Above the Great Dao

"Thank you, Granny Sha," Grandfather sighed in relief as he saw Chen Shi awake.

The old lady put down the strange musical instrument in her hand and chuckled, "Old Chen, we're all family here, what's there to thank me for? Without your 'Water and Fire Refining,' relying solely on my 'Soul Summoning Technique' might not have been enough to bring Xiao Ten back from the underworld. And even if summoned, his body would likely have been rotten."

Grandfather dispelled the orb of water and fire atop his head and looked at Chen Shi, asking, "Xiao Ten, how do you feel? Does your chest still hurt?"

Chen Shi tried to speak, but his throat was hoarse, and no sound came out.

"He's been dead for seven days, his corpse was thoroughly chilled; it's fortunate to have brought him back on the seventh day."

Granny Sha leaned over to Chen Shi, prying open his mouth to look inside, and smiled, "The muscles in his throat have relaxed; he can't talk yet. Once he gradually warms up and gets used to his own 'body,' he'll be able to speak."

"It's 'body,' not 'corpse,'" Grandfather corrected her.

"It's the same, it's the same."

Granny Sha squinted her smiling eyes and said, "Old Chen, your technique isn't bad at all; 'Water and Fire Refining' is something to be envious of. You've used the stuff meant for cultivating the 'Corpse Resolving Immortal' on Xiao Ten, hehe… Now that I've saved your grandson, are you going to pass on 'Water and Fire Refining' to me?"

Grandfather, wary, shook his head, "I paid you for your help. However, my days are numbered. If Granny Sha agrees to become Xiao Ten's godmother, then I will impart the entire 'Water and Fire Refining' to you."

"Become Xiao Ten's godmother?"

Granny Sha's face suddenly changed, and after glancing at Chen Shi lying on the bed, she hesitated, "Become his godmother? I fear my own life isn't that robust… Should I take that gamble? Hehehe… I dare not!"

She continued with a sobbing voice, "Old Chen, are you planning to offload this hot potato before you pass away? You're scared too, right? I dare not accept this opportunity for wealth! I fear I can't handle it, becoming a sinner…"

She lost control of her emotions, breaking into sobs.

Lying on the bed, Chen Shi was somewhat puzzled, "Why is the old lady crying? Why did she say she would become a sinner?"

Some time passed, and Chen Shi was able to speak, asking for water.

Granny Sha gave him water and then started shooing them away, watching as Grandfather put the still-immobile Chen Shi onto the wooden cart, she somehow got touched again and burst into sobs.

"Old Chen, you can't take 'Water and Fire Refining' to your grave!"

She cried, "Pass it on to me, I'd be willing to wear mourning clothes and act as your daughter!"

Grandfather, without raising his head, said, "Come be Xiao Ten's godmother."

"No way!"

Granny Sha outright refused, "You might as well take 'Water and Fire Refining' to your grave, I'll just dig it up then!"

The 'Armored Horse Talisman' began to circulate, and the wooden cart slowly set off.

Black Pot, with sprightly steps, ran in front of the cart, while Chen Shi lay on it being jostled from side to side, shaking as the cart left the village where Granny Sha lived.

Chen Shi looked out weakly, the village was unfamiliar; he had never been there during the Moon Festival.

"Grandfather seems very familiar with Granny Sha, and she even calls me Xiao Ten, knowing my milk name."

Chen Shi blinked; he must have been here before, just couldn't remember.

"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"

Grandfather called out to the dog on the cart, who looked back puzzledly at the wooden cart taking another path, then happily ran over.

"We're not going to Huangpo Village; we're headed somewhere else."

Grandfather explained to the dog, "Xiao Ten is too cold, his blood isn't flowing well. We need to go to the extremely yin 'Corpse Nourishing Land' for a couple of days."

Black Pot nodded gravely and then ran ahead to lead the way.

With a feeble voice, trying to shout, Chen Shi said, "Black Pot, thank you."

The dog paused a moment and then wagged its tail.

