Mountain Ghost's Proactive Challenge

The Rhino Emperor Game had been passed down through countless generations in Bauhinia Village, yet few ever studied it, and even those who did mostly found nothing.

Only Xiao Yan seemed to have a natural talent for it from childhood. Not long after he first encountered the game passed down in the village, he solved the first incomplete board. Filled with excitement, he rushed off to find the Mountain Ghost guarding the only path through the layered mountains.

But the Mountain Ghost was far stronger than Xiao Yan had anticipated. He was defeated almost without putting up a fight.

Though the Mountain Ghost beat him, it didn't harm him.

This left Xiao Yan with a vague feeling that the Mountain Ghost's presence at the exit might not be ill-intentioned after all.

Yet somehow, Xiao Yan felt a voice repeating in the depths of his heart: "Beyond the mountains, become the master of the world..."

"Master of the world? What the hell?"

Xiao Yan was puzzled, but that didn't dampen his curiosity about the outside world.

"Whatever it takes, I have to go out and see for myself." With nothing left to say after Xi Yun had silenced him, Xiao Yan resorted to mental victory: "And if the outside really is that dangerous, I'll apologize to the Mountain Ghost. Then I'll guard the passage with him!"

With that, he jumped off the bed and ran out without looking back.

"Hey hey hey! Xiao Yan, drink your medicine first!"

Xi Yun hurried to chase after him.

But Xiao Yan, having solved the first incomplete board, was already a superhuman among the ordinary folk of Bauhinia Village, even if he was no match for the Mountain Ghost. By the time Xi Yun stood up, he had vanished.

"This brat..."

Xi Yun stomped her foot in frustration, but she could only pour the medicine into an earthenware pot, tie it with a rope, and prepare to deliver it to Xiao Yan.

Before leaving, she turned back to glance at the bed where Xiao Yan had been lying.

On the wall beside the bed hung a slightly yellowed scroll painting of a kind woman holding a gray-haired infant.

Xi Yun looked at the woman in the painting and sighed, praying: "Godmother, Xiao Yan's nature won't let him live out his days quietly in Bauhinia Village. Please watch over him from heaven."

With that, she turned and left, carrying the medicine pot.

It was afternoon, and the village's dirt paths were bustling with people.

Though Xiao Yan had bolted out of sight, Bauhinia Village was only so big—a few hundred households at most. As the saying goes, the monk may run away, but the temple stays. Xi Yun could close her eyes and know exactly where Xiao Yan had gone.

"Little Yun, delivering medicine to Xiao Yan?"

"Yes, Grandpa Fang."

"That kid's definitely at the Old Temple right now. Go look for him there."

"Got it."

Along the way, villagers greeted and chatted with Xi Yun, and she smiled back at each one.

The people of Bauhinia Village were simple and kind.

Xiao Yan's father had died young, and his mother raised him alone before adopting Xi Yun. The two children grew up on the kindness of their neighbors, and after Xiao Yan's mother passed away a few years ago, they were raised by the whole village.

The Old Temple stood at the center of the village, and Xi Yun reached it quickly.

Sure enough, as soon as she stepped into the ancient temple, she saw Xiao Yan crouched before a stone platform, staring intently at a massive golden-covered book.

Still annoyed at the brat for running off, Xi Yun didn't hold back. She walked up and smacked him on the back of the head, snapping: "You little punk, drink your medicine before studying the boards!"

"Ouch!"

Xi Yun had put some force into the slap. Caught off guard, Xiao Yan yelped, clutched the back of his head, and turned around with teary eyes: "Sister Yun, what if you smash my clever brain? Then what?"

Xi Yun couldn't help but laugh at his glib tongue. She rolled her eyes: "Aren't you the great Lord Xiao Yan who can solve boards? How could a weak little woman like me possibly smash that brain of yours? Besides, it'd be a good thing—then you wouldn't be so obsessed with leaving."

Xiao Yan's face darkened, but he had no backbone to argue. He took the medicine pot and muttered: "The Rhino Emperor Game grants power. You only get a clear boost to your physique after solving five hundred boards..."

"Then drink up already! Running off the moment you woke up—you're such a handful." Xi Yun glared, and Xiao Yan quickly shut up, raised the pot, and downed it in one gulp.

The medicine was bitter, and he drank too fast, choking and coughing.

Xi Yun gently patted his back: "Slow down, slow down. So reckless..."

After a few coughs, Xiao Yan swallowed the bitterness and smiled at Xi Yun: "Alright, Sister Xi Yun, medicine's done. I need to get back to studying the boards. Thanks for bringing it."

"Who asked you to be polite, you little brat." Xi Yun pretended to still be angry and snorted, but the smile on her face gave her away: "Don't be so reckless next time. You worry people for nothing... I'll bring you dinner tonight. Focus on your studies."

With that, she packed up the pot and left the Old Temple.

Xiao Yan watched his adopted sister go, silently thanking her, then turned back to study the boards.

Spring passed, autumn came. Cold gave way to warmth.

