The scholar ghost, hanging from the old willow tree, fell silent in frustration.
His name was Zhu Youcai, and though he had an elegant-sounding name, his current state was anything but appealing. His face, bloated and purple like pig liver, and his tongue stretched over a foot long, made him a far cry from good-looking.
"That rascal Little Ten, always twisting my name to poke fun at others," Zhu thought indignantly. "But truth be told, this woman may not look bad, but her heart is dark. I wonder if Little Ten can handle her."
As a ghost bound to the willow tree, Zhu couldn’t leave or warn Chen Shi’s grandfather about the strangers' arrival.
Chen Shi smiled sweetly and began recounting, "The porcelain dolls you’re looking for must be those tiny creatures. They appear at dusk, crawling out from the grass and mumbling to each other so fast that no one can understand. If anyone approaches, they hide in the grass and vanish. But as soon as the person leaves, they come out again. By dawn, they disappear entirely. Isn’t that what you’re searching for, big sister?"
Chen Shi was indeed familiar with these porcelain dolls, having played with them many times.
The purple-clad woman and her retinue of Flying Fish Guards nodded eagerly at his description.
One guard, Fang He, beamed, saying, “My lord, this child’s account is so precise—it confirms those things are nearby! They must be the spiritual remnants of grave goods, animated by the presence of a true royal tomb. If we secure them, we could…”
“Enough!” The woman cut him off sharply, her eyes narrowing in warning.
With a warm smile, the woman addressed him, “Little brother, could you take us to where these porcelain dolls disappear?”
Chen Shi hesitated, scratching his head. “My grandpa’s waiting for me to come back for lunch…”
The woman laughed and clapped her hands, summoning an attendant who brought out some meat jerky. “This is made from spirit beasts and rare herbs. It’s far tastier than anything you’ll eat at home. Try it!”
Taking a bite, Chen Shi found it delicious beyond words and quickly agreed.
As they walked, the woman asked, “What’s your name, little brother?”
“My name’s Chen Shi,” he replied earnestly. “My teacher says it means sincere and steadfast. Everyone in the village calls me Little Honest One. I never lie!”
The group chuckled quietly among themselves. “What nonsense about being sincere and steadfast! That country teacher must be an idiot.”
Fang He, however, wasn’t laughing. His expression turned grave as he whispered to the woman, “My lord, there’s something off about this boy…”
She had already noticed. Fixing her gaze on Chen Shi’s back, she nodded slightly, murmuring, “Indeed.”
As they continued walking, a faint radiance shimmered behind Chen Shi. A glowing shrine made of light flickered into view. The woman’s eyes narrowed, and her heart raced in shock.
“He’s a cultivator?” she whispered.
Chen Shi, oblivious to the attention, happily munched on more jerky. The spiritual energy within the snack coursed through his body, causing his cultivation base to surface momentarily.
“Refinement Stage, Divine Embryo Realm…” the woman murmured. “He’s already formed a spiritual shrine and received a divine blessing to nurture a divine embryo! If he were in the provincial capital, he’d qualify for the county-level imperial exam and become a scholar! A prodigy in his teens…”
Her astonishment deepened.
In the world of cultivation, practitioners advanced through five major stages: Qi Refinement, Spirit Formation, Divine Refinement, Void Reversion, and Union with the Dao.
Within Qi Refinement, there were further sub-stages: Refinement, Foundation Building, Spiritual Shrine, and Divine Embryo.
Reaching the Divine Embryo Realm was a remarkable achievement, granting one the qualifications to take the imperial exams and earn official recognition as a scholar.
Chen Shi’s talent was no ordinary feat.
Fang He bowed in agreement.
Chen Shi maintained a calm demeanor, but his sharp ears picked up the quiet conversation between the two.
"These people bear ill intentions toward me and the village. It seems they are the root of the problem," Chen Shi thought to himself. "As the Master said, to eliminate the roots, one must leave no descendants."
He continued reflecting, "But I can't beat them in a fight. The Master also taught that 'one does not speak of monsters, gods, and strange forces.' My current strength isn't enough to dominate the supernatural. Borrowing someone else's strength to deal with them is the best choice for now. Truly, the Master's teachings hold profound insights into the ways of the world!"
An overwhelming sense of admiration for his teacher filled his heart.
Chen Shi subtly slowed his pace, signaling the group to keep up.
