Chapter 175

Chapter 175

A strong, metallic taste of blood spread over his tongue, accompanied by sharp pain, bringing a measure of clarity to Chen Ji's mind. He remained still, nestled in Huang Mao's embrace, neither resisting nor responding, simply waiting for its next move.

【It... is... where?!】 Huang Mao's voice was mixed with a tiger's roar, sounding strangely indistinct for some reason. A chilling wind, seemingly from nowhere, poured in, making Chen Ji's hands and feet go numb. He lowered his eyelids. "I don't understand who you are seeking. Let me help you find them, okay?"

"It... is... where..." Huang Mao's voice grew even more blurred.

"I don't know," Chen Ji said calmly. "Who exactly are you looking for?"

Suddenly, Chen Ji grunted. The skin entwined by the black mist split open, blood flowing down and being rapidly absorbed by the dark fog. His brow furrowed for only a moment before relaxing again. Having already had some of his vitality drained by the rain earlier, and now having his blood directly extracted, Chen Ji even felt unsteady on his feet.

He simply relaxed his limbs, shifting his entire weight onto the black mist. He coughed twice. "Grandfather Mountain, who are you looking for? I'll help you find them. Please stop the rain quickly... If it doesn't stop, it will harm you greatly..."

'Betrayal', 'kill', 'you', 'forever', 'never leave'.

Perhaps because Huang Mao wasn't human, its logic was quite easy to guess. Chen Ji didn't even need to ponder whether this statement was directed at him, immediately saying, "Grandfather Mountain, when I came up the mountain just now, I saw many small animals on the verge of death. Please stop this rain quickly!"

He remembered from the dream that Huang Mao was quite friendly to the animals in the mountains. When not hungry, they could even play on His head.

"There are also many workers on the mountain... Aren't they very devout to you? If this rain continues, they won't be able to hold on either!"

Chen Ji placed a hand on the black mist, speaking softly and gently. "We've only just started receiving some incense offerings. Even if you want to find someone, let's take our time, okay? I will definitely help you find them!"

"You... lie... to... me," Huang Mao enunciated each word slowly.

Chen Ji's gentle features showed no trace of strain. "How could I lie to you? Grandfather Mountain, I am your temple keeper. I am to serve by your side for my entire life. How could I lie to you?"

Chen Ji paused, offering a bitter smile. "You even saved my life... How could I forget that?"

—He was lying. He didn't know about this at all. If not for his grandfather appearing in his dream, he would never have realized in this lifetime that his constant nightmares of being chased by ghosts, his descent into mental confusion, and his near-suicide all stemmed from that one small promise.

He had speculated about it before, but saying it aloud was useless, so he never mentioned it.

What good would mentioning it do? Given Huang Mao's pitiful intelligence, his grandfather had made a wish, requested protection, and it had been granted. Therefore, Chen Ji should serve by His side for his entire life. Even in death, he should become a ghost forever bound to the mountain god temple.

Just like those red-robed ones. When the villagers sent brides, they became His brides. If their souls were devoured along with their bodies, that was that. If their souls remained and conditions happened to allow it, then they would become His ghost servants.

The black mist around Chen Ji loosened slightly. The sudden rush of blood flow made those areas feel as if pricked by needles. Chen Ji still maintained his gentle, devout expression. "I won't forget. We must keep our promises, right?... Who exactly are you looking for?"

"...Chang... Xu..." Huang Mao's voice blurred again.

"Chang Xu, is it?" Chen Ji seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "Chang Xu probably wouldn't run far. He likely can't leave Little Green Mountain too far, you know that best, don't you? He's probably at the foot of the mountain, maybe delayed by something? Don't worry too much. He won't go far."

Although he didn't know what had happened between them that caused Xiangxiang to split off, Huang Mao had always wanted to devour Xiangxiang to reclaim that portion of power.

The black mist fell away from Chen Ji's body. That feeling of weakness inexplicably gave Chen Ji the impression that He was very frail. He said softly, "Grandfather Mountain, please withdraw your power. Once the rain stops, I can have everyone help you find Chang Xu."

The black mist dissipated in that instant. Sunlight seemed to finally break through the heavy barriers, falling upon Little Green Mountain once more. Chen Ji couldn't quite describe this feeling, but Huang Mao's domain should have been withdrawn.

The pattering rain also vanished in an instant.

Chen Ji slumped onto the polished stone tiles, blood staining the ground in an ugly dark brown patch. He slowly let out a breath. This hurdle had been passed more easily than he had imagined.

He had originally thought Huang Mao would definitely try to kill him, but he hadn't expected that as long as incense offerings were involved, Huang Mao would easily let him go—the blue-robed ghost fairy was right. Between heaven and earth, all living beings have desires. Even without wisdom or the ability to think, they all want to survive.

Even gods are no exception.

Sounds from outside rushed into the main hall with the warm breeze, making everything lively again. It seemed the workers outside were playing cards, shouting 'a pair of jacks!' while saying 'the rain has finally stopped!'.

