Volume Two: A Season of Turmoil, Twists and Turns Chapter Ninety: Worth Its Weight in Gold—The Power of the Spirit Stone

Chen San and Yang Chengzi were very close to the ghosts; by rights, if Chen San could see them, they should have been able to see him as well. Yet, those ghosts acted as if they were blind, showing no reaction at all. Chen San, who had been quite frightened at first, found his fear subsiding in the face of such indifference.

“They're all here, packed densely together, dozens of ghosts. Looks like there are three commanders, and the souls of three horses by their side. But it seems they can't see us,” Chen San whispered.

Yang Chengzi hummed in agreement. “I sense ghostly energy, but no aura of resentment or malice. These aren't evil spirits, and they've been put under some sorcery. It’s possible they can’t see us because of that.”

“So, what do we do now? Should we break the spell on them?” Chen San asked tentatively, his eyes never leaving the ghosts.

“I don't know how to break a sorcerer's curse.”

Chen San was dumbfounded at this and slapped Yang Chengzi hard on the back.

“Are you kidding me? If you can't break it, why bring me up here—just for a stroll on a full stomach?”

“Ow, that hurt! Listen to me: whether or not I can dispel it, the key to solving this lies in your cooperation.” Yang Chengzi grinned as he looked ahead.

“I’ll decide whether to cooperate after you tell me what you want me to do. Out with it,” Chen San replied, clearly disgruntled. He was used to being dragged into trouble by Yang Chengzi, but this time he was being cautious.

“Didn’t you say there are three commanders? Go wave your hand in front of them a couple of times. That way, we’ll know if they can see us or not.”

Chen San stared at him in disbelief and slapped him again.

“No way. Why don’t you go yourself?”

“I can’t see them. Besides, I have a protective charm of blood on me. If I get too close, the ghosts will sense it.”

Chen San looked at him with disdain. “So that’s your excuse for sending me to test the waters? Why don’t you just admit you’re a coward?”

“Fine, fine, I’m a coward, whatever you say. Just walk around in front of them twice, and I’ll do anything you want.”

“Just two times, right? If they attack me, you’d better come save me.” Muttering curses, Chen San walked over to the three commanders.

Yang Chengzi shook his head and closed his eyes, focusing intently. Though Chen San was timid, this wasn’t his first time facing such a scene. He crept forward, step by careful step.

He reached the three commanders and swallowed nervously. The surrounding soldiers didn’t move. Chen San waved his hand in front of their faces—no reaction at all.

Amazed, he dashed back.

“Did you see anything?” Yang Chengzi asked.

“See what? You just wanted me to check if they could see us.”

“I know, but you’re back now, so clearly they can’t. I meant, did you see anything else?”

“No. What was I supposed to look for? You should have told me.”

“The soul fragments—the one soul and two spirits of the child. Did you think I brought you up here for a stroll?”

At that, Chen San slapped his forehead, remembering the missing soul fragments of the child.

“Right, right, I’ll go look.”

While Chen San wandered around, Yang Chengzi scanned the area. Soon, Chen San returned.

“Found it! Guess where?”

Yang Chengzi glanced at the ghosts. “It can’t be outside, or the soul fragments would have dissipated. Is it inside one of the commanders?”

“Oh, Master Yang, your reputation is well deserved! You already knew, so you sent me running around for nothing.” He smacked Yang Chengzi on the shoulder.

“Ow, stop hitting me! If you hit me again, I’ll fight back, and don’t go crying to your mother then.” At the threat, Chen San shrank back, rubbing his hand.

“I just wanted to see why old folks enjoy smacking people—turns out it is satisfying!”

“I guessed as much, but needed you to check. How many soul fragments did you find?”

“Just one, a faint golden shadow inside one of the commanders.”

“So the other children’s souls have already dissipated.”

“What use is this soul fragment now?” Chen San asked.

“For this child, without the one soul and two spirits, there’s no link to the living world. The soul can’t return on the seventh day.”

“How did they kill the child and take away the soul?”

“With so many ghosts, extinguishing the three flames of life from a child is no feat. Once possessed, the body could be thrown into a well. As for why the soul fragment remains with the commanders, it likely has something to do with the curse placed on them.”

“And then? What do we do next? Didn’t you say you could resolve this?”

“I can’t break a sorcerer’s curse, but I can send their souls scattering.”

Chen San stared at Yang Chengzi in disbelief. “Why do you always go for total annihilation? Aren’t you a Taoist? They were forced into this, cursed—they don’t deserve to be obliterated.”

“They are already dead. You pity them, but have you thought that next year, another child will die at White Dew? Are these children supposed to die?”

That question made Chen San understand why Yang Chengzi wanted to destroy their souls.

“Stand back. I’ll deal with them all at once.”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Chen San dashed far away.

Yang Chengzi began forming incantation seals, his hands weaving through forty-two mudras. At the same time, his feet traced the True Martial talisman on the ground. Only the final imperial seal remained. The True Martial summoning was complete; Yang Chengzi gathered his power for the last hand sign.

Yang Chengzi had used the True Martial incantation once before. It was fierce and domineering, requiring a long preparation. With the righteous energy of the Three Sovereigns, it could split mountains and cleave stone with ease.

