Chen Shi felt that Uncle Hu and Uncle Qingyang were acting a bit strange today, but he didn't have time to ask about it. He quickly turned to Granny Sha and asked, "Granny, did you find my grandpa down there?"
He was excited and looked at Granny Sha with anticipation.
Granny Sha glanced at the Five Ghost Kings, who felt a jolt of fear. "Did we mess up a good deed? But clearly, Gouzi did something great, and if Gouzi did well, then we did well. We should be safe, right?"
They were anxious.
Fortunately, Granny Sha didn't say anything negative. She smiled and said, "We met your grandpa. He's doing well and asked if you've grown taller and if you're eating well!"
Chen Shi was very happy.
"I'll eat two more bowls of rice tonight. What else did Grandpa say? Did he receive the paper money I burned for him? Is it enough? If not, I'll burn more. I even burned a paper house, a big sedan chair, and eight paper people for him. Did he get them? Does he need company? Should I burn a few paper grandmas for him? Oh, and I noticed Old Lady Wuzhu might not have much time left, so maybe Grandpa can wait a couple of years, and she can go over without needing to be burned."
Granny Sha kept smiling as she listened to him talk for a while and then said, "Yes, everything is good. Your grandpa received everything. We went to his Primordial Star Palace, and it was luxurious and splendid. All the things you burned for him are there. He goes out in an eight-carrier sedan chair and has maids and young attendants serving him in the palace. He's living comfortably!"
It's said that the Primordial Star Palace is where a person's spirit resides in the underworld. After death, the spirit enters the underworld and lives in the Primordial Star Palace.
Chen Shi had heard this legend but had never seen it himself.
He had only seen many wandering spirits of those who died unjustly, not living in the Primordial Star Palace, but wandering in the mist.
Granny Sha's story had many holes, but Chen Shi was too concerned about his grandpa to think deeply.
Chen Shi continued to ask about his grandpa's daily life, and Granny Sha, being a seasoned spiritual medium, answered smoothly.
Chen Shi didn't suspect anything and felt relieved. He smiled and said, "As long as Grandpa is doing well, I'm at ease. By the way, Granny, why did you go to find Grandpa?"
Granny Sha glanced at Qingyang and saw that the curly-bearded man was still covering the sheep's mouth. She felt reassured and smiled, "We are old friends with your grandpa and just wanted to visit him in the underworld. But it was too dangerous down there, and we almost couldn't come back. Luckily, Little Shi and Gouzi saved us; otherwise, we would have been in trouble. It's getting dark, Little Shi, we should head back."
She directed the Five Ghosts to move the altar and threw a glance at Qingyang and the curly-bearded man before leaving in a hurry.
"Heiguo, I feel like Granny Sha didn't tell us everything."
Chen Shi watched them leave and murmured.
Gouzi nodded seriously, agreeing with him.
"But Heiguo, you saved Granny Sha and the others, did a great deed, so tomorrow I'll buy you some tasty treats as a reward."
Chen Shi laughed.
Gouzi was very excited and barked twice.
Granny Sha heard the barking from afar and breathed a sigh of relief.
The curly-bearded man released Qingyang, still shaken, and praised, "Granny's quick thinking saved us. Otherwise, Qingyang would have caused a scene, and if their true identities were revealed, Chen Shi and Gouzi might have reacted and shown their true forms."
He recalled how Heiguo charged into the underworld, wreaking havoc in the mist to rescue them, and felt a lingering fear.
The number of evil spirits attacking them was vast and powerful; otherwise, they wouldn't have been injured.
But none of these evil spirits could withstand Heiguo's assault.
Even the white-dressed woman almost got bitten to death by Heiguo.
Qingyang said, "Do you remember when Old Man Chen found this dog?"
Granny Sha thought for a moment and said, "Three years ago, right? I remember Old Man Chen said he was going to try once more to enter the underworld to save Chen Shi. That was his ninth attempt, and he failed. I heard he got injured badly and was bedridden for three months. When I saw him again, he had a little black dog with him."
Qingyang and the curly-bearded man exchanged glances.
"Could this little black dog have been brought out from the underworld by him?"
The curly-bearded man asked, "I've heard that spirits can transform into other creatures. Granny, you're knowledgeable and familiar with the underworld. Can you tell what it might have transformed from?"
Granny Sha shook her head and said, "I can't tell. It looks just like a normal dog."
The three of them stared at each other.
Granny Sha sighed and said, "Old Man Chen went to enjoy himself in the underworld and left us with this mess. You two should rest and heal; there's still a lot of hard work ahead."
Qingyang muttered, "It's so tough. It might be better to become Little Shi's godmother."
Granny Sha and the curly-bearded man turned pale and shook their heads, saying, "Not being a godmother means there's still a way to survive. Becoming a godmother means losing all hope."
The three of them dispersed.
...
In four days, Chen Shi had to take the county exam, so he didn't dare slack off.
Every morning, he went to Scholar Zhu's place for lessons.
