Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Liu Datie had a sudden inspiration. After getting permission from Chen Ji and the three little creatures, he aimed the live stream camera at them, while he himself ate heartily, almost making himself sick from overeating.

The viewers in the live stream had no objections whatsoever.

After finishing the meal, it was time to consider heading back. Beyond this point lay the back mountain, Grandpa Sang's territory. Chen Ji had no intention of going there himself—how could he take Liu Datie to a place he couldn't even manage? Having Second Master Huang go was merely a gesture of goodwill.

As long as these creatures didn't cause trouble, that was already more than enough.

Chen Ji glanced sideways at Liu Datie, who was rubbing his stomach. Given his condition, venturing into the back mountain again would be quite difficult.

After all, life wasn't like a novel. In novels, protagonists face treacherous journeys, often narrowly escaping death. Once the hero defeats the boss and collapses, they wake up in a hospital. Chen Ji often wondered how the protagonist's group managed to return when everyone was seriously injured or even unconscious. It's not like a video game where a teleportation circle appears after defeating a boss, allowing them to instantly return to town, right?

Now, he and Liu Datie were in a similar predicament. Hauling so much gear, even with the drone helping to carry some, they still had to trek back on foot. Just the slope in the forest on the way home would be challenging enough.

Chen Ji informed Liu Datie, who instinctively blurted out, "I can still do it!" But then he remembered the slope that had nearly sent him crashing into a tree on the way there, and he meekly agreed. Chen Ji then attached the bamboo basket and bamboo shoots to the drone, lightening their load for the return journey.

As they passed through the forest, Chen Ji gently placed Fifth Grandpa back among the dried leaves. "Fifth Grandpa, we've brought you home. We're heading back now."

Fifth Grandpa nodded slowly and settled down. Its patterns blended perfectly with the dried leaves, making it difficult for anyone with poor eyesight to spot the pit viper hidden there.

Second Master Huang perched on Chen Ji’s shoulder, while System Cat walked alongside him. Having eaten too much, System Cat thought the walk would do him good. Liu Datie found it amusing and asked, "Second Grandpa, would you like to sit on my shoulder for a while?"

Chen Ji chuckled. "You'll have to ask Second Grandpa if he's willing."

"Second Grandpa?" Liu Datie grinned, placing a hand on Chen Ji’s shoulder. "Second Grandpa, you're so handsome! How about I give you a ride? If you'd honor me, it would be my greatest fortune!"

Remembering Second Master Huang's fondness for compliments, Liu Datie showered him with praise: "Second Grandpa, you are majestic and dignified, with shoulders like a double-door refrigerator, eyes that shine like cold stars, and eyebrows as dark as painted lacquer...①"

"Mhmm... this kid sure knows how to talk..." Second Grandpa bobbed his head as he listened, looking quite pleased and even a bit smug. "That's right, that's exactly how I am!"

"My admiration for you, Second Grandpa, is like an endless flowing river, and like the Yellow River overflowing, unstoppable!②"

After enough flattery, Second Grandpa condescended to climb along Liu Datie’s arm and settle on his shoulder, his flexible tail resting on Liu Datie’s neck. Liu Datie was overwhelmed by the honor and cautiously reached out to touch it, his eyes shining with genuine delight.

System Cat tugged on Chen Ji’s pant leg. [Don’t be disappointed. I’ll let you carry me.]

Chen Ji coldly brushed him off. [It’s too hot, okay? Walk on your own.]

[Pfft! Ungrateful child!] System Cat grumbled.

Chen Ji chuckled and scooped up System Cat. The cat was very well-behaved, using his hind legs to push off Chen Ji’s arm and perch on his shoulder, head hanging down like a sandbag. Chen Ji rubbed his thick fur. [Feeling nauseous?]

[No, I’m not a real cat.] System Cat thought for a moment and added, [If I really need to throw up, I’ll jump down first. I won’t vomit on you.]

Where else could you find such a well-behaved cat?

Chen Ji felt pretty good about it.

It took them over an hour to reach the slope again. Liu Datie felt weak just looking at it. Just as Chen Ji was about to climb up and hoist Liu Datie up with a rope, he noticed something unusual about the slope. Upon closer inspection, he realized that someone had used tools to create several step-like platforms. He smiled faintly, pretty sure he knew who had done it.

He tested the steps first. They weren’t exactly easy, but they were much better than a sheer slope. After climbing halfway, he came back down and signaled for Liu Datie to follow him up.

Liu Datie was initially skeptical, but after Chen Ji pointed out the steps, he remarked stupidly, "Then why didn’t we use these steps on the way down?"

Chen Ji replied without batting an eye, "What’s faster, walking or rolling down?"

Liu Datie was momentarily speechless, and the live chat erupted in laughter.

{Reasonable suspicion that the Great Druid just wanted to see Liu Datie make a fool of himself.}

{Probably used to flying down directly. Brother must find Liu Datie quite a handful!}

{Maybe he usually rides a mount down!}

Liu Datie was used to the jokes in the live chat and didn’t mind. He just laughed and said, "Why do you call him the Great Druid? But it’s true, Brother is really popular with animals."

"Alright, enough chatting. I’m climbing up now!"

With the steps, Liu Datie made it up without any issues. Soon, they could see the roof of the Mountain Lord Temple. Liu Datie wiped the sweat from his forehead. "All I want to do when we get back is take a shower and lie down... Brother, what do you usually do at this time?"

