Chapter 29

Chapter 29

By the time they reached Shangyang Village, it was completely dark. Uncle Liu parked the car and warmly greeted, "Xiao Chen, why not stay at my place for the night? It's too dangerous to go up the mountain this late!"

Uncle Liu held him back, not letting him leave. "No, no, no, Xiao Chen, don't be so polite with me. If the villagers found out I let you go up the mountain in the dark, I'd be drowned in their spit!"

Chen Ji picked up the flowers. "It's not that I'm unwilling, but there are rules to follow. It wouldn't be good if I didn't go back."

Since he put it that way, Uncle Liu couldn't press him further. He asked if Chen Ji had brought a flashlight and, upon learning he had, let him go.

Chen Ji, carrying a basket on his back and holding ten pounds of pork and five pounds of fat, had summoned System Cat to help carry two bundles of vegetables to lighten the load. As he walked, Chen Ji smiled wryly and said, "There's no such thing as a free lunch."

The bill for that barbecue feast was coming due right here.

System Cat, carrying the vegetables, followed Chen Ji up the mountain. "Why not stay? It's so dangerous up here in the middle of the night! Be careful—don't answer if anyone calls you, even if you know they're alive. Better they die than me, got it?"

"Got it," Chen Ji replied. He had initially considered accepting Uncle Liu's offer because of the dangers of the mountain at night, but today the Taoist priest had asked if he had offended Grandfather Mountain. He remembered that yesterday, when he reported to Grandfather Mountain, he had promised to return in the evening with flowers. Breaking his promise would surely count as an offense, so he decided to risk going back up the mountain.

The System Cat looked serious, its eyes and ears on high alert, but it was futile, since it couldn't detect most supernatural beings. If it weren't afraid of being discovered by the main system, it would've transformed into a giant cat and carried Chen Ji back at top speed.

After all, in martial arts, the ultimate defense is speed! As long as they returned to the Mountain Lord's temple before any ghosts or monsters noticed Chen Ji, it wouldn't be dangerous!

The cool evening breeze brushed against Chen Ji's face. For some reason, while nights on Little Green Mountain used to put him on high alert, tonight the mountain felt peaceful and serene, like the forest after the white tiger had snacked on the King Cobra like it was a piece of jerky. It felt tranquil and natural, not sinister or frightening.

Occasionally, the sounds of insects chirping and birds' wings brushing against leaves reached his ears. The moonlight was bright, and Chen Ji, bathed in it, felt inexplicably comfortable.

After walking for about half an hour, Chen Ji grew tired. The load was too heavy, so he sat down on a rock to rest. He unloaded the things from System Cat, and the two shared a can of cola.

Suddenly, a dark figure darted out from the grass. It tilted its round head and stopped in front of Chen Ji, asking, "Chen Ji, what are you drinking?"

Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat. Upon closer look, he realized it was Second Master Huang. He waved, and Second Master Huang naturally climbed up Chen Ji's pant leg to his knee. Chen Ji held the bottle opening to Second Master Huang's mouth. "Try it."

Second Master Huang had already caught the sweet scent. As Chen Ji tilted the bottle, Second Master Huang's pink tongue tasted the honey-like flavor, and the bubbles burst on its tongue. Its eyes lit up. "It's delicious! What is this? Honey water?"

Chen Ji didn't know how to explain 'science and harsh ingredients', so he laughed. "Pretty much. Sugar water."

System Cat watched disdainfully as Chen Ji proceeded to pet Second Master Huang from head to tail, not even missing the tip of its tail. Second Master Huang, completely unaware, gulped down the sweet drink, holding the bottle with both paws. It finished half the cola quickly, released the bottle, and let out a loud burp.

"Burp! Delicious! Burp—!" Second Master Huang complained. "Why didn't you share this sooner?"

Chen Ji took the opportunity to stroke Second Master Huang's head with his index finger, feeling its silk-like fur. "Which do you prefer, this or milk tea?"

Second Master Huang's small face showed a conflicted expression. "Can't I like both? ... Stop scratching my ears!"

Its small paws brushed aside its semicircular ears, pushing Chen Ji's finger away. It sat on Chen Ji's knee. "Why are you out so late today, kid?"

"I went down the mountain to buy some food and supplies." A cunning idea suddenly occurred to Chen Ji, but he sighed on the surface. "I meant to fry up some pork cracklings for you, Second Master Huang, but there's too much. I can't carry it all..."

Second Master Huang immediately recalled when it was young and stole some cracklings in Shangyang Village. They were freshly fried, and it couldn't resist trying to snatch a piece. Unfortunately, it knocked over the plate, prompting the owner to chase it with a hoe. It barely escaped with a broken leg. It still remembered the taste—so fragrant, crispy, and oily, even better than lard. If it could go back, it would steal them again.

Second Master Huang had already spotted the fat Chen Ji had set aside. It gulped. "Can't carry it? I'll help you carry it up the mountain!"

Chen Ji had been waiting for just this offer but put on a worried expression. "Wouldn't that be too much trouble? It wouldn't be respectful to you."

Second Master Huang glanced at him sideways, its expression seemed to say, "That's not what you said when you tied me up and tried to send me to my demise."

