Chapter 17: Don’t Wet the Bed
When Chen Shi returned home, he still felt muddle-headed. Grandpa called him to eat, but after just two bites, Chen Shi put down his chopsticks and shuffled back to his room. He collapsed onto his bed, staring blankly at the rafters above.
“You brat! Are you eating or not? If not, I’ll give it to the dog!”
Grandpa grumbled as he tossed the leftover food to Black Pot.
The dog sniffed at it, then shook its head and walked away.
“A dog raised in this household doesn’t even know what good food is…” Grandpa muttered.
Hearing him, Black Pot wagged its tail and sheepishly returned to the bowl. It sniffed again, opened its mouth as if to eat, but couldn’t bring itself to swallow. Finally, it tucked its tail and left.
“This meal really is a bit much,” Grandpa reflected, furrowing his brow. “Almost all of it is medicine—hardly edible. Next time, I should tone it down. At the very least, the dog should be able to eat it. If the dog won’t touch it, Little Ten certainly won’t.”
By dinnertime, Chen Shi finally got up, though he was still listless.
The Desolate Temple had been the only place where he could truly cultivate, and now that it had been destroyed by a falling meteor, he couldn’t imagine how long it would take to shed his “good-for-nothing” reputation relying only on starlight for training. He dreamed of retaking the imperial exams, becoming a scholar, and earning enough to provide for Grandpa in his old age. Grandpa was getting older, and Chen Shi couldn’t bear the thought of him running around to care for a "useless grandson."
But now, that dream seemed like a fleeting illusion, dashed by a meteor from the heavens.
Chen Shi soon snapped out of his gloom when Grandpa prepared a lavish dinner that evening. This meal lacked any strange medicinal flavors—though it was oversalted, everything else was fine.
For the first time in two years, Chen Shi ate something that tasted normal. After a couple of bites, his eyes reddened, and tears nearly spilled over.
“Too salty?” Grandpa asked. Standing at the altar, his shoulders twitched slightly, and the invisible eyes on them glared at Chen Shi.
Chen Shi shook his head. “Not salty. It’s delicious. So good.”
Grandpa smiled faintly. “Endure the bitter to savor the sweet. But tonight, your medicine dosage is doubled.”
After a moment of silence, Chen Shi lifted his head and said, “Grandpa, the temple where we spent the night… it’s gone. A meteor hit it and destroyed the mountain.”
“Such things are as common as cattle on the Western Bull New Continent. Why fret over it?” Grandpa replied, calmly chewing on a candle.
“This happens a lot?”
“Mm. A lot.”
After dinner, Chen Shi cleaned the dishes without being asked, diligently tidying the kitchen.
Later, during his medicinal bath, he overheard Grandpa in the next room, speaking to his father, Chen Tang, through a Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman.
As usual, Grandpa lamented that he was old and didn’t have many days left. He urged Chen Tang to take Chen Shi to live in the city, but excuses were all he got.
Grandpa then asked if Chen Tang would come home for the New Year, but the response was yet another excuse.
When the talisman burned out, the room fell into darkness, accompanied only by a long sigh.
“Tang, I really don’t have much time left. I’m worried about Little Ten…”
Outside, Chen Shi sat quietly in the courtyard, his heart heavy. He lowered his head and resumed his cultivation, though his progress was far slower than it had been at the Desolate Temple.
Late that night, he went to bed, staring at the dark rafters for a long time before finally falling asleep.
Hearing noises from Chen Shi’s room, Black Pot perked up its ears. Curious, the dog nudged open the door and peeked inside.
“Grandpa, don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself…” Chen Shi muttered in his sleep.
Black Pot tilted its head in confusion. Grandpa wasn’t even home. Who was Chen Shi talking to?
The dog padded closer and saw Chen Shi tossing and turning, mumbling dreamily.
“Grandpa, I’m not useless. I won’t relapse. I’ll recover. I’ll pass the scholar’s exam and the imperial graduate exam… I’ll make sure you live a good life… Don’t send me away to Father. I’ll be good to you…”
Watching for a moment longer, Black Pot noticed Chen Shi had kicked off his blanket. The dog gently pulled it back over him, then tiptoed out and used its mouth to close the door.
