Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Ace
Chapter:
Chapter Title: The Empty Coffin and Departures
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The other end of the Thousand-Li Sound Transmission Talisman fell into a stretch of silence.
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"Has he gone... When did he leave?"
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The voice on the other end was somewhat hoarse and filled with sorrow.
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"About six days ago."
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Chen Shi hesitated for a moment. These past few days, he had been in a haze, immersed in grief, and hadn't kept track of the time.
"Dad, are you coming back to see Grandpa off?"
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The voice on the other end hesitated for a moment before saying, "You're Little Ten, aren't you? Don't call me Dad. My son Chen Shi died ten years ago. Someone cut out his Divine Embryo and killed him. I buried him myself."
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Chen Shi's mind buzzed loudly.
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What was going on?
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Hadn't he died two years ago when someone cut out his Divine Embryo?
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Why was Chen Tang saying he died ten years ago?
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Why the extra eight years?
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What exactly had happened during those eight years?
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The voice continued.
My dad went mad. He thought he could still save Chen Shi. He dug up Chen Shi's corpse from the grave. He really lost his mind. He did all sorts of insane things and stirred up enormous trouble. The calamity he caused was more terrifying than any demon!
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Later, I lost contact with him. He vanished completely—eight full years without a trace.
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Until two years ago, when he suddenly reached out to me. He said he'd revived Chen Shi and asked if I'd come home for the New Year.
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He said our three generations—grandfather, father, and son—could go back to how things used to be.
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But I knew we'd never go back. My son had been dead for eight years.
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Chen Shi listened to the voice and could picture the middle-aged man on the other side shaking his head as he spoke.
"I don't know what exactly he revived. But I know for sure that whoever came back isn't my son. It's a ghost he summoned from the underworld."
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"I hate him—for wandering far away and abandoning the family, for not teaching me any powerful skills, for my own failure to protect our home. I hate him for not coming back sooner. If he'd been here, no one would have cut out Chen Shi's Divine Embryo."
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"I hate him for not letting me move on, for keeping me drowning in the pain of losing my son, for tormenting me endlessly. I hate him for experimenting on Chen Shi's corpse in all those mad ways—creating a monster like you..."
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The middle-aged man on the other end seemed to be venting years of resentment toward his father, spilling out all the bitterness in his heart.
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He fell silent for a moment, then said apologetically, "Sorry, I lost my composure. I'll send people for the funeral and to fix up his grave. If... if you want to come to the city, they can take you and give you a proper start in life. But I won't acknowledge you. You're not my son..."
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"No need. Thank you, Chen Tang."
Chen Shi said.
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The Thousand-Li Sound Transmission Talisman burned away completely, and the firelight vanished.
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Chen Shi's face gradually dimmed as he murmured, "No need to come. Thank you..."
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He stumbled out of the room in a wooden daze and sat down on the doorstep.
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Moonlight like frost洒 across his shoulders.
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Blackie Pot came to his side. Chen Shi reached out with both arms, hugging the dog's neck, lost in a stupor.
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On the day the coffin was buried, crowds came to pay their respects. A pack of foxes appeared on a nearby hillside, bowing toward the coffin from afar.
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A blue goat arrived under a tree not far off. It reared up on its hind legs like a man, clutching three sticks of incense in its claws and offering distant tribute.
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Several unfamiliar faces showed up at the funeral too. As they bid farewell to the coffin, they gave it a subtle knock—intentional or not—listened to the sound from within, and their expressions shifted slightly. But they stayed silent.
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Jin Hongying came up behind them. She pinched the nape of one man's neck and hoisted him into the air.
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"Lord Jin, we're from Xijing, carrying out orders. Don't make it hard on us little people."
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The man said in a low voice.
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"From Xijing?"
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Jin Hongying felt a chill run through her.
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She snorted, dropped him, and growled under her breath, "Get lost."
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The men scurried off, whispering among themselves.
"The coffin's empty—just some clothes inside. How do we report this? Dead or alive?"
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"Report it straight. The bosses will decide!"
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Chen Shi's ears twitched. He caught every word of their discussion and looked toward the sound, but the men had already vanished from sight.
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"Granny, those guys just said there's no body of Grandpa in the coffin. What's that about?"
Chen Shi asked Granny Sha.
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Granny Sha said, "It was always just a cenotaph—no body. Old Chen kicked it two or three months back but stuck around in the yang world because he couldn't let you go. Moonlight exposure left him muddled and dazed, stripping away his sanity bit by bit until he turned into a corpse spirit. Then he clashed with the Evil Bodhisattva, who shattered his convictions and pushed him toward demonization. But he cultivated the Water-Fire Tempering Art—the path of the Corpse-Liberation Immortal. His body neither rots nor decays. This trip to the underworld? He went flesh and blood."
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Chen Shi froze, then burst into wild joy.
"Grandpa's still alive?"
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"Dead!"
