Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Qianyang Mountain Man
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"We come from the Shen Continent, not native-born locals."
Chen Shi heard this and looked blankly at the petrified tower ship.
His ancestors had sailed on ships like this one, drifting through the Dark Sea for seventeen years before arriving here.
They had blazed trails through the wilderness, reclaimed land, dug ditches and canals, built towns and cities, drove off exotic beasts, established civilization, and lit the first flame on this Dark Continent.
But why had West Ox New Continent lost contact with the Great Ming?
When the Ming soldiers arrived here, were the true gods from beyond the heavens also present?
"There's something strange too. My Three Lights Righteous Qi Art can absorb starlight, but not sunlight or moonlight. Only in places like the Mountain Lord Temple can I absorb sunlight and moonlight. Could it be that the sun and moon lights in the Mountain Lord Temples come from our ancestral Shen Continent? But why have these temples been lost, sunk into the ground?"
Chen Shi's mind reeled, unable to figure out the reason for the moment.
Li Tianqing could not hide his excitement and reached out to touch the massive ship.
Unexpectedly, the instant his fingertip was about to make contact, the ground beneath their feet shook violently. The sound of rushing water roared like thunder, the scenery around them changed abruptly, and a torrential river surged toward them with towering waves and crashing billows!
The riverbed that had been dry enough to reveal fish bone fossils moments ago suddenly transformed into a vast, majestic river surface, where the backs of massive fish in the water resembled green islets.
Those enormous kun that had turned to bleached bones seemed to come alive again!
"Ghost God Domain!"
Chen Shi's heart jolted. Without a word, he grabbed Li Tianqing and retreated at full speed.
The two stumbled as the earth rocked wildly beneath them. Waves rippled across the De River. The gravel-strewn riverbank, overgrown with reeds, sprouted lush green grass from the very stones under their feet!
Chen Shi spun around, pushed off with his feet, and charged forward while dragging Li Tianqing.
His reaction was lightning-fast. The moment Li Tianqing triggered the stone ship's Ghost God Domain, he surged ahead. The rapidly advancing lush green grass actually failed to catch up to his steps!
Only then did Li Tianqing witness the true extent of Chen Shi's explosive power. His legs shot forward like cannonballs fired from a red-夷 barbarian cannon after igniting the gunpowder, whipping up a gale that pressed his clothes tight against his body. Each step covered fifteen feet, and when his soles hit the ground, the cobblestones shattered!
The only sound in Li Tianqing's ears was the howling wind. He marveled inwardly, "This speed is insane—way faster than a Galloping Horse Talisman!"
And this was with Chen Shi carrying him. Without the extra weight, he would have been even quicker!
In an instant, Chen Shi had dashed a hundred zhang away, far from the stone ship.
Li Tianqing saw them flash past a dazed roe deer that had probably never seen humans before. It stood foolishly in place, turning its head to watch them. But the next moment, the lush green grass reached its feet. The roe deer petrified at top speed, turning into a stone statue frozen in the pose of looking toward them.
The lush green grass advanced at extreme speed, but just as it was about to overtake them, it suddenly seemed to hit its limit. The green spread slowed, then gradually faded and vanished.
Chen Shi set Li Tianqing down and looked back. The reeds everywhere were gone.
A sand gull flew toward them, on the verge of crashing into Li Tianqing, then vanished like blue smoke.
"Don't approach things you don't understand in the deep mountains out of curiosity."
Chen Shi said earnestly to Li Tianqing. "A lot of people lose their lives that way."
Li Tianqing nodded repeatedly, then suddenly grinned. "But discovering this stone ship means Grandpa and I can go back to Quanzhou and make our report."
Chen Shi asked, "Does the Li family in Quanzhou have a way to dispel the stone ship's Ghost God Domain?"
Li Tianqing shook his head. "Maybe not, but whether they do or not, it means Grandpa, me, and my mother can live well from now on."
He was thrilled. This way, he wouldn't have to betray Chen Shi, could survive in the Li family, gain a foothold, and protect his loved ones.
Chen Shi was happy for him too.
Outside Xinxian Province, on the post road.
This post road was a provincial highway—wide and level, with bluestone slabs in the center featuring grooves for cart wheels, and bluestone bricks on either side. Pedestrians and vehicles moved in orderly fashion.
Flanking the post road were river channels with stone embankments. The river connected to the sea, and during high tide when the water rose, the soldiers manning the gates would drop iron sluices to seal the river mouth and prevent seawater from overflowing the dikes.
At that moment, in the tangled grass by the left embankment, a Xinxian rat was foraging.
This rat was a species unique to West Ox New Continent. Adults could grow to one or two hundred jin and were voraciously gluttonous. In corn harvest season, one could see packs of them burrowing into cornfields, emerging with cheeks bulging like pouches.
