Chapter 148: The Doll

Chapter 148: The Doll

Chapter 148: The Doll
"Mazu, is she also a deity from the Chinese Continent?"

Chen Shi stood in front of the temple gate and looked out. The sea was blocked by the cracked mountain peaks. He could only hear the sound of waves but could not see the sea surface.

However, he observed that the mountain opposite did not seem to have cracked in recent years, because there were many reefs on the mountain opposite, as if they had emerged from the sea.

The mountain where the Mazu Temple is located seems to be integrated with the mountain opposite, but the cliff shows signs of being battered by wind and waves.

"The two mountains are not actually one. In fact, the peak where the Mazu Temple is located faces the sea."

Chen Shi speculated, "It was just that one day, a mountain rose from the sea, blocking the mountain where the Mazu Temple was located, and merged into one mountain. The Mazu Temple and the mountain became silent together, until one day an earthquake shook the two mountains apart, and the Mazu Temple appeared."

This temple is in a very dilapidated state, even worse than the original Shanjun Temple. The Shanjun Temple only has more broken bricks and tiles, while the front and back halls are basically intact. There are also ancient apricot trees blocking the sunlight, so the true gods from outer space cannot see there.

The Mazu Temple seemed to have experienced a battle, with most of the temple collapsed. Chen Shi recalled that he had seen the earth melt and solidify when he was on the top of the cliff. The Mazu Temple should be the center of the decisive battle!
“I just climbed up from below.”

Goddess Hongshan came to the edge of the cliff and looked down.

Chen Shi also came to the edge of the cliff and looked over. Although many years had passed, he could still see the traces left by the huge creature crawling on the rocks.

"Empress, do you have any impression of the Mazu Temple?" Chen Shi asked.

Goddess Hongshan shook her head and said, "When the mountain split open, I woke up. My mind was blank and I had no memories. After I crawled out, I was exposed to the moonlight and turned into an evil spirit."

Chen Shi was even more confused and asked, "How do you know how to refine the moonlight?"

The method used by Goddess Hongshan to refine the moonlight clearly has a unique route of practice, and it is a profound skill.

Goddess Hongshan shook her head: "I don't know either. The town made me Goddess Hongshan, and with the incense, I naturally knew how to practice in my mind."

Chen Shi didn't know whether she had any relationship with the Mazu Temple. When he walked into the Mazu Temple, it was in ruins, but there was still an extremely strong extraordinary power floating around. The mountain gate, ancestral temple, incense burner, fish pond, altar, and collapsed hall all had clouds formed by extraordinary power.

I think the incense here must have been extremely popular in the past.

However, this temple, like the original Mountain God Temple, is now empty. There are no statues of gods, nor any images of gods formed by extraordinary power.

Chen Shi tried to find something valuable, but failed.

He found the shrine of Mazu Temple and was slightly stunned.

This shrine faces the sea, and I imagine that the statue that stood here in the past also faced the sea!
"That is to say, the Chinese gods enshrined here need to resist the invasion of monsters in the sea and protect the ships and fleets on the sea. In this way, Mazu should be a god who protects the ocean."

Chen Shi suddenly thought of the time when Eunuch Sanbao led the Ming fleet deep into the Dark Sea under the order of the Ming Emperor. If there was no Chinese god who could guard the sea, how could they have sailed safely for seventeen years?

Later, immigrants from the Ming Dynasty came to Xiniu Island in an endless stream, and they also needed a god who could suppress the sea storms and waves, as well as the monsters in the sea!

Therefore, eunuch Sanbao built her temple on the coast so that her divine power could protect passing ships and migrating people.

That is why this temple is so popular.

"They built a Mazu temple on the coast of Xiniu Island, and Mazu's incarnation appeared on this new continent. Logically, her power would only become stronger and stronger, so why did the mountain seal the temple later?"

Chen Shi was puzzled.

He glanced at Hongshan Niangniang beside him. Eunuch Sanbao should have enshrined the statue of Mazu on the ship here. Statues are not made of flesh and blood, but Hongshan Niangniang is clearly a blood Tai Sui made of flesh and blood, obviously not a statue.

"No matter what, since you are here, let's light a stick of incense before leaving."

Chen Shi took out the incense, lit it, inserted it into the incense burner that had long been extinguished, and bowed to the empty shrine.

Upon seeing this, Goddess Hongshan also bowed towards the empty shrine.

The two left.

Three incense sticks burned, and the aroma floated toward the shrine.

Hongshan Niangniang felt something and turned to look at the Mazu Temple. Chen Shi asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Goddess Hongshan said, "I feel like there's some movement in the temple."

Chen Shi didn't notice anything unusual, and the two climbed all the way to the top of the cliff. It was getting dark, so they prepared to return.

In the hanging temple under the cliff, Chen Shi's three incense sticks were like stones thrown into a calm lake. The aroma of the incense attracted the extraordinary power that permeated the surroundings and flowed towards the empty shrine bit by bit.

The divine power was gathering and changing silently in the shrine.

