Chen Shi didn't know that the Iron Brush Elder was dead. He kept attacking the various talismans, but they were unbreakable. Some of these talismans, like the Five Ghosts and Six Calamities, were so powerful that even one evil spirit from them was too much for Chen Shi to handle.
He continued his frantic assault, fearing that the Iron Brush Elder might recover and strike back. But after a long time, he still couldn't break through the Eight Trigrams Protection Talisman, and despair began to set in.
The more desperate he became, the more frenzied his attacks grew.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!" Heiguo barked loudly at him, but Chen Shi was too caught up in his frenzy to hear.
When Chen Shi finally grew tired, the Eight Trigrams Protection Talisman was still intact. His hands were bloody, and his skin was torn from the impact. The talismans of this old talisman master were incredibly strong.
"Woof! Woof!" Heiguo bit his pant leg and pulled him back.
Chen Shi wanted to keep fighting, but he stumbled and finally regained a bit of clarity. He looked past the strange lights and saw the Iron Brush Elder kneeling, lifeless for some time.
He was stunned. "Dead?"
Then, he was overjoyed. "Dead! He's finally dead! I beat him to death!"
Chen Shi laughed wildly, his knees giving way as he sat on the ground, laughing like a madman. "He had so many powerful talismans, but he didn't get to use them before I killed him! Good riddance!"
He almost lost his breath from laughing and quickly calmed himself, taking deep breaths.
After a moment, Chen Shi shakily stood up and spat at the Iron Brush Elder. "Serves you right!" he said fiercely.
Heiguo, feeling uneasy, also spat.
After resting a bit, Chen Shi dragged Zhao Ming's body to the roadside. His arms and legs were weak, and he struggled to move the body.
Eventually, the power of the Eight Trigrams Protection Talisman faded, revealing the Iron Brush Elder's body. Chen Shi dragged it to the roadside as well.
"They're from the Zhao family, investigating the disappearance of the woman in purple. I need to dispose of the bodies, or the Zhao family will cause trouble."
Chen Shi looked up at the sky. The two suns were setting, and the sky was glowing red like a sunset. Night was approaching.
"At night, wild beasts and evil spirits will come out and destroy the bodies."
Chen Shi frowned slightly. It was too late to return to Yellow Slope Village. The only place to avoid the dangers of night was Boxwood Village.
"Heiguo, let's go to Boxwood Village!"
Heiguo hesitated but quickly followed Chen Shi as they headed to Boxwood Village.
As the red sky filled with the color of sunset, Chen Shi, with bloody hands, and Heiguo walked on the crimson ground to the entrance of Boxwood Village.
Behind them, the sound of wheels echoed. An elderly man with a strong build sat on a wooden cart, holding a compass, also heading to Boxwood Village.
—Grandfather finally came to take them home.
Chen Shi glanced back at the cart but didn't go to meet it. Instead, he walked directly to the temple in the center of the village.
Heiguo hesitated but chose to follow Chen Shi instead of greeting Grandfather.
Villagers came out of their houses, their eyes fixed on the man and the dog.
Chen Shi, full of killing intent yet smiling, walked straight to the temple ruins without hesitation.
The fat deity statue looked at his bloody hands, its eyes filled with fear and avoidance.
Chen Shi's fight with the Iron Brush Elder two miles away hadn't escaped its notice, and it was truly frightened.
Chen Shi swept all the offerings off the altar and sat down, staring at the fat deity.
"I killed the talisman master you made a deal with. You must have seen it."
Chen Shi stared into the deity's small eyes. "As a godmother, you conspired with outsiders, causing the death of your three godsons. You are unworthy of the name godmother and the incense burned in your honor! When others spoke ill of you, you let evil spirits into the village, harming entire families. What punishment should a godmother who does wrong receive, and who dares to punish you?"
The fat deity's face turned blue and menacing, roaring like thunder, "Who dares to judge me? Who dares to punish me?"
Behind it, the bronze statue with a blue face and tusks glowed brightly, illuminating the temple as if it were daytime!
Light shone out from the temple, causing the villagers of Boxwood Village to tremble. The timid ones even knelt, bowing repeatedly, praying for the godmother's forgiveness.
"I dare!"
A young, angry voice came from the temple. Some brave villagers, like Sanwang, peeked inside and saw Chen Shi leap from the altar, kicking at thin air.
It seemed like he kicked nothing, yet it was as if he had struck something solid. —They couldn't see the fat deity.
But Chen Shi could.
His kick twisted the fat deity's face, its features almost sinking into its head!
The fat deity roared and stood up, its body of condensed power trembling with terrifying divine strength, ready to explode!
At that moment, the sound of wheels approached. Grandfather, sitting on the cart, slowly came closer.
The fat deity shivered, its small eyes filled with fear.
"Do you dare fight back?"
