Fate Has Run Its Course

As Elder Tao's voice, laced with laughter, echoed, the two guardian divine generals turned to look. By then, the moon had already set, and the sun had risen. The winter sunlight, always carrying a hint of coolness, pierced through the mountain passes where patches of snow still lingered. The blue-robed youth raised a hand, pushing aside pine branches, the divine aura of having traversed dozens of miles underground still clinging to him.

The spirit beasts all recognized this young man.

Especially the little deer, which hopped over.

And rubbed against his leg.

The two divine generals exchanged glances, suspicion in their eyes. They could both tell at a glance that the young man before them did not possess a high level of cultivation.

However, the aura of an Earthly Deity that emanated from him was genuine and undeniable, impossible to fake. They stepped forward to pay their respects, addressing him as Mountain God.

Qi WuHuo returned the bow, "May I ask who the two of you are..."

The two divine generals were startled and moved aside, not daring to accept his bow.

Elder Tao stroked his beard and chuckled, "These two, one is named Wu Luning, and the other Kang Linchang. They were both generals from two hundred years ago. After their deaths, they were buried here. Due to the rich Primordial Qi and Primordial Essence, they were summoned as divine generals, connected to the earth veins. They have been protecting this place for a century. Normally, they manage the earth veins and expel demons and ghosts. Only when major events occur does the Mountain God appear."

Elder Tao introduced them one by one, then pulled Qi WuHuo over, examining him from head to toe. He sighed with emotion:

"He really did pass the position on to you."

"You and I can certainly get along well."

"However, given your nature, you won't be staying here for long, will you?"

The old man shook his head and sighed, looking at the token on the young man's waist. Recalling the young man's wish to not be freed, he felt a pang of emotion.

Watching the Mountain God pursue the Dao, and then thinking of the blue-robed youth before him, who might do the same in a few years, how carefree that would be. In comparison, although he had gained five hundred years of lifespan, he was merely confined to one place. What was called freedom and ease might, in the eyes of these true cultivators, be nothing more than bones in a tomb. Thinking of this, he felt a wave of melancholy.

For a moment, he even felt an urge to pursue the Great Dao himself.

But considering the long and arduous path to the Great Dao, the thought only circled in his mind before being suppressed.

Forget it, forget it.

Why seek the Dao?

Perhaps he'd die on the road?

It was better to live peacefully for five hundred years.

The elder suppressed the memories of his youthful cultivation that occasionally surfaced. He merely stroked his beard and smiled, explaining to Qi WuHuo the duties of a Mountain God. They walked slowly, reaching the edge of the mountain. The old man pointed to the town in the distance and said, The Mountain God Talisman Seal allows you to grasp the flow of the earth veins. Here in Crane Link Mountain, you naturally have control. But in reality, you can even borrow the earth veins of other places to travel, using the earth escape technique.

"Why not give it a try."

Qi WuHuo looked at his distant home and shook his head, politely declining. He smiled, "Perhaps we should just walk down the mountain?"

After bidding farewell to the three Earth Gods, he patted the spirit beasts behind him. "Oh, and one more thing."

The two guardian divine generals of Crane Link Mountain stood respectfully behind him.

"Mountain God, please instruct us."

Qi WuHuo replied, "I just received the talisman seal from a friend and took on this position of Mountain God. There are many things I'm not used to, so I might need the help of you two generals."

The two guardian generals bowed. "We wouldn't dare."

"It is our duty!"

Qi WuHuo could see that the spirit beasts were simply happy that a non-malevolent guest had become the Mountain God. These two guardian divine generals, however, were somewhat doubtful whether he truly had the qualifications to shoulder the responsibilities of a Mountain God. But this was also normal. Qi WuHuo said, "I have just become the Mountain God. In the next few days, I will be explaining the Daoist Magic for the first time. I hope the two of you will also attend."

He usually chatted with the Earth Gods about the Daoist Five Arts and had also obtained Tantai Xuan's Record of Becoming Immortal and the Mountain God's cultivation notes.

Although it wasn't otherworldly, explaining the basics of cultivation to the spirit beasts in the mountains was not an impossible task.

The two guardian divine generals were taken aback. Seeing his age, they felt a degree of disdain and disregard in their hearts.

However, they remained extremely respectful on the surface and bowed, "Yes!"

Qi WuHuo gave a slight bow and, after exchanging pleasantries with Elder Tao and the three Earthly Deities, waved goodbye to the spirit beasts. He then turned and walked along the mountain path, accompanied by flocks of birds and beasts, his footsteps light as he gradually moved further away.

Shen Hongxue stood behind Elder Tao and said, "How strange. He possesses the earth-evasion technique, why didn't he use it?"

Elder Tao replied, "What do you know?"

"This is precisely his brilliance..."

The old man sighed.

