Chapter 252
Chapter 252
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 252
Chapter Title: Visitors from the Western Capital
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On the first day of the new year, villagers visited each other to pay New Year's greetings. Chen Shi got up early and went out to offer his respects to the elders in the village, exchanging festive words.
The young folks in the village were all in high spirits too. Spotting Chen Shi, they bowed and called him "Lord Jieyuan," hoping to catch a whiff of the literary aura from the Star of Literature.
The old folks in the village all said that Chen Shi must be the Star of Literature descended from the heavens, which was why he could top the provincial exams.
There were even rumors that on the day Chen Shi was born, his mother dreamed of an old lady herding a flock of rabbits past her home. One rabbit jumped right into her belly—clear proof that a heavenly star had come down to earth.
After making his rounds, Chen Shi went to burn incense for his godmother and Scholar Zhu. He also brought out Lady Shigu and had her offer three sticks of incense to his godmother, plus one for Scholar Zhu as a bonus.
"This scholar ghost is getting all my incense offerings. He's probably going to burst from it," Lady Shigu remarked.
But even after that stick of incense, Scholar Zhu remained perfectly fine, dangling from the crooked-neck tree and swaying in the wind, showing no signs of bursting.
Lady Shigu was taken aback. "This scholar ghost has some real skills."
Chen Shi then went to pay his respects to Grandpa, pouring out his feelings of longing.
On the second day, he brought fruits, vegetables, meat, and eggs to Gangzi Village to give New Year's greetings to Granny Sha. Granny Sha had become young and beautiful again. Her doorstep was crowded with young men from various villages and some matchmakers. When they saw Chen Shi, they started jeering, "A kid who hasn't even grown all his hair is trying to propose marriage? Get out, get out!"
Chen Shi let out a sharp rebuke, and a strand of his aura spread out, pressing everyone to the ground. Only then could he make his way into Granny Sha's home.
Granny Sha had changed into a new outfit: a pink cross-collar short jacket with white edging on the lapels, a woven-gold horse-face skirt below, her hair pinned with butterfly and peach-flower clasps, red cords with golden beads dangling from her temples, and a waist sash that accentuated her slender figure.
Chen Shi thought to himself, "No wonder so many suitors showed up."
Granny Sha was delighted to see him for New Year's greetings. They chatted for a bit, and she tried to keep him for lunch. Chen Shi smiled and said, "Granny... I mean, Sister Sha, I still need to pay respects to Granny Zhuang and Xuan Mountain, so I won't stay."
Granny Sha's heart bloomed with joy at being called "sister." She laughed and said, "Good! Good! Oh, and make sure you visit Qingyang too. It's been dead for years and all alone. In the past, your grandpa would always chat with it during New Year's."
Chen Shi agreed.
Granny Sha added, "Take those people at the door with you when you go. They're driving me crazy."
Chen Shi asked puzzledly, "Didn't you lure them here yourself, Sister Sha? Look at those peach flowers and butterflies at your temples, and that pink outfit..."
"The old lady just wants to dress up pretty. I didn't ask to be mobbed at my door every day with proposals!"
Chen Shi summoned his nascent soul, lifted the crowd into the air, and deposited them several li away. He warned them, "That woman is a demon in disguise. At midnight, she eats people—starts with nibbling on their toes."
"I'm a talisman master. Why would I lie to you?"
The crowd scattered in a panic.
Chen Shi then visited Granny Zhuang's home. Granny Zhuang was overjoyed to see him paying her New Year's respects, grinning from ear to ear. She laughed, "Little Ten, how about Granny comes to stay a few days at your little temple?"
Chen Shi was both surprised and delighted, quickly agreeing.
Granny Zhuang packed some snacks—probably to eat at the little temple—and placed her incense burner in a prominent spot. That way, people from other villages coming to pay her respects could leave offerings there to fuel her with incense.
Once inside the temple, Granny Zhuang climbed onto the divine pedestal and sat down.
Chen Shi continued on to the hill where the great serpent Xuan Mountain resided.
