Chapter 216
Chapter 216
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 216
Chapter Title: Lord Qingtian the Great
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Qingyang looked toward the bearded man. After all, he was the fox clan's chieftain, and the fox clan had branches everywhere in West Ox New Continent, giving them access to wide-ranging intelligence.
"Young Master was fostered in Prince Zheng's residence twenty years ago. His birth father is surnamed Ren, and he serves as the Minister of War in the capital, overseeing the realm's military forces."
The bearded man said, "Young Master goes by the surname Zheng and hasn't reverted to Ren yet. As for his specific given name, I'm not aware."
Granny Sha said in surprise, "Ren? Minister of War? He's not one of the Thirteen Great Clans—how could he hold the post of Minister of War and command the world's armies?"
Key positions in the court were typically filled by experts from the Thirteen Great Clans, a long-established custom.
Among the Six Ministries, the Minister of War was a high-ranking official of the second grade. Though his authority didn't match that of the cabinet scholars, he wielded real power. A post like this shouldn't fall into an outsider's hands.
Qingyang asked, "Is the Ren family perhaps a great clan?"
The bearded man shook his head. "I've never heard of them."
"That's strange, then..."
Granny Sha said, "Even if Ren whatever-his-name is the Minister of War, there's no need for his fostered son to change his surname."
Even if Young Master were Ren's son, he wouldn't wield such influence as to earn favor from the Thirteen Great Clans or even Master Kuzhu.
The bearded man hesitated for a moment before saying,
"Legend has it that the ancestor of this Ren branch wasn't originally surnamed Ren, but Zhu—the imperial surname."
"He changed it to Ren when the Zhu surname was forbidden."
Granny Sha fell silent for a moment before saying, "No wonder."
If he's of the Zhu surname, that explains everything.
It's a taboo surname.
In the current world, no one dares to bear the Zhu name anymore.
She found it thorny and sighed,
"How did Little Ten end up clashing with Young Master? This is tricky."
Qingyang shook his head. "It's not Little Ten's fault."
Young Master Ren doesn't act like a decent person.
Granny Sha said no more.
They had also been to Bath Capital and knew full well the sort of conduct under Young Master's banner.
"If Young Master Ren is truly of the Zhu surname, then his need for wealth and his broad efforts to win hearts and ally with various powers all make sense."
Granny Sha suddenly said.
Qingyang and the bearded man each froze, understanding her implication.
"No wonder that old coot Master Kuzhu passed down the Great Wheel Wisdom King's Golden Light Mantra to him."
"And the Thirteen Great Clans taught him all sorts of techniques."
"So that's how it is.
The bearded man sighed and said, "Little Ten's opponent is truly troublesome. How about it, Granny—pull Old Chen back from the underworld?"
Granny Sha was utterly vexed.
With just the three of them, they might not be able to ensure Chen Shi's safety.
If they failed, it could lead to another Arch Province demonic upheaval!
"Xiao Wangsun is of the Zhu surname too, right?"
Qingyang suddenly asked.
Granny Sha snapped irritably, "Xiao Wangsun saw the ways of this world, lost all ambition, and will probably end up hanging from the crooked tree outside Huangpo Village someday. The seal Little Ten has was left for him by Xiao Wangsun when he was hanging from that tree. If Little Ten hadn't rushed over back then, what Xiao Wangsun would've hung up there would've been himself, not the seal."
She rallied her spirits and said, "Never mind these worries—let's go home! Finally, we can enjoy a few peaceful days. Take it as it comes! Qingyang, do you have money? If you do, you're paying."
Qingyang rolled her eyes at her. "I don't grow pockets on my body—where would I get money? Besides, as godmother, I only accept offerings, not cash! Those brats in the village offer me tributes, and what they beg for most is for me to get them some money!"
Granny Sha turned to the bearded man.
"Little Liang, I haven't taken any jobs lately and have no money on me."
"You pay. When I get back, I'll sell the eggs I've saved up at home and repay you."
The bearded man sighed and muttered, "And you two call yourselves experts."
He was the fox clan's chieftain after all, with little foxes offering him silver in tribute. He stood and paid the bill.
The three departed.
Chen Shi stayed at the Red Mountain Hall headquarters, finally able to relax.
Red Mountain Hall was like half a home to him—arriving there meant safety.
He settled his mind to cultivate the Eight Gates Golden Que Divine Chapter, but because he'd used the Tianpeng Subduing Demons Great Law, his vitality was somewhat depleted.
At normal progress with the Eight Gates Golden Que Divine Chapter, he could have broken through and formed his Nascent Soul.
But with his vitality depleted, breakthrough was impossible.
"Huh, my lifespan has broken past five hundred years!"
Chen Shi was astonished. Through this dedicated cultivation, he discovered his lifespan had unknowingly surpassed the five-hundred-year limit for the Golden Core Realm, rising to six hundred years!
Lady Shi'e's voice came: "Five hundred years is the limit for the Golden Core Realm, but breaking that limit isn't impossible."
