Ghost Pot - Chapter 80
"Ugh..." Youliang over there has already vomited.
The wriggling heads on Master Xufeng's belly sniffed, having also caught the stench. They disgustedly covered their mouths with their little paws and then scrambled to burrow back into the Master's navel...
Master Xufeng watched as they were being burned alive, then reached out and grabbed them all at once. He lit a lighter and burned them to death one by one. Watching the rising blue smoke, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
The golden-headed softshell turtle kept sneezing, and even tears were coming out of its eyes.
The Hakka woman stomped down with all her might, expecting the turtle's shell to break and its flesh to rot. However, her feet felt as if they were on a rock, and the golden-headed turtle remained completely still, seemingly unaware of what was happening.
“Senior Granny, let me cut off this old turtle’s head…” Master Xufeng leaped up with a “whoosh” and stepped forward, casually grabbing a Swiss Army knife.
Guo Ruchang realized that the situation was hopeless. These people's martial arts were too strong. The Four Divine Beasts had finally met their end. "Hiss hiss hiss hiss..." He called for the "Vermilion Bird" ghost bat once again. Perhaps only it could restrain the strange witchcraft of the old woman and the child. The old man did not know that it was called "ultrasound".
"Taoist Master, don't kill the old turtle." Shen Caihua recognized it as a golden-headed turtle, which he had seen in Linggu Cave in Nanshan Village when he was a child.
"Talent, the old turtle's yin energy is extremely powerful. If we don't kill it, we might suffer harm," the Hakka old woman explained.
Shen Caihua walked up to the golden-headed turtle, put his mouth close to its head, inserted two little fingers into his nostrils, and softly said, "Beast, otter, macaque, badger, mongoose, shrew, shrew..."
This is the sixteenth move of the Zhuyou Divine Skill, "Human Face, Beast Heart," which uses murmured incantations to capture the hearts of animals. It originates from the oral communication techniques used by ancient people to communicate with animals and was refined into an incantation by Guo Pu, a master of Yi studies. The more advanced the mammal, the easier it is for it to accept.
The Hakka woman stared at Shen Caihua in astonishment. The incantation the child was spouting sounded exactly like their martial arts, but she had never heard of it before. She stopped chanting "Bao Si's Fragrance," and the stench emanating from her body gradually dissipated. The golden-headed turtle at her feet finally stopped sneezing.
"...Monkey Badger, Monkey, Snail, Snail..." Shen Caihua's gentle incantation slowly flowed into the Golden-Headed Turtle's distant memories. Years ago, an old man with a goatee came to the Earth's Navel and used this very voice to subdue it, along with the juvenile Ru-Tou Man, the Great Spirit Cat, and the Ghost Bat. From then on, the four divine beasts obeyed the old man's wishes, guarding the "Central Divine Artifact" for over 1700 years. The Great Spirit Cat and the Ghost Bat are now descendants of the original spirit cat and bat, but the Golden-Headed Turtle has the longest lifespan, living to this day. As for the Ru-Tou Man, since the old man's descendants came to the Earth's Navel, they merged with the Ru-Tou Man, becoming a "barbarian." Every 250 years, a new descendant of the Guo family comes to replace the old barbarian, and this tradition has now continued for several generations.
Hearing the familiar incantation, warm tears welled up in the golden-headed turtle's eyes...
Shen Caihua happily reached out and stroked the golden-headed turtle's gnarled neck. The old turtle obediently stuck out its tongue and gently licked the back of Shen Caihua's hand.
The Hakka woman and everyone else were stunned, exchanging bewildered glances. It was simply unbelievable that this child had tamed this thousand-year-old turtle so easily.
"Alright, Big Turtle, don't be afraid, no one will hurt you," Chen Caihua gently comforted him.
“Caihua, the incantation you just recited sounds like ‘Zhuyou Divine Skill.’ Where did you learn it from?” The Hakka nanny couldn’t help but ask again, recalling Caihua’s killing of Li Dihuo and defeating the big cat.
"Lard magic? I don't know that..." Shen Caihua thought for a moment and said truthfully, "I remember when I was a child, I fell into the N'Mai River in Myanmar, and that's how I talked to the sucker."
