Chen Shi let out a sigh of relief as he entered the room and asked, "Did the baby cry?"
The midwife shook her head, "No."
Chen Shi looked serious and said, "Spank them, spank them harder until they cry!"
The midwife picked up the two babies and spanked them one by one. After a while, both babies started to cry loudly.
Chen Shi finally felt at ease.
Two lives were saved.
"Congratulations, you have two promising children. Make sure to send them to school in the future. They might at least become scholars," Chen Shi said to Cui'e's husband with a smile.
Cui'e's husband was puzzled but too happy to question it.
It was getting late, and Chen Shi decided to stay in Deer Tail Town for the night, choosing to rest in the bell tower.
Staying at an inn or someone else's house would be inconvenient for boiling medicine at night.
The bell tower had windows and doors on all sides, making it comfortable to stay in, and it was safe with the town's guardian spirit, the godmother, present.
Chen Shi prepared his medicine, fed Heiguo, cleaned up a bit, and took out his bedding from the cart to lay on the floor.
During the three days of the Moon Festival, he needed to earn some extra money.
It was still early to sleep, and Heiguo barked twice, seemingly confused by his earlier actions.
Chen Shi wasn't sleepy and explained with a smile, "Grandpa said if a cultivator's Nascent Soul mistakenly enters a mother's womb and can't be expelled, the baby will be stillborn because the Nascent Soul becomes the baby's soul. If it leaves, the baby loses its soul and dies. The baby did nothing wrong; it's the cultivator's mistake. We can't let the baby and the mother suffer, so we have to stabilize the cultivator and let the mother give birth quickly."
Heiguo whined in confusion.
Chen Shi shook his head, "No, we must trick them. Cultivators often have strong wills and might kill the mother to escape. We have to deceive them to prevent that."
Heiguo realized that this was why Chen Shi told the two Nascent Soul cultivators to rush out when they saw the light.
But it was still puzzled. If a cultivator encountered this situation, would killing the mother help them escape?
"No!"
Chen Shi shook his head, "Both the mother and child would die. The cultivator's Nascent Soul has already entered the mother's body, which is like reincarnation. Killing the mother would also end their own life. The bond between mother and child is stronger than any magic. No matter how powerful you are, you can't kill the mother."
He explained the reasoning behind his actions, "First, I used a Fetal Protection Talisman to calm the restless babies, then a Labor-Inducing Talisman to help the mother give birth quickly. If the baby doesn't cry after birth, it must be made to cry!"
He continued, "A baby's first cry is like a spring thunder, dispersing the Nascent Soul's memories and making the cultivator forget the past, allowing them to be a baby peacefully. However, these two cultivators' bodies might die because of this. But as cultivators, the moment they entered the womb, their fate was sealed, so they can't blame me."
He paused, realizing that since his grandfather went to the underworld, he had unknowingly become a competent talisman master.
In this incident, two powerful Nascent Soul cultivators had their lifetime of cultivation and memories erased by him, a mere Divine Fetus Stage talisman master, turning them into babies.
This was exactly what his grandfather described as the demeanor of a proper talisman master.
Chen Shi was very pleased and whispered, "I can become a talisman master like Grandpa."
This incident wasn't about dealing with evil spirits, but talisman masters don't just handle evil spirits; they can solve all sorts of strange problems like today's.
The young Daoist under the bell tower watched him curiously, and Chen Shi smiled at him.
The young Daoist returned the smile.
"Daoist, you are the godmother of Deer Tail Town, but why are you a man?" Chen Shi asked.
The young Daoist replied, "I am a form, forms have no gender."
Chen Shi was slightly taken aback. The young Daoist continued, "I am formed by the incense and thoughts of the people of Deer Tail Town, shaped by their collective will, and have no gender."
Chen Shi didn't believe it and approached him, trying to check.
The young Daoist slapped his hand away, "Don't be rude."
Chen Shi laughed, "You don't have one, how do you pee?"
The young Daoist said, "I am a divine form, I don't need that!"
"Oh, I see!"
Chen Shi was curious, "Then why do you look like a young Daoist?"
This question puzzled the young Daoist too.
He was born from the hopes of the people, and this was his form. But why did he look like this?
"Then Chen Shi, why do you look like you do now?" the young Daoist asked, turning the question back on him. "Did you decide your appearance, or did someone else?"
Chen Shi was confused by the question, shook his head, and sat down beside him, laughing, "My appearance was given by my parents, I couldn't decide. Who gave you your appearance?"
The young Daoist was dumbfounded, deep in thought.
Chen Shi put his arm around the young Daoist's shoulder, laughing, "So, little Daoist, I think you guardian spirits of villages must have other secrets."
"What secrets?" the young Daoist was even more puzzled.
Chen Shi got up and walked around the big bell hanging in the bell tower, chin in hand, "I think we should start with your true form. Maybe your original owner was a young Daoist, and you were shaped by the incense and became like him... You really don't have one? Let me check..."
He tried to pull down the young Daoist's pants, only to get beaten up, ending up with a bruised face.
Only then did he go to sleep honestly.
The next day, another incident involving an evil spirit found him.
This time it wasn't about an evil spirit eating people, but an evil spirit possessing someone.
The incident happened in Stone Mill Village, where a butcher, despite his fierce appearance, was actually a kind man.
He made a living by slaughtering pigs.
That day, for some reason, he got possessed.
During dinner, he suddenly got angry and tied up his wife and kids, hanging them from the beams, preparing to bleed them like pigs.
The family cried and screamed, alerting other villagers, who saved them.
But the butcher then tried to kill other villagers.
Chen Shi rushed over, used an Evil-Repelling Talisman on the butcher, driving away the evil spirit, then found a dead pig, burned it, and ended the incident.
Because it was a simple case, Chen Shi only charged two taels of silver.
