Chapter got cut in the middle... Also, uh... wasn't the bounty old news? Or is this a new bounty...?

So, let me get this straight.
The old man at the laborer office is... very likely to be the high venerable. To be honest, I feel like it's confirmed, but there is a slight chance we'll get hit by a curve ball.

He noticed Mr. Main Character entering the sect and decided "MINE" and metaphorically dragged him into the laborer office -> and he's spending his time working with him. With this sort of background, yeah... it makes sense how he can get Zhou Fan to open up to him.
I like to imagine that he got to Ethereal stage in 100 years, realized he can't progress properly, and then shifted his cultivation into therapy.

Right? I don't like the releases by Yaksha scans.

Still, I won't report them or anything - they are unlike the scammers known as "mangademon" with how they're ruining the manhwa translations by spreading their trash all over -> to get you to go to their horrible website.

One line DESTROYED the opportunity they had to peacefully get through this situation by lying.
https://i.postimg.cc/1z9WkpmP/i.png
Serves them right though. lol

Well, the plot is kinda throwing some curveballs...

Cosmic Thonk
https://i.postimg.cc/X7VfDR2C/i.png

That old man's cultivation is in therapy.

Well, I gotta say, giant snake's weakness being its eyes is nothing original... but then it has a barrier just for its eyes? Now that's a step forward in how dangerous it is.
What's next? A barrier inside its stomach to prevent you from getting swallowed -> killing it from the inside? hehehe

I thought about it... and uh, she's going to be disappointed when she learns about China's policy on having children.
https://i.postimg.cc/RV3JpsXL/i.png
You will realize that Xi Qing and his buddies are all "the only child" in their family. The one child policy... *googles it* yeah, wow, it ended in 2015 or 2016. It wasn't even a decade ago and they immediately introduced a 2 child policy.

Hey... wait what's this? In 2021, they introduced the 3 child policy. Better.
Oh? And in 2023, Sichuan Province announced it is gonna abolish the policy completely!? AND ALLOW PEOPLE TO JUST HAVE AS MANY KIDS AS THEY WANT!? Yoooooooooooo!
https://i.postimg.cc/CMWYsmt8/i.png

This is the look on people's face when you tell them ghosts, zombies or other common-sense-breaking things exist.
https://i.postimg.cc/gJv7sB5T/i.png
Consider it as we might, common sense will prevail. This is why Main Characters in novels, where that stuff happens, can't casually tell others what they say.

Also, there is no such thing as "being past the age of learning." okay, boomer?

It's not a long or complicated read. The initial plot hook is very effective and the manga doesn't waste time doing side stuff. Now that it is completed, you don't have to suffer through all those long hiatuses, so it's just a normal read.

And judging it as a normal read, it's not very good. Like 5/10.
The first arc is around a 7 out of 10 and as I said, it doesn't waste time doing side stuff, so one arc leads to the next which has an opening to lead to the next and then the next and we're done. The plot wraps up all the loose threads neatly into a bow tie and calls it quits.

It's still a 5/10 overall because it's not very good. Reminder: I'm not IGN so 5/10 is "fine" quality. I like the chibis that are consistently used.

Well, looking back at every massive hiatus, they were all scenarios where the translation group changed.
Chapter 17 ends with a "we're dropping this" -> almost a year later, Chapter 18 is picked up by a new translator group which only did 18 and 19.
They dropped it and almost half a year passes where Chapter 20 is picked up by another translator group who took the series to chapter 33.
Chapter 34 is finally picked up almost a year and a half later -> and took it to chapter 41
And then finally the last few chapters were handled by someone (perhaps the previous person/group when they remembered it almost a year later?)

It seems to be a translator thing.
Also, looking up the JP volumes for this novel, there are 3 volumes with 16 chapters per volume; it's a total of 48 chapters.

So, doesn't seem axed to me.

Yopi pulled this off perfectly
https://i.postimg.cc/C1nsTYMZ/i.png

Rather than the manga going on a long hiatus -> wasn't that just translator group drama?

I don't feel like it's axed. I feel like this work just had a few arcs to go through and finish.

We started off with that jerk of hero using manipulation -> solving the Viper problem, which included the old man head of the apothecary -> transitioned into the "mystery" of her parents, which ended up being VERY thorough -> and done.

In all fairness, none of the arcs this manga had were very long.

Wow, that was a fast retreat.

hmm... are they trying to set it up where this guy is just trying to bury this problem in the ground -> and just move on?

And then what?

Ah, she is innocent.
https://i.postimg.cc/Cxd23xJs/i.png
The lady suffering from inferiority complex was like "she said that to insult me" and uh... no, she did not! Your inferiority complex is getting to you and seeing smoke where there is no fire.