Situ Wen was so furious he was practically seeing red. He had waited here from last night until morning, from morning until noon, and then until afternoon—only to be told he wasn't trustworthy!
He had painstakingly set up all sorts of deadly traps at Guanshan Posthouse, yet Chen Shi didn't show up early or late; he waited until Situ Wen had dismantled the traps before sauntering over, even mocking him for trying to run away. It was infuriating.
"Chen Shi, you clearly said you'd meet me at noon!"
Situ Wen bellowed, "Who's the one who isn't trustworthy here?"
Chen Shi stopped in his tracks and looked up at Situ Wen perched atop the Pivot.
Bewildered, he said, "The noon I mentioned to you was tomorrow's noon. When did I ever say today's noon? I even came early. If I hadn't seen you were about to leave, I wouldn't have come out at all."
Situ Wen exploded in rage.
"You could have said the noon after tomorrow! Or today's noon next year!"
Chen Shi turned to leave.
"I can come back next year on this day at noon."
"Hold on!"
Situ Wen, looming high above, extended a large hand. His expression softened, and he tried to speak gently.
"Hold on, don't go yet. Why wait for another day when we can do it now? No need for next year or even noon—let's settle it right here and now.
You've already traveled over a hundred li to get here. Running back empty-handed would be a waste. Right here, no tricks—I promise a fair fight. I'll kill you honorably, avenge Eldest Sister, and have something to report back to Young Master."
With a solemn expression, he declared, "Rest assured, after you die, I'll build you a grand tomb, nice and splendid. Your family line will thrive for three generations, and your descendants will rise to high office!"
Chen Shi replied, "I'm only twelve and not married yet—no heirs.
My grandpa had only my dad as his son, and my dad has only me. If you kill me, the Chen family line ends."
Situ Wen fell silent for a moment, tempted to tell him to go home and hurry up and have a kid—but he realized that would likely mean waiting until next year on this very day.
Yet he didn't want to wait until next year.
Killing Chen Shi today would mean wiping out his entire line.
As he hesitated, Chen Shi asked, "Are you hungry? I'm starving."
Situ Wen was indeed hungry.
"From morning until now, I haven't had a bite to eat or a sip of water. Yeah, I'm hungry."
Chen Shi inquired, "Why didn't you eat?"
Situ Wen explained, "I heard from the Fuzheng Pavilion folks that you like ambushing opponents out of nowhere. I was afraid that while I was eating or drinking, you'd suddenly charge over and kill me.
Why haven't you eaten?"
Chen Shi said, "I've been hiding in the bushes, secretly watching you. If you ate or drank, I'd rush out and kill you—so no time to eat."
He added by way of explanation, "Whether lighting a fire to cook or sneaking bites, it'd alert you."
Situ Wen paused, then said, "So just now, you were hiding in the bushes outside Guanshan Posthouse?"
Chen Shi nodded.
Situ Wen still harbored some doubt.
"You've been hiding in the bushes the whole time, waiting for me to slip up? When did you arrive? How long have you been hiding?"
Chen Shi replied, "I got here at noon, skipped lunch, and hid for two and a half hours. If you'd held out longer, I'd have kept waiting. But by tomorrow noon, I'd have left to eat."
Situ Wen fell silent, then suggested, "How about we eat first, then settle our fight to the death?"
Chen Shi laughed.
"Good idea—eat first! Man cannot live by bread alone, but without a full belly, there's no strength to fight."
Situ Wen leaped down from the Pivot, landing on the ground.
"I could have the puppet artisans inside the Pivot start a fire and cook, but operating them requires focusing my mind and qi.
I'd be vulnerable to your ambush.
The Fuzheng Pavilion people said you strike fast—often taking opponents down in one or two moves."
Chen Shi chuckled.
"No worries—my dog knows how to cook.
Blackie Pot, you're on cooking duty. I'll chat with Big Brother Situ."
Blackie Pot reared up on his hind legs, spreading his front paws outward in bewilderment.
"Woof?"
Chen Shi looked troubled.
"I didn't bring the wooden cart—afraid it'd catch your eye. You're the Luban Sect Leader; if you hijacked it, that'd be bad.
All my cooking gear's in the cart."
Situ Wen offered, "The Pivot has pots, bowls, and plates. I often take it out for jobs building tombs or mansions for officials and nobles, so I carry those things.
No meat or veggies though—they spoil easily. Just rice and flour."
Chen Shi glanced toward Mount Henggong behind him.
"Blackie Pot, go hunt something. Big Brother Situ and I will eat and drink."
Blackie Pot woofed in protest but dashed off into the mountains.
