On the Path to the Great Dao

The road in front of the manor wasn't wide—less than two zhang across—and was paved with bluestone slabs. One side bordered the manor, while the other ran alongside the Clear Canal River, where trees and flowers were planted along the bank, their fragrance wafting through the air.

The wealthy merchant from Lingnan was a man of refinement. The flowers, grasses, and trees along the roadside were all cultivated by the manor's servants. Any wilted bloom would be promptly dug up and buried, replaced with vibrant fresh flowers.

It cost a fair bit of silver every day, but the merchant's household had money to burn.

Suddenly, a spray of fresh blood splattered across the flower beds. Shattered sword qi then shot out in all directions, ravaging the blossoms beyond recognition.

Even several precious trees along the riverbank were hacked down.

Fu Leisheng wielded a stalk of Mao bamboo as a spear, channeling his true qi into it as he charged forward with bold steps. This narrow road left no room for his long spear to swing freely; one careless move, and it would clip the buildings or trees on either side.

He had studied spear arts since childhood, training for a lifetime, yet he had seldom fought for real—let alone in deadly combat.

Now, the seven-zhang Mao bamboo in his grasp was limited on this street to just the five most basic techniques: thrust, stab, flick, point, and shake.

The seven-zhang Mao bamboo quivered as it deflected wave after wave of invisible sword qi. The sword qi moved swiftly, but upon striking the bamboo spear, it either rocketed upward into the sky, veered off to one side to carve deep gashes into the walls, or sheared through countless flowers and grasses before plunging into the Clear Canal River.

Bamboo couldn't normally withstand a cultivator's sword qi, but infused with his ninth-revolution Golden Core true qi, it grew incomparably resilient. Even clashing head-on with sword qi produced only a shower of sparks, without snapping. "Chi!"

He thrust his spear, piercing the heart of a Golden Core Realm cultivator charging toward Chen Shi.

That Golden Core Realm cultivator clenched his teeth, his face twisted in savagery as he prepared to unleash a spell for mutual destruction. But suddenly, Fu Leisheng twisted from the waist, shaking his spear. The man's tendons and bones shattered throughout his body, his corpse flying out to splash into the river.

Fu Leisheng retracted his spear after the thrust, advanced a step, sidestepped, and stabbed out. Still two zhang from the enemy, by the time he closed in, the spear tip had already plunged into the foe's abdomen.

He released his grip and withdrew, spinning to advance and flick his spear upward. The tip scraped the ground before whipping skyward, ripping into the groin of the oncoming attacker and pulverizing everything below.

The man collapsed to his knees, devoid of fight, toppling over.

Fu Leisheng lunged forward, covering over a zhang in a single stride as he pointed his spear at another opponent's throat. That Li family retainer instinctively unleashed a spell without thinking, his sword qi deflecting the spearhead. But the tip quivered, skipping past his throat and flashing before his eyes.

Both the man's eyes were punctured. He screamed, heedless of his comrades around him, unleashing spells wildly as sword qi flew everywhere.

Fu Leisheng shook his spear. The first strike smashed the man's shoulder, the second his head, the third and fourth lacerating the joints in all four limbs. Then the spear shaft slapped his neck, flipping the corpse to the ground.

His techniques were exceedingly simple, yet masterful. Thrusting straight with the spear, he slew several in succession.

In his ears came the whistle of green bamboo slicing the air, a barrage of shrieks. In that brief instant, Chen Shi had advanced twenty zhang from the other end of the long street, his firewood knife cleaving down several foes. The Embroidered Uniform Guards wielding bird guns had only just poked their heads out, not yet firing, when the green bamboo pierced their bodies.

Fu Leisheng was killing with mad abandon now, slaying several in a row—more in these fleeting moments than in his entire life.

His eyes ran red.

Yet the ground was littered with corpses, more tumbling from the air to crash at his feet. One slip, and he would trip.

These were Li family retainers and Embroidered Uniform Guards dead by Chen Shi's hand.

