Chapter 116

Chapter 116

Chen Ji checked his phone for the time. Jiao Fengqing asked, "Mr. Chen?"

Chen Ji replied, "Nothing."

Though Chen Ji offered no explanation, Jiao Fengqing automatically assumed he was waiting for an auspicious moment—after all, even project inaugurations and construction starts required choosing a propitious day, let alone something as critical as her parents' lost souls, a matter of two lives!

The elderly couple was still bickering over whose body to enter. Five minutes had passed, so Chen Ji stepped forward without hesitation, placing a hand on each of them and guiding them back into their physical forms. The next instant, both elderly bodies simultaneously gasped, "Ah!" Their previously clouded and vacant eyes suddenly sparkled with life. They stared intently at Chen Ji. The old woman clapped a hand over her mouth and blurted out, "Hey, you!"

Before Chen Ji could speak, Jiao Fengqing rushed forward. "Mom! Oh, Mom! You're awake, you're finally awake!"

Seeing they had much to discuss, Chen Ji simply packed up his things and left. Now that they had exchanged WeChat, he could just transfer the payment later. No rush.

The innkeeper saw Chen Ji descending the stairs and greeted him with a polite smile and nod. When Chen Ji acknowledged him and made to leave, the innkeeper couldn't help but step forward and quietly ask, "Did... did anything happen in Room 204?"

He had seen what looked like flames from the window.

Chen Ji nodded. "It's fine. The people upstairs are friends of my friend. Her parents were tired from shopping, and since I was nearby, I came to help."

Chen Ji didn't want to cause trouble. He had instinctively used his threads to block the fire tornado from reaching the ceiling—it shouldn't have scorched anything, but the room would definitely smell of smoke. That would dissipate soon enough.

Seeing Chen Ji's calm and composed demeanor, the innkeeper felt a wave of relief, nodding repeatedly. "That's good, that's good. Well, if you're busy... would you like some water? Let me treat you to a bottle!"

The innkeeper retrieved a bottle of sparkling drink from a small fridge and handed it to Chen Ji. Chen Ji, disliking arguments, accepted it with thanks and left the inn.

The streets of Wujiang Village teemed with tourists. Chen Ji queued for a preserved vegetable and pork pancake, then bought some cheese mochi from a neighboring stall. He sat on stone steps under the eaves, sharing half of his snacks with Second Master Huang in the pack basket before enjoying his own.

The preserved vegetable and pork pancake was thin and crispy, making a satisfying crunch with each bite. The perfect amount of oil and the unique aroma of preserved vegetables made it utterly delicious. Chen Ji ate half in one go, then took a bite of the mochi. The mochi had been pounded until no rice grains were visible. One was filled with cheese and fruit, the other with purple rice and taro paste. They were soft, chewy, and stretchy, with a rich grain aroma followed by the tang of cheese and the sweetness of fruit—very refreshing.

Though these were internet-famous foods and not local specialties, that didn't diminish their deliciousness.

Chen Ji drank half a bottle of chilled soda, burped contentedly, and felt the beauty of the world—truly, a place like Xiaoqing Mountain, teeming with man-eating monsters, was the anomaly!

A normal world should be like this: whether the streets are bustling or quiet, there are no half-human figures or people walking on their heads. Occasionally, stray cats and dogs might dart by, but definitely not a 2.8-meter Yellow Weasel that can accelerate to 800 km/h in under a second.

[Wuwu, so delicious! This is so sticky and sweet! Chen Ji, I want more!] Second Master Huang's large tail emerged from the pack basket and poked Chen Ji's arm. Chen Ji muttered as if to himself, "This stuff spoils quickly. We can come back another time to eat it... It's simple to make. How about I buy the ingredients another day and make it for you? Any flavor you want."

"Good, good, good!" Second Master Huang agreed eagerly, even forming a heart with the tip of his tail before retracting into the pack basket.

—Well, a 2.8-meter Yellow Weasel like this wasn't so bad after all.

Chen Ji's phone vibrated. He opened it to see a message from Black Impermanence: a cartoon character with a huge question mark above its head. Chen Ji sent back an "OK" to indicate everything was handled. Black Impermanence replied with a "Good bro, share the wealth" meme, ending the conversation.

Great, they didn't have to work overtime tonight and could fly home directly... Hmm, perhaps they could even travel on the company's dime? Since they were already here, it wouldn't hurt to leave tomorrow.

Seeing that the cheese mochi stall had no queue, Chen Ji quickly went over and bought two of each flavor. There was still a group of elderly, weak, ill, disabled, and pregnant people at home waiting to be fed. Fortunately, the stall owner was experienced and worked efficiently. Chen Ji waited only five minutes before everything was ready.

He stuffed all the items into his pack basket, found a small alley, and once he reached a surveillance blind spot, had Second Master Huang take him back to Xiaoqing Mountain... What a busy day!

***

Elsewhere, in the dense forest behind Xiaoqing Mountain, Second Brother and the others had successfully located their "fishing bag," hanging on a tree near where they had tumbled down. It was easily retrieved, with no signs of being tampered with.

Second Brother gazed into the dense forest. Before entering the mountain, they had all meticulously studied the videos. This forest was the habitat of the many-banded krait. They had to traverse it to reach the plateau at the back of the mountain, where the Mountain Lord had been sighted—there was a water source there, so many animals would come to drink, and the Mountain Lord would be no exception.