Soon, he returned dragging a roe deer weighing fifty or sixty jin. By the mountain stream, he skinned and gutted it, washed a large rock clean, and sliced the meat into strips.
Blackie Pot fetched some wild scallions and garlic chives, then barked twice at Chen Shi.
Chen Shi asked, "Big Brother Situ, you okay with water celery? Blackie Pot found some wild ones—strong flavor, a bit pungent. Folks who haven't tried it might not like it, but it'll cut the gaminess of the meat."
Situ Wen laughed.
"I'm out in the wilds all the time—what haven't I eaten? Go ahead and use it."
Chen Shi instructed, "Blackie Pot, add plenty of water celery."
Blackie Pot barked in acknowledgment.
Situ Wen remained wary of Chen Shi, directing a puppet artisan to build a stove, fetch coal, and set up a bellows. Pots, bowls, and basins were all prepared.
Even so, he never forgot to guard against a sneak attack, always keeping three zhang from Chen Shi—
Young Master had said Chen Shi's attack range was two zhang. After Eldest Sister's death, it was revised to two zhang and three or four chi—his cultivation had advanced greatly, likely to Golden Core Nine Turns.
To be safe, Situ Wen kept it at three zhang.
If Chen Shi closed to three zhang, he'd back off.
If Chen Shi edged closer deliberately, he'd make the Pivot raise an arm, pressuring Chen Shi to retreat on his own.
Chen Shi gazed up at the Pivot in awe.
The Luban Sect's treasure was enormous, brimming with power—a single strike could pulverize him to dust.
In wartime, the Luban Sect would thrive. But with no great wars and evils rampant everywhere, the sect had declined.
Yet even this small sect possessed its own magic treasure—truly enviable.
Magic treasures were outrageously expensive.
Forget small sects like Luban—even a county seat would need centuries or millennia to forge something like a Ten Thousand Souls Banner.
For Luban Sect to have one meant it must have shone brightly in the past.
Chen Shi approached the Pivot and touched it, craning his neck to inspect the colossal thing.
"How much force does one strike from this pack?"
"At least ten million jin."
Situ Wen replied, "One punch can breach city walls or shatter a Deity Transformation Realm golden body! But it can't handle Primordial Spirits.
It used to, but it was damaged—many formations failed.
My ancestors' knowledge fell short; they couldn't repair it."
The Pivot was so massive, its movements earth-shaking—a single blow could sunder mountains and split stone, inspiring dread!
Situ Wen opened a door.
"You can come in and look around, but stay at least three zhang away from me."
Chen Shi complied and entered.
Situ Wen kept his distance.
"These structures on the Pivot look ordinary, but they're incredibly sturdy—the wood's been soaked in exotic beast blood.
Every year, Luban Sect cultivators redraw Strength Talismans, Profound Warrior Scriptures, and such.
Plus Golden Core operations."
He led Chen Shi through rooms to passages like meridians, halting a head-sized artificial Golden Core and tossing it to him.
"This is the manmade Golden Core handed down by our ancestors."
Chen Shi caught it. The core was etched with bizarre lines forming intricate talisman patterns. The second layer was hollow metal lines forming a sphere of complex sigils.
A third hollow layer below matched.
Peering closer, Chen Shi saw a fourth, then a fifth!
Situ Wen noted his shock and smiled.
"This manmade Golden Core mimics Golden Core Nine Turns—nine layers total, corresponding to the revolutions.
One revolution of it generates heat dozens of times greater than the power stored in a true Nine Turns Golden Core!"
Chen Shi sensed the terrifying power within and praised, "An astonishing creation."
He released it; the core whirred away along the passage.
Situ Wen explained, "There are thirty-six such cores in the Pivot, running ceaselessly.
At full power, it can travel a thousand li in an hour! But only for one hour."
Chen Shi puzzled, "Why?"
Situ Wen sighed.
"Not enough coal.
A thousand li burns through our stock—we'd need to refill."
Chen Shi remarked, "The Pivot's mighty, but it sure guzzles resources."
Situ Wen noticed Chen Shi had unknowingly closed to under two zhang and startled—but Chen Shi didn't strike.
He hastily widened the gap.
"Exactly.
Just buying coal's a huge expense.
If not for you, I wouldn't have brought it out."
Chen Shi grinned.
"My honor."
Situ Wen found him amusing and felt a pang of reluctance.
"How about you go home, marry a wife, sire an heir—then come back? I'll kill you then, avenge Eldest Sister, and vent for Young Master."
Chen Shi shook his head.
"I'm only twelve—can't sire heirs yet."
Situ Wen's face fell, but he continued leading the way.
