Chapter 43: Your Mountain God Grandpa

"So, you are saying this Wendao'er Sect is incredibly powerful?" the old hunter asked.

"It is not the Wendao'er Sect, it is the Wendao Sect," Qi Wu corrected the old hunter’s accent.

"Tomorrow, when we head toward Qinghuai County, we shall draft a letter and send it to the Five Great Immortal Sects, requesting their intervention." Qi Wu had inquired about the procedure when he chanced upon Dai Bufan.

At that time, he was still reflecting on how the local officials, completely devoid of cultivation, held themselves so high and mighty, whereas the disciples of the immortal sects, living far removed from the mortal realm, proved to be far more approachable.

However, Qi Wu remained ignorant of Dai Bufan's status within the Wendao Sect, assuming him to be merely an ordinary disciple.

Had he truly known Dai Bufan's identity and cultivation, his reaction would have far exceeded mere reflection.

The old hunter was overjoyed, hurriedly offering his gratitude to Qi Wu and the others, even declaring that if they truly managed to eliminate the tiger demon, he would waive their guiding fee entirely; Qi Wu hastily declined.

It was not that they wished to waste money, but rather that they could not discern whether the old hunter was merely offering polite pleasantries or speaking from the heart.

"Forgive me, but this maiden encountered heavy rain upon her journey. Might I be permitted to lodge here for the night?"

A graceful silhouette broke through the curtain of rain. She wore a green robe paired with a lotus skirt, her brow tinged with a delicate sorrow that compelled one to grant her request instinctively.

The crowd turned in unison to stare at A-Yue. To think that the moment a female ghost was spoken of, one actually appeared; had this lad's mouth been blessed by the heavens?

"Absolutely not!" Qi Wu refused the green-robed maiden’s request without a moment's hesitation.

This place was stranded far from any village or inn. For such a beautiful woman to suddenly appear in the depths of these desolate mountains, considering the old hunter's words just moments ago, left him no choice but to doubt her.

Most crucially, the green-robed maiden was completely dry!

Outside, the downpour raged as though the heavens themselves were pouring out buckets of water, so how could she possibly be dry?

The green-robed maiden felt a spark of indignation, thinking that these people appeared to be educated, yet spoke with utter discourtesy.

"How unreasonable you all are! Setting aside that this Mountain God Temple has no master, you too are merely seeking shelter from the rain here. With such a storm raging outside, do you expect this maiden to constantly maintain a spell just to keep the rain at bay?!"

"A spell... You are a cultivator?" Qi Wu’s tone grew cautious. Most cultivators treated mortals with gentleness, but there was no telling what they might do if truly provoked.

He began to waver.

Yet the old hunter remained resolute. Drawing upon his many years of experience living in the mountain forests, he felt certain this green-robed maiden harbored a secret, though his tone was far more tactful: "Honored Cultivator, you are a cultivator, and a woman at that. For you to share a single temple with eight grown men would surely invite scandal should word get out."

"How about this: if you head north from here, there is a mountain path. Halfway up that path sits a wooden cabin temporarily erected by us hunters. For an exalted personage such as yourself, that distance is but a few steps away."

The old hunter was not lying; a cabin did indeed exist there, but it was too small to accommodate so many of them, which was why he had brought Qi Wu and the others to the Mountain God Temple to seek shelter.

The green-robed maiden pondered for a moment and found the old hunter’s words reasonable. Though she was a woman traveling the martial world who cared little for rigid etiquette, if a better option existed, why remain in this temple where the wind leaked from every corner?

Once the green-robed maiden departed, everyone breathed a long, deep sigh of relief, terrified that she might transform into a fierce, slitted-eyed tiger and devour them whole.

"Alright, everyone get to sleep. Sleep well, for we must rise early tomorrow to continue our journey. I truly have no wish to visit this ghostly place a second time," Qi Wu said with a yawn, his upper and lower eyelids battling so fiercely he could barely keep them open.

Qi Wu originally intended to sleep facing inward, but that would mean facing the Mountain God statue. He always felt there was something unnatural about the statue and dared not get too close, so he could only instruct everyone to sleep with their heads toward the door.

After arranging the night watch in pairs, the crowd drifted off to sleep.

Once everyone had fallen asleep, the eyes of the Mountain God statue rolled slightly, casting its gaze downward to fix upon the crowd.

No one noticed.

