On the other end of the Thousand Mile Communication Talisman, there was silence.
"Did he leave... When did he leave?"
The voice on the other side was hoarse and sad.
"About six days ago."
Chen Shi hesitated for a moment. He had been in a daze these past few days, lost in grief, and hadn't kept track of time. "Dad, will you come back for Grandpa's funeral?"
The voice on the other side paused, then said, "Are you Little Shi? Don't call me Dad. My son, Chen Shi, died ten years ago. He died when someone took away his Divine Fetus. I personally buried him."
Chen Shi's mind buzzed.
What was going on?
Wasn't he supposed to have died two years ago when his Divine Fetus was taken?
Why did Chen Tang say he died ten years ago?
What happened during those eight years?
The voice continued, "My father went mad. He thought he could bring Chen Shi back to life. He dug up Chen Shi's body from the grave. He really went crazy and did many insane things, causing a lot of trouble. The chaos he caused was more terrifying than any demon!"
"Later, I lost contact with him. He disappeared for eight whole years, without a trace."
"Until two years ago, he suddenly contacted me, telling me he had revived Chen Shi and asked if I would come home for the New Year."
"He said our family could be like it was before."
"But I know we can never go back. My son has been dead for eight years."
Chen Shi listened to the voice, imagining the middle-aged man on the other side shaking his head as he spoke, "I don't know what he revived. But I know the person he revived is definitely not my son. It's a ghost he summoned from the underworld."
"I hate him for wandering outside and neglecting the family, for not teaching me strong skills, for not being able to protect this family. I hate him for not coming back sooner. If he had been home, the incident of Chen Shi having his Divine Fetus taken wouldn't have happened."
"I also hate him for not letting me go, for keeping me trapped in the pain of losing a child, for continuing to torment me. I hate him for using Chen Shi's body to do all sorts of crazy experiments, creating a monster like you..."
The middle-aged man seemed to be venting, letting out years of dissatisfaction with his grandfather, pouring out his grievances.
After a moment of silence, he apologized, "I'm sorry, I lost my composure. I'll send someone to attend the funeral and fix his grave. If you want to come to the city, I'll have someone bring you over and give you a good start. But I won't acknowledge you. You're not my son..."
"No need, thank you, Chen Tang," Chen Shi replied.
The Thousand Mile Communication Talisman burned out, and the firelight vanished.
Chen Shi's face gradually darkened, murmuring, "No need to come, thank you..."
He walked out of the room in a daze and sat on the doorstep.
The moonlight was bright, spilling over his shoulders.
Heiguo came to his side, and Chen Shi reached out to hug the dog's neck, lost in thought.
On the day the coffin was buried, many people came to see it off. A group of foxes appeared on a nearby hillside, bowing from afar to the coffin.
A green sheep also came to a nearby tree, standing like a human, holding three sticks of incense in its paws, offering a distant tribute.
Several unfamiliar faces attended the funeral. When saying goodbye to the coffin, they knocked on it intentionally or unintentionally, listened to the sound inside, and their faces changed slightly but said nothing.
Jin Hongying came up behind them, grabbed one by the neck, and lifted him up.
"Lord Jin, we're from the Western Capital, here on orders. Don't make things difficult for us small people," the person said in a low voice.
"From the Western Capital?" Jin Hongying's heart tightened.
She snorted and put him down, saying in a low voice, "Get lost."
The group hurried away, whispering among themselves, "The coffin is empty, just some clothes. How do we report back? Say he's dead or alive?"
"Report truthfully, the higher-ups will decide!"
Chen Shi's ears twitched, catching their conversation. He looked in their direction, but they had already disappeared.
"Granny, those people said there was no body in the coffin. What's going on?" Chen Shi asked Granny Sha.
Granny Sha said, "It's just a symbolic grave, no body. Old Man Chen died two or three months ago. He couldn't let go of you, so he stayed in the world of the living. He was exposed to the moonlight, becoming muddle-headed, gradually losing his mind, turning into a corpse spirit. He fought with the Evil Bodhisattva, who shattered his beliefs, leading to a demonic transformation. But he practiced the Water and Fire Refinement, a path of the Corpse Liberation Immortal, so his body doesn't decay. This time, he went to the underworld with his physical body."
Chen Shi was stunned, then overjoyed, "Grandpa is still alive?"
"He's dead!" Granny Sha corrected him, "He's been dead for almost three months. His body's lifespan ended, but he used the Corpse Liberation Immortal method to make it look like he was still alive."