The purple-robed woman and her companions followed Chen Shi further ahead. As they approached the edge of the forest, they saw a group of over ten small figures, each about a foot tall, playing by the mountain stream.
These tiny figures had complete human-like features: hands, feet, and expressive faces. They wore green robes, and their skin was porcelain white, resembling living beings.
Whenever they bumped into one another, their interactions emitted the sound of clinking ceramic, revealing their non-human nature.
The porcelain figures were frolicking at the stream's edge, splashing water and catching fish in lively enjoyment.
Their voices were peculiar, making incomprehensible sounds that were not human language. Yet, they seemed to understand each other, chatting and laughing with carefree delight.
The purple-robed woman and her group approached silently. However, the sight of these porcelain beings filled them with excitement.
“This must be the burial accompaniments of the True King’s Tomb that have gained spiritual essence!” one of them whispered. “If we follow them, we can locate the True King’s Tomb!”
Chen Shi stepped forward and accidentally broke a dried twig underfoot. One porcelain figure noticed the noise, looking up and scanning its surroundings.
It spotted Chen Shi and let out a shrill cry, sharp and piercing, much like a yellow warbler's call.
The other porcelain figures stopped their play and turned to look. Their previously joyful faces morphed into expressions of fierce anger. Rolling up their sleeves, they charged toward Chen Shi with aggressive determination, as if harboring some great grudge.
Just then, the porcelain figures noticed the purple-robed woman and her group standing behind Chen Shi. Startled, the porcelain beings let out cries of alarm and scrambled to hide in the surrounding underbrush.
From the bushes came a chorus of sharp, squeaky curses. They seemed to be berating Chen Shi, accusing him of being unable to fight them alone and instead bringing reinforcements.
Fang He and the others quickly rushed forward, parting the underbrush in pursuit of the porcelain figures.
The forest stretched before them, lush and green. The towering trees and thick foliage cast deep shadows over the terrain, obscuring their path.
The porcelain figures moved swiftly through the brush, their small footprints almost impossible to trace. Fang He and his group found themselves struggling to keep up, soon losing sight of their quarry.
Suddenly, the purple-robed woman's eyes lit up. "Follow Chen Shi!" she exclaimed in a hushed tone.
The group turned to notice Chen Shi moving nimbly through the forest. Unlike them, he seemed familiar with the terrain, confidently chasing after the porcelain figures.
While tracking the elusive porcelain beings was a challenge, keeping pace with Chen Shi, a larger and more conspicuous figure, was far easier.
The group trailed after Chen Shi, delving deeper into the dense forest.
The further they went, the denser the forest became. The trees grew ever taller, their massive canopies blotting out the sunlight. Only a few faint patches of dappled light reached the forest floor.
As they pressed on, Chen Shi suddenly vanished from view.
When the group caught up to where he had been, they found themselves surrounded by rapidly growing trees. The towering trees seemed to reach for the heavens, their thick trunks forming a vast, ancient forest.
Even the grasses underfoot grew as thick as small trees, and scattered boulders loomed like towering hills. The once small mountain stream had expanded into a mighty river, its surging waves a testament to its newfound grandeur.
Amid their astonishment, one of them cried out, "It's not the plants and rocks growing bigger—it’s us shrinking!"
The realization sent a wave of shock through the group.
Glancing at one another, they saw that their bodies had indeed shrunk. From full-grown adults, they had diminished to figures less than a foot tall.
The purple-robed woman looked at her own porcelain-like skin and trembled slightly.
After a moment, she steeled herself, lightly knocking on her arm. A clear, ringing sound echoed back—the sound of ceramic clinking against ceramic.
Her face turned pale, and she nearly fainted.
She had become a porcelain doll.
Looking at her companions, she saw that they, too, had been transformed into porcelain figures.
“This is a ghostly domain!” she murmured in terror. “We’ve entered a ghostly domain!”
But then her mind turned to Chen Shi.
“Chen Shi!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with desperation, clutching at the one hope she had. “Chen Shi must have been here before. He must know what’s happening…”
But a sudden thought struck her, freezing her in place.
“Wait!” she whispered, her face draining of all color.
“If Chen Shi has been here before, and he knows that entering this place turns people into porcelain dolls… then why did he lead us here?”
She began to tremble.
“Could Chen Shi… truly be as ‘honest’ as he seems?”