Above the Great Dao
Chapter 101 - 61: Old, Weak, Sick, Disabled

Chapter 101: Chapter 61: Old, Weak, Sick, Disabled

Evil Bodhisattva, unable to contain its fury, attached its head and quickly started chasing after them, causing the ground to tremble and mountains to shake.

Its speed was alarmingly fast, each stride of the Evil Bodhisattva equated to twenty steps of Chen Shi and the others. Even when using the Armored Horse Talisman, if they ran in a straight line, they would definitely be outpaced.

However, this was Qianyang Mountain where the terrain continuously changed, filled with steep cliffs, deep mountain gorges, and dense forests. Despite its speed, the Evil Bodhisattva was repeatedly left behind as Chen Shi and the others utilized the geographical advantages.

Yet, it was indeed formidable, repeatedly picking up their trail and resuming the chase.

As the effect of their Armored Horse Talisman began to wane, Chen Shi, carrying Jin Hongying on his back, darted into a cave. Black Pot and Li Tianqing quickly followed; inside, they saw Chen Shi skillfully navigating left and right through the cave, obviously not his first time exploring this route.

The cave was like a maze, which left Li Tianqing and Jin Hongying feeling extremely anxious. Had they rushed in recklessly without a guide like Chen Shi, they likely would have died trying to find their way out.

"Chen Shi must have been a mischievous kid, daring to explore such dangerous caves. If he were my brother, I’d have spanked him until he couldn’t sit!" Jin Hongying thought to herself.

The cave walls were covered with glowing moss, which was quite peculiar. Once their eyes adjusted to the dim light, they could barely make out their surroundings.

The cave was dark and moist, yet the air was not stuffy. There must be several entrances connecting to the outside, making the air breathable.

Unable to find their tracks, the Evil Bodhisattva let out a sharp, angry cry, though no one could understand what it was saying.

Chen Shi set down Jin Hongying, tightened the straps on the bookcase on his back, and whispered, "Follow me."

They continued deeper into the cave behind Chen Shi.

Jin Hongying and Li Tianqing estimated the distance and felt that they were heading into the belly of the mountain. If they moved forward, they feared they might pass right through it.

Suddenly, a precipice appeared inside the mountain ahead. Jin Hongying nearly fell off, narrowly saved by Chen Shi catching her arm.

Some rocks she stepped on fell into the chasm within the mountain, and it took a moment before they heard the sound of them hitting the bottom.

A mountain path had been chiseled along the cliff face—an impressive feat given the narrow two-foot-wide path that inspired awe.

The three, along with a dog, hugged the cliff face, sidestepping cautiously. When they reached the middle, Li Tianqing suddenly saw huge glowing bones on the opposite cliff; they were thick, elongated, and seemed to stretch out from the darkness below, climbing up the cliff side.

However, they were too far to confirm whether these were real bones or merely stalactites.

"Too many strange things in Qianyang Mountain," the two thought.

Without Chen Shi leading them, they would have never witnessed such wonders.

Following the mountain path around the cliff, they reached another cave at the end of the road. They continued following Chen Shi, not knowing how far they had walked, when suddenly a light appeared ahead. They entered the light, and it took a moment for their eyes to adjust to it.

To their surprise, they found themselves in a quiet valley, with a stream babbling into a pond.

Chen Shi set down his bookcase, which contained the spiritual meat he had brought, weighing about ten pounds.

Besides the meat, there was a small pot, a small knife for drawing dog’s blood, and a spatula.

All three of them, along with the dog, were famished. Chen Shi first cut a piece of meat for Black Pot, then gathered a few stones to rig up a simple stove, preparing to cook right there to fill their stomachs.

The surrounding trees had been petrified, except for some that were rotten and dead, not affected by the Demon Domain.

Li Tianqing chose a recently dead tree, splitting it with the Six Yin Jade Wheel to use as a chopping board.

Chen Shi cut the meat, Li Tianqing split wood for the fire, and the two of them cooked together, while Jin Hongying hung around doing nothing.

She caught sight of the pond not far away, looked at herself, lifted her arm to sniff under her armpit, and grimaced.

She headed toward the pond, calling out from afar, "I’m going to take a bath. You two little rascals better not peek! Whoever peeks will have their eyeballs gouged out!"

