On the Path to the Great Dao Chapter 245: The Prefect Stuck His Foot in It 25

The Lord Guan temple in Qingzhou (Vermont) wasn’t that far from Xinxiang. At the wooden cart’s top speed, it would take three to five days to get there.

Before heading to the Lord Guan temple, Chen Shi still had many things to take care of. After he returned ho, Black Pot, Madam Zhuang, and Stone Ji Your Ladyship ca down from his little shrine. Black Pot and Madam Zhuang lit the fire and cooked, while Stone Ji Your Ladyship washed the clothes.

“Black Pot, we’re out of blood!”

Chen Shi called out. Black Pot was cutting at, and upon hearing him, hastily wiped his paws and put a bowl of black dog blood in front of him.

Chen Shi mixed it with cinnabar. The wooden cart rolled over, ready for him to paint talismans on its body.

These past few days, with the Judge’s Dragon-Whisk Brush and Black Pot’s blood, the wooden cart’s power had been increasing. That thing was also an evil spirit, and it had gradually developed a bit of sentience, as if it had awakened a touch of intelligence.

But not much.

The wooden cart’s most ridiculous habit was burning incense for itself every day, then absorbing the energy of the incense. Nobody knew if it actually helped.

Chen Shi said, “If you could paint by yourself, it would save a lot of trouble.”

The wooden cart grew a row of limbs and wanted to paint, but painting talismans was the work of a talisman master: it required single-minded focus, gathering a single breath to draw the talisman in one go. Obviously the cart couldn’t manage it.

Chen Shi painted one set himself, adding a few Heavenly Eye Talismans to the cart, placing them on its four walls and the underside.

On the cart’s four walls, fist-sized eyes opened up one by one, curiously scanning the surroundings.

Before it had no eyes and relied on the compass to determine direction. Now with five eyes, it was curious about everything.

After finishing, Chen Shi returned the Judge’s Dragon-Whisk Brush to the altar and thought to himself, “I’ll borrow it a few more days and then return it. What else can I draw? Maybe paint so more talismans and test them?”

He felt a ripple of thought: how powerful would talismans painted with the Judge’s Dragon-Whisk Brush and Black Pot’s blood be?

Just then, Sangyu’s voice ca from outside: “...Master says he isn’t ho, Prefect Wuwang, please leave.”

Chen Shi checked the sky; it was just getting dark. He smiled and said, “Sister Sangyu, since Prefect Wuwang has arrived, of course I’m ho.”

Sangyu replied, “What perfect timing for the Prefect. The provincial graduate just got back.”

The Wuwang Prefect’s voice ca: “Thank you, miss. If Miss Sangyu went to my Wuwang City, she wouldn’t survive a single stick of incense; her tongue would surely be gone.”

Chen Shi straightened his clothes and walked out to et him, smiling: “Prefect, don’t bla Sister Sangyu. I told her to say that.”

Prefect Wuwang approached with anger in his heart and ant to demand an explanation, but Chen Shi greeted him with a smiling face and said, “You may not know, Prefect. I risked my life several tis at Great South Lake hunting for the brush tip of the Dragon-Whisk Brush. I fought for my life to get this treasure and only returned ho at midnight. No wonder you had small spirits hurry ; I admit I was resentful.”

Hearing that, the Prefect’s anger vanished. “I was too impatient.”

Chen Shi shook his head: “Don’t bla the Prefect. The Dragon-Whisk Brush concerns your life. You’ve searched for it for years; it’s natural to be anxious. I refused you for several days, and my resentnt had already faded. Instead, I felt guilty. Luckily you ca; otherwise tonight I intended to go to Wuwang City and present the Judge’s Brush.”

Prefect Wuwang looked at him deeply and slowly said, “The True King’s heartfelt words make ashad. True King, if you were at my manor, could you keep your tongue?”

Chen Shi burst into loud laughter.

Prefect Wuwang laughed too.

The hostility between them vanished.

Chen Shi brought him to the family altar in the main hall. On the altar the Judge’s Dragon-Whisk Brush, the Dark Spring Swimming Dragon Sword, and the Huagai were displayed. Outside the door, the wooden cart was burning incense for itself.

Prefect Wuwang took the Dragon-Whisk Brush and examined it carefully. The brush contained no spirit; clearly Chen Shi had never fed it with blood and qi, which eased his mind. He bowed deeply to Chen Shi and said, “Thanks to the True King!”

Chen Shi helped him up and said with a smile, “We’re both of the Celestial Court. No need for ceremony. Prefect, try the brush.”

Prefect Wuwang intended to invoke the brush, but thinking that they were still in Huangpo Village and that any accident could harm innocents, he stepped out beyond the village.

Curious about the brush’s power, Chen Shi followed him outside the village.

Prefect Wuwang mumbled so incantations under his breath—words that did not sound like human speech, but like the ghost language of the underworld.

