Mountain Lord's Banquet

"I've heard that most ghosts in the world have weak strength and struggle to survive, often suffering from hunger. It's even worse for wandering ghosts. If they cause trouble without reason, they can't get past their conscience, and they're also afraid of encountering powerful individuals who aren't afraid of them, or being reprimanded and punished by deities. Therefore, when something happens, they quickly seize the opportunity, even fabricating human mistakes, either demanding sacrifices and offerings or asking for help.

"I don't know if these stories are true or not."

Lin Jue paused as he spoke, a thoughtful expression on his face. "If I remember correctly, last night when I was looking for a place to stay, I even stepped on his head. If the legends are true, he didn't use this as an excuse to force me to help, which makes him more gentlemanly than the wandering ghosts in the rumors."

"Where did you hear that from?"

"I heard it from the village elders. I thought it might have some truth to it."

"I can indeed see some Ghost Qi on you, little benefactor," the old Taoist priest said with a smile. He didn't comment on the truth of the rumors but continued, "What are your plans now, little benefactor?"

The sky grew brighter, and they could see each other's faces clearly.

The old Taoist priest was thin, with a face full of wrinkles. His age was unknown, but his appearance had a touch of celestial aura and kindness. He carried a travel bag, looking like someone on a long journey.

Beside him was a young girl, no older than fourteen or fifteen. She had a pale complexion, a pointed chin, delicate features, and a refined appearance. She also carried a bag and stood silently beside the old Taoist, not speaking.

"Alas..."

Lin Jue sighed. "Although I haven't agreed in my dream, for something like this, is there any reason not to do it? If the Taoist priest is in a hurry to travel, you can go ahead. I'll walk faster later, and if fate allows, I might catch up before we go our separate ways."

"What's wrong with staying to lend a hand for something like this? Besides, I don't have many years left to live. Who knows if I'll end up in the same situation as this person in the future?"

The old Taoist priest didn't leave. He merely glanced to the side.

The young girl clearly felt his gaze. At first, she didn't understand his meaning, occasionally turning her head to meet his eyes, then looking at Lin Jue, and then looking at the coffin lid by the roadside in the distance. Her small face showed obvious confusion and thought. After pondering for a long time, she finally understood.

However, once she understood, she didn't hesitate at all. She put down her bag and stick, rolled up her sleeves, and quickly walked over to help.

Lin Jue then dismantled his saber and turned it into a cleaver. With some effort, he found a dead, dry tree and began chopping it down with grunts.

The young girl had approached with great momentum, but when she reached him, she found there was nothing she could do to help. She could only stand by, pretending to hold the tree for him, and watch him chop in silence.

Before long, a piece of wood was cut down.

Lin Jue carried the wood to the coffin and measured and trimmed it several times until it was roughly the shape of the hole in the coffin. He forcefully inserted it and knocked it a few times. When he turned around again, the girl behind him was holding a handful of wood shavings and silently handed them to him.

"Thank you."

Lin Jue selected a few pieces to fill the gaps.

When he felt it was sufficient, he also found some thick dead leaves to cover the spot. Then, using the cleaver, he dug up soil from the side to cover it and patted it down. Only then was he satisfied.

"Little benefactor, is it fixed?"

"It's fixed."

"Where are you going next?"

"Next..."

Lin Jue paused, frowning in thought.

The old man and the young girl both looked at him. One was smiling, while the other's eyes were full of curiosity.

By this time, the sky had completely brightened.

From a distance, early morning merchants and travelers could be heard. The sound of horse bells and wheels rolling over the hard ground echoed through the mountains in the early morning, creating a serene atmosphere.

"To be honest, the ghost from last night told me about a 'good thing' to get me to help. I don't know if it's true or not, nor if I should go. But now, I'm inclined to believe he was telling the truth, yet even so, I don't know if I should go." Lin Jue frowned, recalling the events.

"What?"