"This is Gangzi Village, to the north of the mountain. Granny Sha is a good person. When you were born, she came to hold you, feeling your root bone and praising it as exceptionally good. Later, when you ranked first in the fifty provinces at the county examination, she came to congratulate you. Your death…"

Grandfather spoke as if he was talking to himself, then as if addressing Chen Shi, "She was very angry when you were injured, running around trying to summon your spirit. If I do pass on, and leave behind 'Water and Fire Refining Technique,' take it to her as thanks for her kindness."

He paused then said, "She values loyalty; once you give her 'Water and Fire Refining Technique,' she'll remember your goodness, trying every possible way to repay you. Although she dares not be your godmother, she will surely do everything in her power to protect you."

Chen Shi lay in the cart, listening to the rumble of the wheels, and whispered, "Grandfather won't die."

"Heh."

Grandfather laughed, patting his head, "Silly boy, is there anyone who doesn't die? I dare not stay; when the moon rises, I fear I won't be able to resist the hunger…"

He fell silent.

Chen Shi quickly changed the subject, "Grandfather, is Black Pot a normal dog? How could it enter the underworld to save me?"

"Do you suspect it too?"

Grandfather's gaze fell on Black Pot with a somber expression, "I've suspected it for a long time, just never caught it in the act."

Feeling the gaze of the grandfather and grandson, the dog involuntarily shivered.

Living off the Chen Family was truly difficult.

Why was its dog life so full of hardships?

All it wanted to be was a regular dog.

Black Pot led the way, and the wooden cart followed the dog deep into the mountains, traveling further along the rugged mountain path.

Some mountain roads were so broken and steep that even people would struggle to climb, yet the wooden cart rolled up effortlessly as if on level ground.

After a long time, they reached a place where the mountains were clear, and the water was beautiful. Surrounded by not-so-tall peaks was a valley, and at the center rested a deep pool with exceptionally pure, crystal-clear water. Looking down into the pool from a high vantage point, it was like an eye with a clear exterior and a dark interior.

Next to the pool was an ancient villa, with tall pines blocking all sunlight, leaving the inside of the villa pitch-black, requiring time to adjust before one could see clearly.

Black Pot sneezed several times; it was terribly cold here, chilling it to its core.

It stopped outside the door, not entering the villa.

Over the entrance of the villa were the characters "Mirror Lake."

Mirror Lake Villa.

Chen Shi found it strange that there were no mosquitoes in the villa. Lying there unable to move, he should have been bitten by mosquitoes by now, but there wasn't a single one.

Not only were there no mosquitoes, but there were also no birds chirping. Everything was eerily quiet, a silence that made one shiver without feeling cold.

A large tree entered Chen Shi's view, its trunk massive, with bark like dragon scales growing upside-down. The tree stood tall and straight; it took three to five people to wrap their arms around it.

Beneath the tree stood a black coffin, painted pitch black and standing erect against the trunk.

Chen Shi rolled his eyes, wanting a closer look, but already the second dragon-scale tree and a vertical coffin had come into view.

Then the third tree, and the third black coffin.

The wooden cart stopped beneath the central dragon-scale tree of the villa. Beneath this tree, too, was an upright black coffin, not very big, likely not meant for an adult.

Grandfather lifted the lid of the coffin, placed Chen Shi inside, and then covered it again.

Strangely enough, the place was oddly cold, but once Chen Shi lay down in the coffin, he felt his body gradually warm up.

His heart, too, began to beat more and more strongly.

What he found even more curious was that, lying in the coffin, he felt utterly calm and at peace, as if he was very familiar with this place.

He even fell into a comfortable sleep until Grandfather opened the coffin, and he woke up.

Grandfather felt his hand; his palm was now warm, and his heart was beating strongly.

Chen Shi stepped out from the vertical coffin, moving his hands and feet. His body seemed to have recovered, yet he was full of questions.

"Grandfather, have I been here before?"

"Mm."

"Have I lain in this small coffin before?"

"Mm."

