I manifested the Shushan game

Chapter 4 Special Spiritual Caves!

Zhao Kang and his wife were genuinely surprised. When they washed up and went outside, they found their companions already gathered in the lobby, all looking equally astonished.

"Old Zhao, you're here. Have you noticed that the Chen family's ancient building complex looks a bit different today?"

"Yes, I didn't realize how beautiful this place was until yesterday when I first arrived."

"Yes, when I woke up today, I felt that the buildings around me had an antique feel to them, which was very pleasing to the eye."

"..."

Zhao Kang and his wife were surprised. It seemed that not only they had this feeling, but others did as well, which was quite amazing.

At this moment, Zhao Kang saw Xiao Yu, who had received them yesterday, walk in and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Xiao Yu, when we woke up this morning, we found that the ancient buildings here are very beautiful. We didn't feel this way when we came yesterday. It's really amazing."

Xiaoyu was actually quite surprised herself; she felt that her room had changed when she woke up this morning.

Even though it was her own arrangement, it had a strong sense of beauty and antiquity, as if it had a profound cultural heritage.

She thought it was just her imagination, but little did she know that Mr. Zhao and the other tourists also had the same feeling.

But she didn't know what was going on. When Mr. Zhao asked her, she suddenly had an idea and explained, "Mr. Zhao, you drove here yesterday and had a long and tiring journey. You weren't in the mood to enjoy the scenery. If you take a nap today, you'll be refreshed and ready to go."

When Zhao Kang and the others heard these explanations, they thought they were possible. Besides, their attention yesterday was focused on discussing the ancient techniques of the Chen family head, and they were also attracted by the historical heritage of the Chen family. Afterwards, they went to the vegetable garden to experience the joys of rural life. Their mindset was that they would visit the ancient building complex this morning.

Now, after a good night's sleep, I focus my attention on the ancient architecture and naturally appreciate its beauty.

There's a saying: Only by observing carefully can you discover the beauty in things.

Xiaoyu didn't want to dwell on the matter and immediately invited, "Dear tourists, our Chen family has prepared breakfast for you. After breakfast, we can take you to experience the scenery of our Chen family's ancient architectural complex."

Mr. Zhao and his group nodded. After all, they had come here because of the video the other party had filmed, so they naturally wanted to take a good look around.

On the other side, Chen Han had already looked at the interface in his mind, where a new interface for the sect's headquarters had appeared. Upon opening it, attribute information appeared:
Sect Headquarters: Chen Family Ancient Building Complex

Level: Level 1 sect headquarters.

Effects: Rustic +2, Aesthetics +2
升级要求：1、10万钱财（2.54万/10万）。2、声望500（3/500）。

Special functions: 1. Can reclaim the effects of the sect's territory and convert them into sect territory construction cards. 2. Special spiritual cave (not yet constructed; construction condition: find a place with spiritual benefits within the sect's territory).

Clearly, this sect's headquarters can be upgraded.

Moreover, just like those pay-to-win games, this setup is designed to exploit players who spend money to make money.

This game system is even more ruthless than those pay-to-win games.

Previously, building it only cost 1 coins and 10 reputation points, but now that it's built, upgrading it costs 10 coins and 500 reputation points.

This is treating him like a Japanese person, cutting him up.

I wonder if he can pay in Japanese yen?
However, he had already witnessed the transformative effect of the sect's headquarters building plaque on the Chen family's ancient architectural complex. If the sect's headquarters could be upgraded, then there should be new attribute effects after the upgrade, right?

Right now it's just +2 to rustic and +2 to visual appeal. Will things like a sect-protecting formation appear when the level goes up?

Thinking about it, Chen Han looked at the function of the special spiritual acupoint, wanting to know what its effects were.

However, this spiritual cave has not yet been constructed and requires certain conditions to be met.

Moreover, he did not understand what it meant to 'find a place where spiritual assistance is available'.

So, there's still no clue.

Fortunately, the note indicated that the search should be conducted within the sect's territory, which means the search should be conducted within the Chen family's territory.

I don't understand anyway, so I'll just look it up first.

He started directly from his own courtyard, then moved to the area surrounding the ancient buildings. He tried each location, but the game message he received was always: "[Current location is not suitable for constructing a special spiritual site!]"

On the contrary, he had walked too much and his physical condition did not allow it; he was already panting and somewhat exhausted.

He had to sit down and rest in the performance square.

This place used to be the square where the Chen family organized martial arts demonstrations for young men from the surrounding villages. Some of the old-fashioned demonstration facilities are still there.

He had only been sitting for a short while when he saw Xiaoyu leading Mr. Zhao and his group toward him.

"The Chen family's ancient architectural complex is truly impressive; its rustic simplicity is a rare sight."

"Yes, it's much better than those tourist attractions that mainly feature ancient architecture. I went to that ancient city before, but it didn't feel like Chen's place at all."

"..."

Zhao Kang and his companions were filled with emotion. The more they explored the Chen family's ancient architectural complex, the stronger this feeling became. The antique charm was truly captivating, making them feel as if they had stepped into ancient times.

Xiaoyu found it increasingly unbelievable.

She took Mr. Zhao and his group on a tour, taking photos and videos along the way. These photos and videos could be given to Mr. Zhao and his group as gifts, and also used as material for editing and posting on social media for promotional purposes.

Today, she clearly felt that the photos and videos she took were better than before, with a rustic charm and visual appeal that practically overflowed the screen, especially the more distinctive parts of the Chen Family Ancient Architectural Complex.