"He said that today, on the mountain behind us, there's a hammer-shaped mountain. The Mountain Lord there is holding a banquet and inviting people to attend, saying I could go too..."

Lin Jue roughly explained the situation.

"What a coincidence!"

The old Taoist priest smiled and said to him, "I've also heard recently that the Mountain Lord on this mountain is holding a banquet, widely inviting Demonic Ghosts and spirits from the surrounding areas who haven't caused trouble. In the past, at the Mountain Lord's gatherings, there was always a fine wine called 'Thousand Day Wine.' My disciple here loves brewing and drinking wine, so I was planning to go join the fun and see if I could bring some back."

"Hmm?"

Lin Jue couldn't help but stare at them.

The ghost in his dream had also mentioned "Thousand Day Wine."

If the old Taoist priest hadn't mentioned it, the name of the wine would have faded with the dream. Hearing the old Taoist priest say it now, he finally remembered.

At the same time, Lin Jue also recalled something else, and he began to examine the old Taoist priest carefully.

The old Taoist priest...

"May I ask where you, a true person, come from?" Lin Jue asked, carefully choosing his words.

"I'm visiting a friend, but it's too far."

"Did you pass through Qiuru County?"

"I did."

"When I was in Danxun County, I heard that a powerful individual had come to Qiuru County and dealt with some Demonic Ghosts. Are you that person?"

"I did indeed deal with an evil demon in Qiuru County, but it was just a casual act, not worth mentioning."

"This..."

Lin Jue truly felt it was a coincidence.

When they first met, he only felt that the old Taoist's demeanor was extraordinary. Coupled with the good impression he had of the monk at Zhushan Temple before, he thought that even if he were just an ordinary Taoist priest, traveling with him might be an interesting experience. Three people walking together, there must be one I can learn from, perhaps he could gain something. Later, when he told the old Taoist about seeing ghosts in his dream, the old Taoist's expression remained unchanged. He also said that he could indeed see some Ghost Qi on him. Lin Jue then felt that he might have some real skill.

He never expected it to be the one spoken of by the Wei family.

At this point, how could he not understand that the old Taoist by his side was the immortal expert he was looking for?

However, on one hand, there was this immortal expert he met by chance, and on the other, there were Mount Qi Yun and Mount Yi, which he had already decided to visit. He was momentarily at a loss.

"Does the True Man also wish to attend the banquet?"

"Does the young lay Buddhist wish to travel together?"

"Naturally, I couldn't ask for more."

Where were his doubts now?

"But even if that Mountain Lord is naturally hospitable, there's no reason to arrive empty-handed. Does the young lay Buddhist have anything to bring as a gift?"

"Would this work?"

Lin Jue took out some Peach Gum from his person.

"Essence of a Peach Demon!"

The old Taoist priest glanced at it and knew immediately. He said kindly, "This is indeed a good item. Three to five pieces are enough, the rest can be kept."

This person was indeed no ordinary Taoist priest.

Lin Jue put the Peach Gum away.

"Then let us go," the old Taoist priest said loudly, with a rather carefree air. "We have to travel through the mountains. At this time of year, the vegetation grows lushly. The cleaver the young lay Buddhist brought will be useful."

"……"

Lin Jue said nothing. This was only natural.

So, he walked with the old Taoist priest and the young girl for a while, discussing and identifying the path. Once they left the main road and entered the small path, Lin Jue walked in front, breaking through the morning spiderwebs and pushing aside the thorny bushes and weeds that blocked their way.

"Why doesn't the young lay Buddhist use his cleaver to cut them?"

"To be perfectly honest, when I was in Danxun County before, I happened to meet a demon transformed from a peach tree. We had a good chat, and it even gifted me Peach Gum. Therefore, I feel that plants also have spirits. If it's not necessary, I prefer not to cut them."

"If you don't cut them, by autumn and winter this year, the woodcutters going up the mountain will cut them down and sell them as firewood to the city folk."

"I suppose they will make good firewood then."

"Haha! A wonderful answer!"

