The Evil Bodhisattva was furious, reattached its head, and chased after them with great strides, causing the ground to shake.
It moved incredibly fast, each step covering the distance of twenty steps for Chen Shi and his group. Even with the Armored Horse Talisman, they couldn't outrun it in a straight line.
However, this was Heavenly Yang Mountain, with its ever-changing terrain, steep cliffs, deep ravines, and dense forests. Despite its speed, the Evil Bodhisattva was repeatedly left behind by Chen Shi and his group using the terrain to their advantage.
Yet, it was indeed powerful, managing to find their trail time and again, continuing its relentless pursuit.
Seeing their Armored Horse Talisman's power about to run out, Chen Shi, carrying Jin Hongying, dove into a cave. Heiguo and Li Tianqing quickly followed. Inside, Chen Shi navigated the cave's twists and turns with ease, suggesting he had been there before.
The cave was like a maze, making Li Tianqing and Jin Hongying uneasy. Without Chen Shi's guidance, they might have gotten lost forever.
"Chen Shi must have been a mischievous kid to explore such dangerous caves. If he were my brother, I'd have spanked him!" Jin Hongying thought.
The cave walls had some glowing moss, which was quite peculiar. Once their eyes adjusted to the dim light, they could barely make out their surroundings.
The cave was dark and damp, but the air wasn't stuffy, suggesting multiple exits connecting to the outside, allowing for good airflow.
The Evil Bodhisattva, unable to find them, let out a sharp bird-like cry, though no one understood what it was saying.
"Follow me," Chen Shi whispered, setting Jin Hongying down and tightening the straps on his backpack.
They continued deeper into the cave with Chen Shi leading the way.
Jin Hongying and Li Tianqing estimated the distance and felt they were now inside the mountain. If they kept going, they might pass through to the other side.
Suddenly, they came upon a cliff inside the mountain. Jin Hongying almost slipped and fell, but Chen Shi caught her arm just in time.
A few rocks she stepped on fell into the abyss, and after a moment, they heard them hit the bottom.
This inner mountain cliff had a path chiseled along its side, only about two feet wide, but it was impressive nonetheless.
The three humans and one dog pressed against the cliff wall, inching forward. Midway, Li Tianqing noticed a massive skeleton on the opposite cliff, glowing faintly. The bones were large and stretched from the darkness below, climbing up the cliff.
They couldn't get closer to see if it was real bones or just stalactites.
"Heavenly Yang Mountain is full of strange things," they thought.
Without Chen Shi leading, they might never have seen such a sight in their lifetime.
They followed the cliff path to another cave, walked through it, and eventually emerged into a serene valley with a stream forming a small pool.
Chen Shi set down his backpack, which contained spirit-infused meat, about ten pounds of it.
Besides the meat, there was a small pot, a knife for collecting dog blood, and a cooking spoon.
The group was starving. Chen Shi cut a piece of meat for Heiguo, then set up a makeshift stove with some stones to cook and fill their bellies.
The surrounding trees had turned to porcelain, except for some dead ones that couldn't transform.
Li Tianqing chose a recently dead tree, split it with the Six Yin Jade Wheel, and used it as a cutting board.
Chen Shi cut the meat while Li Tianqing chopped wood with the Six Yin Jade Wheel. Jin Hongying had nothing to do and wandered off.
She noticed the pool nearby, checked herself, raised her arm, sniffed her armpit, and grimaced.
"I'm going to bathe. You two brats better not peek! If you do, I'll gouge out your eyes!" she called out as she headed to the pool.
Chen Shi and Li Tianqing agreed, hearing the rustling of clothes as Jin Hongying undressed.
Curiosity got the better of them, and they sneaked a peek, seeing a white figure with a graceful back and long, straight legs.
The woman raised her arms to tie her hair, sensed something, and turned around, but saw Chen Shi and Li Tianqing focused on their tasks.
When she turned back, the boys sneaked another look, but she was already in the water.
"If you see something you shouldn't, you'll get a sty in your eye!" Jin Hongying teased from the pool.
"Nothing worth seeing," Chen Shi said, focused on cutting meat.
Li Tianqing brought over chopped wood, also unimpressed. "Nothing special. I saw my cousin bathe when I was eight!"
Chen Shi added, "I once saw Widow Wang bathing in her yard. She invited me in, but I didn't go!"
Li Tianqing found a fire talisman in his backpack, started a fire, and said, "Hongying won't let us watch. Who cares? People can watch me bathe anytime."
The boys moved from discussing bathing to women's bodies, sharing what they knew and seriously discussing things they didn't understand.
As they talked, two hands reached over, grabbing their ears and pulling them up.
Jin Hongying, now dressed, had snuck up behind them, scolding, "You little rascals, thinking about girls when you're not even grown!"
They yelped in pain until she let go.
Her hair was still wet, so she tilted her head to comb it.
