Chapter 6 A Sacrifice of the Body

In the early morning, Chen Shi woke up early. His grandfather was in the kitchen cooking, with his back to Chen Shi, but Chen Shi could see that the sleeves of his grandfather's clothes were soaked in blood, and he didn't know what kind of meat was being chopped on the cutting board. Chen Shi glanced over and thought, "As long as it's not human flesh, I can eat anything." Outside, there was a noisy sound; it was the villagers of Huangpo Village coming to pay homage to the ancient tree. Chen Shi went outside and saw people holding incense candles and offering fruits, chickens, and ducks under the ancient tree in the village. The ancient tree was ancient and weathered, having lived for who knows how many years; its roots were exposed above the ground, coiling like a dragon, and its branches were bizarre, resembling a twisted giant python, with few leaves, not lush at all. However, the tree was adorned with red strings tied to wooden plaques, on which the villagers had written their wishes. This ancient tree in Huangpo Village had an unknown history and was considered the godmother of most villagers. Every first day of the month, the villagers would come to worship and pray, known as the Moon Festival. The Moon Festival lasted for three days; the first day was for worshiping the godmother, while the second and third days were for the market. The ancient tree was spiritually connected, especially the one in Huangpo Village that was particularly effective. This tree could dispel evil spirits after nightfall and protect the people, which is why the houses in Huangpo Village were built around this ancient tree. If offerings were presented, one could make wishes to the ancient tree—whether for marriage, children, wealth, or safety—all wishes would be granted. Perched on the trunk of the ancient tree was a girl, in her teenage years, beautiful and dignified, dressed in a light green moonlight dress, with a black embroidered red garment on top, and wearing a lotus gold hairpin. This girl was very quiet and never made a sound. The villagers could not see her, but Chen Shi could see her every time he went out. No matter if it was windy or rainy, she sat on the tree. The girl once gave Chen Shi a bright red fruit, which his grandfather discovered and told Chen Shi to throw away, saying it was poisonous. "She is not your godmother; she is someone else's. To her, you are an outsider in this village. If she were to poison you, then all the children in this village would be her sons," his grandfather said. "Xiao Shi, it's time to eat," his grandfather's voice called from the courtyard. Chen Shi responded and returned home to the dining table, where the porridge contained rice and meat, glistening green and emitting a strange smell. There were also three dishes, one stir-fried with medicinal herbs and unknown meat, and some bugs about the thickness of fingers, which also had an unfriendly smell, with some bugs still alive and wriggling. Chen Shi cautiously asked, "Grandfather, is this food or medicine?" His grandfather did not turn around: "It is both food and medicine. You are ill and must finish it." Chen Shi weighed his words and said, "Grandfather, I am already well." "No, you are not well," his grandfather replied, still with his back turned, his voice somewhat indifferent. "You had another episode last night, didn't you? You need to continue taking your medicine." Chen Shi's heart skipped a beat: "Grandfather clearly went out last night; how does he know I had another episode?" He didn't care what the food tasted like and stuffed it into his mouth. Although his grandfather had his back turned, he seemed to have an extra eye on his shoulder, with nerves resembling thin legs, peeping at him and supervising his eating. Chen Shi hastily finished the meal, only to feel a fiery heat inside him, becoming increasingly intense, as if a raging fire had ignited within, burning his heart. This sensation occurred every time he ate, but this time the medicinal effect seemed overly strong; he felt as if the blood within his heart was about to boil! He quietly activated the San Guang Zheng Qi Jue, attempting to guide the medicinal energy throughout his limbs, feeling somewhat more comfortable. Chen Shi's heart stirred: "The San Guang Zheng Qi Jue is said to guide the three lights of righteousness and refine the sacred fetal body. I do not have a divine fetus, so I cannot condense spiritual power, but if I refine my own body into a sacred fetus without refining spiritual power, wouldn't that work?" Thinking of this, he omitted the part in the San Guang Zheng Qi Jue that refined true energy, leaving only the method for body refinement, and found it operated without issues and improved his physical body more quickly. After the meal, Chen Shi helped his grandfather secure the cart, placing various daily necessities and dry food onto it, tying them securely with ropes. The cart had wooden wheels, and the hub was engraved with many talismans, depicting the Jia Ma talisman, which could make the cart run faster. His grandfather wore a bamboo hat, making it difficult to see his face, and took out vermilion powder, meticulously tracing the symbols on the cart wheels to make them clearer. The vermilion powder was not