Scholar Zhu taught with great dedication.
"Little Shi, you don't need to worry. You've already learned my true teachings and will definitely succeed."
Seeing that Chen Shi was a bit nervous, Scholar Zhu comforted him, "Our talents will surely astonish the Western New Bull Continent and make us rising stars in the literary world."
Chen Shi felt a bit relieved and said, "I don't dare to dream of becoming the top scholar; I just hope to become a scholar and bring honor to my family."
"You'll definitely succeed!"
Chen Shi also visited the Mountain Lord Temple a few times. The front hall was still under repair, and the divine altar in the main hall was becoming clearer.
He carefully observed it and saw that it seemed to have a bull's head but a human body.
Strangely, there was a tiger lying at the feet of the divine figure.
The formation of the divine figure was extremely slow, and he couldn't sense any conscious thought from it, which was very odd.
Generally, the formation of a divine figure is due to the self-awareness of the spirit being worshipped. The spirit decides what it should look like, and the divine figure takes that form.
For example, the godmother of Boxwood Village is a bronze statue of a deity. After being worshipped by the villagers for a long time, it gained self-awareness and thought it should be a big, fat person, so the divine figure became a gluttonous big person.
The godmother of Yellow Slope Village is an ancient tree that thought it should be a young girl of about sixteen, so the divine figure became a dignified and elegant young girl.
"A divine figure must have consciousness, but the Mountain Lord Temple's divine figure doesn't, which means the Mountain Lord is still alive..."
Chen Shi looked deeply at the divine figure in the altar and thought, "The Mountain Lord should be in the ancestral land, the Divine Central Land. Therefore, his figure is forming without the need for consciousness. But why is the Mountain Lord of Heavenly Yang Mountain not in the Western New Bull Continent but in the ancestral land?"
He suddenly realized, "When the Three Treasures Eunuch led the Great Ming soldiers to this unfamiliar continent, the first thing they did must not have been to create gods but to enshrine the deities they brought from the Divine Central Land, allowing the deities to descend through the statues. This means the Mountain Lord of Heavenly Yang Mountain should be the mountain god of a certain mountain in the Divine Central Land."
He was puzzled.
In those days, the incense offerings must have been abundant, but why did it decline, and even the statue disappeared?
"Once the Mountain Lord's divine figure forms, the reason will be clear."
He left the Mountain Lord Temple and went to the county town, arriving at the Scholars Academy.
In these days of exam preparation, Chen Shi wasn't worried about the literary exam but was concerned about the martial exam.
So he planned to ask his classmates for advice.
There were only a few students in the academy, with many not attending.
Chen Shi was surprised to see the few students gathered together, whispering and discussing something.
Hu Feifei was among them, and when she saw him, she waved excitedly, "Chen family brother, come here, come here."
Chen Shi approached, and the group of students, three boys and two girls, looked about his age. The oldest was around fourteen or fifteen, and the youngest was about ten, all neatly dressed with black hats.
"Is there no class today?"
Chen Shi asked.
"No class. Something happened in the town, and Mr. Fu told us to go home and not come to the academy for the next two days!"
Hu Feifei said mysteriously, "In the past two days, more than a dozen students have disappeared in the town, and the authorities can't find them. They say an evil spirit entered the town and took them away. But we don't believe that. If an evil spirit entered the town, why would it only take students and not others?"
The students nodded in agreement.
One student said, "So, we plan to catch this evil spirit."
Chen Shi was surprised to see such determination on their young faces. Were the students in the town all this brave?
"Have you formed a Divine Fetus?"
Chen Shi asked.
The student, looking youthful, shook his head.
Chen Shi looked at the others and asked, "Have any of you formed a Divine Fetus?"
They all shook their heads, except Hu Feifei, who neither nodded nor shook her head, just smiled.
The youngest student, around ten years old, said, "Chen Shi, you're from the countryside. We study different things here in the town. Although we've only formed a Spirit Shrine and not a Divine Fetus, we can still use the energy from the Spirit Shrine to perform spells. We're quite powerful."
A girl added, "Yes. Shen Yusheng is the best. He can always gather sword energy, but I can't."
Chen Shi looked at Shen Yusheng, who was also a young boy, probably no older than eleven or twelve.
"Have you not formed a Golden Core?"
Chen Shi asked.
"Golden Core? Only scholars can form that."
Shen Yusheng said seriously, "You have to become a scholar first. During the grand ceremony, when the True God descends and grants you a Divine Fetus, you can enter the Divine Fetus Stage. Then, with the help of the Divine Fetus, you can reach the Transformation Stage and refine a Golden Core."
The students nodded in agreement.
Chen Shi thought for a moment. He was indeed different from them, having formed a Golden Core without a Divine Fetus.
But if he passed the county exam and the True God descended to grant him a Divine Fetus, he would fill in that gap and be on par with other scholars.
"I suspect the one pretending to be the evil spirit is actually our private tutor, Mr. Fu."
