With Prince Xiao not around, the horses and driver of the carriage were still obedient and hadn't turned to stone.
"To Thunderstrike Mountain!" Chen Shi hopped onto the carriage, excitedly giving the order.
Thunderstrike Mountain was the place that had been almost flattened by the Red Barbarian Cannon. The driver shouted, and the horses set off at a gallop.
In no time, they arrived at the foot of Thunderstrike Mountain. Chen Shi searched around and found an intact Red Barbarian Cannon in a mountain ditch. The soldiers who operated the cannon were dead, their bodies scattered all over.
With the moon yet to rise, the bodies remained.
Chen Shi quickly jumped off the carriage. After a moment, he lifted the two or three thousand-pound cannon and placed it in the carriage.
The driver looked at him in confusion but didn't ask any questions.
Chen Shi didn't bother with the cannon cart as it was damaged. He just loaded the baskets of black iron cannonballs onto the carriage, excitedly saying, "Let's go! Back to Yellow Slope Village to establish my reign!"
The driver took them to Yellow Slope Village. Chen Shi was in high spirits, jumping off the carriage and carrying the Red Barbarian Cannon around the village, full of enthusiasm.
The massive cannon, weighing two or three thousand pounds, was carried on his shoulder, and he walked around the village three or four times without feeling tired.
The villagers didn't dare show themselves, every household locked their doors tightly. Not a single child came out to kneel and welcome King Chen, nor did anyone show support for his reign—there wasn't even a ghostly shadow to be seen.
Chen Shi soon lost interest, feeling disappointed. He placed the Red Barbarian Cannon at Old Chen's house, standing it against the wall, and piled the black iron cannonballs in the doghouse.
Heiguo, the dog, lay on the ground, watching its young master busying about. After a while, the dog climbed onto the cannonballs to sleep. The cold cannonballs made for a comfortable bed.
After finishing his tasks, Chen Shi had a sudden idea. He picked up the Red Barbarian Cannon again, intending to fire a couple of shots to celebrate his new reign. But then he thought about how it belonged to the Divine Mechanism Battalion, and if they came looking for it, King Chen would likely be in trouble. So, he gave up on the idea.
Glancing at Heiguo lying on the cannonballs, Chen Shi quietly slipped into his room, took out a piece of wire, and crawled under his bed. He poked around in a mouse hole and hooked out a small cloth bag.
Opening the bag, he found a few ounces of broken silver.
He sighed in relief. This was his secret stash, saved up with great difficulty. His grandfather hadn't found it, nor had Heiguo dug it up.
"I'm strong enough now. As long as I keep my True Qi steady, the Divine Altar can last for a long time. If I save a bit more money, I can enroll in the private school in town and take this year's county exam to become a scholar."
Counting his meager silver, Chen Shi thought, "If I become a scholar, there will be a divine blessing ceremony, and the True God might descend to grant me a Divine Fetus. If I play my cards right, the True God might give me a new Divine Fetus, and then I won't be useless anymore. In the future, I could pass the provincial exam and live a good life with my grandfather, lording over the villagers."
Just as he was thinking this, he noticed a shadow with a dog head in the sunlight on the floor. Startled, he quickly looked up.
He saw the big black dog with its front paws on the windowsill, its head poking through, looking at him quietly.
"My money has been discovered!"
Chen Shi, driven by anger, lunged at the dog, wrestling with it, shouting, "Heiguo, you've found out my secret. Today, I'll have to silence you!"
Heiguo fought back, barking fiercely, not yielding an inch.
After a long tussle, they reached a compromise. Heiguo wouldn't tell on him, and Chen Shi wouldn't harm the dog. However, he had to buy Heiguo a pound or two of exotic beast meat from town. As compensation, Heiguo had to provide some black dog blood for Chen Shi to draw talismans.
Both were satisfied with this agreement.
Chen Shi, with Heiguo, set out again in the carriage. It must be said, Prince Xiao's carriage was fast. In no time, they reached Bridge Bay Town, over twenty miles away.
Bridge Bay referred to the bend in the Virtue River, where a five-arch bridge spanned the river. The town was named after this location.
