How come I was born a deity?

Chapter 9: Have I been here before?

Outside the mountain gate, the old bald man, unaware of Chen Qi and Shen Nianxu behind him, bowed to the young Taoist in front of him and said, "Friend, please tell Master Xuanqing that He Yan, representing the He family, has come to pay his respects."

The young Taoist priest holding a broom simply gave a warm smile and said, "Mr. He is joking. Given your and the He family's status, coming to Shangqing Palace can hardly be described as 'paying respects'."

Upon hearing this, He Yan's face lit up with joy. "Then can I go see Master Xuanqing?"

"Hehe, you can't understand what they're saying, can you?" Shen Nianxu led Chen Qi over from a distance, not forgetting to make a sarcastic remark, "They're rejecting you very tactfully, so don't be so shameless."

As she spoke, Shen Nianxu bowed to the young Taoist priest, "Greetings, Taoist priest. On behalf of Qingcheng Bookstore, I would like to pay my respects to Master Xuanqing."

The young Taoist priest smiled again. "Miss Shen, you jest. The bookstore is a household name in Qingcheng. How could you possibly ask for a 'payment'?"

He Yan scoffed, "Didn't you hear that? They're politely declining you. Don't push your luck!"

Shen Nianxu was too lazy to argue with the old bald man, and simply continued to bow to the young Taoist priest, saying, "Please inform Master Xuanqing."

Not to be outdone, He Yan followed suit, cupping his hands in greeting to the young Taoist priest and saying, "Thank you for your help."

A bead of cold sweat trickled down the young Taoist's forehead.

No, since you all understand that I'm politely declining your offer, then why don't you leave?

You can only understand what others say, but not what you say yourself, right?

"Gentlemen, I'm just a lowly gatekeeper, I really can't accept your formalities," the young Taoist priest said, somewhat speechless, and could only try to appease them with words. "How about this, I'll go inside and ask Master Xuanqing what her opinion is. If she agrees, then I'll invite you in, alright?"

Shen Nianxu quickly bowed, "Thank you!"

He Yan bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, "Thank you!"

Young Taoist priest: "..."

What a hassle!

Watching the young Taoist priest enter the temple, He Yan turned to Shen Nianxu and asked, "I remember you weren't qualified to run for the position of head of the temple? What are you doing at Shangqing Palace?"

As he spoke, He Yan noticed Chen Qi behind Shen Nianxu and immediately saw through Shen Nianxu's intentions. "I see... You couldn't participate in the election for the leader, so you just randomly recruited an unknown newcomer?"

He Yan sized Chen Qi up and down, then sneered again, "A newcomer who's been a first-tier cultivator for less than half a year, and you're planning to put him on the same stage as our He family? Are you sure you're not joking?"

Less than half a year?

Chen Qi, who was still gathering his ninetieth star, subconsciously raised his head.

Oh right, a day is less than half a year, so it's fine.

"That's none of your business," Shen Nianxu said, not mentioning that Chen Qi had only started cultivating yesterday. Her tone was even more arrogant than He Yan's. "Since you've said that, doesn't that mean your He family has already won? Why do you still need to come to Shangqing Palace to campaign for votes?"

"Since you're campaigning for votes, doesn't that mean you're not confident enough?"

He Yan frowned slightly, his tone unfriendly, "Lack of confidence? That applies to other forces, what does it have to do with your bookstore?"

Shen Nianxu retorted sharply, "I'm just afraid that while you're focused on the target in front of you, the target behind you might accidentally poke your rear end."

"I think your bookstore wants to be expelled from Qingcheng by the He family today!"

The bodyguard in black quickly pulled He Yan back and whispered in his ear, "Mr. He, you must calm down. Didn't this woman just say yesterday that Chen Fuzhou needs the bookstore to stay open?"

"Who knows if this woman is just spouting nonsense?" He Yan said coldly. "How long has it been since Chen Fuzhou showed his face in Qingcheng?"

The bodyguard in black whispered again, "Chen Fuzhou is a minor matter, but I heard yesterday that Wang Shande said in the circle that he has high hopes for the newcomer at the bookstore."

Upon hearing this, He Yan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Wang Shande? He said that yesterday? Is it true?"

The bodyguard in black nodded repeatedly. "The intelligence is accurate!"

Upon hearing this, He Yan's anger froze, unable to subside.

Wang Shande is a practitioner who represents the official authorities. In the year-end election for the person in charge, many practitioners' scattered votes have to be given to Wang Shande because of his influence.

Going against Wang Shande's wishes would be tantamount to giving up a large number of scattered votes from cultivators, a situation that the He family, who wanted to break free from their position as the leader, could not accept.

For the bodyguards in black, their job was to protect He Yan and prevent him from suffering unnecessary harm.

If He Yan had provoked Wang Shande and was subsequently retaliated against, they certainly didn't want to clash with this powerful official cultivator.

If you earn money but lose your life, it's better not to earn it at all.

The oppressive feeling of Chen Fuzhou's name had just passed when Wang Shande appeared. This time, He Yan had to calm down and glance at Chen Qi standing next to Shen Nianxu.

Why does Wang Shande have such a high opinion of this kid?

Who is he?

Wait a moment……

He Yan calmed down and thought about it. He wondered why Chen Fuzhou needed this bookstore to stay open, and Wang Shande had also publicly expressed his optimism about this unknown young man.

Could he be Chen Fuzhou's son?

If that's the case, then all anomalies can be explained.

Damn it, I've run into a rich kid at this crucial moment!

The good news is that a cultivator's talent is not inherited through bloodline, and Chen Qi is only a first-level cultivator at the moment, so he has no chance to compete with them at the end of the year.

The advantage lies with me!

"What's wrong?" Noticing He Yan's expression twitching and then calming down, Shen Nianxu took out her phone. "Is it an epileptic seizure? Should I call an ambulance for you?"

He Yan glanced at her coldly. "Hmph, you can only be arrogant for a little while. When the end of the year comes and our He family becomes the head of the household, your bookstore's good days will be over."

Shen Nianxu's eyes flickered slightly, thinking to herself that this old bald man was quite clever, having already deduced Chen Qi's identity? It seemed that being able to become the representative of the He family was indeed no easy feat.

Just as the two were secretly vying for supremacy, the young Taoist priest who had been holding a broom earlier came out from inside the mountain gate.

His face still wore that warm smile.

"Gentlemen, I have already asked Master Xuanqing."

Shen Nianxu and He Yan both perked up at the same time. "What did Master Xuanqing say?"

The young Taoist priest smiled, pursing his lips.

"Master Xuanqing asked, 'What price are you two willing to offer for this meeting?'"

He Yan: "?"

Shen Nianxu: "?"

So after all that, you still have to set a price, right?

Chen Qi, who was busy condensing stars, was a little bored and began to look around.

then……

The more he looked at the place, the more familiar it seemed.

Have I been to this place before?