Qingmeng Mountain in Xixiang.
The mist on the mountain was no longer as thick as it had been a few months ago, but anyone walking into Mulian Village could still notice the difference from the outside world.
The air was fresh. With every rise and fall of the chest, one could clearly feel the stale air being completely purged from their body.
Although autumn had been underway for many days, the morning breeze remained gentle. The wisps of mist in the air felt refreshing as they settled on the face and body, lifting one's spirits.
Mulian Village had been placed under protection, including the orange tree growing behind the Shi family house.
A few months ago, a strange fog had persisted in the Southwest region for an entire month. Photos and videos had flooded the internet, and various rumors spread through group chats like a virus.
News of the “Mulian Lake Water Monster,” the “Mulian Lake Yellow Sandstorm,” and the “Mulian Lake Immortal Orange Tree” even reached foreign websites, drawing countless curious people to the area.
The orange tree was no longer acting up.
When the latest batch of visitors arrived, they could only glimpse a tree full of white flowers and a few scattered, unripe green fruits through the high perimeter wall.
Grandpa Shi lay on a bamboo chair. He had just reached for his water pipe when he suddenly remembered something. He lowered his hand and pulled a couple of handfuls of broad beans from his pouch to snack on.
His hair was pitch black, and two new teeth had even sprouted in his mouth. His eyes were no longer blurry, his ears were no longer deaf, and he could even enjoy a few of those rock-hard fried broad beans.
“Jiang-yazi! Jiang-yazi!”
The old man shouted with a voice full of vigor. Shi Hongjiang, who was feeding ducks outside, poked his head in and asked what he wanted.
“Grandpa, what do you want to eat? Those people are going to the city in a bit; I'll tell them to bring something back for you.”
Nowadays, half of Mulian Village had been converted into a research base. Many villagers had taken large subsidies and happily moved to apartments in the city.
Only Grandpa Shi’s family remained, guarding the orange tree and refusing to move from their old house and the Nan family’s old residence.
Aside from the military patrols catching one or two people trying to sneak in every day and their own lives becoming much more convenient, not much else seemed to have changed.
“I told you to send things to the Nan girl. Did you actually send them or not? Tell her that conditions in the village are good now. If things aren't going well for her out there, she should come back to raise a few cattle and ducks and learn her grandmother’s old trade.”
Grandpa Shi chewed on his beans, squinting his eyes as he rambled on for a long time.
“Is the phone still not going through? It’s messy outside right now, with gods and ghosts everywhere. It’s worrying for a young girl to be out there on her own.
When I die and go down there, I won’t even know how to explain it to her grandparents.”
“Pah, pah, pah! Grandpa, what are you saying? You’re healthy as can be; you’ll live to a hundred and eighty. Why talk about dying?”
Shi Hongjiang pinched a duckling, skillfully checking its gender.
“I already sent it. She’s traveling right now and can’t receive mail, so I sent it to her company for her colleagues to hold.
Did you forget? Sister Zhizhi quit her job to go on a road trip. She even sent me photos a couple of days ago.”
Only then did Grandpa Shi nod, muttering, “Tell her to take care of herself and not to be too honest with people...”
Shi Hongjiang agreed to everything, but when he turned to look at the sky, his face was full of anxiety.
Sister Zhizhi, where on earth did you go?
He had been out of contact with Nan Zhi for over four months.
If not for the last message Nan Zhi sent him, saying she was going on a long journey and telling him not to alert anyone, Shi Hongjiang would have called the police long ago.
He wasn't stupid. He hadn't told anyone that the changes in his home originated from a bottle of “health supplements” Nan Zhi had given them.
Shi Hongjiang was terrified of causing trouble for Nan Zhi, so he was extremely careful with every message he sent.
He had a faint premonition that Sister Zhizhi must have found some kind of opportunity, and even this disappearance was related to that “opportunity.”
But it had been so long. Sister Zhizhi, he was almost at his limit for keeping the secret!
It’s not like you don’t know how much it hurts when Grandpa hits people with his cane.
Two thick seaweed tears silently rolled down Shi Hongjiang’s face.
...
On Qingmeng Mountain.
The mist was hazy, and the mountain scenery had changed drastically. Spiritual flowers and exotic herbs grew everywhere, and clear springs flowed over stones.
The mountain featured exquisite flora, ancient pines, fragrant orchids, and beautiful green grass. Even the rocks in front of the Mountain Lord’s cave were different from those elsewhere.
