Clear Dream Suppresses the Star River

With Prince Xiao gone, the four horses and the coachman of this carriage were not petrified and still obeyed orders.

"Go to Thunderstrike Mountain!" Chen Shi got into the carriage and said excitedly.

The Thunderstrike Mountain he spoke of was the mountain that had been almost leveled by the Hongyi Cannons. The coachman immediately gave a shout, and the horses set off at once, rushing away.

Before long, they arrived at the foot of Thunderstrike Mountain. Chen Shi searched all around and found a complete Hongyi Cannon in a mountain gully. The soldiers of the Divine Machine Battalion who operated the cannon were dead, their corpses scattered everywhere.

The moon had not yet risen, so the corpses were still there.

Chen Shi immediately jumped off the carriage. After a moment, he lifted the cannon, weighing two to three thousand catties, and put it into the carriage.

The coachman looked at him doubtfully but did not ask any questions.

Chen Shi did not move the cannon carriage, as it was damaged. He only loaded the baskets of black iron cannonballs, the size of human heads, into the carriage and said excitedly, "Let's go! Back to Huangpo Village to ascend the throne!"

The coachman drove the carriage to Huangpo Village. Chen Shi was full of excitement. He jumped off the carriage and walked around the village carrying the Hongyi Cannon, in high spirits.

He carried the behemoth, weighing two to three thousand catties, on his shoulder and could even walk around the village three or four times without feeling tired.

Not a single villager dared to show their face. Every household's doors were tightly shut. Forget about children kneeling to welcome King Chen and supporting him to ascend the throne; not even a shadow could be seen.

Chen Shi soon lost interest, feeling dejected and unhappy. He placed the Hongyi Cannon at the old Chen family's house, propping it up against the wall. The black iron cannonballs were piled up in the doghouse.

Black Pot lay on the ground, watching his young master busy himself. After a while, the dog climbed onto the black iron cannonballs to sleep. These cannonballs were cool, making for a very comfortable sleep.

After finishing his tasks, Chen Shi had a sudden idea and picked up the Hongyi Cannon again, intending to fire a couple of shots to liven up the newly enthroned King Chen. However, he thought that since it belonged to the Divine Machine Battalion, if it attracted people from the Divine Machine Battalion, King Chen would likely be brought to justice, so he gave up the idea.

Chen Shi glanced at Black Pot, who was lying on the cannonballs, and quietly slipped into his room. He took out a piece of wire, crawled under the bed, and poked into a mouse hole, pulling out a small cloth bag.

He opened the cloth bag, which contained a few taels of silver fragments.

He let out a long sigh. These silver fragments were his private savings, painstakingly accumulated. They had not been found by Grandpa, nor had they been dug out by Black Pot.

"I am strong enough now. As long as my true qi doesn't dissipate, the shrine can be maintained for a long time. If I save a bit more money, I can enroll in the private school in town and participate in this year's county exam to become a scholar."

Chen Shi counted the meager silver fragments and thought to himself, "Once I become a scholar, there will be a divine bestowal ceremony, and the True God will descend to bestow a Divine Embryo. If I can manage to fool them, perhaps the True God will grant me a new Divine Embryo, and then I won't be a cripple. In the future, I'll pass the imperial examination and lead Grandpa to a good life of oppressing the villagers."

Just as he thought this, he suddenly saw a dog's head appear in the shadow cast by the sunlight on the ground. He shivered and quickly looked up.

He saw the big black dog with its front paws on the windowsill, its head sticking out of the window, looking at him intently.

"My money has been discovered!"

Chen Shi's malice surged, and he pounced, wrestling with the black dog, shouting, "Black Pot, you've discovered my secret! Today, I'll kill the dog to silence you!"

Black Pot fought back with all its might, barking and not yielding an inch.

After fighting for a long time, one person and one dog reached a compromise. Black Pot would not betray him, and Chen Shi would not kill it to silence it. However, he had to go to town and buy it one or two catties of exotic beast meat. In addition, as compensation, Black Pot had to contribute some black dog blood for Chen Shi to draw talismans.

Both the person and the dog were very satisfied with the outcome.

Chen Shi, with the dog, set out again in the carriage. He had to admit that Prince Xiao's carriage was indeed swift. Before long, they arrived at Qiaowan Town, more than twenty li away.

The so-called Qiaowan referred to a bend in the Dejiang River, where a five-arched bridge was built to span the river. Qiaowan Town was located here, named after its geographical feature.

Chen Shi bought two catties of exotic beast meat for Black Pot, and also bought some kites, tangrams, Luban locks, diablos, and spinning tops. Chen Shi himself did not have these toys and really wanted to play with them, but he forced himself to resist.

He put the toys into his book box and, taking Prince Xiao's carriage, arrived at Huangyang Village shortly after.

