Chapter 72: Grandpa's Friends (II)
Chen Shi felt uneasy. He had a simple understanding: if Grandpa was a Malevolent Spirit, then as his grandson, he must be one too.
But if I'm a Malevolent Spirit, why don't I know?
He suppressed the strange thoughts and followed Grandpa into the deserted house.
The house was dim and desolate, but when moonlight shone down, it rejuvenated instantly. Red lanterns glowed, green wine flowed, and graceful girls wove through the halls, carrying flower baskets and delicacies, giggling as they set a grand banquet.
A moment later, Chen Shi and Grandpa sat in the magnificent main hall.
Grandpa still held the green umbrella. In the seat of honor sat a bearded, large man, chest bared, embracing wives and concubines.
"Chen Yindu, you didn't come to exterminate Evils and Malevolent Spirits, did you?"
The large man laughed nonchalantly. "Although I've become a Malevolent Spirit, I never cause trouble. Unless provoked, I don't kill. You have no reason to act against me."
Grandpa shook his head. "Old Hu, I didn't come to kill you, but to ask a favor. Little Ten, call him Uncle Hu."
Chen Shi had a sweet mouth. "Hello Uncle Hu, little nephew pays respects." The large man grunted, seemingly displeased with Chen Shi.
Grandpa smiled. "Old Hu, I'm old. I probably won't live much longer. I came to ask Little Ten to acknowledge you as his Godmother. If you become his Godmother, Little Ten will be filial, offering incense daily and presenting offerings during festivals, saving you from being a lonely ghost."
The large man's expression fractured. He sneered, "Old Chen, I admire your means to bring him back to life. But you've also caused a sky-high disaster! Back then, you were kind to me, but I repaid that kindness when saving him! To save him, my Fox Clan risked their lives! Now you want him to acknowledge me as Godmother; are you repaying kindness with enmity, trying to get me killed?"
Grandpa sighed. "Old Hu, I'm dying. After I die, Little Ten cannot survive..."
"Kill him! Kill him before you die!"
The large man slapped the table, spittle flying like rain, agitated. "You're dying, why don't you kill him? Leave him to plague the common people? Chen Yindu, finish him off now, and I'll admire you as a hero!"
Chen Shi's head buzzed. Old Hu was obviously an old acquaintance of Grandpa and had once joined hands with him to save Chen Shi. But the "kill him" Old Hu spoke of referred to Chen Shi!
Why save him back then, only to kill him now?
Judging from his tone, after Grandpa died, Chen Shi would bring disaster.
But Chen Shi knew he wouldn't.
What a kind person I am!
He could have beaten the villagers into submission for food, yet he painstakingly stole melons and picked peaches, refusing to use force.
To protect the villagers of Huangpo Village, how many had he eliminated?
Miss Zhao Er and hundreds of others were tricked into the Domain of Ghosts and Gods and turned into porcelain dolls. He could have smashed them, but he didn't. How merciful was that?
Being so kind, how could he bring disaster?
Moreover, he didn't have the ability.
What angered Chen Shi more was that Old Hu thought Grandpa should do the killing personally.
Obviously, Old Hu implied that saving Chen Shi was the disaster Grandpa had caused!
Truly laughable!
What kind of fair-weather friend was this?
Grandpa looked dejected and stood to leave.
Old Hu hurriedly said, "It's dark. Aren't you worried about Malevolent Spirits? Stay for a meal. Otherwise, if word gets out, old friends will laugh at my hospitality. You really want to go? Then I won't see you off."
Although he spoke nicely, he remained glued to his chair.
Grandpa waved his hand and walked out.
Chen Shi called Black Pot and quickly followed.
Old Hu sat frozen, expression wavering, losing the mood for delicacies and concubines.
A petite, fair concubine leaned into him and giggled, "What troubles the Master?"
"Who else but Chen Yindu?"
Old Hu sighed, self-reproachful. "He's been strong all his life and never begged anyone. This is the first time, yet I refused. I feel apologetic. It reminded me of the days we commanded the winds and clouds. Actually, he treated me well. When I was dying, I told him that if I became a Malevolent Spirit, he should kill me personally. He has a hard heart and would certainly suppress brotherhood to eliminate me..."
He smiled. "But when I woke from my muddle-headedness, I found I hadn't lost my mind but could live in this mansion like a living person. Do you know what he did?"
He stood up, agitated, waving his sleeves. "He used his life's savings, the treasures he collected, and his knowledge to build this!"
Where his sleeves waved, countless magnificent talismans and treasures emerged from the walls, floors, and gardens, light flowing!
Old Hu's face was streaked with tears, but he laughed loudly. "He built an artificial Domain of Ghosts and Gods so I could keep my sanity! He didn't kill me; he let me live! He let me live in luxury while he became a pauper! His kindness, I cannot repay in this life, or the next!"
The concubine asked, puzzled, "Since Master feels apologetic, why refuse him?"
Old Hu's tears vanished; he snorted. "I couldn't stand his attitude. He hasn't begged anyone in his life and doesn't know begging should be humble. He sat there like a boss, as if saying 'Old Hu, kneel down, Brother is asking a favor.' Who begs like that? When he sat down, I almost slid out of the chair to kneel."
"Master has a fierce face but a kind heart."
The concubine smiled. "Master refused with your mouth, but agreed in your heart."
Old Hu slapped her plush buttocks hard, face twitching, revealing horror. He shook his head like a rattle drum. "Even if he has great kindness to me, I won't agree! Hey, becoming Little Ten's Godmother..."
His fear deepened, voice trembling. "I can't, I really can't! I don't want to be killed again after death, and bear eternal infamy! The Fox Clan's reputation is already bad. If I bear infamy, the Fox Clan is finished! I cannot risk our future!"
