Chapter 25: Using Himself as Bait
Chen Shi hesitated briefly before confessing, "A desolate mountain recently appeared near our village, and there’s a temple on it. I trained there, and my progress was rapid. But the temple was destroyed by a meteorite, so I’m searching for another one."
"Training in an ancient temple?"
Madam Sha looked at him sharply, her expression skeptical. "Little Ten, you no longer have a Divine Embryo. Do you understand what that means?"
Chen Shi’s face brightened with a confident smile. "I know. Madam, I just want to find a place where I can train faster. Then I’ll be able to re-enter the county exams and rebuild my Divine Embryo. I’ll aim to become a scholar…"
Madam Sha interrupted him sternly, "Without a Divine Embryo, you’ll never produce true qi again. You’ve become a cripple!"
Chen Shi’s smile faltered, and he stammered, "I-I just want to pass the exams and secure a respectable job. That way, Grandpa won’t have to work so hard at his age…"
"It’s impossible for you to regain your Divine Embryo!"
Her voice grew more severe. "The Divine Embryo is a gift from the True Gods of the heavens. It cannot be cultivated; it is bestowed. Every person only has one chance in their lifetime. There won’t be a second! Stop daydreaming, Little Ten!"
Chen Shi’s face turned pale, his body trembling as though he could barely stand. "Madam, I’ll rebuild my Divine Shrine. When the True Gods see how hard I’ve worked, they might bless me again…"
Madam Sha shook her head coldly. "That’s impossible. Give up this foolish notion. Be an ordinary person—it’s not so bad. Go home." Crushed, Chen Shi lowered his head and trudged toward the door.
Madam Sha sighed as she watched him leave. "Foolish boy, still clinging to the hope of restoring his Divine Embryo…"
She shook her head again. The Chen Shi who once amazed the world was gone. Now, he was just a cripple.
After a while, Madam Sha stepped outside and froze.
Chen Shi was still sitting on her doorstep, staring at the ground.
"Little Ten, why haven’t you gone home?" she asked.
"Madam, I want to grow up quickly so Grandpa won’t have to worry about me," he murmured. "I don’t want Grandpa working so hard at his age. I don’t want him to become like this because of me. I just want to be capable enough to take care of him so he can enjoy life…"
Her heart softened at his words. "If you’re that determined, I’ll tell you where to find such a place—but you must do something for me first."
Chen Shi’s spirits lifted instantly. Wiping his tears, he replied with a grin, "Whatever you need, Madam, I’ll do it!"
Madam Sha smiled. "Years ago, I lost something precious to me in the River Wangchuan. I’ve never stopped thinking about it. If you retrieve it for me, I’ll tell you where the temple is."
Chen Shi hesitated.
Seeing this, she sneered, "Are you afraid? If so, go home and be an ordinary person!"
Gritting his teeth, Chen Shi lifted his chin defiantly. "I’ll do it!"
Exposing his neck, he added, "Madam, kill me quickly so I can go to the River Wangchuan to retrieve it. Please, don’t make it painful."
Madam Sha felt both amused and moved by his resolve.
"I thought he hesitated out of fear, but he was prepared to die for this task. To willingly face death for his goal—his determination is rare. Perhaps he truly has the potential to achieve great things someday," she thought.
Laughing, she said, "Who said you need to die to reach the River Wangchuan? If I required your death, it would tarnish my reputation! Don’t worry—you can go there alive."
Chen Shi’s eyes lit up with joy and relief. He had steeled himself for death and was thrilled to discover it wasn’t necessary.
Madam Sha fetched a heavy iron chain, weighing over thirty pounds, and strapped it to Chen Shi. Despite the weight, his strengthened body bore it without issue.
"Crossing the River Wangchuan is no small feat," she explained. "It’s the river of the dead in the Netherworld. After death, Yin Wardens ferry lingering souls across it to enter the afterlife."
She brought out a thick coil of hemp rope, tied to a massive fishhook, its sharp tip gleaming. The hook alone weighed over ten pounds.
Chen Shi, who had fished before, was taken aback by its size. "Madam, what kind of fish are you planning to catch? And with such a big hook, the bait must be enormous!"
