On the Path to the Great Dao

With the Qianyang Mountain tribulation finally over, Chen Shi could breathe. His nerves had been strung tight as bowstrings these past few days; only now, upon relaxing, did the exhaustion hit him like a tidal wave.

That night, he slept like the dead.

In the dead of night, he jerked awake, bolting upright in a cold sweat. Strangers were standing by his bed.

Startled, he squinted through the gloom to see Xiao Wangsun, Li Jindou, and the others. Grandpa stood in the corner, clutching that green umbrella.

The five of them looked at him with strange, unblinking stares, their faces obscured by shadows.

"No onset of illness tonight."

Grandpa shook his head and walked out, the green umbrella firmly in his grip.

The other four sighed with regret and filed out of Chen Shi's room. Madam Sha muttered, "Maybe those killed by cannonballs don't leave souls to eat?"

Chen Shi was baffled. Did they watch him sleep just to see if he’d have an episode?

The next morning, Chen Shi got up to pay respects to his Godmother. People were already working in the fields. Though the Demonic Transformation had been ferocious and terrifying, claiming many lives, the wheel of life continued to turn. By day three, the villages had basically returned to normal, and even the market had opened.

With five extra mouths to feed—Li Jindou, Madam Sha, Jin Hongying, and Xiao Wangsun—plus Chen Shi's own medicinal needs, the Chen family's resources were depleting at an alarming rate.

Madam Sha had always been destitute, usually relying on shamanic work for the villagers to earn a bit of hard money. Moreover, when she treated Chen Shi like her own son a while back, he had eaten her into bankruptcy.

Although Li Jindou was from the wealthy Li family of Quanzhou, judging by his exquisite yet simple clothing, his pockets were likely light. Furthermore, when he paid for his temporary stay at the Chen family's old house, he only produced three taels of silver, showing that both grandfather and grandson were strapped for cash.

Xiao Wangsun would stop his carriage at night if he saw ten taels of silver on the road; presumably, he spent most of his money maintaining his lavish demeanor.

The richest one here was Jin Hongying, a military officer of the Divine Mechanism Battalion, whose salary was very high.

But after her injury, she dressed like a village woman, suggesting she usually spent lavishly and regretted having too little when it was needed. She was the type to eat wherever she went.

In local rural slang, this was called "poor bare butt."

Between the patients and Chen Shi himself, daily medicine costs exceeded twenty taels. The family was practically starving, so Chen Shi considered dragging the turtle shell from his room to the market.

He had discovered the shell while cleaning the Mountain Lord's Temple. Astonishingly hard, it should sell for a good price.

Grandpa also had to go out to buy medicinal ingredients, so he took Chen Shi along.

Chen Shi hefted the turtle shell onto the cart. Grandfather and grandson boarded, with Black Pot leading the way.

Chen Shi eyed Grandpa's green umbrella. Strangely, ever since the Demonic Transformation ended, Grandpa had kept the green umbrella in hand, never closing it.

Even at night, he gripped it tight.

Chen Shi also noticed that last night, the black-clothed Xuan Shan had come to their village and stood outside his house, leaving only after dawn broke.

"Black Pot, have you noticed that Grandpa and Xuan Shan are a bit strange?" Chen Shi asked the dog.

Black Pot hesitated, daring not speak.

The wooden cart lurched forward, heading for Qiaowan Town.

Despite the disaster, Qiaowan Town remained lively. It wasn't large, with only a few hundred households, but it was extremely prosperous, located on the vital route to Xinxiang County. Thirty li (15 kilometers) to the east lay the Xinxiang county seat, and thirty-two li (16 kilometers) to the northeast was the Shuiniu County seat. Travelers between the two often stopped here.

In Qiaowan Town, the most common sight was people walking out of the mountains. Usually men or women in their forties or fifties, short but wiry, wearing only patched jackets exposing bronzed skin. Covered in sweat, they carried loads of fifty or sixty kilograms.

They would often set down their loads in Qiaowan Town, drink a bowl of tea costing five coins, and then shoulder their mountain goods again to trek to the county seat fifteen kilometers away.

They had to make a round trip in a day, just to earn a few dozen coins.

Facing dangerous streams, perilous bridges, cliffs, and wild beasts, they sometimes lost their lives.

But this was the life of ordinary rural people.

Ancestors upon ancestors, it had always been so.

Just after the great disaster, many families were short of money, so many men carried mountain goods, preparing to exchange them for cash in the city.

Seeing this, Chen Shi thought of Li Xiaoding paying him fifty taels of silver to draw Peach Blossom Charms, and felt something was wrong.

As for what, he couldn't quite say.

Grandpa went to the pharmacy in town first, while Chen Shi looked for a spot in the market. Arriving late, the stalls were already overcrowded. However, seeing Chen Shi, the simple, honest villagers, faces ashen, squeezed together to make space.

