CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53: I ALREADY KNOW

Chen Guan seemed to have become an outsider, while his mother, Chen Yulian, was quite fond of Ji Nanhong, holding her hand and chatting warmly.

Ji Nanhong didn’t need his help at all; her conversation was poised and she even controlled the entire chat, making Chen Guan’s parents laugh without stopping. They were all very happy.

Chen Guan was happy to not have to socialize, sitting alone in the small courtyard, basking in the sun and pondering the matter of the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue.

Everyone now thought Wang Lian had obtained the "Epang Sutra," but Chen Guan knew that the last part of the "Epang Sutra" was not on Great Black Heaven’s Fifth Peak.

He suspected that the last part of the "Epang Sutra" was likely related to the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue, otherwise, why would the statue have a special state?

However, last night, he had thoroughly studied the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue and found no sutras on it. This fellow wouldn’t speak, so hoping to get the last part of the "Epang Sutra" from its mouth seemed hopeless.

"The final whereabouts of the sutra must lie in that special state; maybe if I can lift the special state of the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue, I can obtain the final sutra from it. But how can I lift the special state of the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue?" Chen Guan couldn’t think of a solution for now.

According to his information, the Divine Format of the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue was tainted, its spiritual wisdom blinded, and its body parasitized by evil spirits.

While studying at the academy, Chen Guan had also learned about some evil secret spirits that could parasitize other Secret Spirits, but he had never heard of a case where the evil secret spirit could continue to parasitize after the host body was killed and petified.

Typically, after the host body is killed, the parasitizing evil secret spirit would detach and survive independently or look for another host body.

This thing could actually parasitize a petified Secret Spirit; such a thing was unheard of.

"Generally, to expel parasitic secret spirits, one needs to choose different power attributes accordingly. Some Demon Type parasitic secret spirits require Holy Type powers to expel; Water Type parasitic secret spirits need fire power to expel. Different parasitic secret spirits demand different responses and methods. What kind of secret spirit is parasitizing the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue, or is it even a secret spirit?"

Chen Guan pondered and felt that to ask someone to expel the evil spirit in the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue, he would have to let others know about the statue’s condition, which would be troublesome if someone took an interest in it.

Even if the expulsion succeeded, it wouldn’t be good to have the Epang Sutra appear on the statue and be seen by others.

"If I don’t ask someone for expulsion, what other way is there?" Chen Guan pondered for a moment and suddenly thought of something, sitting up from the bench.

Chen Guan’s sudden action startled his parents and Ji Nanhong, who were having a pleasant conversation.

"What are you doing over there? On such a beautiful day, take Honghong out for a walk, buy some tasty treats." Chen’s mother had already started using a nickname.

Chen Guan felt that the nickname Honghong didn’t sound very nice, but calling her Xiaohong seemed even worse, and calling her Nanhong was a bit too formal, so he couldn’t think of a suitable name.

However, Ji Nanhong seemed to like how Chen’s mother called her. She stood up according to Chen’s mother’s suggestion and naturally took Chen Guan’s arm, smiling as she said, "Uncle, auntie, let’s go for a walk."

"Okay, remember to come back by six for dinner. Auntie will have uncle make his specialty, steamed beef and fermented black bean steamed ribs." Chen’s mother reminded them with a smile.

Chen Guan, reluctantly taken out by Ji Nanhong, was not in the mood for shopping. All he could think about was how to get the evil spirit out of the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue.

All the World-Defying Secret Spirits on Fifteenth of July Island had been killed. If he wanted to acquire an Unparalleled Secret Technique, there was no way to get one now. In other Secret Realms, to kill a World-Defying Secret Spirit depended on chance, and Chen Guan didn’t think he had such good fortune. Without any backing, even if he found a World-Defying Secret Spirit, it wouldn’t be his turn to kill, especially those lower-level World-Defying Secret Spirits, which were very coveted.

If he couldn’t obtain anything from the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue, he could only purchase a World-Defying Secret Technique Core.

He hadn’t thought of buying it initially because a World-Defying Secret Technique Core was too expensive, and he couldn’t afford it.

But things were different now; the Spirit of the Cheerleaders could actually enhance the quality of Secret Spirit Pets, a trait that could earn Chen Guan big money, possibly enough to buy a World-Defying Secret Technique Core.

The problem was, World-Defying Secret Technique Cores were rare; even if he encountered one, it might not be what Chen Guan needed.

Chen Guan always felt that the secret technique created by the Emperor Ancestor couldn’t be something so simple as being only for women.

Could a figure like the Emperor Ancestor really have collected all the secret techniques in the world and created one only women could cultivate just because of a first love?

To figure this out, he must expel the evil spirit from the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue.

Since he couldn’t ask for others’ help, Chen Guan thought of his Spirit of the Cheerleaders.

Many human diseases are essentially caused by parasitic infections like viruses; humans have the ability to eradicate viruses themselves.

If this theory could be applied to Secret Spirits, does it mean that Secret Spirits themselves could also expel parasitizing evil spirits, but perhaps their immune systems are not strong enough or not activated, making them unable to expel the parasites on their own?

Chen Guan thought he might use the Spirit of the Cheerleaders to stimulate the potential of the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue, and it might just work, even if it failed, there was nothing to lose.

Ji Nanhong was happily shopping with Chen Guan, buying lots of snacks and occasionally sharing them with him.

Seeing Chen Guan distracted, Ji Nanhong led him to a pavilion in the corner of a street park, sat them down, and looked seriously at Chen Guan’s face, slowly saying, "I know why you don’t want me to tell anyone about us."

"What?" Chen Guan was slightly taken aback.

"Because of your family." Ji Nanhong said, staring unblinkingly into Chen Guan’s eyes.

Chen Guan’s heart skipped a beat: "Could Ji Nanhong have discovered my father’s identity? No, right, dad said he’s not afraid of investigations, but why would she say such a thing if she hadn’t uncovered dad’s identity? Where did it go wrong? I shouldn’t have mentioned secrecy, it only aroused her suspicion and led her to investigate my family."

"What are you talking about?" Chen Guan asked, feigning confusion as he looked at Ji Nanhong.

"Actually, you don’t have to hide it from me. I think there’s nothing wrong with auntie’s occupation; you really shouldn’t have any psychological barriers because of it. There’s no distinction between high and low in professions; a mother’s greatness lies in doing whatever profession for her children and family." Ji Nanhong brushed her hair aside, speaking earnestly, "I truly think auntie is amazing. She’s an exceptionally, exceptionally, exceptionally good woman, a great mother, and a successful professional with her own charm. I hope to be as excellent as her one day."

"What is she talking about?" Chen Guan was filled with question marks and didn’t know what to say for a moment.