Mourning Ghost?

"You... Young Hero... save... save me..."

"Who goes there?!" Lu Chuan drew his bow, arrow nocked and aimed at the woods where the voice came from.

Deep in Mount Erlong, this was the Mountain Lord's turf—how could someone suddenly appear calling for help?

"Young Hero, don't shoot! I'm a herb gatherer up the mountain, I fell and hurt myself..."

The underbrush rustled, and a figure slowly emerged.

The man was in his thirties, clothes tattered, covered in mud, one leg dragging bloody behind him—clearly injured from a fall.

"Young Hero, have mercy... save me..."

Lu Chuan didn't let his guard down. He swept his gaze over the woods behind the man.

Seeing nothing unusual, he finally looked at him:

"Who are you? What are you doing alone deep in Mount Erlong?"

"I... I'm a herb gatherer from Blackwater Village..."

"Came up to gather herbs... slipped off a rocky slope... my leg, I think it's broken..."

His face was full of pleading.

"Young Hero, please be kind and take me out of here... I'll kowtow to you!"

With that, he really tried to bow and knock his head.

"Hold on." Lu Chuan stopped him, eyes falling on the injured leg. "How did you fall?"

"Slid... slid down a steep slope, twisted it. The bone... the bone might be out of place," the herb gatherer said pitifully.

Lu Chuan was silent for a moment, weighing things quickly in his mind.

The man's appearance was suspicious, but his injury didn't seem fake.

Mount Erlong was dangerous. If this really was an unlucky herb gatherer in trouble, leaving him to die would weigh on his conscience.

"Stay put." Lu Chuan's tone softened.

He hurried over to the wild rabbit he'd shot earlier and picked it up.

"I'll fix us some food and start a fire. This cave blocks the wind. Since your leg's hurt, you can't travel tonight anyway—rest here."

As he spoke, Lu Chuan skillfully dressed the rabbit.

But his peripheral vision never left the man.

The herb gatherer didn't have any strong blood-energy fluctuations—clearly just an ordinary person. Otherwise, Lu Chuan wouldn't have taken him in.

Hearing this, the man sighed in relief and thanked him repeatedly:

"Thank you, Young Hero... thank you... you have a heart of gold..."

Soon, firelight flickered inside the cave, driving away the chill. The herb gatherer moved closer.

He introduced himself as Long Er.

Lu Chuan handed him some of the sizzling, greasy rabbit meat. Long Er grabbed it and wolfed it down, clearly starving.

Lu Chuan ate too, casually asking:

"Long Er, that leg of yours is pretty bad. I've got some Golden Wound Powder—decent stuff. Let me put some on you; it'll heal faster."

Long Er's hand paused slightly as he chewed, mumbling:

"No... no need to trouble you, Young Hero. I've already slapped on some random herbs myself—it'll hold. Your good medicine's precious; keep it for emergencies. I'm thick-skinned and tough; no need to waste good stuff on me."

Suspicion flared in Lu Chuan's mind.

An ordinary mountain folk, offered good medicine, would be grateful—not hem and haw like this.

Lu Chuan kept his face neutral, only saying flatly: "Suit yourself."

"Ah, thanks, Young Hero." Long Er buried his head in his food.

"By the way, Long Er, are you from around Mount Erlong?" Lu Chuan asked, as if making small talk.

"Yes, yes. My ancestors all lived in Blackwater Village, living off the mountain." Long Er nodded.

"Come up Mount Erlong often?"

"Not... not often. Just looking for common herbs..." Long Er's eyes flickered. "Just my luck this time, breaking my leg..."

Lu Chuan changed the subject: "Then let me ask you—since you're a local, you must have heard about the Mountain Lord around here, right? What's the deal with it?"

A hint of wariness crept into Long Er's eyes as he looked at Lu Chuan:

"Young Hero... why do you suddenly ask about that? You're not here specifically to hunt the Mountain Lord, are you?"

