Chapter 43: Your Mountain God Grandfather
Chapter 43: Your Mountain God Grandfather
Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii
"So, is the Dao Seeking Sect very powerful?" the old hunter asked.
"It's not 'Dao Seeking *Er* Sect,' it's Dao Seeking Sect," Qi Wu corrected the old hunter's pronunciation.
"Once we reach Qinghuai County tomorrow, we'll write a letter and send it to the Five Great Immortal Sects, asking for their assistance," Qi Wu mentioned, having inquired about the process when he met Dai Bufan.
At that time, he was reflecting on how the local officials, with little cultivation, held themselves in such high regard, while the disciples from the Immortal Sects, not involved in the mortal world, were much more approachable.
However, Qi Wu was unaware of Dai Bufan's status and cultivation level within the Dao Seeking Sect, treating him as a typical disciple of the Immortal Sects.
Had he known Dai Bufan's identity and cultivation level, his feelings would have been more than just reflective.
The old hunter was overjoyed and quickly thanked Qi Wu and the others, even saying that if they could resolve the tiger demon issue, he wouldn't charge them for the journey. Qi Wu hurriedly insisted that was not necessary.
It wasn't that they didn't want to save money, but they were unsure if the old hunter was just being polite or sincere.
"Excuse me, I encountered heavy rain on my journey and wonder if I could stay here for the night?"
A graceful figure broke through the rain curtain. She was dressed in a green lotus skirt, her brows slightly furrowed with sorrow, compelling an involuntary desire to grant her request.
Everyone turned to look at Ah Yue, thinking, "Now that you've mentioned a female ghost, one really shows up. Is your mouth blessed?"
"No!" Qi Wu immediately refused the request of the green-dressed girl.
Given their location, far from any village or shop, and the sudden appearance of such a beautiful woman in the deep mountains and old forests, recalling what the old hunter had said, he couldn't help but be suspicious.
Most crucially, the girl in green was dry!
With the rain pouring down as if the heavens were unleashing water, how could she be dry?
The green-dressed girl looked slightly angry, feeling that these seemingly educated men were being quite rude.
"How unreasonable of you. Not to mention this mountain god temple has no owner, you are merely seeking shelter from the rain. With the heavy rain outside, do you expect me to keep using my technique to block the rain?!"
"Technique? You're a cultivator?" Qi Wu became cautious. Most cultivators treated mortals kindly, but it was unpredictable what they might do if provoked.
He hesitated.
However, the old hunter remained firm, drawing on his years of experience living in the mountains, he felt there was something off about the green-dressed girl, though his tone was much more polite: "Esteemed cultivator, whether you're a cultivator or a woman, staying with us eight men in a temple would not look good."
"Here's what we'll do: there's a path to the north leading to a hut we hunters built on the mountainside. For someone of your stature, it's just a few steps away."
The old hunter wasn't lying; there indeed was a hut there, but it was too small to accommodate them all, which is why he led Qi Wu and the others to the mountain god temple for shelter.
After thinking it over, the green-dressed girl realized the old hunter made sense. Though she was a woman who didn't stick to conventions while roaming the martial world, if there was a better option, why stay in a temple leaking from all sides?
After the green-dressed girl left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, fearing she might transform into a fierce tiger and devour them.
"Alright, let's sleep. We need to get up early tomorrow to continue our journey. I really don't want to come to this ghostly place a second time," Qi Wu said, yawning, his eyelids fighting to stay open.
Qi Wu originally wanted to sleep facing inward, towards the mountain god statues, feeling something was off about them and not wanting to get too close. Instead, he arranged for everyone to sleep with their heads towards the door.
After arranging two people to keep watch at night, everyone fell asleep.
After everyone was asleep, the mountain god statues' eyes moved, their gaze lowering to look at the sleeping figures.
Unnoticed by anyone.
...
Ah Yue yawned, his eyes blurry, as if he was about to fall asleep at any moment, he and another person were on the first watch.
"So sleepy, I really want to sleep."
"Hold on a bit longer, you heard it too, it's not safe in these mountains..."
"Right, I can't sleep, I'm still waiting for a female ghost to sneak up on me."
"You're average-looking, didn't you read in the books that female ghosts prefer handsome men? They should sneak up on me instead."
"Female ghosts like scholars, you've only read a few days' worth of books. They prefer someone like me, who has extensively read the classics."
The two quietly argued over the hypothetical female ghost, growing more animated as they spoke.
Suddenly, a deep roar broke through the sound of the rain and thunder, sending shivers down their spines.
Just as they doubted whether it was an illusion, another deep roar sounded, closer this time!
"It's that tiger demon!" The two exchanged looks, seeing the fear in each other's eyes.
"Everyone up, there's a demon!" Ah Yue quickly shouted.
Everyone woke from their sleep, gripping their weapons tightly, staring out the temple door, sweating profusely and trembling.
The roaring ceased, replaced by heavy breathing, easily conjuring images of the massive creature responsible.
A shadow loomed in the rain, growing larger, filling everyone with dread.
A massive tiger's head emerged from the rain, approaching the mountain god temple. Qi Wu could even see the fur on the tiger's head, each strand clear!
The tiger demon entered the temple fully, revealing itself to be a four-meter-long tiger, causing everyone to sweat even more.
The tiger demon stood up on its hind legs!
"What do we do now, Old Sun?" Qi Wu whispered, knowing the wooden sticks they held were no match for the tiger demon.
Unexpectedly, the old hunter walked straight up to the tiger demon, bowed, and said, "Please enjoy your meal, Tiger Lord."
"Hmm, well done," the tiger demon spoke human language, its cultivation level unknown.
Qi Wu was furious, wishing he could tear the old hunter apart.
The green-dressed girl wasn't the ghost; the old hunter who had been with them all along was!
The tiger demon smiled mockingly, "I didn't want to eat you originally, as too many deaths might attract outside attention. But you forced my hand by planning to inform the Five Great Immortal Sects about me. I cannot let you live!"
With that, the tiger demon pinned down the old hunter with a paw: "And you, always running your mouth, telling stories, forcing me to clean up after you, and now you want me to kill you again?"
The old hunter pleaded for mercy, promising not to do it again.
The tiger demon snorted: "You drove away that female cultivator, which counts as a merit. Your actions cancel out your faults, so
I won't punish you this time!"
The tiger demon didn't play with its prey. It examined Qi Wu closely, making a throaty sound as if holding back phlegm: "You're the smartest one here. If you agree to join me, I can turn you into a ghost, neither dead nor alive."
By now, Qi Wu was fearless, pointing at the old hunter with a cold laugh: "To wander around harming others like him? I'd rather die!"
"Not willing to toast, then drink the forfeit!" The tiger demon had never been insulted like this before, becoming enraged, its roar causing the temple roof to tremble as if it would collapse.
The tiger demon stopped persuading and lunged at everyone with its jaws wide open. Qi Wu closed his eyes, waiting for death.
At that moment, a gentleman's sword appeared between the tiger demon and Qi Wu, its sword light shining bright as the morning sun, dazzling and slashing the tiger demon's cheek.
"Who!?" the tiger demon roared in anger.
"Your mountain god grandfather!"
(End of the chapter)