In Yellow Slope Village, the godmother and a girl whose hands had turned into branches overheard a conversation between a person and two strange creatures. They seemed hesitant to speak up.
She knew how dangerous Chen Yin was. When he was still in the human world, he needed to carry a green umbrella and have the great black serpent of Mysterious Mountain by his side to suppress his demonic nature.
If he were summoned without the control of Mysterious Mountain, his demonic nature might erupt and destroy everything here!
Although the godmother was not weak, she was no match for the three powerful figures in front of her. Even though she heard them planning to summon Chen Yin, she dared not stop them.
Fortunately, these three did not summon Chen Yin in the village.
"Summoning Old Chen outside will still cause trouble," she thought, watching them leave Yellow Slope Village.
Granny Sha, the blue sheep, and the burly man with a beard came to the outskirts of the village. The blue sheep urged, "Let's stop here. Granny, quickly summon Old Man Chen!"
Granny Sha rolled her eyes at him. "Do you think it's as simple as summoning a ghost? Old Man Chen's physical body is in the underworld, practicing the Water and Fire Purging Technique to become a Corpse Liberation Immortal. Summoning him is impossible, but we can use the summoning force to go to the underworld and meet him!"
With a thought, her shadow under the moonlight suddenly grew in all directions, becoming wild and clawing.
Her five shadows stood up, transforming into five Ghost Kings, ready to receive orders.
Granny Sha gave some instructions, and the five Ghost Kings rushed off to fetch the altar.
Soon, the five Ghost Kings brought the altar, which had three layers. The bottom layer had banners with talisman scripts of the Five Sacred Mountains and Four Seas inserted at the corners.
When the light shone over these banners, images of the Five Sacred Mountains, Four Seas, and four great rivers appeared around the altar.
The middle layer held star lamps representing the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, each lamp seven inches tall, crafted in the form of deities of the constellations. Behind each lamp was a star chart with different star talismans. When the lamps were lit, the structure of the star talismans was projected into the air.
The top layer had spirit banners of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, with embroidered images of the four deities and circular talisman scripts. When illuminated, the light of the four deities appeared vividly in the air.
Granny Sha stood on the third layer of the altar, arranging various ritual tools, and said, "Come up here, and let's go meet Old Man Chen."
The burly man hesitated at her setup and said, "I have my fox clan to care for, and their lives depend on me. Granny, is your method reliable?"
Granny Sha sneered, "Old Hu, if you're scared, just say so. Don't blame it on the fox clan. My True Prayer Altar and Reverse Summoning Technique may not be entirely conventional... but can you really not trust me?"
The burly man and the blue sheep stepped onto the altar.
Granny Sha handed them each three incense sticks, saying, "The three sticks are offerings to the Three Pure Ones. Since we're going to the underworld as living people, we might attract ghosts and gods. One wrong step and we could die there."
The burly man shivered, holding the incense unsteadily.
Granny Sha continued, "So, we must first transform into spirits. Become like ghosts and gods."
She formed hand seals, chanting incantations, circulating her energy, and quickly touched the foreheads of the blue sheep and the burly man, exclaiming, "Open your spiritual eyes to see ghosts and gods!"
Both the fox and the sheep felt a sharp pain in their foreheads, and a third eye grew between their brows, spinning around, revealing the underworld to them.
"Grow fangs!"
Granny Sha formed another seal and pressed it on their chins, causing their teeth to grow wildly into ghostly fangs!
She then switched to a different seal, touching their shoulders, and commanded, "Grow three heads!"
Blood and flesh grew on their shoulders, sprouting two additional heads!
Granny Sha changed to a fire seal, touching their shoulders and sides, commanding, "Grow six arms!"
Their shoulders and sides grew rapidly, bones regenerating, and in moments, they had four extra arms!
They transformed into fierce, ghostly figures, resembling underworld spirits!
Granny Sha handed them weapons like bows, arrows, swords, halberds, ropes, and seals, instructing, "In the underworld, stay by my side. If you stray too far, my spells will break. If the underworld spirits discover your true identities, even with great skills, you'll be doomed. I've offended too many spirits there!"