Something was definitely not right. Although she wasn't a member of the Chen family and wouldn't mind becoming one in the future, she had been connected with the Chen family for over 10 years after becoming an apprentice and was very familiar with the Chen family's ancient architectural complex. It certainly wasn't like this before.

Just as she finished explaining the training ground to Mr. Zhao and the others, she saw her senior brother lounging around on the side, letting Mr. Zhao and the others wander around the training ground freely. She angrily walked towards her senior brother.

My senior brother has really become lazy since he came back this time. I often see him lounging around like Ge You, and he doesn't care at all about the tourism promotion of the Chen Family Ancient Architectural Complex.

She felt she should give him a good talking-to.

"Senior brother." Xiaoyu called out to him plaintively as she approached.

"Xiaoyu, you've worked hard." Chen Han looked at his pretty junior sister and praised her with a smile, "Your Hanfu is also very beautiful today!"

"Senior brother, really?" Xiaoyu's pouty expression instantly turned into a sweet smile when she heard her senior brother's praise: "I bought it on Taobao, I spent a long time choosing it."

"Yes, the key is that my junior sister is beautiful; she looks good in anything." Chen Han smiled, not stingy with his praise.

"No way, there are plenty of girls prettier than me!" Xiaoyu said modestly, but the corners of her mouth were turned up so wide that it was harder to suppress than an AK.

That senior brother is really something, praising her so bluntly. If you can praise her, praise her more!

Then, she couldn't help but ask, "Senior brother, I feel that the Chen family's ancient building complex has changed a bit. It seems to have become more visually appealing."

Chen Han wasn't surprised by this question; the effect of building a sect's headquarters was too obvious.

However, he pretended to be unaware and said, "Nothing has changed. It's still the same. It's still the same trees, the same buildings, the same square..."

Xiaoyu hurriedly said, "Nothing has changed, but it just feels different."

Chen Han explained earnestly, "I think this is the halo effect. When a person's mindset changes, their perspective on a person or a thing will change. Junior sister, has your mindset changed recently?"

Xiaoyu blushed upon hearing this; her mindset had clearly changed recently.

She was very happy because her senior brother had returned.

However, she felt something was wrong and asked, "Senior brother, what about Mr. Zhao and the others? They also felt that today was different from last night, and they asked me about it."

"Then how will you answer?" Chen Han asked instinctively.

Xiaoyu explained, "I told them that they drove here yesterday and were exhausted, so they weren't in the mood to enjoy the scenery. Today, they slept in and woke up refreshed, so they're naturally in a better mood."

“You’re right, that’s definitely it.” Chen Han nodded with absolute certainty.

"..." Xiaoyu was speechless. She had made that up. She added, "Senior brother, when I take photos and videos, I also feel that the surrounding buildings and scenery are more beautiful."

Chen Han smiled and congratulated her: "Xiaoyu, this shows that your photography skills have improved. You're really amazing."

Seeing that she was being praised again, Xiaoyu became a little embarrassed: "No, not at all..."

The corners of my mouth are even harder to suppress than an AK.

My senior brother didn't seem to notice the change at all; perhaps it was just his imagination.

Has my photography skill really improved?

Chen Han didn't want to argue with his junior sister about this issue any further. After resting for a while, he simply left and continued searching for the 'place of spiritual aids'. However, he was exhausted and had tried every place he could think of, but he still couldn't find a suitable place.

Finally, he simply left the ancient building complex and went to the pavilion under the three elm trees to continue his Ge You-style reclining rest.

The pavilion has obviously been renovated, but it still retains its rustic charm and aesthetic appeal.

After returning to the Chen family, this was his favorite place to rest. It was well-ventilated, with fresh air, and most importantly, there was a pavilion under three old elm trees, which was cool and refreshing.

Thinking of the three old elm trees, his eyes suddenly lit up, because elm trees are also considered to be spiritual trees in Taoism.

Moreover, these three old elm trees were planted by the Chen family a long time ago when the Chen family's ancient building complex was expanded. This is because elm trees in Taoism also have the meaning of protection, guardianship, and suppression of evil spirits, which is consistent with the teachings of the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable.

Many folk tales also suggest that elm trees over a hundred years old possess a spirit that can protect the local people. During the late Qing Dynasty, when regional plagues and malaria were rampant, the people living near an old elm tree were not affected at all.

In some places, elm trees that are over a hundred years old are called "Qinian trees" because they are believed to have spirits.

These three old elm trees belonging to the Chen family are not just a hundred years old, they are over 300 years old, so they can be considered ancient trees. Didn't you see that each of the three old elm trees has a numbered plaque hanging on it?
Those were special identification tags that his father had obtained from the Forestry Bureau for the three old elm trees before he passed away.

If you dare to make a few cuts on a tree with this kind of identification tag, you'll make a sewing machine smoke from all the pounding.

Thinking it over, Chen Han immediately tried to construct a special spiritual cave.

This time, it worked!

[Congratulations on finding a place of spiritual assistance. Would you like to construct a special spiritual cave here?]

Chen Han immediately chose yes. The next moment, he saw a white light appear in the middle of the three old elm trees, where the pavilion was located. Moreover, the light spread and instantly filled the entire pavilion.

Among them, mysterious and special runes could be seen moving rapidly.

Then, his eyes lit up, and a very strange feeling appeared.

(End of this chapter)