Chapter 339: A Gentleman Keeps His Tools Close |
Wu Qingyu looked toward the yellow earth slope and saw Chen Shi, exhausted from cultivation, lying with his head in the lap of the white-clad fairy. The fairy sat under the tree, gently cleaning his ears.
"She's a little older in age," Chen Tang said, "but not that old. It's just that she's so beautiful; I'm afraid she'll distract Little Ten's heart and make him lose his drive."
Wu Qingyu said, "I think she's a very good girl—calm, shy, and seems a bit dazed, as if some bastard beat her silly. If she could recover her memory, she'd be a fine match."
Chen Tang said, "She follows Little Ten everywhere, even crawling into his bed—that's not right. One of them doesn't understand men and women, the other has lost her memories. If they stay muddled like this, trouble is bound to happen."
Wu Qingyu smiled, "I think we should just let nature take its course and not interfere."
Chen Tang nodded.
At noon, County Magistrate Hu Feifei rushed over from the county seat, and Chen Shi took Nannan to accompany the magistrate on an outing to enjoy the hills and waters.
Wu Qingyu said, "The county magistrate is not bad. Her ancestors were friends with my husband; if a match could be made, it would strengthen family ties."
Chen Tang would not agree, "County Magistrate Hu is a fox spirit."
"I may be a scholar, but I've never kept one! Besides, fox spirits seduce people with their beauty, causing addiction to carnal pleasures and making people idle."
"I think the county magistrate looks like a sturdy fellow. He's been around Little Ten for so long and hasn't succeeded."
"That might be true. Let's let things unfold naturally."
When Chen Shi and Hu Feifei returned to the village, they saw from afar a youth in light green clothes standing by the village entrance, waiting for them.
The boy looked young but was already quite tall, no different in stature from ordinary people, with a delicate face and the calm, reserved demeanor of a great clan's son.
Behind his head floated a tiny courtyard—a layout like a temple courtyard.
"Tianqing!"
Chen Shi was startled and delighted, dropping Hu Feifei to run over. "Tianqing, you're finally back! You made me worry so long! I searched for you after returning from the Western Capital, but you weren't there!"
The youth was Li Tianqing. In the six months since they'd last met, he'd grown noticeably taller; his complexion was less pale, and he seemed much more mature. He smiled, "I also just returned from out of town. I visited my grandfather and mother, and when I heard you were back, I hurried over. Congratulations on taking first place in the palace exam!"
Chen Shi laughed, "If I can get first place, you can too. That title is useless, the court doesn't even give official posts. I thought getting first place might make me a True King."
They left Hu Feifei and the white-clad fairy standing aside and chatted eagerly. Chen Shi told of his recent adventures: the strange beasts and ambushes on the road to the capital, the Buddhist hell, the killing of a young master, storming the Immortal Capital to rescue his mother—so many thrilling events that Li Tianqing's eyes lit up.
"I've been carrying Lord Guan the Sage Emperor to hide from the Li Family's pursuit. First I arranged for my grandfather and mother to be on Qianyang Mountain, then I ran east and west, fighting pursuers."
Li Tianqing also recounted his own travels. Hearing how he observed each opponent's weakness and devised decisive methods to defeat them made Chen Shi break into a sweat for him.
They'd known each other long and were great friends, chattering without pause—from their experiences to cultivation techniques, then to spells. Outside the village they began demonstrating them, and from beyond Huangpo Village came rumbling sounds, with the occasional spell flying out.
"By the way, I've been having health problems recently."
Chen Shi looked around and quietly told Li Tianqing about the strange symptoms he'd experienced that morning.
Li Tianqing was astonished, "You have that problem too? To be frank, I'm six months ahead of you; I need a Calming Heart Talisman to suppress it."
Chen Shi frowned, "Earlier when I went out with the county magistrate, I kept glancing at her chest, sometimes intentionally. I might be controlled by a Corpse God. My lower Corpse God is terrifyingly strong."
