On the Path to the Great Dao

County Magistrate Yan Jingsi's face still bore an expression of shock, his eyes harboring a trace of unwillingness.

But at this moment, his physical body was already dead. No matter how unwilling he was, he could not tear open the mother sheep's belly.

The mother sheep's belly was a natural reincarnation ground. With his current strength, having just entered reincarnation, he could still manage to send out his nascent soul, tear open the mother sheep's belly, and escape.

But escaping would still mean death. He had already entered the sheep fetus—even if he tore open the mother sheep's belly and came out, he would discover that he was still just a sheep.

Moreover, his physical body had already died at Chen Shi's hands.

Chen Shi drew a stack of talisman papers from his sleeve and rummaged for a labor-inducing talisman.

Some pregnant women reached their due date but couldn't give birth, so they needed a labor-inducing talisman.

Grandpa had once told him that it was probably because reincarnation had a time limit—you couldn't delay too long.

If you delayed too long and missed the time window, the reincarnating soul couldn't attach to the fetus. Missing reincarnation meant it would return, and what was born would be a stillborn.

So when the time for birth came, if it didn't happen naturally, you had to induce it to prevent the fetus from dying in the womb. This theory had never been verified, however, so Chen Shi didn't know if it was true or not.

When Grandpa told him, he had presented it merely as a strange tale.

Chen Shi pasted the labor-inducing talisman on the mother sheep's belly. A human voice came from inside the sheep's belly, saying, "Chen Shi, why?"

Chen Shi asked in confusion, "Why what?"

That voice was Yan Jingsi's. It said, "Why kill me? We had no grudge. I was only acting on orders from the Yan family to monitor you and your grandfather—I never laid a hand on you.

The day before yesterday, you came to my Xuanwu Pavilion with murderous intent hidden in your heart, yet I did not strike at you.

I treated you with utmost benevolence and righteousness.

Today, you schemed endlessly—summoning rain, calling lightning, buying all these livestock on the verge of giving birth—just to take my life. Can I at least know the reason?"

Chen Shi replied, "The flood dragon raised by your family, Shangshan, killed people to cultivate. It killed too many, and I couldn't stand by. So after killing it, I came to kill you.

If you live, more people die."

Yan Jingsi fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "That's the reason? You're killing me for that?"

Chen Shi nodded, then realized Yan Jingsi couldn't see it, so he said aloud, "That's the reason.

Are you unwilling?"

"Yes,

I'm unwilling!"

Yan Jingsi flew into a rage. "I was gifted from childhood—the various Dao arts collected by the Yan family, I mastered at a glance and perfected upon practice. But my clansmen grew jealous and exiled me to this wild backwater of Xinxiang to monitor you grandfather and grandson, wasting my future! Yet I remained calm of heart, cultivating diligently year after year for a decade! Knowing the family undervalued me, I poured all my effort into teaching my disciples! Those overlooked Yan clansmen received the best inheritance and guidance from me! I gave them my finest resources! I answered to our ancestors above and to the Yan clansmen below. And you kill me over the misdeeds of Shangshan? How could I be willing?"

"What does that have to do with me? I'm not a judge."

Chen Shi didn't understand. Waiting for the labor talisman to take effect, he said, "Your family's flood dragon killed too many, so I came to kill you.

I couldn't beat you outright, so I used every trick and scheme to take you down. That's what I should be thinking about."

Yan Jingsi was furious to the extreme. He shouted, "Killing me is unjust! The common folk are like livestock, like crops. Killing a scholar-official like me for livestock and crops—what kind of logic is that in this world?"

Chen Shi said, "The Master said, when a man is about to die, his words are good.

I've beaten you to death, and you're still speaking so unpleasantly! Born human, who is base compared to you?"

Yan Jingsi said, "I was born into a great clan, my ancestors kings and nobles, my bloodline exalted—how can I be compared to the lowly masses?"

Chen Shi sneered, "Among the common folk, whose ancestors weren't descendants of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors? Same blood—where does nobility come from?"

The lamb's voice grew louder and louder. "You want to debate philosophy with me? Fine, I'll debate properly with you today.

Without rich and base, how could there be sovereign and subject? Without that, whence come the Son of Heaven, the dukes and nobles? Is there truly no difference between the blood of the Son of Heaven and that of the common people?"

A group of merchants passed by on the road. Hearing a human voice from the sheep's belly, they panicked at once and shouted, "Evil! This sheep has turned into an evil!"

Yan Jingsi sneered, "Fools like that deserve to die.

As their official, teaching them is like farming crops—good harvest means more wealth, poor harvest means less.

Heaven sends unforeseen storms; I merely had a smaller harvest."

The merchants rushed forward, ready to smash the mother sheep to death.

