Chen Shi laughed and said, "I understand now. But I know he’s still alive! He’s just living in the underworld. We, grandfather and grandson, can’t et. But he’s alive!"
Granny Sha shook her head. "This child is probably too grieved; he’s lost his mind."
Chen Shi beca optimistic, and his spirits also lifted; he knew his grandfather was still alive.
The reason why his grandfather left was not that he had died but because he didn’t want to endanger him, didn’t want to harm the human world, didn’t want to beco an evil spirit that only knew slaughter.
He beca spirited; as long as his grandfather wasn’t dead, there would always be a day when the grandfather and grandson could et again!
"Little Ten, your sister is leaving."
After the funeral, Jin Hongying bid him farewell, hunched over with her heavy chest, pinched his cheek, and smiled, "When you pass the Scholar exam, co find in the Western Capital, and your sister will arrange for you to enter the Divine chanism Camp! Who knows..."
She nudged Chen Shi’s shoulder with hers and whispered with a low laugh, "Maybe we can develop so kind of relationship, huh."
She turned towards Li Tianqing, leaving a blushing Chen Shi behind, and then saw Jin Hongying rubbing Li Tianqing’s shoulder, making his face turn red as well.
"Chen Shi, we grandfather and grandson also need to leave."
Sitting in the basket, Li Jindou said to Chen Shi, "We part now, not knowing when we will et again. However, after a while, Tianqing should co over. He found that Treasure Ship, and the Li Family will certainly send soone to check it out. They will probably have him lead the way."
Li Tianqing took out so old books and placed them in Chen Shi’s hands, saying, "These are the books I promised you. When the Li Family cos, I won’t bother you; to avoid bringing you danger."
He thought for a mont and said, "The Treasure Ship is too dangerous. The people coming this ti, I fear not many will make it back alive."
Li Jindou knocked on his head forcefully and said, "Won’t you tell them about the danger of the Treasure Ship? Besides, the Li Family has many experts; could the Treasure Ship be more dangerous than the kiln factory?"
Li Tianqing pondered and said, "Probably more perilous than the kiln factory."
Li Jindou was startled and hesitated, "Should we still inform the Li Family about this Treasure Ship? After all, we’re all family..."
"For survival, we must tell the Li Family."
Li Tianqing’s expression remained unchanged as he said, "No matter how much we warn them of the danger, the Li Family will definitely send people, and there will certainly be heavy casualties. We can’t change that."
Li Jindou sighed and said no more.
Li Tianqing carried him on his back and departed.
"Little Ten, if there’s trouble, co find in Gangzi Village."
Granny Sha was also ready to leave and hesitated before speaking, "I will still need the Sheep Horn Heavenly Spirit Lamp; I need it to find soone..."
Chen Shi asked, "Haven’t you found them, granny?"
"Not yet."
Granny Sha frowned deeply, filled with worry, "I have no idea where this child has run off to. It’s distressing."
Chen Shi bid them farewell and did not see Xiao Wangsun, causing him to pause in surprise, "Could it be that Xiao Wangsun has already left?"
He returned ho, alone, guarding the empty household for a long while, still not quite used to it.
He then got up and headed to the village outskirts to visit his godmother and maybe chat with Zhu Xiucai to alleviate so of his lancholy.
Upon reaching the base of the yellow soil mound, he saw Xiao Wangsun standing next to the old willow tree on the mound, seemingly in an agitated conversation with Zhu Xiucai.
Chen Shi was perplexed and was about to approach when he saw a somber Xiao Wangsun take out a cloth bag, hang it on the branch from which Zhu Xiucai hanged himself, and turned to leave.
"Senior Xiao! Xiao Wangsun!"
Chen Shi called out, and Xiao Wangsun stopped in his tracks, turning to look at him with teary eyes, seemingly having cried, yet he smiled and said, "Oh, it’s Little Ten. Now that Teacher Chen has been buried, I’m also planning to leave. Do you have money? Lend so silver."
Chen Shi took out a few pieces of broken silver, which he had exchanged from a silver note. When Li Jindou, Jin Hongying, and others had left, he had given them travel expenses to ensure they wouldn’t be penniless on the road.
Xiao Wangsun thanked him, took the silver, and smiled, "Now I can afford to hire a horse-drawn carriage."
He had been accustod to luxury from a young age and long since grew unaccustod to walking; he’d rather stay indoors if there were no carriage available.
