Chen Shi felt deeply moved and said, "My fellow villagers, your presence to see me off embarrasses me, please go back."
Old Bamboo said, "Scholar, if you ever pass the exam and become an official, don’t forget to care for us villagers!"
The villagers chimed in, "Be careful when you pass through Fei County, the people there are quite hostile toward outsiders."
"If you don’t pass, don’t bother coming back."
"Yes. Drink this cup of wine and then be quick on your way."
"We’ll be waiting to set off fireworks!"
Chen Shi got onto the wooden cart, which clattered out of Huangpo Village. Looking back, he saw the heartfelt emotions of the villagers overflowing. As he got farther away, the sounds of firecrackers burst forth from the village, and the villagers played drums joyously, as if celebrating a festival.
"I will pass the exams, maybe even sweep the Imperial Examination and become the top scorer to repay you with good food and drink!" Chen Shi declared fiercely.
Black Pot ran ahead joyfully while Chen Shi, holding the Compass, entered the vast mountains. Traveling the mountain roads by afternoon, they left the Qianyang Mountain range, but not long after, more mountains loomed ahead. Chen Shi slowed his pace significantly, continually asking for directions and making halting progress until evening, finally reaching the territory of Fei County.
Just before sunset, he managed to join a merchant caravan entering the city of Fei County.
The local customs of Fei County were simplistic; heads hung on wooden stakes outside the city, and several people were hanged. Before Chen Shi entered the city, his purse was stolen. He rushed to catch the thief, only to see someone running off with Black Pot.
In a blink, the wooden cart was gone!
Chen Shi, enraged, caught the thief who stole his purse and recovered it, dislocating the young thief’s arm in the process.
Meanwhile, Black Pot dragged back the unconscious dog thief.
With the Compass secured, the wooden cart raced back and stopped neatly in front of him. Several people chased after shouting, "My cart, my cart! The foreigner is stealing my cart!"
A crowd gathered around, including some Government Officials who forced their way through and demanded, "What’s all this commotion?"
Chen Shi quickly explained, "Just in time, officials. This thief stole my purse and I’ve captured him. And this man stole my dog, and my dog knocked him out. Those people... they stole my cart."
The Government Officials closed in. One of them shouted, "You foreigner, causing trouble in Fei County! Seize him!"
Chen Shi swiftly knocked them down with a few punches and kicks.
He refrained from being ruthless, but said discontentedly, "I heard Fei County was hostile to outsiders, and it seems to be true."
The officers picked themselves up and retorted, "Fei County never discriminates against outsiders, don’t slander us! Just you wait, foreigner," and they departed bitterly.
Chen Shi intended to find lodging, but no inn dared to take him in. While searching for a place to stay, he saw a troop of Government Officials and the County Magistrate coming fiercely at him, the County Magistrate even summoned the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.
Chen Shi hurriedly fled with Black Pot from Fei County.
The County Magistrate of Fei County led his men out of the city but failed to find Chen Shi, returning with resentment.
The County Magistrate of Fei County declared, "If we catch him, we will make him ’sit on a wooden stake.’ Hang him on it!"
"Sitting on a wooden stake" referred to sharpening one end of a stake, sitting a person on it, and using their body weight to slowly sink down, slowly impaling the person, causing excruciating pain and screams but not immediate death.
Unable to rest in the city, Chen Shi settled for a ramshackle temple outside the city to spend the night. In the middle of the night, he heard noises outside; it was unclear whether demons or evil spirits were active, some sucking human blood, others souls, and some eating flesh and refining bones.
However, oddly, these demons and spirits just glanced at Chen Shi in the temple from afar and did not approach.
— There were plenty of hanged and staked people outside the city; enough for them to feast on, no need to bother a living person.
"The local customs of Gongzhou are even more simple than those of my Xinxiang."
Chen Shi thought, "No wonder such an evil spirit as Little Date could be nurtured in the countryside."
By now, Little Date was granted the title of Black Mountain Lord. His evil energy was refined by Chen Shi, but before that, he was an extremely eerie human-headed date tree.
The customs around Gongzhou were indeed terrifying, and Chen Shi knew something was wrong. On the second day, he reached Min County. He cautiously entered the city and went to buy some unusual medicinal ingredients from an herbal shop, such as Blood Residue Charcoal, White Bark, and Hangman’s Rope Ash.
Chen Shi ground them into powder, mixed them with cinnabar, and added Black Dog Blood. He meticulously drew talismans inside and outside the wooden cart.
The talismans he created were recorded in the Creation Treasure Book as fourth-grade talismans named "Banishing Demon," stronger than the brain worm and Traction Worm drawn by the Green-robed Scholar, Wei Yimin.
After Chen Shi finished drawing, he went over the lines several times.
During the night, many people sought trouble but hadn’t even approached when suddenly the wooden cart emitted smoke, quickly filling the area with suffocating smoke.
Amidst the smoke, with flashes of red light, thieves from Min County cautiously approached. The wooden cart with wheels planted firmly sped forward, its sides sprouting numerous strong arms that quickly smashed the approaching thieves into walls or embedded them into the ground.
The cart’s doors opened wide, revealing sharp teeth; a long tongue leapt out, lashing about and pulling one person after another inside!
With several whooshing sounds, all the thieves were devoured by the Banishing Demon, leaving no trace.
Into the small hours, the Banishing Demon expelled the individuals, naked and foul-smelling all over.
Having witnessed much of Gongzhou’s local conditions throughout his ten-day journey, Chen Shi finally reached the province’s main city, spared nothing but hardships along the way.
Chen Shi looked up and saw Three or four Ten Thousand Soul Banners floating above Gongzhou, billowing in the wind.