Chen Shi sighed with relief, walked into the house, and asked, "Has the child cried?"
The midwife shook her head, "No."
Chen Shi’s expression turned solemn, "Spank them, spank harder, until they cry!"
The midwife picked up the infants one by one and spanked them. After a mont, both infants were wailing loudly.
Chen Shi finally relaxed.
Two lives, they were saved.
"Congratulations, your family has gained two good seeds for scholarship. Make sure to send them to private school in the future, they will at least beco Scholars," Chen Shi said to Cui E’s husband with a smile.
Cui E’s husband did not understand, but with the double joy, he had no ti to question these matters.
It was getting late, and Chen Shi could not make it back, so he rested in Luwei Town and simply stayed inside the bell tower.
Staying in an inn or soone else’s house was inconvenient for cooking dicine at night. The bell tower, with doors and windows on all sides, was quite comfortable to stay in. Plus, with the Guardian Deity of the town present, it was absolutely safe.
Chen Shi prepared dicine for himself, fed Black Pot to its fill, cleaned up, and took his bedding out of the wooden cart, spreading it on the ground.
He had three days during the Moon Festival to earn so more money.
It was still early for sleep. Black Pot barked twice, seemingly puzzled by his earlier actions.
Chen Shi, not sleepy either, said with a smile, "Grandfather said, if a Cultivator’s Nascent Soul erroneously enters a womb, we cannot drive the Nascent Soul away. If we do, the result will be a stillborn. Because once the Nascent Soul enters the body of the infant, it becos the soul of the infant. Having taken possession of the infant’s soul, if it leaves, the infant will be soulless, and naturally, it will die. The infants are not to bla; the mistake made by Cultivators should not be borne by the infants and the pregnant won, so we must stabilize the Cultivator and let the woman give birth as soon as possible."
Black Pot whined, still puzzled.
Chen Shi shook his head, "No, we must deceive them. Cultivators are often resolute in their Taoist hearts and would kill the pregnant won to free themselves in such situations. So, we must deceive them to prevent them from killing the pregnant won."
Black Pot realized that this was why Chen Shi told the two Nascent Soul Realm experts to rush out toward the light.
But it still wondered, if a Cultivator encountered such a situation, could killing the pregnant woman really allow for an escape?
"No."
Chen Shi shook his head, "Both mother and child would die. Once the Cultivator’s Nascent Soul enters a mother’s body, it is akin to reincarnation. Killing the mother would also end their own life. The bond between mother and child is greater than Taoist Skill; regardless of how imnse one’s Mana is, they cannot kill the mother."
He narrated slowly, explaining the rationale behind his actions: "I first used an antiabortifacient charm to calm the hearts of the restless fetuses, then used a Fertility Talisman to help the pregnant won give birth quickly. Once the children were born, if they did not cry, they must be made to cry."
He continued unhurriedly, "The infant’s first cry is like the spring thunder, shattering the mories harbored by the Nascent Soul, making the Cultivator forget the past and peacefully beco an infant. However, the physical bodies of these two Cultivators will probably die as a result. Yet, as Cultivators, the mont they entered the womb, they were dood to die; hence they can’t bla ."
At this point, he suddenly froze.
After his grandfather went to the underworld, he had beco a qualified Talisman Master without realizing it.
In this affair, he had dealt with two Nascent Soul Realm Great Cultivators, stripping them of their lifeti cultivation and mories to beco infants!
This was truly the cultivation of a conscientious Talisman Master as described by his grandfather!
Chen Shi was quite pleased and murmured softly, "I can beco a Talisman Master like grandfather."
The incident of the talking belly wasn’t caused by an Evil Spirit, but a Talisman Master’s job isn’t just to deal with Evil Spirits; they can also solve various complex problems, like today’s.
The young Taoist under the bell was curiously watching him, and Chen Shi smiled slightly at the young Taoist, who returned the smile.
"Taoist Priest, why do you, clearly the Guardian Deity of Luwei Town, take the form of a male?" Chen Shi inquired.
The young Taoist replied, "I am an effigy, which has no gender."
Chen Shi was montarily taken aback before the young Taoist continued, "I am a manifestation of the Incense Fire Qi and collective wishes of the citizens of Luwei Town, a form created by extraordinary power and the collective will of the people, without a gender distinction."
Not convinced, Chen Shi stood up, approached him, and reached to check his genitalia. The young Taoist swiftly slapped his hand away, saying, "Do not be disrespectful."
