Accept It As It Comes

In the Mountain Lord Temple, Chen Shi strode forward, covering fifteen feet in an instant. His body struck the air, even emitting a thunderous roar that made the temple's doors and windows rattle!

He threw a punch, the wind from his fist reaching ten feet away like thunder on a clear day.

Chen Shi surged his Blood Essence and threw another punch. The wind from this one was even more potent, the sound of it erupting into a deep, resonant thunder. As his fist moved, the thunder rumbled ominously, truly terrifying.

He shifted his feet, treading the Big Dipper Seven Stars, moving with ghost-like speed. He traversed the temple floor, walls, and pillars, his fists and feet flying out with muffled thunder!

A distance of fifteen to sixteen feet, intent, body, and fist arrived as one!

After a moment, Chen Shi landed gracefully. The surging Blood Essence subsided in an instant, and his rustling clothes grew still.

He was calm and collected, only feeling the true qi within him churning, ceaseless.

The true qi flowed, incomparably vigorous, automatically forming a shrine behind his head. The shrine glowed brilliantly, exceptionally dazzling.

The true qi within him did not dissipate for a long time, nor did the shrine show any signs of weakening.

After some time, his true qi began to leak, and the shrine's radiance gradually dimmed, but the shrine remained intact.

"Even after cultivating the Saint Embryo, I still cannot fully preserve the shrine. Without the shrine, there is no true qi. The physical Saint Embryo only slows the dissipation of true qi. To preserve true qi, one still needs a true Divine Embryo."

Although Chen Shi felt regret, he was content. He bowed to the empty shrine in the Mountain Lord Temple and walked out.

He closed the door, preparing to leave the mountain.

He did not take a carriage.

Two days ago, for reasons unknown, the coachman who had always obeyed his every command saw him and acted as if he had seen a ghost, immediately driving the carriage away until it vanished from sight.

Chen Shi had greatly admired Prince Xiao's carriage. Traveling in it these past few days had been indescribably majestic. He had searched for a long time but could not find that carriage outside Mirror Lake Villa, which had caused him much regret.

After he left, an extraordinary power permeated the temple, gradually converging into the shrine, faintly revealing the manifestation of a god or demon.

Just as the divine manifestation was about to form, the extraordinary power suddenly became unrestrained, collapsing and dispersing throughout the temple once more.

A faint sigh echoed from the shrine.

"Still not enough?"

Chen Shi walked far away, unaware of the sigh.

Outside Huangpo Village, under the old willow tree, Chen Shi offered incense to the stone tablet of his Godmother as usual.

Although his Godmother remained unresponsive, the green light on the stone tablet flowed for a longer duration, seemingly containing some profound mystery.

Chen Shi tried to connect with his Godmother through the incense offering, but when his consciousness touched the stone tablet, he felt nothing but an boundless void.

"Perhaps Godmother is just an ordinary stone."

Chen Shi didn't dwell on it. He offered incense to Scholar Zhu and quietly waited for Scholar Zhu to absorb the fragrance.

"Scholar Zhu is my benefactor, no, my benefactor-ghost!"

Chen Shi was filled with emotion. "I was unfortunate to have my Divine Embryo severed and become a cripple, but I was also incredibly lucky to meet Scholar Zhu, allowing me to study under him. Otherwise, I might not have passed the written examination in the county test. In this spring county examination, I will surely shine in the written portion!"

As he was thinking, two people, one old and one young, descended from Huangpo Slope. The elder was already in his eighties, frail and stooped as he walked, but his eyes were bright.

The youth wore a blue robe and white shirt, his topknot tied with a blue ribbon. He wore a red silk sash around his waist, from which hung a white lotus jade pendant. His feet were clad in Chenqiao shoes, giving him a very refined appearance.

This youth appeared to be around eleven or twelve years old. He followed the elder, his gaze clear. Although their clothing was simple, the quality was good, indicating that while they were not exceedingly wealthy, their daily life was quite refined.

Chen Shi withdrew his gaze, took out the Analects, and asked Scholar Zhu for guidance: "The Master said, 'I have not seen one who is truly firm.' Someone replied, 'Shen Cheng.' The Master said, 'Cheng is full of desires; how can he be called firm?' What does this mean?"

"To understand this passage, you must grasp the Master's intent. The Master was already invincible in the world, so he lamented, 'I have never seen a person whose fists cannot break my own.'