As the final seal was formed, Yang Chengzi sprang outside the talisman circle. A golden light descended from the heavens, striking the True Martial sigil on the ground.

With a thunderous roar, golden ripples, infused with the might of the Three Sovereigns, exploded outward. Birds and beasts fled in panic.

In an instant, all the commanders and soldiers’ souls within the wave’s reach dissipated, even the distant horse spirits were obliterated. Though Chen San had run far, he still felt the shockwave jolt his own soul.

Soon, the ripples faded. Chen San rushed back.

“Could you be a bit gentler? Every time, it’s earth-shattering—one day you’ll cause real trouble.”

“It’s not up to me. The True Martial incantation is forceful by nature. But it settles everything at once. My own soul isn’t strong. If my master had been here, he could have split the mountain in two.”

Chen San looked around; not one ghost remained. Even the leaves had fallen from the trees.

Yang Chengzi threw an arm around Chen San’s shoulder. “Let’s go. It’s done. Time to get some sleep. We’ve been working rituals for two days, and tomorrow there’s the coffin burial. Busy times.”

At the mention of sleep, Chen San was delighted. The two of them set off down the mountain, arms around each other. Yet they had barely taken a few steps when a fissure extended toward them from behind. Before Chen San realized what was happening, his foot became trapped.

Yang Chengzi turned sharply. The ground behind had split open, roots twisting out from the crack. Alarmed, he wondered what could be at work. He dodged aside and saw Chen San’s foot stuck fast. With a swipe of his finger, the crimson Shangqing Sword sliced through the approaching roots.

Chen San heard the rustling sound behind him. Turning, he saw Yang Chengzi cut down with his sword, and felt a chill—had the old tree become a spirit? He yanked his foot free.

Yang Chengzi struck again, cutting through more roots, which fell to the ground like birds. Chen San stared at them in panic, realizing they were the same roots that had burst from the fissure.

He had barely caught his breath when several more roots shot out. This time, Yang Chengzi didn’t use his sword. Instead, he bit his finger, drew a bloody talisman, and pressed it onto the roots. Instantly, they fell still.

“What did you just do?!” Chen San stammered in terror, barely able to speak. He had never seen roots chase after people before.

Yang Chengzi sheathed his sword and crouched beside the fissure, inspecting it. Chen San, swallowing hard, kept his distance.

“Come here. Why are you hiding so far away?”

“I’m not coming. What do you want me to do?”

“Come on, I just need to borrow your ghost-seeing eyes. Take a look and tell me what’s down there.”

Hearing it was just for a look, Chen San crept over, his legs shaking so badly he could barely walk. He steadied himself on a tree and joined Yang Chengzi.

“Is this some old tree transformed into a spirit? What’s to see?”

“Just look. I can’t see without opening my spiritual eye. Is anything glowing down there?”

“First, tell me—is it really a tree spirit? What if it grabs me?”

Yang Chengzi rolled his eyes. “Trees don’t have souls—how could they become spirits? This is the mountaintop. Most likely, something down there has absorbed heaven and earth’s energy, giving the tree a touch of sentience. Just look.”

Half-convinced, Chen San poked his head into the fissure, then quickly shrank back. Abruptly, his eyes lit up and he leaned in again.

“There’s something down there, wrapped in roots, glowing!”

“That’s it. There’s something good below. Dig it up.”

“Why me again? Why don’t you do it yourself? I don’t even want it.”

Yang Chengzi broke two thick branches from a nearby tree and tossed one to Chen San, keeping the other for himself.

“We don’t need this thing, but Wan’er might. Get digging.”

Just then, Chen Wan’er appeared behind Chen San. “I can sense abundant spiritual energy—perhaps it’s a stone saturated with the essence of heaven and earth.”

“Right. For some reason, it fell down there, and the roots absorbed its energy, giving them life.”

“Wan’er, if you want it, that’s different. Hold on, I’ll dig it out for you,” Chen San said with a sycophantic grin.

Wan’er smiled slightly, her cold eyes softening. In the moonlight, she was breathtakingly beautiful, though Yang Chengzi had never seen her, not even once.

Chen San began digging at the fissure. Soon, he had made a large pit, exposing a glowing object wrapped in roots.

He stopped and frowned at Yang Chengzi. “Why don’t you do it?”

“Haven’t you already finished?” Yang Chengzi, lounging against a tree, looked perfectly relaxed—his branch just for show.

“How are we supposed to deal with the roots? We need metal tools to break them.”

Yang Chengzi rubbed his eyes. “See? You need me after all.” Rising, he drew the Shangqing Sword and approached.

Chen San was almost fuming—after all his digging, Yang Chengzi would still get the credit, but he didn’t dare protest.

With two crisp sword whistles, the roots split open, revealing the object within. Chen San turned to Yang Chengzi. “Now what?”

With another swing, Yang Chengzi split his own branch in two, handed one piece to Chen San, and said, “Wedge it into the gap to widen it and pull the thing out.”

“Why don’t you just chop more? It’s almost dawn—are you playing around?”