Chen Ji played along with the question. "Take a nap... wake up around four, rest for a bit, make dinner, pay respects to the Mountain Lord, and then play games before going to sleep."

Liu Datie thought about that lifestyle and felt a strange envy. "Brother, are you living off your savings now? Is it enough?"

"Sometimes it’s a bit tight, but it’s manageable." Chen Ji said casually. "Don’t worry, I have enough to eat."

{Oh, right, right. Not much, but the shipping cost starts at two thousand, doesn’t it?}

{Enough to eat? You mean delicacies that cost hundreds per pound?}

Liu Datie also remembered the king crab in Chen Ji’s fridge and burst out laughing. After making small talk for a bit, they arrived at the Mountain Lord Temple, only to find three people standing at the entrance.

Upon closer inspection, Chen Ji recognized Taoist Master Qingjing accompanied by two unfamiliar men in suits.

"Taoist Master!" Chen Ji called out first, then turned to Liu Datie and said, "The Taoist Master isn’t comfortable being on camera. Don’t film his face."

"Sure, sure, no problem!" Liu Datie agreed and shifted the camera away.

Seeing that Chen Ji was with someone holding a selfie stick, the Taoist Master knew it wasn’t a good time to talk. He responded from a distance and waited until Chen Ji approached before saying, "Two devotees insisted on coming to offer incense, so I brought them here."

Chen Ji smiled. "Why didn’t you go inside to wait?"

Workers were still busily working in the courtyard.

"Come on, how could I go in without your permission?" Taoist Master Qingjing said, nodding toward Liu Datie as a hint for Chen Ji to introduce him. Chen Ji explained, "He’s a friend of mine, a live streamer. He’s staying with me for a couple of days."

"Oh, I see." The Taoist Master acknowledged and greeted Liu Datie before heading inside with Chen Ji. The two devotees seemed quite nervous. Chen Ji could tell at a glance—what kind of devotees would climb a mountain for two hours in suits and leather shoes to offer incense?

Did they think life was too easy?

Liu Datie, being perceptive, smiled and said, "I won’t disturb you then. I’m exhausted and need to rest. If you need help with dinner later, just call me!"

"Alright, I won’t stand on ceremony." Chen Ji nodded. Second Master Huang leaped from Liu Datie’s shoulder onto Chen Ji’s. The Taoist Master immediately took a small step back to avoid him. Chen Ji rubbed Second Master Huang’s head and laughed. "Second Grandpa is very good-tempered. There’s no need to be so jumpy."

Qingjing—the Taoist Master who had been abducted by Second Master Huang and nearly died—politely declined.

Since the two men were supposedly there to offer incense, Chen Ji took them to the main hall. The Taoist Master followed and went through the ritual—when visiting someone’s home, it’s only polite to pay respects to the host.

"Take the incense, offer three bows, and that’s it." Chen Ji handed the incense to the two men. The suited men exchanged glances, bowed three times each, and then stuffed a thick wad of money into the donation box before following Chen Ji to the side hall to rest.

Chen Ji went to make tea, and Taoist Master Qingjing followed him to give him a heads-up: "They’re from those two families in S City... They’re on the brink of death and came here to beg for a way out."

"It’s through my grandmaster’s connections. I can’t really say much." Taoist Master Qingjing nudged Chen Ji with his elbow. "You know what I mean."

In other words, his grandmaster had ordered him to bring them, but the outcome was none of his concern.

Chen Ji had already guessed as much and replied casually, "I thought their parents would be the ones to come."

"Aren't you afraid they'd think you might kill their whole families in a fit of rage?" Taoist Master Qingjing shrugged. Once anyone set foot on Little Green Mountain, Chen Ji had plenty of ways to make people die without it tracing back to him. On the mountain, people could get lost hiking, be bitten by snakes, stung by poisonous insects, or fall off a cliff. Helicopter? Even better—one crash and it's game over.

"Do I really seem that vicious?" Chen Ji retorted.

They brought the tea back, and the two men in suits stood up to receive it. Taoist Master Qingjing said, "Let's not beat around the bush. Skip the pleasantries—we need to be off the mountain before dark."

The two men in suits nodded. One of them said, "Mr. Chen, hello. My name is Zhao Fei. I'm here on behalf of the Yun, Xiao, and Zhou families to discuss a collaborative project with you."

"The terms are very favorable. Please consider it, Mr. Chen."

He handed over a document, which Chen Ji took and began reading. In short, it outlined a project led by the Yun, Xiao, and Zhou families to invest in the development of Little Green Mountain and the surrounding villages. This included building mountain roads, renovating the Mountain Lord Temple, helping Shangyang Village refurbish its farmstay accommodations, and even covering the operation and promotion of the project for the first three years after completion.

The document clearly specified the revenue split: the Yun, Xiao, and Zhou families would each take 10% of the revenue, 10% would go to Shangyang Village, and the remaining 60% would belong to Chen Ji. It also detailed the projected earnings once the project was completed.

All Chen Ji needed to do was agree to the development. Everything else would be handled entirely by the three families, with him having to do nothing else.

Chen Ji closed the contract.

These three families had likely noticed him through the livestreams, realized he had allowed Liu Datie to broadcast from the mountain, deduced his intentions, and promptly sent someone to negotiate with a ready-made contract. As long as Chen Ji was willing to ensure the safety of those three young masters, everything would go exactly as he wished.

—They were all cunning old foxes.