Li Tianqing said, "Mine's probably strong too. By the way, did you see Little Jin in the Western Capital?"
Chen Shi grew sullen and darkened, "I did. But Little Jin was very close with Xiao Wangsun. I saw them on the same carriage..."
At those words Li Tianqing's face dropped as if struck in the Primordial Spirit by a heavy magic treasure; he turned sullen and mournful.
"Little Ten, I suddenly want to drink."
"Me too."
The two youths ran into town to drink. At the first sip they both frowned.
Li Tianqing stuck out his tongue, "Too spicy! Innkeeper, add two ounces of water to the wine."
"Mine too," Chen Shi said.
The innkeeper shook his head as he diluted the wine, mumbling, "If you can't drink straight, don't ruin this fine wine..."
With the watered-down wine, it was less harsh.
While drinking, the two boys reminisced about how they met Jin Hongying, comforting each other that they would have other pretty ladies in the future and wouldn't be seduced by some pretty-faced Xiao Wangsun.
Only past midnight did they return to the village, arm in arm, singing sad songs. Back in Huangpo Village, they didn't sleep; instead they lay on the green-tiled roofs howling until dawn.
"They seem to have had their hearts broken," Wu Qingyu said, woken by their noise, to Chen Tang.
Chen Tang frowned, "Seems so."
"Who's Little Jin?" Wu Qingyu asked.
"Should be Jin Hongying, Officer Jin from the Divine Mechanism Battalion," Chen Tang said uncertainly.
Wu Qingyu could not help but ask, "Does Commander Jin know they had their hearts broken?"
Chen Tang shook his head, "I don't know... I mean, I don't. But I guess Commander Jin probably doesn't know either."
Chen Shi and Li Tianqing were downcast for two or three days before recovering from heartbreak.
Over more than half a month, Chen Shi copied all the cultivation systems from outside the True King's Tomb and placed them into the Small Minor Heaven. When Li Tianqing returned, Chen Shi had him study these techniques; if talisman masters from the Red Mountain Hall encountered something they couldn't understand, Li Tianqing would explain.
Li Tianqing had a meticulous mind, good at thought and observation, with astonishing comprehension. Chen Shi had long noticed Li Tianqing's talent for finding others' weaknesses and striking there.
The more cultivation techniques and spells he learned, the stronger his ability to counter them. Studying the True King's Tomb's methods greatly advanced him.
That day the Immortal Capital was full of celebratory atmosphere. Numerous underworld officers, marshals, and judges came from all directions. The Yama lords from the Yanluo Halls—Xuanming, Puming, Zhoujue, Taihe, Mingchen, and others—also arrived to congratulate Registrar Wei Ling on taking the fifth hall and becoming the new Yama Lord.
Knowing his young master Wei Yue was incompetent and fearing mistakes, Yang Bi personally presided over the ceremony. He set ambushes early; if any allies of the Righteous Official remained, they'd be caught at once!
Only after Wei Ling's enthronement as the new generation's Yama did Yang Bi breathe a little easier.
Some ghosts and gods in the Immortal Capital were dissatisfied and spread the word: "A Yama needs the Book of Life and Death in hand to control life's and death's fates. Wei Ling doesn't hold the book; he hasn't mastered Hell—what sort of Yama is he?"
Yang Bi asked Young Master Wei Yue, "If something like this happens, how would you handle it?"
Wei Yue said, "Find the one spreading the rumors and kill them to prevent future trouble."
Yang Bi smiled, "Killing them may prevent trouble, but ghostly talk is frightening. If you kill one ghost god, the others will gossip even more."
Wei Yue, "Then kill them all!"
Yang Bi, patient, "Brother Wei, why not find the ghost sowing these rumors and promote him to an underworld officer? There are many ghost gods without livelihoods—they come to the Immortal Capital to beg for a living and cannot go to the mortal world. Give him a job and he'll cherish it, defending you to the end. The more he hated you before, the more he will protect you afterward."
