On the Path to the Great Dao

The two of them returned to Huangpo Village, where Li Xuanqing was already waiting at the village entrance. He whispered, "Little Ten, people from Xinxian County have arrived."

Chen Shi's heart jolted at the news. He glanced somewhat panicked at Creation Black, then lowered his voice. "People from Xinxian County? Could it be that one of the cases I committed before has come to light? Does Xuanqing know which case it is?"

He had committed too many crimes. Just the Zhao family alone had several incidents. Later there were the county magistrate killing in Xinxian, the merchant doorstep killing, and the assistant magistrate murder—all cases he had committed in Xinxian.

The other crimes were committed in other places. According to local rules, Xinxian County probably wouldn't get involved, right?

But it was hard to say. After all, they all violated the Great Ming laws.

He didn't want "Chen Tang" to know about these crimes he had committed. He was afraid Chen Tang wouldn't acknowledge him because of it.

Li Xuanqing shook his head. "I didn't dare ask in detail."

He too was worried that the Great Ming treasure ship matter had been exposed and that he would be captured and tortured by that family.

Creation Black inwardly laughed. How could the furtive whispers of these two fellows escape his ears and eyes?

At such a young age, how big of a case could they have pulled off? Fiercer than me? Just as he thought this, he suddenly recalled the string of heinous crimes Chen Shi had committed, which he had seen at Venerable Xuan Ting's place. His heart stirred. "Not to be underestimated."

If the people from Xinxian County were truly a threat to Little Ten, then he would take action.

Chen Shi hurriedly followed Li Xuanqing home. At the doorstep, they saw a carriage parked beside the plum tree, with several tall horses tethered nearby. A few yamen runners stood respectfully to the side, their gazes filled with awe as they looked toward Chen Shi.

"Da Ren, Talisman Master Chen has arrived."

One of the runners quickly stepped forward with a smiling face. "Talisman Master Chen, our Da Ren has come all the way from Xinxian County city. He rushed day and night and finally arrived here before sunset."

"Da Ren said that upon taking office this time, he must first pay a visit to Talisman Master Chen."

At this point, an official by the carriage hurriedly interrupted him and approached Chen Shi with a smile. "Talisman Master Chen, this lowly official is the new Xinxian County Magistrate, Wu Guangfu. I have just taken office."

"I have heard that Talisman Master Chen is a worldly hermit expert in Xinxian County, of high virtue and prestige. Thus, the very first thing upon my arrival, I have come to disturb you and seek your guidance on the way of governance."

Chen Shi, Li Xuanqing, Blackie Pot, and Creation Black were all stunned.

This new Xinxian County Magistrate had, on his very first day in office, traveled over a hundred li to Huangpo Village to visit Chen Shi!

A stately parent official of Xinxian County was speaking so humbly, asking Chen Shi for pointers.

Moreover, Chen Shi was clearly only around thirteen years old. Even counting the eight years he had been dead, he was only twenty. How was he of high virtue and prestige?

Chen Shi pondered. What did he have to teach County Magistrate Wu?

Teach him how to fleece the common folk?

"County Magistrate Wu, the taxes in Xinxian are a bit too heavy."

After careful consideration, Chen Shi said, "When acting as lords and fleecing the people, one must go easy and hard at the right times. When it's time to leave the people a bowl of rice, one absolutely cannot be stingy."

"Only if they eat their fill and grow fat, give birth to more young ones, and raise more livestock can we squeeze more oil from them."

Wu Guangfu's face showed surprise, and his gaze toward Chen Shi involuntarily carried a hint of respect.

The purpose of his visit was not truly to listen to teachings. He had heard that the previous two county magistrates of Xinxian had both died because of Chen Shi, one of them even killed personally by Chen Shi himself. Rumor had it that a county magistrate in the neighboring county had also been done in by him.

After inquiring around, he was shocked to learn that the previous provincial governor of Xinxian Province had also been exterminated because of Chen Shi. Thus, he had hurried over without delay to pay a visit.