But the fog that had dissipated before they left had now returned.

Third Brother hesitated for a moment, lacking the courage to brave the Impermanence Fog again. Gritting his teeth, he declared, "Let's go around!"

Second Brother calmly stated, "Going around is dangerous... Fourth Brother still hasn't shown up."

Reminded by Second Brother, Fifth Brother and Third Brother finally remembered Fourth Brother. It wasn't entirely their fault—at the Mountain Lord temple, they had been focused on escaping quickly and retrieving their hunting rifles, fearing someone might have found and turned them in, which would cause significant trouble. Later, they were startled by Chen Ji and completely forgot about Fourth Brother.

Fourth Brother had said he was taking the girl to the Mountain Lord temple, but the girl was clearly not there. So where had Fourth Brother gone? Did something happen on the way?

Second Brother said, "They should have arrived long ago."

Fifth Brother couldn't help but interject, "Or maybe they already went down the mountain?"

But if they had gone down, the loss of signal didn't make sense—their signal had been fine until they encountered the Impermanence Fog. So Fourth Brother...

Fifth Brother, quick to speak, blurted out, "Could Fourth Brother have gotten lost in the Impermanence Fog while looking for us?!"

If that were the case, and Fourth Brother still hadn't contacted them...

The three of them looked into the forest, where milky-white fog drifted eerily among the trees, seemingly shifting shapes according to one's thoughts. Second Brother looked at Third Brother. "Do we go in?"

After all, they were brothers who had faced life and death together, which was why Second Brother asked.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have uttered a word.

Third Brother was silent for a long time before saying, "...We go in. One more time! If we don't find Fourth Brother, it's his bad luck!"

Fifth Brother swallowed hard. Fourth Brother and Second Brother were the most skilled among them; Third Brother was more of a strategist, and he himself specialized in various equipment. Fifth Brother whispered to Second Brother, "Second Brother, please watch out for me later."

Second Brother nodded slightly. The three of them packed their gear and were about to re-enter the forest when suddenly, someone's phone rang.

It was Fifth Brother's.

Fifth Brother was startled by the sudden ringtone. He fumbled for his phone and, seeing the caller ID, was overjoyed. "It's Fourth Brother! Fourth Brother is calling!"

They hadn't entered the range of the Impermanence Fog yet, so the signal was still present.

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Fifth Brother answered the call and heard Fourth Brother say, "Where are you? My phone fell, and the GPS is acting up... Let's meet somewhere."

"Fourth Brother," Fifth Brother quickly asked, "where are you now? Weren't you taking the girl to the Mountain Lord temple? We didn't see you there... We're in the forest heading to the back mountain. Should we meet at the Mountain Lord temple?"

"I know," Fourth Brother refused outright. "I've already come a long way. Don't go to the Mountain Lord temple—the temple keeper seems a bit off. Look to the west, come down from there, and walk about three kilometers. It's a bit dangerous, so be careful... I just saw that red fox around here."

Fifth Brother had the phone on speaker. Hearing this, he looked at Third Brother. Compared to the deadly many-banded krait hidden in the leaf litter, the red fox was easier to catch, and its price was higher. Third Brother frowned slightly. If they followed Fourth Brother's direction, they would end up back on the path they had just taken.

So he was over there?

Third Brother nodded. Seeing this, Fifth Brother agreed, "Okay, we're coming now..."

Second Brother suddenly took out his phone and checked it, then showed it to Third Brother. The GPS clearly showed Fourth Brother's location about three kilometers to their west. Second Brother frowned. "The GPS isn't broken?"

Fifth Brother had already hung up. Hearing this, he said, "It's intermittent—that's what happens when it's dropped... Second Brother, Third Brother, let's go!"

Not having to enter the Impermanence Fog was a huge relief for their safety. Great.

The three of them had no doubts and set off immediately. Three kilometers of rugged mountain path was nothing to them. Soon, they returned to the area they had just left. Worried that Fourth Brother's GPS might fail again, Fifth Brother had recorded the location. They followed the coordinates and soon found Fourth Brother sitting in a tree, seemingly gazing into the distance.

Fifth Brother quickened his pace and called out, "Fourth Brother, what are you doing?"

Fourth Brother looked down, his face pale but his eyes dark. Fifth Brother didn't notice this and asked, "Anything going on?"

Fourth Brother nodded. "I found the red fox's den."

Second Brother stared at him intently, while Third Brother was somewhat surprised: "Really?"

"Why would I make that up?" Fourth Brother jumped nimbly down from the tree, though Fifth Brother felt there was a strange stiffness to his movement, even as he landed perfectly. Fifth Brother shook his head, dismissing the strange feeling. "Then hurry up and take us there, Fourth Brother!"

Fourth Brother nodded and led them toward the mountainside. The deeper they went into the forest, the denser it became, but before long it began to thin out. The massive rocks of the cliff face gradually appeared through the gaps in the foliage, coming into sharper focus.

Standing behind the three of them, Fourth Brother pointed to a pitch-black cave and said in a low voice, "It's right in there."

Third Brother carefully observed the area. "This kind of cave might have other exits. Everyone, keep an eye out for other openings."

Fourth Brother suddenly chuckled: "Yeah, I’ve checked. There are no other exits."

Fifth Brother rubbed his arms. For some reason, a powerful feeling suddenly washed over him—he didn’t want to enter that cave.