Chen Shi and Li Tianqing acknowledged her. Soon, there was the sound of rustling near the pond, likely Jin Hongying undressing.

The two boys, as if possessed, sneaked a peek and saw a fair back, beautifully curved and facing away from them, with two long, straight, chopstick-like legs.

The woman raised her arms, binding her hair, and seemed to sense something. She suddenly turned her head, saw Chen Shi cutting meat and Li Tianqing chopping wood, no one was watching her.

When she turned her head back, the boys sneaked another look, but unfortunately, Jin Hongying had already entered the water.

"If you look where you shouldn’t, you might get a sty!" Jin Hongying warned from the water, laughing.

"There’s nothing worth seeing," Chen Shi said dismissively as he focused on cutting the meat.

Li Tianqing brought over the wood he had split, also unconcerned, and said, "There’s really nothing to see, I’ve seen it all before. When I was eight years old, I even peeked at my cousin taking a bath!"

Chen Shi added, "Exactly. The last time I passed by Widow Wang’s house, I saw her bathing in the yard, all bare. She even invited me in, but I didn’t go!"

Li Tianqing found a Fire Talisman in his bookcase and began to make a fire, saying, "Hongying doesn’t want us to see, but who cares? When I take baths, I let anyone watch."

The two boys moved from the topic of women bathing to discussing women’s bodies, sharing what they knew and seriously discussing what they didn’t understand.

While they were deep in discussion, two hands reached over, one grabbing each of their ears and yanking upwards.

Jin Hongying had at some point finished bathing and put on her clothes; she had come up behind them, gripping their ears, scolded, "You two are up to no good, getting bold before you’ve even grown hair properly!"

They yelped in pain until Jin Hongying finally let go.

Her hair was soaking wet, so she tilted her head to comb through her black hair.

After Chen Shi and Li Tianqing had talked about women, their emotional bond had deepened considerably.

—It really was true that boys had more in common with each other.

When the cooking was done, Li Tianqing used the Six Yin Jade Wheel to carve three pairs of chopsticks, and the three of them sat down to eat together.

Jin Hongying sighed, her face showing frustration, and said, "Damned Zhao family! Zhao Yanlong has caused such a big mess, and Zhao Tianbao, as the governor of Xinxiang, doesn’t even send people to settle it. They truly deserve to have their entire family executed!"

Chen Shi felt a stir within himself and asked, "Was it the Zhao family who stirred up the Evil Bodhisattva?"

Jin Hongying nodded slightly, "Who else could it be? When the Evil Bodhisattva first appeared, I rushed there immediately and encountered three experts from the Zhao family being killed by the Evil Bodhisattva. The Zhao family has entrenched themselves in Xinxiang with the True King’s Tomb as their goal."

Li Tianqing said, "I also guessed it was the Zhao family who entered the kiln to search for the whereabouts of the True King’s Tomb, letting the Evil Bodhisattva escape. If it were other treasures, the Zhao family wouldn’t have sent so many people." freёNovelFire-com

Jin Hongying glanced at him, sneered, and said, "Your Li Family is no better. The Li Family is far in Quanzhou, so why send Li Kefa as the County Magistrate of Water Buffalo County? Isn’t it also for the True King’s Tomb? Your grandfather and you came here, not entirely for investigating Li Kefa’s death, right?"

Li Tianqing admitted, "My grandfather and I are also investigating the whereabouts of the True King’s Tomb, so we can report back."

Jin Hongying said, "Your Li Family is much more sophisticated and more sinister than the Zhao family. The Zhao family is just a scapegoat raised by your Li Family."

Li Tianqing was puzzled and looked at her in confusion.

"The power of the Li Family is much greater than that of the Zhao family. Why didn’t they take over Xinxiang before the rise of the Zhao family? Is it because they lack the strength? No. The Li Family is just afraid, afraid of attracting the suspicion of other ancient families like themselves if they monopolize Xinxiang. Moreover, they do not know exactly where the True King’s Tomb is, how dangerous it is, and what dangers there are. They fear that opening the True King’s Tomb might lead to heavy casualties and a severe drain on their Primordial Qi."

