On the Path to the Great Dao

Madam Sha’s face darkened as she contemplated the situation. Even if Chen Shi hadn’t been bitten to death by the giant fish, he was likely lost in the River Wangchuan with no way back. She would be unable to face Chen Yindu if she couldn’t recover him.

"Without the rope, he can’t return from the River Wangchuan... This is all my fault. I was greedy, trying to use this boy to retrieve that treasure, and now I’ve brought disaster upon him! If I had known, I would have just told him where the temple was."

Regret consumed her, but the mistake had already been made. There was no undoing it, only salvaging what she could.

"If he’s still alive, I must find a way to bring him back. If he’s dead…"

Her resolve hardened. "Then I’ll take my life to atone to Old Chen!"

She bit her right index finger, using her blood to draw a summoning talisman in midair. The blood, defying gravity, floated, forming a long strip three feet in length and two inches wide.

The talisman was inscribed with commands to the Three Pure Ones, supported by texts invoking the soul’s return. Despite its simple design, the energy it emitted was profound.

This technique—creating talismans out of thin air—was an extraordinary skill coveted by all talisman masters, yet Madam Sha appeared as unremarkable as an ordinary old woman.

The summoning talisman unleashed an overwhelming power, piercing the veil between the mortal realm and the Netherworld, its call reverberating through the void.

Knowing she’d made a grave error, Madam Sha poured her heart’s essence blood—her most vital and yang energy—into the talisman. Such blood was scarce, barely sufficient for one talisman, but its strength was unparalleled. Even if Chen Shi had perished and his soul had reached the Hall of Yama, this talisman could retrieve him from the grasp of the King of Hell himself.

The talisman burned away, but no soul returned.

"Good. He’s still alive!" Madam Sha sighed in relief.

Her expression shifted to determination as she stomped her foot, causing her shadow to spread out like gnarled branches. From the shadow emerged five ghost kings with blue faces and fangs, standing ready to obey her orders.

At her command, the five ghosts flew off, swiftly gathering bricks and stones. Within moments, they erected a sacrificial altar by the Dejiang River, three zhang long, wide, and one zhang high.

The ghost kings took positions at the altar’s five corners, representing the five elements.

Madam Sha retrieved her Wenwang Drum—a peculiar instrument that resembled a cross between a drum and a gong. Its single drumhead and open back emitted a distinct rustling sound when struck.

Shaking the drum, she summoned a cold, eerie wind. The river’s surface darkened as if enveloped in night, even the sun’s rays unable to penetrate the gloom.

"I’ve summoned countless souls from the Netherworld over my life, offending many ghost kings and Yin wardens. They’ll surely notice and seek revenge, but I have no choice!"

Striking the drum with fervor, she connected the mortal and Netherworld realms. A path of green stone unfurled from the altar, extending into the river.

"Little Ten!" she called into the darkness. "Follow my drumbeat—I’ll guide you back to the mortal world!"

---

Inside the maw of the giant fish, Chen Shi clung desperately to the hook embedded in the creature’s throat. The fish’s grinding teeth were like two colossal iron slabs, sparking as they clashed together. Each bite sent tremors through Chen Shi’s arms, but he dared not let go.

The fish’s other rows of teeth snapped aggressively, trying to catch and crush him. If he released his grip, he would be reduced to pieces in an instant.

Moments earlier, as the fish lunged, Chen Shi had leapt into its mouth, narrowly avoiding being bitten in half. However, his current predicament was equally dire.

Suddenly, a blue glow enveloped the fish, and all its flesh vanished, leaving only its massive skeleton.

Chen Shi glanced down at his own arm, horrified to see his flesh gone as well. His entire body had turned into a skeletal form.

"I’ve entered the River Wangchuan?"

The realization dawned on him as he gripped the now-loose hook. Looking down, he saw the severed rope.

"How am I supposed to return now? Madam Sha must have a way... First, I need to find her bronze lamp!"

Freeing himself from the iron chain, Chen Shi tied the heavy hook to the chain and latched it onto the fish’s gill bone. Then, using its skeletal structure, he swam out of the fish’s body.

In the River Wangchuan, the fish paid no attention to him—he was now just another skeleton.

"If this fish can travel between the mortal and Netherworld realms, it could take me back. But who knows when it’ll return?"

For now, the fish meandered aimlessly, showing no urgency to leave. Chen Shi took the opportunity to search the river.

The riverbed glimmered with a faint blue light. Shadows of passing boats cast dappled patterns on the sand below. Odd corals, jagged rocks, and enormous shells dotted the riverbed. Occasionally, smaller skeletal fish swam by—likely juvenile forms of the giant fish.

As he wandered, Chen Shi noticed something unusual: amidst the skeletal creatures, a small boy with flesh and blood hid within a shell.

Lifting the shell, Chen Shi saw the boy, who quickly gestured for silence before closing the shell again.

Startled, Chen Shi realized, "In the River Wangchuan, the living become skeletons, while the dead regain their flesh and blood. This boy must be a ghost!"

Opening the shell again, he asked, "What’s above us?"

The boy frantically pointed upward before slamming the shell shut.

Chen Shi followed his gaze to see a beam of green light sweeping the riverbed. From within the shell, he peered at a tall, thin figure aboard a passing boat. The light emanated from the figure’s glowing eyes, scanning the depths.

The terrifying gaze froze a boy caught in its beam, lifting him from the water into the air. The tall figure opened its enormous mouth, splitting its head nearly in half, and devoured the child whole.

Chen Shi shivered, quickly finding an unoccupied shell to hide in whenever a boat approached.

"Who are these boatmen? And why are these children hiding in shells?" he wondered. Then, realization struck.

"They’re the drowned souls of the Dejiang River!"

Every year, the river claimed the lives of many children. These lost spirits now lingered in the River Wangchuan, hiding from the tall, thin figures on the boats.

Pushing the thought aside, Chen Shi pressed on until he spotted a faint light in the distance.

The source of the light was a bronze lamp, perched atop a stocky figure of a ram. Its handle was crafted from the ram’s horns, and its light emanated from the head of a small humanoid figurine seated on the ram’s back.

The lamp, glowing unnaturally bright underwater, was clutched in a massive skeletal hand.

The hand, many times larger than a human’s, belonged to a towering skeleton sitting at the riverbed. The creature’s elongated skull resembled a bird’s head but with fangs instead of a beak.

Chen Shi realized, "This is the remains of one of the tall boatmen!"

Just as he reached for the lamp, Madam Sha’s voice echoed through the river. "Little Ten! Follow my drumbeat—I’ll guide you back to the mortal world!"

Encouraged, Chen Shi grabbed the lamp’s handle.

The giant skeleton trembled, shaking off centuries of silt.