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Granny Sha corrected him.
"He's been gone nearly three months. His body's lifespan ran out. He was just using the Corpse-Liberation Immortal method to look like he was still kicking."
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"Grandpa's still alive!"
Chen Shi said excitedly.
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Granny Sha frowned faintly.
"He's really dead. You don't get the Corpse-Liberation Immortal way. It's an offbeat path to immortality—this art stresses water-fire tempering. It's all about refining the corpse for rebirth..."
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"Grandpa's still alive—alive down in the underworld."
Chen Shi said, tears streaming down his laughing face.
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Granny Sha frowned. The kid had lost it, not hearing a word she said beyond that.
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Still, as the elder, she had to set him straight, or he'd get the wrong idea.
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"Little Ten, you know about ghost immortals?"
Ghost immortals are what humans become after death—ghosts sustained by the incense and offerings of the living. Their souls linger eternally without fading, leading to immortality. No flesh body, so they're called ghost immortals.
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Granny Sha explained patiently.
"Higher than ghost immortals are Corpse-Liberation Immortals. A Corpse-Liberation Immortal is when a person's body stays incorrupt after death, fooling heaven and earth. It endures fire and water tribulations, forging eternal life from death itself—that's why it's called a Corpse-Liberation Immortal. Sure, they live forever, but it demands one true death first. Your grandpa really died."
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Chen Shi laughed.
"Got it. But I know he's still alive. His life-after-death is in the underworld. We grandfather and grandson can't meet anymore, but he's still alive."
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Granny Sha shook her head.
"The kid's too grief-stricken. He's gone off the deep end."
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Chen Shi brightened up, his spirits lifting. He knew Grandpa was still alive.
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Grandpa hadn't left because he died. It was because he didn't want to harm him, didn't want to harm the mortal world, didn't want to become a mindless slaughtering evil spirit.
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His energy surged. As long as Grandpa hadn't truly died, grandfather and grandson would meet again one day.
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"Little Ten, sis has to head out!"
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After the funeral, Jin Hongying said goodbye. She bent at the waist, her ample bosom heavy, pinched his cheek, and grinned.
"When you pass the juren exam, come find me in Xijing. Sis'll get you into the Divine Machine Battalion. Deal?"
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She nudged the arrowhead on Chen Shi's shoulder with hers and chuckled softly.
"We could develop a little something on the side too, hmm?"
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She turned to Li Tianqing, leaving behind a Chen Shi flushed beet-red with arousal. Then he watched as Jin Hongying rubbed up against Li Tianqing's shoulder, turning Li Tianqing's face the same shade of red.
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"Chen Shi, time for us grandfather-grandson to hit the road too!"
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Li Jindou called out from his basket.
"This farewell—who knows when we'll cross paths again. But give it some time, and Little Tianqing should swing back by. He found that treasure ship, so the Li family'll send folks to check it out for sure. They'll probably have him guide them."
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Li Tianqing pulled out a stack of old books and placed them in Chen Shi's hands.
"These are the books I promised. When the Li family shows up, I won't stick around and bring trouble your way."
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He paused, then added, "That treasure ship's way too dangerous. Odds are, few of the ones coming this time make it back alive."
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Li Jindou smacked his head hard.
"You couldn't warn them it's dangerous? Besides, the Li family's crawling with experts. Ship that risky—worse than the Kiln Works?"
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Li Tianqing considered.
"Probably worse."
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Li Jindou startled.
"Then do we even tell the Li family about the ship? Family's family, after all..."
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"Grandpa, to stay alive, we have to tell the Li family!"
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Li Tianqing kept a straight face.
"No matter how dangerous we say it is, they'll send people anyway. Heavy losses guaranteed. We can't change that."
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Li Jindou sighed and said nothing more.
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Li Tianqing hoisted him on his back and departed.
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"Little Ten, trouble brews? Come find me in Gangzi Village!"
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Granny Sha readied to leave too. She hesitated, then said, "That Sheep-Horned Heavenly Spirit Lamp—this old bag still needs it a bit longer. Gotta find someone with it..."
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Chen Shi asked, "Still no luck, Granny?"
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"Nope!"
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Granny Sha furrowed her brow deep, worry etched in every line.
"Kid's vanished off to who-knows-where. Driving me out of my mind with worry."
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Chen Shi saw them off but didn't spot Young Master Xiao. He blinked in surprise.
"Has Young Master Xiao already gone?"
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Back home, he kept lonely vigil over the empty house. He sat stunned for ages, still not adjusted.
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He rose and headed out of the village to Huangtu Gang, to see Godmother.
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Maybe chatting with Scholar Zhu would ease the gloom.
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At the foot of the mound, he spotted Young Master Xiao by the old willow tree atop it, seeming deep in talk with Scholar Zhu—quite worked up.
