Above the Great Dao

The youth thought little of it and took out several incense sticks, lit them, and placed them into the soil in front of the stele.

The scholar ghost hanging from the tree became so agitated that he began kicking his legs.

"There is one for you too."

Chen Shi took out an incense stick, lit it, and placed it beneath the feet of the scholar ghost hanging from the tree. The scholar ghost, smelling the incense, showed a look of intoxication.

Chen Shi stretched comfortably, lying lazily under the tree with his hands cushioning his head, and felt no fear towards the scholar ghost or the water ghost in the river. He did not know when it had started, but he could see these "people" whom others could not, and had long since grown accustomed to it.

"Grandfather has almost finished making lunch, but recently, Grandfather's cooking has tasted increasingly worse. Yesterday, the chicken he made was still raw, served bloody dripping. Godmother, I always feel like something's wrong with Grandfather lately, as if he wants to eat me."

Chen Shi, with a stalk of grass in his mouth, gazed blankly in a daze, showing a maturity beyond his years, whispered softly, "Last night, Grandfather made me some medicine again, had me soak in the medicinal tub, but he made the fire too strong, even boiling the water. I think he wanted to cook me..."

After a moment, the scholar ghost, having finished his incense stick, stretched lazily and said, "I'm good now. Little Ten, you can ask."

— Little Ten was Chen Shi's nickname, and some in the village ironically called him Honest Little Ten.

Chen Shi put aside his concerns, took out a scroll, and while reading, he asked, "I still don't understand this part, it says: 'He who first made figures, hasn't he descendants?' What does it mean?"

Living in the remote Huangpo Village without any private schools and with the Chen Family being poor, Chen Shi had nowhere to study. Fortunately, the scholar who hung from the tree was a learned man. Thus, Chen Shi pulled out some ancient books from home and often came under the willow tree to seek the scholar ghost's guidance.

The scholar ghost, satiated by the incense, would help him clear up his doubts. So, although Chen Shi was only just a teenager, he had already read extensively.

"The meaning of this sentence is that Confucius said, the first person who offended me has already been punished to the extent of having no descendants left."

The scholar ghost explained, "Confucius wants to teach us that when we act, we must remove the roots, especially those who offend us."

Chen Shi nodded, puzzled but learning, reading word by word, then asked, "What does 'If it's come then put it at ease' mean?"

"Since the enemy has come, then don't let them go. Bury them here."

"What about this sentence in the book by Chuanshang: 'The dead are like this, relentless day and night.' What does it mean?"

"Confucius stood by the river and said: 'A truly formidable man should stand by the river like me, watching the bodies of his enemies flow continuously downstream without pausing day or night.' Confucius was amazing to the point of having his enemies' bodies scattered across the river. We scholars should learn a lot from Confucius."

...

After Chen Shi asked about all the unclear parts, the scholar ghost answered fluently, greatly impressing the youth, who looked up and said, "When I grow up, I want to be like the Saint, conquering with virtue! By the way, Zhu Xiucai, with your vast knowledge and profound scholarship, why did you hang yourself here?"

The scholar ghost sighed deeply, chokingly said, "In today's imperial court, the corrupt rule, and the vile control the culture. Despite my extensive learning, I failed the imperial examinations ten times, disgracing the Saint's teachings and was too ashamed to face my family. So, I chose to hang myself here, to end it all."

Just as he finished speaking, suddenly the sound of rumbling wheels came.

Chen Shi closed the book, stood up, and looked on as several fine horses, surrounding an exquisite and magnificent carriage, approached down the rural road.

Atop the horse sat a robust man dressed in a red flying-fish attire, very trim, scanning their surroundings with a piercing gaze.

"My lord, there's a child!" one of the men on horseback said, bowing to someone inside the carriage.

"Child? Child good, child good."

A woman's voice came from the carriage, laughing, "Children are simple, without schemes, easy to handle, and won't cause complications. Fang He, you go ask that child."

"Yes!"

A man in a flying fish suit dismounted energetically and quickly approached Chen Shi, took out a piece of silver the size of a fingertip, and with a kind smile gently said, "Little boy, this piece of silver is for you to buy candy. Brother wants to ask you something. When you play in this village, have you seen some children? The kind that look very strange, not like living children. They are like, like... a group of porcelain dolls!"

Zhu Xiucai, hanging from a tree, warned, "Little Shi, don't greet him! This man is a Jinyiwei from the city, a noble's hound, with no good intentions. The money of Jinyiwei is called 'buying life money', taking his money, be careful of losing your life!"

Although it was still the Great Ming dynasty, imperial power was weak, local nobility had risen, and Jinyiwei were no longer the emperor's trusted aides but had become the guards raised by noble families, often working for those nobilities.

Chen Shi stared at the piece of silver in the man's hand, really wanting it, yet he shook his head, and said, "My grandfather said not to take anything from strangers."

The man in the flying fish suit became even more friendly, smiled, and said, "My name is Fang He, we didn't know each other just now, were strangers, but now that you know my name, aren't we acquainted, no longer strangers? This is my payment to you, it doesn't count as a stranger's thing, right?"

Chen Shi nodded happily and caught the piece of silver.

Fang He, with a smile at the corner of his mouth, "Now that we are friends, could you tell me if you have seen those porcelain doll-like children?"

Chen Shi nodded, "The children you're talking about, are they less than a foot tall and appear in groups?"

Fang He showed happiness, nodded quickly, turned around, and his voice trembled a bit, "Sir, that thing really is here..."

His sentence was not yet finished when suddenly a figure dashed from inside the carriage, Chen Shi only felt a fragrance assault his face, and then he saw a dignified and beautiful woman in purple appear under the tree.

The other men in flying fish suits hurriedly dismounted, quickly rushed to the tree, and surrounded Chen Shi and the woman in purple.

The woman in purple had a lovely face, snow-white skin, wearing a flying fish suit above and a horse-faced skirt below, also in purple, her face slightly excited, yet feigning composure, she smiled lightly, "Little brother, have you seen those porcelain dolls? Where are they?"

Chen Shi did not answer, looking oddly at the woman in purple's shoulder.

The woman in purple was slightly startled, turned her head to look at her shoulder, but didn't notice anything unusual.

"Little brother, the lady is speaking to you!" a man in a flying fish suit stepped forward, shouted, displaying his authority.

Chen Shi turned his gaze away, the reason he was looking at the woman's shoulder was that the Scholar's feet were resting right on the woman's shoulders.

The position where the woman stood was exactly where the Scholar had hanged himself.

The woman in purple glanced at the man who had spoken, her expression darkened, "How dare you!"

The man in flying fish suit hastily retreated.

The woman in purple, with a pleasant demeanor, said, "Little brother, we are from Xinxiang, we are not bad people..."

Chen Shi looked up, met the woman's gaze, and sweetly smiled, "Big sister is very pretty, even prettier than Zhu Youcai!"

The woman in purple, heart delighted, thought, "This child knows what to say, later I can leave his body whole. But this name, Zhu Youcai, does not quite sound like a woman's name. It seems like a beautiful woman's name, what a pity for such a crude naming by a rustic."

————Failed at stock market, back to writing books!