On the Path to the Great Dao

That bloodied figure was Tian Huaiyi's soul. It kowtowed in gratitude for its master's teachings, then explained that it had failed to protect Shen Yusheng. With its final wish fulfilled, though its heart was filled with endless reluctance, it was pulled away by the power of the underworld toward the realm of the dead.

"Huaiyi!"

Fu Leisheng cried out loudly and abruptly stood up. He looked around, but there was no eerie yin wind, no blood-drenched Tian Huaiyi. It must have been that he had dozed off while reading without realizing it.

The master's book had been dreadfully dull, after all.

"Daydreams by day, nightmares by night. I've always worried that Huaiyi would betray Shen Yusheng for high office and wealth."

He mocked himself inwardly. Back when Tian Huaiyi had been his student, he was the most mischievous rascal, the one who gave him the biggest headaches. He never studied properly in class, always tugging at the hair of the girls in the front row, making them burst into tears.

He had called in the boy's parents and given Tian Huaiyi a good beating for it.

Even when practicing spells, he wouldn't train seriously—haphazardly swinging a hammer here and a mallet there, fishing for three days and sunning nets for two.

Yet the boy had a spark of cleverness. He picked up anything quickly, never forgot it once learned, and could even extrapolate from a single example.

Later, Tian Huaiyi passed the imperial exam as a scholar and received a heaven-granted Divine Embryo. It was a third-grade Dou Kui Divine Embryo, impressive enough in the county. Fu Leisheng worried others would come to steal it, so he guarded the boy day and night. That was right around the time Chen Shi's Divine Embryo had been dug out, causing a huge uproar. Fu Leisheng lived in constant fear, and sure enough, several groups came to rob them of it.

He had fought tooth and nail to drive off the attackers and protect Tian Huaiyi. Because of that, their master-student bond grew as close as father and son.

Later, Tian Huaiyi passed the provincial exam as a juren and left for postings elsewhere. Then word came that he had joined the garrison, serving in the military for years. When he returned, the playful troublemaker had transformed into a steady, composed official.

The change was so profound that even Fu Leisheng couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

What worried him most was that Tian Huaiyi had entered the great dyeing vat of officialdom, where he might be stained beyond recognition. So when Shen Yusheng obtained the Wen Chang Divine Embryo this time, he had endlessly cautioned and exhorted the boy, fearing that Tian Huaiyi was no longer that righteous youth.

"I've overthought it," he sighed.

Just then, he noticed Chen Shi shielding the lamp with his hand. The black dog outside was still barking furiously, and Fu Leisheng froze.

He clearly remembered Chen Shi dozing off while he read the book. How had it become him asleep and Chen Shi awake?

"Master Fu, you dozed off just now."

Chen Shi's voice was low and subdued. He hesitated, then said, "Senior Brother Tian came in a dream to you. I saw him covered in blood, so I didn't stop him. Master Fu... something may have happened at the county yamen."

Fu Leisheng's mind exploded with a roar. His body trembled as he clutched the lectern with both hands to steady himself. He tried to speak, but before the words reached his throat, two streams of scalding tears rolled down first.

He wiped them away with his hand, but more tears welled up.

He had thought himself strong, that after so many years teaching as a master, his Dao heart was as solid as a rock, that he could hold back. But he couldn't.

The tears just kept flowing uncontrollably.

"I..."

He choked up, clenching his fists to prop himself up, but still couldn't stop the tears flooding his eyes.

"Chen Shi... leave me alone for a bit." His words came out strained.

Chen Shi rose silently and left the lecture hall. Glancing back, he saw Fu Leisheng slumped over the desk, his body wracked with sobs.

"Huaiyi, if you couldn't beat them, you run! Didn't I teach you that?"

He cried out loud, sobbing and cursing Tian Huaiyi for being so stubborn while he wept.

"You should've run and left Shen Yusheng behind! They only wanted Shen Yusheng, not your life. You're an imperial official, the chief examiner for Xinxiang County's exam—they wouldn't take your life unless absolutely necessary!"

"Run, damn it! Shen Yusheng was my student, and so were you! Why didn't you run? You stubborn fool!"