"Was it like this last time I came here?"

"Worse than this time. Last time you... were severely injured."

Chen Shi thought for a moment and ventured, "Was it when I, the Child Scholar, scored first in the province? How long did I sleep here?"

"Yes, for a long time," his grandfather replied dully.

He tidied up the wooden cart and looked over.

Chen Shi solemnly closed the coffin lid, treating his other "home" with great care, wary of causing any damage.

The grandfather and grandson boarded the wooden cart. Chen Shi looked at the other upright coffins in the villa. There were eight in total; the other seven black vertical coffins stood beneath ancient trees. He did not see any ghosts or deities, unaware whether there were people sleeping within these coffins.

However, he vaguely sensed an extremely strong oppressive force coming from several upright coffins. Wherever his gaze fell, the oppressive force seemed to grow stronger!

Clearly, there was something in those coffins, something remarkable!

"This Corpse Nourishing Land was found by me and a few acquaintances," said Grandfather as he steered the Compass and the wooden cart began to move out. "Can't really call them friends, just acquaintances, people who know each other and have exchanged a few words. They are very afraid of death, like me; therefore, we gathered together to build this villa. With the body placed here, there's no need to worry about it decaying. Some of the old fellows couldn't wait and moved in. But everyone who moves in must follow a few unwritten rules."

He paused, then continued, "You must not inquire into the identity of others, nor ask who has moved in. This place must not be revealed to outsiders, and when people come, there must not be more than two. If these rules are violated, there will be a collective attack. Heh heh, if they rise from their coffins, it'll be quite frightening."

Chen Shi chuckled, "No wonder Doggie didn't follow us in."

The wooden cart left the villa, and Black Pot quickly came over. Not far from Doggie, there was another carriage, extremely luxurious.

Unlike Grandfather's humble wooden cart, this carriage was framed in wood, with copper for the yoke, gold decorations, pearls for embellishment, a splendid canopy overtop, and four fine horses at the front, which even wore gold and silver armor.

There was also a driver sitting on the carriage, holding a whip in his hand.

A person of noble bearing, dressed in a white garment purer than snow, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, handsome and dignified, exuded an aura of grace.

Upon seeing the grandfather and grandson emerge, the man in white stood up and gracefully got out of the carriage.

His waist was adorned with a long sword in a lacquered scabbard with diamond patterns, narrowing in the middle like a woman's waist. The hilt and end of the scabbard were carved from tortoiseshell, extremely ornate and eye-catching.

With the sword hung hilt-down, the white-clothed man's tall figure moved with ease.

As he left the carriage, the four fine horses suddenly petrified, transforming into stone horses!

The charioteer, too, spontaneously turned into a terracotta figure, still holding the reins as if to control the horses.

Chen Shi was astonished to see that the man in white had already approached them and bowed in greeting.

Grandfather bowed in return.

"It has been a long time; Scholar Chen remains as distinguished as ever."

"Don't flatter me. King Xiao's descendant is far more graceful; I am not in the same league."

The two exchanged pleasantries.

King Xiao's descendant's gaze fell on Chen Shi's face, he looked at him deeply and praised, "Water and Fire Refining, indeed extraordinary."

Grandfather's pupils narrowed.

Chen Shi felt a chill, as if he was being targeted by a wounded panther, and he wondered, "Why is Grandfather considering violence again?"

King Xiao's descendant sensed that killing intent too, didn't say much, and simply stated, "My apologies," before walking back into the villa.

Chen Shi looked back to see King Xiao's descendant approaching an upright coffin. That coffin resembled a small house, twelve feet tall, eighteen feet long, and its surface was etched with extravagantly ornate talismans, the scripts dizzyingly complex.

The lid of the coffin opened automatically, flying out, followed by a yellow coffin lid, then a silver-shining lid, and finally, a golden lid emerged, and last came a jade panel, about the same size as a regular coffin lid.

King Xiao's descendant walked into the coffin, and one after another, the coffin lids flew in, sealing him inside.