Li Jindou was waiting outside the manor because only two people could enter at a time. Granny Sha and Prince Xiao were still healing, so he had to wait outside. Once they managed to suppress their injuries, they would let him rest in a coffin. By taking turns like this, all three could ease their injuries. It's a bit sad to see such great masters in this situation.
"Good news," Jin Hongying said with a hint of pride, "We've taken out the last kiln worker. The Evil Bodhisattva has no one left to repair its body. If we can fight like we did the first time, we can defeat it!"
Everyone's eyes brightened. Granny Sha sighed and shook her head, "The bad news is we're all injured and can't fight like we did before."
Prince Xiao added, "And worse, the Evil Bodhisattva is even stronger than it was five days ago."
Li Jindou frowned. It seemed like a hopeless situation. Jin Hongying couldn't hold back, "Prince Xiao, hand over the Western King Imperial Seal. We're all facing death, and keeping it is useless!"
Prince Xiao calmly replied, "Even if I give it to you, you can't use it. Only those with royal blood can. You can't use it to open the True King's Tomb against the Evil Bodhisattva."
Jin Hongying was furious, "If you don't hand it over, I might just end you before the Evil Bodhisattva does!"
Chen Shi and Li Tianqing were surprised. Jin Hongying usually acted like an elder around them, but now she called herself a young lady in front of Prince Xiao. Why was that?
On the road, they had argued about whether Jin liked one of them, but it seemed neither was the case. Prince Xiao shook his head, "After two days of healing, you still won't be my match."
Jin Hongying was frustrated, glanced at Granny Sha, and shouted, "Prince Xiao, today I'll fight you!"
Granny Sha quickly stopped her, "With a big enemy before us, we must put aside past grudges and unite. We can't let personal issues overshadow the bigger picture."
Li Jindou said, "You keep arguing, I'll go heal in the coffin. Grandson, pick me up and put me in there. Or do you want me to crawl in myself?"
Li Tianqing, not knowing why he was upset, figured old folks can be like kids sometimes. So he picked up Li Jindou and carried him into the manor.
Inside, Li Jindou's voice came out, "Ungrateful grandson, even in death, I can't get a better coffin? I want to sleep in Prince Xiao's coffin, not Granny Sha's."
Prince Xiao frowned slightly, deciding that if he survived, he'd keep his first four layers but definitely replace the jade coffin Li Jindou used. He didn't like using things others had used.
"Where's my grandpa? Isn't he here?" Chen Shi looked around and asked.
He had come with Jin Hongying to find his grandfather, but he hadn't shown up, making Chen Shi uneasy.
Granny Sha looked displeased, "Chen Yin, that old thief? Ugh, dirtying my mouth!"
Chen Shi was surprised, not knowing how his grandfather had offended her.
Prince Xiao said, "Master Chen is at Mysterious Mountain. During this demon change, he can't act."
Chen Shi sighed in relief, "My grandpa's old, not as skilled as before. It's right for him not to act."
Granny Sha had a strange look, Prince Xiao coughed, and Jin Hongying was clueless about who Chen Yin was. But seeing how Granny Sha and Prince Xiao respected him, he must be remarkable.
Chen Shi called Heiguo and eagerly went to Mysterious Mountain to find his grandpa.
Granny Sha watched him go and suddenly asked, "Do you think Chen Yin will act for his grandson's sake?"
Prince Xiao was silent for a moment, then shook his head, "Not necessarily. If he acts, he'll be influenced by demonic nature, losing more of his reason and humanity, becoming more evil. He'd become another demon if he stayed in the human world. I'd rather face the Evil Bodhisattva than a demonized Master Chen!"
Granny Sha shivered at the thought of Chen Yin turning demonic, which would be far scarier than the Evil Bodhisattva!
Compared to him, the Evil Bodhisattva was just a fledgling with porcelain and eight weapons.
Prince Xiao continued, "Master Chen doesn't want to harm the world, so he can only go to the underworld. But if Chen Shi isn't cared for, he'd die, so he can't go. Granny, can you be his godmother?"
Granny Sha shivered, shook her head, "A godmother is a protector, always there when needed. I can't be with him all the time. Plus..."
She looked fearful and said nothing more.
Prince Xiao said, "I'm the same. We can't promise, so Master Chen won't act. He's forcing us to promise to protect Chen Shi!"
Jin Hongying, confused, asked, "What's up with Chen Shi? He seems fine to me. Why would he die without care? If you won't look after him, let him come with me to the Divine Mechanism Battalion!"
Prince Xiao shook his head, "Commander Jin, you can't handle this burden. Neither can the Divine Mechanism Battalion. Even if you combined your battalion with the Five Armies and Divine Axis, you couldn't."
Jin Hongying scoffed, "There's nothing in this world my shoulders can't bear!"
Granny Sha asked, "Commander Jin, have you heard of the Innate Dao Fetus?"
Jin Hongying was taken aback, "I've heard of it, but it's just a legend."
Granny Sha explained, "Divine Fetus is ranked from ninth, the weakest, to first, the strongest. Each has different power and talent. But above the first-grade Purple Jade Divine Fetus, there's the Innate Dao Fetus. It's always been a mystery if it exists, yet both the supreme and weakest divine fetuses appeared in one family."
Prince Xiao sighed, unsure if it was envy or pity, "The weakest is the grandfather, Chen Yin. The strongest is the grandson, Chen Shi."
Granny Sha said, "Old Chen didn't care for his family, leaving his son behind. His son grew up in the countryside, not knowing how to teach, but the grandson excelled. Chen Shi became famous in the county exam, and a True God descended, granting him the legendary Innate Dao Fetus, making him the Dao Fetus Sacred Body, the top child scholar in fifty provinces! What an honor, but also a curse."
