On the Path to the Great Dao

When Grandpa returned, Chen Shi was already asleep. The black dog, having been thoroughly frightened by Chen Shi, was now exceptionally alert, wagging its tail hurriedly to greet him.

"Asleep?"

Grandpa sat down by the campfire, added a few pieces of firewood, and glanced at the sleeping Chen Shi. His body relaxed slightly.

"Chen Yindu, you're truly getting old. But you can still hold on!"

He stared at the flickering flames, his icy body seemingly impervious to any warmth.

"Chen Yindu, you can endure until he grows up!"

He exhaled a long, chilling breath that made the flames noticeably smaller.

"If one day you can no longer endure, then you must kill him yourself. Take him with you to the underworld, but never leave him behind to wreak havoc upon the world!"

Lost in thought, he eventually drifted off to sleep.

At dawn, Chen Shi's exclamations of surprise came from outside the temple. What had been a small hill they slept on last night had, overnight, grown into a mountain more than a hundred zhang high! And the ruined temple they stayed in was perched right at the summit!

"Strange phenomena are as common as blades of grass in Xiniu New Continent. Why be surprised?" Grandpa, busy lighting the fire for breakfast, scoffed at the boy’s astonishment.

Chen Shi, feigning admiration, replied, "Grandpa, you’re so knowledgeable and wise. Surely, you must know a lot. Why is this temple here? Why were the temple and mountain buried underground? Who built this temple, and who buried it? Where are these people now? Why did this temple and mountain suddenly emerge from the ground at this time? Does it have anything to do with the appearance of the spirits? Or with the sun setting early by one刻?"

Grandpa thought for a moment and said, "Double the medicine dosage tonight."

Chen Shi obediently shut his mouth and went back into the temple to start his morning training.

As he activated the "Three Lights Righteous Energy Technique," two unfamiliar forces suddenly appeared, transforming into golden and silver specks of light in the air before surging into his body!

Startled, Chen Shi felt the golden force, as blazing as fire, flow into him with intense heat, igniting his vital energy and making the tempering of his body far more efficient!

The silver force, however, was like a calm, soothing stream, countering the golden force's searing heat and preventing it from harming his body.

These two energies, more abundant than star power, worked in tandem, speeding up his physical tempering process far beyond what he could achieve with pure star power alone.

"Could this be the solar and lunar righteous energies of the Three Lights Righteous Energy Technique?"

Chen Shi was puzzled. He had never sensed the solar and lunar energies during past cultivation. Why could he absorb them now? Moreover, it was daytime, with the celestial god's vertical eye tightly shut. Without the moon present, where was the lunar energy coming from?

Curious, he stepped outside the temple, and the solar and lunar energies instantly vanished.

He returned to the temple, and the golden and silver specks floated down like snowflakes as the Three Lights Righteous Energy Technique fully activated.

"Why can I only absorb the solar and lunar essences in this ruined temple?"

More confused, Chen Shi glanced at Grandpa, who was still tending the fire for cooking. Thinking about the doubled medicine dosage, he decided not to ask. Grandpa probably wouldn’t know either.

"I’ve always suspected that the sun and moon during the True King era were not the same as the sun and moon now. Back then, people could harness their essences to cultivate the Three Lights Righteous Energy. If my guess is correct..."

Chen Shi's expression turned strange as he murmured under his breath, "If I’m right, the heavens and earth inside this temple are not the same as those outside!"

He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky outside the temple.

The sky was clear, a vibrant blue with fluffy white clouds.

Stepping outside, he gazed upwards at the heavens. The deep blue sky stretched endlessly, space faintly visible, with white clouds drifting aimlessly.

The sky seen inside the temple seemed identical to the one outside.

"Did I guess wrong?"

Scratching his head, Chen Shi gave up pondering the matter and returned to the temple to continue his cultivation.

With all three energies of the "Three Lights Righteous Energy Technique" working in harmony, Chen Shi's cultivation speed increased significantly. His bones, muscles, and membranes became tougher, his vital energy surged, and his internal organs grew stronger.

It wasn't until Grandpa called him several times after finishing breakfast that Chen Shi reluctantly stopped cultivating.

"After the Moon Sacrifice Festival, I must visit this desolate mountain temple regularly for training!" he thought to himself.

After the meal, the grandfather and grandson did not return to Huangpo Village but instead headed to the next village to sell more talismans during the festival and earn some extra money.

The Moon Sacrifice Festival lasted three days. On the afternoon of the third day, they arrived at Yandang Village. The village’s guardian figure was a stone statue over ten zhang tall. This peculiar statue had eyes in its hands and hands in its eyes, making it exceptionally strange.