Chen Shi hurriedly stopped them. "It's the evil in the sheep's belly causing trouble—what fault does the mother sheep bear? Wait until the sheep gives birth."

The mother sheep's birth canal had opened. Chen Shi helped deliver the lamb.

The lamb broke free of its caul, stood on all fours upon landing, and declared, "I am County Magistrate Yan Jingsi of Lei County, your parental official."

Before it could finish, a stone struck it, knocking it to the ground.

The lamb cried out in shock and anger, "I was born into the Yan family."

Stones rained down like hail, quickly smashing it to death.

The crowd, fearing it might revive, set it ablaze.

As it burned, the aroma of roasted lamb wafted out.

Seeing Chen Shi reverently leading the mother sheep away, the crowd exchanged glances.

Chen Shi led the mother sheep in search of Blackie Pot. He found Blackie Pot standing upright on his hind legs, bustling about delivering the livestock.

The ground was now littered with newborns, the most numerous being piglets—full of vigor right after birth, scampering everywhere.

Chen Shi frowned at all this livestock.

Man and dog arrived at the riverbank to wash the blood from their bodies. Blackie Pot jumped into the river, scrubbing the blood from his chest and back with his front paws. Suddenly, he paused, turning to glance at Chen Shi.

Chen Shi simply stripped naked and jumped into the river to bathe. Seeing it washing itself, he watched with a strange expression.

Blackie Pot was about to explain when Chen Shi puzzledly said, "Blackie Pot, something's off.

You can't reach the back of your head when bathing."

He swam over and helped the dog wash the blood from the back of its head.

Blackie Pot felt a warmth in his heart. Once Chen Shi finished, he returned the favor, scrubbing Chen Shi's back.

After man and dog finished washing, Chen Shi dressed and checked on the livestock. A boat passed on the river; Chen Shi waved frantically and called out, "Boatman! Boatman! Heading downstream to Gangzi Village?"

The boatman poled over to the shore. "Yes.

How many people?"

Moments later, the boat was packed full of livestock.

The boatman carefully steered, fearful of capsizing.

Upon reaching the area near Gangzi Village, Chen Shi herded the livestock ashore and went to Granny Sha's house. He drove all the livestock into her courtyard and said, "Granny, keep them for me overnight."

Granny Sha stared at the courtyard full of livestock, her head spinning. The noise kept her up all night.

The next day, people from Huangpo Village arrived with Chen Shi. Households beamed with joy as they led the livestock away, praising Scholar Lord's generosity in gifting them the animals.

Scholar Lord's face flickered with uncertainty as he thought, "Fatten them up nice and plump, so these crafty villagers can do more farm work and be fleeced even better.

And they'll praise me for my kind heart!"

Chen Scholar left Granny Sha a piglet. Granny Sha grinned from ear to ear. "Roast suckling pig tonight!"

Chen Shi hesitated. This old lady was a seasoned river-and-lake veteran; she had no intention of raising the piglet big. There was no way to fleece her.

"County Magistrate of Lei County is dead?"

Fu Leisheng received the news and stayed up all night in shock. He hurried to Lei County to investigate and confirmed Magistrate Yan Jingsi was indeed dead.

Fu Leisheng inquired carefully and learned that Yan Jingsi had ruled unjustly, allowing the flood dragon to wreak havoc and drown many riverside folk. Thus, an emissary from Xijing had come incognito to investigate the crimes.

Upon learning this, Yan Jingsi tried to assassinate the Xijing emissary but was slain by the emissary on the riverbank—poetic justice.

Fu Leisheng was dumbfounded. At a teahouse, he heard more: infighting in the Yan family had killed many at Xuanwu Pavilion.

The teahouse waiter recounted it to the crowd with vivid detail and gestures, as if he had witnessed it himself.

Fu Leisheng sipped his tea, listening raptly. He thought, "Was it really the Xijing emissary, or Chen Shi? Xijing wouldn't cover for Chen Shi, would they? So the higher-ups are good; it's just the local officials who are rotten."

His heart eased greatly. Smiling, he thought, "With the Xijing emissary dealing with Yan Jingsi, Chen Shi no longer needs to risk his life against him.

That kid has no idea how fearsome the nascent soul realm is—such audacity!"

Granny Sha got the news two days later than Fu Leisheng.

The little old lady hurriedly found the burly bearded man and Green Sheep. She told them and asked, "Which of you was following him those past few days to protect him?"

The burly bearded man and Green Sheep looked at each other and shook their heads.

Green Sheep said, "I thought Old Hu was tailing him."

The burly bearded man said, "I thought you two were, so I didn't go."

Granny Sha paled in fright. "None of us went to protect him, and in the blink of an eye, the kid pulls off something huge! Without anyone watching, he wouldn't even know how he died! Gold core realm daring to kill a nascent soul county magistrate—what gall!