Scholar Zhu explained, "Someone nearby said Shen Cheng was formidable, having achieved an indestructible body. The Master then said, 'Shen Cheng is not good; I have fought him, and he is not firm at all.' Little Ten, if you can grasp the Master's state of mind when he said this, you will be invincible."

Chen Shi pondered.

Just then, the youth's voice drifted up from the bottom of Huangpo Slope: "Grandpa, stop! My seventh uncle, Li Kefu, should have died here."

Chen Shi snapped out of his contemplation of the Master's state of mind and looked down. He saw the old man and the youth stop and survey the geography and scenery near Huangpo Slope.

"Li Kefu? He seems to be the County Assistant of Shuinui County, the father of the victim, Li Xiaoding. How did he die?" Chen Shi was surprised.

The fact that the youth said Li Kefu died near Huangpo Slope sent a chill down his spine. Huangpo Village was named after this slope, meaning Li Kefu had died near Huangpo Village!

"This youth calls Li Kefu seventh uncle, so they are from the Li family!" Chen Shi inwardly became vigilant.

At the foot of Huangpo Slope, the elder asked doubtfully, "Tianqing, how do you know your seventh uncle died here? I haven't seen his soul."

The elder's gaze fell upon Chen Shi, who felt as if a ball of fire was shining on him. The burning sensation only disappeared when the elder looked away.

"This elder is so strong!"

Just as he thought this, he saw the elder's gaze land on Scholar Zhu, who was hanging from the tree. His heart tightened. "He can see Scholar Zhu without using a Heavenly Eye Talisman! That's right, he has cultivated Heavenly Eyes that can see spiritual bodies!"

The youth, Li Tianqing, pointed to a large tree by the river in the distance and said, "The tree crown north of that tree is missing a corner. It's a mark left by my Li family's Six Yin Jade Wheel. In Xinxiang Province, only my seventh uncle knows the Six Yin Jade Wheel."

The elder looked at the person and the ghost on the slope with surprise. Hearing this, he withdrew his gaze and looked at the large tree, exclaiming, "Tianqing, bringing you out this time was the right decision. Your observation skills are astonishing! So, your seventh uncle encountered an enemy near here, activated our Li family's Six Yin Jade Wheel, but was defeated and met an untimely end."

He exhaled a breath of turbid air and said, "Li Kefu brought the elites of our Li family in Shuinui County this time, but they were all buried in the countryside. Our Li family's influence in Shuinui County has been uprooted. Such an act was likely done by another powerful aristocratic family! They're using this opportunity to annex Shuinui County!"

The youth, Li Tianqing, surveyed Huangpo Slope, then suddenly gave a soft "Oh," and quickly walked over. He picked up a handful of soil, rubbed it carefully, and then put it on his tongue to taste. "It's kaolin clay!"

The elder's eyes widened. He also tasted it, spat it out, and said angrily, "It doesn't taste good at all!"

Li Tianqing pondered, "Grandpa, kaolin clay is used for firing porcelain and pottery, not for eating. There's such a large area of this slope..."

His gaze swept over the dirt slope and then towards the ancient tree in the center of Huangpo Village. His eyes lit up, and he chuckled, "There must be a kiln factory nearby! And the True King's Tomb should also be close by!"

The old man stroked his white hair, not understanding how he had reached that conclusion.

On the loess slope, Chen Shi was also greatly curious.

Li Tianqing said, "Large tombs like this require a vast amount of pottery and porcelain. Transporting them from elsewhere would first attract attention, and second, they could easily be damaged en route. Therefore, a kiln factory must be built nearby to fire them. The earth used by the kiln factory is this kind of kaolin clay. After the pottery and porcelain are fired, the kiln workers who fired them would all be executed to prevent leaks of information. This village happens to be built where the kaolin clay was stored back then, and the trees in the village are old enough; they must have been planted by people from that era. Thus, the True King's Tomb is definitely not far from here!"

Chen Shi was greatly impressed and thought to himself, This young man is about my age and just as smart as I am.

The old man was inexplicably excited, his voice hoarse, "If we can find the True King's Tomb, even if we can't find the murderer of Li Kefu, our father and son returning to Quanzhou will be a great achievement!"

Li Tianqing shook his head, "Two great achievements."

The old man was confused.

Li Tianqing said, "Uncle Seven's case is also easy to solve. Grandpa, look at that crooked-neck willow tree. Old willow trees like this are the most suitable for hanging oneself. Scholars who are dissatisfied with life often choose such old trees to hang themselves. This tree is so ancient, there must be one or a row of scholars hanging from it. They likely witnessed Uncle Seven's death and know the murderer. We can solve the case by asking them."

