Chapter 77: Granny Black Mountain
Chen Shi exhaled slowly, walked into the room, and asked, "Did the babies cry?"
The midwife shook her head. "No."
Chen Shi's expression darkened. "Smack their bottoms. Smack them hard, until they wail!"
The midwife lifted the two infants one by one and smacked their bottoms. After a moment, both infants were crying loudly.
Chen Shi finally relaxed.
He had saved two lives.
"Congratulations, your family has two more good seedlings for studying. In the future, you must send them to private school. They will at least become Juren," Chen Shi smiled and said to Cui E's husband.
The man didn't understand, but with double happiness at his door, he had no time to question it.
It was getting late, and Chen Shi didn't have time to return home, so he rested in Luowei Town, staying in the bell tower.
It was inconvenient to boil medicine at an inn or someone else's home at night. This bell tower had doors and windows on all four sides, making it comfortable, and with the Godmother guarding the town, it was safe. Chen Shi boiled medicine for himself, fed Black Pot, cleaned up, took out his bedding from the wooden cart, and spread it on the floor.
The Monthly Sacrifice festival lasted three days; he had to take advantage of this time to earn more money.
It was still early for sleep. Black Pot barked twice, seeming puzzled by his previous actions.
Chen Shi wasn't sleepy either and smiled. "Grandpa said that if a cultivator's Nascent Soul accidentally enters a mother's womb, you cannot drive the Nascent Soul away. If driven away, what is born will be a stillborn baby. Because once the Nascent Soul enters the infant's body, it becomes the infant's soul. If he leaves, the infant has no soul and dies. The infant is not at fault; the cultivator made the mistake. The infant and the pregnant woman shouldn't have to bear it. Therefore, we must stabilize the cultivator and let the pregnant woman give birth as soon as possible."
Black Pot was confused and whined.
Chen Shi shook his head. "No. You must lie to them. Cultivators often have firm Dao hearts. Encountering such a thing, they will kill the pregnant woman to escape. So we have to lie to prevent them from killing the mother."
Black Pot realized this was the reason Chen Shi told those two Nascent Soul realm experts to rush out when they saw the light.
However, it was still somewhat puzzled. If a cultivator encountered such a thing, could they escape by killing the pregnant woman?
"No."
Chen Shi shook his head. "Both mother and infant would die. Once a cultivator's Nascent Soul enters the mother's body, it is equivalent to reincarnation. Killing the mother's body means they would also stop breathing. The bond between mother and child is greater than Daoist magic. No matter how sky-reaching your magic power is, you cannot kill the mother."
He explained in great detail, narrating the cause and effect of his actions: "I first used the Fetus Stabilizing Talisman to calm the hearts of the two restless fetuses, then used the Labor Inducing Talisman to make the pregnant woman give birth quickly. When the children are born, if they don't cry, they must be beaten until they do."
He continued unhurriedly, "An infant's first cry is like spring thunder. It can blast apart the memories stored in the Nascent Soul, making the cultivator forget the past and peaceably become an infant. However, the physical bodies of these two cultivators probably died because of this. But as cultivators, the moment they entered the mother's womb, they were destined to die, so they can't blame me."
Speaking of this, he paused.
Since Grandpa went to the Underworld, unknowingly, he had become a qualified Talisman Master.
In this matter, involving two Great Cultivators of the Nascent Soul realm, he, a small Talisman Master of the Divine Embryo realm, had actually dissolved their lifelong cultivation and memories, turning them into infants!
This was exactly the cultivation of a proper Talisman Master that Grandpa spoke of!
Chen Shi was very happy and whispered, "I can also become a Talisman Master like Grandpa."
This incident of people talking inside a belly did not count as an Evil, but Talisman Masters didn't solely solve Evil problems; they could also solve various intractable diseases like today's.
The Little Daoist under the bell looked at him curiously. Chen Shi smiled at the divine form, and the Little Daoist returned the smile.
"Daoist Priest, you are clearly the Godmother of Luowei Town, why are you a man?" Chen Shi asked.
The Little Daoist replied, "I am a Form (Xiang). Forms do not distinguish between male and female."