ground with water but with black dog blood, emitting a foul smell. Chen Shi glanced at the black pot and saw that the black dog looked weak; it must have had its blood taken by his grandfather. While helping trace the talismans, Chen Shi muttered to himself, "The black dog blood from the front of the neck has the best effect, with the strongest yang energy, and it is not easy to fade. It should be cut at the neck." He was petty and still held a grudge against the dog for adding fuel to the fire. The black pot shivered, glancing at him with a resentful look. The grandfather and grandson were ready, climbed onto the wooden cart, and the Jia Ma talisman on the four wheels gradually lit up, making the wheels turn automatically and rolling them out of the village. The black pot stepped forward, following behind the wooden cart. In his hand, the grandfather held a bronze compass, and the needle on the compass wobbled slightly. Whenever the needle changed direction, the cart would turn accordingly. When they reached the outskirts of the village, Chen Shi jumped off the cart, took incense and paper money, and hurried up the slope to the old tree outside the village. His grandfather did not stop him or slow down. Chen Shi burned paper money and incense for the stone godmother, offered fruits, bowed several times, then lit some incense for the scholar ghost hanging on the tree before rushing back to catch up with the cart. Every first day of the month, the grandfather and grandson would go out. On the first day of the month, every village had the Moon Festival; besides worshiping the godmother, it was also a lively market where various goods could be bought. Chen Shi sat on the wooden cart, continuing to practice the San Guang Zheng Qi Jue, as starlight scattered down, merging into his body. His grandfather looked him over and said, "You can take more medicine now." Hearing this, Chen Shi nearly choked, quickly dismissing his thoughts and concentrating on his cultivation. Strange to say, after eating the "food" his grandfather made, he felt that the speed of practicing the San Guang Zheng Qi Jue had inexplicably increased a few notches, and his body became stronger, his limbs and bones filled with power! "Even without consuming spirit pills, I can still enter the true king's tomb and travel such a distance!" he thought to himself. However, this was still far from enough. His goal was to obtain the complete San Guang Zheng Qi Jue! The wooden cart traveled over ten miles and arrived at the neighboring Shanyang Village. This village was built around an ancient tower, a thirteen-story tower, standing seven to eight meters tall, with old, rugged bricks carved with patterns from who knows what era. Chen Shi looked up and saw a handsome monk sitting on the second floor of the ancient tower, accepting incense offerings while slowly turning his head to watch the wooden cart of the grandfather and grandson pass by. This little monk was the godmother of Shanyang Village. A godmother did not have to be a tree; any being with extraordinary power could be worshiped by the people, providing protection, and be called a godmother. The true godmother of Shanyang Village was actually that ancient tower, while the little monk was merely a manifestation of the extraordinary power condensed from the villagers' worship. "This monk is not a good person either," Chen Shi thought. The first time he came here, he rashly entered the tower and was almost eaten by the little monk as a sacrifice. He still remembered how the little monk's expression changed from kind to that of a fierce giant Buddha in an instant, sending chills down his spine. The wooden cart stopped, and Chen Shi got off to help his grandfather set up their stall, displaying various talismans. The grandfather and grandson mainly made a living by selling talismans, including long-distance communication talismans for contacting relatives, peach talismans for warding off evil spirits, Jia Ma talismans for convenient travel, water control talismans for boating, and rain calling talismans. Only those who had refined their divine fetal body and possessed divine power could draw talismans, but such people were often scholars holding official positions in the city, so they would not come out to sell talismans. "Old Chen, out selling talismans again?" someone recognized the grandfather and grandson and called out. "Hmm." "I heard you died? People from your village said you sleep in your coffin at night!" "That's nonsense, don't talk like that." The grandfather chatted casually with familiar customers, and the talisman stall was doing well; soon they sold quite a few talismans. At this time, two young girls walked over, giggling, dressed in their finest clothes, revealing slender arms and legs, their faces lightly made up, radiant in the sunlight. "Two peach blossom talismans," one of the bolder girls said, handing over two pieces of broken silver, giggling. Her hand brushed against Chen Shi's, soft and smooth, making the young boy's heart race. Chen Shi quickly took out the peach blossom talismans and handed them to them. The two girls laughed and walked away, with the bolder girl glancing back at Chen Shi twice, smiling twice. Chen Shi's heart raced, and he stealthily slipped a peach blossom