Those buying and selling were folks from the surrounding villages; familiar faces who recognized Chen Shi.

Chen Shi thanked them, set down the turtle shell, and waited for business.

"What a big turtle shell! Is this dog for sale?" A passing talisman master eyed Black Pot with interest.

"Not for sale!" Chen Shi refused crisply.

"A pity. Killing it could yield a lot of black dog blood." The talisman master shook his head and moved on.

The market in Qiaowan Town attracted many cultivators from the city. Items that looked ordinary in the countryside were considered valuable in their eyes, often fetching good prices.

A moment later, the talisman master returned. "Ten taels of silver for the dog. How about it?"

Chen Shi shook his head. "The dog isn't for sale."

The talisman master clenched his jaw, pained by the cost. "I'll add another two taels. Twelve taels, plus this turtle shell!"

An uproar rippled through the crowd; villagers looked at Chen Shi with envy.

Dogs in the countryside weren't worth money. Twelve taels could buy dozens of black dogs.

Chen Shi wavered slightly, but shook his head. "Dog's not for sale. Only the shell."

The talisman master gritted his teeth again. "I really like this dog. How about this—I'll add another three taels. Fifteen taels for the dog and the shell! I'm a talisman master and need dog blood. Throw in the shell as a bonus, okay?"

"Sell it, sell it!" The villagers urged.

Chen Shi shook his head. "The dog cannot be sold."

The talisman master left resentfully, looking back at Black Pot repeatedly, sighing as he walked.

Suspicious, Chen Shi whispered, "Black Pot, I think he doesn't want to buy you. He wants the shell."

Black Pot hesitated, signaling disagreement.

I'm clearly valuable too.

What's good about this broken turtle shell? Can't even bite through it.

A moment later, another well-dressed cultivator approached the stall, feigning reserve as he offered to buy the dog, with the turtle shell as a bonus.

Chen Shi became certain of his suspicion and refused flatly.

Several groups came like this; quite a few eyed the turtle shell. Gradually, Black Pot's price rose to twenty-four taels.

They claimed to like Black Pot and wanted to buy the dog, with the turtle shell half-sold, half-given. Is this shell really some amazing treasure? Chen Shi wondered.

The shell weighed fifty or sixty kilograms—very heavy.

He punched it. It rang like metal on stone, spilling light; not a single crack appeared.

He was startled. He practiced the Big Dipper Refinement daily and had achieved the Sacred Embryo Body. His strength had multiplied countless times, yet he couldn't break this shell. Its texture was incredibly tough.

Chen Shi intended to throw a few more punches to test its limit, when a voice laughed, "Stop hitting it. Break it, and it won't be worth a cent."

Chen Shi looked up to see a scholar in green clothes approaching. His features were delicate, forehead high, full of heroic spirit. He wore black oiled boots, yet not a speck of dust clung to them.

This man uses the Armored Horse Talisman. His feet don't touch the ground, so naturally, his shoes are dust-free.

Chen Shi thought, He's rich!

Although Chen Shi was a talisman master, he rarely bore the cost of Armored Horse Talismans. He used them only in life-and-death combat.

This person came from the city with dustless shoes, indicating he had traveled the whole way on talismans. He must be wealthy.

"Does this gentleman know this shell's value?" Chen Shi asked.

The scholar smiled. "A turtle living a hundred years is called an Ao, a thousand years is called a Bixi, five thousand years is called a Baxia, and ten thousand years is called a Xuanwu. An Ao shell is 1.3 meters wide, a Bixi shell 1.6 meters, and a Baxia shell 2.3 meters. However, ordinary turtles can't live that long. Most are temple turtles, absorbing the extraordinary power of incense to survive."

Chen Shi estimated the shell's size; a little over two meters.

The scholar produced an iron ruler and measured it precisely. "This shell is approx. 2 meters and 2 centimeters wide."

Some talisman masters from the city gathered. One said, "This is a Bixi shell, not yet a Baxia. At most a thousand-something years old."

The scholar shook his head. "A Bixi is 1.6 meters, a Baxia 2.3 meters, indicating turtles grow slower the older they get. This turtle lived at least two thousand years, perhaps more! Soaked in incense and tempered by power for millennia, it's incomparably solid! Such a treasure can be ground into medicine or refined. It's most valuable alive; dead, the price is hard to say. However, I'm willing to offer a thousand taels."

Chen Shi was ecstatic. A thousand taels was an astronomical figure. It was enough to treat poor ghosts like Jin Hongying, support Grandpa in his old age, and marry many wives in the countryside!

"One thousand taels!"

The crowd of talisman masters shook their heads and turned to leave. "Even if there's profit, it won't be much. Besides, who carries a thousand taels on them?"

