Chapter 330 - Tremendous Force

Chen Shi walked into the quarry, the howling wind echoing around him. Outside, everything was frozen, but at the mountain's foot, the warmth melted the ice and snow. Tombstones lay strewn all about, but none bore a name. Du Yiran was packing his belongings, tossing an axe and a chisel into his void dimension. Dressed in heavy layers, a sheepskin coat over cotton padding, he appeared stout but was in truth frail and thin from age. A sheepskin hat covered his head tightly, his face weathered and darkened from years of sun and wind exposure. Chen Shi had grown into a teenager, taller now, while Du Yiran had shrunk with age. "Grandpa Du!" Chen Shi stepped forward, falling to his knees in gratitude. "Thank you, Grandpa Du, for saving my life!" Du Yiran continued gathering his things. "Get up," he said. "Your life or death has nothing to do with me. I owed Chen Yindu a favor, and saving you was how I repaid it. This concerns us elder folk; there's no need for you to dwell on it." Chen Shi knocked his head to the ground several times in thanks, then rose, saying, "No matter what, Grandpa Du, you are my savior. But how did you end up here? My grandfather said you were in the Huangshi Mountains doing… doing…" "Doing evil spirits' work?" Du Yiran interrupted with a glance. Chen Shi nodded. Du Yiran coughed a couple of times, chuckling, "I knew he'd say that. Well, I'm not truly among the living or the dead; I suppose I am somewhat like an evil spirit." He dusted off his belongings, "This place is not safe for lingering. The Yan Family retreated in fear, but they'll soon realize I am not as powerful as they assumed." He moved swiftly down the mountain path, "They'll see my tombstones only work on the living, not ghosts or deities, and over long distances, they fail entirely. Once they figure it out, they'll come back to kill me. I'm too old to fight them." Ahead was a small, lonely stone house—Du Yiran's crude dwelling. Chen Shi hurried after him, and Du Yiran opened the door. "You and Gouzi, come inside and shut the door. Check, too, if we were followed." As instructed, Chen Shi shut the door, but at Du Yiran's words, he opened it again and was stunned. Just moments before, it had been snowy and icy outside. Now, it was a riverside under a moonlit sky, with lush mountains in the distance, the air pleasant. He looked skyward and saw the moon hanging in the west. Confused, Chen Shi shut the door and opened it again to find the riverbank and green mountains gone, replaced by a shimmering lake reflecting moonlight. This time, the moon hung in the south. He closed and opened the door again, only to hear waves crashing outside, distant voices crying, "That stone house has appeared again!" Peering through the window, Chen Shi saw great beasts tossing in the sea, attacking the coast, and soldiers from the Coastal Border Guard Watchtower battling these demonic creatures. "The Thirteen Families have grown into a formidable power," came Du Yiran's voice from behind him. "If the Yanluo Hall falls, all ten Yama Courts will follow." Chen Shi turned, his heart pounding, "Grandpa Du, what do you mean?" "The ten Yama Courts," Du Yiran explained, placing down his axe and chisel and removing his thick coats to hang them, "are ruled by powerful gods. In our times, one known as the 'King of Yanluo' was among them. Five have fallen to mortal families." The liveliness of Du Yiran's footsteps was contrasted by the severity of his words as he stomped the snow off his boots and shook his head, "When we rescued you, we stumbled into several battles against false god armies commanded by the Xia Family to besiege the Suying Palace's spirits. Your grandfather was so intent on finding you, he missed all the signs. If he'd noticed, could have…" He trailed off, shaking his head again, washed his face, and changed into his fine silk clothes before heading outside, with Chen Shi following at his heels. By then, the sky had lightened into morning. They were no longer by the sea but in a mountain town, and the townsfolk seemed familiar with Du Yiran, greeting him as "Stone Mason Du" with respect. Du Yiran, dour as ever, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, as if everyone owed him a vast sum. Yet the townspeople held him in high regard. Du Yiran led Chen Shi to breakfast, ordering porridge and noodle soup; eyeing Chen Shi and Heiguo, he added some meat dishes. "Eat more, grow well," he encouraged them. After a pause, Du Yiran said, "The Xia Family posing as demons is suspicious. Chen Yindu hasn't investigated, so I will. I thought it was demon mischief, but it turns out the Thirteen Families have replaced the deities of ten courts in the Netherworld." As the oldest of them, Du Yiran could no longer eat meat in the mornings, and resigned to porridge for his stomach. Watching Chen Shi devour his meal, he swallowed hard, "How did you end up here?" As Chen Shi related his quest to find his mother's spirit, Du Yiran urged him to eat his chicken before it chilled. Focusing on devouring the hot meal, Chen Shi soon finished his fragrant dish and, still hungry, finished a bowl of mutton and tofu soup prepared by Du Yiran. By then, Du Yiran looked satisfied by Chen Shi's hearty eating, commenting, "Four years ago, your grandfather ventured to the Netherworld alone, looking for you without telling anyone." He gave a glance at the voracious Heiguo, whispering now, "He returned with a tiny black dog." At another table, Heiguo was gulping duck stew. He hesitated, ears perked, listening. Du Yiran leaned closer as if whispering a heated secret, but his eyes locked on Heiguo. “I only wanted to question your grandfather about the Netherworld. But