In the dense forest, the silhouettes of large predators often flashed by—clouded leopards, wild boars, black bears, and blue wolves. Even the pine trees were draped with pythons of various sizes and thicknesses.
There was no longer any sign of human activity here.
The dense forest blotted out the sun, and wild grass blocked the paths, showcasing the raw beauty of nature in its wild state.
It was a paradise for beasts.
About a hundred feet from the cave, someone had built a lopsided grass hut.
Calling it a grass hut was generous; it was actually just a medium-sized doghouse.
A light drizzle was falling on the mountain. Three yellow foxes of different sizes lay in the grass nest, poking their heads out to look around.
The rain was damp, and wisps of spiritual energy permeated the mist, falling onto the ground with the drizzle.
Even the stream water flowing down the mountain had a layer of white mist floating on the surface, looking as if it had been mixed with milk.
Of the three yellow foxes—one large and two small—the large one was chubby, with a large, fresh scratch under its eye that looked like it had been made by fingernails.
“The Mountain Lord is still in seclusion! It’s been almost months, hasn't it?”
Hu Cuiling scratched her face with a paw, looking somewhat enviously at a large python hanging in the rain on a tree.
The only downside to having fur was that it got damp and soggy in the rain, which was always uncomfortable.
“Are you stupid?”
The much larger Hu Ban'er smacked his granddaughter on the head.
“The Mountain Lord has been in seclusion for so long this time, which means her cultivation is going to take another massive leap! When that happens, forget our Hu family—all the other spirits will benefit as well!
What’s that saying again? When one person achieves the Dao, even their pets ascend to heaven!
Look at your uncultured self. Tomorrow, I’ll bring you a couple more books written by humans. You’d better study them well and learn how to flatter the Mountain Lord. Show some ambition, you hear?”
Hu Cuiling nodded dejectedly, while beside her, Hu Cuixian shook her fur and ruthlessly exposed their grandfather.
“Grandpa, did something happen down the mountain that brought you up here this time?”
“Aren't you the clever one.”
Hu Ban'er tucked his paws into his chest and squinted his eyes as he muttered.
“What else could it be? It’s that business at the Western Xia Imperial Tombs from a few months ago. It caused quite a stir, and those families in the north lost quite a few of their younger generation.
Take that girl Lanhua’s great-granddaughter, for instance. Her family normally doted on her like the apple of their eye. I heard that when news of the accident broke, the family cried their hearts out.
You two haven't heard since you've been stuck on the mountain, but the old Liu family already finished the funeral for their grandson, yet they’re still insisting the authorities set a trap for them. They’re demanding to see a person if alive or a corpse if dead.
Sigh, how can they blame others? They see the thief eating meat but don't see the thief getting beaten. They saw the authorities getting benefits and started jumping up and down to follow them in. Now that people have died, they’re making a scene.
Going into that underground palace is a matter of life and death to begin with. Who knows what kind of powerful things are in there?
Besides, whose cultivation journey is ever smooth sailing? I think they’ve just had it too easy for too long, raised in a greenhouse until they’ve lost all their grit.
If they aren't willing to take risks, they should have just stayed home to eat and drink and live as mortals.”
Hu Cuiling was close with the Ma family and naturally knew Hu Manni. Hearing this, she couldn't help but feel a bit sad.
“If I were as powerful as the Mountain Lord, I would definitely be able to save them.”
“Why on earth would the Mountain Lord go save them?”
Hu Cuixian patted her sister’s head.
“If I were there, I’d risk my life to save people too; we’re household guardian spirits, so it’s expected of us.
But our Mountain Lord is destined to become an immortal. She has no obligation to clean up the messes of those humans.
Every family treasures their own. It’s been so many days now; I wonder if they’re even still alive.”
Hu Ban'er sighed.
“Don’t say such things in the future. Everyone has their own fate. The eyes of the Lyu and Liu families were blinded by potential benefits, so they insisted on going down.
This time... unless they meet a god, they’re truly beyond saving.”
The light rain continued to fall, and the grass nest went silent.
After a long while, a few lines of dialogue drifted out.
“Grandpa, why hasn't the scratch on your face healed yet?”
“Shut up.”
“Did Grandma scratch you again? It’s not like we meant to pass the message wrong last time. It must hurt a lot, right?”
“...How did I get so unlucky to be stuck with you two little troublemakers?”
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