Above the Great Dao

His gaze fell once again on the big black dog Black Pot at the shore, and he thought to himself, "A little talisman master around ten years old would never arouse anyone's suspicion, thus giving him the chance to make a move!"

With nothing but the dredging of bones from the river, he could assert that Chen Shi was undoubtedly the true perpetrator behind the killing of nine cultivators at the Li Family encampment!

The river water splashed noisily as Chen Shi unearthed another skeleton from the mud, the skeletal remains of yet another child who had drowned.

He delivered the skeleton to the shore and then plunged back into the water.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and Chen Shi resurfaced, cradling another set of skeletal remains.

The remains of the third drowned child had also been found by him.

The news spread quickly, and a crowd gathered by the riverbank, filled with the chatter of villagers and the crying of relatives.

On the water's surface, two ghost children saw their kinfolk and, with tears and laughter, they gave Chen Shi many a deep bow, repeatedly kowtowing.

The water ghosts' relatives also kowtowed to Chen Shi, but he hastily ran off with Black Pot in tow.

During this time of year, two years prior, the weather was scorching, and the children enjoyed bathing and swimming in the cool river. A child named Yu Shuan swam into a deep area, suffered a cramp, and struggled frantically on the surface of the water.

The others were too afraid to save him, but when two other children saw this, they bravely swam over. One of them was clutched desperately by the flustered Yu Shuan and, unable to struggle free, sank into the water with him. The other, a slightly older child, attempted to save them both but exhausted himself and couldn't make it back up.

They turned into three water ghosts.

Chen Shi was often harassed by these three ghost children and even nearly drowned by them. Being able to see ghosts and gods, he observed the three water ghosts often circling a particular spot and guessed that it was where their remains lay.

Only after seeing the grieving woman from the neighboring village did Chen Shi become determined to find their skeletons.

"Grandpa is still waiting for me to eat," Chen Shi thought as he turned back to look at the people crying as if their lives depended on it.

From a distance, Zhuge Jian watched the scene unfold, the Divine Power of the Heavenly Eye Talisman having been exhausted, his vision returned to normal.

"You all wait here, no need to follow," he said as he dismounted, instructing them before walking briskly towards Chen Shi.

"What remarkable agility, little brother!"

Zhuge Jian approached Chen Shi, walking shoulder to shoulder with him. Zhuge Jian was tall and burly, while Chen Shi, barely in his teens, was short and small-statured.

They made a contrasting picture.

Chen Shi blinked, puzzled. "Sir, what are you saying? I don't understand."

Zhuge Jian looked straight ahead, speaking evenly, "Your breath is steady, capable of diving under water, digging up skeletons in the mud while dealing with two water ghosts, and you could still hold out for a quarter of an hour. You must be a master of Body Refinement! Your internal organs are as tough as steel, and when your Qi-Blood circulates, your hands and feet can become like sharp and heavy weapons, able to split skulls and brains. When you kill, within ten steps, in a breath's time, swift as lightning, you take lives as easily as picking something out of a bag!"

Chen Shi was startled, then laughed, "Sir, I don't know what you're talking about? I'm just a kid!"

Zhuge Jian's gaze fell on Black Pot, remarking, "Talisman Masters use black dog's blood, and this one looks excellent, its fur completely black without a single stray hair. It is said that the blood of such dogs is most yang in nature, frightening to ghosts and spirits. This dog would certainly be liked by a talisman master."

Upon hearing this, Black Pot involuntarily wagged his tail.

Chen Shi laughed, "My dog's name is Black Pot, as grey as the bottom of a pot. But I would never sell Black Pot."

Zhuge Jian continued, "Interestingly enough, four days ago, Young Master Li Xiaoding died on Qianyang Mountain, and the person who killed him also had a black dog by his side. That person was a Talisman Master, not very tall, probably about the same height as you, little brother."

Chen Shi grew wary in secret.

Zhuge Jian's intentions were clearly hostile; he must have realized that Chen Shi was the murderer and now was probing him.

"He is very close to me now, within a distance of ten feet."

Chen Shi suppressed the surge of killing intent in his heart and thought, "If I were to strike now..."

Zhuge Jian went on, "Although the Talisman Master is short, he has an incredibly strong body. He can step over ten feet in one stride and deliver a fatal blow. Therefore, as long as you are just outside his attacking range, he can do nothing to you."

Before he had finished speaking, suddenly Zhuge Jian's figure soared, landing exactly ten feet away from Chen Shi.

Then, Zhuge Jian stepped forward, entering within the ten-foot range.

With this retreat and advance, Chen Shi's Qi-Blood was instantly affected; it flowed through his body, making thudding and rumbling noises, as if a giant toad was croaking in his belly!

Chen Shi felt a shiver down his spine, "This archivist is seriously formidable!"

Zhuge Jian's step back and then forward seemed aimless, but was actually an attempt to trigger Chen Shi's urge to kill.

He used his words to focus Chen Shi's attention on himself, pulling on Chen Shi's Qi when he retreated, and then stepping forward into Chen Shi's attacking range. If Chen Shi really was the murderer, he would certainly react nervously, causing a response in his Qi, and his True Qi or Qi-Blood would be affected as a result!

Chen Shi fell into his trap just like that; his Qi-Blood was influenced, and he gave himself away!

Chen Shi was about to lash out and kill without care, but at that moment, Zhuge Jian took a step back, perfectly exiting the ten-foot distance.

This distance made Chen Shi extremely uncomfortable; if he were to attack, Zhuge Jian would surely be ready with a spell, and advancing would be tantamount to suicide.

If he tried to escape, he likely wouldn't get beyond the range of a Three-eyed Fire Gun.

Zhuge Jian said indifferently, "My Three-eyed Fire Gun is loaded with a one and a half taels of black gunpowder and one tael of thunderclap pellets. Within a hundred steps, it never misses. When the thunderclaps explode, they burst with the force of thunder, capable of shattering a Cultivator's Divine Embryo. Additionally, the Fire Gun doubles as a heavy hammer. I've practiced the Eighteen Hammer Skills since I was young, earning me the nickname 'Crushing Skull Thunderclap Hand.' In close combat, smashing a person's brain is as simple as mashing tofu. The other end of the Fire Gun has a spearhead, and, to be frank, I've also practiced spear techniques."

Chen Shi grunted silently.

Fight, he couldn't win.

Run, he couldn't escape.

Indeed, he didn't have a chance of victory.

Zhuge Jian turned around and walked towards the large group of Government Officials, his voice carrying back, "So little brother, if you ever commit a crime in the future, make sure not to leave even a trace, and don't fall into my hands again!"

Chen Shi was stunned, then quickly asked, "You're not taking me back?"

Zhuge Jian stopped, turned back, and smiled, "Take you back? What for? To have you beheaded? You showed mercy and saved the bones of those people even though the water ghosts were going to drown you; I think you are quite interesting. Besides, Li Xiaoding deserved to die. I am an archivist, responsible for solving cases, and the case of the Talisman Master committing murder is already solved. Whether to catch the culprit or not is none of my concern."

Chen Shi asked doubtfully, "If you let me go, what will you do?"

Zhuge Jian waved his hand, turned and left, "Don't worry about me; with my abilities, even if I can't stay in Water Buffalo County's Government Office, I can make a good living elsewhere, maybe with even better prospects!"