Lu Chuan waved his hand, a self-deprecating smile on his face:

"Hunt the Mountain Lord? I don't have that kind of skill! I just kept hearing people talk about it before I came in—saying the thing's become a spirit, killed who knows how many. Got me curious, that's all."

Long Er relaxed at that, grinning wide:

"Young Hero, don't believe that nonsense! What Mountain Lord, what awakened spirit—that's all rumors spread by outsiders to scare people!"

"If there really were a Mountain Lord, would I dare come alone into these deep mountains and forests to gather herbs?!"

Lu Chuan sneered inwardly.

Gathering herbs? Alone?

In all the days he'd spent in these mountains, this was the first living soul he'd run into!

Lu Danian had personally taken part in the hunt for that Mountain Lord back in the day—the matter was no baseless rumor.

Along the way, he'd also picked up plenty of news. Though opinions varied, everyone agreed that a Tiger King was wreaking havoc on Mount Erlong.

So how did Long Er make it sound like idle gossip?

This guy was seriously off.

But on the surface, Lu Chuan let a relaxed expression slip through:

"Is that so? Hearing you say it puts my mind at ease."

Seeing Lu Chuan believed him, Long Er plastered on a smile: "Exactly, exactly! Young Hero, rest easy."

As he spoke, he shifted his injured leg, frowning.

"Ah, it's just this leg of mine... what a nuisance. I still haven't gotten the main herb I was supposed to pick today, and my mother's waiting for it..."

Lu Chuan's heart stirred.

This guy, after all that pretending, was finally getting to his real goal.

He played along: "Oh? What herb is still missing? Is it urgent?"

"Urgent as can be... it's the medicine to save my mother's life... it's in a mountain cave not far from here. Look at me—there's no way I can climb into that cave..."

Long Er looked at Lu Chuan with pleading eyes:

"Young Hero, could you... could you see it through to the end? The herb is just inside the cave..."

Fine, let's see what you're really up to... Lu Chuan pondered a moment, then seemed persuaded:

"Saving a life to the end. Where's this cave? We'll go tomorrow!"

The next morning, the chill hadn't yet faded.

Long Er woke up with a grateful smile:

"Young Hero, after resting a night, I feel much better. I owe it all to you."

"No matter. Let's head to the cave early, so your mother doesn't have to wait..."

Long Er was overjoyed and quickly pointed in a direction:

"It's over there—just a few li past that ridge and you'll see the entrance! Young Hero, your kindness, Long Er will never forget!"

The two left the cave one after the other.

Seeing that Lu Chuan was willing to help him gather herbs, Long Er's leg seemed much better, and he moved surprisingly fast.

After crossing a rocky slope, they indeed spotted a cave set into the cliff face, half-hidden by vines.

"This is it! Young Hero, the herb is just inside!" Long Er pointed at the entrance, a flicker of eagerness in his eyes.

Lu Chuan nodded and said to Long Er ahead of him: "Lead the way. I don't know where the herb is."

"Ah, right, right." Long Er hurriedly agreed and ducked into the cave first.

Inside, the light was dim, and a strange, rank, fishy smell hung in the air.

Lu Chuan, familiar with the scents of all kinds of wild beasts in the mountains, found this odor unfamiliar.

But a suspicion rose in his mind.

He slowed his pace and activated Eagle Eye to survey the cave's interior.

After breaking through Blood Pass, his Eagle Eye had improved somewhat, letting him see in the dim cave as if it were daylight.

In his sight, faint, massive claw prints marked the ground, and a few coarse, yellow-and-black animal hairs lay scattered in the corners.

Tiger fur! And fresh!

Watching Long Er lead the way ahead, Lu Chuan now understood perfectly what this guy was really up to.

He stopped abruptly, his voice echoing in the hollow cave:

"Long Er."

Long Er turned back, his voice tinged with urgency and anticipation.

"Young Hero, the herb is just ahead—why stop?"

Lu Chuan slowly drew his long blade, a cold smirk curling at his lips:

"That herb you mentioned... wouldn't it be the Mountain Lord?"

Long Er's body went rigid.