Mang Mountain

----Continuing the early-morning update, please vote. I generally wrote the chapter for the following daytime the night before, then stole time at work and used my noon break to write the evening chapter.

Shi Xuan had come to Mang Mountain in search of immortality and the Dao. Yet Mang Mountain was famed throughout the land as a burial ground—in short, a place where Yin Energy gathered. Taking the nature of ghosts into account, Shi Xuan had set out at dusk today, arriving at the foot of Mang Mountain with Chu Wan'er just as the sun was about to set.

During the day, Shi Xuan had already brewed two portions of Primordial Yuan Marrow-Changing Soup and prepared the corresponding Medicinal Baths. Chu Wan'er scrunched up her little face and braced herself as she took a small sip. Her expression immediately blossomed into a smile. Just as Master had said, the medicine was not bitter at all; it even carried a faint sweetness, far better than the medicines she had drunk before.

However, the body-tempering sessions at dawn and dusk had made Chu Wan'er complain endlessly. Fortunately, Shi Xuan still possessed some of a master's authority, and the little girl ultimately completed her cultivation obediently.

"Master, why are there so many graves on this mountain?" Standing at the foot of Mang Mountain, Chu Wan'er looked at the tombs hidden among the trees and cliff faces yet still plainly visible, and asked Shi Xuan curiously.

"Hehe, this is a famous mountain for burials. What you see, Wan'er, is only a small portion. Those wealthy and powerful families are buried where the mountain ranges converge and the terrain is beautiful; you cannot see them from below." Shi Xuan opened his Heavenly Eye and pointed at several places where Yin Energy converged.

Mang Mountain had beautiful contours, with green trees concealing yellow earth. Though it was not particularly tall, it gathered the earthly energies from all directions, lending it a weathered, ancient charm.

Chu Wan'er muttered softly, "Then what does a famous mountain for burials mean?"

"It means a place where everyone wishes to be buried after death. They believe that if they are buried here, their descendants will prosper more and more. Of course, your master has not learned the Dragon-Seeking and Acupoint-Spotting Technique, so I do not fully understand it. But for those who cultivate the Dao, relying on such things is far inferior to relying on oneself—relying on one's true self." Shi Xuan explained, while also trying to instill in Chu Wan'er the understanding that cultivators primarily depended on themselves. External things such as feng shui were merely temporary aids and could not be used as a shield.

Chu Wan'er nodded as though she understood, then chirped away with more questions. Only when darkness had fully descended did she fall silent in some fear and press herself tightly against Shi Xuan.

"It is time to go up the mountain!" After saying that, Shi Xuan used a technique to open Chu Wan'er's Heavenly Eye.

"Master, Master, what Immortal techniques did you use on Wan'er? Wan'er seems to see vapors rising over there." Once her Heavenly Eye had been opened, Chu Wan'er naturally saw the sight of Yin Energy gathering on Mang Mountain and immediately asked in curiosity.

Shi Xuan took Chu Wan'er's hand and led her up the mountain, heading toward those places where Yin Energy gathered. At the same time, he told her, "I opened your Heavenly Eye, Wan'er. Now you can see ghosts. Hehe, do not be afraid."

"Wan'er is not afraid at all." Even as she spoke, Chu Wan'er quietly edged closer to Shi Xuan. "Then can Wan'er see ghosts without heads, ghosts without bodies, ghosts sticking out their tongues..." At that thought, curiosity overwhelmed fear. With Master protecting her at her side, Chu Wan'er felt utterly reassured. Wan'er was not scared one bit!

After following the mountain path around several bends, scattered graves began appearing ahead. Since the terrain here was not especially good, those buried here could not have been particularly wealthy or noble. The graves were ordinary and could not be called mausoleums.

"Eh, Master, Master, look! What is that? Is it a ghost?" Chu Wan'er pointed nervously at a faint shadow behind several nearby graves.

"Yes." Shi Xuan led Chu Wan'er over, intending to let her get used to the sight first. Otherwise, if they encountered a century-old vicious ghost later, she might be so frightened that he would have to carry her.

The faint, nearly transparent ghost was a woman in her twenties. Her burial site was very new; it was not even a grave, merely a hastily dug pit into which she had been buried. Naturally, no one came to offer sacrifices. This was not a place where Yin Energy gathered either. A ghost that had been dead for nearly half a month had already lost most of her memories and merely waited to disperse completely between heaven and earth.

Fearful yet curious, Chu Wan'er examined the ghost. The ghost paid no attention to her at all, only circled the place where her corpse had been buried and murmured ceaselessly, "Child, child..." Yet her expression was indeed blank and dazed.

"Master, she has no feet! She is floating!" Wan'er was too short to notice much else, so she proudly reported her discovery to Shi Xuan.

"Mhm, mhm, mhm." Shi Xuan nodded perfunctorily. "So, Wan'er, look. Ghosts are not scary, are they? There is nothing frightening about ghosts, right?"

"Mhm, mhm, mhm." Chu Wan'er copied him, nodding perfunctorily as she crouched lower and lower until she was squatting to look. Unfortunately, she made no further major discoveries.

Having satisfied Chu Wan'er's curiosity and overcome her fear, Shi Xuan took her toward their first destination. They passed through several small woods and crossed several streams, arriving safely at the first place where Yin Energy gathered. They had not even seen a single vicious ghost along the way, which disappointed Chu Wan'er greatly!

