Chapter 222
Chapter 222
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 222
Chapter Title: Snatching the Wrong Treasure at the Law Altar
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Chen Shi beamed with joy upon hearing this. "The A Zhuo Granny's talking about—is that A Zhuo the beekeeper, Grandpa's old friend? Before he passed, Grandpa told me that if I ever ran into danger, I should seek him out. He'd risk his life to help!"
Granny Sha snorted and dispatched her five Ghost Kings, borrowing their bodies to shield them and the wooden cart.
"You Grandpa was getting senile too.
A Zhuo raises evils and sprites. He's long been corrupted by their foul qi, muddled and dazed. He's probably turned into one himself by now! Your Grandpa handing you over to him would just be delivering fresh meat to his plate! Even ten years ago, A Zhuo was already teetering on the edge... See those bee bugs? I just heard them buzzing!
She was on high alert, using the Ghost Kings to block them out—creating a ghost veil over their eyes. But ordinary ghost veils tricked the foe's sight, making them see things that weren't there.
Like a ghost blinding someone to a cliff ahead so they tumbled off, or hiding an incoming spell so they couldn't dodge and got blasted.
Granny Sha's ghost veil, though, hid them from the outside world, rendering them invisible.
"Quiet!"
She whispered.
Chen Shi tensed up too. Suddenly, he caught the telltale hum of wings in flight. Then the sky darkened as a massive swarm of bees thundered overhead, blotting out the light as they surged toward Great South Lake.
The swarm moved like lightning. One bee bug seemed to sense something and wheeled back sharply, landing with a whoosh.
Peering through the five Ghost Kings, Chen Shi saw the bee bug stood a head taller than a grown man. It wore black-and-yellow garb smooth as satin, standing upright like a person, glancing this way and that, a rustling whisper escaping its mouth.
Its head was pure hornet, topped with antennae like flexible limbs, twitching about.
It lifted a sleeve, revealing four arms.
Its mouthparts worked, the rustling growing louder. In Chen Shi's mind, it echoed like Grandpa's voice, calling him out.
Chen Shi shuddered. "This bee bug really is an evil sprite! Uncle A Zhuo truly has been raising them!"
The bee bug poked around but found nothing amiss. Just then, another flew up, speaking in human tongue from midair. "The master's waiting! Hurry, hurry!"
Chen Shi looked up to see another giant bee bug hovering, hornet body topped with a human head.
The face was rough and unkempt, stiff bristles sprouting across it like a slovenly old man's years-unshaven whiskers.
The two bee bugs flew off, vanishing over Great South Lake.
Granny Sha dismissed the five Ghost Kings and gazed toward the lake, puzzled. "A Zhuo's nearby too. No clue what he's been up to lately... Bah, of course it's evil sprite nonsense!"
With a thought, Ghost Kings Four and Five rode the阴风 away—likely tailing the swarm to track A Zhuo.
"You Grandpa and those friends of his were known back in the day as the Five Villains of the county. A Zhuo was the worst of the lot.
Granny Sha continued, "Your Grandpa had a nickname: the Five Lakes Wanderer. Supposedly, it meant he roamed the five lakes region as a free spirit.
But behind closed doors, folks said those five great lakes were filled with the bad water sloshing in his belly.
Chen Shi bristled. "Granny, Grandpa may be gone, but he lived a life of glory. I won't have you badmouthing him behind his back!"
He held his grandfather in the utmost respect.
Granny Sha chuckled hastily. "Won't say it, won't say it.
Xuan Yan County is right next door. We can hire a boat there to head out onto the lake.
They arrived at Xuan Yan County, a place much the same size as Xinduo County—not huge, but bustling with trade, shops thriving along the lakefront docks where cargo ships plied the routes between the five lakes.
Chen Shi glanced around and noted the local cultivators favored wind, fire, and water spells. The talisman sellers hawked the same three types.
"Wind talismans speed the ships along, fire talismans torch the enemy's boats to hijack their cargo, and water-fixing talismans counter the lake's demon winds.
Granny Sha explained. "These five lakes teem with waterfolk turned evil sprites, always whipping up demon winds to drag folks under.
Chen Shi nodded approvingly. "What simple, honest folk. Rivals even Arch Province.
They headed straight for the docks, only to find crowds of cultivators there hiring boats too.
Granny Sha's eyes narrowed. She whispered, "These are out-of-towners, decently skilled. Drawn by the dragon roar in the lake?
Chen Shi clocked them too. Plenty had summoned their shrines, housing divine embryos, golden cores, or nascent souls within.
A county usually boasted just three or five nascent soul experts, yet here on the docks alone, Chen Shi spotted nine!