She also took out a small incense burner shaped like a mythical beast with a dragon's head and a long neck, called the Chaofeng Incense Burner.
She placed an incense stick in its head, handing a bundle of incense to the five Ghost Kings, saying, "While we're in the underworld, guard the incense altar. No matter the weather, don't let the incense go out. If it burns out, replace it immediately. Understand?"
The five Ghost Kings nodded quickly.
Granny Sha added, "In the neighboring village, there's a young man named Chen Shi who can see you. If he asks what you're doing, ignore him. That kid is full of mischief!"
The five Ghost Kings noted her warning.
Once everything was ready, Granny Sha activated her spell.
Her appearance quickly transformed, becoming youthful and beautiful, her stature tall and elegant. In moments, she changed from an old, short granny to a young woman over ten feet tall.
Her clothes turned luxurious, with silk ribbons fluttering, her movements graceful, her eyes full of charm.
Her hair grew long, each strand ending in a beautiful woman's head, each expressing different emotions like tenderness, allure, smiles, or melancholy.
Though each head was beautiful, the mass of heads floating together in the air was eerie.
"After death, this granny will surely become an evil spirit, with a terrifying appearance!" thought the burly man and the blue sheep as they exchanged glances.
Granny Sha completed her transformation, and the altar's power activated.
The three floated into the underworld, following the force pulling them towards Chen Yin.
The blue sheep and the burly man looked back to see the small incense burner had grown enormous, towering like a giant beast, with the incense flame becoming a bright lamp guiding their way.
"Three days, my spell can last at most three days!" Granny Sha said, "If we can't find Old Man Chen in three days, we'll return immediately!"
They traveled swiftly, carried by the underworld wind.
Chen Shi woke up in the morning, cooked as usual, offered incense to his godmother, and then noticed a new altar outside the village. Around the altar stood five Ghost Kings, familiar faces from Granny Sha's household.
These five Ghost Kings were once wandering spirits, but Granny Sha took them in to practice the Five Ghost Transportation Technique, and they grew stronger, becoming Ghost Kings.
Chen Shi approached, peeking at the altar, and asked, "What are you up to?"
"We're not saying anything!" the Ghost Kings replied firmly.
Chen Shi stood on tiptoe, smiling, "We're all brothers here, let me take a look."
The Ghost Kings hurriedly blocked his view.
Chen Shi offered them a bundle of incense, smiling, "Brothers, try this. I bought it from the county; it's strong."
The Ghost Kings hesitated, tempted to take the incense, but the lead Ghost King warned, "One feast or a lifetime of feasts, choose wisely. If you take his incense, Granny won't keep us anymore!"
The Ghost Kings firmly refused.
Chen Shi left, feeling disappointed, thinking, "Granny Sha must be up to something fun again, and she didn't invite me."
After paying respects to his godmother and offering incense to Scholar Zhu, he left with two masons from the village, heading to the Mountain Lord Temple in Heavenly Yang Mountain.
At the temple, Chen Shi instructed the masons to repair the front hall, giving them plenty of materials and wages, saying, "I've drawn a Soul-Bewitching Talisman in the main hall, don't go in."
He entered the main hall, where an extraordinary power was gathering at the divine altar, something inside taking shape.
This process of forming a divine image from extraordinary power surprised Chen Shi.
The Mountain Lord Temple had always had extraordinary power but no divine image. What was causing the formation now?
Besides himself, no one else visited regularly.
"Could it be related to that stone box?"
Chen Shi paused, taking out a small stone from his book box. The stone box had shrunk, but something inside must be releasing.
"Is the forming image the Mountain Lord? We'll know once it's complete!"
He closed the hall doors, hanging the Soul-Bewitching Talisman to guard the temple. If anyone approached, they would be entranced and fall unconscious.
He worried the masons might disturb the forming divine image, so he hung the talisman.
"I can't keep Shao Jing waiting!"
Chen Shi called for Heiguo, and together they activated the Armored Horse Talisman, heading straight for New Township City.
By late morning, they reached the county town and entered the Immortal Gathering Tower.