Shen Hongxue asked in confusion, "What is so brilliant about it?"

Elder Tao said, "The brilliance lies in..."

The old man paused, as if organizing his thoughts, and finally said, "He understands the difference between the Dao and techniques. The Mountain God's earth escape technique is merely an external tool, and he still remembers that he is human."

"He has grasped his true nature and is not burdened by supernatural abilities."

"Impressive, truly impressive."

Shen Hongxue was confused, but seeing Luo Yizhen also nod in agreement.

He remained silent, feeling that he couldn't lose face here.

So he nodded and said, "Indeed."

The three Earthly Deities stood with their hands behind their backs before the guardian spirits and the rest of the spiritual beasts, watching the youth descend the mountain. They all nodded in unison:

"Impressive!"

Qi WuHuo looked back at the Mountain Gods bidding him farewell. Seeing them nod, he was filled with confusion.

Shaking his head, he continued down the mountain. On the way, he picked up firewood. Compared to before, when he needed to bend over each time, he now only needed to utter a magic incantation to summon a gust of wind. He quickly gathered a good amount, tied it into a bundle with a rope, and took out a handful of pine nuts he had just collected. He opened his hand, letting a squirrel land on it.

The squirrel had given him many winter fruits. Qi WuHuo wiped one on his clothes and took a bite. The frozen fruit felt crisp and sweet.

"I'll save one for the old gentleman to eat."

"If I walk down the mountain, I can gather some firewood and conveniently buy some meat."

The blue-robed youth thought to himself.

If his escape technique wasn't well-practiced, appearing suddenly could be quite frightening.

While Qi WuHuo was buying meat, the burly butcher casually added some extra meat for him. He then wrapped it in dried lotus leaves and handed it to Qi WuHuo, saying, "Here you go, kid. You've got some income lately, huh? Ha, you can afford meat now!"

Qi WuHuo smiled and replied, "Mr. Su gave me some money."

The butcher suddenly understood, "Mr. Su, huh? Haha, he's a good man."

As Qi WuHuo was about to leave, the butcher suddenly called out to him, "Oh, right, kid."

"Did you have some conflict with those guys in silk clothes? They've been saying you're rude lately, making a lot of people feel like they need to distance themselves from you."

The butcher stared at him, "What's going on? Kid, you haven't done anything you regret, have you?"

Qi WuHuo replied, "I haven't done anything wrong to anyone."

The butcher grinned, "That's good, haha. If you can look up and face the heavens, and look down and face your ancestors, then nothing else matters. Anyone who distances themselves from you because of this isn't someone worth associating with. Let them go to hell! You brat, you grew up in this town, you drank its water, so you're one of its people. I'll be keeping an eye on you, don't go astray."

"Here—"

The butcher tossed him a lotus leaf package.

Inside was some minced fine meat.

"It'll be the New Year in a while. This is for you, eat some meat."

"Young man, you need to build a strong body."

"How can you study properly if you're not well-fed!"

Qi WuHuo was stunned. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Uncle Zhang."

Someone came to buy things. The butcher lowered his head and started to get busy. Hearing Qi WuHuo's words, he just waved his hand and cursed with a smile, "Get lost, you're too formal!"

Qi WuHuo smiled and bid farewell, heading back along the road. The old man was still brewing tea. Seeing the blue-robed youth approach with a smile, he stroked his beard and greeted him. The young man took out a package containing those winter fruits. They were somewhat unappealing in appearance and bore traces of insect damage. The old man smiled and asked, "Where did these come from?"

Qi WuHuo replied, "A squirrel friend from the mountain gave them to me."

The old man laughed heartily. He took one, wiped it, and took a bite. "Sweet."

"Mmm, they are very sweet. These fruits that don't look very good are always the ones left until last."

"If they're lucky and don't rot, and the snow falls in winter and freezes them, they taste even better."

Qi WuHuo pointed to the package, "Uncle Zhang, the butcher next door, gave me some meat today. We can try making dumplings. I've heard of steamed buns, dumplings, and wontons, but I've never eaten them before, so I don't know how to make them. I have eaten steamed buns, though."

The old man looked at Qi WuHuo.

Since his arrival, the young man seemed to have developed a greater enthusiasm and focus on cooking.

Eating alone versus eating with someone else seemed to make a world of difference.

The old man sighed. After finishing the fruit, he suddenly said, "However, I will be leaving soon too."

Qi WuHuo's movements paused slightly.

The old man stroked his beard and lowered his gaze, smiling. "I usually wander the world, and I might be anywhere. Our karmic connection has run its course."

"Calculating the time, it's about time for me to leave. But knowing my personality, I should leave you with a small gift."

The old man glanced at the fruit and beckoned with a smile, "Come here."

"I have a question for you."

"Let's see what you can take from me."