"Your talent is indeed impressive, Upper Envoy, to surpass the Golden Core lifespan limit so quickly. However, the Tianpeng Subduing Demons Great Law harms the body greatly and is hard to recover from."
Chen Shi laughed. "A good night's sleep will fix me right up when I get home."
Lady Shi'e laughed. "If the Upper Envoy doesn't mind the harm to the body, the North Emperor lineage has an even more powerful combat art above it, called the Thunderclap Jade Pivot Great Law—far more damaging."
Chen Shi probed, "How damaging?"
"This thunder art transforms the divine, turning one into the Thunder Ancestor, also known as the Nine Heavens Response to Primal Thunderclap Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable. It opens three eyes, commands thunderbolts— all evil demons and outer paths are utterly annihilated in smoke."
Lady Shi'e laughed. "Once cultivated, this thunder art leaves one's vitality utterly withered; it takes at least a year and a half to recover."
"Last time you went to the Tomb of the True King, I saw it at the innermost part of the stele forest."
Chen Shi's heart stirred at her words, though he hesitated.
The profound arts inscribed on the steles outside the Tomb of the True King grew more powerful the closer to the tomb itself. The Thunderclap Jade Pivot Great Law at the innermost point—its might was unimaginable.
Lady Shi'e said,
"You cultivate the North Emperor lineage's arts. The Tianpeng Subduing Demons Great Law comes from the Supreme Clarity Northern Ultimate Subduing Demons Divine Incantation. Paired with the Thunderclap Body Usage Art, its power is even greater."
"But these are two separate combat arts after all—operating them simultaneously is inconvenient."
Chen Shi nodded slightly.
During his fight with Pavilion Master Qiu of Mingfeng Pavilion, he'd activated the Tianpeng Subduing Demons Great Law alongside the Thunderclap Body Usage Art, drawn blood to paint talismans, summoning thunder and rain. That allowed him to call down thunderbolts, manifesting the Tianpeng True Body wielding six divine weapons, borrowing thunder's power to swiftly slay Pavilion Master Qiu!
Pavilion Master Qiu was the strongest Nascent Soul cultivator he'd faced. Without all those means, Chen Shi couldn't have ended the battle so quickly.
Yet as Lady Shi'e said, using two combat arts at once, plus activating talismans, was indeed inconvenient and easily interrupted.
"The Thunderclap Jade Pivot Great Law is worth trying out."
He thought to himself.
The next day, Yu Tiancheng, Situ Wen, and Zhuge Jian returned to Red Mountain Hall. Yu Tiancheng laughed, "Young Master's pursuing forces have all been dealt with. Instructor can rest easy now."
Chen Shi beamed with joy. "Hall Master Yu, you've fully grasped the Analects!"
"Your scholarly progress is astounding."
"For next year's provincial exam, I dare not imagine how high your ranking will be!"
Yu Tiancheng burst into laughter, smugly saying,
"It's all thanks to Instructor's fine teaching."
"Hey! I'm now the top graduate of two provinces!"
"Top Graduate Instructor!"
"Hahahaha!"
The two lavished praise on each other, both immensely pleased.
Once their mutual flattery ended, Zhuge Jian said, "Chen Shi, I've checked Tianlao's accounts—it's definitely under Young Master's forces."
"As I said before, if Young Master does evil, I'll stake my life to help bring him down! Just give the orders!"
Chen Shi laughed. "Brother Zhuge is a man of his word—no need for 'orders.'"
"We loose cultivators have a Heavenly Court organization—not the rebel kind... Believe me, it's not! Our Heavenly Court seeks out Huaxia deities, protects them, and uncovers the lost truths of the True King era. No rebellion."
"Would Brothers Zhuge and Hall Master Yu be interested?"
Situ Wen poked his head over mysteriously. "My code name in Heavenly Court is Heavenly Worker!"
Zhuge Jian's eyes flickered. "I'm in."
"My code name will be...
...Clerk."
Chen Shi looked to Yu Tiancheng, who hesitated before saying, "My code name...
is Jade Rabbit!"
Situ Wen and Zhuge Jian were both stunned. They didn't know Yu Tiancheng could still turn into an evil spirit at any moment, transforming into a plump, human-bodied, rabbit-headed giant rabbit. Hence the fitting code name.
Chen Shi was fully satisfied. He drew a compass and square on paper. "We loose cultivators' symbol is two human-headed, snake-bodied figures entwined—one holding a compass, the other a square."
"Our Heavenly Court needs a symbol too. Let's use the compass and square, symbolizing heaven and earth, round and square."
Situ Wen said excitedly, "Symbolizing rules! Whoever breaks the rules, we smash 'em!"
Zhuge Jian examined the compass and square pattern, noting how the compass pierced through the square, and said,
"Symbolizing order, law, and rules."
Yu Tiancheng also studied the design and laughed. "I think it symbolizes wisdom and inheritance!"
Chen Shi laughed.
"If you have your own ideas, go with them."
