Sneaky Dog

Li Tianqing and the old man arrived at Chen Shi's house and met Chen Shi's Grandpa and the big black dog. Li Tianqing caught sight of the Hongyi Cannon standing in the corner and the black iron shot in the doghouse. His heart skipped a beat, and he coughed, saying, "Grandpa, let's not trouble them. We'll just stay under Godmother's tree for the night."

The old man didn't look at the corner and chuckled, "Since we've come to someone's house as guests, how can we move out? Old brother, I am Li Jindou from Quanzhou, and I apologize for the intrusion."

Chen Shi's Grandpa quickly returned the greeting and said, "I am Chen Yindu, a native of Ganyang Mountain. My humble abode is not large, but there are two empty rooms suitable for lodging. I only fear we may not be able to properly host you both."

Li Jindou was pleased to hear his refined speech and smiled, "Not at all, not at all."

Li Tianqing quickly tugged at his collar. Li Jindou was confused. Li Tianqing gestured towards the corner. Only then did Li Jindou see the Hongyi Cannon and felt a chill in his heart.

Li Tianqing then quietly pointed towards the main hall. Li Jindou looked and saw a mourning hall set up in the main hall, with candles and incense on the offering table, and a memorial tablet. The name on the tablet was written clearly.

"What did this old brother call himself just now?"

Li Jindou's heart skipped a beat. The name written on the memorial tablet was clearly Chen Yindu!

"It should just be a rural custom... No, Chen Yindu has the scent of a corpse on him!"

He felt a chill in his heart. It was the unique smell emitted when a human body died.

He would never forget this smell once he had encountered it!

"This person's body is dead, yet he is alive! He is not a Malevolent Spirit, but is transforming into one. What kind of secret art is this?"

His mind raced, searching through the ancient texts he had read and heard about, looking for any mention of such a secret art, but he found none!

"Such a small village, yet it hides such a person. Could it be that he and his grandson are also here for the True King's Tomb? Is Li Kefu's death related to him?"

Thinking this, Li Jindou smiled and said, "Brother Chen, we cannot stay for free. This is a small token of my appreciation, please accept it."

He took out a small silver ingot, weighing about three taels.

Chen Yindu looked at the silver in his palm, and a smile appeared on his pale face. He chuckled, "Brother, you are too kind." He then accepted the silver.

The moment their palms touched, the wind rose from the ground, suddenly howling fiercely. This wind was incredibly strange, blowing from bottom to top. There was no sensation in the Chen family's courtyard, but above the Chen house, a gale raged, blowing high into the sky!

A cloud in the sky suddenly melted like ice and snow, dissipating in the wind, leaving no trace.

This gust of wind came and went quickly, stopping in the blink of an eye and returning to calm.

The courtyard was peaceful, with no anomalies. Chen Shi and Li Tianqing only heard the whistling strange wind in the sky, feeling nothing else.

The two looked up, seeing nothing unusual.

Li Jindou's expression changed slightly, and he laughed heartily, "There are extraordinary people hidden in the wilderness. Brother, your magnanimity is truly admirable."

Just now, when he touched Chen Yindu's hand, it seemed like he was merely giving him money, but in reality, he was trying to test the man's abilities, thus causing the sudden gale.

However, this test did not reveal the man's depth.

His eyes flickered. He had expected Chen Yindu's hand to be ice-cold, but it was warm, which only deepened his curiosity.

"He has a heartbeat, his Blood Essence is circulating, like a corpse but not a corpse. Strange, so strange, what kind of secret art can refine an old, dead human body to this extent?"

"I must find an opportunity to test him again!"

As it was nearing noon, Chen Yindu said, "Brother Li, there is nothing good to entertain distinguished guests in the countryside. I have lost my sense of taste and dare not cook. I will trouble you and your grandson to make your own arrangements."

Li Jindou quickly clasped his hands together and bowed, "We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare. Brother, please be busy. My grandson and I have brought our own spirit jerky and can make do."

The moment he bowed, the courtyard rumbled as if with thunder. With a loud crack, Li Jindou's body trembled violently. A brilliant Divine Light involuntarily appeared behind him, illuminating Huangpo Village in a stark white light!

Within the Divine Light stood a Primordial Spirit, three to four zhang tall, which flickered and vanished.

Li Jindou's body swayed slightly, and he finally regained his balance, smiling, "Brother, I'm going out for a walk."