Any who could be called retainers were Golden Core Realm experts, qualified to serve as such.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards in the Li household went by another name: house guards. These were often scholars by origin who had reached Divine Embryo Realm but could advance no further, failing the provincial exams and thus relegated to common "ding" status.

Even with his heart ablaze in fury and a resolve to die fighting, Fu Leisheng couldn't help but feel a chill at the sight of these bodies.

Too many had died by Chen Shi's hand.

"If it came to a banquet, I'd probably only rate a table with Blackie Pot," he thought darkly.

These foes often fell to the green bamboo.

Chen Shi wielded his green bamboo with the thrusting sword form of the Meridian Subduing Evil Sword.

The Meridian Subduing Evil Sword was one of the most powerful spells accessible to Divine Embryo Realm cultivators. Though touted as the simplest sword art, it had pitifully few variations and glaring flaws, easy for others to read and dodge.

Moreover, past Golden Core Realm, another flaw emerged: a power ceiling.

The spell's limit was sword qi flying only thirty-six zhang before dissipating.

Chen Shi had reached Golden Core Realm, forming his first-revolution core. Most cultivators at his level abandoned the Meridian Subduing Evil Sword for other spells.

Yet in his hands, this simplest of arts unleashed unimaginable might. Infusing true qi into the green bamboo and launching it with the thrusting sword form produced devastating power.

Even against Golden Core Realm experts, the immense impact would send them staggering backward.

And that often meant the green bamboo had already pierced their bodies—they were dying.

His green bamboo targeted Li family retainers perched high up and Embroidered Uniform Guards hiding behind walls with their bird guns.

Sniping from above was disadvantageous, so eliminate them first.

The bird guns outpowered even three-eyed fire lances; a hit might not kill but would cost half one's life, so preempt them too.

Most of these Embroidered Uniform Guards were Divine Embryo Realm, not yet Golden Core. They barely raised their heads to aim when green light flashed, the bird guns and their skulls pierced together in death.

One Li family retainer perched on a treetop, swaying with the branches as he prepared a spell. Seeing Chen Shi point his sword formula at him, then green light flashing, he knew doom approached. Risking heavenly lightning annihilation, he summoned his Golden Core.

His core was fire-attributed, its force field scorching hot. The tree beneath ignited in the Golden Core field; the incoming green bamboo charred to ash the instant it entered.

Yet the sword qi within the ashes flickered past, stabbing his heart.

The retainer exploded from the back, a finger-sized hole bursting through his chest while his back gaped bowl-wide, front to back transparent.

At the same time, a bolt of thunder crashed from the heavens, striking his Golden Core!

The man's body erupted in flames as he plummeted, nearly tripping Fu Leisheng.

As the corpse hit the ground, Chen Shi was upside down midair, feet tracing the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper, his firewood knife slicing across another Li family retainer's throat.

Fu Leisheng steadied himself, spear poised to thrust, but the man was already dead.

Chen Shi's movement was bizarre beyond compare. Starlight of the Big Dipper Seven Stars exploded ceaselessly under his feet, coursing through his body, leaving him formless on this riverside road—now walking walls, now hanging inverted in air. Forward, backward, up, down, left, right—all within reach of his steps.

His small frame moved with shocking speed; from start to arrival, often a blink. Li family retainers and Embroidered Uniform Guards scarcely readied spells before Chen Shi's firewood knife arrived at their faces, carving through like chopping vegetables!

Fu Leisheng charged near full speed just to pick off enemies Chen Shi missed.

"This kid came with skills— no wonder he penned such fine treasonous prose!"

Fu Leisheng pointed his spear. Another Li family retainer's body suddenly swelled section by section, golden light gleaming all over—like a golden-armored deity activated by a Yellow Turban Warrior Talisman. The bamboo tip struck his throat without piercing.

Fu Leisheng shook his spear violently, slamming the man flat. With ninth-revolution Golden Core force surging through the bamboo, he smashed the crown of the man's skull repeatedly until his head pulped.

