Chapter 295: Chapter 288

Sure, here’s the English translation based on your guidelines:

Chen Xu was not present before people, yet seemed to exist within everyone’s hearts.

His opponents went into seclusion one after another, and apart from the surface-level war of opinions, they were secretly deploying various tactics.

These were not meant for outsiders to know, so there’s no need to elaborate.

Actually, the preparation before exams, no matter how many methods were used or how much effort was made, was par for the course, and Chen Xu himself did not slack off.

He seemed to spend most of his days cultivating, but he also took time to read in the Fire and Smoke Kitchen.

He read them repeatedly, even if it was the classics he had worn out from reading, he still would peruse and ponder over them again and again.

Even if they were familiar enough to recite backward.

Yet truly classic works often possess the charm of being endlessly fresh, even after countless re-readings.

Chen Xu found excitement in reading books repeatedly, and not only didn’t he feel bored, but he often found new tastes in the texts, a testament to the charm of books.

He not only read himself but often discussed books with Little Hedgehog.

Of course, he didn’t forget Little Mouse.

However, Ah Shi didn’t have Wei Yuan’s fervor for reading; he often felt dizzy after listening to a few times and too dizzy, he’d simply burrow into the Spirit Garden Pouch to sleep.

No matter how Chen Xu and Wei Yuan delved into their readings, Ah Shi would never overly involve himself.

Ah Shi thought the hedgehog was a bit strange; it’s understandable for Chen Xu to read books since he’s a scholar.

But the hedgehog was a demon, and it also liked reading – what kind of thought process was that?

Ah Shi was puzzled and felt a bit guilty.

After all, he’s not well, still not fully recovered, and Chen Xu shouldn’t expect him to read books with the hedgehog!

Of course, living in the Spirit Garden Pouch was a past story.

Later, Chen Xu obtained the Demon Heart Lotus Room, and the residences of the two little demons were unified and transferred into the Demon Heart Lotus Room.

Speaking of which, the Demon Heart Lotus Room was much more magical than the Spirit Garden Pouch.

The Lotus Room had nine holes, each of which could transform into a small room, and these small rooms weren’t monotonous. Chen Xu meticulously crafted them in the Fire and Smoke Kitchen.

He also arranged these rooms one by one through small methods of dough molding.

Among them, he chose three Lotus Rooms to build passages and molded courtyards, rockeries, flowers, swings, and other objects within.

Thus, Little Mouse and Little Hedgehog residing within could have some activity space, even if they never came out.

He selected two other Lotus Rooms to separate them from left to right.

Their bedroom was set here, Little Mouse residing on the left, Little Hedgehog on the right.

Inside, there were dough molded furniture, beds, curtains, tables, and chairs all complete, looking miniature and cute, but once the two little demons entered, they’d find these furniture magically transformed into their normal shape and size.

This was a form of Qiankun Dust, truly magical to speak of.

Ultimately, Chen Xu himself didn’t completely grasp this spatial power.

Currently, his understanding of Qiankun Dust was limited to body technique flashing and developing the Yin Attribute Space.

Opening his own storage space was an attached ability of Netherworld’s Unbreakable Divine Power.

Previously, Chen Xu mostly knew of it without fully understanding.

Until that night, he went through the Jade Leaf Knot summoning technique.

With a distinctly different understanding of space, something seemed to expand within his divine thought.

Thus, when crafting the Demon Heart Lotus Room, he became highly adept.

The Demon Heart Lotus Room inherently possessed the same Qiankun Microdust power.

This thing somewhat resembles the legendary Immortal Mansion.

Of course, the Demon Heart Lotus Room doesn’t reach the level of an Immortal Mansion, at most it’s a mobile miniature house, but the meaning of Qiankun within it runs along the same vein.

At the moment Chen Xu successfully crafted the Demon Heart Lotus Room, the two little demons moved in and emerged tearful.

Little Mouse cried and laughed, full of joy and gratitude, all words converged into one sentence: “Scholar, you’re really good! I really love this cave mansion!”

Wei Yuan clasped his hands, solemnly bowed to Chen Xu, and said:

“Brother Chen, I’ve always been a wanderer, with the whole world as my home. I previously thought I’d be forever on the road, but I unexpectedly found one day I’d have a home.

Now, I truly have a home. Thank you, Brother Chen.”

After speaking, he blinked away the dampness at the corners of his eyes.

Actually, what Wei Yuan truly wanted to say was, it’s where Brother Chen is that always feels like home.

The Demon Heart Lotus Room is merely a dwelling place; is it truly a home?

Meanwhile, Wei Yuan had another unspoken thought: apart from Brother Chen, Little Mouse Ah Shi is actually family too.

But these thoughts were kept within; Wei Yuan wouldn’t easily express them.

Pingyang City was bursting with activity, yet unbeknownst to all, Chen Xu had quietly entered the city.

The Demon Heart Lotus Room could only house demons, not people.

Chen Xu was not akin to dust or air; he was still flesh and blood, needing accommodation.

Only, in Pingyang City almost no one recognized his true visage.

Cui Yunqi, despite having dispatched people at the four major city gates, had to grudgingly admit Chen Xu would disguise himself.

Chen Xu didn’t even need to change his appearance drastically; he only needed to slightly utilize the “Flowers Are Not Flowers” technique upon entering the city to obscure his presence, enabling easy entry without the guards noticing.

Once inside, he was like a drop of water merging into the vast sea.

Within the vast population of Pingyang City, like countless stars in the sky, when Chen Xu slipped in, provided he didn’t draw attention to himself, few could easily find him.

He didn’t go to inns but found a small courtyard in a secluded neighborhood far from the Imperial Examination Hall to rent and reside.

Now as the township exams approached, the area around the Imperial Examination Hall was most bustling.

Whether inns or residences, they had reached a point of scarcity.

But South City was still as usual, not experiencing an influx of outsiders leading to housing prices soaring.

After all, the Imperial Examination Hall was in North City, far from South City.

However, Chen Xu was unperturbed by this distance; with his various means and magic, he wouldn’t miss the exam no matter where he resided within Pingyang City.

South City was serene, not drawing attention, offering the best refuge to Chen Xu right now.

In this way, Chen Xu settled down here.

After all, the Imperial Examination Hall was in North City, far from South City.

However, Chen Xu was unperturbed by this distance; with his various means and magic, he wouldn’t miss the exam no matter where he resided within Pingyang City.

South City was serene, not drawing attention, offering the best refuge to Chen Xu right now.

In this way, Chen Xu settled down here. After all, the Imperial Examination Hall was in North City, far from South City.

However, Chen Xu was unperturbed by this distance; with his various means and magic, he wouldn’t miss the exam no matter where he resided within Pingyang City.

South City was serene, not drawing attention, offering the best refuge to Chen Xu right now.

In this way, Chen Xu settled down here.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep