Chapter 43
Chapter 43
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter:
Chapter Title: The Li Grandfather and Grandson
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In the Mountain Lord Temple, Chen Shi strode forward, covering a distance of fifteen feet in an instant. His body slammed into the air, even erupting with thunderous booms. With a deafening rumble, the temple's doors and windows rattled noisily!
>
>
He threw a punch, the fist wind gusting straight out to ten feet away, like thunder rising from flat ground.
>
>
Chen Shi surged with vital blood energy and unleashed another punch. The fist wind was even fiercer this time, the rising gusts exploding with deep, muffled thunder. As his fist moved, rumbling thunder echoed, utterly terrifying.
>
>
His footsteps shifted, treading the Big Dipper's seven stars. He moved with ghostly speed, darting back and forth. He ran across the temple floor, walls, and pillars, his fists and feet flying out amid rolling peals of muffled thunder!
>
>
A distance of fifteen or sixteen feet—his intent arrived, his body followed, and his fist struck!
>
>
Moments later, Chen Shi landed lightly. The surging vital blood energy calmed in an instant, and his billowing robes settled.
>
>
Poised and at ease, he felt the true qi churning vigorously inside him, lingering without end.
>
>
The true qi circulated, vast and mighty. Behind his head, it automatically formed a Divine Shrine. The shrine's light blazed brilliantly, dazzling and eye-catching.
>
>
The true qi in his body showed no sign of dissipating anytime soon, and the Divine Shrine showed no signs of weakening.
>
>
After some time, his true qi began to leak away, and the Divine Shrine's glow gradually dimmed. Yet the shrine itself remained unbroken.
>
>
"Even after forming the Sacred Embryo, I still can't fully sustain the Divine Shrine. No shrine means no true qi. The corporeal Divine Embryo only slows the dissipation of true qi. To truly retain it, I still need the genuine Divine Embryo."
>
>
Though regretful, Chen Shi was content. He bowed toward the empty Divine Shrine in the Mountain Lord Temple and walked out.
>
>
He closed the doors behind him, preparing to head down the mountain.
>
>
He did not take a carriage.
>
>
For some reason the day before last, the coachman who had always obeyed him unquestioningly had fled at the sight of him like he'd seen a ghost, whipping the horses and vanishing without a trace.
>
>
Chen Shi had quite liked Young Master Xiao's carriage. Riding it out these past few days had felt immensely prestigious. He'd searched for it extensively but hadn't found it outside Mirror Lake Manor, leaving him regretful for quite a while.
>
>
After he left, an extraordinary power began to gather mistily in the temple, slowly converging toward the Divine Shrine. Faintly, the image of a god or demon took shape.
>
>
Just as the divine image was about to form, the extraordinary power broke free of restraint and collapsed outright, scattering once more throughout the temple.
>
>
A faint sigh echoed from the Divine Shrine.
>
>
"It still won't work, huh?"
>
>
Chen Shi had walked far away and did not hear the sigh.
>
>
Outside Huangpo Village, beneath the old willow tree, Chen Shi lit incense for the Stone Stele Godmother as usual.
>
>
Though the Stone Stele Godmother still showed no response, azure light flowed across the stele for even longer this time, as if harboring some profound mystery.
>
>
Chen Shi tried to connect with the Godmother through the incense, but when his consciousness touched the stele, he sensed only boundless emptiness—nothing more.
>
>
"Maybe the Godmother really is just an ordinary stone."
>
>
Chen Shi didn't dwell on it. He lit a stick of incense for Scholar Zhu and waited quietly for him to absorb the fragrant smoke.
>
>
"Scholar Zhu is my benefactor—no, my noble ghost!"
>
>
Chen Shi sighed inwardly with endless gratitude. "I was unfortunate enough to have my Divine Embryo severed, turning me into a cripple. But I was especially lucky to meet Scholar Zhu, allowing me to study under him. Otherwise, I might not have passed the literary exam in the county test. In this spring county exam, I'll shine brilliantly in the literary section!"
>
>
As he pondered this, an old man and a youth came down the yellow earth slope. The elder was in his eighties or nineties, frail and stooped, his body emaciated. Yet his eyes were sharp and bright.
>
>
The youth wore a blue robe with white sleeves, his hair tied in a bun with a blue ribbon. A red silk sash cinched his waist, from which hung a white lotus jade pendant. On his feet were a pair of Chenqiao shoes, giving him a very scholarly air.
>
>
The boy appeared to be eleven or twelve, following closely beside the elder with bright eyes. Though their clothes were simple, the fabric was fine. It was clear they weren't from great wealth, but their daily life was refined.