Chen Shi was slightly startled. The Little Daoist explained, "I am cast from the incense of the people of Luowei Town, gathered by thoughts. Unearthly power shaped the form, condensed from the collective thoughts of the common people. There is no distinction of gender."
Chen Shi didn't believe it. He got up, went to him, and reached out to grab his little pecker. The Little Daoist slapped his hand away and said, "Do not be rude."
Chen Shi laughed. "If you didn't grow one, how do you pee?"
"I am the Form of a God. I don't need that thing."
"So that's how it is."
Chen Shi asked again in confusion, "Then why did you grow to look like a Little Daoist?"
This question also confused the Little Daoist.
He was born from the sustenance of the people, born looking like this, but why did he grow this way?
"Then Chen Shi, why did you grow to look like you do now?"
The Little Daoist changed the subject. "Did you decide your appearance yourself, or did others decide it?"
Chen Shi was confused by the question. He hurriedly shook his head, sat down beside him, and laughed, "My appearance was given by my parents, I couldn't decide. Who gave you your appearance?"
The Little Daoist was dumbstruck and thought hard.
Chen Shi put his arm around his shoulder and laughed, "So, Little Daoist, I think you gods who guard villages and towns definitely have other secrets!"
"What secrets?" The Little Daoist was even more confused.
Chen Shi climbed up and walked around the large bell hanging in the tower, resting his chin on his hand. "I think we should start from your true body. Maybe your owner back then was a little Daoist. Condensed by the people's incense qi, you condensed into his appearance... Did you really not grow a pecker? Let me see!"
He went to pull down the Little Daoist's pants and was thrashed by the mortified Little Daoist until his face was bruised and swollen. Only then did he go to sleep honestly.
The next day, another Evil incident found him. This time it wasn't an Evil eating people, but a possession!
The accident happened in Stone Roller Village. A butcher, though fierce-looking, was actually an easy-going person who made a living killing pigs. For some unknown reason, he encountered an Evil. While eating, he flew into a blind rage, tied up his wife and children, hung them from the roof beam, and prepared to bleed them like pigs.
The mother and children cried to heaven and earth, alerting other villagers who saved them, but the butcher then turned on the neighbors.
Chen Shi rushed over, pasted an Exorcism Talisman on the butcher, and drove the Evil away. Then he found a dead pig and burned it, ending the possession.
Because it was simple to handle, Chen Shi only charged two taels of silver. This Evil was relatively weak. The butcher hadn't brought the dead pig indoors in time after killing it. It was shone upon by the daytime moon, and the carcass turned into an Evil, possessing the butcher to kill his whole family for revenge.
"There is a moon during the day. Whether human or animal, they cannot see moonlight after death and must be disposed of in time."
Chen Shi instructed the villagers, "Bury or put dead people in coffins early."
He felt faintly uneasy.
The Evils appearing now were still small and weak, but he feared that before long, powerful Evils would appear!
Before Chen Shi could rest, someone came again: "Talisman Master Chen, our village is plagued by Evils!"
Chen Shi followed the man. This was another man-eating incident. Someone standing by the roadside had been eaten alive by a grey-clothed rat. By the time he arrived, the person was beyond saving.
Chen Shi was furious and beat the rat to death.
On this day, he received two more possession incidents. The first was a little girl playing by the roadside. An ox cart passed by with four or five children playing on it, calling her to join them.
She climbed onto the cart, and those children played happily. But her parents saw her floating more than a foot above the ground, gesturing to the air.
That Evil wanted to pull her to reincarnate, but Chen Shi caught up and saved her.
The other possession was again a grey-clothed rat eating people.
"What exactly is the background of Granny Black Mountain?"
Chen Shi was angry. The local Evils of Qianyang Mountain only accounted for half the incidents, while the rats from Granny Black Mountain's family accounted for the rest. Clearly, they were not respecting the mountain king.
"There is indeed a Granny Black Mountain in the Black Mountain area."
At night, Chen Shi returned to the bell tower in Luowei Town to rest. When speaking of this, the Little Daoist said, "This Granny Black Mountain is worshiped in a temple. The incense is flourishing. She also frequently manifests spirits and is very efficacious. During festivals, many people from nearby villages go to worship Grandma. Some pilgrims who worship me also often go to worship her. There are indeed many large rats in her temple..."
