The Mountain Lord's Banquet

"I've heard that most ghosts in this world are weak. They struggle to survive and are often plagued by hunger—wild ghosts even more so. If they cause trouble for no reason, they might fail their own conscience, and they fear running into some powerful master who isn't afraid of them, or being reprimanded and punished by the deities. So whenever something happens, they seize the opportunity, sometimes even inventing some fault of a person's, then either demand offerings and thanks or ask people for help.

"I don't know whether such stories are true or not."

Lin Jue paused and looked thoughtful. "If I remember correctly, when I was looking for a place to spend the night yesterday, I even stepped over his head. If the stories are true, then he didn't use that as an excuse to force me to help him, unlike the wild ghosts in those tales. He's rather more of a gentleman."

"Where did you hear that?"

"From an old villager. I thought it might make some sense."

"I did see a little Ghost Qi about you, young layman." The old Taoist smiled. He didn't comment on whether the rumor was true, but continued asking, "What do you plan to do now?"

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

The old Taoist was rather thin, with a face full of wrinkles. It was hard to guess his age, but his features carried a touch of Immortal Qi and kindness. He had a bundle slung over his shoulder, making him look like he was headed on a long journey.

The girl beside him was very young, perhaps fourteen or fifteen. Her face was pale, her chin pointed, and her delicate features were quite pretty. She, too, carried a shoulder bag, and stood silently beside the old Taoist without saying a word.

"Ah..."

Lin Jue sighed. "Though I haven't agreed to help him in my dream, what reason do I have not to do it? If you're in a hurry, Taoist, please go on ahead. I'll hurry after you, and if fate wills it, I may catch up before our roads diverge."

"What harm is there in staying to lend a hand? Besides, I don't have many years left. Who knows whether I might end up in the same predicament as him one day?"

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

The girl clearly noticed his gaze. At first, she didn't understand what he meant. She looked at him, then at Lin Jue, then toward the coffin boards by the roadside. Her little face plainly showed confusion and thoughtfulness. It took her a while to figure it out.

But once she understood, she didn't hesitate. She put down her bag and wooden staff, rolled up her sleeves, and hurried over to help.

Lin Jue took apart his plain saber and turned it into a Firewood Knife. After a bit of effort, he found a tree that had long since died and dried out, then began chopping away with a grunt and a heave.

The girl had come over with great enthusiasm, but once she reached him, she realized there was nothing she could do to help. She could only stand nearby, pretending to steady the tree, and silently watch him chop.

Before long, he had cut off a piece of wood.

Lin Jue carried it to the coffin and tried it against the hole several times, trimming it until it was almost the right shape. He forced it into place and hammered it a few times. When he turned around, the girl was holding out a handful of wood chips to him in silence.

"Thank you."

Lin Jue picked out a few pieces to fill the gaps.

When he thought it was secure enough, he found some thick, dead leaves and laid them over it. Then he dug up some earth nearby with his Firewood Knife, covered the leaves, and stamped it down. Only then was he satisfied.

"Young layman, have you finished the repair?"

"I have."

"And where will you go next?"

"Next..."

Lin Jue paused, frowning as he thought.

The old man and the young girl both watched him. One wore a genial smile; the other had eyes full of curiosity.

By then, the sky had grown completely bright.

Travelers and merchants were already making their way along the distant road. The sound of horse bells and wheels rolling over hard-packed earth echoed through the mountains in the early morning, lending the scene a deep serenity.

"To be honest, the one I met last night told me a piece of 'good news' to persuade me to help him. I don't know whether it's true, or whether I should go." Lin Jue furrowed his brow as he recalled it. "But now, I'm inclined to believe him. Even so, I still don't know if I should go."

"What is it?"

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

Lin Jue gave them a rough account of what had happened.

"How fortuitous!"

The old Taoist smiled at him. "I recently heard that the Mountain Lord on this mountain is holding a banquet, inviting the well-behaved Demonic Ghosts, Spirits and Monsters from the surrounding area. At past banquets, the Mountain Lord always served a fine wine called Thousand Day Wine. I have a disciple who loves brewing and drinking wine, so I thought I'd join the festivities and see if I could bring some back."

"Hm?"

Lin Jue couldn't help staring at them.

The ghost in his dream had seemed to mention Thousand Day Wine as well.

If the old Taoist hadn't brought it up, the name would have faded along with the dream. Hearing him say it now made Lin Jue remember.

At the same time, Lin Jue recalled something else, and began to study the old Taoist closely.

The old Taoist...

"May I ask where you came from, True Person?" Lin Jue asked carefully.

"I went out to visit a friend, but he lives too far away."

"Did you pass through Qiuru County?"

"I did."

"When I was in Danxun County, I heard that a powerful master had come to Qiuru County and rid it of Demonic Ghosts. Was that you, True Person?"

"I did get rid of a wicked monster in Qiuru County, but it was nothing more than a casual favor. Not worth mentioning."

"This..."

Lin Jue really did find it a remarkable coincidence.

When they first met, he had only thought the old Taoist possessed an extraordinary bearing. Since he'd been impressed by the Monk at Bamboo Mountain Temple, he figured that even if this was just an ordinary Taoist, traveling with him for a while might prove an interesting experience. When three people walked together, one was bound to have something to teach him; perhaps he would gain something from it. Later, when Lin Jue told the old Taoist about meeting a ghost in his dream, the man had remained composed and said he could indeed see some Ghost Qi about him. Lin Jue had then begun to suspect he was a man of some ability.

He hadn't expected him to be the very man the Wei family had spoken of.

How could Lin Jue fail to realize that the old Taoist beside him was the Divine Master he had been looking for?