Green Sheep laughed. "Talisman masters have records of gold core challenging nascent soul. You're overreacting, Granny.

Gold core versus nascent soul—that was Old Chen Tou's feat!"

Granny Sha snorted, displeased. "Old Chen Tou killed twenty black dogs, prepared for eighteen days, drew all sorts of talismans, set up an altar to borrow ghost god power, lured the foe into an ambush—that's how he fought him.

And in that battle, the opponent was merely wounded, while Old Chen Tou was gravely injured.

This time, Little Ten killed Yan Jingsi outright!"

If Chen Shi hadn't succeeded, he'd be the one dead!

If Chen Shi died, all those evils inside him would come out to play.

Over a hundred demons at minimum evil bodhisattva level, blooming everywhere.

Granny Sha sighed. "We're not his godmother anymore, but more than that.

Worrying ourselves sick over Little Ten... What's with Little Three?"

She grew furious. "Something this big, and he doesn't come report it!"

She called for his soul repeatedly but couldn't summon the third ghost king. Doubting, she wondered,

"Could Little Three have been beaten to death? Or eaten by Chen Shi?"

At Mirror Lake Manor, Blackie Pot guarded the entrance, occasionally peering inside.

Chen Shi had used the Heavenly Peng Demon-Subduing Grand Method three times, depleting his vital blood too much—his complexion looked off—so he needed to lie in the coffin for a while.

He had been inside for two days already and hadn't emerged.

At that moment, footsteps approached. Blackie Pot looked over in surprise.

Mirror Lake Manor was remote and extremely yin—no one ever came here. Who would visit such a place?

Two women approached. The one in front was like a lady from a painting, wearing brown clogs with wooden soles over red shoes, a white skirt below, blue round-collared overlapping jacket above, her glossy black hair coiled up with a phoenix hairpin on one side.

The hairpin was intricate, adorned with many beads that trembled slightly.

Earrings dangled by her ears like water droplets, refracting rainbow hues in the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

Behind the phoenix hairpin lady was a maid in pale green robes, cradling a blue cloth bag shaped like it held a pipa.

"There's a dog!"

The maid exclaimed in surprise.

The lady glanced at Blackie Pot and smiled faintly. "Blackie Pot, long time no see.

You're still alive?"

Blackie Pot lowered his head, staring at the ground.

The phoenix hairpin lady asked, "Someone went inside?"

Blackie Pot hesitated slightly, then nodded.

The phoenix hairpin lady didn't rush in. Instead, she and the maid stood quietly outside the manor, exceedingly composed.

Soon after, the sound of the coffin opening came from within the manor. Chen Shi pushed aside the lid, stepped out, vital blood surging, energy abundant—fully recovered.

"My body's grown taller again. This little coffin is getting too small for me; it won't fit much longer.

I'll have to commission a bigger one."

Musing to himself, he walked outside. When the maid saw him emerge, she curtsied slightly. "This servant greets Young Master Chen."

The phoenix hairpin lady nodded slightly to Chen Shi, her eyes curving in a smile. "Little Ten, long time no see."

Chen Shi sized up the two, bowed in greeting, and asked in surprise upon hearing her words,

"Miss, you know me?"

The phoenix hairpin lady was also quite surprised. "Master Chen never mentioned me to you?"

Chen Shi answered honestly, "Grandpa never spoke of his old friends."

The phoenix hairpin lady pondered, then smiled. "He had his reasons.

Looks like your memories still haven't recovered. How is your grandfather?"

Chen Shi shook his head. "Grandpa passed away."

The phoenix hairpin lady dimmed, murmuring softly, "Even he couldn't achieve immortality?"

Her gaze was gentle as she looked Chen Shi over, sighing lowly, "Can the Water-Fire Tempering Art truly reverse life and death?"

Chen Shi felt somewhat lost, watching the phoenix hairpin lady enter Mirror Lake Manor.

The pretty maid stayed outside the manor, smiling at Chen Shi.

Chen Shi said to the maid, "What's your lady called?"

"Madam Hua Li."

The maid replied crisply.

"So she's married."

Chen Shi felt a bit disappointed. "And you? What's your name?"

The maid's eyes curved into crescents with her smile. "I'm Ding Ding."

Chen Shi laughed, feeling her smile infectious. "Do you have a little sister named Dang Dang?"

The maid burst out laughing, hands behind her back, standing straight. "Wrong guess—my little brother is Ding Dang!"

Chen Shi scratched his head and grinned. "I see.

Sister Ding Ding, do you really have to stand guard outside? Madam Hua Li seems injured; she might need to stay here a dozen days or so.

If there's nowhere to go, you can come to my village. I have a few empty rooms at home."

End of chapter.