Chen Ji lowered his gaze to look at the dark brown bloodstain on the ground, slowly pondering something.

When he arrived and saw the domain, saw the rain covering such a large area, he had found it very strange. Second Grandfather had said on the way that this rain was Huang Mao going mad—even with workers coming to offer incense daily, how many could there be? Even if all the workers came, it would only be about a hundred people. Could Huang Mao's power have increased to this extent in less than seven days?

Huang Mao desperately needed incense offerings. If a hundred people could make Him this strong, He wouldn't need to keep him... So, since He couldn't sustain such heavy rain, why had this rain lasted so long? Where did the absorbed vitality go?

If He had possessed the strength to create this rain long ago, why wait until now?

Did this rain mean... harming others without benefiting itself?

A faint smile touched Chen Ji's lips. Because Huang Mao didn't have that strength, the vitality that was drained was actually used to sustain this rain meant to search for Xiangxiang?

He was already very weak, yet He recklessly used this rain regardless of cost. That's why Second Grandfather said He had gone mad.

Footsteps approached. Before seeing the person, a voice was heard first. "Mr. Chen! Mr. Chen—! Ah—!"

The foreman took several steps back the moment he saw Chen Ji, his hand pointing at him trembling. The next instant, he immediately strode over to help Chen Ji up. His hand touched something warm; looking down, his palm was covered in blood.

Only then did he realize the dark liquid soaking into the blue bricks was Chen Ji's blood!

"Mr. Chen, what happened to you?!" the foreman shouted. "Someone, quick! Someone come! Mr. Chen is injured!"

A dozen or so workers hurried over immediately. Chen Ji waved his hand. "It's nothing, just a minor injury."

The foreman supported him, afraid he might collapse. "Oh dear, Mr. Chen, don't be stubborn! Is this a minor injury? Quick, call for help!"

"No need," Chen Ji gently pushed him away, standing steadily on his own. He straightened his clothes. "I just didn't handle things well, took a fall, scraped myself a bit."

Chen Ji's smile, against his pale face, cast an indescribable, eerie ghostly aura. "The rain has stopped. You can leave now."

The dozen or so people had arrived by now. Seeing the scene, none of them spoke, as if all frightened by Chen Ji. Chen Ji's voice was soft. "Go back quickly. Get more sun, cook some meat to eat tonight."

The foreman felt his own hands trembling. "Ah... yes! Yes!"

Chen Ji slowly walked out, leaving a bloody footprint with each step. Yet, the workers dared not make a sound. After Chen Ji entered his room, Second Grandfather finally returned from outside. "The rain has finally stopped. Little Red took those workers to get settled; its illusion technique is still passable... Holy shit!"

Second Grandfather cursed the moment he saw Chen Ji's condition. "What happened to you?!"

"Grandfather Mountain was in a particularly bad mood today," Chen Ji said, taking off his upper garment, revealing spiral-shaped wounds, the flesh torn open. "Second Grandfather, help me apply some medicine. I can't reach my back."

"You need to go to the hospital for this!"

"If I go to the hospital, they'd have to call the police," Chen Ji explained briefly before turning sideways to let Second Grandfather help apply the medicine. In his mind, he called out to Xiao Ba: [Xiao Ba, now, immediately, right away.]

The System Cat had hidden inside Chen Ji's body while Second Grandfather wasn't paying attention earlier. The situation had been urgent, and Second Grandfather hadn't had time to mind it. It said: [Holy shit, I was scared to death just now! I thought you were going to die! What is it? Speak quickly! I've already ordered ointment; it'll arrive in two hours!]

[Take inventory of the medicinal supplies we have at home. Find some restorative ones. We're going to save people.]

Chen Ji said meaningfully: [Also, after this rain, many people will probably get sick, right? You understand what I mean?]

System Cat: [What do you mean?]

Chen Ji fell silent for a moment, unable to hold back a sigh. [Go online and post about this matter one by one.]

System Cat: [??? Okay.]

Although it didn't understand what Chen Ji intended to do, it just needed to follow his instructions.

Second Grandpa finished applying the ointment for Chen Ji and bandaged him up. After taking a fast-acting painkiller and changing into fresh clothes, Chen Ji looked completely put together again.

He called out, "Second Grandpa, come with me to the mountain. We'll save whoever we can."

Second Grandpa didn't jump onto his shoulder but walked ahead of him instead. The moment Chen Ji stepped out of the room, he caught a glimpse of red by the door. Glancing sideways, he saw a ghostly bride.

Dressed in wedding attire with crimson lips, she stared directly at Chen Ji without any hesitation.

Chen Ji asked, "What is it?"

The red-clad bride covered her mouth with a light laugh. "The Mountain Lord sent me to follow you."

"Alright, Sister Yunxiang," Chen Ji replied without much fear. After all, they'd spent decades together in the dream.

The red-clad bride paused, staring at him, astonished. "You know me?"