Honest and Kind

On the old willow tree, the scholar ghost remained silent, dejected.

Zhu Youcai, that was his name.

He had hanged himself here, his tongue sticking out a foot long, his face bloated to a purplish hue like a pig's liver. It was hardly a pleasant sight.

"Little Ten isn't honest at all, using my name to say this woman is ugly."

He thought to himself, "But then again, while this woman isn't bad-looking, she has a wicked heart. I wonder if Little Ten can handle her?"

He was in a soul state; these people could neither see him nor hear his voice.

He was hanged here. Although he had become a ghost, he couldn't leave this old tree and was unable to notify Chen Shi's grandfather.

"Big Sister's porcelain dolls should be a group of little ones that only appear in the evening, crawling out from the grass and chattering away."

Chen Shi recounted as if he were listing treasures, "Their voices are fast and dense, and I can't hear what they're saying. If people get close, they'll burrow into the grass and can never be found. After people leave, they'll come out again. By dawn, they'll disappear. Big Sister is looking for them, right?"

He had indeed seen these porcelain dolls before and often played with these little fellows, so he was very familiar with them.

The woman in purple and the group of men in flying fish robes nodded excitedly upon hearing this.

"My lady, this little thing... this little brother describes it so clearly, it must mean that thing is nearby!"

The man in flying fish robes named Fang He chuckled, "The rumors are true, there is indeed a Tomb of the True King here! Those porcelain dolls are funerary objects from the tomb that have gained sentience! If we can obtain these treasures..."

The woman in purple grew angry, her almond-shaped eyes widening as she glared at him fiercely.

Fang He's heart grew cold, and he quickly shut his mouth.

The woman in purple glanced at Chen Shi and saw that he looked bewildered, clearly a country child who didn't understand what a great tomb or gaining sentience meant. Only then did she relax.

"Little brother, can you take us to the place where those porcelain dolls disappear?" the woman in purple asked gently.

Chen Shi looked troubled, "My grandfather is still waiting for me at home to eat dinner..."

The woman in purple chuckled, "Sister has some delicious food here, made from spirit beasts and exotic herbs. Isn't it tastier than the food at your home?"

She clapped her hands, and soon someone presented some dried meat.

Chen Shi ate a piece of the dried meat. It was indeed exceptionally delicious, so he agreed.

As everyone followed Chen Shi, the woman in purple asked, "Little brother, I still don't know your name?"

Chen Shi honestly replied, "My name is Chen Shi. The teacher who taught me said that 'Chen' means sincere, and 'Shi' means real. Everyone in the village calls me Little Chen Shi. I never lie!"

Everyone who heard this secretly laughed, "What kind of surname is Chen? This rural teacher is also ignorant."

Fang He's expression turned serious. He approached the woman in purple and whispered, "My lady, this child is a bit strange..."

The woman in purple's gaze had already fallen on Chen Shi's retreating back. She narrowed her eyes and nodded slightly, "I've noticed it too."

She said softly with a strange expression, "I wouldn't have thought that at such a young age, he would also be a cultivator."

Ahead, Chen Shi was still eating the dried meat. The aura within the young boy fluctuated slightly, with true qi circulating within him, and it was quite strong.

A faint light appeared behind Chen Shi's head, hazy and indistinct. A shrine made of light flickered into existence!

The dried meat was made from various spirit beasts and exotic herbs, containing strong spiritual energy. As Chen Shi ate the dried meat, the spiritual energy was refined, and his cultivation was involuntarily revealed.

"Qi Refining Stage, Divine Embryo Realm!"

The woman in purple whispered, "He has already formed a shrine. He must have received the favor of a True God, who bestowed upon him a Divine Embryo! Even in the provincial city, he would be qualified to participate in the preliminary imperial examination! A recommended scholar at the age of ten..."

She couldn't help but be astonished.

The cultivation of cultivators was divided into five major stages: Qi Refining, Spirit Transmutation, Spirit Refining, Void Returning, and Dao Integration.

Among them, Qi Refining was further divided into four realms: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Shrine, and Divine Embryo. Cultivating to the Divine Embryo Realm was already remarkable, allowing one to participate in the preliminary imperial examination and become a recommended scholar, possessing official status.

Nowadays, the world pursued both scholarship and cultivation.

Scholars were cultivators who could cultivate the truth, obtain official titles, and serve in the government.