“I can’t cut too much. I don’t know how big the thing inside is—what if I damage it?”

“Give me the sword. I’ll cut.”

“No way. You can't use a sword properly; if you break it, you’ll regret it.”

Chen San agreed—he couldn’t wield a sword accurately. Better to pry it out honestly.

He wedged the branch into the gap and twisted. With a crack, a stone glowing with a deep blue light tumbled free.

It was the first time Chen San had seen a glowing stone. He picked it up and examined it in his palm. To Yang Chengzi’s unawakened eyes, it was just a luminous stone, no different from a river pebble.

But to Chen San, it was extraordinary—full of spiritual energy, reminiscent of the aura that erupted from Chen Wan’er, though this was even purer.

Before he had his fill of gazing at it, the stone suddenly shot into Chen Wan’er’s hand and merged into her palm.

The treasure had vanished before he could really enjoy it. Chen San was left somewhat bereft.

Wan’er saw his look of regret. “Are you so unwilling to part with it?”

He grinned and waved his hand dismissively. “Of course not! If it’s for Wan’er, there’s nothing to regret. It’s not worth much anyway.”

Yang Chengzi smiled, pulled Chen San out of the pit, and patted his shoulder.

“Who says it’s worthless? Sold to a soul controller, it could fetch several thousand taels of silver.”

At the mention of several thousand taels, Chen San’s legs nearly gave out. “Sev-sev-several thousand taels?” He stammered so loudly that his voice echoed through the valley.

“Is that really worth making such a fuss over? Look at you.”

“Several thousand taels! That’s a fortune!” Before he could finish, Chen San felt something wrap around his ankle.

Thinking it was a snake, he jumped, and Yang Chengzi caught him in his arms like a maiden—an awkward moment—then tossed him to the ground with disdain.

“Why’d you jump?”

Chen San scrambled up and looked at the ground—nothing there. But suddenly, the sensation returned, something coiling around his ankle.

This time, he was smarter. He leaped into a tree, but the thing climbed swiftly up his legs. In no time, Chen San was bound like a silkworm cocoon, wrapped tightly by tree roots.

As the roots wound around him, Chen San struggled, but Yang Chengzi merely watched, asking, “Is it worth those thousands of taels?”

Even as he was cocooned, Chen San still didn’t understand Yang Chengzi’s meaning.

Chen Wan’er’s surprised expression seemed to hint at the stone’s extraordinary nature. Slowly, the roots withdrew and Chen San fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

“A second slower and I’d have suffocated!” he complained.

“Wan’er just wanted to test it; she didn’t mean to hurt you. Why panic?” Yang Chengzi said.

“You can control the roots?” Chen San gaped in shock.

Wan’er smiled, raised her hand, and roots shot from the earth like great serpents, wrapping around Chen San’s waist. Like a giant tree rising, they lifted him high into the air.

From up there, Chen San gazed at the moon. He’d never seen it so large. If only Chen Xin were here to see it with him, he thought, grinning foolishly. After a while, Wan’er retracted the roots and Chen San landed, excitedly grabbing Yang Chengzi.

“No wonder it’s worth thousands of taels! If I ever get the chance, I want one too.”

Yang Chengzi patted his shoulder. “Don’t dream. This isn’t for humans. Even if you had it, you couldn’t use it. You might never see another in your lifetime.”

Chen San pulled a face, unwilling to believe him.

“But you can ask Wan’er to take us down the mountain. Walking is exhausting.”

Chen San nodded eagerly. If he couldn’t have the treasure, at least he could ride the roots once more.

“Heh, Wan’er, could you take us down? Maybe test out your new power?”

Even if Chen San hadn’t asked, Wan’er would have offered, since Yang Chengzi had spoken.

“All right—don’t move.”

Two roots as thick as arms burst from the earth, coiling around the two men like pythons. They were drawn down the mountainside, Wan’er floating serenely behind.

With two thuds, they landed halfway down the mountain.

“There’s still firelight below. I won’t take you further—walk the rest yourselves.” With that, Wan’er faded back into Chen San’s consciousness.

Yang Chengzi and Chen San lay on the ground, heads spinning after being carried upside down all the way down. After a while, Yang Chengzi got up and hauled Chen San to his feet, shaking his hand.

“Better to walk. I’m not riding again—my head’s pounding.” Chen San nodded in agreement, and the two of them staggered down the mountain.

Back home, they collapsed, dead tired, and fell asleep at once. After only three hours, Yang Chengzi woke—today was the third day, and the child’s coffin had to be buried.

There was little more Yang Chengzi could do for the child, except to find a good burial spot with favorable feng shui.

With the matter settled, Chen San, at loose ends, wandered the village with Chen Xin and the others to stretch their legs. Aside from the recent tragedy, Fengxi Village was beautiful, and after days indoors, the two girls were delighted to be outside.

At lunchtime, Yang Chengzi returned with the villagers, looking utterly exhausted, which made Chang Yu worry. Chen San, however, was in high spirits, eating with his usual gusto.

Having delayed several days, the group finally bid farewell to the villagers and set off, crossing Fengming Mountain toward a place called Shuangqu Village to the south.