The next morning, Grandpa hitched up the cart to leave.
“Where are you going?” Chen Shi asked, a bit anxious.
“To the county town for medicine. We’re out.”
Chen Shi thought for a moment. “So last night’s food tasted good because we ran out of medicine?”
“Mm. I’ll be back this afternoon. Don’t wander off,” Grandpa replied, holding a compass as he climbed onto the cart. “If you’re hungry, just go without for a bit. Tonight, I’ll bring something good back.”
The wooden cart creaked as it rolled out of the village.
Chen Shi went to pay respects to his Godmother Tree, then cultivated for a while. Unsurprisingly, hunger soon struck. He extorted a few duck eggs from Yuzhu’s family, stole some sweet potatoes, and even snatched a watermelon. Feeling full, he returned home.
Later, the Godmother Tree waved at him, holding a bright red fruit.
“Trying to poison me while Grandpa’s away, huh?” Chen Shi sneered, heading back to his room to draw talismans for extra cash.
“Black Pot, we’re best buddies, right?” Chen Shi smiled, one hand hidden behind his back, as he approached the dog.
The dog backed away cautiously, guessing his intentions.
Chen Shi lunged, revealing a small knife. “True brothers should be willing to bleed for each other! How about some blood for me? My talismans will sell better with it. We’ll split the earnings!”
Amid their playful scuffle, a loud knock came from the door, followed by someone barging in.
A rugged man, clad in coarse linen and worn-out straw sandals, stood in the doorway, stunned by the sight of the boy and the dog wrestling.
“Is this Master Chen the Talisman Maker’s home?”
“My grandpa’s gone to the county for medicine,” Chen Shi said, releasing Black Pot. “He’ll be back this afternoon.”
The man’s face fell. “This is bad! If we wait, people might die!”
“Uh… does exorcising pay?” Chen Shi asked, his eyes lighting up. “Do you have silver?”
The man hesitated before producing three or four small silver pieces. “This is all we could gather—five taels.”
Chen Shi snatched the silver with a grin. “Grandpa’s a talisman maker, and so am I. Consider the job accepted! Wait while I get ready.”
Moments later, Chen Shi emerged, carrying an enormous book chest. Despite its size, he handled it with ease.
With Black Pot in tow, they set off, ready to confront whatever malevolent force awaited.
Chen Shi prepared himself quickly, hoisting a book chest that was taller than him and stuffed full of items, easily weighing over twenty pounds. Yet, he carried it on his back as if it weighed nothing.
“Black Pot, I’m leaving a letter for Grandpa so he knows where I’ve gone,” Chen Shi said, scribbling a note and handing it to the dog. “When Grandpa gets back, make sure he sees this. If I run into danger, tell him to come to Huangyang Village to rescue me.”
Black Pot took the letter in its mouth and darted to the main hall, placing it under Grandpa’s spirit tablet before hurrying back. This time, it held a small knife in its jaws, signaling Chen Shi to pack it in the chest. If danger arose, the dog’s blood could ward off malevolent entities.
Understanding its concern, Chen Shi reluctantly allowed Black Pot to join him.
The rugged man who had come for help led the way, and the two of them, along with the dog, began the trek to Huangyang Village. The village lay on the northern slope of Qianyang Mountain. While it wasn’t far as the crow flies, the journey was grueling, with steep and twisting paths cutting through dense forests and barren hills. Wild beasts often prowled the area.
As they walked, Chen Shi learned more about the situation.
Huangyang Village had an old, abandoned house that once belonged to the Tian family. One day, all eight members of the Tian household, including their livestock—chickens, ducks, cats, and dogs—died mysteriously overnight. The local authorities didn’t investigate, as such events were too common in rural areas to warrant attention. Over time, the house gained a reputation for being haunted and was left to decay.
“A kid from the village climbed over the wall to explore and got cursed. He started laughing and crying uncontrollably, mumbling, ‘Who wets the bed gets eaten, who wets the bed gets eaten,’” the man explained.
“Did talismans help?” Chen Shi asked, intrigued.