Wei Yue's eyes lit up, "I'll promote him to an underworld officer, then send him on dangerous missions and take his life by chance—then other ghost gods won't talk!"
Yang Bi's eye twitching, he nearly killed the boy and replaced his young master, but he held back, thinking, This fool doesn't need to do anything powerful; he just needs to sit in that position.
With the Yama enthronement settled, Yang Bi relaxed and summoned Yang family disciples. "In recent days, has Scholar Chen shown any unusual activity?"
"No unusual activity," a Yang family disciple replied. "Scholar Chen usually stays in Huangpo Village. The farthest he goes is Xinxiang County. He cultivates daily, steadily and without interruption."
Yang Bi asked who associated with him. The disciple said, "Li Tianqing often keeps him company, and County Magistrate Hu from Xinxiang also visits Huangpo Village. Scholar Chen goes to the mountains to burn incense and associates closely with mountain spirits."
Yang Bi was surprised, "I thought he wouldn't stay put. Who would have guessed he'd remain quietly in Huangpo Village. How is his cultivation progressing?"
"Remarkably vigorous," the disciple said. "His Primordial Spirit is nearly six zhang."
Yang Bi was moved: a Primordial Spirit of six zhang meant a breakthrough into the Divine Descent realm was at hand!
From the time Chen Shi reached Spirit Transformation until his Primordial Spirit grew to six zhang, the time was extremely short.
"Not counting the eight years he was thought dead, he's only twelve or thirteen years old. In such a short time, he could breakthrough to Divine Descent? No, no!"
Pacing, Yang Bi muttered to himself, "His Divine Embryo was cut out. He couldn't have received a second blessing from the Celestial True God. Without a god-bestowed Divine Embryo, he shouldn't be able to reach Divine Descent or Refining Void... No, I must see him and observe how he broke through to Divine Descent!"
He set out again for Huangpo Village.
On the yellow earth slope, Chen Shi sat under the old willow tree holding a scroll, the white-clad fairy leaning against him as he explained the scripture's meaning.
"...A gentleman keeps his tools close and waits for the time to act. This phrase means a gentleman keeps his weapons close, seeks the best moment to strike, striving to kill the enemy in one blow."
Yang Bi climbed the slope accompanied by a blue-clothed woman with a bird's head and human body. He paused at those words, puzzled: "Is that what the phrase means? Have I been mistaken?"
Steeling himself, he climbed the slope thinking, "After all, he is the famed top scholar of the capital. If he interprets the I Ching this way, there must be deeper meaning."
Chen Shi's voice carried from the slope, "...The extended meaning is that we must prepare in advance; only with preparation can we avoid misfortune. It's like carrying a weapon that can kill the opponent in one strike. If you store many skills in your chest, you'll be able to assess the situation in adversity and find the best moment to act, thereby rising up."
Yang Bi was slightly stunned, eyes wide, "It makes sense! No wonder he's the top scholar!"
He reached the top. Chen Shi handed the book to the mute fairy beside him, smiling, "Why does Shaohu have time to visit me?"
Yang Bi smiled, "I came to tell you that yesterday in the Immortal Capital they held the enthronement ceremony for the new fifth hall Yama Lord, and it was a success. At that ceremony, two judges tried to assassinate Yama Wei Ling, but I captured them."
Chen Shi smiled, "Congratulations."
Yang Bi looked at him, puzzled, "Aren't you enraged, itching to kill me?"
Chen Shi shook his head, looking at Nannan fishing with the boatman's father, "Do you think I saved the Righteous Official to ruin the Thirteen Great Clans' plans?"
Yang Bi laughed, "Isn't that so?"
Chen Shi shook his head, "No. I met her in the Young Master's Rouge Lane; her mother had been driven to death and the madam treated her like a little bastard, making her serve guests from age eleven or twelve. It's a miracle she survived to adulthood. So I want to kill the madam and the Young Master. As for supporting the Righteous Official to reclaim the Yama throne, what does that have to do with me?"