Yandang Village was built in concentric circles around the statue. The village was located close to Shuiniu County, just over twenty li away, but was more than two hundred li from Xinxiang County. As a result, the locals often went to Shuiniu County for market days, and Shuiniu's wealthy elite often came near Yandang Village for outings, usually for hunting.

That afternoon, business was slow. While Grandpa went to purchase medicinal herbs, Chen Shi idly manned their stall. Just then, a voice called out, "Do you have Peach Blossom Talismans?"

Chen Shi perked up and replied with a smile, "Yes, we do!"

The speaker was a young Jin Yiwei officer in a red robe and horse-faced skirt, looking sharp and efficient despite the dark circles under his eyes—likely a result of overindulgence.

"How many do you have?" the man asked.

Chen Shi counted and answered, "Just three left."

Peach Blossom Talismans were among the best-selling talismans. Young men and women often bought them to attract romantic interests, and these talismans did indeed significantly enhance interactions with the opposite sex. Naturally, there weren’t many left in stock.

"I’ll take them all," the officer said. "But that's still not enough. Are you a Talisman Master?"

Chen Shi hesitated for a moment before nodding. Though he lacked a Divine Embryo and couldn’t retain spiritual power, as long as he activated the "Three Lights Righteous Energy Technique," he could still draw talismans.

"Come with me and draw some more on the spot!" the officer commanded.

Chen Shi was still uncertain when the officer tossed him a hefty silver ingot. The horseshoe-shaped ingot weighed at least fifty taels.

It was the first time Chen Shi had seen such a large ingot. He immediately packed his brushes, ink, and paper into a bookcase, called the black dog over, and asked, "Where should I draw them?"

The officer glanced at the black dog with some surprise before replying, "Follow me."

Chen Shi slung the bookcase over his shoulder and followed the officer. They walked toward the mountain road outside the village. Puzzled, Chen Shi asked, "Sir, where are we going?"

The officer laughed and said, "Don’t call me 'sir.' My name is Li Guang, and I serve my young master. We’re heading into the mountains, of course. My young master is camping there while hunting and needs these talismans to win the favor of some young ladies."

"I see," Chen Shi nodded, suddenly enlightened. "May I ask your young master’s name so I can address him properly when we meet?"

Li Guang replied, "My young master’s surname is Li. He comes from a prominent family in Shuiniu County."

Chen Shi’s eye twitched, and his heart began to pound violently. His voice turned hoarse as he asked, "From Shuiniu County? Could it be that your young master is none other than Li Xiaoding, the scholar?"

His voice trembled slightly.

Fortunately, Li Guang didn’t notice and instead asked curiously, "You’ve heard of my young master?"

Chen Shi quickly steadied his emotions, lowered his head, and said, "Li Xiaoding came first in the county examinations. Who hasn’t heard of him?"

Li Guang laughed heartily, "Although my young master’s results weren’t bad, his true success comes from his family background."

Chen Shi’s heart raced, and his blood rushed to his head.

Li Xiaoding of Shuiniu County—he was the very same "Young Master Li" mentioned by Zhao Er, the purple-robed woman. He was the one who had stolen Chen Shi’s Divine Embryo, leaving him a cripple!

Once the top provincial candidate in his county exams, Chen Shi had a bright future ahead of him. But the Li family’s experts had ambushed him, cracked open his skull, and taken his Divine Embryo.

From then on, Young Master Li’s star rose, while Chen Shi was reduced to a wretch who had to drink medicinal concoctions and soak in herbal baths daily, enduring the agony of a ghostly hand squeezing his heart. Even his father, Chen Tang, refused to acknowledge him as his son!

He had even forgotten all his past memories, including who his mother was.

Over the years, Chen Shi had thought countless times about taking revenge—tearing that Young Master Li to pieces. Now, at last, the opportunity for revenge had come!

"But I’m still just a cripple," he thought bitterly. "I don’t have true qi and can’t use spells... But Grandpa once said that my physique is already strong enough to overpower a Divine Embryo-stage constable. As long as I don’t give them a chance to use spells, I might have a shot at killing Young Master Li!"

A surge of murderous intent welled up within him, though uncertainty lingered.

"Can I really kill a cultivator at the Divine Embryo stage?"

His progress in the "Three Lights Righteous Energy Technique" left him unsure of his current strength. He truly had no idea whether he could defeat Li Xiaoding.

Before he realized it, they had arrived deep in the mountains.

