Chapter Sixty-Four: [Mountain Demon]
January seventh. The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Commonly known as the La Ba Festival.
Legend has it that during his hardships, Emperor Zhu of the previous dynasty gathered so discarded grains and rotten beans to make porridge. This beca the La Ba porridge custom passed down through generations.
Jinling Prefecture used to be the capital established by Emperor Zhu, making the La Ba porridge custom deeply rooted in this region.
In winter, the weather grows increasingly colder. Although no snow has fallen yet due to Jinling Prefecture’s geographical location, the temperature continues to drop daily.
As dusk fell, a strong north wind blew. In the forest below Zijin Mountain in the eastern part of the city, the wind’s howl grew fiercer.
A damp aura floated out from the mountain’s core, drifting out over the hillside with the cold wind’s montum.
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Chen Yan also made a pot of La Ba porridge that evening to celebrate the occasion.
At ho, it was just him and Gu Qingyi, making the atmosphere seem dull.
Chen Yan didn’t mind— he was used to loneliness since childhood. When the old lady was alive, he had so company during festive tis, the two of them relying on each other.
After the old lady passed, Chen Yan sotis felt a bit lonely.
At this mont...
Glancing at Young Lady Gu sitting at the dinner table, Chen Yan’s eyes showed a faint smile.
It could be said... he sowhat had an odd family mber now.
Gu Qingyi ladled herself a bowl of La Ba porridge and frowned upon tasting it.
"Not sweet."
Chen Yan cheerfully got up, brought the sugar jar from the kitchen, and placed it in front of Gu Qingyi. "Add so if you like it sweet."
Young Lady Gu’s eyes crinkled in amusent, and without hesitation, she added three spoonfuls of sugar.
"If you eat like this, even if you don’t freeze to death during the day, you’ll get diabetes," Chen Yan sighed.
"In the Celestial Human Realm, one is immune to all illnesses," Gu Qingyi shook her head.
"How long can soone in the Celestial Human Realm live?"
"Long enough for your bones to turn to ash."
"In our world, people are cremated when they die and turn to ash in an instant."
"Then I’ll live until your grandson turns to ash," Young Lady Gu replied.
Can this conversation go any worse...? Chen Yan shook his head.
But... it actually made him feel a bit closer.
When the old lady was around, the two of them often made random jokes and talked nonsense like this.
The old lady was quite the jokester too.
Talking so casually with Gu Qingyi now, Chen Yan felt a familiar warmth.
"The wedding dress store said it will take about two weeks to finish the dress. They will try to deliver it before the Spring Festival."
"Hmm." Gu Qingyi buried her face in her porridge, hiding her flushed cheeks.
After hitting Chen Yan a few tis that day, she finally provided her asurents. Not directly to Chen Yan but by using his phone to tell the tailor herself.
What embarrassed Young Lady Gu wasn’t the numbers, but the process of asuring herself alone in her room based on the tailor’s instructions. It made her blush just thinking about it.
Chen Yan casually said, "I checked the almanac. For a nether marriage, we need an inauspicious day, preferably a fierce one. There isn’t such a day anyti soon; the earliest would be next month at the earliest." He casually added, "I have prepared the runes, but it will take so ti to draw the talismans..."
"Hmm." Gu Qingyi responded in the sa casual tone.
"You don’t seem very spirited?" Chen Yan glanced at Young Lady Gu.
Gu Qingyi sighed faintly, "I’m fine, don’t overthink it."
Even though this is the result I wanted... Which girl dreams of her wedding being a nether marriage?
Suppressing her thoughts, Gu Qingyi said casually, "Are you going back to your hotown for the Spring Festival?"
"Yes, I need to go back." Chen Yan nodded, "I have a lot of favors to return, and..." he hadn’t finished speaking when Gu Qingyi suddenly raised her hand, "Don’t talk!"
Her casual and relaxed deanor vanished as she leapt from the chair and dashed out the door.
Chen Yan, startled but quick to follow, ran out into the yard.
In the yard, Gu Qingyi squinted at the eastern sky and leapt onto the roof of the villa.
Chen Yan was about to speak when Gu Qingyi from the rooftop gestured for him to join her, "Co up here."
Hmm?
Chen Yan took a deep breath, employed the Law Order·Escape Rune Technique, and landed beside Gu Qingyi on the rooftop.
Gu Qingyi looked keenly towards the east and spoke definitively, "There’s evil qi!"
Instantly serious, Chen Yan ford a finger technique with his hands, channeling his primordial qi to focus his vision.
He opened his Celestial Eye Qi Observation Skill to the maximum, looking eastward...
Under the Qi Observation Skill, in the distant east, a faint blood-red cloud was slowly forming in the sky...
"Let’s go check it out!" Gu Qingyi turned to Chen Yan.
"Huh?" Chen Yan was stunned.
Before he could react, he felt a soft, smooth hand grab his, and then...
"Whoa!!!"
Chen Yan exclaid as his body flew through the air!
In the blink of an eye, the villa was behind them!
In another blink, their neighborhood was behind them!
The wind roared in his ears, the world spinning!
·
Below Zijin Mountain.
The forest path was deserted. At this ti and in this weather, there were no tourists around.
Moreover, this path was not within the scenic area but closer to the mountain’s core.
A figure hurriedly rode a bicycle along the path, accompanied by a large husky running beside her.
The rider was a woman with a drawing board on her back, indicating she was likely an artist.
Having spent the afternoon sketching in the forest, she lost track of ti and stayed a bit late absorbed in her work.
