"From the provincial capital? Looking for the missing girl of the Zhao family?"
Chen Shi remembered the girl in purple clothes whom he had tricked into the kiln and turned into porcelain.
The Zhao family of Xinxiang Province had finally come looking.
This was hardly surprising, though. After all, the girl in purple could travel with a dozen Imperial Guards in tow, which showed that her status within the Zhao family must have been quite high. She had been missing for over ten days, so the family was bound to send people to search for her whereabouts.
Come to think of it, Chen Shi thought, there must be over two hundred people I've tricked into the kiln in the past, and more than half of them died. How come none of their families ever came looking?
He pushed these distracting thoughts aside and continued to ask, "This elderly talisman master, did he lodge at the Tian Family's abandoned house for the night?"
Sanwang shook his head. "He slept in Godmother's temple at night."
Chen Shi's gaze landed on the temple in the center of the village, turning somewhat deep. He lowered his voice. "He lodged in the temple, then..."
The offerings in that temple had already decreased by a lot. The fat deity statue had eaten more than half of the mountain of accumulated offerings, revealing its upper body like a mountain of flesh.
Chen Shi withdrew his gaze, took out the few pieces of fragmented silver Sanwang had given him, and fiddled with them in his palm for a moment before pinching off a piece weighing over a tael to hand to Sanwang.
Sanwang was baffled, looking at him with doubt.
"Take this silver and bury those eight coffins. As for those three children, buy some coffins and bury them decently as well."
Chen Shi looked toward the entrance of the village and said, "Bring me two stools and place them at the village entrance. I'm waiting for someone."
Sanwang didn't understand the meaning behind it, but still followed instructions and brought over two stools.
Chen Shi arrived at the village entrance, sitting quietly on one of the stools. He said to the Black Pot beside him, "Fugui is my friend, my only living human friend. He's hurt this badly, I can't just ignore it. The talisman master who harmed him had his lamp oil spilled by me and his good deed ruined; he's bound to be furious and will definitely rush back to seek revenge on me."
The Black Pot wagged its tail in agreement.
Chen Shi said, "This talisman master is very strong, probably stronger than Grandpa. Grandpa is old and his strength isn't what it used to be. He might not be a match for him."
The Black Pot hesitated for a moment and didn't wag its tail.
If the Black Pot had seen the sight of Grandpa flying out at night, it probably wouldn't have said that.
Chen Shi continued, "Logically speaking, I shouldn't be arrogant and wait for him here. I should leave immediately and run as far away as possible. Right?"
The Black Pot nodded solemnly.
That talisman master was too dangerous, manipulating talismans from afar to turn into Talisman Monsters to fight Chen Shi and even suppressing Chen Shi.
If Chen Shi hadn't laid out the Five Sacred Mountains House-Suppressing Talisman early on, he probably would have been buried in the Talisman Monster's mouth!
If he were to confront this talisman master head-on, it would undoubtedly be even more perilous.
Chen Shi continued, "He's coming in a rage and has definitely made thorough preparations. His talismans are so bizarre, I'm definitely not his match. Therefore, running away is absolute wisdom."
The Black Pot nodded while wagging its tail.
"Yet, doing this is just wrong!"
Chen Shi suddenly said loudly, "Black Pot, doing this is wrong, right? Killing four children just to refine some bullshit lamp oil is just wrong, right? Doesn't this world need justice? I think it does! Someone needs to step out and shout out loud that doing this is just wrong! So, I can't leave."
He looked at his own hands and said in a low voice, "I can't leave. If I leave, that talisman master will still come back and still capture Fugui. I can't leave, I have to stay and wait for him. I definitely can't beat him, but... someone has to do something about this matter, someone has to pay a price for this matter!"
He was very emotional, and there was a lingering breath in his heart that had not dissipated.
He really wanted to stand up and beat that talisman master fiercely, until he beat him to death alive!
If you don't beat me to death, I'll beat you to death!
The Black Pot hesitated for a moment and didn't try to persuade Chen Shi.
It knew Chen Shi's personality; he looked clever on the outside, but actually had a particularly stubborn and unyielding nature.
Born like a donkey, once he set his mind on something, he would never turn back no matter what.
The Black Pot felt quite at ease. Anyway, Chen Shi had already left a letter for Grandpa, and when Grandpa returned home and saw the letter, he would rush toward Huangyang Village.