Chen Shi was even angrier, sweeping his leg at the fat deity's neck, causing its neck and belly fat to ripple like waves.
The fat deity was knocked to the side by the force, and Chen Shi jumped down from the altar, stepping on its chest and punching its face hard!
The sound of fists hitting flesh echoed from the temple, and the villagers outside widened their eyes, peeking inside. Some were terrified, while others smiled with satisfaction, and some knelt, bowing repeatedly, praying for the godmother's forgiveness.
"You were made a godmother, yet you didn't protect the villagers. You let evil spirits in to harm people!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"You were made a godmother, yet you threatened villagers in their dreams!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"You were made a godmother, yet you conspired with outsiders, causing the death of village children!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
More villagers watched eagerly, seeing Chen Shi lift the altar and smash it down, even though there was nothing visible below. The sound of impact was very real.
"Stop, stop!" a voice called out.
Chen Shi kept smashing until the altar was broken, leaving only the legs, which he continued to use as a club.
He only stopped when the legs broke, tossing them aside. He picked up the incense burner and smashed it on the fat deity!
This time, the sound was a dull thud, very heavy.
"You were made a godmother, yet you bullied my friend Fugui!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"You were made a godmother, yet you bullied Fugui's friends!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"You even planned to eat them!"
The sound of hammering and smashing continued for half an hour before Chen Shi's anger finally subsided. The fat deity was already unrecognizable, lying on the ground with a swollen face like a pig's head.
Chen Shi carried the incense burner to the temple entrance, where a crowd of villagers stared at him. These were the people of Boxwood Village.
Chen Shi grinned, tossing the incense burner outside the temple, already smashed flat.
He wiped the sweat from his face, his hands stained with blood, making his face look rugged.
After the fight, he felt a bit hungry, wanting to eat something.
"This fat guy..."
Chen Shi hesitated, dismissing the thought with a laugh. "The fat guy is a deity, not food. How could I even think of eating him? It scared me."
He didn't notice the green ghost hand on his chest glowing faintly, now dimming.
Chen Shi was about to leave the temple when he paused and returned.
The fat deity on the ground shivered, but Chen Shi didn't approach it. Instead, he went to the bronze statue with a blue face and tusks.
The fat deity was a manifestation of power, but the bronze statue was the godmother's true form.
Chen Shi reached out, gripping one of the statue's fingers, slowly bending it until it broke.
The fat deity on the ground writhed in agony, screaming.
Chen Shi grabbed another finger, bending it until it snapped.
One by one, he broke all ten fingers of the statue!
Chen Shi twisted the ten fingers into a copper braid, tossing it onto the fat deity.
"My friend Fugui's three friends want to leave your broken temple. If you dare to stop them, I'll twist your head off and use it as a chamber pot!"
Chen Shi said, his tone softening as he waved to the three children in the corner, smiling, "Come on, you can go home now."
The three children's spirits nervously approached, bypassing the fat deity to stand by Chen Shi.
Chen Shi led them out of the temple, and the three children easily crossed the threshold.
The children's spirits looked at Chen Shi with admiration.
Chen Shi said, "You can go home now, see your parents. After seven days, if an underworld messenger comes for you, go with him. Don't stay in the human world."
The three children ran to their parents, who couldn't see them but felt their presence.
Chen Shi walked to the cart, where the old man stood, the dog wagging its tail at him. The moonlight cast a serene and mysterious glow.
"Going out to deal with evil on your own, growing up."
Grandfather took his hand, cleaning the blood from his wounds, speaking gruffly, "How much money did you make?"
Chen Shi was alert, shaking his head, "I didn't make any money. There was a talisman master killing people, using children to make life-extending lamp oil. Seeing the villagers were poor, I didn't charge them."
For some reason, his heart pounded, and the silver in his sleeve felt burning hot.
Grandfather grunted, not pressing further, applying medicine to his wounds, "Let's go home, take your medicine."
Chen Shi sighed in relief, quickly saying, "The moon is up now, going home is dangerous. Let's stay in the temple for the night."
In the temple, the fat deity almost fainted.
Grandfather shook his head, "You killed someone and beat this fat guy so badly. If you don't take your medicine, your illness might flare up. Hang some Peachwood Talismans, and we should get home safely."
Chen Shi remembered the pain that felt like dying and shuddered, climbing onto the cart.
The cart rolled out of the village, and Chen Shi remembered something, turning back with a fierce warning, "Fatty, I live in the next village. You better behave and be a good godmother! Or I'll come beat you on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and also on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays!"
The fat deity shivered.
—Still asking for votes and recommendations!!
Recommending a brother's book, "I Don't Cheat, I Open Divination." If your life can't cheat, I can teach you divination, interpreting fate and feng shui from a life master's perspective, blending novels into reality and reality into novels. Highly recommended for reading.