The mountain was named after him: Xuan Mountain.
By now, quite a few villagers and spirits from Qianyang Mountain had already arrived at Xuan Mountain to burn incense and kowtow to the great serpent Xuan Mountain.
Plenty of mountain spirits and monsters had come too. At the start of the new year, paying respects to Xuan Mountain had become the custom in Qianyang Mountain.
In Qianyang Mountain, amid the life and death of humans, spirit beasts, and monsters, only Xuan Mountain endured unchanging and steadfast. In the spirits' hearts, Xuan Mountain was a deity, so they entrusted all their hopes and wishes to him—hence the worship.
Chen Shi burned incense for the great serpent Xuan Mountain. At that moment, Black-Clad Xuan Mountain walked down from the serpent's head and said, "Little Ten, I hear you once captured Granny Zhuang and kept her in your little temple to aid your cultivation. Is that true?"
Chen Shi's heart pounded wildly, his mouth going dry. Steel himself, he admitted, "It is."
He inwardly groaned. With Granny Zhuang in the temple aiding his cultivation right now, he'd be caught red-handed!
Black-Clad Xuan Mountain fell silent.
Chen Shi stood there anxiously, not daring to speak.
Black-Clad Xuan Mountain wondered, "Why hasn't he dragged me in yet?"
After a moment, Chen Shi felt an immense pressure bearing down, nearly suffocating him. Just as he was about to release Granny Zhuang, Black-Clad Xuan Mountain asked, "Why haven't you captured me to cultivate in your little temple?"
Chen Shi was stunned.
Black-Clad Xuan Mountain repeated the question.
Only then did Chen Shi understand. Hesitantly, he said, "I wouldn't dare. Besides, the temple's already full..."
"Full?"
Black-Clad Xuan Mountain paused slightly, then strode into the little temple behind Chen Shi's mind. There sat Granny Zhuang and Lady Shigu on the divine seats. On another divine shrine perched a black dog sitting cross-legged in meditation, looking utterly serious as if practicing some profound technique.
Black-Clad Xuan Mountain's face fell. It really was full.
He could kick Granny Zhuang and Blackie Pot off, but Lady Shigu was beyond him.
Wouldn't that just make him a bully who picks on the weak?
At that moment, Blackie Pot opened its eyes, hopped down from the divine seat, and patted it, signaling that Black-Clad Xuan Mountain could take it.
Black-Clad Xuan Mountain hesitated. He watched the dog trot out of the temple. Outside was an acre of land surrounded by a black sandy void.
The dog leaped out, vanishing from the temple and reappearing outside.
Seeing this, Black-Clad Xuan Mountain paused a moment longer, then nodded politely to Granny Zhuang and Lady Shigu with a friendly smile before taking his seat cross-legged on the divine shrine.
The instant he sat, he felt the three lights of sun, moon, and stars transform into the righteous qi of heaven and earth, surging toward him like raging ocean tides!
He adjusted his posture slightly to assist Chen Shi's cultivation. The righteous qi flowed through his body, unknowingly refining away the accumulated evil and demonic nature within him. His Dao heart became clear and pure, like a bright mirror on a high stand—indescribably comfortable.
"What a great place!" Black-Clad Xuan Mountain praised.
Chen Shi led Blackie Pot deeper into the mountains, arriving at the Qianyang Mountain Lord's temple. He burned incense for the Qianyang Mountain Lord and set out a fruit platter.
The Qianyang Mountain Lord stirred, reining in his aura. Yellow Tiger woke up too, frolicking with Chen Shi. It wanted to play tiger hunt with the dog, but Blackie Pot flatly refused.
Chen Shi reached the mountain village where Qingyang lived. Just as Granny Sha had said, the blue sheep was truly pitiable, huddled in a tree hollow sobbing its heart out.
Seeing Chen Shi arrive for New Year's greetings, it put on a tough front, pretending not to care about anything.
Blackie Pot cooked a meal, and Chen Shi kept it company for lunch. Qingyang grew excited during the meal, chattering nonstop about its past with Chen Yindu.
