On the Avenue.

Chapter 317 The Blame
Hei Guo led the boat girl into the house and turned around and said, "Woof, woof, woof."

The boat girl was surprised and said, "Chen Jieyuan passed the exam and became the top scholar? Then you can't call me Master Jieyuan, you have to call me Master Zhuangyuan. When will you return to the underworld? After all, you are a sacred person in the underworld, so it is not appropriate for you to stay in the world of the living for a long time."

"Woof woof, woof woof woof."

"That's true. Master Zhuangyuan can't do without you."

Chen Shi was walking in front of her, and the boat girl hurried forward to greet him. Just as she was about to greet him, Chen Shi was anxious and motioned for her to skip the greeting. He then asked, "Miss, have you saved my mother's soul?"

The boat girl hesitated and said, "She was rescued, but not completely."

Chen Shi was puzzled.

The boat girl said, "After my father and I descended into the underworld, we immediately traveled tens of thousands of miles to find the Yuanchen Palace where your mother's soul was imprisoned. The guards at the Yuanchen Palace were not very strict. We sneaked in, injured a few underworld guards, and rescued your mother's soul. My father and I knew that if we escaped from the underworld, we would never get out, so we immediately returned to the world with your mother's soul and rushed to Xijing from the world of the living."

Chen Shi's eyes lit up and he praised, "Smart!"

The boat girl said, "After we came to the world of the living, we were able to reach Xijing in three days at most with your mother's soul. But something happened the night before. I found that we were being followed by something. Something came out of the underworld, hiding in the darkness, and was watching us in the dark. Then, some underworld agents moved at night and stopped us in the northern border."

Chen Shi's heart was slightly moved. The northern border was covered with ice and snow, where sunlight and moonlight were relatively sparse.

The sun in the sky is the eyes of the true God. It is fixed in space and remains motionless throughout eternity. Therefore, the climate in every place is the same throughout the four seasons without any change.

The north receives less sunlight, so it is extremely cold there and is known as a bitterly cold place.

"Can the ghost messenger move around in the world of the living?" Chen Shi asked doubtfully.

As far as he knew, ghosts and gods from the underworld rarely could move around in the human world. The two worlds had their own rules. Creatures from the underworld could not enter the human world in the flesh, but the underworld messengers often had flesh bodies.

The boatman and the boatwoman were able to appear in the world of the living because they had resurrected from the dead, abandoned their original bodies, and occupied the bodies of a drowned father and daughter.

The boat girl said, "We are relatively weak among the ghosts and gods. We can enter the world of the living at night when the yin energy is at its strongest and lead the souls of the dead into the underworld. At this time, the yin and yang worlds merge, so it is not difficult to enter the world of the living to collect souls. Those ghosts took advantage of that time to hunt us down. However, we still managed to break through the siege on the first night. We planned to cross the northern border after dawn, but it was still dark."

Chen Shi frowned.

Black Pot at the side couldn't help but ask: "Woof?"

"Yes, sir, it's still dark."

The boat girl said, "It was always dark. My father and I walked on the ice and snow in the dark. From time to time, the underworld came to find us. After several battles, we fled for millions of miles. It was always dark. Finally, we saw the fairy capital of the underworld."

Chen Shi's heart was slightly moved: "Xiandu? What is Xiandu?"

"The capital city formed by the Yuanchen Palace."

The boat girl said, "The Yuanchen Palace is where the soul resides. Everyone has a Yuanchen Palace, and the soul resides in the Yuanchen Palace. These Yuanchen Palaces form the Xiandu. When a person dies, it is like a light going out. After a person dies, the Yuanchen Palace will disappear. In the Yuanchen Palace, you will see your three corpses, also called the three corpse gods, living in the three rooms of the Yuanchen Palace. We sneaked into the Xiandu, found your mother's Yuanchen Palace, and rescued your mother's soul. Back then, the number one scholar was also suppressed by my father and me in his own Yuanchen Palace in the Xiandu."

When she mentioned this, her sadness became less and she smiled a little.

Chen Shi asked in confusion, "You escaped from the Immortal Capital, traveled millions of miles to the mortal world, and returned to the Immortal Capital? Are you lost?"

The boat girl sighed and said, "My father and I thought so before, but later we found that it was not true."

Chen Shi was even more confused.

Black Pot said: "Woof woof?"

The boat girl showed a look of fear and said, "Yes, sir. We encountered a ghost wall. On the first night, we were affected and pulled into the underworld. An inexplicable and terrifying existence affected my father and me and made us think we were still in the world of the living. When we saw the fairy capital, we knew we were doomed. My father sent me back to the world of the living to cover my escape and help me break out of the siege."

She tightly grasped the half bamboo pole in her hand and said, "Master Zhuangyuan, my father and I have done our best."

Chen Shi frowned. What kind of horrible existence could have affected the thinking of Chuan Gu and his daughter without them realizing it, causing them to enter the underworld without knowing it?

He glanced at Black Pot. This ability was very similar to Black Pot's ability.

Could it be that there are other relatives of the Black Pot in the underworld?

