Chen Shi's heart was filled with anxiety, afraid he had said sothing wrong.
Seeing his expression, Mistress Lingsu smiled and said, "The matters of the older generation have nothing to do with you; there's no need for you to be uneasy. Back then, Chen Yindu and I were deeply in love, and we almost had a child together. But later, fate wasn't on our side, and we separated. Afterwards, I heard he had a son, though I don't know with whom."
She looked Chen Shi up and down and said, "You're alright; you didn't pick up your grandpa's bad habits. He was a real ladies' man; wherever he went, won would be chard by him."
Chen Shi thought for a mont and said, "My grandpa was very honest in the village."
Mistress Lingsu gave a cold snort.
Chen Shi very much wanted to defend his grandpa a few words, but since the other party was the one who had been wronged, he didn't speak up.
Mistress Lingsu said, "When you died, your grandpa also ca looking for , intending to ask for my help, but at that ti I was too old and immobile. So he went to ask soone else. Later, I died and gained a bit of status in the underworld. I thought I'd have to wait many more years to see him again, but who would have thought he actually died. Strange, logically speaking, he should have been able to live for several more years. How did he die?"
Chen Shi said, "Grandpa avenged , massacred Western Capital, and was injured. Later, to save , he descended to the underworld multiple tis, and his injuries grew worse and worse. One day, he told his ti was up, the underworld officers were coming to seize him, so he faked his death to escape, but he couldn't withstand the moonlight and died."
Mistress Lingsu laughed, "No wonder. I even thought that if anyone from our generation could achieve immortality, it would definitely be him! If anyone could ascend and beco an immortal, it would definitely be him! Serves him right, serves him right to die!"
Chen Shi asked curiously, "Mistress Lingsu, what kind of person was my grandpa?"
Mistress Lingsu thought for a mont and said, "Smart, exceptionally smart. I've never t anyone so clever! Any Daoist technique, he understood at a glance, mastered it upon delving into it. Things others couldn't decipher, in his hands, he could solve with ease. The year I t him, I had a cultivation problem that had troubled for years, preventing from achieving Return to Emptiness. He listened to , gave a casual pointer, and I broke through. From then on, I admired him imnsely."
Recalling the past, she sighed with much emotion, "That's also why I fell for him and lived with him. But he was too dangerous. He had no taboos, no respect for laws or heaven. The ancestral cultivation techniques, he'd casually modify them for you; the ancestral spells, he'd change them until even dogs wouldn't recognize them. The teachings of the ancestors, he didn't even pay attention to them. He also caused trouble everywhere, offended many major powers, and was hunted down all over. He could die outside at any mont. Later, my master said, do you want the sect or him? If you want the sect, you can't have him; if you want him, you can't have the sect. So I broke it off with him."
Chen Shi inquired, "Mistress Lingsu's sect, could it be Tai Hua Qing Palace?"
He had heard Yu Lingzi ntion a few tis that a certain founder of Tai Hua Qing Palace was Grandpa's lover. Hearing Mistress Lingsu ntion her sect, he guessed she was from Tai Hua Qing Palace.
A hint of green energy surfaced on Mistress Lingsu's face as she sneered, "You think I'm that little rascal Qiongyang from Tai Hua Qing Palace? Hmph, is the Celestial Master Mansion I co from inferior to Qiongyang's Tai Hua Qing Palace?"
Chen Shi's face turned ashen, thinking, "I'll never guess where Grandpa's lovers co from again."
Mistress Lingsu chuckled, "I'm already dead of old age, what's there to be jealous about? Chen Shi, don't mind it. But don't ntion Qiongyang again."
Her expression darkened again.
Chen Shi quickly nodded.
Although Mistress Lingsu was deceased, her Primordial Spirit still looked like that of a sixteen-year-old maiden. Talking with her in the carriage didn't feel stifling.
When a cultivator dies of old age, it's actually just the physical body aging to its end; the Primordial Spirit remains in its youthful form. Mistress Lingsu's Primordial Spirit maintaining a sixteen-year-old appearance indicates she achieved her Primordial Spirit at most by age sixteen, showing she truly had extraordinary talent.