Chen Shi bought two pounds of exotic beast meat for Heiguo and also picked up some kites, puzzle boards, Luban locks, diabolo, and spinning tops. These were toys Chen Shi himself didn't have but wanted to play with, yet he held back.
He put the toys in his bookcase and, riding in Prince Xiao's carriage, soon arrived at Boxwood Village.
The villagers of Boxwood Village were somewhat afraid of him.
The villagers had clear grudges. Chen Shi had done them a favor, saving children, paying for the burial of the deceased, avenging three children, and even teaching the godmother a lesson so she wouldn't bully them anymore. When Sanwang died, Chen Shi avenged him by killing the enemy.
The villagers remembered this kindness.
However, they were still worried. Six members of the Zhao family had died in Boxwood Village, and if the Zhao family sought revenge, how could ordinary folks like them resist?
Chen Shi called the village elder of Boxwood Village and said, "The Zhao family in the provincial capital lost six members this time. They might not let it go. If they come to investigate the village, just mention my name. If they come looking for trouble with me, and I kill them, they won't bother you."
The elder, an old man in his seventies with poor hearing, didn't catch what he said and mumbled to himself, "Our Boxwood Village may not have powerful people, but we won't betray our benefactor! Last time, it was Guanghao's wife who couldn't withstand the torture and confessed, disgracing our village. We've tied her up. With one word from you, we'll send her on her way!"
Chen Shi was taken aback. No wonder he saw a woman tied to a tree when he arrived. He thought the villagers were playing some kind of game, not expecting they were waiting for his decision.
Chen Shi picked up a branch from the ground, walked over to the woman, gave her a couple of swats, then tossed the branch aside, smiling, "Ungrateful, you deserved a beating. Now that I've punished you, let's forget the past. Don't make the same mistake again."
The woman lowered her head and thanked him.
Chen Shi repeated what he had said earlier. The elder finally understood, sighed in relief, but was still a bit worried, saying, "Wouldn't that bring trouble to you, benefactor?"
Chen Shi laughed, "This matter has nothing to do with Boxwood Village anymore. It's my business. I'll handle it! If the Zhao family comes, I'll deal with them one by one. Once enough have died, the Zhao family will naturally be willing to let go of their grudges."
After giving some instructions, he took the carriage into the mountains.
The driver, without any complaints, took him and Heiguo along.
On the way, Chen Shi offered incense to Granny Zhuang, the great black serpent of Mysterious Mountain, the Stream Maiden, and other mountain spirits. He also gave the toys he bought to the forest spirits, thanking them for saving Prince Xiao.
The spirits were overjoyed, playing with the toys happily.
Chen Shi and Heiguo entered the Mountain Lord Temple. Having not visited for days, the temple was no longer sunny, becoming gloomy and cold.
Even the unusual power was not as lively as before.
Chen Shi put down his bookcase, inserted three incense sticks into the temple's incense burner, and then activated the Three Lights True Qi Technique, stepping on the Big Dipper slowly and steadily as he walked in the hall.
Unknowingly, the unusual power in the temple became lively again, and it gradually brightened, though the light coming from the roof was not sunlight but a hazy moonlight.
Heiguo lay on the ground, looking up at the temple's sky, seeing a crescent moon hanging in the air, stars twinkling, as bright as the Milky Way.
That crescent moon wasn't the kind seen at night, the local moon.
The local moon's crescent was the vertical eye of the True God, with two eyelids that closed simultaneously, making the crescent leaf-shaped.
But the crescent seen in the temple was like a girl's curved eyebrow or the eyes of a smiling maiden, enchanting and serene.
This scene left the dog in a daze.
Behind Chen Shi, the Divine Altar appeared, divine light swirling and lingering.
His Divine Altar was becoming more stable. Although he didn't have a Divine Fetus, at this moment, True Qi flowed within him, accompanied by the continuous burst of starlight from the Big Dipper, melting into his body.
The Seven Northern Dipper Refinement was rapidly refining his body, advancing him towards the full refinement of his organs and bones!
At this rate, in just a few days, he could achieve the full refinement of his organs and bones!
By then, he would possess the Sacred Fetus Body!
Achieving the Sacred Fetus Body, his body would be comparable to a Divine Fetus!
Tired from training, Chen Shi stopped and lay down in the temple, hands behind his head, gazing at the exotic starry sky in the temple, lost in thought.
