Chapter 58: A Visit from the Young Lady
That night, Chen Shi didn’t sleep at all, dedicating himself to practicing the Three Radiance Righteous Qi Method, his steps aligned with the Big Dipper, refining his essence through the seven stars.
Seeing his diligence, Li Tianqing felt admiration and tried to join him in cultivation, but after a short while, exhaustion overtook him, and he returned to bed.
Despite Chen Shi’s relentless training, the Ghost Hand Mark flared up again, clutching his heart with an ever-tightening grip. Thankfully, he had anticipated this after killing twelve people, knowing the mark would react at night, and had prepared himself. Suppressing the excruciating pain, he endured through his cultivation until the episode passed, finally daring to rest.
By the time Black Pot barked, it was already dawn on the fifth day of the Demonic Transformation.
Chen Shi and Li Tianqing went out to hunt spiritual beasts, aware that they needed to gather as much food as possible during the early stages of the transformation. As it worsened, even spiritual beasts would succumb and turn into porcelain, leaving them with no sustenance. A lack of food now would mean starvation later.
Their efforts yielded little. They spotted a Feng Xi, similar to one Chen Shi had previously hunted, but the beast had grown clever. At the sight of them, it bolted, and the two men and their dog couldn’t catch up. They managed to bring down a spiritual camel, a creature roughly the size of a sika deer, weighing just over a hundred catties.
On their way back, they passed several villages, finding the inhabitants all transformed into porcelain figures—even the Godmother Tree had turned to porcelain. The Evil Bodhisattva must have passed through.
“At this rate, Huangpo Village won’t last much longer,” they thought grimly.
Upon returning to Huangpo Village, Granny Yuzhu hurried to Chen Shi’s side, whispering, “Someone from your family is here!”
Chen Shi perked up. “My grandfather is back?” Granny Yuzhu shook her head, a mischievous smile on her face. “It’s a young lady—a real beauty.”
Chen Shi froze. A young lady? Could it be that his grandfather had used his savings to find him a wife? Excitement bubbled up within him. “Did I grow up without realizing it? How come I didn’t know?”
Li Tianqing, equally curious, followed him eagerly, wanting to see this beautiful young lady.
The young woman wasn’t inside Chen Shi’s house but was sitting under an old tree near his door. She wore a thin red jacket adorned with green floral patterns, matching pants, and had her hair tied into two thick braids that fell over her chest. Her chest was slightly puffed, as if concealing some treasure.
She looked frail, and the villagers, feeling sorry for her, had prepared a bowl of meat soup.
Upon seeing the young woman, as radiant as a flower, Chen Shi abruptly turned and walked away.
“Xiao Shi, aren’t you going home?” Li Tianqing asked, confused.
“Home? What home? That’s not my house!” Chen Shi blinked. “I must have gone the wrong way—my house is at the other end of the village.”
Black Pot barked twice, looking stern, as if to say, “Yes, you’ve got it wrong again.” The dog ran ahead, seemingly ready to guide its lost owner.
The young lady chuckled softly as she watched their antics. Then, she said coldly, “Keep walking, and you’ll all die.”
Chen Shi stopped in his tracks, turned back with a wide smile tinged with surprise, and said, “Ah, isn’t this my house after all? My memory must be failing me at such a young age. Black Pot, what’s wrong with you? Even you can’t remember where we live?”
Black Pot lowered its head, visibly ashamed, seemingly blaming itself for misremembering.
The young lady smirked, sipping her soup as she eyed them with disdain.
Chen Shi moved toward his house and, as though noticing her for the first time, exclaimed, “Lord Jin? Is that you? Lord Jin, don’t you remember me? I’m Little Chen! We met in Wu Wang City!”
His excitement seemed genuine. “Lord Jin, we even had tea together at the same table back then! Tianqing, come quickly! This is Jin Hongying, the esteemed leader of the Divine Mechanism Battalion! Black Pot, come and pay your respects to Lord Jin! You’re looking even more radiant today, Lord Jin!”
As he spoke, Chen Shi subtly pushed Li Tianqing and Black Pot into the courtyard, quickly shutting the door behind them. His cheerful facade vanished, replaced by sheer terror.
Li Tianqing was equally shaken, but his gaze wasn’t fixed on the door; it was on the corner of the yard. There stood a Red Barbarian Cannon, its imposing frame unmistakable.
Black Pot darted around the yard, trying to cover its doghouse, which was stuffed with black iron cannonballs.
With a loud “bang,” the door was slammed open. Jin Hongying limped in, carrying her bowl, her expression as dark as her tone. She glanced at the Red Barbarian Cannon and the cannonballs in Black Pot’s doghouse, her smirk growing icier.
Chen Shi’s face paled. He whispered, “Tianqing, what’s the punishment for stealing a Red Barbarian Cannon and hoarding cannonballs?”
Before Li Tianqing could respond, Jin Hongying barked, “Execution of nine generations! And don’t forget the charge of manufacturing gunpowder—mass execution of the entire village! By this time next year, your souls can start fresh in your next lives!”
But then, her stern demeanor shifted. Her expression softened into a grin. “However, I’m not unreasonable. Everything is negotiable. If you’re willing to share some meat with me, I might just let this slide. I’m starving!”
Without waiting for an answer, she downed her soup in large gulps. Having been severely injured during her battle with the Evil Bodhisattva, she had hidden in Fangdian Village to recover. Unfortunately, the villagers there barely had enough food for themselves, leaving her starving. She had narrowly escaped death when the Evil Bodhisattva turned the entire village into porcelain.
Hearing she was here for food, Chen Shi’s courage returned. “Oh, it’s just Little Jin! Little Jin, I know things haven’t been easy for you lately, but our Huangpo Village doesn’t feed freeloaders. If you want food, you’ll need to earn it. What can you offer?”
Sizing her up, he added, “Any special skills?”
Jin Hongying, still smiling, replied leisurely, “I’m especially good at staying alive. Now get to cooking, or I’ll eat you two kids instead!”
Chen Shi relented and went to prepare food. Li Tianqing followed, worried, but Chen Shi actually began cutting meat and cooking rather than attacking her. When questioned, he simply said, “How could I? I’m not a villain.”
Jin Hongying smirked from her seat, stroking Black Pot, who seemed resigned. After devouring a feast meant for three, Jin Hongying announced, “We can’t stay here. The Evil Bodhisattva will find this place soon.”
Chen Shi refused. “If we leave, the villagers will starve.”
“They won’t starve,” Jin Hongying countered. “Without spiritual meat, they’ll turn to porcelain anyway. You can’t support an entire village forever. Let’s go, the three of us—and bring the dog. If there’s no food left, we can eat it.”
At that, Black Pot bolted, never sitting near her again.
Smiling faintly, Jin Hongying said, “What a clever dog!”
Before leaving, Chen Shi ensured the villagers had enough meat to last and bid his farewells. As they headed to a nearby hill, Jin Hongying suddenly stopped, trembling, her face pale. Something about the hill terrified her.
Chen Shi called out, “Sister Jin, aren’t you coming?”
Jin Hongying could only shake her head. “This hill... something’s very wrong with it.”