Chen Shi, at only ten years old, had cultivated to the Divine Embryo Realm. Even across the entire realm, he was rare!

If he were to obtain an official title, it would surely shock the world!

The woman in purple and her companions came from a prominent family in Xinxiang Provincial City. They never expected to encounter such a genius in the countryside, and their astonishment was beyond words.

"No!"

The woman in purple saw the shrine behind Chen Shi's head suddenly become unstable, flickering like smoke from a cooking fire in the wind, about to dissipate at any moment. She quickly hurried to Chen Shi's side and looked at the shrine behind his head.

She saw that the shrine behind Chen Shi's head was empty, with no Divine Embryo within!

The woman in purple looked puzzled.

At this moment, the shrine behind Chen Shi's head dissipated, and the true qi dissolved with it, returning him to the state of an ordinary person.

The other men in flying fish robes also saw this scene and showed surprised expressions.

"With his mastery of the shrine, he should have cultivated a Divine Embryo! Why was his shrine empty? And why did his cultivation suddenly disappear?" the woman in purple murmured.

Chen Shi's shrine was extremely stable, even surpassing some cultivators in the Spirit Transmutation stage. He must have entered the Divine Embryo Realm long ago. Yet, his shrine was empty, and the shrine could collapse at any moment, which was truly a strange occurrence.

Fang He understood immediately and chuckled softly, "My lady comes from a prestigious family and is unaware of the dangers of the martial world. The appearance of a cultivation genius in the countryside is not necessarily a good thing, but rather a root of disaster. The children of powerful and influential families, if their talent is poor and they cannot cultivate to the Divine Embryo Realm and pass the scholar exams, will hire experts from their clan to find a genius with excellent talent but no background, and strip them of their Divine Embryo to transplant it onto themselves. This boy named Chen Shi must have been discovered due to his extraordinary talent by someone powerful, who harvested his Divine Embryo and transplanted it to their own child."

The woman in purple looked at Chen Shi's retreating back in surprise and asked, "Can one survive after having their Divine Embryo stripped away?"

Fang He was also somewhat confused. "Logically speaking, you can only obtain a Divine Embryo by cracking open a skull. A cultivator whose Divine Embryo has been taken is bound to die. Why is this kid still alive after having his Divine Embryo dug out?"

Every year, many people died because their Divine Embryos were stolen. This was very common in the Great Ming Dynasty. Chen Shi, however, having his Divine Embryo stolen and yet remaining alive, was a rare occurrence.

Fang He quickly stepped forward and came behind Chen Shi. He felt around the back of Chen Shi's head and indeed found a long-healed scar there.

The scar was three to four inches long, and the bone beneath it was raised.

"Chen Shi, don't move."

As Fang He spoke, he pushed aside Chen Shi's hair. The scar was a fleshy red, resembling a thumb-thick red centipede crawling on the back of Chen Shi's head.

Chen Shi, eating his dried meat, paid it no mind.

The woman in purple also saw the scar and was shocked. This young man's skull had been opened before!

"To survive such an injury is truly a miracle!" she exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Without a Divine Embryo, any true qi was like a rootless tree or a river without a source, dissipating at any moment. Chen Shi, having his Divine Embryo stolen, had become a cripple. Therefore, after consuming the spirit jerky, the medicinal power contained within transformed into true qi, causing his shrine to reappear. However, without a Divine Embryo, his shrine and cultivation were merely illusions.

Fang He fell back a few steps and lowered his voice, "My Lady, last year, Magistrate Li's son from Shuinui County, Li Xiaoding, astonished everyone in the preliminary imperial examination by winning first place. But I heard that this Young Master Li is unlearned and unskilled, not very powerful, and even quite foolish. He did not receive the favor of the True God. Some say Young Master Li must have stolen the Divine Embryo of a poor scholar..."

The woman in purple coughed and said meaningfully, "Magistrate Li may not hold a high office, but the Li family is a major clan. Whatever means Young Master Li used to become a recommended scholar has nothing to do with us. This child is quite pitiful."

Her gaze fell upon Chen Shi, and she whispered, "Give him a quick end later. Don't torture him."

She turned her head to look at Huangpo Village, her expression gentle, and said softly, "And this village, eliminate it as well, to accompany the little fellow. This way, there will be no leaks, and no one can say our Zhao family acted dishonorably by not informing them about the discovery of the Tomb of the True King, thus causing trouble. After finding the Tomb of the True King, you will arrange the silencing. Make it clean."