Chen Yindu said, "Brother, please do."

Li Jindou walked outside and went under the ancient tree. He could no longer hold back and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, quickly taking out a spirit pill and swallowing it.

After a while, he felt a little better.

However, his complexion was still not good.

He still hadn't been able to gauge the depth of the old man named Chen Yindu, but his own depth had been probed.

Chen Shi tidied up the west wing for his grandfather and himself, cleaned it up, and then took Li Tianqing to see his Hongyi Cannon.

If you meet someone your own age, wouldn't it be a shame not to show off your most prized possession?

Li Tianqing stroked the Hongyi Cannon and suddenly said, "I heard that Prince Xiao stole the Imperial Seal of the Western King and was pursued by the Divine Machine Battalion. The Divine Machine Battalion used eighty-nine Hongyi Cannons, eight hundred and ninety soldiers, one Grand Supervisor eunuch, one military officer, and a large number of personnel in the central army, left flank, and right flank, with many experts. They bombarded Ganyang Mountain, but suffered heavy casualties. The gunpowder residue in the barrel of this cannon is still fresh. It must have been brought from the battlefield, right?"

Chen Shi stood beside him and smiled, "Tianqing, your observation is very meticulous. When Prince Xiao was talking with Jin Hongying, I sat at the same table with them. After the battle, I rescued Prince Xiao and carried away this relatively intact Hongyi Cannon."

Li Tianqing's heart skipped a beat. Sitting at the same table as Prince Xiao?

That must mean he's Prince Xiao's accomplice!

Could it be that he and his grandson had walked into a bandit's den?

Chen Shi lifted the Hongyi Cannon and placed it on his shoulder, excitedly saying, "I'll be the cannon platform, you load the black iron shot, light the fuse from behind, and aim at the distant mountain to fire!"

Li Tianqing was startled and quickly refused.

He lived in the city, and the children around him were all well-behaved like him, all adhering to noble etiquette. They had never played with such things before.

"Besides, you need to load gunpowder into the cannon barrel for it to fire."

Li Tianqing reminded Chen Shi, "Now the Divine Machine Battalion also has a mechanism box filled with gunpowder. It's a cylinder with a mechanism, and a firing pin on top. Roll the shot into the muzzle, and it will strike the firing pin. The gunpowder in the mechanism box explodes, pushing the black iron shot out. To fire again, just remove the mechanism box and replace it with another. It's more convenient."

Chen Shi's eyes lit up. "Where can I get one?"

Li Tianqing shook his head. "This is the Divine Machine Battalion's latest creation, not easily obtainable. Using yourself as a cannon mount is extremely dangerous, you can't play like that."

"How should I play then?" Chen Shi asked humbly.

Li Tianqing hesitated. "Perhaps we could have two Yellow Turban Strongmen carry the Hongyi Cannon, saving the need for a cannon carriage. But I don't know how to draw talismans..."

"I do!"

Chen Shi exclaimed excitedly, then hesitated. "I don't know how to make black powder..."

Li Tianqing said, "I do."

As he spoke, he began to regret it. Looking at Chen Shi's expression, he knew that as soon as he said those words, something was bound to happen.

As expected, Chen Shi assigned the task of making black powder to him, while he and the big dog huddled in a corner, whispering secrets. Then, the big dog reluctantly allowed Chen Shi to stab it.

Chen Shi brought out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. He mixed cinnabar with the dog's blood, activated the Three Lights Righteous Qi Art, and quickly drew the Yellow Turban Strongman Talisman. He soon drew dozens of them, with incredible skill. The shrine behind his head remained intact, and his true qi was far from depleted.

"What magnificent true qi!" Li Tianqing praised inwardly.

The old Chen family had the materials ready, and Li Tianqing had mixed the black powder. Chen Shi shouldered the Hongyi Cannon, and Li Tianqing carried several fist-sized black iron shots. The two youths sneaked out furtively, with Black Pot trailing behind them stealthily.

"You two little rascals, don't run off!"

Li Jindou's voice called out, stopping them. He chuckled, "I just discussed it with Brother Chen. He said Little Chen Shi knows where the kiln factory is, so let Little Chen Shi take us there. Don't carry the Hongyi Cannon out, be careful someone sees it. You can mess around after you get back from the kiln factory."

Chen Shi was extremely disappointed and dejectedly put the Hongyi Cannon back.