Seeing that Chen Shi was merely a twelve- or thirteen-year-old child, he had felt some disdain. But after hearing this insight, he realized this boy truly had extraordinary qualities—profound views.

Chen Shi continued.

"If you fleece them too harshly, they will have no homes, go hungry, stop producing, and have no next generation. Would we not then be naked and dying in the second generation? If the people perish in the second generation, how can the court avoid perishing in the second?"

"I set up a talisman stall outside, and tax collectors come every time. I've seen those farmers who can't survive any longer offer themselves as sacrifices to Godmother and fight the government to the death. Why let it come to that? Why not nurture them with more oil to squeeze before it reaches that point? This is my way of fleecing the people, County Lord. Ponder it well."

"Student has been taught."

Wu Guangfu bowed deeply to the ground, utterly sincere. "Student came merely to build rapport with Mister, but unexpectedly heard such profound theories and gained immense benefit."

"My thanks for Mister's teachings."

"After taking office, this lowly official will certainly treat the people with all due benevolence."

Chen Shi returned the courtesy and smiled. "County Lord is too polite. I am but a mere scholar. How dare I accept such?"

Wu Guangfu did not wish to disturb further and rose to take his leave.

Chen Shi did not see him off.

As they returned to the courtyard, they suddenly heard another voice. "Is Chen Mister at home?"

Chen Shi frowned slightly. "What is it?"

The voice from outside carried a scholarly air, polite and refined. "This lowly official is Le County Magistrate Cui He. Having heard that Chen Shi, Chen Mister of Xinxian County, is a man of vast talent and profound learning, I have come from Le County to pay my respects to Mister."

Chen Shi opened the door and stepped out, only to see a refined and scholarly official standing outside, with several attendants behind him. The carriage and horses were parked outside Huangpo Village.

Cui He said, "Upon taking office, this lowly official could not fail to visit Mister first. Mister is of high virtue and prestige. He wishes to listen to your teachings."

Chen Shi was amused. He was but a scholar, a mere xiucai. What reason was there for this Le County Magistrate to neglect his county affairs and come seeking him?

Thus, he repeated word for word the admonition he had given to Xinxian County Magistrate Wu Guangfu, offering the same counsel to Cui He.

Cui He was impressed and bowed. "Mister's words carry subtle truth and great righteousness. Student admires them."

"Student departs now and will certainly raise the people well."

Chen Shi waved him off, signaling him to leave quickly.

"Student takes his leave."

Cui He departed.

Chen Shi watched him go, thinking to himself, "What Scholar Zhu taught me is indeed the way of governing the world."

These two county magistrates had been so thoroughly convinced by that one speech of his, and yet it was merely the superficial knowledge Scholar Zhu had imparted.

They returned for dinner and had just sat down when Li Xuanqing laughed. "From what I see, these new county magistrates are much better than the previous batch."

"Maybe they'll really treat the people well."

"Little Ten, should we call the other county magistrates too..."

He raised his hand in a downward chopping motion.

Chen Shi hurriedly kicked him under the table and shot him a stern glare.

Li Xuanqing got the hint. He knew he needed to put on the face of a good child in front of his own father, so he dropped the subject.

After all, there were many misunderstandings between father and son. Chen Shi was also afraid that if his crimes came to light, "Chen Tang" would disown him as a son.

Creation Black observed this and felt a sense of relief in his heart. "This child resembles me."

"When I did bad things, I hid them from my old man too."

He thought about it and realized that the bad things he did were not quite the same as Chen Shi's.

"Little Ten's theory on fleecing the people does have some merit."

Creation Black mused thoughtfully.

After the meal, Chen Shi and Li Xuanqing made an excuse about taking a stroll after eating and stepped out. Everyone in Huangpo Village had heard that two County Lords had come to visit Chen Shi and seek his teachings. The news spread like wildfire. Now, whenever the villagers looked at Chen the scholar, they no longer saw a chicken-stealing, dog-snatching rebel, but a handsome and elegant scholar lord.

Even Old Lady Wuzhu's gaze toward Chen Shi carried a bit more awe.

