On the Path to the Great Dao

Little Five settled down in the Chen family home, his heart gradually growing restless.

"Two days, at most two days! In these two days, I must kill Little Ten and burn him for Dad!"

His handsome features twisted into a savage grimace as he followed Chen Shi to steal melons from Old Lady Wuzhu's field. He thought to himself, "Kill Chen Shi first, then that meddlesome mutt! That little guy named Li Tianqing—kill him or not? No need yet. He'll do the laundry; spare his worthless life for washing my clothes. Kill him later if he doesn't get them clean!"

He grew somewhat excited at the thought. "And Wuzhu? Kill her or not? If I kill Wuzhu and that old hag heads to the underworld, Dad will surely be displeased and blame me for being unfilial—burn him an old one?"

He considered it carefully and decided against it, sparing Old Lady Wuzhu's worthless life.

"Squat down," Chen Shi whispered.

Little Five hurriedly squatted. The two crouched in the melon field, quietly watching.

Old Lady Wuzhu seemed to sense something as she patrolled her melon field.

Little Five's heart pounded wildly. This scene felt just like the thrill of him and his dad Chen Shi hiding in the Ghost God Domain at Despair Slope, dodging the great god's patrols.

Under the colossal statue at Despair Slope, he and Dad scurried like rats this way and that, while those massive heavenly gods pierced everything with their gazes, occasionally peering under the statue in search of their tracks! Old Lady Wuzhu, leaning on her cane, patrolled her melon field just like a heavenly god from Despair Slope, stirring the exact same excitement in him!

Suddenly, Old Lady Wuzhu laughed.

"So it's just a badger.

I thought it was Scholar Chen.

Shoo, shoo—off with you! If Scholar Chen spots you, you'll be dinner tonight!"

Old Lady Wuzhu chased away the badger and left the melon field.

Chen Shi and Little Five each hugged a watermelon, carefully emerging from the melon field.

The badger crept back to steal more melons, only for Scholar Zhu to charge forward in a single bound, punch it dead, and drag it home.

Chen Shi handed the badger to Blackie Pot to clean and gut. That evening, they cooked it up, then headed out together to the Jade Belt River for some fishing.

Fish were scarce in the river, and none bit for ages.

Little Five lost patience and flung a bolt of thunder into the water. At once, hundreds of fish bellies-up on the surface.

The pair scrambled to scoop them up. Chen Shi said,

"Too many fish. Let's grab them all and give some to the villagers."

Little Five didn't understand.

"Why give them any? What's in it for us?"

Chen Shi explained,

"You're planting melons in the field—you fertilize, weed, loosen the soil, water diligently. Only then do the melons thrive and yield more.

Villagers are the same. You can't drain the pond to catch every fish, stripping them bare all at once.

Toss them a bone now and then—some fish, a cow or pig or whatever—and they get motivated, thrive better.

Fatten up the villagers, and there's more grease for you later."

Little Five gawked, mouth agape. He desperately wanted to argue, but damn if it didn't make a twisted sort of sense.

"Crooked logic, evil prattle!"

He mulled it over for a moment, then scoffed dismissively.

The two gathered the fish and went door to door delivering them.

The villagers, seeing the village tyrant come bearing fish, quaked in terror yet showered them with gratitude. Chen Shi borrowed some green onions and cilantro, and they headed home. Blackie Pot was already stewing the badger, with Li Tianqing tending the fire.

"Tonight's the night to strike!"

Little Five thought to himself. "Deep in the night, kill Little Ten first, then the dog. Send the whole village to the underworld to keep Dad company—spare only Old Lady Wuzhu!"

The thought delighted him; his eyes crinkled in mirth, a smile beaming on his face.

Chen Shi saw him smiling and felt happy too.

By evening, Chen Shi released Sang Yu and had her guard Huangpo Village once more.

Sang Yu wasn't thrilled about it, though. Perched on Chen Shi's Divine Shrine, it was pure bliss—basking in incense while heaven-and-earth righteous qi bathed her body, sending her cultivation skyrocketing.

Back in her tree form, none of those perks.

"I wonder if Young Master will take me into his little shrine tomorrow."

She mused to herself.

