Chapter 142: Mr. Stone's Far-Reaching Reputation and Impressions Within the Village

So, Chen Yushu took the opportunity to buy an ox-drawn cart.

Originally, he had wanted to buy a horse carriage, but maintaining horses was more troublesome. An ox cart was not only convenient but also valuable in the countryside as a working beast that could directly help with fieldwork, making it more popular.

With many items loaded onto the cart, Chen Yushu and Liu Qiao’er headed straight for Beijiao Village.

There were quite a few pedestrians along the way.

By chance, they encountered an old man from a neighboring village. The man recognized Chen Yushu, greeted him, and asked if he was from the Chen family. He admired his success and intended to borrow his cart to haul some goods back. But then he spotted Liu Qiao’er, his tone immediately softened, and he gave a dry laugh before walking away.

Chen Yushu naturally understood the situation.

Liu Qiao’er’s reputation had never been good.

This poor reputation stemmed from the influence of the surrounding people, especially for children growing up in rural life. When everyone says you are bad, sometimes you even start to doubt yourself.

Others, influenced by this, instinctively resisted contact with Liu Qiao’er.

Since Chen Yushu’s memories had awakened, he did not think this way. He asked his father and learned some reasons behind it.

But in his view, those reasons were merely the grudges of the previous generation, affecting perceptions but unrelated to Liu Qiao’er herself.

The fundamental cause was that she was genuinely strange.

Not in a personal evil way, but a strange aura she controlled herself.

For example, whenever someone approached, she would artificially create several eerie events: ghostly illusions, strange sensations, unlucky falls, or sightings of bizarre, sinister “things.”

At that moment, Chen Yushu noticed Liu Qiao’er’s subtle movements.

She summoned Xiao Yin to perch on her shoulder and mentally compelled the old man to see the little creature on her back.

Startled by the ghostly apparition, the man’s heart skipped a beat, and naturally, he dared not stay near her.

“In fact, the villagers are quite grateful toward your Liu family in their hearts. You don’t need to shut yourself off like this,” Chen Yushu said after some thought.

“I know,” Liu Qiao’er nodded silently, then added, “But I think it’s fine this way. At least I can cultivate in peace without dealing with trivial matters. My father was too enthusiastic before, helping everyone around, earning a good reputation in neighboring villages. But as a result, his cultivation was delayed. When trouble came, he had to bear it alone, and it didn’t end well.”

Hearing this, Chen Yushu fell silent.

Indeed.

Some things aren’t simply right or wrong.

The root of the past upheaval was that the evil spirit suppressed by the Liu family fled, causing chaos in the village and leading to the destruction of all the ancestral spirits in the village shrine.

But Liu Qiao’er’s father, knowing he couldn’t win, still chose to act.

Afterward, when the dust settled, the village blamed the Liu family for inviting disaster, causing the ancestral spirits to vanish and leaving their children unprotected. Meanwhile, the Liu family blamed the villagers for their lack of gratitude despite years of protection.

This bred mutual resentment, forming a knot between them.

Perhaps for self-preservation or to avoid needless trouble, Liu Qiao’er and her mother minimized contact with others in the village, even going so far as to label themselves as ominous.

“However, none of that really matters anymore. That was his choice. I do this to reduce trouble,” Liu Qiao’er continued.

Chen Yushu nodded in understanding.

They drove the ox cart onward.

Unconsciously, they reached a familiar mountain path—where, when Chen Yushu first left the village, he had encountered a hunter’s funeral in the neighboring village, and the spirit had emerged.

At that time, his divine senses allowed him to see the spirit, which was drawn to him.

It had frightened him so much his body nearly went limp. Fortunately, the spirit suddenly seemed startled and jumped back into its coffin, allowing him to recover.

Thinking of this, he looked at Liu Qiao’er and asked, “Qiao’er, when I left the village, was it you who scared that ghost back?”

“When a soul leaks out during a funeral, it easily becomes a lost spirit that can’t return to the ancestral shrine. I merely sent it back where it belonged,” Liu Qiao’er said calmly.

“Thinking back, I’m glad you intervened, or I wouldn’t have known what to do,” Chen Yushu said quickly.

Now he understood.

After death, souls linger near the body for seven days, either wandering or resting on the person.

During this time, if the soul wanders, it risks getting lost and becoming a lonely ghost, aimlessly drifting until the harsh winds and scorching sun wear it down to nothing.

