Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Chen Ji was initially startled, then his eyes crinkled into a smile. He reached out to help Chang Xu up. "Why so clumsy... are you that surprised?"

Well, in Chang Xu's eyes, Grandfather Mountain was probably as imposing and powerful a deity as he was to the Taoist priest at the City God Temple. How could such a revered figure be treated so casually by a mortal?

—*I’ll have to tell the Taoist priest about this later.*

A mischievous thought flickered through Chen Ji’s mind.

Slender fingers rested in Chen Ji’s palm, feeling somewhat cool. Chen Ji tightened his grip, fully enclosing the hand in his own, and pulled Chang Xu to his feet with a gentle tug.

*These hands are quite beautiful too.*

He thought, rather inappropriately.

Despite being someone who could wield a Tang sword and dispatch "serpent attacks" as if they were mere nuisances, Chang Xu’s hands were fair and slender, with well-defined knuckles, devoid of calluses or scars, and even his pores were barely visible. Compared to Chen Ji’s own hands, these belonged to someone who seemed to have lived a far more pampered life.

The surprise in Chang Xu’s eyes had yet to fade. Chen Ji casually released his hand, brushed some dust from the hem of Chang Xu’s clothes, and asked again, "Didn’t hurt yourself in the fall, did you?"

Chang Xu shook his head. He probably felt a little embarrassed about tripping on flat ground, explaining, "...I’m fine. It’s just hard to imagine."

Chen Ji teased, "People are free to have their preferences... Do you know there’s a white tiger on Little Green Mountain? I’m quite fond of it..."

Before he could finish, Chang Xu froze as if turned to stone. Like a marionette, he stiffly turned his head to look at Chen Ji, his lips moving slightly as he struggled to utter a single syllable: "...Huh?"

Chen Ji almost burst out laughing. "Don’t misunderstand—what I mean is... it’s alive, good-looking, powerful, and majestic. You’ve seen it too, haven’t you? Who wouldn’t like such a beautiful and awe-inspiring tiger?"

If forced to choose between White Tiger Grandpa and Grandfather Mountain to spend the rest of his life with, Chen Ji wouldn’t hesitate—he’d crush the option for White Tiger Grandpa without a second thought. He could live without romance, but he didn’t believe he possessed enough love or perseverance to devote his life to a clay or wooden idol until his dying day—that kind of devotion was usually called faith.

But Chen Ji was clearly a more devout follower of the Church of Science.

Chang Xu visibly relaxed and nodded. "I’ve seen it too."

"Right? White Tiger Grandpa even saved my life once!" Chen Ji said casually, continuing to praise the white tiger with a smile. "The first time I met it, I thought I was going to be eaten, but it showed no intention of attacking me. The second time, it saved me from a snake spirit. The third time, it thought I was lost and insisted on leading me out of the forest, even digging up bamboo shoots for me to eat... It’s truly endearing."

Chang Xu remained silent, listening intently.

Chen Ji turned to look at him. "Next time there’s a chance, I’ll introduce you to White Tiger Grandpa... Since you often frequent Little Green Mountain, being on good terms with White Tiger Grandpa can only be beneficial... What do you say?"

"..." Chang Xu was silent for a moment before replying, "No need."

Chen Ji pressed on, "White Tiger Grandpa has a wonderful personality! If you walk by the river often, you’re bound to get your shoes wet. Chang Xu, you only have one life—don’t dismiss this as trouble."

"..." Chang Xu paused. Seeing that Chen Ji was about to continue persuading him, he interjected, "...I have a grudge against the white tiger."

Chen Ji: "...Huh?"

Chang Xu met Chen Ji’s curious and puzzled gaze, then turned to look at the mountain path. "The details are inconvenient to share, but it’s better if we avoid meeting."

As a discerning adult, Chen Ji understood that further probing was unnecessary. Though he had wanted to say, "it’s better to resolve grievances than to hold onto them," he kept it to himself and instead smiled warmly. "Alright, then be careful on the mountain. If you can’t find a place to stay, come to the Mountain Lord Temple. It’s not big, but at least it has a roof."

Chang Xu nodded. "Thank you."

The words sounded more polite than sincere, as if he had no intention of taking up the offer. But Chen Ji didn’t mind. To him, Chang Xu had saved his life, while to Chang Xu, he might just be a barely familiar face. He had offered his goodwill; whether Chang Xu accepted it was his own business.

...Why did this suddenly feel like he had a crush on Chang Xu?

How absurd.

Perhaps he’d been single for too long—he had to admit, Chang Xu’s face perfectly matched his preferences, like a flower on a high peak, exceptionally beautiful and tempting to pluck.

Chen Ji chuckled lightly and changed the subject to other amusing stories. Chang Xu responded occasionally, indicating he was listening, so the atmosphere wasn’t too awkward. Before they knew it, they had reached the mountain entrance. Chang Xu stopped and asked, "When are you heading back?"

"Soon. I’ll just pick up my package and go back." Chen Ji thought about it—aside from the delivery station, there wasn’t much else worth staying for in the village. Even if he suddenly felt like buying a free-range chicken, it would only take five minutes.

"I’ll wait here for you," Chang Xu nodded.

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow and extended an invitation. "Why not come along? How about having lunch at my place?"

Chang Xu’s lips moved slightly as if he were about to refuse. Chen Ji clasped his hands together pleadingly. "I have a lot of packages to carry, and I can’t manage them alone. Chang Xu, help me out just this once! I’ll make you some ginseng chicken soup for lunch to build up your strength? I also have a big pork hock that’s about to expire—perfect to stew together today."