talisman into his sleeve. "Take it out," his grandfather said without looking up. "Take out what?" Chen Shi feigned ignorance. "The peach blossom talisman." Chen Shi grumbled in annoyance, reluctantly pulling out the peach blossom talisman, pleading, "Grandfather, I'm old enough to use a peach blossom talisman now!" His grandfather shook his head, "You are still young; I saw you during your medicinal bath. You need to grow for another two years." Chen Shi's face flushed. "And you are still sick," his grandfather added. Chen Shi obediently returned to practicing the San Guang Zheng Qi, striving for an early recovery, but he had one question: "Grandfather, what exactly is the illness I have?" His grandfather did not reply. By noon, the grandfather and grandson had sold all their talismans, packed up their stall, and boarded the wooden cart, leaving Shanyang Village. The wooden cart moved smoothly, and Chen Shi casually ate some dry food. His grandfather ate nothing, instead taking out several sticks of incense, lighting them, and inhaling the fragrance. Seeing this, Chen Shi was silent for a long time and finally said, "Grandfather, will you become the godmother of the village after you die? Then I can see you every day." His grandfather was silent for a moment, perhaps a bit sentimental, and shook his head, "No. After I die, I will likely be pulled away by the forces of the underworld and fall into the netherworld." Another silence ensued. "Grandfather, can't you not die?" Chen Shi looked down at the road ahead, which was gradually becoming blurry. "I don't want you to die." After a long while, his grandfather reached out with his rough hand and gently patted Chen Shi's head. "Silly child, how can a person not die?" his grandfather said with a smile. For the first time in over ten days, Chen Shi felt the warmth of a close elder. The wooden cart rumbled ahead, and a giant tree stood ahead, but unfortunately it was a dead tree, its branches resembling sharp claws of a monster piercing into the sky. Surrounding the giant tree were about a hundred houses, also circular, but this village was already uninhabited. The godmother of this village had died. The day the giant tree died, the village lost its protection, allowing evil forces to invade, resulting in many deaths. As the wooden cart passed by, Chen Shi saw shadows moving in the village, about a hundred people, smiling, dressed in their best clothes, and children frolicking and playing. They were also celebrating the Moon Festival. However, they had been dead for a long time. "Why hasn't the power of the underworld pulled them into the netherworld?" Chen Shi wondered. His grandfather could not answer. The wooden cart arrived at the next village, called Fangdian Village, where the Yudai River made a loop like a rope, and Fangdian Village was established on the riverbank, surrounded by lush grasses, and the scene was quite beautiful. The godmother of Fangdian Village was an ancient tree, likely an elm, with a sturdy trunk tied with many red strings and wish plaques. Chen Shi looked up at the tree but did not see the tree spirit formed by extraordinary power, causing him to pause. When he reached the base of the tree, he found a small temple beneath it, with incense wafting in front of the shrine. A girl of similar age sat there in a pink dress, with two long ponytails, eating offerings while checking the villagers' wishes. "So that's where you are," Chen Shi thought. Just as the grandfather and grandson set up their talisman stall, the noise suddenly diminished, as if many people had disappeared from the lively market. Women hurried home with their children in their arms, and men quickly grabbed their weapons, such as axes and kitchen knives, to their waists. Those who had just been eating fled in a rush, leaving only the shopkeepers in despair. "The Six Doors have come!" someone shouted. The so-called Six Doors referred to the yamen. The main entrance of the county yamen usually had six wooden doors, so those who worked there were jokingly referred to as the Six Doors. Chen Shi craned his neck to look and saw dozens of yamen runners streaming in, smashing and overturning stalls and shops along the way. "By the laws of the Ming Dynasty, those who fail to pay their taxes will be punished with a hundred strikes! Everyone is a citizen of the Ming Dynasty; don't make it difficult for us!" The leading yamen runner scanned the crowd, opened a ledger, and called out loudly, "Liu Zexi, Liu Zexi! You have paid your land tax, but you haven't paid your household and commercial taxes! Come out!" A man from Fangdian Village boldly replied, "Official, Liu Zexi is dead." The yamen runner paused, pulling over a stool and sitting down grandly, surprised, "Dead? When did he die?" "Last time the official came to collect taxes, he didn't get any, and he died the next day." The man said cautiously, "He was found hanging on the godmother's tree, already stiff when discovered." The yamen runner snorted, his gaze sharp, looking toward the ancient tree at the center of Fangdian Village, sneering, "Are you saying he offered himself as a sacrifice, dedicating himself to your village's godmother? Liu Zexi, you offered your body as a sacrifice to your godmother, then... what exactly was your wish?"