"Grandpa is still alive!" Chen Shi said excitedly.
Granny Sha frowned slightly, "He's really dead. You don't understand the Corpse Liberation Immortal method. It's an alternative way to become immortal, focusing on Water and Fire Refinement, a method of rebirth through refining the corpse..."
"Grandpa is still alive, living in the underworld," Chen Shi said, smiling through tears.
Granny Sha frowned, thinking this child had gone mad with grief, not listening to her at all.
But as an elder, she had to explain clearly to him to avoid misunderstandings.
"Little Shi, do you know what a Ghost Immortal is?" A Ghost Immortal is when a person dies and becomes a ghost, receiving incense offerings from people, their spirit lingering, achieving immortality, thus becoming an immortal. Since they have no physical body, they're called Ghost Immortals."
Granny Sha patiently explained, "A step above Ghost Immortals are Corpse Liberation Immortals. A Corpse Liberation Immortal is someone whose body doesn't decay after death, deceiving heaven and earth, undergoing trials of fire and water, gaining eternal life through death, hence called a Corpse Liberation Immortal. Although they achieve immortality, they require a death. Your grandpa is truly dead."
Chen Shi smiled, "I understand, but I know he's still alive. His life continues in the underworld. We can't meet, but he's still alive."
Granny Sha shook her head, "This child is too grief-stricken, he's lost his mind."
Chen Shi became optimistic, his spirits lifted, knowing his grandpa was still alive.
Grandpa left not because he died, but to avoid harming him, to avoid harming the world, not wanting to become an evil spirit that only knows killing.
He felt invigorated, knowing that as long as Grandpa wasn't dead, there would be a day when they could reunite.
"Little Shi, sister has to leave now!"
After the funeral, Jin Hongying bid him farewell, bending down, her chest heavy, pinching his cheek, smiling, "When you pass the provincial exam, come to the Western Capital to find me. I'll arrange for you to join the Divine Mechanism Battalion. We've agreed on it."
She nudged Chen Shi's shoulder with her own, laughing softly, "We can even develop a relationship."
She turned to look at Li Tianqing, leaving Chen Shi blushing, then saw Jin Hongying nudging Li Tianqing's shoulder, making him blush as well.
"Chen Shi, we have to leave too!"
Li Jindou sat in a basket, saying to Chen Shi, "This time we're parting ways, not knowing when we'll meet again. But soon, Little Tianqing should come over. He discovered some treasure ship, and the Li family will definitely send someone to check it out, probably having him lead the way."
Li Tianqing took out some old books, placing them in Chen Shi's hands, "These are the books I promised you. When the Li family comes, I won't disturb you, to avoid bringing you danger."
He thought for a moment, "The treasure ship is too dangerous. This time, few people will survive."
Li Jindou knocked on his head, "Can't you tell them the treasure ship is dangerous? Besides, the Li family has many experts. No matter how dangerous the treasure ship is, can it be more dangerous than the kiln factory?"
Li Tianqing thought for a moment, "Probably more dangerous than the kiln factory."
Li Jindou was startled, hesitating, "Should we still tell the Li family about the treasure ship? After all, we're family..."
"Grandpa, to survive, we must tell the Li family!"
Li Tianqing remained calm, "No matter how much we tell them it's dangerous, the Li family will definitely send people, and there will definitely be heavy casualties. We can't change that."
Li Jindou sighed, saying no more.
Li Tianqing carried him away.
"Little Shi, if anything happens, come to Hillock Village to find me!"
Granny Sha was also preparing to leave. She hesitated, "I still need to use the Ram-Horn Heaven Spirit Lamp for a while. I need it to find someone..."
Chen Shi asked, "Granny hasn't found them yet?"
"No," Granny Sha frowned deeply, worried, "I don't know where that child has run off to. It's worrying."
Chen Shi saw them off, not seeing Prince Xiao, and was puzzled, "Has Prince Xiao already left?"
He returned home, alone in the empty house, lost in thought for a long time, still not used to it.
He got up and went outside the village, heading to Yellow Soil Hill to see his godmother.
Maybe chatting with Scholar Zhu would help ease his sadness.
When he reached the base of Yellow Soil Hill, he saw Prince Xiao standing by the old willow tree, seemingly talking to Scholar Zhu, looking quite agitated.
Chen Shi was curious and was about to approach when he saw Prince Xiao's face darken. He took out a cloth bag and hung it on the branch where Scholar Zhu had hanged himself, then turned to leave.
"Senior Xiao, Prince Xiao."