The ducks passing by Scholar Lord's side seemed to hold him in higher regard as well.

Chen Shi finally shook off the villagers and pulled Li Xuanqing to a secluded spot, whispering gravely, "Dad didn't recognize me before, and we've only just mended things. But if he learns I've committed so many crimes, he won't recognize me anymore!"

Li Xuanqing hurriedly admitted his mistake. "I didn't mean to."

"But the county magistrates of Xinxian Province really should all be replaced properly, come here and hear the theory on fleecing the people."

He sighed with feeling. What needed replacing was far beyond just one province?

In the forty provinces of West Ox New Continent, they all probably needed replacing.

But talk like that was impossible. Forget Chen Shi—even the Thirteen Families couldn't achieve it.

Because that would mean the end of the Thirteen Families!

Would the Thirteen Families ever do such a thing?

"Strange, where have the Xuan Ting attendants gone?"

The two arrived outside the village and looked around. The Xuan Ting attendants who had previously surrounded the village were nowhere to be seen. Night had fallen, and there were no evils near Qianyang Mountain. The surroundings were eerily quiet.

Suddenly, Chen Shi spotted the Black Ghost King standing tall in the forest, poised in strict vigilance.

"The Xuan Ting attendants are gone because Creation Black ate them."

Granny Sha's voice rang out. "Chen Shi, Li Xuanqing, fall back!"

"Creation Black?"

Chen Shi's heart shook violently. "Granny, what Creation Black?"

He looked toward the voice and saw Granny Sha standing on the shoulder of a Three Ghost King. The old woman's face was grave as she held a sheep-horn Xuangling Lamp, staring unblinkingly toward the Chen family home in Huangpo Village.

"You've recognized the wrong father!"

Granny Sha said solemnly, "This Chen Tang is not Chen Tang—he's Chen Wu. The ultimate talisman spirit your grandpa created, one that even he can't control! The Chen family home now has only the dog left—ignore it. Deliang!"

A bearded burly man stepped out from the woods. Suddenly, enormous fox tails emerged behind him, rising into the night sky!

The nine tails swayed, producing rumbling booms without end. Huangpo Village cracked apart into four directions. Chunks of earth carrying entire houses floated into the air and flew off in all directions!

All the villagers of Huangpo Village, except Blackie Pot, were inside their homes. Some had been strolling the streets after dinner, but one by one they lost their footing, hurriedly dropping to the ground or hugging trees to avoid plummeting into mush.

Even Huangpo Village's plum tree rose into the air along with the earth, drifting into the distance.

The houses flew more than ten li before landing in their respective places.

At the original site of Huangpo Village, only the Chen family home remained!

Creation Black sat in the courtyard, having lit a lamp. He sat beneath it sipping tea.

Blackie Pot burst through the door, only to see an abyss yawning beneath his feet—its depths unknown. For a moment, he dared not leap down.

Suddenly, a gust of阴风 blew in, pitch black and all-encompassing. When the black wind passed, Blackie Pot had vanished without a trace.

Creation Black continued sipping his tea under the lamp, showing no surprise whatsoever.

"A mutt that Old Dad took in does indeed have something special about it."

He murmured lowly, "It can actually flee into the underworld."

"Just what is the origin of this dog? I wonder if it tastes good."

"Creation Black, Qianyang Mountain is no place for you to run rampant!"

Granny Sha soared into the air. Bagua runes manifested around her body, inner light shining through her form. Primordial energies emerged, fusing with her flesh. In that instant, she resembled an empress descending to the world, wielding the boundless power of the bagua as she charged toward the Chen family home!

At the same time, Hu Deliang bolted madly onward. As he ran, he revealed his true form as a black fox. His true body was a white fox, but with a streak of black fur beneath its neck. It stretched over ten zhang long, its tails even longer than its body, with curly fox fur forming nine swirling vortex patterns.

"Ancestral land of Qingqiu, lend me your spiritual power!"

The nine-tailed black fox roared. Vaguely behind him materialized a magnificent Qingqiu Mountain—the ancestral ground of the fox clan on Huaxia's Li Continent!

