Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: [Unknown]
Chapter Title: Jin Hongying's Arrival
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That night, Chen Shi didn't sleep a wink, cultivating the Three Lights Righteous Qi Art nonstop, his feet tracing the Big Dipper as he refined the seven stars.
Li Tianqing was impressed by his diligence and joined in, but soon grew too tired and crawled back into bed.
Though Chen Shi cultivated without pause, the cyan ghost hand flared up again, clutching his heart and squeezing tighter and tighter. Fortunately, he had anticipated it—having killed twelve people, he knew it would act up at night—and prepared accordingly.
Chen Shi endured the agony, continuing his cultivation, and finally weathered this bout.
Only then did he dare sleep.
By the time the dog barked, it was the morning of the fifth day of the demonic transformation.
Chen Shi and Li Tianqing set out to hunt spirit beasts. They had to stockpile as much food as possible in the early stages; otherwise, as the transformation deepened, the spirit beasts wouldn't hold out and would turn to porcelain.
Failing to gather food now meant starvation later.
Their haul was meager again that day. Chen Shi spotted a feng xi roughly the same size as one he'd hunted before, but the beast had gotten wise and bolted at the sight of them. The two boys and the dog gave chase but couldn't catch it.
They only managed to bag a spirit camel—a small spirit beast, about the size of an ordinary sika deer, over a hundred pounds.
On the way back to the village with the two of them and the dog, they passed several hamlets where everyone had turned to porcelain, including the godmothers.
The Evil Bodhisattva must have swept through.
"At this rate, Huangpo Village won't hold out much longer."
The pair's hearts sank.
When they reached Huangpo Village, Grandma Yuzhu hurried over to Chen Shi and whispered, "Someone's come to your house!"
Chen Shi's face lit up. "Grandpa's back!"
Grandma Yuzhu shook her head mysteriously. "It's a fine young lady—pretty as a picture."
Chen Shi blinked. A young lady?
Had he saved up enough money with Grandpa that Grandpa bought him a wife?
Excitement bubbled up. "Have I grown up? How come I didn't know?"
Li Tianqing hurried after him, curious to see this pretty young lady.
The young lady hadn't entered Chen Shi's home but sat under the ancient tree by the gate. She wore a thin jacket of bright red printed with green flowers, pants in the same colors, and two thick braids looped from behind her ears to drape over her chest.
Her chest bulged as if hiding some treasure.
The young lady looked sickly, and the villagers, feeling sorry for her, had stewed her a bowl of meat. But the moment Chen Shi laid eyes on this flower-like beauty, he turned and walked away without a word.
Li Tianqing asked, puzzled, "Little Ten, not going home?"
"Home? This ain't my home!"
Chen Shi blinked. "I got the wrong place—my house is at the other end of the village."
Blackie Pot barked twice, looking utterly serious, as if saying he'd taken a wrong turn too.
It dashed ahead, ready to lead its lost young master to the other side of the village.
The young lady watched them with a smile. Suddenly, she said, "Keep walking if you want— you'll all die."
Chen Shi turned back, beaming with feigned surprise. "Oh, this isn't my house? Look at my memory—getting foggy at such a young age. Blackie Pot, how'd you get confused too?"
Blackie Pot sat on the ground, head drooping in annoyance, seemingly berating itself for forgetting the house.
The young lady smirked, sipping her meat stew and watching their act sidelong.
Chen Shi headed toward his own gate, then acted as if seeing her for the first time. "Lady Jin! You're Lady Jin! Don't you remember me, Little Chen? We met in Wuwang City!"
He bubbled with excitement. "Lady Jin, we even shared tea at the same table back then! Tianqing, quick, come see—this is Jin Hongying of the Divine Mechanism Battalion! Blackie Pot, Blackie Pot, come pay respects to Lady Jin! Lady Jin looks good—better than ever today!"
As he spoke, he backed up, shoving Li Tianqing and Blackie Pot into the courtyard, slammed the door shut, and panted heavily. The smile vanished from his face, replaced by terror.
Li Tianqing looked terrified too, his gaze not on the door but the corner.
In the corner stood a cannon over a man's height—the Red Yi Cannon!
Blackie Pot scurried about, hunting for things to cover its doghouse.
Its doghouse was piled high with iron cannonballs.
Bang!
The door burst open under a powerful force. Jin Hongying, looking unwell, bowl in hand, limped in on one good leg and one bad, her face sour as she glanced at the Red Yi Cannon in the corner and the iron balls in the doghouse, sneering.
Chen Shi went pale and whispered, "Tianqing, what's the crime for stealing a Red Yi Cannon and hiding cannonballs?"
Jin Hongying cut in before Li Tianqing could answer. "Extermination of nine clans! Plus a charge of illicit gunpowder production—whole village wiped out. By this time next year, you can all reincarnate and start over!"
Her eyes flicked, the gloom lifting from her face. She grinned. "But this lady isn't unreasonable. Everything's negotiable. Share a bit of meat with me, and it's water under the bridge. I'm starving!"
She gulped down the meat stew, finishing the bowl quickly, still looking gaunt.
After her battle with the Evil Bodhisattva, her wounds were too severe, so she'd hidden in Fangdian Village to recover.
Fangdian Village had no cultivators like Chen Shi and Li Tianqing to hunt daily. The villagers could barely feed themselves, leaving Jin Hongying to starve.
Just as she'd stabilized her injuries, the Evil Bodhisattva came sniffing around, turning everyone—even the little girls' godmother—to porcelain.
She'd escaped just in time.
But the Evil Bodhisattva roamed everywhere hunting the living, porcelainizing them on sight. Numerous villages and towns had become worlds of porcelain folk.