She paused, "Master Chen rushed home upon hearing his grandson's achievement, but when he got there, Chen Shi's body was cold, and the Innate Dao Fetus was gone. No one knows who did it."
Jin Hongying remembered something, looking fearful. When she joined the Divine Mechanism Battalion, she wasn't qualified. But then a big event happened in the Western Capital of Cherry Province. The battalion, Five Armies, and Divine Axis nearly wiped out!
Most of the officers were also gone. The battalion spots were mostly reserved for noble families, but with so many dead, there were too many vacancies. She stumbled into the battalion and rose to become an officer, close to being the commander!
She always wondered why the three battalions were nearly wiped out. She checked many records, but they were vague, only saying a rogue master went mad, slaughtering people in the Western Capital. The battalions were ordered to stop him but suffered heavy casualties.
And it wasn't just the battalions. Many notable figures died in the chaos.
Who the rogue was and why he went mad wasn't mentioned. Important words were blacked out, unreadable.
If that event was caused by Chen Shi's grandpa...
She shivered. She couldn't handle this burden, and neither could the battalions combined.
Jin Hongying was puzzled. How did Chen Shi's grandpa survive such a massacre? And if Chen Shi's Innate Dao Fetus was taken, wasn't he supposed to be long dead? How was he alive?
She felt regret. If Chen Shi hadn't lost the Innate Dao Fetus, what level would he be now? She might have to look up to him.
"If my grandson were treated like that, I wouldn't forgive the Ming Dynasty either," she thought.
Prince Xiao said, "Since there's no other way, we must rely on them to deal with the Evil Bodhisattva."
"Them?" Granny Sha was startled, looking at Mirror Lake Manor.
Under every ancient tree, there was a coffin.
Granny Sha firmly said, "No! Who knows what state they're in now? They weren't right when they entered the coffins. If they wake up, if they're human, fine, but if they're evil, they could be as dangerous as the Evil Bodhisattva or Old Chen."
Prince Xiao exhaled, "Then there's only one way. We four must fight again, ready to die!"
Granny Sha's face changed, glancing at the Ram-Horn Heaven Spirit Lamp at the manor's entrance. This lamp carried her wish to find her son, Skyward Rain.
"Fine! If I die, I'll find Skyward Rain in the underworld!"
Granny Sha smiled, "Prince Xiao, I'll risk my life with you!"
Prince Xiao looked at Jin Hongying, "Hongying..."
"Don't call me Hongying, call me Commander Jin!"
Jin Hongying snorted, hesitated, "Now, only by risking death can we hope to live. I'm willing to try!"
Prince Xiao looked at his coffin, where Li Jindou's voice came through, muffled, "I must find a way out for my grandson. No matter what, I must join!"
"Commander Jin, rest and heal in Granny's coffin. You have one day to suppress your injuries," Prince Xiao said. "After a day, we'll plan to deal with the Evil Bodhisattva."
Jin Hongying was curious about the mysterious manor's coffins. She hesitated, "Can lying in a coffin really heal injuries?"
She was about to enter the manor but stopped, remembering Li Tianqing was still inside.
Li Tianqing came out, and she cautiously entered the manor. This time, there was no overwhelming pressure.
Jin Hongying lay in Granny Sha's coffin in the southwest corner. The lid closed automatically, sealing her inside.
Strangely, although this was a place for nurturing corpses, it held a unique power of life from death, flowing into her body, healing her injuries.
The healing wasn't just physical; it also soothed her spirit and soul!
"No wonder they all like lying in coffins!"
Jin Hongying felt so comfortable she almost fell asleep, thinking, "Lying here for a day is better than a year of recovery! By the way, Chen Shi knows this place well. Does he have a coffin here? Is he really that old? Can someone dead for so long come back to life?"
Outside the manor, Li Tianqing said, "I might be able to help with the Evil Bodhisattva."
Prince Xiao and Granny Sha looked at him. Li Tianqing said, "I've seen the Evil Bodhisattva twice. It's covered in details, from its eight eyes to its skin, even its ear holes, all with different talisman patterns. Its eight weapons are the same, with various talisman designs from the True King era. Each talisman represents a spell. By recording them, we can know what spells it can use. Knowing its spells, we can plan to kill it."
Granny Sha's eyes lit up, "Li Jindou's such a fool, but his grandson is so smart. His daughter-in-law must have chosen well!"
Li Jindou's angry voice came from the coffin.
Li Tianqing said, "My mom is indeed smart, just unlucky with my dad."
Li Jindou stopped shouting, sighed, and seemed to agree.
Prince Xiao frowned, "The Evil Bodhisattva has many talismans, hidden in the blue patterns. Who can remember them all?"
"I did," Li Tianqing said.
Granny Sha frowned, "Just remembering isn't enough. We need to decode them. But each field has its experts."
Li Tianqing said, "Chen Shi can. He understands talismans at a glance."
Granny Sha and Prince Xiao exchanged hopeful looks.
Prince Xiao looked at Li Tianqing, "You're impressive. What's your Divine Fetus?"
"Purple Jade Divine Fetus."
"So am I."
Prince Xiao smiled, admiring him, "We're not like those fools. Stick with me, and I can transform you in days, saving you a lot of trouble."
Granny Sha was wary, "Prince Xiao, what do you mean? Hongying, Hongying! Come out and kill this guy!"
Next chapter at 6 PM. Check out my friend's book, "Dusk Boundary" by the platinum author Black Mountain Old Ghost. It's also folklore-themed, with a different style, very exciting!