Jin Hongying picked up a piece of meat and said, "Therefore, they need a stepping stone, a pathfinder, and the Zhao family serves exactly this purpose. The rise of the Zhao family in Xinxiang is definitely due to the indulgence of your Li Family, letting the Zhao family grow bold to tamper with the True King’s Tomb. The Zhao family suffers heavy casualties, but the Li Family does not even suffer a scratch—isn’t that perfect?"

Chen Shi asked, "Hongying sister, are the thoughts of the great families so intense?"

"Indeed, they are."

Jin Hongying explained earnestly, "The great clans have survived until today for a reason. You must never underestimate any one of these families. Even the Xinxiang Zhao family, which seems to be used by the Li Family, is also taking this opportunity to gain a firm foothold in Xinxiang. The original Zhao Family was just a minor clan, but now, having established themselves in Xinxiang, their power grows stronger, their family prospers and excellent fighters arise from within them. They have not suffered losses either."

Chen Shi pondered and said, "The Zhao family released the Evil Bodhisattva and caused the death of so many people. Won’t the court hold the Zhao family legally responsible?"

Jin Hongying laughed, "The court? Are you talking about the Great Ming Cabinet? How do you know there are no backers for the Zhao family within the Cabinet? The Li Family uses the Zhao family to test the waters, but the Zhao family can also rely on other even more powerful families to protect themselves. Don’t overthink it, brother. Perhaps after this operation, the Zhao family might even be regarded as a loyal and heroic family!"

Chen Shi was stunned. After a moment, he said, "What about the Great Ming’s laws?"

Jin Hongying stuffed several pieces of meat into his mouth and laughed, "The law of the land, of course, is the king’s law, specifically to control you common folks! How about it, are you trying to control the masters now? Eat quickly, we need to hit the road!"

The three finished their meal, packed up, and set off again, following a seldom-used path to the outside of the valley.

After a long walk, they finally arrived outside Mirror Lake Villa.

Outside the villa, King Xiao’s carriage was parked, and Li Jindou was lying beside it, uncertain if dead or alive.

Li Tianqing rushed over quickly and checked for breathing, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Li Jindou woke up, and seeing his beloved grandson still in the world was both shocked and overjoyed. Then, anger took over and he shouted, "Misfortune, you still have the face to see me, your grandfather!"

Li Tianqing, unable to understand why he was so angry, hurriedly said, "Grandfather, I..."

"Grandfather? Fine, you be the grandfather, I’ll be your grandson!" Li Jindou burst out angrily.

Jin Hongying walked toward the villa, but Chen Shi quickly stopped her and shook his head, "Outsiders cannot enter, and every time, no more than two people should be inside the villa. Otherwise, it could be dangerous."

He explained the rules of Mirror Lake Villa, "You are not from the villa, and since you don’t know how many people are inside, don’t rush in recklessly."

Jin Hongying didn’t dare to continue—on her last visit, she had guessed that strangers were not allowed in, or else they would face retaliation from the villa. However, not knowing the exact rules, she coldly shouted, "King Xiao, get your ass out here for granny!"

King Xiao’s coffin slowly opened, and after a moment, King Xiao stepped out from the coffin.

In the southwest corner, another coffin opened, and the person who emerged was Granny Sha.

Chen Shi was slightly startled, then realized, "Granny Sha was also one of the people who originally built the villa! Strange, more and more strange! Grandfather, Granny Sha, King Xiao, it seemed they could never have any connection, but now they are somehow linked... Grandfather must have joined some strange group!"

The two left Mirror Lake Villa, looking not too well.

Granny Sha said, "Let’s move further away to talk, not to wake up the old folks sleeping here. If we disturb them, no one can bear their wrath."

Everyone suddenly tensed, looking toward the other coffins in the villa.

Who were the ones sleeping in these coffins?

Were they alive or dead, and why did they sleep without waking?

The group reached the edge of Mirror Lake, where the icy cold made Black Pot sneeze repeatedly and shiver.

Chen Shi looked at the four of them, old, frail, ailing, and disabled; they encapsulated it all, which made him sigh.

Granny Sha was old, Jin Hongying was frail, King Xiao was sick, and Li Jindou had legs made of porcelain, a disabled man.

With such a group of experts, how were they to battle the Evil Bodhisattva?

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