the sparrow demon messengers were so exhausted to the point of shedding feathers.

But unexpectedly, Shi Jingzhi didn't continue the topic and changed the subject. "Granny, it's getting dark. Aren't your eyes tired from embroidering? Do you want me to turn up the lamp?"

"I have very good eyesight," said Granny Wei with a smile, extending her hand covered in formation marks. "I used to have many health problems, including my eyes, but Master Chen used his immortal spells to cure me."

Shi Jingzhi was quite skilled in flattery, and before Yan Qing could even finish washing the pot, he had already dug out Granny Wei's background. However, considering that Granny Wei came from a humble background, this didn't seem like a great feat.

Granny Wei was getting on in years and couldn't remember many things clearly. Despite this, they were still able to piece together her background from her ramblings.

Granny Wei's real name was Wei Chun, and she had some Mi Lan blood. When she was young, she was bought by a wealthy merchant in Luanchuan, but after being abused, she injured her owner and escaped. Afraid of being caught on the road to the Central Plains, she decided to take a chance and run to the sparsely populated Mi Mountain Sect.

When Chen Qianfan found her, she was on the brink of death from the cold. Chen Qianfan silently nursed her back to health, but then he wanted to kick her out.

"I saw him looking like a mess every day, and I had nowhere else to go, so I decided to negotiate with him and stay here," Granny Wei chuckled. "I clean for him, he treats my illnesses, and feeds me...who would have thought that time would fly by so quickly, and it's been thirty years already."

Yin Ci asked, "Chen Qianfan has been here for thirty years?"

Granny Wei smiled, "Yes, studying the path to immortality. Master Chen is the best doctor I've ever met. He always says those elixirs and medicines are unreliable. If you want to become immortal, you have to eliminate your own pain and illnesses and cultivate an unparalleled physical body."

It turned out that Chen Qianfan was an expert in healing techniques, no wonder Abbot Juefei went out of his way to introduce him. But for a monk to go and study the path to immortality, who knows what kind of stimulation he received.

Seeing Yin Ci hesitate to speak, Shi Jingzhi pulled him aside and whispered, "Actually, I looked into it. Senior Chen is a passionate person. When he first visited the Jianchen Temple, he was completely heartbroken - he was a talented scholar, but was rejected by the girl he loved. He didn't even bother taking the imperial exams and left home in a huff."

Yin Ci said, "..." To think he still managed to muddle his way into the Jianchen Temple, he really was talented.

Shi Jingzhi continued, "According to the abbot at the time, he was extremely intelligent, but also arrogant and emotional, and his wisdom roots were worrying. Chen Qianfan wanted to prove himself, so he went to pull out the Compassion Stone Sword - I didn't get any specific information, but his situation was somewhat similar to Su Si."

That means he was mercilessly beaten and sent flying by the sword.

"And then?" asked Yin Ci.

"He had a great realization and felt that he was not suited to be a monk, but found the Compassion Stone Sword technique interesting. So, the next day, Senior Chen returned to the secular world and joined the Mi Mountain Sect, attempting to become an immortal."

Yin Ci had nothing to say.

If it weren't for Chen Qianfan's sharp mind, based solely on his life trajectory, he could be described with one big word — unreliable.

However, looking at Chen Qianfan's expressionless old face, Yin Ci felt that something was off - this person was completely absorbed in his own little world, indifferent to outsiders, and had a sharp tongue. No matter how you looked at it, he had little to do with being "passionate."

All night long, Chen Qianfan sat busily at his desk. He cooked at times and took notes at times, behaving more like a wind-up puppet than a passionate human being. He didn't say a word, and Granny Wei didn't pay him any attention, focusing instead on her embroidery work.

But in the middle of the night, she would pour him a cup of warm tea before going to bed.

It was this moment that Yin Ci was waiting for. He quickly excused himself from Shi Jingzhi and approached Chen Qianfan.

"I've never heard of a disaster-blocking talisman," Yin Ci got straight to the point.

Chen Qianfan raised his eyes and replied, "I made it myself by adapting it from a curse. It's normal if you don't know about it. What's the matter?"

"Can a disaster-blocking talisman be used to block the risks of breaking the formation?"

Chen Qianfan's eyes were filled with obvious disdain: "To break a formation, you must first destroy its core, then use force to divide the formation. Even if you suffer the injury instead, its useless to him — even if we don't talk about the formation, if I cut him and put poisonous blood flow into his body, will his poisonous blood grow horns and drill out on its own?"