The Hakka woman was stunned. She had long noticed that this child possessed profound incantation energy, far surpassing her own. Could this be innate? It was simply unbelievable…
“Child, you are using the Zhuyou Divine Skill!” the Hakka nanny said with great certainty.
"Lard magic?" Shen Caihua asked in surprise.
"That's right, it's the Zhuyou Divine Skill, but it's already beyond the 'five styles' that Master knows." The Hakka nanny said with a hint of sourness.
"The Divine Skill of Invoking the Gods!" At this moment, Guo Ruchang craned his neck and looked at Shen Caihua suspiciously, asking, "Kid, do you know about the 'Divine Skill of Invoking the Gods'?"
The Hakka woman replied calmly, "I am the successor of Guo Pu's 'divine healing arts' from the Western Jin Dynasty."
Guo Ruchang was stunned for a long time upon hearing this, then was both surprised and delighted. He shook his head and made several crisp "crackling" sounds before pulling his neck back to its original position. He re-examined the Hakka nanny and Shen Caihua, and murmured, "I have stayed in this navel of the earth for two hundred and fifty years. Today I have finally waited for the successor of 'Zhu You Divine Skill'. Waaah..." As he finished speaking, tears streamed down his face, and he began to sob softly, looking extremely heartbroken.
The Hakka woman looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"I am Guo Ruchang, a descendant of Guo Pu of the Western Jin Dynasty, 1,700 years ago. I am from Fenglingdu in Hedong. The Guo family has a single line of succession and has guarded the secret of the Earth's navel for generations. Every 250 years, a descendant of the Guo family will come to take over. Now, I am about to die, but I have not seen any descendant of the Guo family come..." Guo Ruchang said with a sob.
"Oh, so such a secret is hidden inside the navel of the earth..." the Hakka old woman exclaimed in surprise.
"I thought you were here to covet the 'Ghost Pot,' but it turns out we're all on the same side," Guo Ruchang said with a sigh of relief.
"What does this have to do with 'Zhu You Divine Skill'?" the Hakka old woman asked directly.
"Our ancestors' dying instructions warned that one day, when a successor of the Zhuyou Divine Skill appears, holding a brass thimble, and arrives at the navel of the earth, the secret chamber can be opened, the Ghost Pot can be retrieved, and from that moment on, the task of guarding the tomb will be completed," Guo Ruchang explained.
"Guard the tomb? What tomb? Isn't it guarding the 'Central Divine Artifact Ghost Pot'?" the Hakka old woman asked in confusion.
"The Tomb of Feng Hou, where Feng Hou, the prime minister of the ancient Yellow Emperor, is buried, is located within this navel of the earth," Guo Ruchang replied.
"Feng Hou, who invented the compass chariot more than 5,000 years ago?" the Hakka grandmother asked in astonishment.
“Exactly,” Guo Ruchang nodded.
"Where is it?" the Hakka woman asked.
“It’s right beneath this stone platform,” Guo Ruchang said, pointing to the high platform made of stalactites.
Shen Caihua happily reached out and stroked the golden-headed turtle's gnarled neck. The old turtle obediently stuck out its tongue and gently licked the back of Shen Caihua's hand.
The Hakka woman and everyone else were stunned, exchanging bewildered glances. It was simply unbelievable that this child had tamed this thousand-year-old turtle so easily.
"Alright, Big Turtle, don't be afraid, no one will hurt you," Chen Caihua gently comforted him.
“Caihua, the incantation you just recited sounds like ‘Zhuyou Divine Skill.’ Where did you learn it from?” The Hakka nanny couldn’t help but ask again, recalling Caihua’s killing of Li Dihuo and defeating the big cat.
"Lard magic? I don't know that..." Shen Caihua thought for a moment and said truthfully, "I remember when I was a child, I fell into the N'Mai River in Myanmar, and that's how I talked to the sucker."
The Hakka woman was stunned. She had long noticed that this child possessed profound incantation energy, far surpassing her own. Could this be innate? It was simply unbelievable…
“Child, you are using the Zhuyou Divine Skill!” the Hakka nanny said with great certainty.
"Lard magic?" Shen Caihua asked in surprise.
