That day, the entire area around Long Mountain echoed with wave after wave of anguished screams.
Until every last piece of prey was dead.
Only when the sun began to set did the war finally die down.
Yan Chi woke once in the middle of it all and tried to force himself up, intending to summon back the rotting corpses that had escaped.
"Jiang Jiang, I can still hold on."
"No, you can't."
Jiang You struck him with a hand chop, and he fainted again.
"Have Old Cripple Granny force a large bowl of calming soup down him. Let him sleep for a few days."
"Zhang Shuhui, do you need to rest?"
"No need, Cult Master! I can do it!"
"Good. Take people to collect all the fallen flying beasts below the mountain. Pluck and process them. We'll eat them tonight."
Zhang Shuhui: "..."
She glanced enviously at Yan Chi, who had passed out.
Why didn't she chop me with her hand too...?
Everyone split into three groups. One group gathered the spoils and weapons from the battlefield, while another, led by Zhang Shuhui, was specifically responsible for preparing the meat for the evening.
The last group had to collect the bodies of their companions and bury them together in the rear mountain.
Old Cripple Granny said that after the burial, they would hold a farewell ceremony at Mountain God Temple, and the Mountain God would come to lead these people across Rainbow Bridge.
It was a tradition in the mountains: when a life was born, people welcomed it.
When a life departed, they had to bid it farewell after shedding their tears of reluctance. Otherwise, the soul would linger in the mortal world out of attachment, miss the Mountain God's guidance, and eventually become a lonely wandering ghost, fading