Madam Sha slung the hook and rope over her shoulder and led the way to the riverbank. Though elderly, her steps were brisk, forcing Chen Shi to exert himself to keep up.
After walking over ten miles, they reached the confluence of the Jade Belt River and the Dejiang River. Here, the waters surged powerfully, flowing toward the sea two hundred miles downstream.
"All rivers are connected to the River Wangchuan," she explained. "By entering these waters, you can reach it."
She tied the rope to a sturdy riverside tree and smiled mischievously. "This river is home to a giant fish called the Kun. It swims between the mortal and Netherworld realms and loves to eat people. When it swallows the bait and feels the pain of the hook, it will escape to the Netherworld, taking you to the River Wangchuan."
Chen Shi’s heart skipped a beat. "Madam, will the hook go through my mouth and out my chin?"
She shook her head.
His face turned ashen. "Through my stomach, then?"
Walking behind him, she threaded the giant hook through the iron chain, laughing. "Do you think I’d skewer you like a worm? If I did, wouldn’t your Grandpa come after me with a vengeance?"
Relieved, Chen Shi asked, "What exactly did you lose in the River Wangchuan?"
"A bronze lamp with a handle. Its light isn’t very bright, but you’ll see it from afar," she replied evasively.
"When did you lose it?"
"Nine years ago."
"Nine years? Why haven’t you searched for it until now?"
Her evasive demeanor made him suspicious. "And if I dive in from here, can I really find it?"
"Enough questions!" she barked. "Are you going or not?"
"Of course I’m going!" Chen Shi declared. Then, hesitating again, he asked, "How do I get out of the fish’s mouth once I’m swallowed?"
"How should I know? I’ve never been eaten before," she retorted. "Once you find the lamp, tug the rope. I’ll pull you back to the mortal world—no problem!"
"Have you tried this method before?"
"Of course!" she said with a forced smile, urging him into the water.
Carefully, Chen Shi waded in, unsettled by the idea of using himself as bait to catch a fish that could cross realms.
The river’s current was strong, tugging at him with the force of a dozen men. The deeper he went, the harder it became to stand.
"Go deeper!" Madam Sha shouted from the bank.
Chen Shi yelled back, "If I can’t find it, you still have to tell me where the temple is!"
She agreed readily.
Chen Shi ventured further, the iron chain and hook weighing him down. He worried about drowning but steeled himself with the thought, "Even if I die, Madam Sha can summon my soul. I’ll be fine!"
As his courage swelled, he moved deeper.
Suddenly, his foot slipped, and he plunged underwater.
He emerged moments later, managing to swim despite the burden, a testament to his recent training.
Relieved, Madam Sha’s composure shattered when a colossal splash erupted from the river.
A massive tail surfaced briefly, its dark blue scales glinting like metal in the sunlight. The tail alone dwarfed a fishing boat.
"That thing is enormous!" Madam Sha gasped.
Chen Shi heard the splash and looked around, seeing nothing but white-capped waves. "Madam, where’s the Kun? I can’t see it!"
"Just swim deeper!" she called, her voice shaking.
In the distance, she glimpsed the creature’s massive head beneath the waves. Its jaws, lined with razor-sharp teeth, opened wide.
Her heart sank. "It’s too big! It’ll chew him to pieces before swallowing him whole!"
Panicking, she grabbed the rope and started pulling Chen Shi back.
Feeling the creature’s approach, Chen Shi swam frantically toward the shore.
A thunderous "CRACK" echoed as the giant fish broke the surface, casting a shadow that eclipsed the sun. Its cavernous maw descended toward him.
With a deafening crash, it splashed down, pulling the rope taut. Madam Sha was nearly dragged into the river as the tree she’d tied the rope to creaked ominously.
Then, with a sudden snap, the rope broke.
Madam Sha stared in horror as the massive fish dove, its immense form vanishing into the depths. A faint blue light flickered before it disappeared entirely.
"It’s over…" she muttered, trembling. Gathering the severed rope, she saw the clean cut where the creature’s teeth had severed it.
"Little Ten must have been shredded by that monster. Even if I summon his soul, I can’t revive him… How will I face Old Chen?"