Hu Deliang's origins were as ancient as Big Golden Pot Mountain. He too was a descendant of fox immigrants, carrying bloodline memories of Qingqiu ancestral ground on Huaxia's Li Continent. After becoming a black fox, those memories of the ancestral ground began to awaken.

Borrowing the spiritual power of Qingqiu ancestral ground, his momentum surged even stronger. He ran while shaking his nine tails, intent on tearing the Chen family home—and Creation Black—into fragments.

At the same time, Green Sheep revealed his true form, vast as a mountain ridge. The colossal sheep lowered its head and charged toward the Chen family home!

Zhuang Granny lifted her foot and stomped. From the abyss beneath the Chen family home, countless enormous roots shot out like coiling dragons, dancing wildly and weaving swiftly.

Zhuang Granny bellowed and struck with a distant palm. Instantly, the myriad roots coalesced into a massive hand spanning several mu, carrying gale-force winds and thunder, shoving toward the Chen family home!

Though she was no demon or evil, merely a spirit condensed from a tree into a spiritual manifestation, her magical power was truly vast and profound. If it were only refined from the incense offerings of the people over six thousand years, it would not be nearly so mighty.

Her magical power came more from the roots of that ancient tree from six thousand years ago—even larger and older than her present form!

Among all of them, her magical power was the deepest!

This palm strike carried her boundless magical power, arriving first at the Chen family home amid wind and thunder.

Boom!

The Chen family home stood unmoved, while Zhuang Granny's root-condensed hand shattered incessantly amid the wind and thunder, disintegrating and burning away.

Zhuang Granny let out a闷哼.

The attacks of the nine-tailed black fox, Green Sheep, and Granny Sha followed in quick succession. As the crowd unleashed their full might, they felt an invisible barrier surrounding the Chen family home. Any of their arts that entered were rapidly weakened!

"Creation Black has refined a Ghost God Domain!"

The three were alarmed inwardly and poured everything they had into assaulting the Ghost God Domain. Just as they compressed it to its utmost limit, a black silhouette strode through the air—it was the spiritual manifestation from Big Golden Pot Mountain.

The black-clad Pot Mountain figure arrived outside the Chen family home in a few steps and pointed a finger from afar.

The void rumbled with thunder. A massive black metal tail tore through the air like an enormous black drill bit. Its rear end was as thick as a mountain ridge, bearing supreme spiritual power as it bore down to crush Creation Black!

Creation Black finally set down his teacup and lifted his right hand, pointing outward.

The fingertip met the tail's tip. The black-clad Pot Mountain figure's body jolted violently and flew backward.

The lantern hanging above Creation Black's head swayed twice, as if stirred by wind.

But it quickly steadied.

Creation Black rose and walked outward. Granny Sha and the others tried to block him but could not. They watched helplessly as he approached Chen Shi's side.

Chen Shi watched this tall young man come before him. With a smile, he bent down and hooked his index finger to scrape Chen Shi's nose bridge.

"You used to scrape my nose just like that."

Creation Black laughed, straightened up, and prepared to leave.

"You..."

Chen Shi called out loudly. "You're really not Chen Tang?"

Creation Black turned back, his fierce features bared. He snarled viciously, "Of course I'm not Chen Tang! I am Creation Black—the lawless Creation Black! I am a heaven-born evil spirit, a monster your grandpa manufactured! You think I'm really your dad Chen Tang? Let me tell you, if not for Green Sheep and the others, I would've eaten you long ago!"

He leaped into the air and vanished into the distance.

Chen Shi chased after him swiftly but saw no trace.

Granny Sha and the others hurried over to protect him, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

Creation Black fled far away, swift as chasing wind and moon, without pause.

"I have no need for family ties!"

"I am Creation Black! Old Dad made me to be a supreme being unburdened by ties, heart free of distractions! I won't be dragged down by any emotions. I am the free and unfettered Old Dad without a care! And you..."

"You have Chen Tang. You don't need a fake family either."

"So, just who was it that severed Little Ten's primordial soul path?"

He headed toward West Capital—