Chen Shi asked her to go and rest and recuperate first. The boat girl hesitated for a moment and said, "If Master Zhuangyuan goes to Xiandu to rescue people, please call me along. My father is trapped in Xiandu, and as a child, I have no choice but to save him."

After seeing off the boat girl, Chen Shi pondered for a moment. Only then did he realize that Chen Tang was standing not far away, pushing a wheelchair, and in the wheelchair was Chen Shi's mother.

"Did you hear everything?" Chen Shi said.

Chen Tang nodded slightly.

Chen Shi stepped forward, took the wheelchair from him, and said, "These maids are unreliable. One of us has to stay behind to take care of my mother. Either you stay or I stay. After you showed your strength, Xijing was extremely wary of you. If the Thirteen Families have a chance to get rid of you, they will definitely do it. Even if they can't get rid of you, they will know your weaknesses."

Chen Shiniang is Chen Tang's weakness.

Chen Tang walked with him in the corridor, looking at the Chen Mansion which was being renovated with some reluctance, and said: "You go to the underworld and I will stay. You take the black pot with you. After you go, I will immediately take your mother away from Xijing. We have been away from Qianyang Mountain for a long time and have not been back in these years. She must miss Huangpo Village and Old Lady Wuzhu."

Chen Shi glanced at him and said, "Are you willing to give up the splendor and wealth of Xijing? Are you willing to give up the position of Ronglu Doctor?"

"Is there anything you can't bear to part with?"

Chen Tang shook his head and said, "I entered Xijing because I felt that I was not strong enough. If I practiced in the countryside, I would never find the person who killed you. Even if I found him, I would not be able to take revenge. I need to search for information and accumulate strength, so I must serve as an official in the court. Eleven years have passed, and I have achieved this step."

There were thousands of emotions surging in his heart, and he wanted to talk. When the words came to his lips, he smiled and said, "But now that you are back, what does the glory and wealth of Xijing have to do with me? Besides, I miss home a little."

The father and son stopped.

Chen Shi said: "The Xijing court may not want you to go back. You are like a dragon in Xijing. If you leave Xijing, you will be like a dragon entering the sea. They will be worried."

Chen Tang said leisurely: "I have a sword and a box, who dares to stop me? But you go to the underworld, can you do it without me?"

Chen Shi snorted: "I didn't have you before, but I lived well, didn't I?"

Chen Tang was unhappy and said, "Chen Shi, I am your biological father after all, you should be more respectful when speaking to me."

"Okay, I get it. Please take good care of my mother."

Chen Shi ordered, "If you don't bring these maids and servants, I'm afraid you won't be able to take care of them. Also, don't be stingy with your money, spend it when it's time. If you don't have money, I'll give it to you."

Chen Tang lowered his head and tried to find a stick that was handy. As the old saying goes, a good son is born under the stick. If the son is unfilial, it must be because he was not beaten enough.

Upon seeing this, Chen Shi hurriedly put away the black iron stick and hid it in his small temple.

In the afternoon, Chen Shi came to the Hongshan Hall branch in Gaoshan County to look for Granny Sha, but was told that Granny Sha and her son had gone to the countryside. Chen Shi went over and Granny Sha was with Xiang Tianyu in the countryside to summon the souls of a family. When Xiang Tianyu saw Chen Shi coming, he quickly came forward and said with a smile, "Brother Xiaoshi!"

"Don't call me brother, call me little brother!"

Granny Sha smiled, turned to look at Chen Shi, and said with a gloomy expression, "Call me auntie!"

Chen Shi called out "Auntie" and looked at Xiang Tianyu. He was surprised to find that Xiang Tianyu had a body and was no longer a ghost.

But this body doesn't look like a flesh body.

Granny Sha smiled and said, "Tianyu, go play with Heiguo. I'll have a chat with Xiaoshi."

Xiang Tianyu took the black pot and ran off to play.

Chen Shi looked at Xiang Tianyu in the distance and saw Hei Guo teaching him how to fly a kite. He was still a child and was very interested in toys like windmill kites.

"Aunt, Tianyu has been trapped in the Buddhist hell for thirty years. He has not come into contact with other people, so his mind is still that of a child. But he will not always have the mind of a child."

Chen Shi glanced at Granny Sha and said, "He will grow up sooner or later. If his body remains that of an eight or nine-year-old, it may not be a good thing."

Granny Sha was silent for a moment, then said, "I can't bear to see him go. We have been separated for thirty years. I will find a way to help him grow."

The voice of Lady Shiji came from the small temple, sneering, "I know that after a guy died, his master made him a lotus root body, but the kid never grew up in his life!"

Granny Sha heard the voice of Lady Shiji, but ignored it and said, "Xiao Shi, why did you come to see me?"

Chen Shi confessed his intention and said, "I want to go to the underworld to find my mother's soul. Aunt, I am also a wanted criminal in the underworld. Is there any way to avoid being wanted?"

Granny Sha smiled and said, "I have a method to transform into a spirit. I can turn you into a spirit of the underworld and send you into the underworld."

Chen Shi felt relieved and asked, "Is there any way to avoid the ghosts and gods in the underworld and directly enter the Xiandu Yuanchen Palace?"