"That's right, it's the Zhuyou Divine Skill, but it's already beyond the 'five styles' that Master knows." The Hakka nanny said with a hint of sourness.
"The Divine Skill of Invoking the Gods!" At this moment, Guo Ruchang craned his neck and looked at Shen Caihua suspiciously, asking, "Kid, do you know about the 'Divine Skill of Invoking the Gods'?"
The Hakka woman replied calmly, "I am the successor of Guo Pu's 'divine healing arts' from the Western Jin Dynasty."
Guo Ruchang was stunned for a long time upon hearing this, then was both surprised and delighted. He shook his head and made several crisp "crackling" sounds before pulling his neck back to its original position. He re-examined the Hakka nanny and Shen Caihua, and murmured, "I have stayed in this navel of the earth for two hundred and fifty years. Today I have finally waited for the successor of 'Zhu You Divine Skill'. Waaah..." As he finished speaking, tears streamed down his face, and he began to sob softly, looking extremely heartbroken.
The Hakka woman looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"I am Guo Ruchang, a descendant of Guo Pu of the Western Jin Dynasty, 1,700 years ago. I am from Fenglingdu in Hedong. The Guo family has a single line of succession and has guarded the secret of the Earth's navel for generations. Every 250 years, a descendant of the Guo family will come to take over. Now, I am about to die, but I have not seen any descendant of the Guo family come..." Guo Ruchang said with a sob.
"Oh, so such a secret is hidden inside the navel of the earth..." the Hakka old woman exclaimed in surprise.
"I thought you were here to covet the 'Ghost Pot,' but it turns out we're all on the same side," Guo Ruchang said with a sigh of relief.
"What does this have to do with 'Zhu You Divine Skill'?" the Hakka old woman asked directly.
"Our ancestors' dying instructions warned that one day, when a successor of the Zhuyou Divine Skill appears, holding a brass thimble, and arrives at the navel of the earth, the secret chamber can be opened, the Ghost Pot can be retrieved, and from that moment on, the task of guarding the tomb will be completed," Guo Ruchang explained.
"Guard the tomb? What tomb? Isn't it guarding the 'Central Divine Artifact Ghost Pot'?" the Hakka old woman asked in confusion.
"The Tomb of Feng Hou, where Feng Hou, the prime minister of the ancient Yellow Emperor, is buried, is located within this navel of the earth," Guo Ruchang replied.
"Feng Hou, who invented the compass chariot more than 5,000 years ago?" the Hakka grandmother asked in astonishment.
“Exactly,” Guo Ruchang nodded.
"Where is it?" the Hakka woman asked.
“It’s right beneath this stone platform,” Guo Ruchang said, pointing to the high platform made of stalactites.
Chapter 124
Dudu flew ahead, carrying a "love mushroom" dotted with red and yellow flowers, while the ghost bat followed closely behind, gradually moving away from the island in the middle of the lake.
The ghost bat gazed at Dudu's beautiful sapphire blue feathers, graceful figure, and exotic, sexy curved beak, and couldn't help but feel its blood boil and become infatuated.
They had reached the end of the navel, where a moss-covered stone wall blocked their path. Dudu slowly landed on a milky-white stalagmite.
The ghost bat circled Dudu twice before gracefully landing beside her, maintaining a certain distance. It knew that "haste makes waste," and that taking things slowly would prevent it from offending Dudu.
"Squeak..." The ghost bat squeaked softly twice, its voice like that of a mouse, but slightly sharper. At the same time, it glanced timidly at Dudu, appearing very shy.
"You... how old are you?" Dudu asked, trying to make conversation. In order to force out the Confucian spirit from the old woman's body, it had to delay as much time as possible.
The ghost bat had spent over two hundred years with the Confucian barbarian Guo Ruchang, and through what it saw and heard, it had become able to recognize some simple human languages.
"Squeak squeak squeak..." The ghost bat let out a series of screams, but Dudu couldn't understand them at all, and could only smell that it had bad breath.
"I hate it..." Dudu turned her face away, trying to hold her breath.
The ghost bat understood what he meant and immediately looked extremely embarrassed. It lowered its head and kept rubbing its two wings, thinking about how to please the big blue bird.