Some kept their shrines hidden, cultivation unknown, but the nascent souls deferred to them—likely even stronger.
Most boats were snapped up, leaving only a few scattered fishing vessels. When the fishermen heard they wanted to chase the dragon roar into the lake, they waved them off.
Chen Shi asked several, all refusing to sail.
That's when a painted pleasure boat caught his eye.
A familiar girl stepped off it—the boatmaid from Huangpo Village's Jade Belt River.
Chen Shi's heart skipped. Pretending not to see her, he turned to leave.
The boatmaid grinned. "Chen Juren, no boats at the other docks either. If you want the lake, it's this one or nothing.
Chen Shi turned back, smiling in feigned surprise. "It's you, miss! Weren't you fishing at Huangpo Village? When did you come to Great South Lake? Where's your father? Not aboard?
The boatmaid laughed. "Just arrived not long ago.
Dad's gone to see the Azure Sky bigshot. I'm at loose ends, so I figured I'd claim the credit for watching our two.
Her 'credit' meant Chen Shi.
They'd always stuck together before, but this time Chen Shi left Guo Guo behind with Blackie Pot and headed out alone, so father and daughter split up to cover both.
Granny Sha approached, eyeing the boatmaid warily. "You look familiar, miss. Reeking of yin qi—not of the living world.
The boatmaid smiled. "Granny Sha's quite the name down below. Ghosts and gods all know it. I've long admired you.
Granny Sha's aura flared. A sheep-horn Life-Extension Lamp appeared in her hand. Face grim, she barked, "Underworld ghosts and gods chasing me up here to arrest me! Knew you weren't human!
The boatmaid produced a boy-shaped Life-Extension Lamp of her own, killing intent surging. She sneered. "Afraid of you? Nabbing you would be major credit!
Chen Shi leaped aboard the pleasure boat. "How much to chase the dragon in the lake?
Granny Sha and the boatmaid locked eyes, faces fierce, neither yielding an inch.
Blackie Pot jumped aboard too. The wooden cart nudged its wheels on shore, adjusted, then vaulted onto the deck.
The boatmaid stepped back, softening her tone. "Granny Sha, my father and I aren't here to arrest you. We're guarding a prime suspect.
Granny Sha saw her yield and glanced at Chen Shi questioningly.
The boatmaid nodded lightly.
Granny Sha quelled her killing intent, pocketed the sheep-horn lamp, and hopped aboard.
The boatmaid stowed her boy lamp, untied the mooring rope, and smiled. "Cheap at a hundred taels of silver.
Chen Shi jumped. "Is this boat made of gold or silver?
So pricey? Others charge just ten taels!
The boatmaid giggled. "Chen Juren...
"Call me Chen Xieyuan!
Chen Shi huffed. "Top scholar in two provinces, and you call me Juren? What was the point of testing?
The boatmaid bit her lip to stifle a laugh. "You didn't even take... Fine, fine, Master Xieyuan! My boat may be dear, but it came all the way from Xinduo—quite the haul.
Plus, I've got your back aboard. No other boat offers that!
Chen Shi snorted. He didn't want her boat, but with no alternatives at the dock, he had no choice.
He handed over the silver note, wincing inwardly. A hundred taels could buy several boats.
The boatmaid activated a wind talisman, poled to steer, and grinned. "Master Xieyuan, I'm not fleecing you for nothing with that hundred taels.
I got here ahead of you, did some asking around. I know more than you.
Chen Shi perked up. "What's this dragon roar about?
A real dragon? And those cultivators—are they here for it too?
The boatmaid poled the surface, the pleasure boat picking up speed. "Here for the dragon roar, sure enough.
Word in town: a cargo boat hit heavy fog, and a dragon appeared in it.
Not one or two sightings—plenty of boatmen saw it.
They say when the dragon shows, its form shimmers in the sky, then its scaly body emerges from the mist. Huge scales.
Others claim it's no divine dragon—just a treasure.
She shared her intel. "The roar and dragon shape are omens of that treasure about to surface.
Thing this spectacular? If it's a treasure, must be mighty.
Chen Shi turned to Granny Sha. "This dragon's probably the Judicial Dragon Whisker Brush.
Simple enough: we find the roar's source, let the others fight over it, bloodied and battered.
We set up an altar nearby. Blackie Pot and I slip into the underworld and snatch it from there.
Granny Sha laughed. "Smart plan!
Great South Lake stretched vast and endless.
The pleasure boat sped up, overtaking ships ahead.
Suddenly, fog rolled in across the lake, white and thick, swallowing vessels whole. Even Chen Shi's little shrine lit the way ahead but pierced only so far.