Chen Shi had brought several jars of wine, which it drank dry.
Drunk at last, it started calling Chen Shi "brother."
In the afternoon, Chen Shi visited the Hu family compound. The entire Hu household welcomed him grandly, with great fanfare and revelry, leaving him flattered and bewildered.
Hu Feifei whispered, "Those two ginseng fruits you gave the clan leader brought him back to life. The clan leader's half-tempted to turn into a vixen and marry you."
Hu Xiaoliang had been hovering between life and death, sustained only by the Ghost God Domain. With Chen Shi's two ginseng fruits granting him several more centuries of life, he was naturally thrilled.
The fox spirits plied Chen Shi with drink until he was dead drunk. He ended up staying the night at the Hu compound.
Late that night, many vixen spirits tried to sneak into Chen Shi's room, only to be driven back by Hu Feifei guarding the door.
"Hu Feifei, you greedy thing! Even if Young Master Chen tops the imperial exams, don't dream of us calling you 'Granny'!"
The fox spirits were furious. They gathered in a group and hurled vile insults—like thieves only catching diseased chickens or accidentally showing their fox tails.
The next day, Chen Shi woke with a headache.
Hu Feifei asked, "Brother Chen, when are you setting off for the Western Capital?"
Chen Shi replied, "It's still early to talk about going to the Western Capital, right? If we leave, it'll be after the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth."
Hu Feifei's face grew serious. "Xinduo Province is far from the Western Capital—it's on the west coast. Even at top speed, it'll take forty or fifty days to run there. Any delays on the road, and it could stretch to half a year.
Jurens from the provinces east of Xinduo set out before the new year."
Chen Shi thought it over and said, "Then we'll leave right after the Lantern Festival."
Hu Feifei asked, "What about Little Yanwang?"
Blackie Pot turned its head at the sound.
Hu Feifei grabbed the dog's face and turned it back, making it continue their game of you pat one, I pat one.
Chen Shi hesitated, then said, "We'll bring it along to the Western Capital!"
Hu Feifei sighed worriedly. "Guess we have no choice. Neither of us would feel easy leaving it at home."
Chen Shi set out again, heading to Bridge Bay Town to visit Fu Leisheng. Fu Leisheng was overjoyed and surprised to see him. He laughed, "I was just planning to visit you in Huangpo Village. What perfect timing!
When are you heading to the Western Capital for the exams?"
Chen Shi said, "After the Lantern Festival."
Fu Leisheng replied, "Better to go early for the exams than late. The road's full of evils and bandits waiting to make their first haul of the year."
"Three years without a kill, then feast for three years," Fu Leisheng added.
"With jurens from all fifty provinces of West Ox New Continent—not a small number—but only five or six out of ten make it to the Western Capital alive.
Many die on the road."
Chen Shi was startled. "Doesn't the government escort jurens to the capital for exams?"
"That was the old rule back in the True King era—they even escorted them for a while after. But not anymore."
Fu Leisheng explained, "With so many jurens each year and no official posts for them all, some dying on the road lightens the pressure in the capital.
Be careful on your way to the exams."
Chen Shi took out several scrolls of scriptures and smiled. "I've reached the Nascent Soul Realm now—my cultivation's no small thing. I should manage.
Mr. Fu, I've copied some techniques here. See if any suit you?"
Fu Leisheng laughed. "Techniques? At my age, reaching Nascent Soul Realm is the peak. What more techniques could I want?"
He took the scrolls. The first was the *Treasure Moonlight Peacock Bright King Mantra*. Flipping it open, his face changed dramatically. This technique forged the golden body of the Treasure Moonlight Peacock Bright King, complete with mantra incantations.
Divided into nine mantra incantations, each served as technique, spell, and body-tempering divine transformation method!
With minor accomplishment, one formed the true body of the Peacock Bright King, with five-colored sword-like lights rising behind—anything of the five elements wounded by those lights!
In battle, the Peacock Bright King golden body was utterly terrifying, known as diamond indestructible!