Dudu ignored it, preening its feathers as it muttered to itself, "'A toad wants to...want to eat swan meat,' and its feathers are...actually red, much worse than blue-green feathers."
The ghost bat pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then made a firm decision. It spread its wings and flew towards a dark, damp corner overgrown with lichen and moss. A short while later, it returned and landed on the stalagmite. Dudu turned its head and was utterly astonished…
The ghost bat was covered in green moss, and its original fiery red fur was gone, making it look like a large, dark green bat.
"Squeak squeak squeak..." The ghost bat puffed out its chest, proudly glancing sideways at Dudu, giving off an air of dashing elegance.
"Haha..." Dudu burst into laughter, stammering, "You, you, so...so funny..."
The ghost bat understood that the big blue bird's words were a compliment, so it was very pleased. It spread its wings and began to dance around Dudu. When it was in the throes of its joy, it even started to sing loudly, "Squeak squeak squeak..."
At that moment, two squeaks echoed from a grotto in the corner of the stone wall, sounding extremely discordant. The ghost bat was startled, then quite annoyed. It spread its wings and took off, swooping down into the grotto. It dragged out two plump, pink baby mice that hadn't yet grown fur, grabbing one with each winged arm, and flew back to the stalagmite. It pressed them down at its feet, biting open the mice's necks and sucking their blood with a hissing sound...
The baby mouse stared with bewildered and helpless eyes, its body convulsing in pain.
"That's...that's too cruel." Dudu felt nauseous and almost vomited.
Just then, the ghost bat suddenly stopped sucking, raised its head, and listened intently. It received a hissing call from Guo Ruchang, the wretch-headed barbarian from the distant island in the middle of the lake...
The ghost bat hesitated, knowing that it was a distress signal from the wriggling barbarian after the "Middle Divine Artifact" was threatened. After weighing the pros and cons, the ghost bat finally prioritized its duty, reluctantly flapped its wings, and soared into the sky, heading straight for the island in the middle of the lake.
"Squeak..." The ghost bat's urgent cries came from mid-air, and behind it, Dudu followed closely, sweating profusely.
Guo Ruchang looked up and was surprised to find that the ghost bat had turned into a green bat and gracefully landed beside him.
"What is this...?" Guo Ruchang asked, puzzled, looking at the mottled moss on its body.
The ghost bat shook its body triumphantly, causing a few pieces of moss to fall. Then it turned its head to face the Hakka nanny and the others, its eyes flashing with ferocity.
“Ghost bats, it’s a misunderstanding. They are actually the successors of our ancestor Guo Pu’s ‘Zhu You Divine Skill,’ the people we are waiting for in the navel of the earth,” Guo Ruchang hurriedly explained.
With two squeaks, the ghost bat looked at Guo Ruchang with a puzzled expression, seemingly disbelieving.
“Shen Caihua, recite two more lines of the ‘Zhu You Wu Zhou’ for it,” Guo Ruchang said to Shen Caihua.
“…beasts, rabbits, otters, stags, badgers, mongooses, stags, stags, stags, stags…” Shen Caihua recited the sixteenth form of the Zhuyou Divine Skill, “Human Face, Beast Heart” incantation, as instructed.
The ghost bat shuddered, its gaze softening. At that moment, even the large spirit cat crouching under the white stalagmite was restrained by the curse, slowly approaching and obediently lying down at Shen Caihua's feet, meowing softly.
"Alright, harmony is precious, 'a smile can dispel all grudges'..." Guo Ruchang finally said, relieved.
The Hakka woman smiled slightly and said, "Master Guo, can you take us into the secret room to see the 'Ghost Pot' now?"
Guo Ruchang shook his head with difficulty and replied, "No, we still can't get in. The Zhuyou Divine Skill can only be used to open the underground palace when combined with the copper thimble."
"What copper thimble?" the Hakka woman asked.
"It's a keepsake left by our ancestors, and it's also the key to opening the gate to the underground palace," Guo Ruchang explained.
"Then, where is the copper thimble?" the Hakka old woman pressed.
“It’s in Nizi’s hands!” At this moment, Youliang suddenly said from the side.