After talking about women, Chen Shi and Li Tianqing felt closer.
Indeed, boys had more to talk about with each other.
Once the food was ready, Li Tianqing used the Six Yin Jade Wheel to carve three pairs of chopsticks, and they sat down to eat.
Jin Hongying sighed, her brow furrowed. "That Zhao family! Zhao Yanlong caused this mess, and Zhao Tianbao, the New Township Governor, didn't send anyone to fix it. They should all be executed!"
Chen Shi, curious, asked, "Did the Zhao family release the Evil Bodhisattva?"
Jin Hongying nodded. "Who else? When it appeared, I rushed over and saw three Zhao experts killed by it. The Zhao family is after the True King's Tomb."
Li Tianqing added, "I guessed the Zhao family entered the kiln factory looking for the tomb, releasing the Evil Bodhisattva. If it were any other treasure, they wouldn't send so many people."
Jin Hongying shot him a look, smirking. "Your Li family isn't any better. Why send Li Kefa to Water Buffalo County if not for the tomb? You and your grandfather aren't just here to investigate his death."
Li Tianqing admitted, "We're also looking for the tomb to report back."
Jin Hongying said, "Your Li family is more cunning than the Zhao family. The Zhao family is just a scapegoat you raised."
Li Tianqing was puzzled, looking at her in confusion.
"The Li family is much stronger than the Zhao family. Why didn't they take over New Township before the Zhao family rose? Not because they couldn't. They feared monopolizing New Township would attract suspicion from other ancient families. Plus, they know nothing about the tomb's location or dangers. They fear opening it would cause heavy losses."
Jin Hongying picked up a piece of meat. "So, they need a stepping stone, a pathfinder. The Zhao family is that stepping stone. They let the Zhao family rise, hoping they'd mess with the tomb. The Zhao family suffered heavy losses, but the Li family remained unharmed. Isn't that clever?"
Chen Shi asked, "Are the noble families really that shrewd?"
"They really are," Jin Hongying said earnestly. "These families have survived for a reason. Never underestimate them. Even the Zhao family, used by the Li family, took this chance to establish themselves in New Township. They were once a small family, but now they're growing stronger with many experts. They didn't lose out."
Chen Shi thought for a moment. "The Zhao family released the Evil Bodhisattva, killing so many. Won't the government punish them?"
Jin Hongying laughed. "The government? You mean the Great Ming Cabinet? How do you know there's no Zhao supporter in it? The Li family used the Zhao family to test the waters. The Zhao family could seek protection from bigger families. Don't overthink it, little brother. The Zhao family might even be hailed as heroes after this!"
Chen Shi was stunned. After a while, he asked, "What about the Great Ming laws?"
Jin Hongying stuffed some meat into his mouth, chuckling. "The law is the king's law, meant for commoners like you! What, you want to manage the officials? Hurry up and eat, then let's get moving!"
After eating, they packed up and set off again, following a rarely used path out of the valley. After a long walk, they arrived outside Mirror Lake Manor.
Outside the manor, Prince Xiao's carriage was parked, with Li Jindou lying nearby, unsure if he was alive.
Li Tianqing rushed over, checked his breathing, and sighed in relief.
Li Jindou woke up, surprised and happy to see his grandson alive, then got angry. "You brat, how dare you face me!"
Li Tianqing was confused, not knowing why he was angry. "Grandpa, I..."
"Grandpa, my foot! You're the grandpa, I'm the grandson!" Li Jindou fumed.
Jin Hongying headed towards the manor, but Chen Shi stopped her, shaking his head. "Outsiders can't enter, and only two people are allowed inside at a time. It's dangerous otherwise."
He explained the manor's rules. "You're not from the manor, and you don't know how many are inside. Don't rush in."
Jin Hongying hesitated. She had guessed outsiders couldn't enter last time, fearing the manor's defenses, but didn't know the exact rules. She sneered, "Prince Xiao, get out here! Prince Xiao's coffin opened layer by layer, and he emerged. From the southwest corner, another coffin opened, and Granny Sha came out."
Chen Shi was surprised, then realized, "Granny Sha was one of the manor's builders! Strange, very strange! Grandpa, Granny Sha, Prince Xiao, they seem unrelated but are connected by some mysterious bond. Grandpa must be part of some odd group!"
The two left Mirror Lake Manor, looking unwell.
"Let's talk further away, so we don't disturb the sleeping old folks here. Waking them would be trouble," Granny Sha said.
Everyone looked at the other coffins in the manor.
Who were the people sleeping in those coffins?
Were they alive or dead? Why did they sleep so long?
They gathered by the lake, where the cold was biting, making Heiguo shiver and sneeze. Chen Shi looked at the four of them—old, weak, sick, and disabled—and sighed. Granny Sha was old, Jin Hongying was weak, Prince Xiao was sick, and Li Jindou had porcelain legs, making him disabled. How could such a group fight the Evil Bodhisattva?