>
>
Chen Shi withdrew his gaze, took out the Analects, and consulted Scholar Zhu. "The Master said: 'I have never seen one who is truly rigid.' Someone replied: 'Shen Ju.' The Master said: 'Ju desired things—how could he be rigid?' What does this mean?"
>
>
"This passage requires grasping the Master's state of mind. The Master was invincible under heaven, so he lamented: I've never met anyone my fists couldn't shatter."
>
>
Scholar Zhu explained, "Someone nearby said Shen Ju was formidable, having cultivated an indestructible diamond body. The Master replied that Shen Ju wouldn't do—he'd punched him, and he wasn't rigid at all. Little Ten, if you can comprehend the Master's mindset when he said this, you'll be invincible."
>
>
Chen Shi nodded thoughtfully.
>
>
At that moment, the youth's voice came from down the slope. "Grandpa, stop! My Seventh Uncle Li Kefa must have died right here."
>
>
Chen Shi snapped out of his contemplation of the Master's mindset and looked down. The old man and youth had halted, surveying the terrain and scenery near the yellow earth slope.
>
>
"Li Kefa? Isn't he the Assistant Magistrate of Water Buffalo County, father of the victim Li Xiaoding? How did he die?" Chen Shi wondered in surprise.
>
>
The youth's claim that Li Kefa had died near the yellow earth slope chilled him. Huangpo Village was named for this very slope, meaning Li Kefa had died near the village!
>
>
"This youth calls Li Kefa his Seventh Uncle—they must be from the Li family!" Chen Shi grew wary.
>
>
Down at the base of the yellow earth slope, the elder asked doubtfully, "Tianqing, how do you know your Seventh Uncle died here? I don't see his soul."
>
>
The elder's gaze turned to Chen Shi, who felt as if a blaze of firelight had swept over him. Only when the elder looked away did the burning sensation fade.
>
>
"This old man is incredibly strong!"
>
>
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the elder's eyes fell on Scholar Zhu, hanging from the tree. Chen Shi tensed. "He can see Scholar Zhu without a Heavenly Eye Talisman! Of course—he's cultivated the Heavenly Eye that sees spirits!"
>
>
The youth Li Tianqing pointed to a large tree by the distant riverbank. "The treetop on the north side of that tree is missing a chunk—a mark left by our Li family's Six Yin Jade Wheel. In Xinxiang Province, only my Seventh Uncle knew the Six Yin Jade Wheel."
>
>
The elder was quite surprised by the person and ghost on the slope but withdrew his gaze at the words and looked toward the tree. He praised, "Tianqing, bringing you out this time was the right call. Your observational skills are astonishing! So your Seventh Uncle encountered enemies nearby, unleashed our Li family's Six Yin Jade Wheel, but was no match and met his end unjustly."
>
>
He exhaled heavily. "Li Kefa brought our Li family's elites in Water Buffalo County this time, only for them to be wiped out in the countryside. Our Li family's power in Water Buffalo County was uprooted. Only another great clan could pull off such a move—seizing the chance to annex Water Buffalo County!"
>
>
Li Tianqing examined the yellow earth slope and suddenly let out a soft exclamation. He hurried forward, grabbed a handful of soil, rubbed it carefully between his fingers, then licked it. "It's kaolin!"
>
>
The elder's eyes widened. He tasted it too, spat it out with a "Pah! Pah!" and grumbled, "Tastes awful!"
>
>
Li Tianqing mused, "Grandpa, kaolin is used for firing porcelain and pottery—not for eating. And there's such a huge slope of it here..."
>
>
His gaze swept the slope, then to the ancient tree in the center of Huangpo Village. His eyes lit up, and he laughed. "There must be a Kiln Works nearby! The Tomb of the True King should be close too!"
>
>
The elder stroked his snowy hair, baffled at how he'd reached that conclusion.
>
>
Up on the yellow earth slope, Chen Shi was greatly intrigued too.
>
>
Li Tianqing explained, "Tombs like this require vast amounts of pottery and porcelain. Firing them elsewhere and transporting would draw attention and risk breakage, so they build a Kiln Works nearby. Kiln Works use this kind of kaolin for soil. Once the pottery is fired, the kiln workers are all killed to prevent leaks. This village happens to be built where the kaolin was stored back then, and the trees are old enough to have been planted then. So the Tomb of the True King is definitely not far!"
>
>
Chen Shi was full of admiration. "This youth is about my age, but his mind is as sharp as mine."
>
>
The elder grew excited, his voice hoarse. "If we find the Tomb of the True King, even without the killer of Li Kefa, we'd return to Quanzhou with great merit!"
>
>
Li Tianqing shook his head. "Two merits."