...

Chen Shi sat beside Blackie Pot, hugging the big dog as he gazed at the night sky over the county town.

The bright moon hung high, seeing all with piercing clarity.

"Who says there's no evil in the county town? Blackie Pot, evil lives in people's hearts." He murmured softly.

After some time, Fu Leisheng emerged from the lecture hall. His eyes were bloodshot, his under-eye bags swollen. He carried an oil lamp in one hand, his voice hoarse as he said gently, "Chen Shi, get some rest early. We have to post the results tomorrow."

Chen Shi acknowledged it and watched as Fu Leisheng didn't move.

Fu Leisheng lifted the lamp and walked out. Passing the bamboo grove, he snapped off a bamboo pole to use as a staff and headed onward.

Chen Shi followed him. Blackie Pot followed Chen Shi.

Fu Leisheng halted. "Chen Shi, go back. This doesn't concern you anymore."

Chen Shi shook his head. "If I stay alone at the academy, I'm worried someone will kill me for my Divine Embryo."

Fu Leisheng said nothing more and continued forward.

Chen Shi and Blackie Pot caught up. Soon they arrived at the county yamen.

The yamen gates stood wide open, pitch black inside. Fu Leisheng used his bamboo pole to hold up the lamp as he entered.

Silence reigned within.

Chen Shi suddenly felt something sticky underfoot. He lifted his foot and saw it was smeared with blood.

He looked down at the floor—a pool of blood.

He said nothing, for he had already spotted Tian Huaiyi's corpse lying in the blood.

Fu Leisheng set the lamp aside. He reached out, his hand shaking uncontrollably, wanting to touch his student's face.

Tian Huaiyi's face was ashen, his eyes wide open, pupils tilted to one side.

Fu Leisheng clenched his fists tightly and followed the gaze. Shen Yusheng sat on a chair not far away, facing them, eyes also bulging in terror.

Fu Leisheng approached the boyish-faced youth. He sensed no signs of life from his student.

He touched the back of Shen Yusheng's head. The skull had been smashed open.

His hands were covered in blood.

Fu Leisheng's mouth twitched in something between a sob and a smile, but he forced it down. Switching to a clean hand, he gently closed Shen Yusheng's eyes.

He turned to examine the wounds on Tian Huaiyi's body.

Corpses don't speak, but they leave plenty of useful clues.

What spell the attacker used, their cultivation realm, the nature of their golden core—even their nascent soul or primordial spirit—would all leave traces on the body.

Chen Shi, meanwhile, eyed the Ten Thousand Souls Banner enshrined in the yamen.

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner was a treasure that housed the souls of cultivators, only those guilty of capital crimes qualified to enter it.

Its power was immense: it could guard an entire city, keeping evil at bay, or fend off mighty foes, allowing even a county magistrate to battle Soul Transformation experts!

The banner still sat on the offering table, showing no fluctuations of power.

Tian Huaiyi must not have had time to activate it before dying at the enemy's hands.

Chen Shi frowned slightly. Tian Huaiyi's strength was no small matter. Years in the military, especially in the perilous border garrisons, had honed his combat experience to an astonishing level. It was impossible for him to die without even activating the Ten Thousand Souls Banner!

Even against a primordial spirit cultivator, he could have unleashed the banner for a fight!

"The Ten Thousand Souls Banner was used once."

Fu Leisheng's voice came. "But not by Huaiyi."

Chen Shi started and moved to Tian Huaiyi's corpse. The wounds weren't ordinary cuts but bruised, darkened gashes. The blood had congealed, icy to the touch—not like a fresh death.

Chen Shi recalled the bluish ghost hand on his own chest and had a realization. "Wounds from vengeful souls and malignant ghosts!"

"Wounds from the Ten Thousand Souls Banner."

Fu Leisheng's gaze fell on the banner. "The resentful souls and厉 ghosts inside were already powerful, refined over time into something even stronger. But before Huaiyi could activate it, the enemy did."

Chen Shi froze. The enemy activated it?

Tian Huaiyi had wielded the Ten Thousand Souls Banner—how could the enemy activate it?