But if the soul remains close after burial, it can follow the path home and enter the ancestral hall, becoming one of the family’s ancestral spirits.

In turn, these spirits protect the descendants, helping them grow strong and survive.

In fact, the ancestral spirits in village shrines come about this way.

Over many years, as spirits accumulate, their power grows, strengthening their protection of the family.

It is said that some ancient villages have even nurtured “dragon children” or “true dragons,” whose lowest achievement might be that of a general.

“From here, the way home isn’t far. Let’s part ways here to avoid being seen by the villagers. Before the New Year, I’ll contact you to deal with the suppressed evil spirit,” Liu Qiao’er said suddenly as they neared Beijiao Village, about ten miles away.

“Qiao’er, you know I don’t mind these things,” Chen Yushu quickly replied.

“I know. I just want to avoid trouble,” Liu Qiao’er nodded, then took her belongings off the cart.

Seeing this, Chen Yushu nodded and curiously asked, “With your strength, dealing with that evil spirit shouldn’t be difficult, right?”

If it was a minor spirit, that would be normal.

But to him, given Liu Qiao’er’s current level as a Daoist practitioner, it should be easy.

Previously, when Jiang Granny’s evil spirit was under her control, it had no chance of fighting back, completely subdued. If not for the temple caretaker He Jiang’s quick surrender, it wouldn’t have escaped.

“It’s in the ancestral shrine. If it moves, it could wipe out the remaining spirits there. So I need someone to help protect those spirits and keep them from causing trouble,” Liu Qiao’er explained.

“I understand,” Chen Yushu said with a smile.

From this, it was clear that although Liu Qiao’er felt somewhat conflicted about the villagers’ views of her family, she still had a kind heart and did not want the few remaining spirits in Beijiao Village to vanish again.

“Yushu’s back!”

“Is it Yushu? It’s been so long! I heard you were favored by the shopkeeper and working by his side?”

“What do you mean, working by his side? Our Yushu is apprenticed to the shopkeeper. That’s impressive.”

“Yes, apprenticed! But what skills has he learned?”

“Why are you back so soon? I heard apprentices usually stay for years before returning home. Yushu, were you kicked out?”

At the village entrance, elders and women lingered, chatting and gossiping, curious about Chen Yushu’s return.

Liu Qiao’er, passing by, didn’t catch anyone’s attention; even if noticed, people just frowned and ignored her.

“No, the master gave me leave to come home for the New Year,” Chen Yushu explained.

“Leave to come home? I heard Wang Tou’s child in the neighboring village has been apprenticing at your pharmacy for two years without a single visit home,” someone questioned.

“That’s different. Yushu was accepted as a disciple by the shopkeeper, with a bright future. Look at all these goods on the ox cart,” others noted, eyes wide at the fine cloth, silk, and half a rack of pork, mutton, and beef.

The sturdy old ox was obviously a strong laborer.

Chen Yushu thanked them and hurried toward his home.

On the way, he glanced at the ancestral shrine near the village entrance. Though it looked the same, his gaze revealed it was empty, lacking vitality and barely sustained.

“Ten years of accumulation. The ancestral spirits are too few,” he muttered.

Spirit accumulation took long years and could not be rushed, as each new spirit signified someone’s death in the village.

Only seven spirits had been added in ten years—making it seem barren.

Using his spirit-seeing technique, he also detected a thick black mist enveloping the shrine.

It was so dense that the spirits were forced to cower in the corners, trembling, and dared not approach the center.

“That black mist must be the aura of the evil spirit sealed in the ancestral shrine ten years ago. Its presence has leaked so severely. No wonder it needs to be dealt with quickly. Otherwise, the remaining seven spirits will lose their space and be extinguished,” Chen Yushu frowned but took no rash action.

“Yushu, you’re back,” a heavily pregnant woman approached from afar—his mother, Zhao Hehua.

Not far behind was a tall man—his father, Chen Baihe.

“You’re back but didn’t notify us. Today’s market day; your father was thinking of going to town, but I had stomach pain this morning, so he didn’t,” Zhao Hehua said as she hurried over, examining him closely. “You’ve grown strong and tall…”

“Father, mother,” Chen Yushu greeted, noticing her belly was about five or six months along—meaning the child had been conceived before he left the village, though it had not shown then.