Li Tianqing was also quite disheartened. He put the black iron shots back in the dog's kennel and suddenly became alert. What am I doing? I'm here to investigate the disappearance of Uncle Seven. I found this family suspicious and thought they might be accomplices of Prince Xiao, a notorious bandit. How did I end up playing with cannons with Chen Shi like this?

He reminded himself, I must not be fooled.

Chen Shi tidied himself up and went out with his book basket. Li Jindou called out, "Tianqing, hurry up and follow!"

Li Tianqing quickly collected himself and hurried to catch up with Chen Shi.

Although he was precocious for his age, he was still a child. He soon forgot his earlier vigilance and chatted and laughed with Chen Shi. When Chen Shi spoke of interesting stories from the countryside, he couldn't help but laugh heartily, yearning for it.

They entered the mountain forest. The trees were dense, and a layer of white mist drifted through the woods. The mist was peculiar; it only floated at chest height, sometimes thick, sometimes thin. There was no mist below their chests, nor above them.

As they walked through the mist, the chirping of birds and insects disappeared, and the surroundings became incredibly quiet. They could hear their own heartbeats and breathing.

Li Tianqing felt a sense of sacredness in this mountain forest, solemn and majestic.

Occasionally, they could hear a wonderful sound, low and long, like the mountain whispering.

Chen Shi slowed his pace and approached a giant ancient vine. A tattered red cloth strip was tied to the vine, breaking with a touch.

Chen Shi put down his schoolbag, removed the old red cloth strip, and took out a new one from his bag, tying it on. He then took out an incense stick, lit it, and placed it at the base of the ancient vine.

Li Tianqing then noticed that a circle made of stones had been built at the base of the ancient vine, with traces of incense and fire left within the circle.

Li Jindou whispered, "Tianqing, Heavenly Eye Talisman."

Li Tianqing quickly took out the Heavenly Eye Talisman and activated it. At that moment, another world belonging to the mountain unfolded before his eyes.

A little girl in red was sitting on the ancient vine, nodding slowly at Chen Shi, accepting his incense offering.

The incense and fire energy floated upwards, absorbed by the little girl in red, transforming into extraordinary power that condensed into a form.

The form of this little girl in red was not yet clear, and as the mountain wind blew, she looked as if she might be blown away.

After Chen Shi finished, he led them deeper into the mountain forest.

After walking a short distance further, he stopped in front of a stone statue lying on its side among the rocks and earth. The statue was huge, with the part exposed above the ground being more than a person's height.

There was also a circle of stones in front of the statue, and a red cloth strip was tied to one of the statue's fingers.

Chen Shi replaced the red cloth strip and offered incense to the statue.

Li Tianqing noticed that the extraordinary power of this stone statue had also formed a shape: a chubby baby, sitting on the statue's head with a smile, accepting his incense offering.

They followed Chen Shi into the mountain forest and saw that in this ancient, deep mountain, the towering ancient trees, the rugged strange rocks, and the ancient ruins all had forms condensed from extraordinary power.

Chen Shi offered incense and replaced the red cloth strips for them. As they walked along, the mountain forest was tranquil, with no strange beasts attacking or invading, which was quite peculiar.

"Little Ten, what are you doing?" Li Tianqing couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"These are the paths our village villagers take into the mountains."

Chen Shi straightened up. "There are also some traveling merchants who often use this road. They carry mountain goods to sell in the towns and cities. Tying red ropes to these trees and stone statues will prevent them from getting lost."

Li Tianqing suddenly understood and asked, "Then what about the incense?"

"Offering incense is for these mountain spirits to eat; it's a form of respect."

Chen Shi explained, "When the mountain spirits receive the incense, they will protect the people walking on this mountain road. Wild beasts will not attack, and bandits will not harm them. If it gets dark and you haven't reached your destination, you can also hide in places with red cloth strips, and the mountain spirits will protect travelers from malevolent spirits."

"Does it work? Their forms are so weak," Li Tianqing asked, confused.

"It works."

Chen Shi looked at the spirits on the mountain path, his expression peaceful, his eyes filled with love for this great mountain. "Once, I was playing too long in the mountains and lost track of time. It got dark before I realized it, and I rushed home. An evil spirit targeted me, and I hid under that tree. The tree spirit protected me and fought desperately with the evil spirit, but was torn to shreds. Grandpa found me, and only then was I saved."