By then, Grandpa would naturally handle that elderly talisman master.
On the other side, in a camp on the western foot of Ganyang Mountain dozens of miles away, a yurt was suddenly lifted open, and an elderly man with graying hair walked out angrily, securing Jia Ma Talismans to his legs before immediately leaving the camp.
"Brat, you ruined my good deed!"
The white-haired elderly man was furious, gnashing his teeth as he said, "I finally managed to refine the Life-Extending Lamp with only the last child left to succeed, yet you ruined my good deed! I absolutely cannot spare you! Destroying my lamp oil and smashing my small cauldron—if I don't refine you into lamp oil, I've lived seventy years in vain!"
He activated the Jia Ma Talisims, and lo, wind was generated at the soles of his feet, actually lifting his figure three to four inches off the ground!
"Iron Brush Old Man, where are you headed?"
Suddenly, a voice called out to stop him. The white-haired elderly man hurriedly turned back, not daring to be negligent, and curried favor with the newcomer with a smile. "Steward Zhao wouldn't know, but I came to the countryside to investigate the case of Second Miss Zhao's disappearance and took the opportunity to refine some good things for myself, planning to present them to the master to win a career and seek a promotion. Unexpectedly, today, a country boy talisman master ruined my good deed, so I plan to go settle accounts with him."
The newcomer was a rather plump middle-aged man wearing a jadeite thumb ring around his thumb and a jade pendant hanging at his waist. He was none other than Zhao Ming, the steward of the Xuan Ying Mansion of the Xinxiang Province's Zhao Family.
Zhao Ming twirled his folding fan, glanced at him, and sneered, "What you're presenting to the master, could it be a Life-Extending Lamp? You're harming people again. Iron Brush Old Man, the master values you because you are proficient in various arts and skilled in drawing all sorts of talismans, not because of your ability to fawn and suck up! This Life-Extending Lamp of yours harms human lives. If you manage to refine it, outsiders will still say my Zhao family is no good. How many people have you harmed?"
Iron Brush Old Man didn't dare to conceal it and spoke the truth. "I've only harmed four."
Zhao Ming said angrily, "These four human lives won't be counted on your head; they'll only be counted on my Zhao family's head! Enough, stop refining. Our trip this time is to find the Second Miss, not to refine Life-Extending Talismans—wait, Life-Extending Lamps. Last time you said you refined a Soul-Searching Talisman, where is it?"
Iron Brush Old Man hurriedly produced the Soul-Searching Talisman and smiled. "The Soul-Searching Talisman is already refined. Steward Zhao, please take a look."
Zhao Ming unfolded the Soul-Searching Talisman and said while examining it, "The master also has extreme faith in your abilities. The master originally thought the Second Miss died on Ganyang Mountain, yet you were able to calculate that she is still alive. If you can lead me to find the Second Miss, why worry about not having a career?"
Iron Brush Old Man was overjoyed in his heart.
The reason he could calculate that Second Miss Zhao was still alive wasn't because of any true divine calculation on his part, but rather because he had tried to summon Second Miss Zhao's soul yet failed to summon it no matter what, leading him to boldly guess that Second Miss Zhao was still among the living.
Zhao Ming returned the Soul-Searching Talisman to him and said, "Since the talisman is already refined, let's go find the Second Miss right now. Put aside your matters of revenge for now."
Iron Brush Old Man acknowledged the order and said, "I remember that brat's appearance; he can't run away. This subordinate has just used the soul-searching method to trace the Second Miss's approximate location. Steward Zhao, should we call for the others?"
Zhao Ming's gaze flickered as he smiled. "One more person means one more person to share the credit."
Iron Brush Old Man understood, took out another set of Jia Ma Talismans, squatted down, and personally bound them to Zhao Ming's legs. The two of them stepped on the clear breeze, covering a zhang with a single stride, heading east along the foot of Ganyang Mountain.
Outside Huangyang Village, Chen Shi sat unmoving at the entrance of the village. The sun was scorching, making him feel a bit dizzy.
Fortunately, Sanwang's wife was afraid he would go hungry and cooked a meal for him.
For two years, Chen Shi had finally eaten a meal with just the right amount of salt. He was moved to tears, praising it endlessly and making Sanwang's wife's face flush red.