If killed, one could dig more than twenty jin of corn kernels from their mouths.
Xinxian rats were notorious pests, but in famine years, these exotic beasts were precious—one could feed a family for days.
This Xinxian rat in the grass clump was not yet mature and was digging up plant roots when it heard rustling in the grass. Then three doll-like figures less than a foot tall crawled out.
The Xinxian rat's eyes lit up, and it pounced on the little dolls.
The dolls were exhausted, covered in scratches, with cracks exposing fissures in places.
Seeing the rat charge, they fired tiny weapons without hesitation. One even summoned its golden core, but the rat snapped it up the moment it appeared.
The rat seized one and gnawed. With a crack, it bit through the doll's head but nearly broke its own teeth before realizing the doll was porcelain, not flesh and blood.
Even so, the porcelain doll perished after its head was breached.
The one whose golden core was eaten also died on the spot.
Only one porcelain doll seized the chance to escape.
This porcelain doll dashed onto the post road, risking being trampled or crushed by carriages. After untold hardships, it reached the center lane and spotted an oncoming carriage. It leaped up, grabbed the axle, and amid violent jolting, rode toward the provincial capital.
Upon arriving in the capital, the porcelain doll let go before the carriage stopped and landed on the ground with a crisp ding. Its expression changed drastically. It quickly lifted its foot and saw a crack in the sole of its left foot.
The porcelain doll limped into the shadows of a nearby alley.
A long while later, it climbed to a shop window, holding up a wooden plaque.
Words were written on the plaque.
"I am the Second Miss of the Zhao family's Xuan Ying Manor. Notify my father, Zhao Yanlong—heavy reward!"
Soon, people noticed and a crowd gathered.
Tears welled in the porcelain doll's eyes. It was Second Miss Zhao, the one Chen Shi had tricked into the kiln works.
These past days had been a living hell in the kiln works—dodging kiln worker pursuits while hoping for rescuers from the Zhao family that never came. Her companions dwindled: some seized by kiln workers and stuffed into kiln fires to melt, others snatched by wild beasts or birds while foraging outside.
Second Miss Zhao was decisive. Feeling she couldn't wait to die, she convinced the other porcelain dolls to follow her to the provincial capital to find the Zhao family.
The others were persuaded and they all fled the kiln works together.
It was an epic, tumultuous odyssey.
They scaled tall mountains, forded great rivers, battled fierce beasts, evaded giants. Companions fell one by one, dying on the road to the capital.
Second Miss Zhao was fortunate, surviving until now and finally reaching the capital.
In the Zhao family's Xuan Ying Manor, Zhao Yanlong and his wife sat in grand chairs. The wife dabbed her tears with a handkerchief and wailed to Second Miss Zhao, "You've suffered so much, my precious heart! Master, you must avenge Rou!"
Second Miss Zhao was her external title; her name was Zhao Minrou.
Zhao Yanlong's expression remained calm. Ever since recovering his daughter, he had summoned manor experts to try reversing her porcelain transformation, but it was too deep—she couldn't change back.
Though he doted on her, he had no choice but to accept it.
"Minrou, you say that Little Honest led you into the mountain kiln where you turned into this?"
Zhao Yanlong's eyes flickered as he said, "Describe that kiln factory in detail."
Zhao Minrou held a tiny brush and scribbled and sketched on paper. Moments later, Zhao Yanlong took the paper, examined it closely, and a smile gradually appeared on his face.
"Madam, Minrou has earned great merit."
He cradled Zhao Minrou in his palm and laughed. "The kiln Minrou described must be where burial porcelain is fired for the Tomb of the True King. Find it, and we find clues to the tomb! Minrou, in that kiln, you saw a porcelain statue with eight arms and four heads. Those kiln workers melted you all to repair its body."
Zhao Minrou nodded.
Zhao Yanlong burst into laughter. "That four-headed eight-armed porcelain statue must be the source of the Ghost God Domain. From the repairs, the source is damaged. This is a heaven-sent opportunity for our Zhao family! The Tomb of the True King is as good as ours! Minrou, rest assured—Father will avenge you!"
Soon after, a servant delivered documents. "Master, records on everyone in Huangpo Village are all here."
Zhao Yanlong skimmed them, then carried Zhao Minrou to the rear courtyard. There, a white-haired elder was furiously writing in a pavilion, with talismans and seals hanging from the eaves.
Rural talismans were often simple in structure, but this elder's were extraordinarily complex.
So-called fu were pictographic representations of spells, mostly patterns with few words.
So-called lu were the true names of gods, demons, and other mighty beings, mostly cryptic script with few patterns.
So-called zhuan were records of the tongues of gods and demons, often wielding inconceivable power.
Mastery of any one made one renowned among talisman masters. Some studied a lifetime without achieving proficiency in even one.