Chen Shi handed over another scroll, which Xiao Wangsun opened to find, pausing for a mont in surprise. The handwriting on it was immature, the penmanship of a child, every character and sentence copied without any cursive handwriting.
Yet the scroll was weighty in his hands, for it contained the "Water and Fire Refining Technique," the Corpse Dissolving Immortal Skill that Chen Yindou had risked his life in the True King’s Tomb to acquire!
"On his deathbed, my grandfather told to give it to you," said Chen Shi with a smile.
Xiao Wangsun accepted the "Water and Fire Refining Technique," looked deeply at him, and said, "Master Chen wouldn’t have left this cultivation technique to of his own volition; he would have left it for Granny Sha. He thought I was too young, didn’t need it, and that it would lead to evil deeds if I had it. However, thank you all the sa, Little Ten."
Chen Shi asked, "Senior Xiao, won’t you explore the True King’s Tomb anymore?"
Xiao Wangsun shook his head and said, "If even a place where ceramics are burned for the True King is so perilous, what of the True King’s Tomb itself? I won’t go. Heh, how about Wang Sunfu? Facing this world, isn’t he utterly despondent, hanging from a tree? Even if I manage to open the True King’s Tomb and take out the fifty-province Mountain and River Map, if I end up achieving nothing in the future, wouldn’t I just hang myself from the southeast branch?"
He laughed heartily and strode away.
"Bursting into song in drunken solace, I vie with the setting sun for brilliance... I leave with a hearty laugh, surely we are not re n of common straw! Little Ten, we will et again!"
He waved vigorously, not looking back.
Chen Shi watched him disappear into the distance.
It was only after Xiao Wangsun was out of sight that Chen Shi turned away and walked to the old willow tree, to offer incense to his stele of a godmother.
During the period of mourning, he had been imrsed in his sorrow and hadn’t co out to visit his stele godmother.
Zhu Xiucai said lazily, "Little Ten, that fool just now dropped sothing on my branch. It’s yours now."
Chen Shi also saw that Xiao Wangsun had hung a cloth bag where Zhu Xiucai had hanged himself. Out of curiosity, he took down the bag, opened it, and inside found a square jade seal lying quietly.
"What’s this?" Chen Shi took it out and examined it in the sunlight.
The jade seal was engraved with so seal-script characters that were upside down.
He recognized the characters one by one, muttering, "Heavenly Treasure Seal, forever securing the western desolation."
The seal also had a dragon and a tiger carved from jade as knobs, making it easy to grip.
"What is this?" Chen Shi wondered aloud.
"Just so fallen family’s broken seal, Little Ten. You can take it. If you run out of money, you can pawn it for a few pieces of silver."
Zhu Xiucai urged, "You got any more incense? Light a few sticks for ! My cravings are getting stronger!"
Chen Shi put the jade seal in his sleeve pocket and lit several sticks of incense.
Zhu Xiucai inhaled deeply from the Incense Fire Qi, and seeing Chen Shi brought so books, happily said, "You have new books? They’re the master’s books. I have the deepest research on the master. Co, let explain them to you."
In Bridge Bay Town, Xiao Wangsun hired a horse-drawn carriage, which was crossing the stone bridge over to Water Buffalo County, when suddenly the carriage sank sharply, and Jin Hongying’s cold laugh ca from outside.
"Old thief Xiao, hand over the West King Jade Seal quickly, and this lady will spare your life today! If you give any trouble, I’ll send you on your way!"
Xiao Wangsun sighed and suddenly rushed out of the carriage, fleeing desperately.
Jin Hongying pursued and called out, "Without the West King Jade Seal, even if I chase you to the ends of the earth, I won’t let you off!"
Underworld.
Past the River of Oblivion’s Bridge of Helplessness, the underworld beca vast and dim, with danger everywhere, but Chen Yindu was not the slightest bit frightened.
His physical body descended into the underworld, his strength at its peak. Even if the underworld was filled with evil spirits and demons, he went about unchallenged.
He delved deep into the underworld, trying to find its secrets, looking for the being that left the Ghost Hand Seal on Chen Shi’s chest.
"To live as a person of greatness, to die as a mighty ghost! Little Ten, your grandfather will first lay a vast empire for you in the underworld. When you die, you can co and ascend the throne!"
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