Empress Patrolling the Mountain

Chen Mo hadn't even reacted before Xie Dong grabbed and shoved him, forcing him to kneel by the roadside.

Qiulan and Ma Tie, as if already aware, had knelt and prostrated themselves by the roadside.

Chen Mo pressed himself to the ground and turned his head to look. He saw that merchants on both sides of the road, as well as shop assistants, had all set down their work and knelt in devout reverence.

Chen Mo felt a surge of curiosity in his heart.

Was it really necessary?

And... he didn't see any Red Lantern Attendants either.

Seeing Chen Mo glancing around, Qiulan secretly tugged at his sleeve and whispered a warning: "Young master, don't look around, or you'll offend Goddess Hong Deng. That red light ahead—that's her."

Qiulan's warning was urgent, and Chen Mo, already uneasy about this world, lowered his head. But curiosity got the better of him, and he stole a glance in the direction she pointed with the corner of his eye.

In the dim distance of the canyon, there was a scarlet light.

It looked quite terrifying.

The light was far away at first, then slowly drew closer.

Huh?

The light was moving?

Chen Mo's eyes widened involuntarily.

Before long, the red light grew nearer. Only then did Chen Mo see clearly...

This was no red light at all.

It was clearly a red sedan chair hung with red lanterns.

Four women in red dresses carried the sedan chair, hopping and skipping forward as if it weighed nothing. There was also an old Daoist in a red robe, holding a red Running Horse Lantern in one hand and a bell in the other.

As the old Daoist shook the bell, it let out an eerie "ding-a-ling."

This sound...

Chen Mo was very familiar with it.

Back when he was nailed inside the wooden altar in the ancestral hall, this bell sound had awakened him. At first, Chen Mo thought it was Li Yuanlong, the yellow-robed Daoist, ringing the bell. But later, he saw Li Yuanlong perform rituals many times and never saw a bell in his hand.

Chen Mo had found it strange at the time but didn't think much of it. He figured he might have just missed seeing the yellow-robed Daoist shake the bell.

Hearing this sound now... Chen Mo suddenly jolted awake.

Could it be that the one who awakened him back then... wasn't Li Yuanlong?

But Goddess Hong Deng?

Yet no Red Lantern Attendant had ever come to the Chen Family Ancestral Hall...

Could his transmigration also be related to this Goddess Hong Deng?

At this thought, Chen Mo felt a chill run down his spine.

"Ding-a-ling~"

The red-robed Daoist kept shaking the bell, producing a piercing sound, while muttering in a low, hoarse voice.

"Living beings retreat, wild ghosts hide.

Hanged Ghost of East Ridge, Drowned Girl of West Ditch, Headless Guest of South Slope, Bone Immortal of North Cliff.

The Goddess holds the Midnight Ledger; the living must not block the Yellow Springs Road!

If a mountain spirit dares to peek, its skin will be peeled for a lantern; if a wandering soul blocks the sedan, iron chains will pierce its bones and make it wail..."

At this point, the red-robed Daoist suddenly lowered his voice and said in a strange, singsong tone:

"Hehe... have you all heard clearly?"

Hiss!

Chen Mo felt his scalp go numb, as if the red-robed Daoist had seen right through him. His heart pounded wildly in his chest. When the sedan drew closer, Chen Mo suddenly saw:

The four women in red dresses carrying the sedan were not living people at all—they were Paper Figures.

Real Paper Figures.

Very similar to the ones he'd seen earlier in the Chen Family Ancestral Hall.

Paper Figures could move?!

What was even more terrifying was that one of the female Paper Figures actually spoke, in a crisp, baby-like voice:

"The debtors return their souls! Those whose lifespans are up check in!

That Old Life-Stealing Woodcutter... hiding in the pickle jar behind the Mountain God Temple?

Are the bloodstained fingernails on the jar rim still fresh...

Tomorrow... which family's Kitchen God won't get to eat a reunion dinner?"

Hearing this voice, Chen Mo felt his heart race, his bones ache and go numb, and he curled up tightly.

The first female Paper Figure spoke, and the other three followed suit, all speaking in the same baby-like voice, uttering ghostly words Chen Mo had never heard before. As the red sedan passed by Chen Mo, a thick, bone-chilling cold rushed over him, enveloping his entire body, making him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

What made it even harder for Chen Mo to bear was that the Red-Robed Daoist shot him a sinister glare.

Just that one look felt like it had pierced straight through his guts and liver.

Chen Mo was truly terrified inside.

Fortunately, the Red-Robed Daoist only stared at Chen Mo for a moment before withdrawing his gaze and continuing forward.

"Jingle-jingle~"

The Red-Robed Daoist shook his bell again and said in a strange, mocking tone, "I patrol the mountain on the Goddess's behalf. Believers kneel for her blessing; mountain spirits and monsters dare not approach. And who might that be... Old Master Li? Why aren't you kneeling to the Goddess?"

Chen Mo followed the sound and saw a disheveled old man standing at the crossroads, blocking the path of the red sedan chair.