"It's just country cooking, how could it be that delicious?" The honest woman kept rubbing her apron and smiled.
Chen Shi ate it all up cleanly, recovered his spirits, and came back to the village entrance to wait.
After waiting all afternoon, the Black Pot barked twice, and only then did Chen Shi get up, carrying his book box.
He couldn't wait any longer.
If he waited any longer, it would be dark, and he wouldn't make it back in time to Huangpo Village.
The Black Pot's judgment of time was always accurate, except for that one time the sun set a quarter-hour early.
Chen Shi didn't bid farewell to the people of Huangyang Village. He left the village directly and hurried toward Huangpo Village.
"That talisman master didn't come, probably because he was also afraid of being recognized for using children to refine lamp oil, which would ruin his reputation. If he doesn't show up today, he won't show up anymore."
Chen Shi said to the Black Pot, "I didn't expect this person to still care about his face. It's just a pity we couldn't meet him this time. Who knows how long it will take to run into him again."
The Black Pot trotted closely behind him, growing more and more relaxed.
Chen Shi wanted to have a fight with that talisman master to vent his anger, but it certainly didn't want to.
If something happened to Chen Shi, could Grandpa bring Chen Shi back to life just to beat him up?
Grandpa would only pin this blame on its Black Pot head!
Chen Shi looked up at the sky. The blazing sun above was still hot, showing no sign of setting whatsoever.
With his physical strength, it was enough for him to get home before sunset.
I wonder if Grandpa has returned home yet...
Chen Shi and the Black Pot had walked two or three miles when they suddenly heard the sound of clothes ripping through the air from behind. Chen Shi slowed his pace and looked back, only to see two people coming on the clear breeze.
One of these two was quite old with graying hair, and the other was a middle-aged man with rather luxurious clothing. With every step they took, a whirlwind rose from the ground, lifting their bodies so their feet didn't have to touch the ground.
In this way, with a single stride they covered over a zhang, making walking very effortless.
"Jia Ma Talismans can be used like this?"
Chen Shi was astonished, leaning against the roadside to wait for the two to pass.
Grandpa drew Jia Ma Talismans, and he had observed from the side, long since learning how to draw them. However, Grandpa always painted Jia Ma Talismans on wooden carts, letting the wooden carts walk by themselves. Chen Shi had never seen Grandpa tie Jia Ma Talismans to his legs.
"So late, and there's still a child by the road," the middle-aged man said doubtfully when he saw Chen Shi from afar.
The two approached at flying speed. That elderly talisman master was none other than Iron Brush Old Man, who smiled and said, "Not going home at this hour, this child is probably not going to live long, how pitiful. What a pity we have to hurry, or we could take him to refine medicine..."
Just as he said this, he suddenly saw Chen Shi's face clearly, let out a soft exclamation, and blurted out, "It's you! That brat who ruined my lamp oil!"
Chen Shi heard his voice at the same time and found it extremely familiar, his eyes suddenly widening.
The Black Pot also heard Iron Brush Old Man's voice, its ears instantly pricking up, every single black hair on its body standing on end, and its tail becoming as straight as an iron rod!
Just as it was about to warn Chen Shi, the Chen Shi beside it had already darted out like an arrow leaving a bow, even making its vision blur!
Chen Shi rushed toward Iron Brush Old Man!
Like a leopard that had coiled its strength for a long time, he suddenly sprang out, covering over a zhang with a single stride. When his foot landed, his vital energy had already poured into the sole. The instep hit the ground with a snap, and the straw sandals on his feet split open from the force and fell off!
Chen Shi's sole grew a full circle larger, and with his second stride, his speed was even faster, his momentum even fiercer, elevating his speed to the peak!
The roaring gale whipped against his face, and his tied-up hair was also disheveled by the oncoming strong wind, streaming straight back with a whoosh!
At the same time, Iron Brush Old Man and that middle-aged man were also walking toward this side. The speed of the Jia Ma Talismans was already fast, coupled with Chen Shi running head-on, in almost a split second, the two sides had already met, leaving only a distance of about a zhang.
Chen Shi threw a punch!
A punch struck within a zhang!
The sound of his fist tearing through the air was howling, sharp, and even possessed a soul-piercing magic.