Fu Leisheng didn't answer. Instead, he looked into the darkness outside, his voice hoarse. "The yamen should always have clerks on guard, but the on-duty ones aren't here. A fight broke out in the yamen, yet not a single clerk came to check."

The only ones who could wield the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and command the clerks not to move were the county magistrate or assistant magistrate.

But Xinxiang's county magistrate was dead. Assistant Magistrate Zheng Shiyun was far weaker than Tian Huaiyi—he couldn't have killed him so cleanly.

Xinxiang had its share of experts, perhaps even Soul Transformation ones, but Tian Huaiyi was the chief examiner for the county exam—an imperial official, albeit minor. No local expert would risk clan extermination by the court to kill him.

"So it had to be an outsider."

Chen Shi said, "Among recent arrivals with power, it has to be the Li family from Quanzhou. Governor Li Xiaozheng passed through Xinxiang County."

Fu Leisheng's eye twitched. He picked up the lamp and turned to leave. "Governor Li left for the provincial capital yesterday to assume office. He's not in Xinxiang anymore. Chen Shi, stay out of this."

Chen Shi said nothing but still followed.

Fu Leisheng knocked on the coffin shop's door and entered, telling the shopkeeper, "Two coffins, good quality."

The coffin shop owner was startled and ushered him in. "Master Fu, what happened?"

"Nothing."

Fu Leisheng didn't elaborate. "Make it three coffins. How much?"

"Cypress wood, six taels of silver each."

Fu Leisheng didn't haggle, paid up, and said, "Send a few apprentices with me to deliver two to the yamen. There are two bodies inside—have them encoffined. Leave the third here for now."

The shopkeeper was shocked inwardly. Normally, Fu Leisheng haggled fiercely, squeezing every copper. Today, no bargaining.

"Dead men tell no tales. Master Fu, is this last coffin for yourself?"

The shopkeeper pondered, then quietly instructed his apprentices. "Go to the yamen and help Master Fu with the bodies. Just do the work, ask nothing else. And keep watch these next few days. If you hear Master Fu has met with misfortune, notify me at once. Business is about trust—if he dies, use this coffin to bury him properly."

The apprentices assented.

Chen Shi followed Fu Leisheng, watching him bustle about, encoffining Tian Huaiyi and Shen Yusheng.

Unnoticed, dawn broke.

Neither had slept all night. With the shop hands and their cart, they transported the two coffins to the Wen Cai Academy for temporary placement.

Strangely, despite the major incident at the yamen, not a single clerk had come inquiring while they worked through the night.

"Chen Shi, it's posting day today. Go with your classmates to see the list. I've been up all night—I'm going home to rest."

Fu Leisheng said, "As for my affairs, don't concern yourself. When Shao Jing asked me to help you back then, he already paid me. But I took another payment from you, so you owe the academy nothing."

Chen Shi replied, "If Master Fu runs into trouble, just send word to the academy."

Fu Leisheng nodded faintly and left the academy, heading home.

His home was as luxurious as Hu Feifei had described, built by the Clear Canal River. Step out the door and there was the dock. The compound spanned over an acre, with east and west wings, a main hall, and a small pond ringed by rockeries, gardens, and plantings of plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum.

Though not vast, everywhere exuded refined elegance.

His wife was skilled at managing the household, keeping it spotless. Their two sons were accomplished, both married, no longer needing his worry.

His wife had breakfast ready. Seeing him return, she asked, "Something come up last night?"

"Nothing."

Fu Leisheng slurped his porridge. "Xiurong, these years following me have been hard on you."

His wife sat sideways beside him, watching him eat with a smile. "Hard? I've only managed indoors. You've borne the real toil outside."

Fu Leisheng said, "Mingzhi and Zhiyuan are both married now. No great successes, but they can feed themselves. You haven't visited your hometown in ages. Why not go back, burn some paper money for my parents and your in-laws? I dreamed last night—they complained of being short on spending money down there."

His wife hesitated. "Something happened?"

"No."

Fu Leisheng took a bite of salted meat. "The countryside's unsettled. Take Mingzhi and Zhiyuan with you, along with their wives and kids. Call it a trip home for a few days, to relax."