But spotting Little Five left her puzzled.

"How did he get here?"

Others might not recognize Little Five, but she did.

As Huangpo Village's godmother, she'd seen him plenty of times and could easily tell him apart from Chen Tang.

She'd never heard tales of his misdeeds, though, so she put it out of mind.

After dinner, Little Five pitched in washing pots and bowls. He saw Chen Shi still bustling about, dumping basin after basin of herbs into a pot, which puzzled him.

"What's he up to? Doesn't matter—I'll stay cold-hearted. Tonight, I send him to meet Dad!"

Then he noticed Blackie Pot stoking a small stove, brewing medicine too, which baffled him even more.

Blackie Pot finished brewing. Chen Shi lifted the bowl of pitch-black, foul-smelling brew and gulped it down.

"A real glutton."

Little Five thought admiringly. "Roast goose? Stuff the live bird's belly with seasonings first, marinate from the inside out.

He gets self-marinating."

Chen Shi ladled the brew from the big pot into a large vat set over the fire.

He stripped off his clothes and soaked in the medicinal water, while Blackie Pot lit the fire beneath and added fuel.

Little Five approved even more.

"Marinate inside for flavor, outside too—that's how you get real taste."

Suddenly, he spotted the cyan ghost hand on Chen Shi's chest and froze. He stepped forward.

"Little Ten, what's this handprint on your chest?"

Chen Shi, touched by the concern, tried to keep a straight face but softened.

"It's my sickness.

I died ten years back, didn't I? These two years since reviving, it flares up constantly. Every night, I brew medicine, or the cyan ghost hand on my chest acts up, clamps my heart like a vise. Died loads of times that way.

Thank goodness Grandpa's home to pull me back."

Little Five went quiet for a moment.

"Does it hurt?"

"It hurts."

Chen Shi said.

"Sometimes the pain just kills me."

Little Five stared at the cyan ghost hand, face grave.

"Even your grandpa can't fix it?"

Chen Shi nodded faintly.

Little Five reached out, stroking the back of his head. There was a thumb-thick scar, bulging like a massive centipede sprawled across his scalp.

"This is the scar from when they cut out my Divine Embryo."

Chen Shi grinned.

"Wound's long healed. No pain usually. Rainy days, a little ache, but bearable."

Little Five let out a heavy breath, voice husky.

"You've suffered plenty. More than me."

Chen Shi fell silent.

Little Five noticed ripples on the vat's surface—teardrops plinking the water.

For the first time since Grandpa left, Chen Shi felt the warmth of kin's care.

After his medicinal soak, Little Five peered from behind the window lattice, watching Chen Shi—bare-chested in the yard—practice the Big Dipper Seven Refinements.

The kid's talent was exceptional, yet he trained harder than anyone. It left even Little Five a bit ashamed.

Blackie Pot dragged the vat, dumped the dregs, fetched clean water, and rinsed it out.

Little Five watched the scene, emotions surging like tides.

After training, Chen Shi turned in. Li Tianqing was already asleep in the west wing.

Blackie Pot returned to his kennel, curling up on the iron pellets.

Only Little Five remained awake.

Moonlight bathed everything—prime time for killing.

He vaulted out the window and headed beyond Huangpo Village.

Outside the village, seven bizarrely attired Heavenly Listeners rode immortal cranes to the outskirts and dismounted.

These seven oversaw all affairs in Xinduo Province—authority far exceeding the Apostles, ranking above them among the Heavenly Listeners.

Heavenly Listeners were tiered by rank: Apostles, Deacons, Venerables, Venerable Kings, and Venerable Lords. Apostles were the lowest, scouting intelligence, monitoring public sentiment, hunting anomalies and upheavals.

Deacons managed counties or cities, compiling and reporting intelligence. Venerables coordinated provincial crises.

Xinduo Province boasted sixty Deacons and one Venerable.

Chen Shi's offhand threat to kill a Heavenly Listener was trivial internally—just have Apostles keep tabs on him.

But the Great Ming Treasure Ship's appearance was major. As it sailed downriver into the vast Dark Sea, its passengers vanished. Thus, nearby Apostles converged to surveil Chen Shi.

All those Apostles vanished without word.