All still and unmoving.
Hearing she was begging for food, Chen Shi grew bold. "So it's Little Jin. I know you've had a rough few days. But Huangpo Village doesn't feed idlers. Want a meal? What skills you got?"
He eyed her up and down.
Jin Hongying smiled lazily at him. "My life's exceptionally long. Brat, get your ass cooking, or I'll eat you two pups!"
Chen Shi agreed and went to slice meat for cooking.
Li Tianqing rushed to his side. Seeing the knife, he startled, thinking Chen Shi meant to strike—only for Chen Shi to slice off a chunk and actually start cooking.
"Little Ten, you took the knife to kill her?" Li Tianqing asked, baffled.
"How could I? I'm no villain."
Chen Shi sliced the meat thin, planning to marinate it a while, and shook his head. "No needless fighting."
Li Tianqing felt like he was seeing him anew, then realized. "You're poisoning the meat!"
Chen Shi shook his head. "Someone like Jin Hongying—even gravely wounded on the ground, if not stone dead, don't try to kill her. Wait till she's truly gone."
Li Tianqing didn't get it.
But Chen Shi knew: Jin Hongying could face Young Master Xiao head-on. When Young Master Xiao lay comatose and broken, seemingly defenseless, his Fine Waist and Shrike swords guarded him—touch, and die.
Jin Hongying's wounds were severe, sure, but she could walk and talk. Hers were lighter than Young Master Xiao's then. Even with ten times the guts, Chen Shi wouldn't dare.
"Smart little brother."
Jin Hongying now sat at the table, petting the dog's head with a smile. Blackie Pot lay contentedly at her feet.
Chen Shi cooked braised pork ribs, fatty pork, stewed tendon and brain, then a meatball soup, and served it up.
Jin Hongying was famished, her front hollow against her back. Meant for three, she devoured it all alone.
Chen Shi had to cook more.
"Chen Shi, your village won't last. The Evil Bodhisattva finding you is just a matter of time."
With some strength back, Jin Hongying said, "We need to relocate soon."
Chen Shi shook his head. "What about the villagers? They'll starve if we go."
"They won't starve. Without spirit beast meat, they'll porcelainize soon."
Jin Hongying shook her head. "They've held out this long thanks to the spirit meat you've supplied. But you two pups feeding a whole village—how long can that last? We three leave together."
She paused, patted Blackie Pot's head. "Take the dog. No food? Dog meat."
Blackie Pot shot up, no longer by her side.
Jin Hongying blinked in surprise, laughing. "This mutt understands human speech!"
Li Tianqing said coldly, "Commander Jin, finish the dog, then people, right? You with two kids—no fightback."
Jin Hongying grinned. "Smart little brother—I'll start with you."
Chen Shi smiled. "Sis, we're small—not tasty yet. Wait till we're grown."
Jin Hongying laughed. "Pair of golden boys, so lovable. Grown? Sis'll eat you a different way."
Chen Shi didn't catch the innuendo, thinking she meant literal devouring, so he quietly palmed the cleaver, hiding it in his sleeve.
Jin Hongying caught it and chuckled. "Drop the knife—not that kind of eat."
Seeing she'd noticed, Chen Shi behaved, setting it down. "What kind then, sis?"
Jin Hongying met his innocent eyes, flushing at her own thoughts. She took a swig, limped out. Her voice drifted from outside: "You two eat up. Auntie'll give time to say goodbyes. Auntie ain't heartless—keep the spirit meat you meant for them; it'll buy them time."
Chen Shi cooked on in silence.
Li Tianqing sat by the stove tending the fire, adding wood. "This Jin sis is a riot—one minute our mom, next our auntie, then eating us. Says we're small now, grown-up eat different. No wonder Grandpa said women are fickle."
Chen Shi pondered. "She's alone, lonely—bound to be quirky."
"I heard that! You pups badmouthing me—I'll rip your mouths!"
Chen Shi whispered, "See? Temper again."
Li Tianqing said, "Grandpa said marriage fixes it."
"I'm coming in to beat you both!" Jin Hongying fumed.
After the meal, Chen Shi washed the pots and dishes, then left a note for Grandpa: no need to worry.
Grandpa hadn't returned these days, but he firmly believed Grandpa wouldn't abandon him—would come back.
"I still need to pay respects to Godmother," Chen Shi said.
Jin Hongying huffed. "Nosy! We'll go together!"
She'd thought his godmother was the sacred tree outside the village. Instead, they headed out.
"Little Ten bro leaving?" Yuzhu blinked big eyes at them.
Chen Shi nodded. "Your meat should last ten days—don't skimp, eat your fill. I'll bring more later!"
Yuzhu looked blank, waved a small hand, watching them leave the village.
"Granny, Little Ten bro's going."
Grandma Yuzhu stood behind her on her cane. She'd seen it coming, said nothing to stop him.
On Huangpo Village's streets, folk from every house stepped out, gazing after Chen Shi's departure, seeing him off without a word of plea.
"He's cared for us long enough. Don't hold him— it'll doom him," Grandma Yuzhu said.
Chen Shi led Jin Hongying, Li Tianqing, and Blackie Pot to the yellow earth slope. As Jin Hongying moved to climb, her face changed sharply. She halted, staring doubtfully at the slope.
Chen Shi turned. "Sis Jin not coming up?"
Sweat beaded like soybeans on Jin Hongying's forehead. She glanced at Li Tianqing—he'd climbed fine, even the black dog had, no issue!
But lifting her foot spun the world; the ground vanished, vast yellow sky crushing down!
Sweat dripped.
Climb, and she might die!
"This yellow earth slope... it's strange. Very strange!"
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