Fang He bowed and agreed.

Chen Shi's expression remained normal, but his ears twitched.

Although he no longer had a Divine Embryo, his hearing was astonishing. The conversation between the two, though quiet, had not escaped his ears.

These people have ill intentions towards me and the village. It seems they are the instigators. According to Master, we must cut the weeds and pull out the roots, leaving them no descendants.

Chen Shi thought to himself, I definitely can't beat them. Master said, "A gentleman does not discuss the supernatural." My current strength is not enough to be considered supernatural, unable to make ghosts and gods submit. So, it's better to use a borrowed knife to kill. Master's words are truly filled with worldly wisdom everywhere!

His admiration for Master surged within him.

Chen Shi quietly slowed his pace, signaling for everyone to follow.

The woman in purple and the others followed him forward. They saw by the edge of the mountain forest ahead, over a dozen small figures, about a foot tall, playing by the stream.

These small figures had distinct features, complete limbs, wore green clothes, and had white skin, appearing like living people.

When they touched each other, they made the sound of porcelain clashing, indicating they were not human.

The porcelain dolls frolicked by the mountain stream, splashing water and catching fish, enjoying themselves immensely.

The words they spoke were also strange, not human language, just babbling sounds of unclear meaning. Yet, the porcelain dolls understood each other, communicating and occasionally bursting into laughter, full of joy.

The woman in purple and the others came up behind Chen Shi and, seeing this scene, were filled with excitement. They whispered, "These must be porcelain artifacts from the Tomb of the True King that have come to life! As long as we follow them, we can find the location of the Tomb of the True King!"

Chen Shi took a step forward and snapped a dry twig on the ground. One of the porcelain dolls sensed something, tilted its head, and looked around. Seeing Chen Shi, it let out a sharp cry, like the chirping of an oriole.

The other porcelain dolls saw Chen Shi and immediately put on faces of deep hatred, rolled up their sleeves, and charged forward aggressively, as if there was an irreconcilable grudge.

At this moment, the porcelain dolls saw the woman in purple and the other strangers, and they couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, all drilling into the grass by the stream.

From the grass came chirping and shouting, likely the porcelain dolls angrily cursing Chen Shi for being unable to defeat them and calling for help.

Fang He and the others quickly stepped forward, parting the grass to follow the tracks. They saw the mountains covered in lush green, the trees tall and imposing. The forest was dim and vast, making it impossible to discern directions.

The porcelain dolls moved with incredible speed, darting through the forest and grass, causing great hardship to the pursuers, who soon lost their tracks.

The woman in purple's eyes suddenly lit up, and she whispered, "Follow Chen Shi!"

Only then did everyone notice that Chen Shi was moving swiftly through the forest, chasing the porcelain dolls with practiced ease.

It was difficult for everyone else to catch up to the porcelain dolls, but Chen Shi's target was larger and easier to track. Thus, they all followed Chen Shi, gradually venturing deeper into the forest.

The trees became denser, and only scattered patches of sunlight dappled the ground.

After an unknown distance, Chen Shi, who was in front, suddenly vanished without a trace.

The others rushed forward, only to see the surrounding trees rapidly growing, becoming taller and taller, like colossal trees supporting the sky!

Even the wild grass grew as thick as trees, the rocks resembled hills, and the stream had become a vast river, majestic and surging!

As they marveled, they heard someone exclaim, "It's not the plants that have grown bigger, it's us who have shrunk!"

The woman in purple and the others were utterly terrified. They looked at each other and saw that in just a short moment, they had shrunk from adult size to less than a foot tall!

The woman in purple looked at her own skin and trembled slightly.

After a moment, she mustered her courage and gently tapped her arm, producing a crisp sound of porcelain clashing.

She almost fainted.

She had actually turned into a porcelain doll!

She looked at the others. The Jin Yi Wei guards who had followed her had also all turned into porcelain dolls!

"Ghost and God Domain! We've stumbled into a Ghost and God Domain! Right! Chen Shi!"

The woman in purple clutched at Chen Shi like a straw of salvation. "Chen Shi has been here before, he must know what's going on... Wait a moment!"

Her face turned pale. "If little Chen Shi has been here and knows that entering this place will turn one into a porcelain doll, why did he bring us here? Is Chen Shi... really as honest as he appears?"