Chen Shi laughed, "If you don’t have one, how do you urinate?"
The young Taoist replied, "I am the likeness of a deity, I do not require such things."
"I see."
Chen Shi was still puzzled, "Then why do you take the form of a young Taoist?"
This question also puzzled the young Taoist.
As he erged from the will of the people, this had always been his form, but why this particular form?
"So Chen Shi, why do you take your current form?"
The young Taoist turned the question around, "Did you decide to look as you do, or did soone else?"
Chen Shi, a bit confused by the question, quickly shook his head, sat down beside him, and laughed, "My appearance was given by my parents; I couldn’t decide it. Who gave you your appearance?"
The young Taoist was left utterly dumbfounded, agonizing over this concept.
Chen Shi patted his shoulder, arm in arm with him, and chuckled, "That’s why, little Taoist, I think you guardian deities of towns and villages must have other secrets!"
"What secrets?" The little Taoist was even more baffled.
Chen Shi stood up, pacing around the big bell hanging in the tower while stroking his chin, "I think we should start with your origin. Perhaps your creator was a young Taoist, and when you were ford by the Incense Fire Qi from the townspeople, you took his form... Are you sure you don’t have a ’little bull’? Let have a look!"
As he went to reach for the young Taoist’s pants, the infuriated young Taoist gave him a beating, leaving him with a blue nose and a swollen face, and then he finally settled down to sleep.
The next day, an Evil Spirit incident found him again. Not a run-of-the-mill spirit that devoured humans, but a possession!
The misfortune had struck in Shinianzi Village. There was a butcher who, despite his nacing appearance, was actually quite easy to speak with, making a living slaughtering pigs.
That day, for so reason, he beca possessed; during a al, he suddenly flew into a rage, tied up his wife and children by their hands and feet, and hung them from the roof beam, preparing to bleed them like pigs.
The won’s cries alerted the other villagers, who rescued them in ti, but the butcher then turned to threaten the lives of other villagers.
Chen Shi hurried over, affixed an Evil Exorcism Talisman onto the butcher, and drove the evil spirit away. Then he found a dead pig, burned it, and the incident of clashing with the evil spirit finally ended.
Because the handling was relatively simple, Chen Shi only charged two taels of silver.
This evil spirit was quite weak; it ca about because the butcher didn’t promptly bring the dead pig inside after slaughtering it. Exposed to the moonlight during the day, the dead pig turned into an evil spirit that possessed the butcher, seeking to kill his entire family in retaliation.
"During the day there’s a moon, neither humans nor livestock should be exposed to the moonlight after death. They need to be dealt with promptly."
Chen Shi instructed the villagers, "For the deceased, either put them in a coffin early or bury them."
He felt a sense of unease in his heart.
The evil spirits that had appeared so far were only minor spirits, hardly threatening, but he feared it wouldn’t be long before more formidable evil spirits would erge!
Before Chen Shi could rest, soone ca to him, "Talisman Master Chen, our village is beset by an evil spirit!"
Chen Shi followed the man hastily. It was another case of human-eating; soone standing by the road was eaten alive by a gray-clothed rat creature. By the ti he arrived, the person was beyond saving.
Chen Shi was furious and killed the gray-clothed rat creature.
That day, he dealt with two more incidents of clashing with evil spirits. The first involved a little girl playing on the roadside when a bullock cart passed by, with four or five children also playing on it, calling her to join them.
She climbed onto the cart, and they played rrily. But her parents saw her floating more than a foot off the ground, motioning as if with thin air.
The evil spirit was trying to take her away to be reincarnated, but Chen Shi caught up and saved her.
The other incident involved a gray-clothed rat creature eating humans again.
"What on earth is Black Mountain Granny up to?"
Chen Shi beca angry. The local evil spirits from Qianyang Mountain only accounted for half, while the other half was caused by Black Mountain Granny’s rat creatures causing mischief, clearly showing no respect for the mountain king.
"There is indeed a Black Mountain Granny in that area."
In the evening, after Chen Shi returned to the bell tower in Luwei Town to rest, he spoke of this matter. The young Taoist told Chen Shi, "This Black Mountain Granny is enshrined in a temple, and the incense offerings are very prosperous. She often manifests her presence, and is very effective. Villagers from the nearby communities go to worship her during festivals. So of my incense offerers often go there too. Her temple does have a lot of large rats..."