Hongshan Goddess felt a little tired, so she hid in Chen Shi’s small temple and climbed up to sit on the shrine.

The true energy in Chen Shi's body grew silently, and his golden elixir seemed to breathe, growing and shrinking, tempering his body.

He sat in the car, and before he knew it his breathing had stopped, his heart had stopped beating, his essence condensed like a rose, his bones like ruby, his marrow turned into black frost, and there seemed to be bursts of celestial music in his ears, as if he was in a paradise.

After a long time, the barking of a dog woke him up. Chen Shi opened his eyes, his heartbeat resumed, and his breathing started again, only to find that they had returned to Gongzhou City.

"This time, I entered into a state of meditation that allowed me to experience the subtleties of the Seven Returns, Eight Transformations, and Nine Reappearances. Goddess Hongshan being my divine fetus is truly extraordinary!"

Chen Shi gazed and his consciousness came to the small temple, where he saw Goddess Hongshan sitting on the shrine, her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart. She entered a mysterious state and could not wake up for a while.

The moonlight in the small temple was like a tide, constantly flying in from the sky of the ancestral land, fluttering down and falling into her body.

It seems that Goddess Hongshan's realm is even higher. Just now, when she was meditating and practicing, she caused Chen Shi to enter the state of great perfection of the ninth level of the golden elixir without knowing it, and thus he was in a very deep state of concentration.

This is a benefit he could never have imagined before!

"Do other cultivators' divine fetuses also have this effect?"

Chen Shi was quite curious. He did not have a real divine fetus, so he could only regard spirits like Hongshan Niangniang and other evil spirits as divine fetuses. He did not know what the real divine fetuses were for.

"I'd better not disturb the Queen Mother Hongshan in her cultivation."

Chen Shi left the small temple and said to Hei Guo, "No need to go to Hongshan Hall, let's go back to the East City Post."

He once again entered the state of Seven Returns, Eight Changes, and Nine Returns. His own qi and blood were steaming, and his cultivation was constantly improving. At the same time, the fragrance of the Lantai Palace in his dantian was overflowing, and the golden elixir was being tempered. The golden elixir became like it was made of platinum, emitting a blazing white light.

But a white light was seen faintly coming out of his lower abdomen, and it gradually dimmed and disappeared when Chen Shi woke up.

After Chen Shi returned to the post station, he had a casual dinner and continued to sit there. In the second half of the night, the other scholars in the room were awakened by a white light. The light in their room was as bright as day and blinding.

After a while of adjusting, the scholars saw the white light shining out from Chen Shi's Dantian, and they were shocked and confused. They came forward and touched Chen Shi. He was not breathing, and his heart was not beating. A strange fragrance came from his body.

They looked at Chen Shi carefully, and saw the light shining brightly, illuminating Chen Shi's internal organs clearly, even his bones were visible.

But Chen Shi's bones were glowing red, like beautiful jade.

His blood was flowing, filled with huge spiritual power, and his blood was milky white.

"Has Mr. Chen turned to evil?" Everyone was confused and surprised.

Chen Shi was awakened by them, and the various strange phenomena in his body disappeared. He thought to himself: "Living in the post house is not suitable for cultivation. I wonder if I can stay at Hongshan Hall?"

He opened his eyes and looked around. There were four scholars in the same room with him. The calf of one of them was eaten by a woman from the Tianmu Society. The scholar wanted to go and treat his injury. The post station arranged for another scholar to come in, a stranger.

Zhao Kaiyun was not in the room and the bed was empty.

Chen Shi simply did not delay any longer. He picked up a pen and wrote a note, which he slipped under Zhao Kaiyun's pillow, telling him that he was going to stay overnight at Hongshan Hall. Then he packed up his things, called for the black pot and wooden cart, and rushed to Hongshan Hall.

The city of Gongzhou was completely quiet late at night; the only sounds that could be heard were the barking of dogs and the clapping of night watchmen.

The city was guarded by a general, so it should have been equipped with armaments and soldiers patrolling at night, but Chen Shi did not encounter any along the way.

It was a little chilly at night, and the breath I exhaled glowed white in the moonlight.

This kind of climate is everywhere in Xiniu Xinzhou. There is no seasonal change between spring, summer, autumn and winter. The climate is the same all year round. When the sun rises during the day, it is like spring as described in books, and at noon it is like summer. At night, the temperature is like late autumn and early winter, except that it does not snow.

Chen Shi had never seen what snow looked like in his life.

He was walking on the empty street, thinking about something, when suddenly he heard a voice coming from the corner of the street: "Are you Chen Shi, the Scholar? I heard that you are the new instructor of Hongshan Hall. I was originally planning to go to the post station to look for you, but I didn't expect you to come out by yourself."

Chen Shi stopped and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a man in a scholar's Taoist robe standing against the wall. He was standing in the shadows and his face could not be seen clearly, but he was estimated to be over thirty years old.

"My name is Chen Shi. Who are you?"