Abruptly, a deep, resonant dragon roar echoed from the fog, vibrating the lake surface. Water sloshed wildly, waves shuddering!
Chen Shi's chest hummed, limbs gone numb and tingly. The roar shook the void housing his nascent soul near to shattering; even it tingled.
Hearing the roar from shore was worlds apart from in the fog—the sheer impact incomparable!
Even the boatmaid slowed, cautious not to rush.
The fog thickened. They brushed other boats now and then, less than ten paces off, barely spying shrine glows aboard—nascent souls and golden cores bobbing ahead, lighting for the helmsmen.
Spotting Chen Shi's boat, they startled, spells and talisman treasures at the ready, on guard.
Ships passed; they relaxed.
Then lightning cracked the fog, thunderbolts crashing down.
"Which bastard's calling Nine Yang Heavenly Thunder at a time like this?
Curses rang from the mist. Nascent souls and golden cores couldn't withdraw fast enough; several cultivators got fried on the spot—no wonder the outrage.
Another heavy roar boomed, lake quaking fiercer.
The boatmaid poled along when a ship crossed ahead—five skeletons in robes aboard, divine shrines at their backs, three golden cores, two nascent souls.
Chen Shi jolted, then realized. "We've crossed into the underworld. This lake stretch has become the River of Forgetfulness—that's why they're skeletons!
The boatmaid shook her head. "Not the underworld proper. That treasure's an underworld item, turning this place underworld-like.
Mid-sentence, fog churned ahead. A colossal body, ten feet thick, glided silently through.
Chen Shi stood at the prow, mere steps from the inky bulk—even spotting dew-misted fog beading on black scales.
Scales overlapped, grinding softly, a crushing pressure bearing down.
"Real dragon!
Chen Shi realized, watching the serpentine form vanish into fog.
His Delusionless Spear rattled wildly behind him, itching to fly!
Chen Shi gripped it tight, nearly yanked overboard. "Blackie Pot, incense!
Blackie Pot scrambled from the cart, lit a bundle in the censer. The great spear drank the incense smoke, steadying.
Granny Sha stared, unnerved. "Little Ten, this dragon feels real.
Chen Shi's heart pounded. A real dragon in the lake?
Or the Judicial Dragon Whisker Brush's head manifested?
Other boats must've spotted it too, giving chase—spells whistling through fog, clashing wildly, talisman treasures and soldiers colliding amid the din.
Poor visibility made fog fights deadly; casualties mounted.
Granny Sha checked the map, directing the boat to veer from the pack.
Then a small island loomed.
Granny Sha's eyes lit. "Dock here.
The boatmaid moored the pleasure boat. Granny Sha said, "If Lord Wuwang's map's accurate, the main treasure's right here.
Little Ten, I'll set the altar and send you underworld-bound!
She stomped. The three Ghost Kings flew up, hauling the Truth-Prayer Altar to the island.
Chen Shi had seen this altar before—back when it sent Granny Sha, Azure Goat, and that bearded brute underworld.
Granny Sha worked the altar. Soon阴风 howled; the underworld gate yawned.
She fetched a mocking-wind mini-censer, lit incense. "Little Ten, enter from the altar. Follow the incense smoke back on the other side to return here.
Chen Shi assented, Blackie Pot aboard, and climbed the altar.
Granny Sha stomped again. Chen Shi's footing vanished; he plummeted underworld-ward.
The boatmaid approached the Truth-Prayer Altar, scrutinizing its layout and talismans, brow furrowing in doubt.
Granny Sha smirked. "Never seen my handiwork, eh?
The boatmaid shook her head. "Nope.
Your altar... doesn't look quite orthodox...
Granny Sha flinched inwardly. "A bit unorthodox, sure.
But it's gotten me in and out of the underworld plenty.
The boatmaid said, "You can enter and exit, yeah.
But a few placements are off. Your entry point in the underworld might not line up with here...
Granny Sha blanched. "What do you mean, miss?
The boatmaid replied, "Master Xieyuan's underworld spot is far from here—not where you aimed.
Chen Shi and Blackie Pot plummeted from the sky. Suddenly Blackie Pot burst into ghostly demonflame, smoke billowing, body swelling huge.
Chen Shi landed on his back, peering down from on high. Treasure light shuttled between worlds, clashing with yang-side powerhouses. A dragon-shaped behemoth fought fiercely,
while underworld skies cracked open, mighty figures descending to subdue it.
Right place after all!
Chen Shi exulted, hefting his spear. "This job's a breeze! Blackie Pot, let's snag the prize!—
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