The bone dragon carriage traveled through Immortal Capital at an extrely fast speed, swift as the wind. It traveled who knows how many thousands or tens of thousands of miles before slowing down.
Looking out along the way, Chen Shi occasionally saw exceptionally powerful Primordial Spirits intimidating entire areas, where even ghost gods dared not approach. He didn't know who these mighty beings were.
The carriage stopped in front of a Primordial Palace. Mistress Lingsu got off, knocked on the door, and said to Chen Shi, "In Immortal Capital, you cannot enter soone else's Primordial Palace without the owner's permission. Unless you are an underworld officer managing Immortal Capital."
Chen Shi heard footsteps coming from inside the door, his heart pounding wildly.
He could finally see Grandpa!
Chen Shi missed Grandpa so much.
He missed the days in Huangpo Village, going out with Grandpa on the wooden cart, celebrating the Moon Festival together, drawing talismans together. He missed the dicine Grandpa brewed, the als Grandpa cooked, the toys Grandpa made for him with his own hands, the clothes Grandpa bought him.
"With Grandpa helping break into the prison, we can definitely rescue Mother's soul!"
Chen Yindu's Primordial Palace was quite vast, with a circumference of over ten miles. Though not comparable to the Young Master's courtyard, it was still sizable. Footsteps ca from inside, then the palace gate opened. A beautiful woman peeked out, smiling as she asked, "Who are you looking for?"
Behind that beautiful woman were hundreds of beautiful won, making a ruckus in the courtyard, singing and dancing, a bustling, chaotic crowd.
Mistress Lingsu's face turned ashen as she sneered, "That old scoundrel Chen sure knows how to have a good ti! Others hide one beauty in a golden house; he's hidden hundreds of them!"
Chen Shi's heart skipped a beat. These beautiful won seed to be the paper figurines he had burned for Grandpa.
"However, I didn't burn this many. Could it be my father and Fifth Uncle also burned a lot?"
Chen Shi tried to enter the Primordial Palace but was blocked by an inexplicable force outside.
Mistress Lingsu said, "If the owner doesn't allow you to enter the Primordial Palace, you cannot go in. Only useless ghost creatures like little yakshas can co and go."
Chen Shi stepped forward and said, "Grandpa, it's Little Ten! I ca to see you!"
There was no response from inside, only the beautiful won transford from paper figurines looking over. One of them said, "The master of this place has never returned. If you have business..."
Mistress Lingsu took out a restriction talisman, stuck it on the door, and strode into this Primordial Palace.
Chen Shi examined this restriction talisman. Besides the talisman markings, it also had a seal stamp in Ghost Script. Chen Shi, now in ghost god form, looking at the Ghost Script still felt dizzy and couldn't recognize what was written on it.
He followed Black Pot into the Primordial Palace. The palace was filled with girls everywhere. Even though he knew they were paper figurines, it was still a dazzling, confusing sight.
Among them were also so kind-looking old ladies who were very enthusiastic towards Chen Shi. Chen Shi thought, "These are also ones I burned."
On Grandpa's Treasure Tree, golden ingots were already hanging, clearly showing Chen Shi, Chen Tang, and Chen Wu had all burned quite a bit of paper money.
And the pavilions, terraces, and towers in the Primordial Palace were also things Chen Shi and the others had burned for Chen Yindu. When they landed in the Primordial Palace, they turned into real pavilions, terraces, and towers.
Mistress Lingsu, seeing the Primordial Palace filled with beauties like clouds—not just young ones, but middle-aged and elderly ones too—couldn't help but angrily say, "Chen Shi, did you burn these for him?"
Chen Shi blushed with sha, "My father also burned so, and my Fifth Uncle burned quite a few too. Not all of them are from ..."
"You all just spoil him!"
Mistress Lingsu ca before the Treasure Tree, examined it carefully, and said, "He hasn't returned. There are no signs of the paper money here being taken or used. Strange, where has that dead ghost run off to?"
She couldn't help feeling sowhat disappointed. She thought since Chen Yindu was dead, they could be a pair of lovebirds, but it seed she was still alone.
Chen Shi murmured, "Why hasn't Grandpa returned to his Primordial Palace?"
He couldn't help but worry. Grandpa was old and had many enemies. Could he have encountered danger in the underworld?
