Above the Great Dao

He and Peng Ju were merely passing acquaintances, without much interaction. He taught the siblings the Blood Lake Scripture only because he found Peng Ju honest and Peng Yan'er adorable, nothing more.

"If Peng Ju doesn't betray me, then I won't sit idly by!"

Chen Shi said to Peng Yan'er, "I'll go into the Eastern Palace with you to rescue your brother. Do you dare?"

"I dare!" Peng Yan'er replied confidently.

Chen Shi laughed, "Good! Then let's enter the Eastern Palace!"

Tong Qianshou and Sang Xixi listened from the side for a while until they understood the whole situation. Sang Xixi asked in confusion, "How do you know that Peng Ju is imprisoned in the Eastern Palace?"

Before Chen Shi could explain, Tong Qianshou spoke up, "None of the ghosts here can read. Peng Ju knows how to cultivate. This matter is too significant. If the Crown Prince learns the Blood Lake Scripture, he can secretly strengthen his power and quickly become the most powerful ghost in the Heavenly Pond Country. Then, he won't be the Crown Prince, but the Heavenly Pool Country Master. So, Peng Ju has to be imprisoned in the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace. Can the Crown Prince trust him being imprisoned elsewhere?"

Sang Xixi was enlightened.

Chen Shi said to the two, "Master Tong, Deacon Sang, I still need to go to the Heavenly Pond Capital to save people and cannot accompany you to see your ancestor. After you return to the mortal world, you can go to Xinxiang County on Qianyang Mountain to meet County Magistrate Hu. County Magistrate Hu will take you to meet Sha Qiutong, who will guide you to the Medicine King Ancestor Temple."

Tong Qianshou thanked him repeatedly.

Sang Xixi pulled him aside and said, "Are we really going back to see the ancestor and not helping them?"

Tong Qianshou said, "Meeting the ancestor is important. The Medicine King Sect has been declining over the years. The inheritance of the ancestor is mostly lost. Now, we finally have the chance to revitalize the sect. How can we give it up?"

Sang Xixi said, "Chen, the top scorer, first awakened our Medicine King Sect's ancestor and then told us the location of the ancestral temple. How can we just watch them risk their lives going to the Eastern Palace? They are going to rescue someone, and our Medicine King Sect must help."

Tong Qianshou hesitated for a moment, then said, "You go back and tell the elders of the sect that you will temporarily take on the role of sect leader. If I return alive, I will continue to be sect leader. If I don't survive, then you will be the sect leader."

Sang Xixi laughed, "Leader, you are just tossing responsibilities around. If you go to the Heavenly Pond Capital, you aren't familiar with it like I am. They don't look very smart, and you're also quite foolish. Going there would be sending yourselves to your death, wouldn't it?"

Tong Qianshou was so angry that he almost wanted to die immediately just to show her.

Sang Xixi continued, "So, you go back to see the ancestor, while I help them. At least there's a chance of success."

Tong Qianshou hesitated.

Sang Xixi laughed, "If you make me go back, someone in the sect will definitely compete with me for the sect leader position. I definitely won't let them. Then, either by poisoning or using gunpowder, I'll send those senior brothers and sisters on their way, along with a few elders, uncles, and masters. If I'm firmly seated as sect leader and you come back alive, I'll have to send you on your way too. It'd be too troublesome. You go back, and I'll go with them."

Tong Qianshou knew she meant well and only said, "You go with them to help rescue people. If you come back alive, I'll appoint you as the next sect leader."

"It's a deal!"

The two hooked each other's little finger bones.

Tong Qianshou took out an incense stick, and Incense Fire Qi drifted into the air, as if pulled by something, suddenly disappearing as if entering another world.

Meanwhile, at the Medicine King Sect, the disciples guarding the spirit saw a stream of Incense Fire Qi appear before the sect leader's coffin, floating towards the nostrils of the leader's corpse, and quickly exclaimed, "The leader is coming back! Quick, summon the soul for the leader!"

The Medicine King Sect disciples immediately raised the Soul Summoning Talisman and activated the talismans.

Beside Sang Xixi, Tong Qianshou's incense stick had not yet burned out when suddenly, with a clatter, the skeleton fell to the ground, and his Primordial Spirit was pulled to the mortal world by the Soul Summoning Talisman.

Sang Xixi quickly followed Chen Shi, laughing, "How do you two plan to rescue him?"

Chen Shi said, "We'll sneak into the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace, find Peng Ju, rescue him, and leave."

Sang Xixi couldn't help but laugh, saying, "If you go in like that, you'll definitely be beaten to death. In the Heavenly Pond Capital, there are indeed many cultivators and ghost souls lurking around, but they're all wearing clothes. You need to prepare some clothes for yourself."

Peng Yan'er said, "I made a suit of clothes for Brother Chen Shi with feathers, but they were scattered by the ghost god."

Sang Xixi shook her head and said, "That won't do. We have a foothold in the Heavenly Pond Capital, and there are some clothes inside. I'll find a set for you. Also, how are you going to sneak into the Eastern Palace? With the identity of Skull Cultivator, it's hard to get in. Even if you find Peng Ju and rescue him, how will you leave? You can return to the mortal world, but they can't."

Chen Shi asked for advice, "Then, what should we do?"

Sang Xixi laughed, "Our Medicine King Sect still has some connections in the Heavenly Pond Capital, and many ghost gods seek people from our sect to cure their ailments. We earn money from both the underworld and the mortal world. I can help you sneak into the Eastern Palace. I can't help with the rescue, but I can cover the retreat. We have gunpowder in the Medicine King Sect, which can be used for covering the retreat. However, I only have two hundred pounds of gunpowder and will need to wait a few days for more to be sent in by the sect..."

"How much do you need?" Chen Shi interrupted her.

Sang Xixi looked at him in surprise and said, "You have gunpowder?"

Chen Shi laughed, "I used to serve as an ambassador at the Guangji Storehouse in the Western Capital, and I greedily took some firearms, storing them in my small temple in case of emergencies."

Sang Xixi said, "Take them out and let me see if it's enough."

Chen Shi concentrated his thoughts and released the firearms hidden in the small temple.

Sang Xixi stared blankly at the pile of bullets, iron caltrops, General Cannons, and packages and packages of gunpowder in front of her!