"Wait a minute, are you saying Granny Black Mountain is not an Evil, but a God Form worshiped in a temple?" Chen Shi was puzzled.
The Little Daoist hesitated. "She should be. I don't understand it very well either. You are a Talisman Master, don't you understand?"
Chen Shi shook his head, feeling curious.
Could it be that being a God in a temple, receiving worship from the world, does not conflict with being an Evil?
"The rats in Granny Black Mountain's temple are so powerful, this Granny Black Mountain must also be remarkable."
Chen Shi's eyes flickered. "She wants to establish a Dao Field on Qianyang Mountain, so she sent these rats to scout the path. Little Daoist, she came to steal your territory, steal your godsons and goddaughters, and even condoned rats eating people. Do you really have no thoughts on this?"
The Little Daoist thought for a moment. "Tomorrow I will go and meet her!"
After dawn, Chen Shi set up his talisman stall again, but this time he sold an additional type of Thunder Talisman.
This kind of talisman could kill relatively weak Evils. The price was cheap and fair. Wearing it on the body or hanging it behind the house door could ensure safety for a month. If the Thunder Talisman ignited or emitted a thunder sound, it meant an Evil had approached and was killed.
At that time, one would need to buy a new talisman.
Thunder Talismans were fifty wen each and sold briskly, so much so that Black Pot was lethargic from excessive blood loss.
The money earned wasn't enough to buy spirit beast meat to subsidize Black Pot, but after all, it could save lives, so Chen Shi sold them cheaper.
At noon, Chen Shi saw the Little Daoist again. His face was bruised and swollen, and one leg had been beaten lame. He was sitting under the bell resting.
"Granny Black Mountain is very strong, far stronger than me."
The Little Daoist was dejected. "I can't beat her. She said she would come to take over Luowei Town in a few days and told me to go out and be an Evil."
Chen Shi was awe-struck. This Granny Black Mountain really intended to seize territory on Qianyang Mountain!
He was busy until night. The Monthly Sacrifice festival ended, and only then did he return to Huangpo Village.
The mountain road was rugged. The wooden cart had to travel over 35 km to return. Chen Shi held the compass to determine the direction, while Black Pot ran back and forth in front carrying a lantern in his mouth.
Walking into the deep mountains, Black Pot ground to a halt. Chen Shi's pulse quickened. He put down the compass and looked into the darkness ahead.
The moonlight was dim. Unknown when, pair after pair of red eyes emerged on the mountain road. Illuminated by Black Pot's lantern, they did not move away.
"Is Your Excellency Talisman Master Chen Shi?"
A sharp voice called out. "I act on Granny Black Mountain's orders to inform Your Excellency. You and I mind our own business, but you beat Grandma's obedient grandson to death. Grandma wants your life. Grandma's revenge starts now. Your Excellency, wash your neck and wait."
Chen Shi leaped down from the cart and shouted, "Who is playing tricks?"
He snatched the lantern from Black Pot's mouth and shone it forward. He saw figures standing on the road, taller than a man, wearing grey clothes. They all had rat heads and human bodies, staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes.
Chen Shi felt a chill. "Granny Black Mountain has so many Evils under her command? Did I poke a rat's nest?"
He was apprehensive. If these creatures swarmed him, he would likely fall here.
The strength of the rats was not high, but they knew spells, especially the tail tip massage which caused immediate sleep, making them impossible to guard against.
Chen Shi had already tried it once and was not confident he could block their tails. If he was touched, he would fall asleep, and these rats would gnaw him into white bones!
Just as he thought this, the rats sprang into motion, jumping into the darkness and vanishing without a trace.
Chen Shi frowned.
These Evil rats appeared and disappeared unpredictably. If they launched a sneak attack...
"After I go back, I must go to town and buy an iron hat to wear on my head! No, I still have to go to the True King's Tomb and get the complete Three Lights Righteous Energy, otherwise I can't beat Granny Black Mountain!"
(End of this chapter)