"The Heavenly Court symbol is set for now."
"I still need to head back to Xinxian for some recuperation,
and prepare for next year's imperial exam."
He bid the others farewell and left alone.
Yu Tiancheng, Situ Wen, and Zhuge Jian each returned to their desks, gazing at the Heavenly Court symbol on the paper.
"Do you think Heavenly Court can change this world?"
Yu Tiancheng suddenly asked.
"No idea."
Zhuge Jian and Situ Wen shook their heads.
Situ Wen stared at the compass and square, hesitating before saying, "But I think the True King can do it."
"In Bath Capital, he really changed some things—at least he changed me."
Yu Tiancheng said, "And me."
"In Arch Province, he changed my view."
Zhuge Jian said, "Don't mention the True King code name around outsiders—it could bring disaster."
"From now on, call the True King 'Number One' instead."
He paused, then said,
"The True King does have a peculiar charm, but changing the world is no easy task. Better to start by practicing on Young Master."
"The True King's trip to the capital for the imperial exam is our chance!"
Situ Wen and Yu Tiancheng perked up.
Four days later, Chen Shi returned to Huangpo Village.
A painted pleasure boat floated in the Jade Belt River at the village entrance, leaving him puzzled.
The boat wasn't large, and the river wasn't wide—a strong dive could cross it from one side to the other. Why use a ferry boat?
The boat girl emerged from the pleasure boat, running her hands along her thick braids down her chest, smiling at him.
Chen Shi smiled back, puzzled, then turned and entered Huangpo Village.
"Lord Qingtian the Great, and the abducted souls—they're all here!"
The boatman could barely contain his excitement as he said to the boat girl, "Girl, we'll soon head back to the underworld to report!"
He was building a simple dock, tying wooden pilings with hemp rope. He set down his work and gazed toward Huangpo Village, chuckling, "As long as we deal with that dog..."
The boat girl said, "Head back to report? Dad, report to who?"
The boatman said, "Of course to Lord Qingtian the Great..."
At that, he froze.
The boat girl hopped onto the dock to help him work. "Lord Qingtian the Great is right here. Which Lord Qingtian are we reporting to?"
The boatman was stumped by the question and scratched his head.
"Lord Qingtian the Great is here, and so are the abducted souls. Solve the dog problem, and we can return to our duties as underworld bailiffs—maybe even with merit! Girl, how can we pass up this chance?"
The boat girl bit her lip and tied the piling tight. "Why was Lord Qingtian reborn as a little girl? Who drove Lord Qingtian away? And who's playing lord down there now? Haven't you thought about it, Dad?"
She finished tying the rope, paused, and said, "If we take Lord Qingtian back, we'll die the same day."
"Die alongside Lord Qingtian the Great!"
"What do we do then?" The boatman grew anxious.
The boat girl stomped on the simple dock to test its sturdiness and said,
She leaped back onto the pleasure boat, picked up a bamboo tube, and tapped the water's surface. The boat instantly transformed into a fishing vessel, and she said,
"Wait until Lord Qingtian recovers his memories and true form. Wait until upheaval strikes the underworld."
"Then, we escort the abducted souls, stay by Lord Qingtian the Great's side, return to the underworld to set things right, and claim great merit!"
She took out a Child Spirit Lamp and blew on it, turning the lamp into a fishing net. She laughed, "As long as we guard our patch of ground, us father and daughter will be major contributors to the Dragon Diagram's return to the throne!"
The boatman grinned. "At least I'll climb another rank in divinity someday!"
Chen Shi returned to Huangpo Village and saw Tu'nan riding Blackie Pot rampant through the village. She jumped off the dog's back, clutching a duck and extorting its eggs.
The village ducks seethed with impotent rage.
"Nuannuan, time to go home!"
Chen Shi called to them and headed back to the Chen household. Frying sounds came from the courtyard. Chen Shi entered and saw Hu Feifei cooking over the stove. Hearing him, she poked her head out, her fair face smudged with streaks of black soot.
"Almost ready!"
Hu Feifei ducked back and shouted, "Take the kid and dog out for a stroll first—they're too rowdy at home! Once these dishes are done, I'll call you!"
Chen Shi agreed and took Tu Tu and Blackie Pot back out.
Soon, Hu Feifei's voice rang through the village: "Big Brother Chen, Brother's home—time to eat!"
Chen Shi shouted back in assent. On his way home, Old Lady Wuzhu gave him a thumbs-up and praised,
"Not bad for a juren lord—the woman you brought back is a real beauty! Gone two months, and the kid's already four or five."
"She's a fox spirit, not my woman."
Chen Shi corrected her. "Besides, as top graduate of two provinces, I'm a top graduate lord—worlds apart from a mere juren."
Old Lady Wuzhu pursed her lips, turned inside, and muttered, "Passed the juren exam and now playing with fox spirits—why not fly to heaven while you're at it? Top graduate lord, eyes on your forehead. You'll get a nasty fall someday."
End of chapter.