“Good to have you back,” Chen Baihe smiled, eyes falling on the ox cart. “What’s this...?”

“These are some New Year goods I bought. Since there’s a lot and it’s hard to carry, I bought this ox cart,” Chen Yushu explained quickly.

“The ox must’ve cost a lot, and all these goods…” Chen Baihe asked.

“Not much. I have money now,” Chen Yushu said confidently.

“Yes, our son is rich,” Zhao Hehua said proudly, but suddenly clutched her belly with a sharp pain, nearly collapsing. Chen Baihe caught her, worriedly asking, “Is the pain back?”

Chen Yushu immediately checked her pulse and recognized fetal movement. He quickly took out a talisman, handing it to her. “Put this on your belly.”

“What’s this?” Chen Baihe asked.

“A talisman for a safe pregnancy,” Chen Yushu replied.

Zhao Hehua grabbed it and placed it on her belly.

Instantly, a glimmer of spiritual light flashed on the talisman.

“Huh? The pain’s gone. It hurt terribly before, but now it feels different—comfortable even,” Zhao Hehua exclaimed, surprised.

“So effective?” Chen Baihe looked amazed, glancing at Chen Yushu. “Where did you get this? From Mr. Shi in town? I heard he has these safe pregnancy talismans, very effective. I wanted to get one at the market today but couldn’t leave Hehua…”

“This talisman is similar to his,” Chen Yushu said with a strange expression.

He hadn’t expected Shi Hao’s reputation to be so widespread—even his father had heard of him.

“Let’s go home and talk there,” Zhao Hehua decided.

Back home, the atmosphere was lively as they unloaded all the New Year goods from the ox cart, filling the Chen household with joy.

Only after nightfall did things calm.

That evening, sitting on his familiar bed, Chen Yushu’s thoughts settled.

He got up and went to the table, pulling out talisman paper and brushes from his storage pouch.

Though the environment had changed, he wouldn’t neglect his daily cultivation.

Drawing and making talismans was part of his daily practice.

An hour later, he stopped and went into the courtyard to practice various secret shadow techniques.

As for martial arts?

The mountain village was quiet, and any noise would carry far. He didn’t want to disturb his parents, so he focused on the shadow techniques, which were powerful yet quiet.

Techniques like the Hidden Shadow Art, Demon Transformation Art, Seven Star Step, Divine Arrival Technique, and Shadow Sword.

Only at midnight did he return to his room to practice the White Tiger visualization method.

Early the next morning, Chen Yushu woke naturally and began martial arts training in the courtyard.

After swallowing a top-tier Essence Nourishing Pill, he practiced the Three-Body One Style, exercising his entire body.

Especially when practicing the Medicine King’s Thunder Swallow and Tiger Roar Dragon Chant techniques, each movement emitted sounds like tiger roars and dragon chants, occasionally thunderclaps.

By this time, he had advanced these techniques to a small success, making the sounds loud and resonant.

Soon, curious villagers were drawn by the noise to watch his training.

Chen Yushu ignored them, fully immersed in practice.

After over half an hour, he exhaled deeply, sending out a wave of steam from his body, drenched in sweat.

He then slowly calmed himself.

“Chen Yushu, was that martial arts just now?” a boy about his age asked.

“What kind of martial arts? It’s amazing!” another child added.

Several youths and elders looked on with complex expressions.

Martial arts were a novelty to most villagers.

Only Chen Ping, the village hunter, knew some martial arts.

But even he’s never seen such intense movements or sounds.

The roaring tiger and chanting dragon sounds sent chills down their spines.

“It’s Medicine King’s technique. I just modified it a bit,” Chen Yushu smiled.

“Can we learn it?” the boy asked eagerly.

“These martial arts can only be learned by joining the Liu Family Pharmacy as apprentices,” Chen Yushu shook his head.

“I’ll join the Liu Family Pharmacy as an apprentice with you next year,” the boy said determinedly.

Other children chimed in, “We want to be apprentices too,” secretly envying him.

Some even vowed to surpass him.

Chen Yushu just smiled, indifferent.

Learning martial arts was never easy.

Even joining the Liu Family Pharmacy was difficult.

Though many villagers gathered herbs, not every family had treasure herbs to send their children to apprentice at the pharmacy.

Even if they did, they might be unwilling to let them go.