By then, Chen Shi had slain three more, advancing three zhang.

"His speed is too fast!"

Fu Leisheng hurried to catch up. He had read Chen Shi's over two hundred characters of policy essay—a confession of guilt and submission full of bizarre heresies, twisting the sages' words.

He couldn't fathom how a child so young possessed such a bellyful of crooked learning, arguing so convincingly and coherently. He had thought Chen Shi merely strange on paper; he never imagined the boy would put it into practice!

Per Chen Shi's wild theories, to "study and review often," if one learned killing arts, one must use them frequently or betray the learning.

The Li family's bird gun Embroidered Uniform Guards were pinned behind walls, unable to show their heads, while the retainers on trees and eaves were without exception shot down. In that short time, the twenty or thirty green bamboos in Chen Shi's fish basket dwindled to three or four.

"A bunch of trash!"

Master Zeng snorted coldly, striding out from beside the fine steed, passing the cluster of Li family retainers as heavy pressure rolled forward.

"Nascent Soul Realm!"

Fu Leisheng's face changed drastically. He charged ahead at full speed, overtaking Chen Shi, thrusting the Mao bamboo at Master Zeng with all his might.

"Chen Shi, go! You've done your duty—you needn't die here!"

His ninth-revolution Golden Core had refined to ochre hue, one step from transforming into an infant—Nascent Soul. Yet he couldn't cross it, his vital blood insufficient to accumulate and break the mystic barrier.

Thus he knew Nascent Soul's terror well. Seeing Master Zeng act, he threw himself forward heedless of death, blocking for Chen Shi.

Master Zeng raised a hand. The Mao bamboo exploded in crackling bursts before reaching his palm!

Fu Leisheng's face twisted—the gap was vast—but he thrust on. Bamboo segments burst one after another, soon nearing his palm!

At that moment, Chen Shi's steps flickered like ghosts, appearing at his side, swinging the firewood knife at Master Zeng's wrist!

"Pa!"

The firewood knife shattered. Blood poured from Chen Shi's torn palm as he readied a punch. Suddenly his back tightened—Fu Leisheng yanked him into a swift retreat.

Fu Leisheng's heart turned to ice. Golden Core to Nascent Soul—one realm's difference, like heaven and earth apart.

Master Zeng was heaven; they were mere mortals!

Before heaven, any mortal could be slain in one move!

Though the Nine Yangs Heavenly Thunder Summoning Talisman overhead barred Master Zeng's Nascent Soul, the realm gap was too vast—no fight possible.

"The master pays you monthly silver to feed you lot, and this is how you repay him?"

Master Zeng scanned around, face stern, glancing coldly at the Li family retainers.

"Take money for work. You took the pay but botched the job—what use are you to the master? He lets you cultivate daily, and where has that gotten you?"

He berated the retainers without so much as glancing at Chen Shi or Fu Leisheng, as if the pair were fish on the board, his to butcher.

Master Zeng turned, bowing toward the carriage.

"Eldest Madam, Second Madam—the two thieves are captured."

Chen Shi lunged to smack the man's occiput, but Fu Leisheng gripped him tight, preventing approach.

Then, from another carriage, a middle-aged man stepped down, passing through layers of protective talisman light to the Eldest and Second Madams' carriage. He rapped the window.

A maidservant opened it inside. Eldest Madam's face appeared at the window.

The middle-aged man leaned close, whispering a few words into Eldest Madam's ear.

Eldest Madam Xia Weiyin showed surprise, her gaze shifting to land on Chen Shi's face. She turned to Second Madam Yan Jingshu.

"Sister, I'm afraid Tianxiu's vengeance must wait a bit. The master won't allow it."

Yan Jingshu flushed with shock and rage, but she had overheard the middle-aged man's words too and knew the intricacies here. She could only bow her head.

"Everything as Eldest Sister decides."

"The master will compensate you."