As an artist who often ventured into mountains and valleys to draw, she was accustod to this lifestyle.
At this mont, she didn’t feel afraid—Jinling Prefecture was a big city, and although this was a forest path, it was close to the scenic area.
In today’s era, no place near a big city could be considered a true deep mountain wilderness.
Moreover, Jinling Prefecture’s public safety ranked among the top in the country.
The presence of the large husky also gave her a sense of security.
Pedaling hard, she mainly wanted to get ho quickly for a al—after a long day of sketching and getting imrsed in her art, she had forgotten her hunger and now felt her stomach rumbling.
Coming around a bend, the woman suddenly saw a figure squatting by the roadside under the trees up ahead.
Her heart skipped a beat!
She instinctively squeezed the brakes, slowing down.
As she got closer, she saw it was soone squatting under the tree. Their clothes were unclear in the night but seed sowhat dirty.
And by the figure’s hunch, it appeared to be an old lady?
Her shoulders shook as if crying?
The artist, being kind-hearted, couldn’t help but slow down further. Taking a look at the husky by her side, she gathered her courage and decided to stop and approach.
"Old lady?"
The figure shuddered.
"Old lady?" the artist stopped a few steps away, probing, "What’s wrong? Do you need help?"
The figure kept shaking but faintly replied with broken words:
"I...so hungry...so hungry..."
Hungry?
The artist frowned, "Did you lose your way or..." she began to ask when suddenly, the figure slowly turned its head.
Under the tousled hair was a ghastly face, especially those eyes, blood-red like crimson!
"So hungry... want to eat at..."
·
Two figures landed on the ground amid swirling wind.
"It should be here, nearby," Gu Qingyi cautiously said, "I’m not proficient in tracking spells, but my intuition should be correct. Chen Yan, use your Qi Observation Skill... hmm?"
Turning around, she saw the 22-year-old holding onto a tree by the roadside, retching violently.
"Chen Yan?"
"W-wait! I...ugh!" Chen Yan didn’t turn around, signaling to Gu Qingyi.
Gu Qingyi frowned, "Too weak."
Chen Yan rolled his eyes... twenty kiloters in under five minutes, and you were flying barely above the ground!
Besides, is it who’s weak or you!
The last ti Brother Xiaohai flew over a hundred kiloters away, past Jinling Prefecture. I wasn’t this dizzy.
Clearly, your spell is lacking!
"Before you drag into the air, at least give a heads up," Chen Yan grumbled, catching his breath.
"I... I already slowed down to accommodate you," Gu Qingyi admitted, feeling slightly guilty.
Chen Yan wiped his mouth, looked at the dirty hand with disdain, then instinctively glanced at the Consort Mother.
Gu Qingyi took a step back, seriously warning, "If you dare use my clothes, I’ll really kill you."
Chen Yan snorted, exhaled, "...So what exactly are we here to see? What is that evil qi?"
"I sensed a hint of malicious intent," Gu Qingyi slowly said, "It should be so kind of Evil Cultivator awakening."
"Evil Cultivator?"
"Yes, Mountain Ghost, Mountain Demon, or so Evil Demon—it could be any of these. Not all demon cultivators are as clueless and harmless as Brother Gui Geng."
Alright, this touched upon Chen Yan’s knowledge gap.
The spellbook was for learning spells, not an encyclopedia. Chen Yan wasn’t familiar with what Gu Qingyi ntioned.
"So, what do we do now?"
"Find it, then kill it. Such a creature, upon awakening, will surely harm the Holy Spirit. Besides, killing it and extracting its malicious spiritual qi can yield the purest Yin Sha, useful for alchemy, talisman drawing, and pharmaceuticals," Gu Qingyi looked at Chen Yan, "You’ll need it. To ascend from the Guiyuan Realm to the Ascension Realm, you’ll need to undergo the Heart-Breaking Tribulation; Yin Sha practice is essential."
Chen Yan considered, "Is that thing very dangerous?"
"I can solve it with one punch."
Then it’s fine!
Chen Yan felt relieved.
Then he used his Qi Observation Skill to pinpoint the densest spot of the blood-red evil qi.
Gu Qingyi nodded, "I will enter; you wait here."
"I’m not going?" Chen Yan asked, "If I don’t need to act, why bring ?"
"Many Evil Cultivators have Talent Divine Techniques, adept at hiding and escaping. I’ll go in and kill it, but if it escapes, you help block it," Gu Qingyi thought briefly, "You’re in the Guiyuan Realm; you should handle the evil cultivator’s strength here. But..."
She approached Chen Yan, reached into his pocket, and took out a blank talisman paper.
Gu Qingyi focused, her fingertip dropping a golden light onto the paper, forming a peculiar figure like a tiny person.
"Take this. If you encounter sothing you can’t handle, burn the talisman, and I’ll co imdiately."
Honestly, Chen Yan felt a bit nervous inside.
Though he had begun cultivating, he was still an ordinary young man who lived in the mundane world for twenty-two years.
He had never experienced real combat, let alone facing an Evil Cultivator.
The only ti he had seen blood was when helping the old lady kill chickens in the countryside.
But before Young Lady Gu, he didn’t want to show fear. Steeling himself, he said slowly, "Alright! I’ll guard the periter."
Young Lady Gu gave Chen Yan a knowing look, "Since you’ve embarked on the path of cultivation, you will inevitably face this sooner or later. Facing the enemy for the first ti with protecting you is quite fortunate."
Saying that, she waved her hand and leapt into the forest.
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