Chen Shi called out, and Prince Xiao stopped, looking at him with red eyes, as if he had been crying, but he smiled, "It's Little Shi, huh? Chen Master is already buried. I'm planning to leave too. Do you have any money? Lend me some silver."
Chen Shi took out a few pieces of silver. This was the change he got from exchanging a silver note.
When Li Jindou, Jin Hongying, and the others left, he had given them travel money to avoid them being without money on the road.
Prince Xiao thanked him, took the silver, and smiled, "Now I can hire a carriage."
He had been used to luxury since childhood, long unaccustomed to walking. Without a carriage, he would rather not go out.
Chen Shi handed over a scroll of a book, and Prince Xiao opened it, slightly surprised.
The writing on the book was immature, in a child's handwriting, with each character written separately.
But the scroll felt heavy in his hands.
Because this scroll was the "Water and Fire Purging Technique."
Chen Yin had risked his life to bring this Corpse Liberation Immortal technique out of the True King's Tomb.
"My grandpa wanted me to give it to you before he died," Chen Shi smiled.
Prince Xiao accepted the "Water and Fire Purging Technique," looked at him deeply, and said, "Chen Master wouldn't have willingly left this technique for me. He would have given it to Granny Sha. He thought I was young and didn't need it, that having this technique would lead me to do evil. But thank you, Little Shi."
Chen Shi asked, "Senior Xiao, aren't you going to explore the True King's Tomb?"
Prince Xiao shook his head, "If even a place where the True King's porcelain was made is so dangerous, how much more so the True King's Tomb? I'm not going. What does being a prince mean in this world? Even if I could open the True King's Tomb and take out the map of the fifty provinces, if I achieve nothing in the future, won't I end up hanging myself from a tree?"
He laughed heartily and walked away.
"Singing to get drunk to comfort oneself, dancing to vie for brilliance, laughing up at the sky as I leave, how could I be a mere weed? Little Shi, see you in the future."
He waved vigorously, not looking back.
Chen Shi watched him disappear into the distance.
Once Prince Xiao was out of sight, Chen Shi turned his gaze back to the old willow tree, offering incense to the stone tablet of his godmother.
During the mourning period, he had been immersed in grief and hadn't left the village to visit the stone tablet of his godmother.
Scholar Zhu lazily said, "Little Shi, that fool left something on my tree branch. It's for you!"
Chen Shi also saw the cloth bag Prince Xiao had hung where Scholar Zhu had died. Curious, he took it down and opened it, finding a square jade seal inside.
"What is this?"
Chen Shi took it out, examining it in the sunlight.
The jade seal had some reversed characters carved in seal script.
He read them aloud, "Heavenly Mandate Seal, Eternal Guardian of the Western Wasteland."
The seal had two jade carvings of a dragon and a tiger on top, making it easy to hold.
"What is this thing?"
Chen Shi was puzzled.
"A worthless family heirloom, Little Shi. You can keep it. If you run out of money, you can pawn it or sell it for a few pieces of silver."
Scholar Zhu urged, "Do you have any incense left? Light a few sticks for me. My craving is getting bigger."
Chen Shi put the jade seal in his sleeve pocket, took out a few sticks of incense, and lit them.
Scholar Zhu took a long breath of the incense qi, noticing the books Chen Shi brought, and said happily, "You have new books? Still Master Confucius's books? I know Master Confucius best. Let me tell you about them."
In Bridge Bay Town, Prince Xiao hired a carriage, crossing the stone bridge towards Water Buffalo County, when suddenly the carriage sank, and outside came Jin Hongying's cold laughter.
"Old thief Xiao, hand over the Western King Imperial Seal, and I'll spare your life today. If you hesitate, I'll send you on your way."
Prince Xiao sighed, suddenly rushing out of the carriage, fleeing for his life.
Jin Hongying chased after him, shouting, "If you don't hand over the Western King Imperial Seal, I'll chase you to the ends of the earth and never let you go."
In the underworld!
After crossing the Bridge of Helplessness on the River of Forgetfulness, the underworld became vast and dim, filled with danger.
Chen Yin was fearless.
His physical body descended into the underworld, his strength at its peak. Even though the underworld was full of evil spirits and demons, he roamed freely.
He ventured deep into the underworld, trying to uncover its secrets.
Searching for the one who left the ghost hand mark on Chen Shi's chest.
"Live as a hero, die as a ghost king. Little Shi, Grandpa will first carve out a vast kingdom for you in the underworld. When you die, come and take the throne."
End of Chapter.