Fu Leisheng steadied himself and opened the second scroll.
This one was called *Inner Secret Repository*, an internal cultivation method for the five viscera and six bowels from the Daoist school. It revealed the hidden landscapes of the organs—a near-immortal art.
Fu Leisheng's hands trembled as he opened the third scroll.
This was the *Eightfold Dragon Summoning Art*, a combat method including exquisite spear techniques.
"Can I... have all three?" Fu Leisheng asked, head raised, his heart quaking.
Chen Shi smiled. "They're your New Year's gift anyway. Just take them."
Fu Leisheng's heart raced. He'd just claimed his age made him uninterested in techniques, but now the interest was back full force.
These three were clearly top-tier. Success in them meant Nascent Soul Realm was far from his limit!
Even Soul Transformation, Spirit Descent, Void Refining, or Body Fusion might not be!
"Mr. Fu, we scattered cultivators have a small group called Heavenly Court..."
Chen Shi explained the ideals of Heavenly Court and smiled. "Would Mr. Fu be interested in joining?"
Fu Leisheng laughed. "A righteous cause—of course I'll join.
When does the True King raise the flag of rebellion?"
Chen Shi burst out laughing. "What nonsense is that, sir? I'm utterly loyal to the court, with no second thoughts! Heavenly Court's goal is restoring the orthodox gods of华夏, helping the court with its duties. Who doesn't know Little Ten of Xinduo's loyalty? Don't mention such drivel again!"
Fu Leisheng smiled. "Naturally not."
He even got his own Heavenly Court codename: Mister.
Chen Shi bid him farewell and returned to Huangpo Village. Sang Yu hurried over. "Lord Jieyuan, you have a guest at home."
Chen Shi asked puzzledly, "A guest? What guest? From where?"
"Never seen him before. He just said he's here on orders."
Chen Shi grew more puzzled, thinking, "Could Lord Wuwang have sent someone? He's grasping at straws.
Even if I'm hunted by underworld ghosts and gods, it's safer here than in the underworld."
Back home, he saw a man standing rather awkwardly outside the gate, wearing an official's black gauze hat and round-collar robe. He was an official, no older than thirty or forty. Spotting Chen Shi, he pulled out a portrait, compared it, quickly stowed it away, and hurried forward in salute.
"This lowly official Sun Yisheng has come on orders to escort Young Master to the Western Capital."
Chen Shi was even more astonished. He laughed, "Has Official Sun mistaken me for someone?
My name's Chen Shi. I'm no young master."
Sun Yisheng smiled. "Don't joke, Young Master Chen.
This lowly official came from the Western Capital, travel-worn after months to reach Huangpo Village in Qianyang Mountain, Xinduo Province.
Lord Chen Tang instructed me repeatedly and gave me your portrait. How could I mistake you?"
"Chen Tang?"
An inexplicable emotion welled up in Chen Shi. He said, "You're from Chen Tang? He says I'm resurrected from the dead, a monster made by my grandpa, a ghost from the underworld.
Go back and tell him I'm doing just fine on my own. I don't need his pity!"
Sun Yisheng hesitated, then said, "Lord Chen Tang knows Young Master is heading to the Western Capital for exams and worries for your safety, so he sent this lowly official.
There are many in the Western Capital who mean you harm..."
Chen Shi shook his head. "Go back and tell him I don't need his concern!"
He opened the gate, entered the courtyard, and shut Sun Yisheng outside.
Chen Shi sat in Blackie Pot's rocking chair, lost in a daze, with Blackie Pot lying beside him.
After a long while, he went to the east room, rummaged through Grandpa's miscellany box, and took out the family portrait.
Grandpa sat in a chair, young Chen Shi on his knee, held in his arms.
Behind them stood Chen Tang and a beautiful woman, everyone smiling happily.
Chen Shi gazed at it for a long time, then carefully rolled it up and solemnly put it back in the box.
Those in the painting were his family.
He had never met Chen Tang or his mother.
Chapter End.