Yin Ci: "..."

Chen Qianfan's weirdness was different from that of the monks at Jianchen Temple. At least those monks had a bit of compassion, while this person didn't have a compassionate bone in his body, and every word he spoke was laced with a mocking "Are you stupid?" tone.

For a moment, Yin Ci really wanted to teach this old man a lesson.

Taking a few deep breaths, Yin Ci continued to ask without shame: "Then can the disaster-blocking talisman be used to prolong a person's lifespan?"

Chen Qianfan raised his eyebrows, "To be honest with you, this disaster-blocking talisman was adapted from an evil curse called 'Disaster Transfer', created by the Empress of Mi Lan. The cursed person is stuffed with a child talisman, while the practitioner holds the mother talisman. The practitioner can cut themselves into pieces without feeling any pain. As for the cursed person... hmph."

He snorted twice and glanced at Yin Ci, who had a calm expression, before continuing, "Even if I have improved it, its essence is still to transfer external diseases and injuries, and it cannot touch the fate of heaven - diseases carried since birth cannot be cured. When someone's lifespan is up, they cannot be saved."

'Indeed, there is no such thing as luck in this world,' Yin Ci thought to himself. It made sense too. If a disaster-blocking talisman could block everything, not to mention others, the emperor would have long become an immortal monster that cannot die.

After pondering for a moment, Yin Ci lowered his head, "If it's not too much trouble, this junior still wants to ask for a pair of talismans."

Even if he couldn't cure Shi Jingzhi's congenital disease, being a mortal, his cheap master was still fragile. He couldn't die easily, but if he could help him block some deadly disasters, it would still be a good thing.

Chen Qianfan squinted his eyes and asked, "You don't seem like that kid's disciple even though you appear to be filial. Who are you to him?"

Yin Ci was about to organize his answer when the man played with his beard and muttered to himself, "Forget it, it's got nothing to do with me anyway. If you want a disaster-blocking talisman, go gather materials with that little girl tomorrow."

Yin Ci numbly replied, "Thank you, senior, but this matter should only be known by the heavens and earth, and you and me, and not for others to know."

Chen Qianfan glared, "Why should I listen to you?"

Yin Ci picked up a piece of clay from the table and made a slight change to the spell on the slate. Although he couldn't perform the spell, his theoretical knowledge was not inferior to anyone. At least he can poke a little at this old man's heart.

"Okay, only the heavens and earth and you and I know...kid, you better come back and finish amending this formation!" Chen Qianfan shouted.

Naturally, Yin Ci didn't turn back. He happily left Chen Qianfan's yelling behind.

He would help him fix a few more formations and correct his techniques another day, and that would be enough to repay this favor.

Granny Wei and Shi Zhongyu slept together, while a separate room was cleared for the four men. Granny Wei had laid out thick and soft demon skin on the ground and placed four sets of bedding.

After spending a day in the shuttle and walking through the snow for most of the day, everyone was exhausted. Su Si and Yan Qing slept piled on top of each other, while Lord Bai took over Su Si's pillow and dozed off deeply.

Even Shi Jingzhi couldn't wait for Yin Ci to arrive - his cheap master was leaning against the bedding and had fallen asleep just like that.

As soon as Yin Ci approached, Shi Jingzhi twitched his nose.

As he caught a familiar scent, Shi Jingzhi was also lazy to open his eyes. He didn't say a word, but his eyebrows relaxed slightly and the gloom on his face dissipated a bit.

Yin Ci had just sat down next to him, when Shi Jingzhi relaxed completely, sinking into a deep slumber.

However, Yin Ci couldn't fall asleep.

With some free time on his hands, he thought he would contemplate the "Yang Fire," "Shi Rou," or his vow for Shi Jingzhi to "live a hundred years". He thought he would weigh the pros and cons and prepare to have a detailed conversation with Shi Jingzhi tomorrow.

But his heart was in turmoil, which was rare for him.

[What is your relationship with him?]

Chen Qianfan's careless question had caught Yin Ci off guard, and he couldn't come up with an answer right away. So, from what standpoint should he interfere with Shi Jingzhi's choice?

Having lived for so long, Yin Ci had long forgotten how to control others without being too domineering. Now that he had encountered someone he wanted to treat carefully, his hundred years of experience had gone out the window and he was completely clueless.

It was maddening.

...Forget it, he would have plenty of time to think about it tomorrow when he went out.