Li Xiaoding and his party had set up camp beside a stream surrounded by three mountains. The stream was larger than a creek but not quite a river.

Chen Shi’s eyes were first drawn to four yurts: three white and one yellow. Nearby were four fine horses.

Three Jin Yiwei officers, stripped to their undershirts, were busy digging trenches and setting up chevaux-de-frise. They appeared to be building a small fortification to spend the night. Using spells, they felled trees, stripping away branches with such precision that the process was nearly invisible. Chen Shi could only make out faint arc-like flashes of light in the air and the subtle vibrations of the surrounding atmosphere as tree trunks as thick as washbasins toppled.

"Grandpa was right. One spell, and I’m dead," he thought grimly.

The direction of spells was imperceptible, making them impossible to dodge.

Two other Jin Yiwei were setting up a barbecue rack and arranging some fruits. Another officer busied himself assembling a weapon rack filled with short knives, long spears, and crossbows.

In front of the yellow yurt were several reclining chairs shaded by a parasol.

On the central chair reclined a young man, fat and over 200 jin, dressed in a blue robe half-unbuttoned to reveal a white undershirt. This, too, was open, exposing rolls of pale, flabby flesh.

"That must be Li Xiaoding," Chen Shi thought, his eye twitching slightly.

The camp was compact, with the three Jin Yiwei by the chevaux-de-frise only three zhang away from Li Xiaoding. The two by the barbecue rack were merely one and a half zhang away, and the one near the weapon rack was even closer—less than a zhang.

Seven Jin Yiwei in total, counting Li Guang.

Seven people, each capable of killing him with a single spell. If any of them used their abilities, Chen Shi would be dead on the spot.

"Young Master, the talisman maker has arrived," Li Guang said with a bow. "We’re short on Peach Blossom Talismans, so I took the liberty of bringing him here to draw more on-site."

Chen Shi’s heart pounded wildly as he kept his head lowered, afraid Li Xiaoding might recognize him.

After all, Li Xiaoding had stolen his Divine Embryo.

The obese young master tilted his head back, surprised to see that the talisman maker was merely a boy of about ten. His gaze then shifted to the black dog behind Chen Shi, and he exclaimed in amusement, "A dog? Come here, pup!"

The black dog wagged its tail, lowered its head, and, grinning ingratiatingly, trotted over to Li Xiaoding.

Li Xiaoding tossed the dog a piece of meat, and the black dog, head pressed to the ground, wagged its tail enthusiastically, fawning shamelessly.

"Good dog!" Li Xiaoding laughed heartily, paying no attention to Chen Shi.

Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief, though a flicker of anger rose within him.

Li Xiaoding hadn’t recognized him, likely because he’d never actually seen him before. For someone from such a privileged family, it was unnecessary to remember the faces of those he crushed. All he cared about was enjoying the benefits of the Divine Embryo while leaving the dirty work to others.

Li Guang led Chen Shi to a table about two zhang from Li Xiaoding and said, "You can draw here. Make twenty talismans. Will that be enough, Young Master?"

Li Xiaoding chuckled. "The more, the better! The young ladies of the Ding and Zhao families are camped nearby. If I can win their favor, my standing within the Li family will rise significantly. Besides, those little ladies from the Ding and Zhao families are quite enticing. They’ve been on my mind—I must claim them all!"

Sitting up, he patted the black dog on the head and grinned. "And you lot can have your share too. Any extra Peach Blossom Talismans can go to you. If you can charm the Ding and Zhao family maids, go for it!"

The Jin Yiwei all burst into laughter at his words, working with renewed vigor.

Chen Shi placed his bookcase down, spread out his brushes, ink, and paper, and felt his mind gradually steadying.

These seven Jin Yiwei had unsteady steps and weak voices—clearly drained by overindulgence. Though they had the power to kill Chen Shi in an instant, they had lost the vigilance expected of proper guards.

Years spent with Grandpa in the wilderness had taught Chen Shi to recognize the demeanor of fierce beasts: calm, poised, and always relaxed but ready to unleash a deadly attack at any moment.

These seven, however, were too lax. They lacked the alertness of true predators.

Chen Shi even felt he could take down any one of them at will.

"At this distance, I could reach Li Xiaoding in two steps and kill him with one strike!"

But as his eyes swept over the camp, he dismissed the thought.

Killing Li Xiaoding would leave him no time to escape—he would be obliterated by the seven Jin Yiwei’s spells.

Suddenly, a daring thought crossed his mind: "If killing Li Xiaoding would get me killed by the others... then what if I killed all seven Jin Yiwei first?"