After his defeat by the Mountain Ghost, Xiao Yan seemed to have truly learned his lesson. He settled down and devoted himself to studying the Rhino Emperor Game in Bauhinia Village's Old Temple.

The Rhino Emperor Game held profound mysteries. Once he calmed his mind and delved into it, he entered a special state of thought where his brain operated millions of times faster.

And Xiao Yan truly seemed gifted in this regard. Over five years, the gray-haired boy grew into a tall young man, and the girl blossomed into a spirited beauty.

Xiao Yan had already solved 1,999 boards, just one step away from cracking the 2,000th.

"How the hell do I solve this 2,000th board?"

Before the stone platform in the Old Temple, Xiao Yan frowned at the golden-covered book, looking deeply troubled.

The midday sun blazed mercilessly, but Xiao Yan was unaffected. Not a single drop of sweat showed on his wheat-colored skin.

"Xiao Yan, time to eat!"

A pleasant voice came from behind him. Yan's train of thought was interrupted, but he wasn't annoyed. As he turned, he waved his hand, and a large patch of clouds in the sky covered the sun.

Looking at the sweating Xi Yun, Yan couldn't help but say helplessly, "Sister Yun, didn't I tell you? With my current research into the Endgame, I'd be fine even if I never ate. It's so hot out—why did you bother making this trip?"

"That's not the same."

Xi Yun shook her head dismissively. "Have you forgotten? Mother said back then that a family should act like a family. The two of us are a family, so of course we should eat together."

Cornered by Xi Yun's use of his own mother's words, Yan immediately raised his hands in surrender. "I've never been able to win an argument with you since we were kids. I give up."

A glint of slyness flashed in Xi Yun's eyes. Only then did she contentedly take out the dishes from her basket, and the two of them ate together inside the Old Temple.

Yan, meanwhile, mulled over whether he should just go home at mealtimes. With his current "authority" over heaven and earth, going home was as simple as teleporting there.

But the problem was that once he got immersed in the Endgame, he easily lost track of time. It was always only when Yun called him awake that he snapped back to reality.

After eating their fill, Yan helped Yun pack up the bowls and chopsticks, then reached out his hand. "Take my hand. I'll send you back."

"Alright."

Yun nodded and took Yan's hand as well.

Whoosh!

A cyan whirlwind spiraled beneath their feet, and then the two of them rose into the air, speeding toward the old house.

Along the way, they naturally drew some looks.

Xi Yun noticed the villagers staring at them. Remembering the gossip she usually shared with the sisters and aunties in the village, a flush crept onto her face, and she couldn't help closing her eyes.

Beside her, Yan was completely oblivious.

When Xi Yun opened her eyes again, they were already at the doorstep. "We're here, Xiao Yan. You should go back—"

Before she could finish, Xi Yun noticed Yan staring grimly at the rooftop.

Following his gaze, she saw a massive figure, fully three meters tall, shrouded entirely in a black robe, floating in midair.

"You're... the Mountain Ghost?!"

Xi Yun gasped in shock.

The Mountain Ghost received offerings from Bauhinia Village, and there were paintings of it in the village. But a living Mountain Ghost—Xi Yun was seeing one for the first time.

"Mountain Ghost, is something the matter?" Yan looked up at it and asked in a deep voice.

"...Yan."

The Mountain Ghost muttered lowly, then fixed its gaze on Yan. Beneath its pitch-black hood, a pair of crimson eyes gleamed eerily. "Fight me. Pass the trial, and you'll earn the right to leave the mountain. Otherwise... die!"

With the word "die," the surrounding weather suddenly shifted. Dark clouds blotted out the sky, and a heavy pressure bore down. Xi Yun felt as if she were drowning, struggling even to breathe. She clenched her teeth, refusing to kneel.

"Hmph!"

Yan's cold snort echoed through heaven and earth. A white, translucent barrier rose up, shielding Xi Yun and their little house.

"Mountain Ghost, this isn't the place to fight. How about deep in the mountains?" Yan shouted sternly.

If they clashed here, he couldn't guarantee he could protect Xi Yun and the entire village.

"Fine..."

The Mountain Ghost replied coldly, then its form dissipated. But Yan could sense an invisible gaze still locked onto him.

If he didn't follow promptly, the Mountain Ghost would surely return.

Yan floated up, ready to pursue it.

"Xiao Yan!"

Xi Yun called out worriedly from beside him.

Yan turned back to look at her, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Don't worry, Sister Yun. I'll definitely defeat the Mountain Ghost."

With that, he transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the horizon.

Xi Yun stared at the vanishing light, her face growing more anxious. But she understood clearly—the Mountain Ghost had come to them for some unknown reason, and the entire Bauhinia Village was likely a hostage to coerce Yan. He had no way to avoid this.

Hurrying into the house, Xi Yun knelt before the portrait of Yan's mother, clasped her hands together, and began to pray. "You have to win, Xiao Yan."

Just as Xi Yun was praying for Yan's victory, the Mountain Ghost and Yan had already arrived deep in the mountains, outside the cave where the Mountain Ghost usually dwelled.

Hovering in midair, the towering black-robed figure and the gray-haired youth faced off against each other.