This speed was truly too fast. Just as Iron Brush Old Man finished saying "That brat who ruined my lamp oil," Chen Shi's fist had already arrived in front of him!
Chen Shi firmly remembered one point, which was Grandpa's warning.
He had no magical power, and any cultivator could use any spell to send him to his death, but his physical strength was great, and he likewise possessed the ability to kill these cultivators!
When enemies meet in a narrow path, if you want to win, you cannot let the other party make the first move!
Yet Iron Brush Old Man's reaction speed could not be considered slow. In his wide robes and large sleeves, yellow paper fluttered in both sleeves. They were talismans already drawn with runes, currently flying outward.
At the same time, divine light churned at the back of his head, and a Divine Shrine condensed and took shape within the divine light!
The shadow of a Divine Embryo was already faintly emerging within the shrine!
A vast true qi instantly permeated from behind him. This strength of true qi was unprecedented for Chen Shi, even making him feel a strong sense of oppression!
From Iron Brush Old Man's left sleeve, the first talisman flew out to meet Chen Shi's fist—it was the Supreme Eight Trigrams Body Protection Talisman. At the same time, the second talisman began to bloom with golden light; it was the Golden Bell Talisman.
As long as any talisman was activated, he would be in an invincible position!
Yet the moment the Supreme Eight Trigrams Body Protection Talisman touched Chen Shi's fist, Chen Shi's right leg had already reached his crotch, his leg snapping out like a released full bow with a shiu, kicking him right in the groin!
Iron Brush Old Man's strength seemed to have been emptied out in an instant. The momentum of the Jia Ma Talismans rushing forward was abruptly halted by Chen Shi's kick, his facial features twisting, his eyes staring as round as saucers, his head tilting in pain as if doubting life itself.
Chen Shi's punch pressed against the Supreme Eight Trigrams Body Protection Talisman, which was in the midst of releasing its power, and smashed fiercely onto the old man's face, sending the elder flying backward while his body spun like a top.
The Zhao family steward Zhao Ming, who was beside Iron Brush Old Man, also reacted and immediately activated his Divine Shrine, mobilizing true qi. Just as he was about to cast a spell, Chen Shi, having just sent Iron Brush Old Man flying with a punch and catching sight of divine light erupting beside him, stepped sideways without a second thought, turned his waist, and swung his left elbow horizontally backward, the tip of his elbow smashing against the bone joint where Zhao Ming's two ribs met.
This smash nearly knocked the wind out of Zhao Ming, forcing him to double over involuntarily.
With his tall stature, the moment he bent over, Chen Shi's right hand—swollen with vital energy and as thick as a bear's paw—had already clamped onto his throat.
"Crack!"
That hand, capable of crushing stone and snapping iron, shattered his throat bone, pressing down on his neck and carrying his body as he darted forward to catch up with Iron Brush Old Man, who hadn't landed yet!
Zhao Ming's head crashed fiercely into Iron Brush Old Man's head, producing a dull impact sound.
Iron Brush Old Man's skull caved in by a large chunk, and yellow talismans flew out of both his sleeves like yellow butterflies with a rustling sound. Following that, the Supreme Eight Trigrams Body Protection Talisman, the Golden Bell Talisman, the Astral Five Dippers Talisman, the Six Harms Divine Talisman, the Life-Preserving Talisman, the Canopy Talisman, and other divine talismans and tallies had their powers fully activated!
Blood gushed like a fountain from Iron Brush Old Man's groin, his knees turned soft, and he knelt on the ground with his head hanging low and brains spilling out.
In an instant, multicolored divine light erupted, and various colors formed daofa of different shapes. Some looked like Eight Trigrams runes, some like golden bells, some manifested the Six Harms, and there were also canopies, spirits, demonic beasts, and other strange things rushing out all at once, piling together to protect Iron Brush Old Man in the center.
Iron Brush Old Man had already breathed his last.
----Monday, a major chapter of over 4,000 words, asking for votes and recommendations. Thanks to Yemao and Jin Buyi for their silver support. Serialization during the new book period is very important. Remember to check for updates around eleven noon and six evening every day.
Today's Easter egg chapter at the end of the chapter comes from the big shot Alpaca7, who drew Chen Shi. If you like it, remember to give it a like, oh~
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