Chen Shi said, "Big Brother Situ, your Luban Sect's Money Protector? I secretly slammed him into the foundation.
He died because of me—you probably didn't know."
Situ Wen replied, "I knew. I heard about the evil in the city wall foundation and rushed over—saw you slam him in from afar."
Chen Shi was stunned.
"Why didn't you stop me?"
"That bastard deserved it."
Situ Wen said flatly, "Using his own brothers as living foundation posts? He could've used death row prisoners to save money—but no, he skimped even there.
At minimum, spend more to hire reliable talisman masters against that evil.
Refusing to pay cost his brothers' lives. If you hadn't killed him, I'd have given him three cuts and six stabs—then skinned him postmortem for a puppet, cursed forever."
Chen Shi laughed.
"Big Brother Situ's a man of principle. No wonder you're after me for a prostitute like Eldest Sister."
Situ Wen flushed beet red and protested, "I'm not killing you for her—I'm doing it for Young Master!"
Chen Shi chuckled.
"Even heroes falter at the beauty pass. I don't know romance, but I get the idea.
Eldest Sister was a whore, trafficked people, forced girls into prostitution, drove many to death—but Big Brother Situ loves her anyway and wants vengeance.
True hero—little brother admires you."
Situ Wen's face reddened further. Sneering, he said, "I'm repaying Young Master's favor by setting this ambush at Guanshan! And it's one-on-one, fair fight—no ganging up! Not for some whore!"
Chen Shi gave him a knowing smile.
Just then, barking echoed.
Situ Wen hurriedly said, "Is Blackie Pot's food ready? Let's eat—dinner first!"
Chen Shi laughed.
"Yeah, he's calling us to eat."
They exited the Pivot. Blackie Pot had set out food and utensils, removed his apron, and gone to wash off the grease.
Chen Shi invited Situ Wen to sit.
Situ Wen demurred, "The cook hasn't sat—how can we? Wait."
When Blackie Pot returned, clean and at the table, Situ Wen pulled out a stool for him first.
"Brother Chen, sit."
They took seats.
Chen Shi and Blackie Pot wolfed it down—they were famished. Situ Wen ate slowly; by the time man and dog finished, he was still picking away, with a huge appetite.
"Full?"
He asked in surprise, "You're done and not leaving? Go ahead if you're full—no need to wait. I eat slow."
Chen Shi puzzled, "No fight?"
Situ Wen snorted, popped some water celery in his mouth, and grumbled, "No fight. Head back—leave Yudu sooner.
I don't kill for whores."
Chen Shi probed, "Isn't Eldest Sister your lover? I figured you'd avenge her."
"Pah!"
Situ Wen flushed crimson, stammering, "Slept with her a few times and she's my lover? Then I've got too many 'lovers.'
I came for Young Master's honor—not her.
Don't ruin my reputation."
Chen Shi smiled.
"You're an interesting guy.
Guess I won't kill you then."
Situ Wen set down his chopsticks and sneered, "You won't kill me? You can't beat me! One blast from the Pivot, and even your indestructible diamond body shatters. This Pivot breaks all spells with sheer force!"
Chen Shi smiled faintly.
"Go ahead—activate the Pivot and see."
Situ Wen wanted to show off the sect's treasure. He leaped up to the twelve-zhang-high Pivot's "head," standing in the pavilion atop it to activate the mechanism.
Instantly, halos swirled around the Pivot. Golden Body, Golden Bell, Strength symbols bloomed like a protective canopy.
Puppet artisans shoveled coal into the furnace; the thirty-six manmade Golden Cores whirred in and out!
Situ Wen swung a fist—the twelve-to-thirteen-zhang Pivot mimicked, unleashing thunderous booms and storms, deafening!
Even Nascent Soul spells exploded before closing in.
Golden Cores and Nascent Souls couldn't even summon theirs—they'd be obliterated.
Even Primordial Spirits would be shaken!
A mere graze could cripple!
The Pivot was like a mighty cultivator wielding infinite power, the pavilion a Divine Shrine, Situ Wen its Divine Embryo!
Agile yet overwhelmingly strong—a pinnacle puppet mechanism!
As Situ Wen powered it up, suddenly doors across the Pivot's rooms flew open, transforming into bloody maws with ten-odd-zhang tongues lashing out!
In moments, the Pivot became a flesh monster inside—a colossal evil, staggering out of control!
Creation Compendium: Ghost Manor Suppressing Talisman.
Letting Chen Shi inside was inviting the wolf. Unnoticed by Situ Wen, he'd turned the Luban Sect's treasure into a massive ghost manor!
End of chapter.