He was burning with anxiety. Grandpa had caused so much trouble in his youth. In the underworld, he was probably being bullied and beaten by ghost gods in turn.
Perhaps the old man was currently imprisoned by so ghost god, hung up and beaten!
"Chen Shi, you should go back. The underworld is dangerous; you're a living person, not suited to stay long."
Mistress Lingsu, unable to find Chen Yindu, sighed and said, "The Young Master already knows you've reached Immortal Capital and has prepared the Heaven-Encompassing Net. If you stubbornly persist, you'll only be captured by him."
Chen Shi shook his head, "Mother is trapped; how can her child just sit by and watch? Even if I have to risk my life, I must try!"
Mistress Lingsu frowned slightly, "You don't know how vast the Young Master's power is. Rushing there recklessly is just seeking death."
Chen Shi asked for advice, "Can Mistress Lingsu tell about the Young Master's background?"
Mistress Lingsu hesitated for a mont, then said, "Fine, to make you give up. The Young Master's surna is Wei, given na, Yue. His father's na is Wei Ling, a judge in the underworld, with a very high status.
"Wei Ling is an incense offerings god; he cannot bear children, has no descendants. Once, a female cultivator with the surna Yan broke into the underworld, encountered danger, and happened to be passed by Wei Ling on patrol. He saved that woman. The two thus developed feelings and had intimate relations.
"But that woman was a living person, unable to survive in the underworld, and had to part with him. After the Yan woman returned to the yang world, she gave birth to a son, Wei Yue.
"Because Wei Yue is the son of a ghost god, he can travel between the yin and yang realms. He has considerable power in the underworld, already serving as an underworld marshal. Combined with his father's connections, people therefore call him Young Master."
Chen Shi was slightly taken aback and inquired, "The Young Master's mother, surna Yan? Is she related to the Yan Family among the Thirteen Great Clans?"
Mistress Lingsu laughed, "There are many people surnad Yan in the world; surely not every Yan is related to the Yan Family? However, there are indeed rumors that the Young Master's mother ca from the Yan Family."
Chen Shi's heart trembled slightly, "Is it possible that the Yan woman's encounter with danger and her chance eting and developing feelings with Judge Wei Ling were all arranged by the Yan Family? Is it possible the Yan Family's goal was to establish a connection with Judge Wei Ling, to make Wei Yue beco an underworld marshal?"
Mistress Lingsu said, "Your mind is making the issue far too complicated! Why would the Yan Family arrange such a thing? What benefits could there be in the underworld? It's not the yang world."
Chen Shi pondered, "With the Young Master's identity, the Yan Family can have their own power in the underworld. After Yan Family experts die, they can gather in the underworld, have their own fiefdom..."
Mistress Lingsu laughed, "Even without the Young Master's identity, after Yan Family experts die, they are still experts in the underworld. As for needing to use the Young Master's identity? The Thirteen Great Clans are major clans in the yang world, and also major clans in the underworld! Countless mbers of their clans have achieved Primordial Spirits. They wouldn't go to such elaborate lengths just to sche for a Young Master identity."
Chen Shi thought about it; that was indeed true.
But the story of a Yan woman entering the underworld, falling in love with an underworld judge, and giving birth to a son—such a legendary tale—always felt to him a bit too legendary, legendary to the point of not seeming real.
Chen Shi set this matter aside for now and smiled, "Then what is Mistress Lingsu's status in the underworld?"
Mistress Lingsu seed about to speak but stopped, sighed, and said, "I had so status in the Celestial Master Mansion. After death, I possessed divinity, so my status in the underworld is quite high; even ghost gods show so respect. However, regarding this matter, I cannot help you. Chen Shi, go back early."
She left the Primordial Palace, returned to the bone dragon carriage, glanced at the side of the door, and ordered the cart driver to depart.
After her carriage had gone far, the boat girl revealed her figure at the side of the door, watching her leave.
The boat girl looked up, glanced at the restriction talisman stuck on the door, clicked her tongue, and said, "To even have such a treasure, truly worthy of being the Celestial Master's wife!"
Hearing this, Chen Shi asked in astonishnt, "Celestial Master's wife? Isn't she Mistress Lingsu?"
