Above the Great Dao

In the early morning, Chen Shi woke up early. His grandfather was cooking in the kitchen, with his back to Chen Shi, but the bloody sleeves of his clothes were visible, although it was unclear what kind of meat was being chopped on the cutting board.

Chen Shi glanced over and thought to himself, "As long as it's not human flesh, I can eat anything."

Outside, the noise of a crowd could be heard; it was the villagers of Huangpo Village coming to offer incense before the ancient tree.

Chen Shi stepped outside, only to see people holding incense and candles, carrying fruits, chickens, and ducks to the ancient tree in the center of the village.

The ancient tree, weathered and of indeterminate age, had roots protruding from the ground like coiling dragons, and its branches were strange as if twisted pythons. The leaves were sparse, hardly lush.

Yet the tree was festooned with red strings, each tied to a wooden plaque, inscribed with the villagers' wishes.

The history of this ancient tree in Huangpo Village was long, acting as the wet nurse for most of the villagers. Every first day of the lunar month, the villagers would come to make offerings and wishes, an event known as the Monthly Worship.

The Monthly Worship lasted three days, with the first day dedicated to worshipping the wet nurse, and the following two days serving as market days.

The ancient tree was believed to be sentient, especially the one worshipped by Huangpo Village, which was considered particularly efficacious. This tree was able to ward off evil spirits at nightfall, protecting the villagers, and thus the houses in Huangpo Village were all built with the ancient tree at their core.

If offerings were presented, one could also make wishes to the tree—for marriages, offspring, wealth, finding lost items, or ensuring safety—all of which would be granted.

A girl sat on the trunk of the ancient tree. She appeared to be around twenty-eight, with a beautiful and dignified look, dressed in a light green moonlight skirt, a black top embroidered with red coins, and a lotus gold hairpin atop her head.

This girl remained quiet, never making a sound.

The villagers couldn't see her, but Chen Shi could see her every time he went out, regardless of the weather.

Once, the girl on the tree gave Chen Shi a bright red fruit, which his grandfather discovered. His grandfather had Chen Shi throw it away, saying it was poisonous.

"She's not your wet nurse; she's someone else's. To her, you are an outsider in this village. If she poisons you, then all the children in the village will be her foster sons," his grandfather had said.

"Xiao Shi, it's time to eat," came the grandfather's voice from the courtyard.

Chen Shi responded and returned home, approaching the dining table. In the porridge before him, there were both rice and meat, giving off a greenish hue and an odd smell.

There were also three dishes: medicinal herbs stir-fried with unidentifiable meat and some insect-like creatures as thick as fingers, their smell similarly unfriendly, and even some live worms still wriggling.

Chen Shi cautiously inquired, "Grandfather, is this a meal or medicine?"

Without turning around, his grandfather replied, "It's both. You're ill, you need to finish it."

Chen Shi carefully phrased his reply, "Grandfather, I'm already well."

"No, you're not."

His grandfather's voice was indifferent as he faced away, "You were sick again last night, weren't you? You need to keep taking the medicine."

A surge of anxiety crossed Chen Shi's mind, "Grandfather was clearly out last night; how does he know I was sick again?"

Ignoring the taste of the food, he stuffed it into his mouth.

Though his grandfather had his back turned, an eye had somehow appeared on his shoulder, its nerves like thin legs, covertly watching him, ensuring he ate.

Chen Shi ate his meal in large gulps, feeling a burning sensation in his stomach that grew hotter, as if a fierce fire had sprouted within, scorching his heart.

Every meal was like this, but this time the potency of the medicine seemed exceedingly strong, making him feel as though the blood in his heart was about to boil.

He quietly activated the Three Light Righteous Qi Technique, attempting to guide the medicine's power into his limbs and body, which made him feel somewhat more comfortable.

A thought flickered in Chen Shi's mind, "The Three Light Righteous Qi Technique is said to cultivate the Divine Embryo Dharma Body by drawing in Righteous Qi. I don't have a Divine Embryo, nor can I gather mana, but if I refine my body into a Holy Embryo, focusing on Body Refinement instead of cultivating mana, wouldn't that work?"

With this thought, he removed the parts of the technique that involved cultivating True Qi and focused solely on Body Refinement. He found no issues in practicing this way, and it seemed to enhance his body even faster.

After the meal, Chen Shi helped his grandfather secure the wooden cart, loading it with various living essentials and provisions, tying everything down with ropes.

The cart had wooden wheels, with many talismanic symbols carved into the hubs—Armored Horse Talismans—meant to make the cart go faster.

His grandfather, wearing a conical bamboo hat that obscured his face, took out some cinnabar and meticulously traced over the symbols on the wheels, sharpening the clarity of the talismans.

The cinnabar was not ground with water but with Black Dog Blood, exuding a fishy odor. Chen Shi glanced over at Black Pot, noting the dog looking listless, likely having had blood drawn by his grandfather.

As Chen Shi continued tracing the talismans, he muttered to himself, "It's best to apply Black Dog Blood from the front of the neck, where the yang energy is strongest and the color lasts longer. I should cut there."

He was careful and still held a grudge against the dog for a previous incident with firewood.

Black Pot shuddered and gave Chen Shi a resentful glance.

Once the preparations were complete, grandfather and grandson mounted the wooden cart, which began to glow with the activation of the Armored Horse Talismans on all four wheels. The wheels spun on their own, carrying them away from the village.

Black Pot followed behind, pacing steadily.

In his hand, the grandfather held a bronze Compass, its needle trembling slightly. Whenever the needle changed direction, the cart would steer accordingly.

As the cart reached the village outskirts, Chen Shi jumped off, taking incense and paper offerings, and sprinted up the hill to an old tree outside the village.

His grandfather didn't stop him or the cart.

Chen Shi burned paper and offered incense to the stone wet nurse, presented her with fruits, and performed several kowtows. He then went to hang incense for the scholar ghost on the tree before racing back and catching up with the wooden cart.