"You flatter me……"

"Then what is it you seek?"

"Peace of mind is enough."

"Well said, 'Peace of mind is enough'!"

The old Taoist priest nodded repeatedly, a smile on his face.

In May, not only do thorns grow wildly, but the forests are deep, and it is also the most active time for snakes and insects. The group climbed the mountain for more than half a day. They encountered snakes several times. The most dangerous was a mountain viper lying across their path. It was as thick as a person's arm, a rare snake with a strong territorial nature. Seeing people intruding, it even stood up, staring directly at the group, trying to scare them away and forbid them from passing.

This old Taoist priest indeed had Cultivation.

He walked forward with a smile, bowed to the snake, and then said, "We are merely passing through, with no ill intentions. Please grant us permission to pass."

The snake stared at him, and then actually moved aside.

The old Taoist merely said, "It's just gathering beasts and taming birds."

Lin Jue's respect for him grew.

It wasn't until close to dusk that Lin Jue stopped, wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked back. He saw the layers of mountain forests below, and the main road and the place where he had started that morning were nowhere to be seen.

He didn't know how high he had climbed along the way. He only knew that several times he had looked back to see deep mountain forests, and looked up to see how high the path ahead still was, layer upon layer, seemingly endless. At this moment, he finally saw the mountain that looked like a hammer.

So it was a hammer, not a wolf's head.

The mountain was rocky, resembling a fallen hammer, with some pine trees growing on it. Below, it was all loose stones and silky green grass.

However, it seemed the hammer itself was named because it resembled a wolf's head, so it wasn't much different.

Lin Jue glanced back at the old Taoist priest behind him. The old Taoist was still composed, without a drop of sweat, his hair not even out of place. The young girl's stamina was much better than he had expected. All the way up, she was in a similar condition to him, except her face was flushed, her clothes were soaked with sweat, but she kept following them up the mountain without a word of complaint.

This little girl was not delicate.

When Lin Jue looked away again, he was suddenly startled.

In the grass ahead, a huge wild boar had appeared at some unknown time.

The wild boar weighed as much as two or three adult men, it was fat and strong, with sharp tusks and bristling mane, staring straight at them.

The old Taoist priest chuckled and stepped forward.

Just as Lin Jue thought he was about to use his "gathering beasts and taming birds" method to persuade the giant wild boar to leave, he saw him reach into his sleeve and take out a small porcelain pot. He bowed and said, "This humble Taoist is He Xianyu, with the Taoist name Cloud Crane Taoist. I happened to hear by the roadside that the Mountain Lord is holding a banquet, so I have brought some spiritual spring water from the mountains to attend."

The wild boar stared at him, its eyes flashing. It walked closer, sniffed at the old Taoist priest and the porcelain bottle in his hand, and then turned its head again to look at the two behind him.

"This young girl is my future disciple."

"Oh, I am Lin Jue. I happened to hear that the Mountain Lord was holding a feast on the mountain, and I have always admired ghosts, monsters, and spirits from various regions. Therefore, I brought a gift to visit," Lin Jue said sincerely, his heart pounding with curiosity and nervousness.

The gift he offered was three pieces of Peach Gum.

He felt it was inappropriate to visit and attend the feast without reason and with such a light gift. However, these Peach Gums were a gift from a Tree Demon, so besides their intrinsic value, they also carried a touch of friendship from an acquaintance. Although Lin Jue and that Tree Demon had only known each other briefly and could hardly be called friends, this sentiment couldn't be easily disregarded.

Earlier, the old Taoist priest had said three to five pieces would suffice. After some hesitation, Lin Jue decided to follow his advice but chose a larger number, offering three and keeping two.

A wild boar stepped forward and approached him and the young girl. It sniffed carefully, including the Peach Gum in his hand. After its eyes flickered a few times, it retreated and then turned to walk up the mountain.

The old Taoist priest strode to follow.

Lin Jue followed as well.

He understood in his heart—

This was likely where the Mountain Lord resided.