"And you?"

"I'll stay in town. Still have matters here."

Tears welled in his wife's eyes. "Something did happen, didn't it? Do you really have to stay?"

Fu Leisheng fell silent a moment. "I have to. You all go—pack up and leave today, no delays. I'll sleep now. Don't let Mingzhi and Zhiyuan disturb me. If I'm still alive after tomorrow, I'll come find you."

His wife wiped her tears and began packing.

Fu Leisheng ate his fill and crashed into deep sleep.

A crowd of students had already gathered at the Wen Cai Academy, gasping and speculating wildly about the two coffins placed there, unsure what had happened.

Hu Feifei asked Chen Shi, but he said nothing.

At noon, the yamen posted the list. Students swarmed to the county yamen to check it.

"Brother Chen, you passed! First place in Xinxiang County!"

Hu Feifei bubbled with excitement. "Who knew your literary talent was so good—you actually placed! Huh, weird, no Shen Yusheng on the list?"

She scanned up and down, but couldn't find Shen Yusheng's name. Normally, having gained a Divine Embryo without the grand ritual, he should top the list. Yet after several sweeps, nothing.

Not only was Shen Yusheng missing, but no word of Chief Examiner Tian Huaiyi's death had spread. The chief examiner dead, and the silence was eerily absolute.

Chen Shi thought to himself, *This noble lady truly wields vast influence, covering the skies over Xinxiang County with one hand.*

The day after posting was the grand god-descent ritual, held every three years—a boisterous affair. County folk treated it like a holiday, streets decked with lanterns and decorations, shops hawking discounts to draw crowds.

Chen Shi, Hu Feifei, and several Wen Cai Academy students donned scholar robes, red headscarves with streamers, and green waist sashes.

Fu Leisheng smiled, personally straightening their collars. He pinned a large red silk flower to Chen Shi's chest and escorted them to the Temple of Literature.

The temple was fully prepared, statues of Confucius and Lord Wen Chang draped in red. The scholars hadn't arrived yet, but incense smoke rose like coiling mist.

Some had brought chickens and ducks, led in oxen, sheep, and pigs for live sacrifices—gifts to the true gods. Baskets brimmed with melons, fruits, pears, peaches, one after another.

Roadsides bristled with incense sticks and candles, some as thick as an arm and taller than a man, already lit. Children puffed cheeks to light them, igniting firecrackers that popped and crackled.

Gongs and drums sounded everywhere, festive and joyous. Folks continuously congratulated Fu Leisheng, some even reaching to touch the big red flower on Chen Shi's chest for luck.

As Xinxiang's county exam top scholar, Chen Shi was positioned prominently at the scholars' forefront.

Hu Feifei trailed him, smug and giggling softly. "Once I'm a scholar with a Divine Embryo, then take the juren exam, I can finally meet a mature scholar. That fulfills us fox girls' lifelong dream! Hehe..."

Chen Shi glanced about, then saw Fu Leisheng turn and squeeze out through the crowd.

His heart jolted. He eyed the bustling ritual platform, then lifted his gaze to the two great suns in the sky. For two years, regaining the true gods' recognition and a new Divine Embryo had been his obsession.

He hesitated. Now, as Xinxiang's top scholar, was the perfect moment to fulfill it.

Miss this chance, who knew when another would come!

Pass as scholar, gain Divine Embryo, return home to glorify ancestors— even Old Lady Wuzhu would look at him differently.

Break the law, and he'd be no better than a bandit. Even Grandma Yuzhu's ducks passing by might spit at him!

Chen Shi gritted his teeth, yanked the big red flower from his chest, and shoved it into Hu Feifei's arms. He shoved through the crowd toward the outside.

Hu Feifei stared in shock. "Chen Shi! Chen Shi! Where are you going? You're Xinxiang's first— you're about to go onstage! Don't you want the Divine Embryo anymore?"

Chen Shi vanished into the throng, his voice drifting back. "You stay here. I'm off to kill someone!"

His bearing like a fierce tiger, eyes flashing murderously.

Body straight and shadow true, heart set on killing and arson!