The old man was dumbfounded and muttered, "Indeed, there is a scholar hanging from that willow tree... Tianqing, you are truly divine!"

Li Tianqing was a little embarrassed and said, "It's just common sense..."

"I'll go ask!"

The old man lifted his foot to climb the slope, but suddenly the space before his eyes shook violently. The small loess slope appeared incredibly steep in his eyes, as if a golden sky had covered the top of his head!

The old man's expression changed drastically, and he immediately retreated.

Only after he withdrew from that patch of slope did everything return to normal.

Li Tianqing was bewildered.

The old man steadied himself and looked at the slope, feeling as if this small slope were a unfathomably profound master, making him afraid to step onto it.

"In the countryside, there are many strange occurrences. When you come to the countryside, you must first pay respects to the local deity for safety!"

The old man turned around, no longer attempting to climb the slope, and said, "Tianqing, although you are smart and clever, there are some places where cleverness won't work; you need experience. Let's go pay our respects to the Godmother here first and then gather information in the village!"

The two walked towards Huangpo Village.

Chen Shi's eyes widened as he watched them walk towards Huangpo Village, wondering to himself, Why did that old man seem scared to go up the slope? There's nothing scary up there.

"Tianqing, you've read a lot. Do you know who this True King is?"

The voices of the grandfather and grandson came from ahead. Li Tianqing said, "The True King is said to be a king enfeoffed by the Great Ming Emperor in the Western Ox Continent. He managed the altars of soil and grain in the Western Ox Continent. The fifty provinces of the Western Ox Continent, and fifty maps of mountains and rivers, are all said to be in the True King's possession, and he later took them into his tomb."

"No wonder these fellows are so keen on the True King's Tomb," the old man chuckled. "They say 'Great Ming Dynasty,' 'Great Ming Dynasty,' but who remembers the Great Ming Emperor's surname now? Who even knows which emperor's reign it is? Instead, the True King's treasure has captured the attention of many people."

"I know. The Great Ming Emperor's surname is Zhu. It is now the 6642nd year of Jiajing!"

"Only you know that. Ask anyone else, and they wouldn't know."

As the grandfather and grandson gradually moved further away, Chen Shi quickly got up, tidied his books, and said with a smile, "Scholar Zhu, you and the Great Ming Emperor both have the surname Zhu! Could you be royalty?"

Scholar Zhu stammered, "I'm just a hanged ghost, how could I be royalty..."

"I don't think so either!"

Chen Shi slung his book bag over his shoulder and cheerfully walked down the loess slope towards Huangpo Village.

There were guests in the village, and they seemed quite interesting.

He arrived at the village entrance and saw that the grandfather and grandson had also arrived outside Huangpo Village. The old man raised a stick of incense and stood outside the village, bowing respectfully, "A traveler passing through, who has chanced upon your esteemed village. I merely seek a place to rest, and I am deeply grateful. I will offer incense and offerings in the future to thank you for your protection."

-- The reason the old man also called the ancient tree "Godmother" was that the villagers' custom of worshipping the Godmother originated very early. In the era when malevolent spirits had just emerged, people discovered that all things had spirits. After prolonged worship, they would develop spiritual awareness and possess great power. Ordinary people could not discern whether the spirit was male or female, hence they called it Godmother.

Having arrived in the countryside, the old man naturally followed local customs.

The branches of the ancient tree in Huangpo Village swayed gently, accepting his incense.

The grandfather and grandson then entered the village. Li Tianqing followed the old man closely. At this moment, he heard footsteps beside him. He turned his head and saw a boy about his age, sturdier than him, smiling at him.

"My name is Chen Shi, my nickname is Little Ten, and everyone in the village calls me Little Honest!" the boy said with a smile. "What's your name?"

Li Tianqing was a little shy, his voice a bit low, "My surname is Li, my given name is Tianqing..."

"If you don't have a place to stay, why don't you stay at my house tonight!" Chen Shi suggested before he could finish speaking.

Li Tianqing had never encountered such enthusiasm. He looked at the old man, who smiled and said, "Villagers are simple and honest. We also need a place to stay, so we'll trouble you for one night."

Chen Shi was overjoyed and immediately led them towards his home, calling out from a distance, "Grandpa, Black Pot, we have guests at home!"