that tiny dog, with its ghostly aura, tried to warp my perceptions—it startled me so.” Heiguo edged closer to the table, his ears angling toward them. “And your grandfather, where did the dog come from?” “He claimed a powerful spirit in the Netherworld gifted him. They struck a deal,” Du Yiran murmured. Holding his breath, Heiguo leaned in so closely he almost touched the table. Chen Shi cleared his throat, making Heiguo sit back abruptly. “A deal?” Chen Shi asked, puzzled. “Yes,” Du Yiran replied, spooning his soup, “that the dog would remain safe, your mother would be too.” Chen Shi glanced back at Heiguo, surprised. Du Yiran finished his porridge, satisfied. Chen Shi attempted to pay, but Du Yiran insisted, “You’re my grandson here; it’s on me. Besides, watching you eat fills me up.” And as they left, Du Yiran returned to the earlier topic, “I explored the Netherworld for years, surviving narrowly when cornered by ledge spirits disguised as demons, attacking a powerful lunar-marked spirit. Amid chaos, a peculiar book merged with me, bringing strangeness.” Chen Shi listened intently. “As a stone mason, I carved tombstones. Here, many choose their own burial plots early, leaving stipulations for future needs. Carving headstones was my duty, supplementing mundane needs before age led to wealth.” Names chiseled by Du Yiran became prophetic; they etched death. Those who sought him for their memorials passed prematurely, yet never for its intended purpose. Du Yiran’s harsh cough broke the rhythm of his storytelling before easing his breath, “Out of requests not sanctioned, offering bounty against foes, altered my trade.” Here, a violent cough seized him, and between breaths he continued, “No longer could I inscribe names without complete fate. It was misuse, exploiting my craftsmanship.” On their way back toward the small stone house, Du Yiran confessed, “The Thirteen Families are a force I can’t confront. Neither Chen Yindu nor you can stop it. Rescue was owed to the Judge in me, to honor its hold. However, the fight is left to others, now.” Chen Shi nodded, understanding Du Yiran’s resolve. “Know this, Chen Shi: old age—with its failing strength—restricts my actions, even if I were begged. It was a quest, injuries sustained in the chill Netherworld limit my days. Even should your grandfather come, I would not interfere. I choose to retire quietly.” Chen Shi smiled softly, “Don’t worry, Grandpa Du. I, too, prefer simplicity, away from upheaval. The Thirteen Families rise; still, let us live our lives.” Relief crossed Du Yiran’s features, “Your grandfather—a scoundrel—led by Sha Qiutong, Qingyang, Hu Xiaoliang, and A Zhuo, was known for mischief, inviting me to join their rebellious acts. Yet my refusals held weight. I guided their paths, lest they delve deeper into wrongdoing.” As he opened the door, ice blanketed the world, but it was another place entirely. “Chen Shi, henceforth I retreat, tell no one. Say I have passed on. Go back to Xiandu; I bid no further farewell.” Chen Shi quickly interjected, “Wait, Grandpa Du!” He produced several life-prolonging ginseng fruits from his small shrine, pressing them into Du Yiran’s hands, “A modest tribute from me.” Glancing briefly at these fruits, Du Yiran dismissed them, “Small offerings sustain months. Keep them, as gifts.” “These are different; their strength heralds a grand force,” Chen Shi replied, encouraging him that these gifts carried a larger promise. With a nod, though skeptical, Du Yiran set them aside as Chen Shi departed. Outside, in the bitter cold, as the wooden door shut, the stone dwelling and its door vanished. “Grandpa Du’s magic is truly unfathomable,” Chen Shi muttered to himself, marveling. “Heiguo, let’s head to the Netherworld and find those Judges!” A chill wind swept up, and the two vanished from the snowfield. Inside the stone house, Du Yiran reopened the door to a serene scene—verdant mountains, harmonious wildlife, and a waterfall cascading into a serene pool. Sipping tea, his chair rocked beneath him, a coughing fit interrupting the calm. He truly was old; excursions with Chen Yindu to the Netherworld incited more injuries to his already worn-out body. As the elders of the Five Villains, he had offered much protection. In his solo searches, he had faced many traps, each leaving its mark upon him. Now, embedded in the setting sun of his years, he could finally rest. “If only the vigors of youth were mine again. I’d accompany to his mother’s rescue, confront the Thirteen Families, restore the King of Yanluo,” he whispered wistfully, eyes on the rainbow stretching over the waterfall. But against the Yang Family, he dared to only plan limited ambushes, feigning arcane prowess to avoid confrontation. His comrades—all either gone or transformed—left him isolated. Among them, only Tianku’s ghostly realm tethered him to life. Alone in his contemplation, he savored the beauty around him. His tea had grown cold—too cold to drink. Looking at Chen Shi’s gifted fruits, doubt gnawed. Testing one, he lifted it to his lips. “This was the work of the Gan Yang Mountain, back when I plucked their evergreen growths… But what!” he exclaimed. Inside him, a roaring vitality surged like an angry sea crashing against rocky shores! “This ginseng, truly has tremendous force!” A formidable surge exploded from the stone house. “Boom!” At the height of Dujie's power, with his energies peaked, the house’s roof flew away—the waterfall soared. In the sky, his essence gathered, forming a vast storm cloud above. Standing beneath the tempest, a shadow of his former self, young and vigorous once more, in awe amidst the generation’s enigma—a memory revived, of life at twenty. ------