"Wait a second, are you saying Black Mountain Granny isn’t an evil spirit, but rather a divine figure enshrined in the temple?" Chen Shi was extrely perplexed.
The young Taoist hesitated, "It should be, I guess. I don’t understand it too well. Aren’t you a Talisman Master? Don’t you understand these things?"
Chen Shi shook his head, extrely curious.
Could it be that being a temple deity, receiving offerings from people, was not at odds with being an evil spirit?
"If the rats from Black Mountain Granny’s temple are all this formidable, then Black Mountain Granny herself must be extrely powerful."
Chen Shi’s eyes twinkled as he said, "She probably wants to establish her own practice grounds in Qianyang Mountain and has dispatched these rats to scout out the location. Young Taoist, she’s coming to take over your territory, snatch away your godsons and goddaughters, and even indulging her rats in eating people. Don’t you have any thoughts about this?"
After pondering for a mont, the young Taoist said, "Tomorrow, I will go and et her!"
At daybreak, Chen Shi continued to set up his talisman stand to sell talismans, but this ti there was a new kind – Thunder Talismans.
These talismans could eliminate so of the weaker evil spirits and, being affordably priced, could be carried or hung behind one’s door to ensure a month of peace. If the Thunder Talisman suddenly began burning or made a thunder sound, it indicated an evil spirit nearby, killed by the talisman.
Then, it would be ti to buy a new talisman.
At fifty wen apiece, the Thunder Talismans sold very well, so much so that the Black Pot, due to excessive blood loss, was looking quite listless.
The money from the talismans was not even enough to buy Spiritual Beast at to replenish the Black Pot, but because they could save lives, Chen Shi was willing to sell them cheap.
Co noon, Chen Shi saw the young Taoist again, with a bruised nose and swollen face, limping along on a sprained leg, resting under the bell.
"The Black Mountain Granny is very strong, much stronger than ."
The young Taoist said dismally, filled with worry, "I can’t beat her. She said she would be coming soon to take over Luwei Town and asked to go out and cause mischief."
Chen Shi beca serious. This Black Mountain Granny really did plan to co over to Qianyang Mountain and take over the territory!
He was kept busy until the evening of the Moon Sacrifice Festival, and only then did he start his return journey to Huangpo Village.
The mountain paths were rugged, and the wooden cart had to travel more than seventy li to reach the village. Chen Shi held the Compass to determine the direction, while the Black Pot ran back and forth ahead, holding a lantern in its mouth.
Deep in the mountains, suddenly, the Black Pot stopped. Chen Shi’s heart stirred, and he put down the Compass to gaze into the darkness ahead.
Under the faint moonlight, red gleaming eyes suddenly appeared on the mountain path ahead, illuminated by the light from the Black Pot’s lantern but not moving away.
"Are you Chen Shi, the Talisman Master?"
A piercing voice ca forth, "I am here on the orders of Black Mountain Granny to inform you. We keep to our own paths, but you’ve killed Granny’s cherished grandchild, and now Granny wants your life. Her revenge begins now, so cleanse your neck and wait."
Chen Shi leaped off the cart and shouted, "Who’s playing tricks?"
He snatched the lantern from the Black Pot’s mouth and shone it ahead, only to see several figures about the height of a person dressed in gray-clothed, each with a rat head and a human body, staring at him with wide eyes.
Chen Shi’s heart went cold, "So many evil spirits under Black Mountain Granny’s command? Have I stirred up a rat’s nest?"
He felt uneasy. If these gray-clothed rat creatures sward him, he feared he might et his end right there.
The gray-clothed rat creatures weren’t very strong but knew spells, particularly using their tails to caress their heads, which would imdiately put one to sleep, making it hard to guard against.
Chen Shi had already experienced it once and wasn’t confident he could withstand the tails of these gray-clothed rat creatures. If he were touched, he would fall asleep, and then the rat creatures would swarm him and gnaw him into a skeleton!
Just as he thought this, suddenly the gray-clothed rat creatures leaped into the darkness, vanishing without a trace.
Chen Shi frowned.
These mysterious rat creatures, if they launched a surprise attack...
"I must buy an iron helt for protection when I get back to town! No, I need to visit the True King’s Tomb and acquire the complete Three Light Righteous Qi Technique, or else I won’t be able to defeat Black Mountain Granny!"
— Thank you to Alliance Hierarch Benevolent Bear for the generous reward, you’re truly magnanimous!
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