……

A-Yue let out a yawn, his eyes blurring as though he might fall asleep at any given moment. He was keeping the first night watch alongside another man.

"So sleepy, I want to sleep so badly."

"Endure it a little. You heard it too, these mountains are not safe..."

"Right, I cannot sleep. I am still waiting for a female ghost to ambush me in the night."

"Your looks are entirely ordinary. Haven't you read the books? They say female ghosts prefer handsome men; she ought to ambush me instead."

"What female ghosts prefer are scholars. You have barely studied for a few days, whereas female ghosts prefer someone like me, who is well-versed in the books of the sages."

The two began a quiet dispute over the non-existent female ghost, growing more alert the more they chatted.

Suddenly, a low roar resounded, a sound that even the curtain of rain and the crashing thunder could not mask. The two instantly shuddered, jolted entirely awake.

Just as they began to doubt whether it was a mere hallucination, another low roar echoed, drawing even closer!

"It is that tiger demon!" The two exchanged a glance, reading the raw terror in each other's eyes.

"Wake up, everyone! There is a monster!" A-Yue shouted frantically.

The crowd startled awake from their dreams, gripping their weapons tightly as they stared unblinkingly outside the temple. Cold sweat poured uncontrollably from their brows, their legs trembling without stop.

The roaring ceased, replaced instead by a heavy, labored breathing. From the sound of that breath, it was easy to imagine just what an enormous beast lay outside.

A shadow emerged within the curtain of rain, its silhouette expanding rapidly. The crowd held their breath in absolute terror and trepidation.

An incredibly massive tiger head pierced through the rain, extending into the Mountain God Temple. Qi Wu could even discern the fur upon the tiger's head, each strand sharply defined!

The tiger demon stepped its entire body into the temple, causing cold sweat to drench the backs of the onlookers; this was unexpectedly a tiger four meters in length!

The tiger demon exerted force with its hind legs and actually stood upright!

"Old Sun, what do we do now?" Qi Wu asked in a hushed whisper, knowing this tiger demon was by no means something they could defeat with the wooden staves in their hands.

To everyone's shock, the old hunter walked straight toward the tiger demon, bowing low as he said, "Please enjoy your meal, Lord Tiger."

"Mm, well done." The tiger demon spoke in human tongue, its cultivation completely unknowable.

Qi Wu’s eyes nearly split with rage, wishing he could tear the old hunter apart with his bare hands.

That green-robed maiden was not a ghost servant, but the old hunter who had been by their side all along truly was!

The tiger demon flashed a terrifyingly human smile, mockingly stating, "Originally, I had no desire to eat you all. After all, there are too many of you, and should you all perish, it might draw unwanted attention from the outside world. Yet there is no helping it; you actually intended to report my affairs to the Five Great Immortal Sects, so I cannot let you live!"

As it spoke, the tiger demon pinned the old hunter down with a single claw: "And you, you never learn to fix your talkative habit. You just had to tell some story, forcing me to personally step in and settle the matter. Do you wish for me to kill you yet again?"

The old hunter begged for mercy repeatedly, promising he would not dare do so next time.

The tiger demon snorted: "Driving away that female cultivator can be counted as a merit. Your merit balances your fault, so I shall not punish you this time!"

The tiger demon possessed no habit of toying with its prey. It leaned down to examine Qi Wu closely, a rattling sound echoing from its throat as though it were choking on phlegm: "You are the cleverest among them. If you are willing to submit to my command, I can refine you into a ghost servant, leaving you neither dead nor alive."

By this point, Qi Wu no longer felt fear. He pointed at the old hunter and sneered repeatedly: "To harm people everywhere just like him? I would rather die instead! Ptooey!"

"Refusing a polite offer only to accept a punishment!" When had the tiger demon ever endured such insults? It flew into a furious rage instantly. Waves of sound roared forth, shaking the roof of the temple as though it were about to collapse.

The tiger demon offered no further persuasion, opening its bloody, cavernous maw as it lunged toward the crowd. Qi Wu closed his eyes, awaiting the descent of death.

Right at that moment, a gentleman’s sword thrust horizontally between the tiger demon and Qi Wu. A brilliant sword light burst forth like the early morning sun, exceptionally dazzling as it sliced across the tiger demon's cheek.

"Who is it!?" the tiger demon roared in fury.

"Your Grandfather Mountain God!"