The other end of the Thousand-Mile Communication Talisman fell into silence.
"He’s gone, hasn’t he... When did he leave?" The voice on the other side sounded a bit husky and sorrowful.
"About six days ago."
Chen Shi hesitated for a moment. He had been dazed and immersed in grief these days and had not kept track of time, "Dad, will you come back for Grandpa’s funeral?"
The voice on the other side hesitated for a moment, then said, "You are... Little Ten, right? Don’t call me dad. My son, Chen Shi, died ten years ago. He was killed after his Divine Embryo was cut out, and I personally buried him..."
Chen Shi’s mind buzzed.
Didn’t he die the year before last after his Divine Embryo was cut out?
Why is Chen Tang saying he died ten years ago?
Why is there an additional eight years?
What happened during those eight years?
The voice continued: "...My dad went mad; he thought he could resurrect Chen Shi. He dug up Chen Shi’s body from the grave. He truly went mad, doing many crazy things and causing a great calamity. The trouble he caused was more terrifying than a Demon. Later on, I lost contact with him; he disappeared, vanishing without a trace for eight whole years. Until two years ago, when he suddenly contacted me, telling me he had brought Chen Shi back to life, asking if I would come home for the New Year. He said that three generations of our family could return to the way things once were. But I knew that we could never go back; my son had been dead for eight years."
Chen Shi, listening to the voice, could imagine the middle-aged man on the other side shaking his head while saying, "I don’t know what he resurrected. But I do know that the person he brought back to life is not my son; it’s a ghost he summoned from the underworld!"
"I hate him, hate him for wandering abroad, neglecting the family, hate that he didn’t teach me powerful skills, hate that I can’t protect this home! I hate that he didn’t come back sooner because if he had been at home, Chen Shi wouldn’t have had his Divine Embryo taken by someone else!
"I also hate that he can’t let go of me, why he keeps me immersed in the agony of losing a son, why he continues to torment me! I hate that he used Chen Shi’s corpse for all kinds of mad experiments, creating monsters like you..."
The middle-aged man on the other end seemed to be venting, pouring out years of dissatisfaction with his grandfather.
He fell silent for a moment, then said apologetically, "I apologize, I’m a bit out of line. I will send someone over to attend the funeral and fix up the grave. You... if you want to come to the city, I will have someone bring you in and provide you with a decent origin. But I won’t recognize you. You’re not my son..."
"No need, thank you, Chen Tang," Chen Shi said.
The Thousand-Mile Communication Talisman burned clean, the flame disappeared, and Chen Shi’s face gradually grew dimmer as he muttered, "No need, thank you..."
He walked out of the room in a daze and sat down on the threshold.
The moonlight shone like splendor on his shoulders.
Black Pot came to his side, and Chen Shi extended his arms, hugging the dog’s neck, staring blankly into space.
On the day the coffin was buried, many people came to see him off. On a nearby hillside, a group of foxes appeared, bowing to the coffin from a distance.
There was also a green sheep that came to a tree not far away, standing up on its hind legs just like a person, holding three sticks of incense in its paws, offering them from afar in tribute.
Several strangers also attended the funeral, and when they said their goodbyes to the coffin, they deliberately knocked on it, listening to the sound from inside. Their faces changed slightly, but they said nothing.
Jin Hongying stepped behind them, grabbing one man by the nape, lifting him up.
"Master Jin, we’re from the Western Capital, just following orders, please don’t make things difficult for us lowly ones," the man said softly.
"From the Western Capital?"
Jin Hongying’s heart grew solemn, she snorted and put him down, whispering, "Get lost!"
The men hurried away, whispering amongst themselves, "The coffin is empty, with only some clothes inside. How do we explain when we return? Whether he is dead or alive?"
"Just report the truth, the higher-ups will decide."
Chen Shi’s ears twitched, he heard the men’s discussion, and when he looked in their direction, they had already disappeared.
"Granny Sha, what did those men mean when they said there was no body in the coffin?" Chen Shi asked Granny Sha.
Granny Sha replied, "It was meant to be a ceremonial mound with no body. Old Chen died two or three months ago but lingered in the mortal world because he couldn’t let go of you. Exposed to the moonlight, he became senseless, gradually losing his sanity, turning into a corpse demon. He fought with the Evil Bodhisattva, who shattered his belief, showing signs of Demon Transformation. He practiced the Water and Fire Refining technique, following the Cultivation Technique of the Corpse Resolving Immortal, so his corpse did not decay. This trip to the underworld, he went in his physical body."
Chen Shi was startled and then ecstatic. "Grandpa is still alive?"
"Dead," Granny Sha corrected him, "He’s been dead for nearly three months. His physical lifespan had ended. He just used the method of the Corpse Resolving Immortal to make himself appear alive."
"Grandpa is still alive!" Chen Shi exclaimed excitedly.
Granny Sha frowned slightly, saying, "He’s truly dead. You don’t understand the method of the Corpse Resolving Immortal. Corpse Resolving Immortal is an alternative way of becoming an Immortal. This technique focuses on Water and Fire Refining; it’s a method of rebirth through corpse cultivation..."
"Grandpa is alive! He lives in the underworld!" Chen Shi smiled through his tears.
Granny Sha frowned, this kid had gone mad, not listening to what she said. But as an elder, she had to make things clear to him to prevent any misunderstandings.
"Little Ten, do you know what a Ghost Immortal is? A Ghost Immortal is someone who becomes a ghost after dying, obtains worship and offerings from people, and whose soul endures for a long time, resulting in immortality. They are called Ghost Immortals because they lack a physical body."
Granny Sha patiently explained, "Higher than a Ghost Immortal is a Corpse Resolving Immortal. A Corpse Resolving Immortal is someone whose body does not decay after death, deceiving heaven, undergoing the ordeals of fire and water, and achieving eternal life through death. That’s why it’s called Corpse Resolving Immortal. Although they are immortal, it requires one death. Your grandfather, he really died!"