Xia Weiyin consoled her, then said,

"Master Zeng, stand down. This Master Fu—might you be from Wencai Academy? Your disciple is that student who earned a first-grade Divine Embryo in the literary exam? I've heard of it."

Fu Leisheng's hands were drenched in blood, eyes nearly spewing fire as he glared viciously at the noblewoman.

Xia Weiyin said,

"But you picked the wrong foe. Seizing your student's Divine Embryo wasn't my order, nor Second Madam's. I can vouch for that and give you justice. Auntie Gu, come out."

Auntie Gu emerged and knelt on the ground.

Xia Weiyin's voice was indifferent.

"Auntie Gu, tell Master Fu the whole truth. Confess honestly."

Auntie Gu shuddered.

"Yes, Madam."

She recounted in full: failing to bribe Tian Huaiyi, so bribing Assistant Magistrate Zheng Shiyun instead, sending him and the bailiffs away, night-raiding the county office, slaying Tian Huaiyi, cracking open Shen Yusheng's skull, and seizing the Divine Embryo.

Fu Leisheng clenched his fists till his nails dug into wounds, roaring,

"You're the noblewoman? I don't buy it! How could you kill Huaiyi? How deal with the Myriad Souls Banner?"

Auntie Gu said,

"I've formed my Nascent Soul—why couldn't I kill that examiner?"

Kneeling, a Divine Shrine manifested behind her head, her Nascent Soul hovering before the Divine Embryo.

"As for the Myriad Souls Banner, simpler still. When the master took office as Xixiang Patrol Governor, he brought the Xixiang Province's Land Ledger. Its second page controls Xixiang County's Myriad Souls Banner—meant for the assistant magistrate to check the county magistrate's power."

Auntie Gu lowered her head.

"I merely snuck the second page free, easily suppressing the Myriad Souls Banner to kill that examiner..."

Fu Leisheng's hopes shattered; he suddenly burst into laughter, tears streaming.

"You are that noblewoman! The one covering the skies over Xixiang County! You're just a Li family servant, a cur! My Huaiyi, my Yusheng—ruined by an old dog like you!"

He cursed endlessly in pain.

When his outburst ended, Eldest Madam Xia Weiyin softened her expression.

"Auntie Gu committed grave wrong and must be punished. Auntie Gu, for your service to the Li family, end yourself today. Your family won't be neglected."

Auntie Gu trembled, kowtowing.

"Thank you, Madam, for your boundless grace!"

She kowtowed repeatedly, blood matting her hair and face.

"My humble family is in your hands, Madam!"

She rose, turning to Fu Leisheng, abruptly summoning her Nascent Soul.

The Nascent Soul flew out—only for thunder to crash from the sky, annihilating it to smoke.

Auntie Gu swayed, collapsing lifeless, her soul even splintered.

Xia Weiyin sighed.

"Blame her own deeds. Master Fu, is this justice enough?"

Seeing his foe slain, Fu Leisheng wept uncontrollably, kneeling.

"Your Ladyship judges fairly. Huaiyi, Yusheng—I've avenged you!"

Xia Weiyin eyed him deeply.

"Master Fu tested the law with your body, slaying dozens of my Li family—righteous fury for your disciple, yet kingly law broken, dozens of lives lost. This little brother beside you, I can spare, but you must pay the price."

She paused.

"Rest easy: after your death, this matter ends. Your family safe. Master Fu, I've given you justice—now give my Li family justice."

Fu Leisheng kowtowed to the carriage, proclaiming,

"Your Ladyship is a clear sky above! I've sinned greatly—time to pay with my life!"

He raised his hand to smash his skull—only for Chen Shi to seize it.

"Chen Shi, what are you doing?"

Fu Leisheng raged, hissing low,

"My death frees you! Let go!"

Chen Shi gripped his hand iron-tight, staring at Eldest Madam Xia Weiyin, voice deep.

"Don't die yet. This verdict is wrong!"