The villagers of Huangyang Village were somewhat fearful when they saw him.

Country folk could distinguish between kindness and enmity. Chen Shi had been kind to Huangyang Village: he had saved the children, paid for the burial of the deceased, and avenged the three children. He had also disciplined his godmother, preventing her from oppressing them. Sanwang had died, and Chen Shi had avenged him by killing his enemy.

The villagers remembered this kindness.

However, the villagers were still worried. Six disciples of the Zhao family had died in Huangyang Village. If the Zhao family retaliated, how could ordinary folk resist?

Chen Shi called the elders of Huangyang Village and said, "The Zhao family from the Provincial City lost six disciples this time and may not let it go. If people from the Zhao family come to investigate the village, just report my name. If they come looking for trouble and I kill them, they naturally won't bother you."

The elder was old, over seventy years old, and his hearing was a bit poor. He didn't hear clearly and said to himself, "Although our Huangyang Village has no powerful figures, we will absolutely not betray our benefactor! The one who betrayed our benefactor last time was Guanghao's Wife. She couldn't endure the torture and confessed. She disgraced our village, so we have tied her up. If our benefactor gives the word, we will send this woman on her way!"

Chen Shi was startled. No wonder he saw a woman tied to a tree when he arrived. He thought the villagers were playing some kind of game, but he didn't expect they had tied her up to await his disposal.

Chen Shi picked up a branch from the ground, went to the woman, and whipped her twice before throwing the branch aside. He said with a smile, "You are ungrateful and indeed deserve a beating. I have now punished you. Guanghao's Wife, bygones are bygones for past events. Do not repeat them in the future."

The woman lowered her head and thanked him.

Chen Shi repeated what he had said earlier. The elder finally heard clearly and breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still a little worried and said, "Won't that bring trouble to our benefactor?"

Chen Shi smiled and said, "This matter has nothing to do with you, Huangyang Village, anymore. It is my business. My business, I will resolve myself! If people from the Zhao family come, I will kill one if one comes, and I will kill a pair if two come. When more people die, the Zhao family will naturally be willing to let go of the past."

After giving his instructions, he got into the carriage and headed straight into the mountains.

The coachman drove him and Black Pot, without any complaints.

Along the way, Chen Shi offered incense to Granny Zhuang, Great Serpent Xuan Shan, the Stream Maiden, and other mountain spirits. He also gave the various fun toys he had bought to the fruit children in the forest, thanking them for rescuing Prince Xiao.

These forest spirits were overjoyed and played with the toys, having a great time.

Chen Shi entered the Mountain Lord Temple with Black Pot. He hadn't been there for many days, and the temple, devoid of sunlight, had become gloomy and desolate.

Even the extraordinary power was not as lively as before.

Chen Shi put down his book box and inserted three sticks of incense into the temple's censer. Then, he activated the Three Lights Righteous Qi Art and walked slowly and steadily in the hall, stepping on the Big Dipper Seven Stars.

Unknowingly, the extraordinary power within the temple became lively again and gradually brightened. However, what shone down from the roof was not sunlight, but a hazy moonlight.

Black Pot lay on the ground, tilting its head to look at the sky inside the temple. It saw a crescent moon hanging in the air, dotted with stars, as brilliant as the Milky Way.

That crescent moon wasn't the kind you see at night from the local moon.

The crescent of the local moon is the True God's vertical eye. The True God's vertical eye has two eyelids, and when both eyelids close simultaneously, the moon appears as a willow leaf.

But the crescent moon seen in the temple was like a girl's curved eyebrows, or like a maiden's eyes when she smiles, captivating and serene.

This scene stunned Gouzi.

Behind Chen Shi's head, a shrine materialized, radiating divine light that lingered for a long time.

His shrine grew increasingly stable. Although he had no Divine Embryo, true qi now flowed within his body, accompanied by bursts of Big Dipper starlight that were being forged into his physique.

The Seven Refinements of the Big Dipper were rapidly tempering his body, pushing him towards the Five Viscera Complete Truth and bone-marrow cleansing!

At this rate, he would achieve the Five Viscera Complete Truth and bone-marrow cleansing in just a few days!

By then, he would possess the Saint Embryo body!

Upon cultivating the Saint Embryo body, his physique would be comparable to a Divine Embryo!

Chen Shi, tired from his cultivation, stopped and lay down in the temple, resting his hands behind his head. Gazing at the exotic starry sky within the temple, he fell into a daze.

"Drunk, I knew not the sky was on the water; a boat full of clear dreams presses the galaxy. Where is that other world? When will I be able to go and see it for myself?" he mused.

Outside Mirror Lake Villa, a tall, gaunt ghost holding a lantern walked slowly. The lantern's light cast a round patch on the ground, and a red figure moved within the illuminated circle.