The air grew dim, a chill wind blowing. Suddenly a towering primordial spirit appeared behind Prefect Wuwang, the largest Chen Shi had ever seen. Hundreds of zhang tall, it gripped the Dragon-Whisk Brush, which itself stretched tens of zhang, the brush tip resembling the whisker of a celestial dragon.

As the Prefect’s primordial spirit wielded the brush, the earth shook, lightning split the sky, Yin lightning rolled, and the howls of ghosts and gods echoed. The heavens bled and the earth gushed blood—horrific beyond imagination!

When the brush had been in Chen Shi’s hands before, it was potent but Chen Shi’s cultivation limited its full expression. Prefect Wuwang had cultivated for fourteen hundred years; his magic was vast. In his hands the Judge’s Dragon-Whisk Brush could unleash most of its might!

Holding the brush, he even invoked the underworld’s laws. Behind him, the image of Wuwang City manifested!

But beyond Wuwang City, enormous underworld landmasses rose up and flew toward the city!

They were fragnts of Tongue-Pulling Hell.

The piece of land Chen Shi had secretly used to trap Baili Mu of the Mountain-Moving Clan was one such fragnt of Tongue-Pulling Hell.

This fragnt was the nearest to Wuwang City, but it wasn’t the only piece.

Behind this massive underworld landmass, more magnificent underworld continents floated in the sky, heading this way!

These lands carried mountains and rivers. Although filled with chilling ghostly qi, they remained grand and spectacular!

Prefect Wuwang did not expect such changes. He was shocked and delighted, but suddenly his face changed as if sensing sothing.

“Bad!”

He vanished in an instant, using the Yin wind to escape into the underworld.

Chen Shi looked on and saw that on each of those magnificent underworld continents stood towering ghost gods, their bodies huge, eyes shooting fire, lightning, and Yin light, sweeping their gaze across the surroundings!

Ghost gods soared, their flesh enormous, limbs grotesque, treading the Yellow Springs, stomping upon giant bone dragons, or riding clouds and mist, searching every direction.

Chains infused with ghost qi shuttled through the underworld, suddenly becoming black pythons, traversing heaven and earth.

These underworld ghost gods had been awakened by the fragntary disturbance of Tongue-Pulling Hell and were coming to find whoever caused the disturbance.

“Prefect Wuwang has probably stuck his foot in it!” Chen Shi said, alard. Those underworld ghost gods were searching this area. Prefect Wuwang had just tested the brush here, and the underworld had been opened by the Judge’s Dragon-Whisk Brush—still not closed.

Chen Shi’s expression changed. As ghost gods lunged this way, a giant brush flew in and, as if dipped in black ink, rapidly painted a huge circle in space, separating the two realms!

“True King, I’ll hide for a few days!” Prefect Wuwang’s distant voice ca.

Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, “Good to know you still have so conscience.”

“Those ghost gods probably went after Prefect Wuwang. But why are they hunting him?”

Chen Shi thought. Prefect Wuwang had lived over fourteen hundred years and was technically a being of the living world. Holding an underworld Judge’s Brush, the underworld should want it back.

However, according to A Zhuo, sothing catastrophic had occurred in the underworld—many ghost gods had been killed and left hanging in the air, Tongue-Pulling Hell had been shattered. The origins of the ghost gods hunting Prefect Wuwang were therefore suspicious.

That night, Chen Shi went to the valley where Wuwang City usually appeared, but when the moon rose, Wuwang did not appear on the broken bridge’s other side.

He waited the entire night; Wuwang City never manifested.

“Wuwang City is gone, and Prefect Wuwang is missing.”

Chen Shi frowned, a faint unease in his heart. The number of ghost gods hunting Prefect Wuwang was large and formidable. He wasn’t sure whether the Prefect had managed to escape.

“Can restoring a Judge’s Brush really create this much commotion? Why do these ghost gods relentlessly pursue the brush?”

Chen Shi suddenly thought: if even a single Judge’s Brush drew this much pursuit, then what would happen if Blue Sky the Righteous Official appeared?

A chill ran down his spine. If Blue Sky the Righteous Official showed up, the hunting ghost gods might blot out the heavens!

For days after that Chen Shi did not see Wuwang City again. The ghost city seed to have evaporated, and Prefect Wuwang had not reappeared. Dead or alive, he did not know.

Chen Shi went to the True King’s Tomb, copied out the Thunderous Jade Pivot Great thod, studied it for a few days, and succeeded in refining the thod. Then he drove to the Hu Family Estate outside Rapeseed Village.

Many fox girls at the Hu Estate rose early, singing and fluttering about. Seeing him arrive they asked, “Provincial graduate has co to see the clan head? The clan head is still asleep.”

Chen Shi said, “I’m looking for Feifei. Where is she?”

