Chen Shi's grandfather, known as Master Chen by Prince Xiao, was mentioned by him outside Mirror Lake Manor. Chen Shi quickly thanked Prince Xiao and asked in confusion, "Does Grandpa know about these things too?"
Prince Xiao replied calmly, "Although his knowledge isn't as vast as mine, it's not far off. Naturally, he understands."
Chen Shi was puzzled. He always thought of his grandfather as an ordinary talisman master, but the appearance of Granny Sha and Prince Xiao made him reconsider.
If Grandpa knew so much, why hadn't he taught him?
"Why are you out at night and ended up in such a situation?" Prince Xiao asked.
Chen Shi explained how the Zhao family had sent people to ambush him, how he fought back, and then went to Boxwood Village for revenge. He admitted, "I'm a bit foolish. I thought since Sanwang died, I had to kill the person responsible to avenge him. I chased and chased until now, putting myself in danger."
"Zhao's guest with a long beard, Wu's sword shining like frost... Three cups of wine and a promise, the Five Sacred Mountains become light. You have a chivalrous spirit."
Prince Xiao showed appreciation and said, "Your technique is extraordinary, far surpassing the Heavenly Heart True Qi Technique taught in private schools. The Heavenly Heart True Qi Technique is just a basic method for scholars, mainly for nurturing energy and building a foundation, forming a divine altar, and receiving the blessing of the Heavenly True God to form a divine fetus. But your technique is different; it strengthens the body and spirit. Even I haven't seen many techniques that can compare. Did you get this from the True King's Tomb?"
His sharp gaze fell on Chen Shi, as if trying to see if he was telling the truth.
Chen Shi replied honestly, "I got this technique from the True King's Tomb, but Uncle Yangjiao stopped me from getting the complete version. If you think it's good, I can write it down for you."
Prince Xiao was surprised, "Write it down for me? What do you want in exchange?"
Chen Shi shook his head, "You're Grandpa's friend, and you just gave me advice without asking for anything in return. I don't have anything valuable to give you, so if you like it, I'll give it to you. I don't want anything in return."
Prince Xiao looked into his eyes, trying to see if he was sincere or not.
After a moment, Prince Xiao shook his head, "I don't need your technique. It's good, but I've seen a few techniques of similar quality. Besides, at my current level, switching to another technique would be more trouble than it's worth. However..."
He paused and smiled, "You're interesting. The roads at night are hard to navigate, and evil spirits are everywhere. With your strength, you wouldn't make it back to the village. I have something to do tonight, so I can't take you back right now. If you can wait, I'll take you back when I'm done. Can you wait?"
Chen Shi got into the carriage and smiled, "I can wait."
He looked around, seeing green glowing eyes and red lanterns in the darkness—eyes of evil spirits waiting for him to be alone.
If he went back alone, even if he knew the way, he probably wouldn't last long before being eaten by these spirits!
He was curious why Prince Xiao was out doing things at such a dangerous time.
The coachman cracked the whip, making a loud sound in the air. The four horses perked up, pulling the carriage, and the wheels seemed to float a few inches above the ground, avoiding the rocks.
The horses moved quickly, their hooves barely touching the ground, as if they were gliding on the wind.
Chen Shi noticed the horses didn't have Armored Horse Talismans tied to their legs, yet they could run like the wind. They must be a special breed.
"That's it, the Armored Horse Talisman mimics a horse's run, enhanced with wind and cloud symbols. These horses have divine beast blood, so they naturally run fast," Chen Shi thought.
The carriage was silent, except for the rumbling wheels and the sound of hooves.
After a while, Prince Xiao said, "Your technique is good, your character is good, and most importantly, your talent is high. Even if someone took your divine fetus, you will achieve great things in the future."
"Really?" Chen Shi's eyes lit up.
Prince Xiao replied calmly, "Why would I lie to you?"
Chen Shi was overjoyed; he needed encouragement.
Since he woke up from his slumber, he had been figuring out how to cultivate, how to preserve True Qi, how to stop being useless, and how to rebuild the divine altar. But he had no friends; Heiguo couldn't talk, Grandpa wouldn't encourage him, Godmother was like a stone, and Scholar Zhu only spoke in riddles.
He had to figure things out on his own.
If he made a mistake and died alone in the wild, no one would know.
But Chen Shi was willing to take the risk!
He wanted to become strong. He didn't want to be useless his whole life. He wanted to give Grandpa a stable and prosperous old age!
No one had recognized him before, but now that Prince Xiao did, his joy was unimaginable.
The carriage traveled through the night on a quiet road, with ancient trees on both sides casting shadows like monster claws under the moonlight.
Prince Xiao looked at the moonlight outside and said slowly, "Once, there was a person whose talent wasn't high. He only built his foundation at twelve and completed it at fifteen. Building a foundation usually takes a hundred days, but it took him three to four years, showing how poor his talent was.
Later, he worked hard to become a scholar, received a divine blessing, and formed a divine fetus. But divine fetuses are ranked, and his was the lowest, called an Illusionary Fetus, meaning it was like a dream or illusion. Do you think such a foolish person could achieve great things?"
Chen Shi shook his head.
A divine fetus represents a True God's recognition of a cultivator's talent. The lower the rank, the lower the talent.
An Illusionary Fetus, the lowest rank, meant his talent was barely above an ordinary person's.
Prince Xiao continued, "This person was stubborn, persistent, and believed he wouldn't waste his life. His classmates and colleagues reached the Transformation Stage, forming Golden Cores and Nascent Souls, while he was still at the Divine Fetus Stage. But he didn't give up.