Jin Hongying of the Divine Machine Battalion had finally found Prince Xiao's whereabouts.

"I never imagined such a serene villa could exist in these deep mountains. Prince Xiao, do you think hiding here will prevent me from finding you?"

Jin Hongying smiled charmingly, "You killed the Divine Machine Battalion's Commander's inner official with a single sword strike; you are indeed a senior of the Divine Machine Battalion. However, this strike also exposed your weakness."

Inside the villa, there were only coffins, large and small, standing beneath ancient trees, utterly silent, with no one to answer her.

Jin Hongying, showing no fear, stepped over the threshold and onto the grounds of the villa. Her expression suddenly changed slightly, and she warily scanned the coffins within the villa.

The number of coffins in this villa was not large, matching the number of trees.

Except for Chen Shi's thin-skinned coffin, all the others could be called outer coffins, extremely heavy and luxurious.

The moment she stepped into the villa, she felt a powerful pressure emanating from these coffins!

"Putting on a show!"

Jin Hongying snorted coldly and took another step forward.

As she took her second step, the pressure intensified!

The coffins came into view, growing larger and larger, and the entire world distorted and spun within her vision!

Jin Hongying's face gradually turned red, and she took another step forward.

With this step, her delicate body trembled violently. The tall, gaunt ghost behind her, holding the lantern, suddenly went pop, exploding into a puff of green smoke and perishing unnaturally!

Jin Hongying's nostrils felt warm, and two streams of blood flowed down, landing on her snow-white chest and trickling down the middle.

"Wah--"

She finally couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood. Daring not to linger any longer, she turned and fled.

Just as she exited the villa, her red robes billowed, and she transformed into a red silhouette, flying away with a rustle.

A moment later, the sound of tearing air echoed from outside again. The red silhouette flew back, and Jin Hongying's laughter could be heard from outside the villa: "Prince Xiao, I suddenly remembered. Since living people cannot enter the villa, what if the ones entering are not alive?"

Under the moonlight, two snow-white paper figures walked towards the villa from outside.

They were paper cutouts, with limbs and heads, only palm-sized, walking with their hands and feet moving in unison, looking clumsy.

They crossed the threshold and entered the villa, babbling in a language no one could understand as they walked.

The two paper figures pulled out two paper swords from behind them, muttering incantations, saying who knows what.

Suddenly, the two paper figures quickened their pace and rushed towards Prince Xiao's coffin. They leaped up, thrusting their paper swords towards the coffin.

The small sword that had been circling the coffin immediately flew out and collided with one of the paper swords, actually sparking a series of flames!

The power emanating from the paper sword was astonishingly great, forcing the small sword to retreat repeatedly.

This sword was one of Prince Xiao's twin swords, named Bailao.

The Bailao sword protected the coffin and moved to block the other paper figure's paper sword. Just as it parried, the first paper figure landed lightly, then sprang up, moving with extreme speed, and attacked with its sword.

The two small paper figures moved left and right, front and back, their paper swords flashing. They managed to push the Bailao sword to its limits, leaving it struggling to cope.

Suddenly, the Bailao sword's speed increased dramatically. One of the paper figures was struck in the back and pierced by the Bailao sword!

The other paper figure leaped up and, with a ding, deflected the Bailao sword, saving its companion.

The Bailao sword thrust out repeatedly, like an invisible sword master attacking with a sword, and the two paper figures felt immense pressure. The paper figure that had been struck could no longer defend and was hit again, cut in half by the Bailao sword, falling to the ground.

The Bailao sword was about to attack the other paper figure when it saw that paper figure kneeling on the ground, weeping profusely over its companion's corpse.

The paper figure, now only with its upper body, trembled as it extended a hand, grabbing the other's hand, and seemed to want to say something while looking up, but its head drooped, and it died.

The paper figure wailed and beat its chest, then turned its head, glaring fiercely at the Bailao sword.

The paper figure leaped up and lunged with even greater speed, but the Bailao sword was faster, its every strike aimed at the paper figure's chest and back.

After blocking a few blows, the paper figure could no longer withstand the sword techniques. Its chest was stabbed three times in succession, and it fell to the ground.

Knowing its life was forfeit, the paper figure crawled on the ground towards its companion, laboriously extending its hand, trying to grasp its companion's palm.

The Bailao sword flew up and sliced it in half. The paper figure tilted its head up, straining to extend its right hand, but it fell limply, finally expiring.

The Bailao sword breathed a sigh of relief, only to see more than a dozen paper figures climbing over the villa's threshold. These paper figures, like the previous ones, walked with their hands and feet moving in unison, endearingly clumsy.

Some paper figures dragged paper muskets and paper cannons from behind the threshold, while others shouted commands, seemingly directing an assault on the villa.