>
>
The elder was puzzled.
>
>
Li Tianqing said, "Seventh Uncle's case is easy to crack too. Grandpa, look at that crooked-neck willow. Old willows like this are perfect for hanging—unsatisfied scholars often choose them to end it all. This tree is so ancient; there must be one or a row of scholars hanging from it. They likely saw Seventh Uncle's death and know the culprit. Just ask them, and the case is solved."
>
>
The elder gaped, muttering, "That willow does have a scholar hanging from it... Tianqing, you're a genius!"
>
>
Li Tianqing flushed slightly. "Just common knowledge..."
>
>
"I'll go ask!"
>
>
The elder started up the slope, but suddenly the space before him warped violently. The modest yellow earth slope seemed to tower steeply in his eyes, like a golden sky pressing down from above!
>
>
The elder's face changed. He retreated at once.
>
>
Only after stepping back from the slope did everything normalize.
>
>
Li Tianqing was baffled.
>
>
The elder steadied himself and eyed the slope, feeling as if the small mound concealed a profound master of unfathomable depths, daring him not to trespass.
>
>
"Rural areas teem with evils and anomalies. When arriving in the countryside, first pay respects to the local deity for safety!"
>
>
The elder turned away, no longer attempting the slope. "Tianqing, you're clever, but cleverness doesn't always work—experience does. Let's first pay respects to the Godmother here and gather intel in the village!"
>
>
The two headed into Huangpo Village.
>
>
Chen Shi watched wide-eyed as they went, puzzled. "Why did that old man back off the slope like he'd been spooked? There's nothing scary up here."
>
>
"Tianqing, you've read a lot. Do you know who this True King was?"
>
>
The grandfather and grandson's voices drifted from ahead. Li Tianqing replied, "Legend says the True King was enfeoffed by the Great Ming Emperor as king of West Ox New Continent, overseeing its altars of soil and grain. West Ox New Continent's fifty provinces and fifty landscape-altar maps are said to have been held by the True King and taken into his tomb."
>
>
"No wonder they're so fixated on the Tomb of the True King."
>
>
The elder chuckled. "Everyone talks of the Great Ming Dynasty, Great Ming Dynasty. Now who even knows the Great Ming Emperor's surname? Who knows which dynasty's emperor reigns today? But the True King's treasures stir many hearts."
>
>
"I know. The Great Ming Emperor was surnamed Zhu. It's currently the 6642nd year of the Jiajing era!"
>
>
"Only you know. Anyone else wouldn't."
>
>
...
>
>
The pair receded into the distance. Chen Shi hurriedly packed his books and laughed. "Scholar Zhu, you share the Great Ming Emperor's surname Zhu! You wouldn't be royalty, would you?"
>
>
Scholar Zhu stammered, "I'm just a hanged ghost. How could I be royalty..."
>
>
"I don't think so either!"
>
>
Chen Shi shouldered his book chest and bounded down the yellow earth slope toward Huangpo Village, brimming with excitement.
>
>
Guests had arrived in the village—seemed interesting.
>
>
He reached the village entrance and saw the grandfather and grandson had arrived outside Huangpo Village too. The elder lit a stick of incense, stood respectfully at the village edge, and said, "We are travelers from the rivers and lakes, chancing upon your noble village. We beg the Godmother's permission for a place to rest our feet. We are immensely grateful and vow to offer incense and tribute in thanks for her protection."
>
>
—The reason the elder also called the ancient tree Godmother was that the villagers' custom of worshiping her dated back to when evils and spirits first arose. People discovered all things had spirits; prolonged worship birthed sentience and great power. Ordinary folk couldn't tell if the spirit was male or female, so they called it Godmother.
>
>
Having come to the countryside, the elder naturally followed local custom.
>
>
The ancient tree in Huangpo Village rustled its branches lightly, accepting his incense.
>
>
Only then did the grandfather and grandson enter the village. Li Tianqing trailed the elder closely when footsteps approached beside him. He turned to see a boy about his age, sturdier in build, smiling at him.
>
>
"I'm Chen Shi—Little Ten's my nickname. Folks in the village call me Little Honest!"
>
>
The boy grinned. "What's your name?"
>
>
Li Tianqing was a bit shy, his voice soft. "I'm Li Tianqing..."
>
>
"You've got nowhere to stay—why not stay at my place tonight?" Chen Shi suggested before he could finish.
>
>
Li Tianqing had never met such enthusiasm. He looked to the elder, who smiled. "Rural folk are simple and honest. We need a place to stay anyway, so let's impose for the night."
>
>
Chen Shi beamed and led them straight home, calling out from afar, "Grandpa, Blackie Pot, we've got guests at home!"