Granny Sha shook her head and said, "The Yuanchen Palace is also called the Fate Palace. Changing the layout of the Yuanchen Palace can change your fate. But it is not easy to enter the Yuanchen Palace. Only one's own soul can enter, and no one else can. If I could enter at will, it wouldn't have been so difficult to save you back then."

Chen Shi's heart was slightly moved, and he asked, "Can my soul enter it?"

"If you cultivate to the fusion stage, your soul and spirit will be stable as one, and your soul can enter."

Granny Sha shook her head and said, "You are now in the Spiritual Transformation Realm, your soul is not strong enough to this extent... Wait a moment, raise your soul and let me see it."

Chen Shi raised his primordial spirit, which had now grown to about ten feet in size. His entire body was shining with divine light, illuminating all directions.

Granny Sha said, "When you sacrificed your soul, it seemed like you were sacrificing it from your own body, but in fact you were sacrificing it from the Yuanchen Palace... Wait a minute, there's something wrong with your soul!"

She made a vague grab, trying to grab Chen Shi's soul out of his spirit, but Chen Shi's spirit flew towards her.

Granny Sha let out a light exclamation and tapped Chen Shi's soul lightly with her palm. Chen Shi's soul was shaken and separated from his soul for a short time, then merged into his soul again.

At this moment, Granny Sha was shocked to see a soul about ten feet in size emitting white light all over, as if it were solid.

"There's something wrong with your soul!"

She circled around Chen Shi's soul for a few weeks and said in confusion, "Your soul is too strong. With such a strong soul, your three corpses must be terrifyingly strong. You will suffer the consequences when you kill the three corpses!"

She looked at Chen Shi sympathetically and said, "Why do cultivators who kill the Three Corpses often get stuck at this level? It's usually because they have committed too many sins and killed too many lives, causing the Three Corpse Gods to become too strong to be killed. You have made the Three Corpse Gods so strong in the Spiritualization Realm, and when the time comes, the Three Corpse Gods will kill you."

Chen Shi smiled and said, "I'm still far from the Three Corpses Realm... Wait a minute! Aunt Sha, is there any Yuanchen Palace that still exists after the owner of the Yuanchen Palace died?"

Granny Sha said, "When a person dies, it's like a light going out. After death, the Yuanchen Palace will also disappear. The soul will have nowhere to go and will become a wandering ghost. But I heard that after an immortal dies, his Yuanchen Palace will remain in the world. Have you seen this kind of Yuanchen Palace?"

Chen Shi nodded slightly.

Granny Sha exclaimed, "Have you really seen it? Where did you see it? Are there really immortals in this world?"

Chen Shi had a strange look on his face. "Black Pot has several ghost books, which it got from Yuanchen Palace. When I was in Gongzhou, I became a golden elixir and saw Black Pot crawling from under the stove into the underworld, entering a palace and taking the ghost books..."

Granny Sha asked doubtfully, "Could it be Hei Guo's own Yuan Chen Palace?"

Chen Shi shook his head: "How could there be a ghost book in Hei Guo's own Yuanchen Palace?"

Granny Sha pondered, "Could it be someone else's Yuanchen Palace? Did Gouzi steal the ghost book from the Yuanchen Palace?"

"If there is a spirit in Yuanchen Palace, would it allow Heiguo to steal the ghost book? It can be seen that this Yuanchen Palace is most likely ownerless."

Chen Shi said, "So I guess that the owner of Yuanchen Palace is dead and left these ghost books behind."

Granny Sha looked at the dog playing with Xiang Tianyu, her eyes flickering, and said, "When your grandfather brought this dog back from the underworld, I thought it was very strange. But at that time it was only the size of a palm, and your grandfather raised it from a young age, so there must be no problem. But now think about it, could your grandfather have been bewitched by it and brought it home? In fact, this little thing has been affecting your grandfather's thinking?"

Black Pot's ears moved, he turned his head, grinned, and gave them an innocent smile.

Granny Sha said, "It's trying to influence me and change my mind. But then again, Xiao Shi, you've watched Hei Guo grow up, so what bad intentions could it have?"

Chen Shi asked doubtfully: "Mother-in-law, is this what you really think?"

"That must be my real thought!" Granny Sha was very sure.

Chen Shi glared at Hei Guo fiercely, and confirmed that it was the one causing trouble, and shouted, "Hei Guo, come back! Aunt Sha, we are going back!"

Hei Guo had no choice but to hand the kite string in his hand to Xiang Tianyu and ran over.

Grandma Sha held Xiang Tianyu's hand and waved goodbye to them mechanically.

Chen Shi left Gaoshan County and returned to Xijing, thinking: "Black Pot's ability is getting stronger and stronger, but the one who can bewitch the boatman and his daughter, affect the thinking of ghosts and gods, and even make them fall into the underworld without being noticed, is stronger than Black Pot. If I want to rescue my mother, I have to deal with another Black Pot... I have to make Black Pot improve his strength as soon as possible!"

——Zhaizhu is still sorting out the plot, so the updates will not be on time.

(End of this chapter)