Could this be the Old Master Li that Xie Dong had mentioned?

Just then, the disheveled old man suddenly charged madly toward the red sedan chair, shouting, "Give me back my daughter! Give me back my daughter!"

Heh heh heh.

The Red-Robed Daoist let out a chilling laugh. "Your daughter has ascended to heaven—why cling to worldly affairs? Interfering with the Goddess's patrol path, today I'll light you up as a lantern to illuminate the Goddess's way~"

As the words fell, the Red-Robed Daoist didn't seem to do anything special—just raised his hand and patted the old man on the forehead. The old man, as if possessed, hunched over woodenly, took the Running Horse Lantern handed to him by the Daoist, and began leading the way ahead.

"Jingle-jingle~"

The Daoist shook his bell and repeated the same chant.

"Living beings disperse, wild ghosts hide away.

Hanged Ghost of East Ridge, Drowned Girl of West Ditch, Headless Guest of South Slope, Bone Immortal of North Cliff.

The Goddess holds the Midnight Ledger; living things must not block the Yellow Springs Road..."

The red sedan chair procession gradually faded into the distance, until only a red light remained, moving deeper into the dim canyon until it vanished entirely.

Thud.

Chen Mo collapsed completely onto the ground, as if all his soul and strength had been drained away. Fine beads of sweat streamed down his forehead, soaking his inner shirt and underwear.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Chen Mo's wrist tightly.

Chen Mo jolted in fright, his whole body trembling. He looked up... and saw it was Xie Dong, which let him breathe a sigh of relief.

Xie Dong shook his head with a smile. "You don't leave the city much, so you've rarely seen the Red Lantern Attendants. It's natural to feel nervous. But actually, Goddess Hong Deng is very kind, tirelessly protecting the people of Honghe County. Without her blessing, Honghe County would have long fallen into chaos."

Chen Mo nodded repeatedly in agreement, but his mind was racing: Could a Goddess like this really be so kind as to protect the common folk?

Something about it just didn't feel right.

Xie Dong, however, was used to all this and wasn't alarmed. He simply said, "Alright, enough talk. Let's head to the Li Family Residence early and get you that Qi and Blood Pill. We need to make it back to the city before dark, or we might run into Evil Spirits."

Chen Mo also wanted to leave this godforsaken place as soon as possible, so he agreed.

Following Xie Dong through a maze of twists and turns, they finally arrived at an ancient residence on the edge of the Gorge Black Market.

The light in the canyon was already dim, and with two towering Century-Old Pines planted at the entrance, their thick branches and leaves blocking the light, the old house looked dark and gloomy. Moss and ivy covered the stone walls, and not far away, an abandoned Ancient Well added to the eerie atmosphere.

Xie Dong patted Chen Mo on the shoulder. "The Li family doesn't receive strangers. I came here a few times with Third Uncle back in the day, so we're somewhat familiar. You all wait here and don't wander off. I'll go in and announce our arrival."

With that, Xie Dong entered the old residence, leaving only Chen Mo, Qiulan, and Ma Tie at the door.

They expected Xie Dong to come out quickly, but after waiting a long time with no sign of him, Chen Mo felt a strange fatigue settle in. He found a clean stone nearby and sat down.

"Qiulan, go buy some meat and flatbread to eat."

Qiulan nodded in acknowledgment and then walked away with quick, light steps.

Chen Mo instructed Ma Tie, "Ma Tie, I feel like something's off here. Keep an eye on our surroundings."

Ma Tie nodded in agreement.

And so, Chen Mo sat there, waiting quietly.

After a long wait with no sign of Qiulan returning, a wave of drowsiness washed over Chen Mo. He glanced at the armed Ma Tie nearby and wasn't too alarmed. He dozed off for a moment, only to be jolted awake by a chill.

He instinctively shivered, and as he opened his eyes, he saw a thick fog gathering around him.

The canyon had poor airflow, so occasional fog was normal. Chen Mo didn't think much of it and stood up to look around. Not far away, he saw someone crouched by the Ancient Well, half their body leaning into it, fishing for something.

The fog was thick, and he couldn't make out who it was.

Assuming it was Ma Tie, Chen Mo called out, "Ma Tie, what are you fishing for?"

No response.

Chen Mo figured his voice wasn't loud enough and called out to Ma Tie a couple more times.

Still no response.

Growing curious, Chen Mo cautiously approached, staying alert.

With every step closer, he felt a biting coldness.

When he got near, he saw it wasn't Ma Tie at all—it was a disheveled person in tattered white clothes, reeking of a foul, fishy odor.

Hiss!

Chen Mo sucked in a sharp breath.

Where was Ma Tie?

Just then, the disheveled figure stopped fishing from the well, slowly pulled their upper body back, and turned to look at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo saw a withered, wrinkled old face.

It was Old Master Li—the one who had blocked the Goddess's sedan chair earlier and been lit as a lantern by the Red-Robed Daoist.