This evil spirit was weak, formed when the butcher didn't bring the dead pig inside quickly enough, and it got exposed to the daytime moonlight, turning it into an evil spirit that possessed the butcher, seeking revenge on his family.
"If there's a moon during the day, any dead person or animal must not be exposed to it. They should be dealt with promptly!" Chen Shi instructed the villagers, "Bury the dead or put them in a coffin quickly."
He felt a bit uneasy.
The evil spirits appearing now were small and not a big threat, but he feared more powerful ones would show up soon.
Chen Shi hadn't even had time to rest when someone else came to him, "Talisman Master Chen, our village is haunted by an evil spirit."
Chen Shi followed them to another case of people being eaten.
Someone standing by the roadside was eaten alive by a grey-clad rat spirit. By the time Chen Shi arrived, it was too late to save them.
Chen Shi was furious and killed the grey-clad rat spirit.
That day, he dealt with two more evil spirit incidents.
The first was a little girl playing by the roadside when a cart passed by with four or five kids playing on it, calling her to join them.
She climbed onto the cart, and the kids played happily.
But her parents saw her floating a foot off the ground, gesturing to the air.
The evil spirit wanted to take her away to be reborn, but Chen Shi caught up and saved her.
The other incident was another grey-clad rat spirit eating people.
"What's the deal with Black Mountain Granny?" Chen Shi was angry. Half of the evil spirits were local to Heavenly Yang Mountain.
And the other half were from Black Mountain Granny's rats, clearly not respecting the local mountain lord.
There was indeed a Black Mountain Granny in the Black Mountain area.
At night, Chen Shi returned to the bell tower in Deer Tail Town to rest.
Talking about this, the young Daoist told Chen Shi, "This Black Mountain Granny is worshipped in a temple, and her incense is very popular. She often shows her spirit and is very effective. Many people from nearby villages visit her during festivals. Some of my worshippers also go to her. Her temple has many big rats..."
"Wait, are you saying Black Mountain Granny isn't an evil spirit but a deity worshipped in a temple?" Chen Shi was puzzled.
The young Daoist hesitated, "I think so, but I'm not sure. You're the talisman master, shouldn't you know?"
Chen Shi shook his head, feeling very curious.
"Could it be that being a deity in a temple, worshipped by people, doesn't conflict with being an evil spirit?"
"The rats in Black Mountain Granny's temple are so powerful, she must be extraordinary too!"
Chen Shi's eyes gleamed, "She must be planning to establish a base in Heavenly Yang Mountain, sending these rats to scout. Little Daoist, she's coming to take your territory and your godchildren, letting her rats eat people. Don't you have any thoughts on this?"
The young Daoist thought for a moment and said, "I'll go meet her tomorrow."
The next day, Chen Shi continued selling talismans, adding a new kind of Thunder Talisman this time.
This talisman could kill weaker evil spirits. It was cheap and fair.
Wearing it or hanging it behind the door could keep one safe for a month.
If the Thunder Talisman suddenly burned or made a thunderous sound, it meant an evil spirit was near and had been struck by the talisman.
At that point, a new talisman would be needed.
The Thunder Talismans cost fifty wen each and sold very well.
Heiguo was a bit listless from drinking too much blood.
The money from the Thunder Talismans wasn't enough to buy exotic beast meat for Heiguo.
But since they could save lives, Chen Shi sold them cheaply.
By noon, Chen Shi saw the young Daoist again, with a bruised face and a limp, resting under the bell.
"Black Mountain Granny is very strong, much stronger than me," the young Daoist said sadly, worried, "I can't beat her. She said she'll take over Deer Tail Town soon and told me to go be an evil spirit."
Chen Shi was alarmed. Black Mountain Granny really intended to take over Heavenly Yang Mountain.
He worked until nightfall, and after the Moon Festival ended, he returned to Yellow Slope Village.
The mountain road was rugged, and the wooden cart had to travel over seventy miles to reach the village.
Chen Shi held a compass to determine the direction.
Heiguo ran ahead, carrying a lantern in its mouth.
As they traveled deep into the mountains, Heiguo suddenly stopped.
Chen Shi sensed something and put down the compass, looking into the darkness ahead.
The moonlight was dim, and several pairs of red eyes appeared on the mountain road ahead, illuminated by Heiguo's lantern but not moving away.
"Are you Talisman Master Chen Shi?" a sharp voice asked, "I am here on behalf of Black Mountain Granny to inform you that if you don't interfere with us, we won't interfere with you. But you killed Granny's beloved grandchild, so Granny wants your life. Her revenge starts now, so prepare yourself!"
Chen Shi jumped down from the cart and shouted, "Who's pretending to be a ghost?"
He took the lantern from Heiguo's mouth and shone it forward, seeing several grey-clad figures, all with rat heads and human bodies, staring at him.
Chen Shi's heart sank, "So many evil spirits under Black Mountain Granny? Did I stir up a rat's nest?"
He was anxious. If these grey-clad rat spirits attacked all at once, he might not survive.
The grey-clad rat spirits weren't very strong but knew spells.
Especially when they massaged their heads with their tails, it made people fall asleep immediately, catching them off guard.
Chen Shi had experienced it once and wasn't confident he could fend off the tails of these grey-clad rat spirits.
If they touched him, he would fall asleep, and these grey-clad rat spirits would swarm him, leaving him as nothing but bones.
Just as he thought of this, the grey-clad rat spirits suddenly leaped into the darkness and disappeared.
Chen Shi frowned.
These evil rat spirits were elusive, and if they launched a sneak attack...
"When I get back, I must buy an iron hat to wear. No, I need to visit the True King's Tomb and get the complete Three Lights True Qi Technique, or I won't be able to defeat Black Mountain Granny."
End of Chapter.