Chapter 1: The Daoist, The Wind, The Rain, and The Mountain God Temple
You Shi (5-7 PM), sunset.
The sky gradually darkened, the setting sun fell to the west, leaving only a faint yellow streak on the horizon.
The Qingping Mountain, spanning twelve hundred li, slowly entered twilight. The mountain forests became increasingly dim, bird calls grew sparse, and insect chirps faded. The entire mountain seemed to fall into silence with the sunset.
By Xu Shi (7-9 PM), the entire Qingping Mountain was completely enveloped by night. Looking from afar, it was just a vast expanse of darkness, like a giant beast lying dormant there.
As dark clouds gathered, a sudden night wind rose, howling coldly. Thunder and lightning accompanied it in the mountain forests, and before long, rain poured down.
In the Qingping Mountain, shrouded by the night rain, wind, and clouds, only a faint, flickering light could be seen, appearing and disappearing, from the Mountain God Temple on the mountainside.
At this moment, a young Daoist, holding an oil-paper umbrella, gazed at the Mountain God Temple from afar and murmured to himself, “Presumably, that creature is here.”
The Daoist's surname was Jiang, his given name Sheng, and his courtesy name Yuanchen. He was a newly promoted Inner Sect Disciple of the Penglai Dao Sect. After successfully achieving Foundation Establishment, he descended the mountain for training in accordance with Sect rules.
All Foundation Establishment Disciples of the Dao Sect were required to train and cultivate outside. Only after opening their Purple Mansion could they return to the Sect.
Jiang Sheng, while traveling, discovered hidden mysteries in Qingping Mountain. He considered it a blessed land, and even found that some creatures in the mountain had already received some Opportunity.
This was undoubtedly a heaven-sent benefit, and Jiang Sheng naturally did not want to miss it.
Inside the Mountain God Temple at this time, flames licked at the firewood, crackling, and wisps of smoke curled upwards, circling the temple roof.
In the Mountain God Temple on this rainy night, two groups of people each sat silently around a bonfire.
In the left corner, there was a grandfather and grandson. They sat cross-legged on a pile of withered weeds, completely unconcerned by the strong wind and heavy rain outside or the dilapidated environment. The old man held two flatbreads, toasting them over the fire, while his grandson stared at the flatbreads with eager eyes.
In the right corner were five young men. They squatted on the ground, warming their hands by the fire. From time to time, someone would yawn, take out a flask from their waist for a small sip, then smack their lips and continue staring at the bonfire.
The two groups went about their own business, not disturbing each other. Though silent, there was a tacit understanding between them.
Just then, the door of the Mountain God Temple creaked open. The two groups simultaneously looked over and saw a young Daoist holding an oil-paper umbrella.
The group of young men visibly relaxed, continuing to force themselves to stay awake, warming themselves by the fire and drinking wine. The old man also went back to toasting his flatbread, but the grandson was very curious about Jiang Sheng's sudden appearance.
“The mountain rain started suddenly, and there’s nowhere to go tonight. This humble Daoist can only trouble you for a bit,” Jiang Sheng said with an apologetic bow.
“Daoist priest, you jest. This Mountain God Temple has no owner. We are also just taking shelter from the rain here. How can it be a bother? Please, Daoist priest, make yourself at home,” the old man smiled.
Jiang Sheng noticed that when the old man said the Mountain God Temple had no owner, the expressions of the young men were a bit strange.
Ignoring the young men, Jiang Sheng walked to the side of the grandfather and grandson: “Elder, may I borrow a piece of firewood?”
The old man knew Jiang Sheng wanted to start a fire to warm himself and smiled, saying, “Daoist priest, if you don’t mind, just warm yourself with us.”
“Then this humble Daoist will trouble you.”
After Jiang Sheng sat down, the old man casually asked, “Daoist priest, why have you come deep into the mountain late at night? Qingping Mountain isn’t very peaceful at night.”
Jiang Sheng explained, “This humble Daoist was traveling and came here, intending to climb the mountain to find a creature. I didn’t expect to be blocked by the night rain.”