But on one hand, there was this Divine Master he'd chanced upon; on the other, there were Mount Qi Yun and Mount Yi, where he had already planned to go. For a moment, he couldn't help feeling torn.

"Does the True Person plan to attend the banquet too?"

"Would you like to travel with me, young layman?"

"I'd be delighted."

What was there left to hesitate about?

"Still, even if the Mountain Lord is hospitable, it would be poor manners to show up empty-handed. Do you have a gift prepared, young layman?"

"Would this do?"

Lin Jue took out the Peach Gum.

"Essence of a peach demon!" The old Taoist recognized it at a glance. Still kindly, he said, "This is a fine gift. You don't need to give him so much; two or three pieces will do. Keep the rest."

This man truly wasn't an ordinary Taoist.

Lin Jue put the Peach Gum away.

"Then let's be off." The old Taoist spoke cheerfully and with easy confidence. "We'll have to take the mountain paths. At this time of year, the plants are growing thick and lush, so the Firewood Knife you brought will come in handy."

"..."

Lin Jue said nothing. It was only to be expected.

So he traveled with the old Taoist and the girl for a while. They discussed the route and found their way together. Once they left the main road and took a narrow path, Lin Jue walked in front. He was the one who broke through the morning spiderwebs, and he was the one who pushed aside the thorny brambles and weeds blocking their way.

"Why don't you cut them down with your Firewood Knife, young layman?"

"To be honest, when I was in Danxun County, I met a demon that had transformed from a peach tree. We got along well, and it gave me Peach Gum. So I believe even plants and trees have spirits. If it isn't necessary, I'd rather not cut them down."

"If you don't cut them, the woodcutters who come up the mountain this autumn or winter will. They'll bundle them into firewood and sell them to the people in the city."

"Then I suppose they'll make good firewood."

"Haha! Well answered!"

"You're too kind..."

"Then what do you seek?"

"Peace of mind is enough."

"Well said! Peace of mind is enough!"

The old Taoist nodded again and again, smiling warmly.

It was May. Not only were the brambles growing wild and the woods thick, but snakes and insects were at their most active. The group climbed the mountain for most of the day, and they came across snakes several times. The most dangerous encounter was with a king cobra lying across their path, as thick as a person's arm. Such snakes were fiercely territorial. When it saw them trespassing, it even reared up and fixed its gaze on them, trying to frighten them off and keep them from passing.

The old Taoist truly had a way with these things.

He stepped forward with a genial smile, bowed to the snake, and said, "We're only passing through. We mean no harm. Please allow us to go by."

The snake stared at him, then actually moved aside.

The old Taoist only said, "It's just the Method of Gathering and Taming Beasts."

Lin Jue's respect for him grew.

It was nearly dusk when Lin Jue finally stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow. When he turned around, he saw only layers of mountain forest stretching down below. The main road and the place where he'd set out that morning were nowhere to be seen.

He had no idea how high they'd climbed. Several times, he had looked back to see nothing but deep woods, then looked ahead and seen the mountain rising just as high before them, one ridge after another, as if the climb would never end. Now, at last, they had found the mountain shaped like a mallet.

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

The mountain was made of stone, shaped like a mallet lying on its side. A few pines grew atop it, while the lower slopes were covered in scattered rocks and fine, threadlike grass.

Still, the mallet itself seemed to have gotten its name from resembling a wolf's head, so the difference wasn't all that great.

Lin Jue glanced back at the old Taoist. He remained as composed as ever, without a drop of sweat or a hair out of place. The girl's stamina was much better than Lin Jue had expected. She had kept pace with him the whole way. Her face was flushed and her clothes soaked with sweat, but she had doggedly followed them up the mountain without once complaining of being tired.

The little girl wasn't spoiled at all.

When Lin Jue turned his gaze forward again, he suddenly started.

A huge wild boar had appeared in the grass ahead, and he didn't know when it had gotten there.

The boar weighed as much as two or three grown men. It was fat and strong, with sharp tusks and bristles standing on end, and it stared straight at them.

The old Taoist chuckled and stepped forward.

Just as Lin Jue thought he was about to use the Method of Gathering and Taming Beasts to persuade the enormous boar to leave, the old man reached into his sleeve and took out a small porcelain flask. Then he bowed and said:

"This poor Taoist is He Xianyu, Daoist title Cloud Crane Taoist. I happened to hear by the roadside that the Mountain Lord was holding a banquet. I had brought along some Spiritual Spring water from the mountains, so I came to attend."

The boar stared at him, its eyes glinting. It came closer and sniffed the old Taoist and the Porcelain Vase in his hand, then turned to look at the other two.

"This young girl is my future disciple."

"Oh, I'm Lin Jue. I, too, happened to hear that the Mountain Lord was holding a banquet on the mountain. I've long admired the Spirits and Monsters, Ghosts and Monsters, and deities of all kinds, so I brought a gift to pay my respects."

Lin Jue's heart was full of curiosity and nerves, and it was beating fast, but he still spoke with complete sincerity.

His offering was three pieces of Peach Gum.

He had no reason to show up uninvited at the banquet, so it didn't feel right to bring too paltry a gift. But the Peach Gum had been given to him by the Tree Demon. Beyond its value, it also held the sentiment of having met someone. Lin Jue and the Tree Demon had only met briefly and weren't exactly friends, so the feeling was hard to put into words—but it couldn't be dismissed lightly either.

The old Taoist had said that two or three pieces would be enough. After some hesitation, Lin Jue decided to take his advice. He chose the larger number: three to give away, and two to keep.

The boar came closer and sniffed him and the girl, then carefully sniffed the Peach Gum in his hand. Its eyes glinted a few times before it backed away, turned, and headed up the mountain.

The old Taoist followed.

Lin Jue followed too.

He understood—

This was probably the Mountain Lord's abode.