The scholar took banknotes from his sleeve, one hundred taels per note. Just as he was about to hand them over, a voice interjected, "Good stuff! I offer two thousand!"

Chen Shi's excitement mounted. He looked at the newcomer—a short, fat man with triangular eyes, a sharp nose, and a perverse complexion. He laughed, "I only have two hundred taels in notes on me. Little brother, come with me to get it. My home isn't far."

The scholar's expression darkened. He scolded, "Where did this thing come from? Taking advantage in front of me? Are you blind! Get out!"

The fat man's face flushed red. He sneered, "My price is higher, yet you force a sale. Careful you don't get struck by lightning!" He walked into the crowd, cursing.

After he had gone, the scholar said to Chen Shi, "That man has bad intentions. He offered two thousand, then claimed he didn't bring enough money to lure you away. He'd kill you outside town and take the silver and the shell. I've seen it often. That's why I scolded him—not to force a sale."

Chen Shi's eyes lit up, breath quickening. "Is there really such a bargain?"

The scholar was surprised, unsure why he called it a bargain.

Chen Shi felt a pang of regret. If he had agreed, couldn't he have picked up two hundred taels for nothing? And still sold the shell. Truly the best of both worlds!

He accepted the banknotes. "The shell is yours. Be careful; since he failed to rob me, he'll definitely target you."

The scholar smiled. "Snatching the shell from me isn't easy, but keeping a thousand taels safe might be hard. Be extra careful."

Chen Shi felt a surge of goodwill. "I'm Chen Shi, nickname Little Ten. How may I address you, sir?"

"Xinxiang, Shao Jing."

Shao Jing smiled. "If you visit the county city, go to Juxian Tower and use my name. That's my family's property."

Shao Jing clapped his hands, and two brawny men emerged from the crowd to carry the shell.

Shao Jing asked, "By the way, Chen Shi, can you say which temple this came from?"

Chen Shi smiled and shook his head.

Shao Jing understood. "Never mind. If you have other discoveries, brother, feel free to send them to Juxian Tower." He left with his men.

Chen Shi pondered, remembering the stone box discovered with the shell. It had remained under his bed, untouched.

Could the stone box also be a treasure?

But it was very hard; how to open it?

Before long, Grandpa returned from the pharmacy. "How much did you sell it for?"

Chen Shi told him. Grandpa was surprised. "This Shao Jing is interesting; he didn't earn much from you. Inside that shell lie twenty-four bright pearls, containing the spiritual power of the old turtle's life, useful for refining treasures. At one hundred taels per pearl, it would sell for two thousand four hundred. The thousand taels he gave you is fair. Did he stop you from smashing the shell? If you had broken it open, the pearls would have rolled out, and the price would have risen."

Chen Shi started, wanting to find Shao Jing to settle the score.

"You picked it up; a thousand taels isn't a small amount. He has to carry the shell back to the county city and face the risk of robbery on the road."

Grandpa threw the medicinal ingredients into the cart. "Get in. We're going to the county city to buy medicine; the town's supply isn't enough."

Chen Shi climbed onto the cart, Black Pot led the way, and they rumbled towards Xinxiang County city.

In the afternoon, they arrived. Xinxiang County wasn't covered by the Demonic Domain, so the impact was minimal. After purchasing supplies, the cart was full.

"I have a few friends in the suburbs; I'll take you to meet them."

On the cart, Grandpa produced a prescription. "Little Ten, memorize this. It's to treat your illness. Memorize it and never forget it."

Chen Shi agreed, memorizing the prescription while curiosity bubbled within him. Grandpa's friends? He never called Xiao Wangsun and Madam Sha friends. How can there be friends in the suburbs? Never heard him mention them before.

As evening approached, they reached Rapeseed Village, famous for its flowers.

When the rapeseed flowers bloomed, the mountains and plains turned bright yellow, obscuring the paths. People from Xinxiang and nearby counties would flock to admire them.

Chen Shi and the others arrived at an unfortunate time; the flowers had withered, leaving fields of green plants.

The sky was crimson; the sun had closed its eyes.

The moon was about to open its eyelids.

Under the villagers' gaze, the wooden cart drove past and stopped in front of a haunted, deserted house outside the village.

The sea of fire in the sky extinguished, and the moon revealed a curved crescent, like a willow leaf, slowly expanding.

"They're heading for the ghost house!" someone exclaimed.

"The Malevolent Spirits there are fierce; they're seeking death!"

Chen Shi started. Grandpa's friends are Malevolent Spirits? Is Grandpa going to reveal his true form? Wait—if Grandpa is a Malevolent Spirit, am I one too? Will I reveal my true form?

Inadvertently, he saw the black-clothed Xuan Shan again, standing in the rapeseed field, watching from a distance.