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Chen Shi frowned suspiciously and started forward, only to see Young Master Xiao's face fall dark. He pulled a cloth sack from his person, hung it on the branch where Scholar Zhu had hanged himself, and turned away.
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"Young Master Xiao, Senior Xiao."
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Chen Shi called. Young Master Xiao halted, turned. His eyes were red and puffy like he'd wept, but he smiled.
"Little Ten. Master Chen's in the ground. I'm about to shove off too. Got any money? Lend me some silver."
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Chen Shi fished out a few taels of loose silver—the shadow kind swapped from notes.
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He'd given travel funds to Li Jindou, Jin Hongying, and the rest when they left, so they wouldn't go broke on the road.
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Young Master Xiao thanked him, pocketed the silver, and grinned.
"Now I can hire a carriage."
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Raised in luxury, he hadn't walked anywhere in ages. No carriage? He'd sooner stay put.
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Chen Shi handed over a book scroll. Young Master Xiao unrolled it and paused, blinking.
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The script was immature—child's hand, every character copied painstakingly, no cursive joins.
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Yet the scroll weighed heavy in his grip.
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It was the Water-Fire Tempering Art.
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The Corpse-Liberation Immortal technique Chen Yindu had risked his life to fetch from the Tomb of the True King.
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"Grandpa told me to give you this before he passed."
Chen Shi said with a smile.
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Young Master Xiao accepted the Water-Fire Tempering Art. He gave Chen Shi a long look.
"Master Chen wouldn't have left me this of his own accord. He'd hand it to Granny Sha. He figured I was too young, didn't need it—might even turn me wicked with it. Still, thanks, Little Ten."
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Chen Shi asked, "Not exploring the Tomb of the True King anymore, Senior Xiao?"
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Young Master Xiao shook his head.
"A porcelain kiln for the True King is already that deadly—what of the tomb itself? Nah. Heh, what of Wangsun Fu? This world's beaten him to despair, swinging from a tree. Say I crack the tomb, snag the Map of the Fifty Provinces' Mountains, Rivers, and Lands. End up a failure later—wouldn't I just string myself up from a southeast bough too?"
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He threw back his head and laughed, striding off.
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"High song and wine to console the soul, wild dance to dazzle the eyes, heavenward laugh as I stride out the gate—how could folk like us be mere roadside weeds? Little Ten, until next time."
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He waved hard, never looking back.
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Chen Shi watched him go.
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Only after Young Master Xiao faded from view did Chen Shi turn away. He approached the old willow and lit incense for the stele Godmother.
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The whole mourning stretch, he'd drowned in grief and hadn't left the village to visit her.
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Scholar Zhu drawled lazily, "Little Ten, that numbskull just hung something on my branch. Yours now!"
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Chen Shi had seen Young Master Xiao hang the cloth bag right at Scholar Zhu's noose spot. Puzzled, he undid it and peered inside. Nestled quietly was a perfect square jade seal.
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"What's this?"
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Chen Shi drew it out, holding it to the sunlight for a look.
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Seal script in reverse adorned its face.
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He made out the characters one by one, murmuring, "Mandate of Heaven Treasure Seal, Eternal Warden of the Western Wastes."
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A dragon and tiger in jade formed the knobs atop, easy to grip.
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"What is this thing?"
Chen Shi wondered, baffled.
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"Just some busted seal from a fallen house. Take it, Little Ten. Short on cash someday? Pawn it, sell it—fetch a few taels."
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Scholar Zhu prodded, "Incense left? Light me up. Craving's getting fierce."
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Chen Shi slipped the jade seal into his sleeve pocket and lit a few sticks of incense.
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Scholar Zhu drew a long breath of the fragrant smoke, spotted the books Chen Shi brought, and lit up with glee.
"Fresh reads? Master's works? Nobody knows the Master like me. C'mon, I'll break 'em down for you."
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In Qiaowan Town, Young Master Xiao's hired carriage rattled over the river-spanning stone bridge toward Shuiniu County when it lurched hard. Jin Hongying's cold laugh sounded from outside.
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"Old thief Xiao! Hand over the Western King's Jade Seal quick. Lady spares you today. One peep of nonsense, and you're done."
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Young Master Xiao sighed, then bolted from the carriage, fleeing for his life.
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Jin Hongying gave chase, yelling, "No seal? I'll hunt you to the world's edge and beyond!"
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The underworld!
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Past the Naihe Bridge over the River of Forgetfulness, the underworld turned vast, dim, and choked with peril everywhere.
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Chen Yindu feared nothing.
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Flesh body into the underworld—his power at its zenith. Evils and demons lurking in every corner? He bulldozed through without a care.
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He plunged deep, hunting the underworld's secrets.
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Hunting the thing that left the ghost handprint on Chen Shi's chest.
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"Live a hero among men, die a hero among ghosts. Little Ten, Grandpa's staking a claim down here first—a mighty empire for you. When your time comes, inherit the throne and rule."
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End of chapter.