"After getting drunk, not knowing the sky is in the water, the whole boat is filled with dreams over the starry river. Where is this other world? When will I be able to see it for myself?" he wondered.
Outside Mirror Lake Manor, a tall, thin ghost carrying a lantern slowly approached, casting a round light spot on the ground. A red figure walked within the light.
Jin Hongying of the Divine Mechanism Battalion had finally found Prince Xiao's whereabouts.
"Who would have thought there'd be such a tranquil manor deep in the mountains? Prince Xiao, do you think hiding here means I can't find you?"
Jin Hongying chuckled, "You killed the commander of the Divine Mechanism Battalion with one sword strike, worthy of being a veteran. But that strike also revealed your weakness."
The manor was filled with coffins of various sizes, standing under ancient trees, extremely quiet, with no one to answer her.
Jin Hongying was unfazed, stepping over the threshold into the manor. Her expression suddenly changed, warily eyeing the coffins.
The number of coffins matched the number of trees.
Except for Chen Shi's thin coffin, the others were luxurious and heavy.
As she stepped into the manor, a powerful pressure emanated from the coffins!
"Playing tricks!"
Jin Hongying snorted coldly, taking another step forward.
With each step, the pressure increased!
The coffins grew larger in her view, the whole world twisting and spinning!
Jin Hongying's face turned red as she took another step.
With this step, her body trembled, and the tall, thin ghost carrying the lantern behind her suddenly exploded with a pop, turning into smoke and dissipating, dead!
Warm blood trickled from her nostrils, dripping onto her white chest, flowing down the middle.
"Wow—"
Unable to hold back, she spat out blood, not daring to linger, and turned to leave.
As she exited the manor, her red clothes fluttered, transforming into a red robe that flew away.
After a moment, the sound of clothes cutting through the air returned, and the red robe flew back. Outside the manor, Jin Hongying's laughter echoed, "Prince Xiao, I suddenly remembered, if living people can't enter the manor, what if those entering aren't alive?"
In the moonlight, two small white paper figures approached from outside the manor.
These were paper figures, cut with limbs and heads, only palm-sized, walking awkwardly.
They climbed over the threshold, entering the manor, muttering unintelligibly.
The paper figures drew paper swords from behind, chanting something unknown.
Suddenly, they sped up, rushing towards Prince Xiao's coffin, leaping up, and stabbing with their paper swords.
The small sword orbiting the coffin flew out, clashing with one of the paper swords, sparking a series of sparks!
The power from the paper sword was surprisingly strong, forcing the small sword back repeatedly.
This sword was one of Prince Xiao's twin swords, called Brolga.
Brolga protected the coffin, blocking the other paper sword. Just as it did, the first paper figure landed lightly, bounced up, and attacked swiftly.
The two little paper figures moved left and right, back and forth, their paper swords flying, overwhelming Brolga.
Suddenly, Brolga's speed increased, piercing one paper figure's back!
The other paper figure leaped, deflecting Brolga, saving its companion.
Brolga launched a flurry of attacks, as if an invisible sword master wielded it, pressuring the paper figures. The injured paper figure couldn't keep up, getting cut in half by Brolga.
Brolga was about to attack the other paper figure when it knelt, pretending to cry over its companion's body.
The remaining paper figure, with only its upper half, reached out, grasping its companion's hand, looking up as if wanting to speak, but its head drooped, and it died.
The paper figure pretended to wail, pounding its chest, then turned, glaring fiercely at Brolga.
It leaped, attacking with even greater speed, but Brolga was faster, its strikes unyielding.
The paper figure blocked a few strikes but couldn't withstand the attacks, getting pierced three times in the chest, falling.
Knowing its end was near, the paper figure crawled towards its companion, reaching out, trying to grasp its hand.
Brolga flew up, slicing it in half. The paper figure raised its head, stretching out its right hand, but collapsed, finally dead.
Brolga sighed in relief, then saw over a dozen paper figures climbing over the manor's threshold. These paper figures, like the previous ones, walked awkwardly, charmingly clumsy.
Some paper figures pulled out paper cannons and guns from behind the threshold, others shouted commands, seemingly preparing to attack the manor.