Yet this white-haired elder's works encompassed fu, lu, and zhuan—all exquisitely masterful, brimming with immense power!
"Uncle Two, I'd like you to handle something: go to the countryside and kill a certain grandsire and his grandson."
"Who?" The white-haired elder looked up, his aura turning terrifying in an instant.
"Huangpo Village, Chen Shi, Chen Yindu!"
"I'll go and be right back. Save dinner for me tonight."
Zhao Yanlong watched the white-haired elder depart. He knew this uncle was the highest realm and strongest in Xuan Ying Manor. If not for his love of family, the manor lord position wouldn't have gone to his father, nor would he have inherited it.
"Uncle Two will take care of it easily and avenge Minrou too! Time for me to prepare to hunt the Tomb of the True King." His heart burned with eagerness.
The white-haired elder was named Zhao Cunyi. His steps were swift; by evening, he reached Huangpo Village. Though traveling far, he moved with ease, calm and elegant, politely asking villagers for directions to the Chen home.
Though white-haired, his body was robust, steps steady. Even after walking over three hundred li from the capital to the countryside, he showed no fatigue.
Arriving at the Chen home, he found the gate ajar. Zhao Cunyi entered the courtyard and praised, "Mountain and river pastoral, leisurely elegance—quite comfortable."
No one answered; he was alone in the yard.
Zhao Cunyi paid it no mind and looked around. The courtyard wasn't large but included an acre of land, divided into front hall, east wing, west wing, and main hall.
The main hall had three rooms: two for living, one for guests.
Oddly, the main hall was now arranged as a spirit hall, with a spirit tablet and lit candles.
A tall elder in burial clothes stood with his back to him before the altar, heavy yin energy radiating from his body.
Zhao Cunyi smiled faintly and said leisurely, "I began cultivating at eight. At twelve, I passed the county exam as a xiucai, ranking third among all tongsheng. At sixteen, I sat the provincial exam, placed as juren—didn't take first in the capital round but still top ten. At nineteen, I thoroughly mastered the twelve volumes of the Compendium of Talismans by talisman sage Qianyang Mountain Man. Every fu and lu in it is etched in my mind. In talismans, I dare not claim first in Xinxian Province, but outside myself, there is no other."
The tall elder, back turned, shrugged his shoulders as if swallowing something.
"Chen Yindu, your grandson offended the manor lord. He's sent me personally to deal with you two."
Zhao Cunyi raised his hands, gazing at his pristine palms, and smiled. "Turn around. I don't like killing from behind. We're both talisman masters—I look forward to a peak duel between us."
At this point, the swallowing elder paused, raised his head as if lost in thought.
"The Compendium of Talismans is still used as an official textbook?"
The tall elder turned around, puzzled. "When I compiled that book, I was in my forties. The contents should be long outdated by now."
Zhao Cunyi's heart shook violently, his face showing utter disbelief.
"You're Qianyang Mountain Man? You're still alive?"
His eyes bulged. Suddenly, realization dawned. "You couldn't have such a young grandson! Old fraud, using Qianyang Mountain Man's name to scare me!"
Without thinking, talismans slid from his sleeves!
In the next instant, dozens of talismans floated in the air, divine light swirling, brilliant beyond measure!
The talismans he deployed were all superior grades from the Compendium of Talismans. The mightiest were the Big Dipper Dispatch God Lu, Big Dipper Five Thunders Fu, and Southern Dipper Life-Death Fu!
These talismans held mysterious powers. Dispatch God Lu summoned divinities, Five Thunders Fu called heavenly lightning, Life-Death Fu borrowed netherworld forces—none a common cultivator could withstand!
A powerful talisman master, at full power, could surpass a Nascent Soul expert and reach Soul Transformation level!
"Without one-thought talisman formation, how dare you claim to be first?"
With a mere thought from the tall elder, talisman patterns appeared around Zhao Cunyi. The patterns weren't complex—just the simplest fire fu, one of the most basic talismans. Yet this fire fu was drawn by pure mind—no brush, no black dog blood, no cinnabar!
Zhao Cunyi was horrified. Fierce flames ignited from within his body, engulfing him in moments.
"You're Qianyang Mountain Man!"
A shrill scream echoed from the blaze. Then his entire form turned to ash in the flames. Soon the fire died, leaving only drifting bone ash scattered on the ground.
"Qianyang Mountain Man isn't a title—it's my native place. I left no real name. Idiot."
Grandpa shook his head, fetched a dustpan, and swept the ashes into it.
"In our line of work, leaving your real name means dying fast."
In the west wing, Li Jindou—who was struggling against his porcelainization—stared in stunned silence.
"He's Qianyang Mountain Man—the one who compiled the Compendium of Talismans for the court and created the Heavenly Heart Righteous Qi Art."
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