The old man was very curious: “Oh? Looking for a creature? Daoist priest, you may not know, but Qingping Mountain is vast, and there are many venomous snakes and fierce beasts. If the creature you are looking for is rare, and you accidentally encounter mountain wolves or poisonous snakes, it would be very dangerous.”
“If that creature is very important to the Daoist priest, it’s best to ask a local hunter to guide you. That would be much safer.”
Jiang Sheng didn't answer the old man's words. He looked at the wind and rain outside the Mountain God Temple and suddenly said, “Elder, it’s better to take your grandson and leave now. This Mountain God Temple is not a peaceful place.”
The old man shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this: “It’s raining and windy heavily outside, and it’s very cold and damp. Moreover, the mountain roads are slippery at night and not safe. No matter what, this Mountain God Temple is a place to shelter from the wind and rain. How can we leave?”
Jiang Sheng shook his head: “Elder, listen to this humble Daoist’s advice. It’s best to leave now.”
The grandson looked at Jiang Sheng with a face full of doubt, and the old man was even more perplexed: “I say, Daoist priest, I kindly invited you to warm yourself by the fire, but you instead advise us two, a grandfather and grandson, to go out and get drenched in the rain. What kind of logic is that?”
Jiang Sheng sighed, and before he could continue to explain, one of the five young men suddenly spoke up: “Hey, Daoist, why do you say this Mountain God Temple is not a peaceful place?”
Jiang Sheng sighed softly, gazing at the young men with a profound look: “Qingping Town at the foot of Qingping Mountain, but Qingping Town is anything but peaceful. In recent days, several families in Qingping Town have successively hung white banners. If it’s not peaceful at the foot of the mountain, it’s even less peaceful in the mountain.”
“Daoist priest, have you discovered something?” Even if the old man was slow, he knew the situation was getting bad.
This young Daoist priest seemed to be clashing with those five young men!
Jiang Sheng nodded slightly: “This humble Daoist has discovered that resentful spirits wail in this Mountain God Temple; this humble Daoist has also discovered that evil spirits are causing mischief in this Mountain God Temple.”
“Daoist! You speak so eerily. Where are these evil spirits? And where are these resentful spirits?!” One of the young men roared, looking as if he would rush forward and hit Jiang Sheng if he couldn't explain himself.
Jiang Sheng’s gaze swept from left to right over the five young men and the grandfather and grandson, then he looked at the dilapidated Mountain God statue in front of him: “The resentful spirits are deluded and don’t even know they’re dead, and the evil spirits causing mischief are right in front of us.”
As Jiang Sheng’s words fell, the Mountain God Temple suddenly became deathly silent.
Jiang Sheng looked at the five young men, whose faces had suddenly gone blank, and lightly shouted, “Still not waking up?!”
This light shout carried the power of a spell. The five young men immediately collapsed, clutching their heads and wailing in agony.
“Ah ah ah ah! Who am I? I’m Wang Da! I’m Wang Da! I was eaten by a fierce tiger!”
“There’s a fierce tiger! There’s a fierce tiger!”
“Help, don’t eat me, don’t eat me, help!”
Piercing wails echoed in the Mountain God Temple. The five young men had, at some unknown point, turned into ghostly figures, replaying the scene of their deaths, being devoured by a fierce tiger.
The grandfather and grandson watched this scene, terrified, retreating until they were pressed against the corner of the wall.
They never expected that merely seeking shelter from the rain would lead them to witness such a horrifying sight!
Recalling Jiang Sheng’s earlier advice to leave, the old man clutched his grandson tightly, filled with regret. If only he had known the Mountain God Temple was so terrifying, he would have taken his grandson away, even if it meant braving the heavy night rain and slippery mountain roads!
Suddenly, another burst of wailing from resentful ghosts!
The five ghosts, who had been stumbling and in pain, suddenly stood up. Their faces were now blank, and between their sinister expressions, their forms gradually became illusory. In the blink of an eye, ghostly Qi permeated the air.
Chang Gui (Tiger Ghosts)!People，Even after death, he was controlled by the evil tiger，Becoming a Tiger's Ghost Servant，called accomplice。
People devoured by tigers, even after death, are controlled by the evil tiger, becoming its ghostly servants, called Chang.
“Daoist, do you know that you have ruined the Mountain God Lord’s feast?”
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