Peach Talismans covered the wooden cart. This was the first time Chen Shi traveled at night with Grandpa while sober.
Under the moonlight, strange sounds emanated from the darkness. Things moved in the shadows of the woods and ditches.
Fog lunged at the cart intermittently. Before it got close, the Peach Talismans buzzed, revealing Golden Armor Gods made of light, blocking the fog.
When the fog retreated, the golden light dispersed.
Carved on the Peach Talismans were Door God charms to prevent the approach of Evils.
However, in the night, Malevolent Spirits appeared, which Peach Talismans could not solve.
"Yip yip!" Grandpa lit a lantern and called the dog. Black Pot held the handle in his mouth and ran ahead.
"Old Hu is a good Malevolent Spirit, very warm-hearted."
Grandpa studied the compass in his hand, silent for a long time before saying, "He is the most timid among my friends, and the most enthusiastic. Although he said he wouldn't be your Godmother, after I leave, he will definitely protect you."
Chen Shi stared. "Where is Grandpa going?"
Grandpa reached out a rough hand, rubbed Chen Shi's head, and smiled. "Nowhere. I'll always stay with Little Ten. I mean just in case..."
The cart continued through the dark night. Chen Shi peered into the darkness. Under the moonlight, a figure stood in the distant field.
He looked up, suspicious. "It looks like the spirit of the Great Serpent Xuan Shan; why has he been following us?"
Grandpa called Black Pot to stop. The cart changed direction. Black Pot carried the lantern beside the cart, moving left and right, sometimes front, sometimes back.
Bloody eyes surrounding them in the darkness shrank back, burned by the light.
The cart turned many times; Chen Shi didn't know where they were.
He napped on the cart and dreamed Grandpa was gone. Just as he searched bitterly, Black Pot's bark woke him. The cart had stopped, and the moon was slowly closing its eyes.
It was almost dawn.
"Why stop here?" Chen Shi asked.
"Waiting for dawn."
Chen Shi sat beside Grandpa, waiting.
Ahead, more than half a kilometer away, lay a village. The circular settlement and shadowy houses were indistinguishable under the moonlight.
"What friend is Grandpa seeing this time?"
"Another Malevolent Spirit."
Grandpa said, "If I visit at night, it can't control itself. But during the day, it is much more rational."
At this time, two long cracks split the sky, like great canyons. Huge eyes slowly opened, turning into two suns, illuminating the earth.
Sunrise.
Under the sunlight, the surrounding forests returned to normal.
The cart drove forward, arriving at the village. The houses were old, yet the people were kind and courteous. Their lives were affluent, a peaceful atmosphere permeating the village.
Chen Shi looked around, unsure which person was the Malevolent Spirit.
Grandpa stopped under the Spirit Tree in the village center. Chen Shi saw the tree hung with wishing plaques and banners. Offerings and incense sat before it.
However, he saw no Tree God.
Suddenly, hooves clattered. A green-furred goat walked happily from behind the tree. With a white goatee and golden flat pupils, it sniffed the incense, stood up like a human, picked up a sugarcane offering, and took a bite.
Chen Shi stared blankly at the Green Sheep walking on two legs. It stood half a head taller than Grandpa. Chewing the sugarcane, it spat out the pulp with a pfft.
Its hooves looked like sharp, scaled claws, easily grabbing the sugarcane.
"Chen Yindu, Old Chen!"
Seeing them, the Green Sheep beamed. Sugarcane in one claw, it put the other on Grandpa's shoulder and laughed. "You haven't visited for days! I heard you died and was happy for a long time. Now seeing you alive, don't mention how sad I am! You brought Little Ten! Remember your Uncle Green Sheep? When you were little, I held you while you peed and teased your little willy!"
Face burning, Chen Shi covered his crotch.
The Green Sheep laughed. "Old Chen, you brought Little Ten—planning to sacrifice him to me? You're old, dying, and can't suppress him anymore, right? If you can't suppress him, tsk tsk, who knows how many will die."
It bleated with laughter. "After you die, you'll be cursed like a grandson. That's great... Dog! Yip yip, come to Uncle Sheep! Old Chen is too polite; bringing a live sacrifice. Don't leave tonight; we'll have dog meat hotpot."
Black Pot trembled.
Grandpa couldn't get a word in. Finally, when the Green Sheep paused, he stated his intention: "I'm leaving soon..."
The Green Sheep stared excitedly, as if Grandpa would expire the next moment.
Grandpa said, "But not now. Listen. I'm going on a long journey, but Little Ten can't be left without care. Among our friends, only you have the means. So I want to entrust him to you."
The Green Sheep rubbed its claws excitedly. "Sacrifice to me? Start the hotpot today?"
"No. Come be Little Ten's Godmother."
The Green Sheep lost all interest, yawned, threw down the sugarcane, and dropped to all fours. Swinging its short tail, it walked behind the tree, saying lazily, "Only you, Chen Yindu, do this hard chore. I hide in the tree pretending to be a God during the day, absorbing incense. At night, I go out as a Malevolent Spirit, doing evil freely. Why be a nanny for your Chen family? Leave!"
It added viciously, "Old Chen, you are old, your strength faded. Don't annoy me, or I'll kill you both and eat you in a hotpot!"
Grandpa sighed. "Green Sheep, I might not stay in this world for long. Take care. When I leave, I will send you a dream."
The Green Sheep froze. Suddenly it snorted, raised its head, and minced into the tree hollow, sneering, "Who cares about your dream!"
After they left, inside the tree hollow, the Green Sheep cried, tears and snot running down.
"Bastard Old Chen, if you're going to die, just die. Why tell me? If you didn't say, you could die wherever; I wouldn't think of you for weeks. Now that you said it, can I stay out of it?"