The Taoist scholar's voice was filled with grief and indignation: "Headmaster of the Tianmu Society, Han Mingyu. Master Chen, what virtue and ability did my disciple have that made you, Master Chen, kill her personally?"

Chen Shi was slightly startled and said, "Master Han, why do you say that? I just arrived in Gongzhou and came to participate in the autumn examination. I have always been kind to others..."

The Taoist scholar interrupted him and sneered, "You are taking the Autumn Examination. My disciple Qiu Yingying is also taking the Autumn Examination. You two are classmates. I didn't expect that Master Chen would kill you."

Chen Shi suddenly realized and said in a lost voice: "Your disciple is the bear girl who practiced the art of animal creation?"

Han Mingyu sneered, "Do you remember? My disciple is also a scholar, and she is going to take the autumn examination. She has worked hard to practice and finally achieved something. She was sure to win the exam, but she didn't expect to die in your hands! Even if grandma lets you go, I, Han, will not let you go!"

Chen Shi quickly explained: "Your disciple was practicing the art of animal creation. She must have been eager to make progress and absorbed the moonlight. She was polluted by the moonlight and turned into an evil spirit. She ate people in the post station, so I took action..."

Han Mingyu said coldly: "Even if my disciple turns into an evil spirit, I will deal with him personally. It is not your turn to deal with him. You are the headmaster of Hongshan Hall, and you have broken the rules."

Chen Shi has always respected rules and knows the role of rules in Qianyang Mountain. Hearing this, he said, "I became the headmaster of Hongshan Hall later. I did not kill your disciples after becoming the headmaster. Headmaster Han, please do not misunderstand me."

Han Mingyu shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter. Today, I want to avenge my disciple."

He clapped his hands gently, and hurried footsteps came from another street. Under the moonlight, at the dim corner of the street, more than a dozen people ran towards him, stopped a few dozen feet in front of him, put down a clay pot, turned around and walked away.

Those earthenware jars were about one foot three or four feet high and about one foot wide, slightly larger than wine jars.

Chen Shi was puzzled.

Suddenly, with a popping sound, a head popped out of one of the clay jars. It was a little kid of about seven or eight years old with a pigtail on his head. He looked around curiously.

The doll was a boy with a pale face and a circle painted with rouge on both cheeks. When he saw Chen Shi, he laughed.

"Evil!"

Chen Shi was shocked. The boy in the jar exuded a strong evil aura and was obviously an evil spirit!
However, he immediately denied his opinion, saying that the boy in the jar was still breathing and was clearly a living person!

Then, there was a popping sound, and heads popped out of the other eleven jars. There were boys and girls, but only heads popped out of each of them.

"Gulu."

A jar rolled gently, very lightly, and hid in the shadows.

A faint and uncertain sound of laughter came from the shadows.

Other jars also started rolling. Although the jars had no legs, they were more agile than people with legs. They rolled around Chen Shi, getting faster and faster.

"careful!"

The voice of the Goddess of Hongshan suddenly came to Chen Shi's mind, "This is the birth-giving doll of the Tianmu Society, also known as the Waidan doll, and it is the most sinister!"

She had been practicing at Chen Shi's shrine, but was awakened by the evil spirit. When she arrived at the temple gate, she saw the scene outside and gave a warning.

"A Birth-collecting doll? What is it?" Chen Shi asked.

Goddess Hongshan thought for a moment and said, "I heard from the incense master of Hongshan Hall that the Caisheng Wawa means selecting a seven or eight-year-old child born at a certain time, cutting off his limbs, and raising him for forty-nine days. If he is not dead, their souls and spirits are sealed, and then their stomachs are opened, their internal organs are taken out, and some medicines and spices are stuffed into their stomachs, and then planted in a jar using a secret method. In this way, the child is between life and death and can be used to refine human pills. The refined human pills are called Caisheng Wawa, also called Waidan Wawa."

She added: "On weekdays, the Tianmu Society members use these dolls to perform on the street and exchange them for money. But if they encounter an enemy, they will sacrifice the dolls. These dolls have good teeth and can bite through anything. They are very powerful!"

Chen Shi was furious: "Are these dolls in the jars made from living people?"

"correct."

Goddess Hongshan said, "People who practice the art of animal creation in Tianmu will go to the countryside and pretend to be peddlers or passing aunties to ask for directions. Then they will turn the children they like into lambs and take them away. Some will turn them into geese and put them in cages, and then take them to the city to practice the art of creating fertility dolls. I heard that if one of the three children can be created into a fertility doll, it is considered quite good..."

Chen Shi interrupted her and said, "If I kill another Tianmu sect leader, will the queen help me fight against Tianmu?"

Lady Hongshan hesitated and said, "It's not impossible, but I have an agreement with the Cao Lao Association and the Yan Lao Association, so I can't go too far..."

"I'll take you out to play tomorrow!" Chen Shi said decisively.

"Deal!" Queen Hongshan said happily.

"Okay! I'm going to kill someone!"

(End of this chapter)