Hence, the Heavenly Listeners dispatched these seven Deacons to investigate.

The seven landed and fanned out across Huangpo Village.

One had barely touched down when huge ears sprouted on surrounding trees—some two or three feet across, others a foot, like a forest blooming with wood ear mushrooms after rain.

As he advanced, more trumpet-shaped ears erupted from the ground, house walls, rooftops, water jars—even rice vats.

Even Sang Yu's true form, the divine tree, sprouted big ears!

Sang Yu marveled at her own transformation, only to see the ears swiveling stealthily toward Chen Shi's house.

This Deacon finished his setup when a tall young man approached.

"Heavenly Listener business—"

He'd barely spoken when the world spun. The next instant, he was shoved headfirst into Little Five's mouth, legs kicking futilely outside.

The other five Deacons whipped their ears toward the disturbance, listening intently.

They were too far to see one another—sound was their only link.

"Most hate you prying busybodies."

They heard a peculiar voice.

The next moment, another Deacon spotted a young man approaching him.

Of the seven Deacons, one unluckily landed on Yellow Earth Hill. He hit the ground and thudded to his knees, drenched in cold sweat.

The yellow earth qi pinned him immobile.

The other six Deacons fared better, landing nowhere near Yellow Earth Hill.

By the time Little Five devoured those six, this one still lived—but spellbound, oblivious to events outside.

Footsteps approached. He strained to look up and finally saw Little Five drawing near.

Swish—

Darkness engulfed his world.

"It's Little Five. No wonder someone's prowling around at this hour."

Scholar Zhu's voice drifted from Yellow Earth Hill.

"Teacher Youcai?"

Little Five halted, eyeing Scholar Zhu dangling beneath the old willow.

Scholar Zhu said,

"Little Five, it's been ages.

Where've you been all these years?"

Little Five replied,

"I got in trouble. Dad sealed me away.

Dad's really dead?"

Scholar Zhu nodded gently.

"Really dead.

He refined himself into a zombie with corpse-refining arts, then water-fire tempered to prevent decay.

Moonlight hit him, demonic frenzy overtook—couldn't hold it back. Had to flee to the underworld."

Little Five's grief eased at that. He cracked a smile.

"So that's how he went."

His mood soared.

"The outer gods' ears stretch too far.

Don't like it. Off to clip their ears across Xinduo."

He sprang skyward, streaking away as sword light.

Scholar Zhu watched him vanish in the sword gleam and murmured,

"Little Five walks the earth again—trouble's brewing. No sense of good or evil in that heart. When he turns wicked, worse than any demon! Disaster class, I'd wager?"

Xinduo Province's Heavenly Venerable awaited word from Huangpo Village in his compound, but none came. Then, an odd sound stirred within the mansion.

He remained impassive, but tiny critters slithered from beneath his robes.

Eight-legged mini Spirits, spiderish but bearing massive ears on their backs. They scuttled swiftly, growing larger as they climbed walls, shadows in corners, rooftops, pillars—hiding away to eavesdrop on every whisper around.

"My ears catch everything—breaths, heartbeats, blood rushing, wind teasing fine hairs. I track every enemy move.

Foes strike, and I counter before they finish.

No spell in the world evades my hearing.

Hide as you like; you're an open book."

Pen in hand, eyes unraised, he drawled,

"I see through you like glass.

No secrets from me. Why skulk?"

His words barely landed when Little Five strode right up to him, voice in his ears:

"So you're stronger than the Venerable Kings?"

"Venerable Kings?"

The Heavenly Venerable smirked arrogantly.

"Why call on them for trash like you?"

Little Five made a noise.

"Twenty years back, I slew four of your Venerable Kings at Golden Mountain. Hung 'em in the sky for snacks."

The Venerable blanched. Twenty years ago—four Venerable Kings, strung up in the heavens?

Terror dawned: he knew who stood before him.

Crack!

Little Five snapped his neck.

Little Five shoved the corpse aside and rifled through recent Xinduo event logs. Sure enough, Chen Shi's dossier.

He pored over it. The Heavenly Listeners had faithfully chronicled every deed.

"This little guy's style ain't like Chen Tang at all.

More like me—"