Chapter 41: Dream Over the Milky Way
Xiao Wangsun’s carriage remained active even in his absence, the horses and driver obediently following orders.
“To the Thunderstrike Mountain!” Chen Shi called out excitedly as he climbed aboard.
The driver cracked the reins, and the horses galloped off. Before long, they arrived at the devastated mountain where the Red Barbarian Cannons had nearly razed the peak during their bombardment the night before.
Chen Shi disembarked and began searching the area. In a ravine, he discovered an intact cannon. The soldiers of the Divine Mechanism Battalion who had manned it lay dead around it, their bodies strewn haphazardly across the ground.
Without hesitation, Chen Shi hefted the cannon, which weighed over two or three thousand pounds, and loaded it onto the carriage.
The driver watched him curiously but said nothing.
Chen Shi also loaded several crates of black iron cannonballs, each the size of a human head. “To Huangpo Village!” he declared, grinning ear to ear.
Back in the village, Chen Shi paraded the massive cannon through the streets, his spirits high. Despite the sheer weight of the weapon, he effortlessly carried it on his shoulder, circling the village three or four times without breaking a sweat.
But instead of villagers cheering him on or children welcoming their "King Chen" with kneeling bows, the streets were eerily quiet. Every door and window was tightly shut, not a soul in sight.
Chen Shi’s enthusiasm waned. Disappointed, he placed the cannon against the wall of his home and stacked the black iron cannonballs in Black Pot’s kennel. The dog sniffed at the cannonballs and promptly climbed atop them, finding the cool surface to be an excellent resting spot.
Chen Shi, meanwhile, considered firing a celebratory shot to mark his "ascension" as King of the Village. But the thought of attracting the Divine Mechanism Battalion’s wrath dissuaded him.
As he contemplated, he noticed Black Pot watching him from the kennel. An idea struck, and he sneaked into his room. From under the bed, he pulled out a small cloth pouch hidden in a mouse hole.
Inside was a stash of loose silver coins—his secret savings.
“Finally, some financial security,” Chen Shi muttered, exhaling in relief.
He counted the coins carefully. “If I can save a bit more, I can enroll in the private academy in town and take the county-level imperial exams this year. If I pass, I’ll become a scholar and receive the Divine Blessing Ceremony.
“Maybe the deity will grant me a new Divine Embryo, and I won’t be a cripple anymore! Then I can rise through the ranks and provide Grandpa with a life of luxury.”
As he dreamed of the future, a shadow appeared on the floor. Startled, Chen Shi looked up to see Black Pot’s head poking through the window, staring at him.
“You saw my stash!” Chen Shi cried, lunging at the dog.
The two wrestled for a while, Chen Shi yelling about killing the dog to protect his secret, and Black Pot barking back in defiance. Eventually, they reached a truce: Black Pot promised not to reveal the hiding place, and in exchange, Chen Shi agreed to buy the dog some exotic meat and use a bit of its blood to draw talismans.
With the matter settled, they set off together, the carriage speeding toward Qiaowan Town, about twenty miles away.
At the town’s bustling market, Chen Shi bought two pounds of exotic meat for Black Pot, along with an assortment of toys—kites, tangrams, puzzle boxes, spinning tops, and more. Though tempted to play with the toys himself, he resisted and packed them into his book chest.
On their way back, Chen Shi detoured to Huangyang Village.
The villagers greeted him with a mix of gratitude and fear. They remembered how he had saved their children, avenged the slain, and even chastised the Spirit Guardian to stop oppressing them. But the deaths of six Zhao family scions loomed like a dark cloud over the village.
Chen Shi addressed the village elder. “The Zhao family may investigate this matter. If they come, tell them it was me. They’ll target me instead of the village.”
The elderly man nodded but expressed concern. “Wouldn’t that bring danger to you, benefactor?”
Chen Shi smiled confidently. “This is my problem. I’ll handle it. If the Zhao family sends people, I’ll kill them. If they send more, I’ll kill them too. After enough losses, they’ll think twice about continuing their feud.”
The elder was moved but hesitant. As Chen Shi reassured him, he noticed a woman tied to a tree nearby. The elder explained, “She betrayed you to the Zhao family. We’re awaiting your orders to deal with her.”
Chen Shi sighed, picking up a stick and lightly striking her twice. “Let bygones be bygones. Just don’t do it again.”
The woman wept and thanked him profusely.
Returning to the mountains, Chen Shi distributed the toys among the Forest Children, the sentient spirits who had aided Xiao Wangsun. The playful beings were ecstatic, their joy infectious.
Afterward, Chen Shi entered the Mountain Lord’s Temple, where he lit incense and began cultivating under the flickering starlight. He practiced the Three Radiance Righteous Qi Method, his movements guided by the Big Dipper Refinement.
As he progressed, the temple transformed. Though sunlight didn’t penetrate, a soft moonlight bathed the interior, illuminating a celestial scene of stars scattered like jewels across the sky.
Black Pot lay on the floor, staring up at the otherworldly sight—a crescent moon hanging low, its shape unlike the usual vertical slit of the local lunar deity’s eye. Instead, it resembled a girl’s curved brow or the smile of a maiden.
Chen Shi’s shrine grew more stable, and for the first time, a faint current of true qi flowed through his body. The Big Dipper Refinement accelerated his progress toward achieving the Five-Organ Purity and Bone Tempering, the hallmarks of a Sacred Embryo Body—a physique comparable to a Divine Embryo.
Exhausted but exhilarated, Chen Shi lay on the temple floor, gazing at the celestial scene above.
“‘Drunk, I forget the sky reflected in the water. A dream spans the Milky Way.’” He sighed wistfully. “What lies in that other world? When will I get to see it for myself?”
Meanwhile, at Mirror Lake Manor, a towering ghost with a lantern escorted a figure in red—Jin Hongying of the Divine Mechanism Battalion.
“So serene,” she mused, eyeing the tranquil estate. “Did you think hiding here would keep me from finding you, Xiao Wangsun?”
She stepped into the manor, only to feel an oppressive force emanating from the ornate coffins beneath the ancient trees.
Her smirk faltered.
The forest echoed with the sound of paper soldiers marching toward the manor, their tiny swords gleaming in the moonlight. Jin Hongying’s siege had begun.