Shao Jing and a private tutor were already waiting. Chen Shi quickly apologized, and Shao Jing smiled, "Coming from the countryside, traveling a hundred miles, it's normal to be late. Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Fu Leisheng of the Scholars Academy. Mr. Fu, this is the talented young man from the countryside I mentioned, Chen Shi."
Chen Shi greeted Mr. Fu Leisheng, who nodded slightly, accepting his greeting with a smile, "I'll take this as a formal greeting. Please rise."
Chen Shi straightened up, smiling, "Sir, for the upcoming county exam, I hope you'll look after me." Saying this, he handed over a silver ingot worth about ten taels.
Mr. Fu Leisheng looked a bit embarrassed, glanced at Shao Jing, and smiled, "I don't care for this, put it away! This time, it's at Shao's invitation, how could I accept more?"
Chen Shi put the silver ingot away.
After chatting for a while, Mr. Fu Leisheng set down his tea cup and stood to leave, saying, "Chen Shi, if you have time, visit the Scholars Academy."
Chen Shi agreed, "I'll come by this afternoon to pay my respects."
After he left, Chen Shi thanked Shao Jing again, who smiled, "It was a small effort, no need to mention it."
Chen Shi took out a rat tail tip, saying, "Brother Shao, I recently acquired a treasure, please have a look."
Shao Jing picked up the rat tail tip, which looked like a mix of meat and jade, translucent and slightly soft, with no smell. He couldn't tell what it was and asked, "What is this?"
Chen Shi explained how he got it and its use, saying, "The big rat is dead, but the tail tip can be used to massage the head, making people fall asleep for a while. Maybe it can treat insomnia. Do you think it can sell for a good price?"
He was unsure if the rat tail tip had any value.
Shao Jing's face changed, suddenly standing up, looking at the tail tip as if it were a monster, his expression uncertain.
Chen Shi was puzzled, not understanding his strong reaction.
"Brother Chen, do you really not know its use?"
Shao Jing calmed down, sat back, and shook his head, "This thing is far more dangerous than treating insomnia. Little Peach, Little Peach, come in!"
A young girl with a playful look entered, smiling, "Master, what do you need?"
Shao Jing took the rat tail tip and rubbed it on her head. Little Peach's body went limp, and she fell asleep on the floor, smiling sweetly.
Shao Jing looked at Chen Shi, "Understand now?"
Chen Shi shook his head, saying, "That's what I said, it treats insomnia. Wait, you mean it can be used for robbery!"
Shao Jing smiled knowingly, "You're young and don't understand its true use. It can be used for... flower picking! If this thing spreads, many girls' reputations would be ruined!"
Chen Shi seemed to understand a little and asked, "Does it still have value?"
Shao Jing hesitated, "Value, definitely. If a shop openly sold this for a hundred taels each, they'd be snatched up in no time. For robbery, flower picking, and even murder, it's very useful. In no time, the county would be in panic, with everyone wearing iron hats."
Chen Shi was startled, "Then I won't sell it!"
Shao Jing shook his head, "The shop will still take them, hold onto them for now, and see if there's a proper use later. How many of these tips do you have? The shop will buy them all for ten taels each."
Chen Shi asked, "Brother Shao won't use them for evil?"
Shao Jing replied seriously, "I won't do evil."
Only then did Chen Shi take out the rat tail tips from his book box, surprising Shao Jing with three to four hundred of them!
Chen Shi selected the best five, saying, "These are from the five rats that formed golden cores, they should be more effective. The others are less refined. Some are of low quality."
Shao Jing composed himself, "I'll buy them all for ten taels each, regardless of quality. What do you think?"
Chen Shi nodded lightly.
Little Peach woke up, confused, "Master, why was I sleeping on the floor? What happened?"
Shao Jing rubbed her head again, and she fell asleep standing.
Shao Jing sighed, "This thing is truly a demon, capable of stirring evil thoughts in people. Even I felt a wicked urge when I got it."
He had the rat tail tips counted and paid Chen Shi with silver notes, saying, "If you find more treasures, please bring them to the shop. If they're too sinister... just destroy them, don't bring them here."
Chen Shi had planned to show the small stone, but unsure of Shao Jing's intentions with the rat tail tips, he decided not to, thinking, "Let's see what he does."
End of Chapter.