The boat girl walked into Chen Yindu's Primordial Palace and said, "Her na is Lingsu. She was the Celestial Master's wife of the previous generation of the Celestial Master Mansion. The Celestial Master is appointed by the emperor; in Western Ox New Continent, it's the True King's Edict of Enfeoffnt. Nowadays, there's no True King, but successive generations of Celestial Masters still need imperial court appointnts. They inherently possess divinity. When they reach the underworld, successive generations of Celestial Masters are respected by ghost gods. Their wives also hold transcendent status in the underworld; after death, they possess divine power protection. After I escaped to the yang world, I rembered I had seen her once, so I ca back..."
Chen Shi glared at her, "When you escaped to the yang world, didn't you think of , to take along? Fortunately, Mistress Lingsu isn't an outsider."
The boat girl stamred, "I'm used to escaping. Next ti, I'll definitely take you."
Chen Shi circulated his magic power, removed the restriction talisman from the door, closed the gate, and said, "Although Mistress Lingsu told to go back, she still left this restriction talisman for . This talisman allows entry and exit from the Primordial Palace. Let's stay in my grandpa's Primordial Palace for a few days."
His eyes flashed as he said, "I'll perform a spell, cast Temporary Abode! The three of us will descend into little yakshas in the Young Master's residence to gather information!"
The boat girl asked, "How do we perform Temporary Abode?"
"Simple. In a mont, when I cast the spell and lock onto the Young Master's Primordial Palace, you just choose a little yaksha working in his palace."
Just as Chen Shi was about to sit down to cast the spell, knocking ca from outside. Chen Shi went to open the door. Outside was an old man. Seeing Chen Shi, he looked him up and down, sowhat disappointed, and said, "I thought Yindu had returned, so I ca to see."
"Esteed Elder, you are...?"
"Chen Yindu's neighbor. I'm from Huangpo Village, nad Jiang Tong. My wife is Cheng Wuzhu. I just wanted to ask when she'll co down to keep company," the old man said.
"Old Lady Wuzhu?"
Chen Shi said, "She's still quite healthy."
The old man looked disappointed, shook his head, and left, muttering, "I've been dead for twenty-six years. Why hasn't she died yet? It's killing with worry."
Chen Shi leaned out to look. He saw Old Man Jiang Tong sitting alone on the threshold of his own Primordial Palace, staring blankly, looking quite lonely.
Chen Shi looked around and saw over a dozen more Primordial Palaces nearby, likely belonging to deceased villagers of Huangpo Village. Those with incense offerings still had their Primordial Palaces; those without incense offerings probably rged into the void.
Chen Shi returned to the Primordial Palace, closed the palace gate, ca to the boat girl's side, and prepared to cast the spell.
With a thought, countless flying talismans materialized around him, the boat girl, and Black Pot, swirling around them.
Chen Shi pointed a finger, and an underworld spring surged from the ground.
Green lotuses grew spontaneously from the underworld spring, growing mysteriously. Where the lotus flowers blood, radiant light shone through.
Looking at this spell and divine ability, Chen Shi was sowhat lost in thought and whispered, "Granny Sha is truly amazing, to even be able to create such a heaven-defying spell."
Suddenly, light erupted, pulling the Primordial Spirits of the two humans and the dog from their bodies and sending them into the underworld spring!
Their Primordial Spirits sank. Before their eyes, white light continuously flowed. The next mont, with a slight pause, each appeared in a new body!
Chen Shi examined himself. He saw he had beco a green-skinned little yaksha, over two feet tall, with pointed ears, a big head, and fangs in his mouth.
He felt relieved and looked around. He found himself in a huge courtyard. The buildings here had carved beams and painted rafters, extraordinarily magnificent. Many little yakshas were busy running around, tidying the courtyard, sweeping the houses.
"Hey, I'm not a dog anymore! Hey, I can talk!"
Not far from Chen Shi, a little yaksha exclaid in shock, "I can speak ghost language now! Heavens, heavens!"
"Black Pot, stop shouting!"
Chen Shi quickly walked over, lowered his voice, and said, "Get up! Get up quickly! Don't crawl on all fours on the ground. You're not Black Pot now; you're a little yaksha!"
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