Yang Bi's gaze flickered, "A gentleman keeps his tools close and waits for the time to act. I heard that clearly earlier."
Chen Shi smiled calmly, "I am that gentleman. I keep tools close not to seek a chance to kill you and the Thirteen Great Clans now, but to ensure that if you or the clans provoke me, I have weapons that can kill you."
Yang Bi pondered, "You don't harbor murderous intent but defensive intent—thus you keep tools close."
Chen Shi nodded, "Exactly."
Yang Bi thought a moment, praised, "No wonder you're the top scholar, your writing influenced the capital. If everyone kept tools close, this era would rival the True King's era."
He continued, "Scholar Chen, you don't truly have a Divine Embryo. Why are you cultivating so rapidly? Without a Divine Embryo, you can't break through Spirit Transformation, can't attain Divine Descent, nor Refining Void. You'll be stuck at this realm..."
Chen Shi laughed, "In the True King era, cultivators had neither Divine Embryos nor god-bestowed blessings—how did they cultivate then?"
Yang Bi raised an eyebrow, half-smiling, "You sit in the True King's Tomb and possess the True King's treasures, so you naturally obtained unaltered True King era techniques. You know the methods, but the refining procedures are lost. Even we Thirteen Great Clans don't have them. How can you bypass Divine Descent and Refining Void to leap directly into the Unity realm?"
He humbly asked for guidance, "I know your Primordial Spirit has reached six zhang, but without a True God's Descent to enlarge your Divine Embryo and Primordial Spirit, how can you resonate with heaven and earth, shattering the void for a heavenly-mortal communion? Without shattering the void, how can you transform your Primordial Spirit's field into a Primordial Spirit Dao Field?"
Chen Shi smiled slightly. Suddenly his Primordial Spirit appeared behind him, over a zhang tall, resplendent with divine light—dazzling!
Yang Bi's face changed, "Your Primordial Spirit has exceeded six zhang?"
Chen Shi smiled, "Shaohu, do you think six zhang is the limit for Spirit Transformation? Yesterday, while cultivating, I unintentionally broke that limit. Don't know how to shatter the void? Yesterday I ingested my Primordial Spirit into my body, absorbed the righteous energy of heaven and earth, and suddenly comprehended what it means to shatter the void."
Yang Bi bowed, "Would you teach me?"
"Why not?"
Chen Shi said, "The body is a small heaven and earth; outside is the greater heaven and earth. The so-called void is the barrier of the human body. To shatter the void is to break the separation between the body and the outer heaven and earth, making the body compatible with heaven and earth. The Primordial Spirit can enter and leave the body without using the Heavenly Aperture; limbs and flesh, everything can pass through freely without obstruction. This is shattering the void."
Yang Bi's mind trembled. After a moment he exhaled, "You realized this?"
Chen Shi nodded lightly, "You're about to reach the Unity realm, aren't you?"
Yang Bi silently nodded.
Chen Shi, "Coincidentally, my next realm is Unity. Once I shatter the void and the Primordial Spirit and body unite, there will be no more obstacles."
For a flash Yang Bi's eyes flashed with murderous intent, then faded into a smile, "You lack two realms and cannot know how immensely powerful what a True God gives is."
Chen Shi smiled, "What if I don't need a True God's gift? What if I can be this powerful, perhaps more powerful?"
Yang Bi stood and walked down the slope, then stopped mid-step, "When you reach the Unity realm, spar with me. If you beat me, I'll risk my life to protect you and won't let anyone from the Thirteen Great Clans touch a hair on your head. But..."
He sat in his carriage at the foot of the slope and called up, "Scholar Chen, think carefully: you follow the True King's path. But why did the True King seal all the immortals of the world? Do you think you can escape Calamitous Transformation?"