Chang Xu had no choice but to nod. "Alright."

Chen Ji said cheerfully, "That’s wonderful, thank you!"

With that, he entered the village with Chang Xu, naturally drawing everyone’s attention. Several older villagers waved at him warmly. "Mr. Chen Ji, you’ve come down the mountain?"

"Chen Ji, have you eaten? I just made some dishes—come and try them!"

Chen Ji responded with a smile to each. "Grandpa Zhang, no need for 'Mr.'—just call me Xiao Chen!"

"Thank you, Grandma Li, but no need, I’ve already eaten before coming down! I’m just here to pick up a package..."

The village was small, with only about twenty households. At this time, most people were either working in the fields or cooking. The ones greeting Chen Ji were mostly elderly who were no longer able to work, and there weren’t many of them. Seeing that Grandpa Zhang and Grandma Li were about to come over, likely to chat, Chen Ji quickly grabbed Chang Xu’s arm and hurried forward, calling out as he walked, "There are still things to do on the mountain—I have to go back as soon as I get my package!"

Chang Xu was tall and long-legged, so even though Chen Ji walked quickly, he kept up effortlessly. Soon, they reached the delivery station. The courier was already waiting there and called out, "Chen Ji, over here!"

The courier had a strong impression of this recent regular customer, especially since today’s packages were high-value insured items. He wouldn’t feel at ease until he handed them over to Chen Ji personally. Seeing Chen Ji arrive, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The handover was quick. Neither Chen Ji nor the courier liked to complicate things—as long as the items were correct and undamaged, it was fine. Chen Ji signed the slip cheerfully and looked through the unattended package pickup point for his packages. A few were too heavy to manage, so he left them for another time.

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"Mm," Chang Xu acknowledged and followed Chen Ji.

—*Like a personal robot, following closely.*

The thought suddenly popped into Chen Ji’s mind, and he quickly shook it off. As they left Shangyang Village, Chen Ji saw Grandma Zhang still basking in the sun. Remembering that Uncle Liu had mentioned Grandma Zhang’s chickens were good, he called out, "Grandma Zhang, do you still have any free-range chickens? Are you selling? If so, I’ll take two!"

Just then, Grandma Zhang’s daughter came out and replied, "Yes, we do! I’ll go catch them now!"

Grandma Zhang added from the side, "Get the fattest ones!"

"Alright—!" came the response from inside. Soon, Grandma Zhang’s daughter brought out two chickens, already tied up. Grandma Zhang insisted on not taking payment, but Chen Ji waved his hand. "No, no, that won’t do! Your household is fine—I insist on paying!"

Grandma Zhang stopped insisting. Chen Ji paid promptly, took the chickens, and said goodbye. Grandma Zhang said, "Xiao Chen, can you carry all that by yourself? Should I ask Shunzi to help you?"

Chen Ji waved again. "It’s fine, I can manage. If I really can’t handle it next time, I’ll ask Uncle Shun for help! Goodbye, Grandma Zhang!"

Seeing his determination, Grandma Zhang didn’t press further. Chen Ji carried a large sack in his right hand, chickens in his left, and a bamboo basket on his back filled with packages. Chang Xu silently reached out to take the sack from Chen Ji’s right hand, but Chen Ji quickly moved it away. "No, really, it’s fine. If I couldn’t carry it, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask."

Chang Xu said, "What about the bamboo basket?"

"No need, it looks big but it’s actually light," Chen Ji smiled. "You helping me with the sack is already plenty. Otherwise, I’d have to borrow a shoulder pole from the neighbors."

"Mm," Chang Xu acknowledged and fell silent again.

Some people are naturally quiet. Chen Ji, too, spoke less frequently as his energy faded. They walked along the mountain path for over an hour until Chen Ji’s energy ran out, and he rested on a large rock.

The mountain breeze rustled through the bamboo forest, and Chen Ji squinted his eyes, enjoying the pleasant feeling of the wind drying his sweat—no wonder his health had been improving since returning to his hometown. How could it not, with these regular trips up and down the mountain?

From the bamboo grove not far away emerged a villager from Shangyang Village. Chen Ji had seen him a couple of times before; he was here gathering wild forage, his bamboo basket filled to the brim. The villager smiled and greeted Chen Ji, "Young Chen, heading back?"

"Yes, Uncle Yang!" Chen Ji replied with a smile. Foraged goods needed to be preserved promptly, so Uncle Yang didn’t linger long and soon waved goodbye, adding before leaving, "Be careful heading back up the mountain alone. Call if you need anything!"

Watching Uncle Yang’s retreating figure, Chen Ji turned to Chang Xu with a grin, "It's not as if I'm alone…"

Before the words had even faded, the smile on Chen Ji’s face disappeared.

Chang Xu turned to look at him, his eyes unnervingly dark.

Chen Ji suddenly remembered how Grandma Zhang had also referred to him as "hauling all those packages by yourself." Thinking back carefully, from the moment they entered the village, no one had greeted Chang Xu.

A person like Chang Xu wouldn't just be overlooked.

So…

Chang Xu’s lips moved slightly, but before he could speak, Chen Ji patted him on the shoulder, "Hey, it's cool! My bad, man… Look, for this meal, do I need to light three incense sticks for you before you can eat?"

"Hey, so you're a ghost—big deal! I even know one who wears red, named Zhang Cheng. Brother Zhang has a bold and straightforward personality. Want me to introduce you guys sometime?"

Chang Xu: "...No need, thank you."