Chen Shi felt that Uncle Hu and Uncle Green Sheep were acting sowhat strange today, but he had no ti to inquire and hastily said to Granny Sha, "Granny, did you find my grandfather down there?"
He was inexplicably excited, looking at Granny Sha with anticipation.
Granny Sha glanced at the Five Ghost Kings, whose hearts skipped a beat, "Did we do a good deed but botch it up? However, it’s clear that the dog has made a contribution, and if the dog has made a contribution, so have we. Our jobs should be safe, right?"
They were anxious and uneasy.
Fortunately, Granny Sha didn’t divulge anything alarming and said with a smile, "We t your grandfather. He is doing well. He even asked us if you’ve grown taller or fatter."
Chen Shi was delighted, "I’ll eat two extra bowls of rice tonight! What else did Grandpa say? Did he receive the paper money I burned for him? Is it enough for him to spend? If not, I can burn more. I also burned a paper house, a sedan chair, and eight paper servants for him, did he receive those? Does he lack company? Should I burn a few paper-made old ladies for him? Right, I think Granny Wu Zhu doesn’t have many years left, so Grandpa should wait another two years, and she’ll pass on without the need for burning paper offerings..."
Granny Sha’s face remained smiling as she listened to his ramblings and then said, "Everything is fine, your grandpa got them. This ti we went to his Yuan Chen Palace, which is luxurious and splendid, all thanks to what you burned for him. He leaves the palace in a grand sedan chair carried by eight, and when he returns, maids and pages serve him, he’s very comfortable."
It was said that Yuan Chen Palace is where a person’s Divine Soul resides, hidden in the underworld. Once a person dies, their Divine Soul enters the underworld and resides in the Yuan Chen Palace.
Chen Shi had heard about this rumor, but he had never seen it.
He had only seen myriad lost souls, who didn’t reside in Yuan Chen Palace but wandered aimlessly in the fog.
Granny Sha’s story had many loopholes, but he was concerned about his grandfather, so he didn’t think too deeply about it.
Chen Shi also asked about his grandfather’s diet and daily routine. Granny Sha, after all, was an experienced Witch and answered effortlessly. Chen Shi didn’t suspect anything and was relieved, laughing, "As long as Grandpa is doing well, I’m at ease. By the way, Granny, did you go find Grandpa for any particular reason?"
Granny Sha gave Uncle Green Sheep a glance and, seeing that the muscular man still covered the sheep’s mouth, was reassured and said with a smile, "We’re old friends with your grandfather. We just missed him and went to the underworld to visit. Unexpectedly, the underworld was too dangerous, and we nearly didn’t make it back. Luckily, Little Ten and the dog helped out, or the three of us would have been in dire straits. It’s getting dark; it’s ti for us, Little Ten, to head back."
She signaled to the Five Ghosts to move the altar, gave a secret sign to Uncle Green Sheep and the muscular man, and hurriedly left.
"Black Pot, I always feel that Granny Sha hasn’t told everything," Chen Shi muttered as he watched them leave.
The dog solemnly nodded, expressing agreent.
"But Black Pot, you saved Granny Sha and the others, you did a great thing! Tomorrow I’ll buy you sothing tasty as a reward!" Chen Shi said with a smile.
The dog was very excited, barking happily twice.
Granny Sha, who had heard the barking from afar, breathed a sigh of relief.
The muscular man released Uncle Green Sheep. Now that his nerves had settled, he praised, "Granny sure reacts quickly; otherwise, that darn sheep would have made a huge fuss. If their true identities were exposed, Chen Shi and the dog might have erupted on the spot and revealed their original forms."
He recalled Black Pot’s foray into the underworld, slaughtering through the fog to rescue them, and felt a chill.
The Evils attacking them were nurous and mighty, enough to inflict injuries on them, but none could withstand Black Pot’s attacks. Even that woman in white almost fell victim to Black Pot’s bite!
Uncle Green Sheep asked, "Do you guys rember when Old Chen picked up this dog?"
Granny Sha pondered for a mont and replied, "Three years ago, I believe? I rember Old Chen said he would make one last effort to rescue Chen Shi by entering the underworld. That was his ninth attempt, which was unsuccessful, and I heard he was badly injured, lying bedridden for three months. When I saw him again, he had a little black dog by his side."
Uncle Green Sheep and the muscular man exchanged glances.
"Could this little black dog be sothing he brought back from the underworld?"
The muscular man inquired, "I’ve heard that spirits can transform into other creatures. Granny, with your extensive knowledge and familiarity with the underworld, can you tell what it has transford from?"
Granny Sha shook her head, "I can’t tell. It’s indistinguishable from a normal dog."
The three of them stared at each other, at a loss.
Granny Sha sighed, "Old Chen happily headed to the underworld, leaving us with this ss. You two go rest and heal up; we’re in for so hard tis ahead!"
Uncle Green Sheep grumbled, "All this trouble is hardly worth it; we might as well beco Little Ten’s foster mothers."
Granny Sha and the muscular man paled and shook their heads in unison, "Better not to beco a foster mother; there is still a way out. Once you’re a foster mother, there is no way out!"
The three dispersed.
With the county examination four days away, Chen Shi couldn’t afford to slack off. He went to Scholar Zhu early every morning for tutoring, and Scholar Zhu was very serious in his teaching.
"Little Ten, you don’t need to worry. You have received my true teachings, and you will surely co out on top!"
Seeing him a bit nervous, Scholar Zhu consoled, "Your and my talents will surely astonish the West Bull New Continent, erging as literary talents!"
Chen Shi felt sowhat reassured and said, "I dare not hope for the top scorer, I only hope to pass as a Scholar and bring honor to my family."
"Guaranteed, guaranteed!"
Chen Shi visited the Mountain Lord Temple a few more tis. The front hall was still under repairs while, in the inner sanctuary, the Mountain Lord’s image beca increasingly distinct. He observed the image carefully; it resembled a human body with an ox’s head. Oddly, a tiger was lying beneath the image’s feet.
The ergence of the divine image was exceptionally slow, and he didn’t sense any thought fluctuations from the divine image, which was quite strange.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l
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