“We stuck peachwood talismans all over, but they didn’t work. The child’s mother even made offerings to the Godmother Tree, but that didn’t work either. That night, disaster struck.”
“What happened?”
“A child who wet the bed was taken.”
The man’s face turned grave as he continued. “The boy’s father said he woke in the middle of the night and saw a huge shadow on the wall. It opened its mouth wide, extended a long tongue, and—whoosh—snatched the boy away.”
Chen Shi’s heart skipped a beat. A demon that preys on bedwetting children? That’s absurdly specific.
“Then what?”
“Yesterday, two more children disappeared. The whole village is terrified. Parents are scared to let their kids drink water, afraid they’ll wet the bed and be taken. Some even wake their kids in the middle of the night to pee, but it didn’t help. Earlier today, another boy was taken—while he was peeing outside in broad daylight!”
“In the daytime?” Chen Shi frowned. A demon active during the day was highly unusual.
“And your Godmother Tree hasn’t intervened? Isn’t she supposed to protect the village from demons?”
The man shook his head. “Not all Godmother Trees are benevolent. Some cause harm if they feel slighted. People say the Tian family was killed by our Godmother Tree. Supposedly, the Tian family’s daughter-in-law insulted the tree, and in revenge, the tree allowed a demon into the village to kill all eight of them. Afterward, the tree appeared in villagers’ dreams, demanding more incense and offerings to avoid the same fate as the Tians.”
Chen Shi furrowed his brow. Weren’t Godmother Trees supposed to protect villagers? Could they really hold grudges and act maliciously?
When they arrived at Huangyang Village, Chen Shi was struck by its desolate state. The houses were old and dilapidated, mostly thatched cottages. The villagers wore tattered clothes, looking as though they had fled some disaster. Adults and children alike were gaunt and pale.
The few children still in the village were visibly scared. Some clung to their parents, while others, braver or thirstier, loudly demanded water—they must not have had any for quite some time.
“A demon that targets bedwetting children?” Chen Shi muttered to himself. “It’s probably attracted to children’s urine. In that case, the real issue isn’t bedwetting, but the presence of boys with unbroken virginity. I’m still a virgin… Wait, did losing my Divine Embryo count as breaking my virginity? I was only nine when that happened, so probably not…”
Lost in thought, Chen Shi was abruptly jolted when someone bumped into him. A scrawny boy, about his age, stopped and quickly turned back to apologize. The boy, snot dripping from his nose, looked shy and timid.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Chen Shi said graciously, waving his hand. He smiled and added, “Aren’t you afraid of me?”
If this had been a child from Huangpo Village, they’d be on their knees by now, begging for forgiveness.
The boy tilted his head curiously. “Why would I be afraid of you?”
Chen Shi thought about the kids in his own village, who feared him like he was a demon lord. Smiling knowingly, he replied, “The kids in my village are all scared of me. They won’t even play with me.”
The boy scratched his head. “Then you don’t have any friends?”
“I have friends!” Chen Shi said, laughing. “I’ve got Black Pot, my Godmother Tree, and even my books. They’re all my friends.”
The boy smiled back. “Want one more friend?”
Chen Shi’s eyes lit up. This was the first time he’d made a human friend since regaining consciousness! Even better, this one was alive!
Meanwhile, the village elders had surrounded the rugged man who had brought Chen Shi. A frail old woman asked shakily, “San Wang, we sent you to fetch Master Chen. Where is he?”
“Master Chen isn’t home. Only his grandson was there. He’s young, but he’s a talisman maker too,” San Wang said in a low voice, glancing at Chen Shi. “With the little silver we gathered, no proper talisman maker would come. Five taels of silver isn’t enough to hire anyone else.”
The elders turned to look at Chen Shi, who was chatting animatedly with the air and laughing as though nothing was wrong. They exchanged uneasy glances.
Summoning his courage, San Wang called out, “Master Chen, who are you talking to?”
“My new friend!” Chen Shi replied cheerfully. Turning to the boy who had bumped into him, he said, “My name is Chen Shi, but you can call me Little Ten. What’s your name?”
“My name’s Liu Fugui,” the boy replied, grinning.