Hu Feifei whispered, "With the county exam approaching, he's been acting suspiciously. I think he's already chosen someone from among us and plans to take the Divine Fetus from those students during the grand ceremony and sell it for a good price."
"How can you suspect the teacher?"
"The teacher wouldn't do such a thing."
The students quickly dismissed her claim, but Hu Feifei sneered, "You don't believe me? We just need to keep an eye on Mr. Fu, and we'll find clues."
Shen Yusheng looked at Chen Shi and asked, "Are you coming, Chen Shi?"
Chen Shi hesitated, and the students said, "With Shen Yusheng here, what are you afraid of?"
Chen Shi was also worried about his newly met classmates getting hurt, so he agreed and asked, "Do you have a plan to find this evil spirit?"
"I'll be the bait."
The youngest student stood up bravely.
Chen Shi asked, "What's your name?"
"I'm Gu Qingmeng. Why?"
The student asked.
"Nothing!"
Chen Shi thought, "Now I know what name to carve on the tombstone!"
Hu Feifei said, "Today, the teacher went to the Eastern Market. We'll search the bookstore for the full version of the Great Path. Let's go to the Eastern Market to find him. Later, Qingmeng will talk to him, and we'll observe from the shadows. If he really tries to harm Qingmeng, we'll jump out to save Qingmeng and capture the old thief, then hand him over to the county office."
Everyone agreed and immediately left the academy.
Chen Shi called Heiguo, feeling puzzled, "Feifei wouldn't speak nonsense. Could it really be Mr. Fu? Why would he capture so many students?"
The Eastern Market was in the woods outside the town, with no fixed shops. Vendors set up stalls during the day to sell daily goods, and some peddlers sold items that children liked.
So, many students would visit after school.
Now, with the moon out during the day and rumors of evil spirits outside the town, the Eastern Market was much quieter.
They arrived at the Eastern Market and found that there were indeed only a few vendors in the woods.
Gu Qingmeng said, "The other day, someone was beheaded over there. It was the county magistrate who was executed, with a lot of people dying. Could it be that the magistrate's restless spirit turned into an evil spirit?"
"My dad went to see it and said the magistrate's body was burned, so he couldn't become an evil spirit. My dad even brought back red buns for my brother to eat, but I didn't get any."
Another girl said regretfully.
Hu Feifei excitedly said, "Mr. Fu is right ahead, Qingmeng, it's up to you."
They looked and saw Fu Leisheng squatting in front of a stall talking to the vendor.
The stall was selling geese, with a dozen big white geese in cages.
The vendor was an old man with white hair and a white beard.
The old man wore faded clothes and looked kind and easy to talk to.
They hid behind the trees as Gu Qingmeng bravely approached, bowed to Fu Leisheng, and said something.
Fu Leisheng stood up, seemingly angry, and told Gu Qingmeng to return to town.
Gu Qingmeng started crying.
Fu Leisheng, looking helpless, apologized to the vendor and took Gu Qingmeng's hand, leading him back to town, saying, "It's dangerous outside the town, and you're running around alone. Be careful, or you'll disappear too."
They waited until Fu Leisheng and Gu Qingmeng walked away before coming out from behind the trees. Shen Yusheng's eyes gleamed, "Mr. Fu took the bait. Let's follow them."
They quickly emerged from the trees, but the goose-selling old man also stood up and stretched.
Chen Shi looked at the goose-selling old man and saw that when the old man exhaled, his breath was incredibly long, lasting for a long time.
"How are his internal organs so strong?"
Chen Shi was amazed, "He's almost as strong as me, only slightly weaker."
Just as he thought this, the goose-selling old man leaped like a flea, moving so fast that the naked eye could hardly follow.
With a thud, he landed beside them, opened a sack with a flick of his wrist.
In a flash, he caught Hu Feifei in the sack.
He leaped repeatedly, moving extremely fast.
In no time, he had caught Shen Yusheng and the other four in the sack as well.
Chen Shi hesitated for a moment, resisting the urge to act.
Thud...
The flea-like old man descended from the sky, landing in front of Chen Shi and Heiguo, grinning as he tried to put them in the sack.
Chen Shi and Heiguo fell into the sack, only to find it dark inside, with no idea how big it was. There were no people inside.
Only five big white geese were trembling inside.
"So it was this old man causing trouble."
Chen Shi spoke, but to his surprise, the sound of a goose's honk came from his mouth.
He looked down and saw that he was covered in white feathers, having turned into a big white goose.
He looked at Heiguo beside him.
The dog was still a dog, sitting there with its tongue out.
"Geese for sale, geese for sale!"
The goose-selling old man's voice came from outside, shouting, "Country white geese, young white geese, cooked in an iron pot, delicious and nourishing, County Magistrate, want some geese? Fresh young white geese."
A slightly authoritative voice replied, "These geese are fresh. My wife loves iron pot stewed goose. Send them to the county office for me."
"Alright!"
End of the chapter.