They led him to a room and laughed, “Feifei isn’t awake yet. Provincial graduate, shall I wake her for you?”

“No need, sister. I’ll do it myself.”

Chen Shi burst into the room. Two heads were in the quilt. He yanked out one and found Hu Feifei, then pushed her back and pulled out the other—Nannan—and was relieved.

Hu Feifei blinked drowsily. Seeing him she shrieked, “Why are you here? Get out! You barged into my boudoir; the other fox girls will laugh at !”

Chen Shi tucked the still-groggy Nannan back under the covers and said, “Get up. I have sothing to tell you.”

Hu Feifei threw aside the quilt, patted the empty spot with a half-smile and said, “Say it here. Want to co in? It’s warm inside.”

Laughter from the fox girls ca from outside as they hid by the windows, nudging each other and teasing.

Hu Feifei blushed, rose, wrapped the quilt around herself, and shouted out the window, “What are you eavesdropping on? We’re sisters—co in and listen openly! I’m pure and upright, not afraid of you listening!”

The girls laughed and dispersed. Soone joked from afar, “You want to co in?”

Another responded, “It’s warm inside!”

“Heh heh, how warm? Tell us more.”

“I’ll feel if it’s warm.”

Hu Feifei’s face burned red. She stopped sleeping and chased Chen Shi out.

She and Nannan dressed and washed, then ca out to et Chen Shi.

He briefly recounted his experiences at Great South Lake and how Prefect Wuwang had been chased by underworld ghost gods. “If Nannan is actually Blue Sky the Righteous Official, being found would be even more dangerous.”

Hu Feifei said sternly, “Where is Prefect Wuwang now?”

Chen Shi replied, “He’s still fleeing. I think he took Wuwang City with him, but the city vanished. Has Nannan been acting normal these days?”

Hu Feifei said, “As normal as any normal little girl.”

Chen Shi pondered, “Blue Sky the Righteous Official was forced out of the underworld and reincarnated in the living world. How can we restore Nannan’s mories of being Blue Sky?”

Hu Feifei said, “We don’t know how, but Black and White Impermanence do. If Nannan is in danger, Black and White Impermanence will co out. Why not put Nannan in danger?”

Chen Shi shook his head, “Those two would beat us to death.”

He rembered Stone Ji Your Ladyship being roughed up and felt so fear.

Hu Feifei proposed, “Have Chief Xiaoliang threaten Nannan. The chief is powerful.”

Chen Shi refused, “Don’t go to Uncle Hu. Uncle Hu will be beaten to death... I have to go out now, don’t ss about.”

Hu Feifei looked reluctant. “You just returned and you’re leaving again? Nannan misses you.”

“Li Tianqing ran into so trouble,” Chen Shi explained. “I’ve been delayed for days and don’t know what happened to him. By the way, here are two Ginseng Grass Fruits. Give them to Uncle Hu.”

He left two Ginseng Grass Fruits and hurried out of the Hu Family Estate.

Outside the estate, a boatman stood on the opposite bank propping himself on a bamboo pole.

Seeing the boatman reassured Chen Shi; he bowed slightly.

The boatman looked at him with an inscrutable smile.

Chen Shi felt a chill at the smile, then drove to Madam Zhuang’s primary body and invited her out of the little shrine.

Madam Zhuang seed a bit unwilling to leave.

Chen Shi went to Xuan Shan. He had intended to do sothing to the great snake Xuan Shan, but after watching for a while he lacked the nerve to act and abandoned the plan to kidnap Xuan Shan’s divine embryo, heading straight for Qingzhou instead.

“Madam Zhuang’s cultivation improved a lot!”

When the great snake Xuan Shan t Madam Zhuang again, even he was surprised.

Madam Zhuang proudly recounted how being housed on Chen Shi’s shrine greatly benefited her cultivation; she had made sudden progress, and even the accumulated evil qi in her body had been refined away, freeing her from fear of turning into an evil spirit.

Xuan Shan congratulated her, though with so envy in his heart: “I treated Little Ten well too, and I’m old friends with his grandfather. Why didn’t he co capture ? Is he closer to Madam Zhuang than to ?”

In Qingzhou, at the Lord Guan temple, Li Tianqing was awakened in the middle of the night by a sudden, inexplicable murderous intent. Without thinking he sprang out of bed.

“Shing—”

A dazzling blade of light flashed across the temple. In the place where he had been sleeping, a streak of blood suddenly appeared on the wall!

Then a huge head rolled down from the wall, blood gushing forth.

Li Tianqing’s eyes widened. He activated a Heavenly Eye Talisman to scan the surroundings and dared not sleep the rest of the night, anxiety gnawing at him: “Why hasn’t Little Ten arrived yet? It feels like sothing unclean has taken notice of !”

He felt that it wasn’t the temple’s Wealth God harming him; rather, the Wealth God was protecting him!