He kept refining his divine fetus and practicing the basics. Ten years later, he reached the Transformation Stage and formed a Golden Core. By then, his old friends were strong in the Refining Stage, and the gap widened.
But another ten years later, he caught up. After another ten years, he became famous for his nearly invincible power."
He paused and said, "His Illusionary Fetus was almost like having none, but through sheer willpower, he achieved greatness. If he could do it, so can you."
Chen Shi was inspired, looking at Prince Xiao with admiration, "Is the person you're talking about you?"
Prince Xiao shook his head, proudly saying, "I trained from a young age, formed a divine fetus at nine, one of the strongest, and became famous as a youth. How could I be so foolish?"
Chen Shi was stunned and stammered, "Then who is this person?"
"This foolish person is named Chen Yin, your grandfather," Prince Xiao said calmly.
Chen Shi was shocked. Could Grandpa really be that amazing?
He hadn't interacted much with Prince Xiao, but he could tell Prince Xiao was proud. To earn his praise, one must be exceptional.
To be praised by someone like Prince Xiao as nearly invincible meant his power was truly unmatched!
But Grandpa seemed like an old man nearing the end of his life, his greatest skill being drawing talismans to support the family.
How could he have such power?
What else was Grandpa hiding?
"No matter how he was back then, now Grandpa is old."
Chen Shi thought sadly, "He's aged. No matter how strong he was when young, now he's just an old man. He doesn't even eat properly. He needs someone to take care of him."
The carriage entered the foothills, the road becoming rough, yet the four horses moved as if on flat ground.
After some time, the carriage reached the foot of a mountain, where there was a city brightly lit at night.
Chen Shi was surprised. He knew Heavenly Yang Mountain well, having traveled all over with Grandpa. When did a city appear here?
The carriage entered the strange city, with high, smooth walls and a tall gate with the words "Reckless" on it.
Chen Shi looked out, seeing blue-faced, sharp-toothed ghosts with grim faces holding weapons along the road.
His heart skipped a beat. The city's residents were mostly people with missing limbs or decaying bodies, clearly dead.
Some were intact, but it was hard to tell if they were alive or dead.
"Is this an underworld city?"
He felt uneasy.
He looked around. The place was lively, with laughter and music, unlike the underworld he had visited.
Chen Shi had died before and been to the underworld, a place of gloom where people wandered like zombies, becoming food for unseen beings in the mist.
Here, however, was like a happy city, free from the troubles of the living world and the dangers of the underworld, where ghosts lived happily.
"This place is called Reckless. Here, evil can't thrive, and lies can't be told. In this city, no one can lie."
Prince Xiao explained, "I meet people here because of this. The person I'm meeting is good at lying. If not here, I wouldn't believe a word. Oh, and if you lie here, your tongue will be pulled out."
Chen Shi blinked. No lying in this city?
"People in my village call me Little Honest. I never lie. In Reckless City, I'll fit right in."
Despite thinking this, Chen Shi didn't dare say it out loud, only thinking it.
Because as soon as he thought it, he felt a strange force tugging at his tongue!
Luckily, he only thought it. If he had said it, his tongue might be gone.
"I never had feelings for that girl!" someone shouted from the roadside.
Chen Shi looked over to see a couple arguing. The husband had just said this when his mouth opened involuntarily, and his tongue flew out, landing on the ground.
A dog darted out, snatching the tongue.
Chen Shi shivered, seeing the onlookers laugh with open mouths.
He noticed many of them were missing tongues too.
"They lost their tongues for lying."
Chen Shi shuddered. You really can't lie in this city!
"This city is made to deal with honest people like me!" he thought.
The carriage took them to a teahouse, where they stopped, and a servant came to help park the carriage in the back.
Prince Xiao went upstairs, led by a servant to a private seat by the window.
Chen Shi observed the servant, who wasn't human, having four arms, each holding a tray, serving guests diligently.
"What good tea do you have for calming the mind? I'm expecting a guest," Prince Xiao asked.
"Master Xiao, we recently got some fresh Pu'er from Lingnan, taken from a merchant. It's excellent. Would you like to try it?"
Prince Xiao nodded slightly and waved his hand.
The servant went to brew the tea.
When the tea arrived, Prince Xiao placed a ten-tael silver ingot on the table. Chen Shi found the silver familiar.
Prince Xiao said, "Found it on the road. Don't know who left it in the middle."
Chen Shi felt wronged but said nothing.
The servant took the silver and served them more attentively, bringing plates of dried fruits and meats.
Prince Xiao sipped his tea, then said softly, "She's here."
Chen Shi looked down and saw a tall, thin ghost carrying a green lantern approaching the teahouse. The ghost was about one and a half meters tall, bony, and hunched, looking hungry.
Under the lantern, a woman in red, wearing a rain hat and veil, walked in the light cast by the lantern.
The lantern was held high, its hollow bottom casting a beam of light on the ground, forming a circle.
The woman in the red dress and black rain hat walked within the circle, moving gracefully.
Her figure was enchanting, especially her slender waist, which seemed to invite a touch.
Chen Shi couldn't help but take a few more glances.
The woman entered the teahouse, her footsteps echoing on the stairs. She appeared before them, her eyes glancing under the veil, then walked towards Chen Shi.
Her waist swayed gently, her hips full, as she sat down, removing her hat and veil to reveal a beautiful face.
She glanced at Chen Shi and laughed charmingly, full of allure.
"Little brother, do you think sister is pretty? Do you want to sleep with sister?"
—Thanks to Muggle1 for the support, you're amazing!