Second Master Huang's shadow spread from its feet, growing with the wind until it transformed into a pure black weasel standing 2.8 meters tall. It motioned for Chen Ji to stop dawdling and hurry up.

Chen Ji thanked him profusely but didn't hesitate to hang the basket and meat on it, along with the two bundles of vegetables from System Cat—everything went onto Second Master Huang.

Second Master Huang handled it easily and glanced sideways at Chen Ji. "Kid, hop on too."

Chen Ji waved his hand. "No need, this is already too much trouble."

"Fine." The giant weasel shook its tail, which was almost as long as its body. Second Master Huang's form suddenly separated from the shadow. It jumped onto Chen Ji's shoulder and settled there proudly, lifting its chin. "That's your Second Master Huang for you."

*Is something targeting him?*

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled. "I've tired you out. I'll make pork cracklings for you tomorrow."

"Great!" Perhaps it replied too quickly and too eagerly. Second Master Huang coughed after speaking and relaxed only when it saw Chen Ji hadn't noticed.

It took an hour, but Second Master Huang got Chen Ji to the Mountain Lord's temple. Chen Ji lifted it from his shoulder and placed it on the steps, opening another bottle of sweet drink for it. He busied himself unloading everything while Second Master Huang gulped down the drink. "Why do you always have so much to carry... What would you do without me? Tsk, tsk."

"I'm human," Chen Ji said casually without turning around. "Living people require a lot of stuff. There's still a lot of my stuff at the village package delivery station. I'll have to ask someone to bring it up later..."

"Why go to all that trouble? Just wait at the mountain gate with your things, and I'll bring them up for you," Second Master Huang blurted out, immediately regretting it. But seeing Chen Ji turn around with a face full of pleasant surprise, it felt too embarrassing to take it back. It snorted. "It's just a few things, right? It's nothing. I can have the youngsters from my clan handle it. Just give them a couple bottles of this sugar water! They'll be lining up for the job!"

Chen Ji strode over and shook Second Master Huang's small paw up and down. "This is a huge help. Thank you, Second Master Huang!"

Chen Ji thought to himself that he could use more of these cheap porters who'd carry dozens or even hundreds of kilograms up the mountain for just two bottles of cola.

"Hmph~" Second Master Huang looked closely at Chen Ji's face. The young man had exceptionally handsome features, and now his eyes were filled with relaxed, cheerful laughter, washing away the previous sense of dread it had felt. It withdrew its paw. "Stop trying to sweet-talk me, your Second Master Huang. Go do your work!"

Seeing how respectful the kid was, next time it could bring a couple of the young ones to help him out—this kid was no good at manual labor. It was painful to watch him work!

But then, all living humans were like that.

Chen Ji soon finished up. Second Master Huang retracted its shadow, bid Chen Ji farewell, and left. Chen Ji did try to get it to stay, but the middle of the night was when weasels were most active. Second Master Huang wasn't about to stick around for some make-believe game; it turned tail and left.

Chen Ji carried the flower bouquet inside, saying, "Xiao Ba, go pick a few dishes you like from the fridge to thaw."

System Cat turned and headed that way. Chen Ji was off to pay his respects to the mountain god again.

Chen Ji entered the main hall, replacing the wildflowers in the vase with the bouquet he brought back. He murmured to himself, "Grandfather Mountain, please forgive me for returning so late. I'll offer you dinner once it's ready... I specially brought these flowers back for you. I spotted them right away at the flower shop and thought they'd look beautiful in front of you. They were a bit expensive... but it was worth it for Grandfather Mountain. I hope you will accept it as a token of my sincerity."

Chen Ji arranged the bouquet into the most beautiful shape, even taking a photo enthusiastically before heading to the kitchen to prepare dinner. As usual, he set aside a portion for Grandfather Mountain, offered incense, and then returned to have dinner with System Cat.

System Cat finished dinner quickly, eyes sparkling. "Chen Ji, let's make pork cracklings!"

"You can still eat?" Chen Ji was actually pretty tired, but not so much that he couldn't keep his eyes open. He saw System Cat lift a paw and turned to see the air fryer and extension cord already set out by System Cat. All he had to do was chop the lard, put it in, and plug it in.

For a moment, Chen Ji was tempted, but then he tapped the cat's head with his finger. "Let's do it tomorrow."

The lard still needed to be washed and chopped. Although the air fryer was better than a large iron wok with less oil splatter, doing it repeatedly would definitely leave them covered in grease. Given the time, he'd only manage one batch before needing to sleep, and the rest would have to wait for tomorrow. Better to do it all together tomorrow.

System Cat's head drooped in disappointment. Chen Ji paused, then sighed. He took a piece of leaf lard from the fridge and cut off a small piece. "Alright, I'll make a small batch for you first."

System Cat: "...?!"

"Hooray—! You're my real dad—!"

Chen Ji: "Where does that leave your creator?"

The aroma of oil slowly spread through the air as the snow-white, delicate lard rendered into a rich layer of oil, sizzling in the pan and gradually turning into golden crispy bits.

"It's delicious!"

"Want another piece?"

"Yes!"

"Another one?"

"Bleh—! I can't eat anymore! So greasy—!"

Chen Ji's laughter faded away. Here, the lights went out, while elsewhere, another light came on, but soon went out again.