This place where Yin Energy gathered was a large mountain hollow. There were roughly four or five mausoleum grounds, all grand and imposing in style. Separated far apart, behind each of their mausoleums stood Yin Residences formed through long years of offerings—some resembled grand courtyards, some gardens, and some even mountain estates. White lanterns hung at their entrances, with paper servants standing guard. After all, at the site of ancestral graves, it was impossible to bury real servants here.

Shi Xuan led Chu Wan'er toward one of the Yin Residences that resembled a grand courtyard. At first, the little girl had not realized it was a Yin Residence and thought it was an ordinary house. Only after Shi Xuan explained did she suddenly understand. What ordinary house would have paper figures standing at its entrance? She was deeply annoyed, feeling that her cleverness and wisdom had been insulted.

At the entrance, Wan'er kicked a paper figure angrily. Who would have thought that although the thing looked like papier-mâché, after it had been burned during worship, it had transformed into a soul-body? Wan'er's foot passed straight through it into empty air, and she nearly twisted her slender waist. Had Shi Xuan not quickly caught her, she would likely have landed on the ground on the spot.

The paper servant asked stiffly, "Where has the guest come from?"

Shi Xuan held back the indignant Chu Wan'er and answered politely, "This humble Taoist wishes to visit your master."

The paper servant did not reply. Slowly and mechanically, it pushed open the courtyard gate of the Yin Residence and entered. After quite a while, just as Chu Wan'er had grown impatient and was scraping the ground with her foot, an old man carrying a white lantern floated out. Behind him followed a richly dressed middle-aged man and woman, a young man and two beautiful young girls, and finally a lovely young woman holding a three- or four-year-old boy.

"This old man's household has not received visitors for several decades. May I ask why Daoist Priest has come?" The old man with the long white beard asked politely. After all, a daoist priest who could see the Yin Residence and find his way here was no ordinary person.

Seeing the master of the house being so courteous, Shi Xuan replied with equal propriety, "This humble Taoist seeks the Orthodox Dao Sect. Passing through here with my young disciple, I considered that Mang Mountain is a place where Yin Energy gathers and should have Daoist Sects here, so I came up the mountain to seek them out. Unfortunately, I am unfamiliar with this place, so I have presumptuously come to ask your esteemed household for guidance." At this moment, Chu Wan'er stood obediently at Shi Xuan's side, looking every bit the good child.

The old man stroked his white beard and sighed. "Then Daoist Priest might as well come in for a cup of tea. What Orthodox Dao Sect could there be on Mang Mountain? There are only three or four minor Daoist Sects here. Even ghosts like us, who have seen nothing of the world, look down on them, much less a personage such as Daoist Priest."

"Respectfully declining would be less proper than accepting in haste. This humble Taoist is surnamed Shi, given name Xuan. This is my young disciple, Chu Wan'er." Shi Xuan also wished to gather more information. Asking questions while standing at the gate was truly impolite, so he accepted the old man's invitation.

"Please come in, Daoist Priest Shi. This old man is surnamed Han, given name Shijin, courtesy name Chongwen. This is my youngest son Wenyu; this is my youngest son's wife, Madam Li; this is Wenyu's eldest son Shou Zheng, Shou Zheng's wife Madam Wei; this is Wenyu's eldest daughter Yazhu and younger daughter Jingzhu; and this is Shou Zheng's youngest son, with the single given name Jing. Ah, my second son encountered an epidemic while serving in Southern Prefecture, and he... ah, he..." As he led Shi Xuan inside, old Han Shijin introduced his family in a rambling stream.

Meanwhile, delicate and adorable Chu Wan'er received unanimous affection from Madam Wei, Han Yazhu, and Han Jingzhu. They gathered around to tease her, leaving Chu Wan'er quite depressed. Wan'er was not a child! By now, she had long forgotten her fear of ghosts beyond the edge of the sky.

"Elder Han, your household is actually a family of high-ranking officials and nobles. No wonder you have such an impressive mausoleum." Seeing that Han Wenyu was Governor of Southern Prefecture, Shi Xuan offered a compliment. At the same time, he had Chu Wan'er sit beside him, while Madam Wei, Han Yazhu, and Han Jingzhu floated out of the hall.

Han Shijin stroked his white beard and smiled without speaking, though he looked rather pleased. His second son, Han Wenyu, took over: "Daoist Priest Shi may not know this, but my father retired from the post of Minister of the Left." This old man Han had actually once been a chancellor of the dynasty.

Seeing Shi Xuan express surprise, Han Wenyu continued, "This mountain hollow is the site of our Han Family's ancestral graves. The other Yin Residences Daoist Priest saw belong to the other branches of our Han Family."

At that moment, Madam Wei, Han Yazhu, and Han Jingzhu floated out carrying tea trays. They respectfully placed the tea and several plates of rare fruits from the trays onto Shi Xuan's table.

Han Shijin explained to Shi Xuan, "Daoist Priest Shi may not know this, but this residence has only paper servants and maids. They are slow and dull, and we could not neglect you, so this old man had these younger women attend to it." Perhaps because they truly had not received guests in a long time, the Han Family seemed very enthusiastic.

"Not at all, not at all. Elder Han is simply being a thoughtful host; this humble taoist is deeply honored." Shi Xuan was quite satisfied with this treatment, though he did not forget to secretly inspect the tea and fruit with a technique. Once he had finished checking them, he signaled to Chu Wan'er that the alert was lifted. Chu Wan'er immediately picked up a longan fruit she had been eyeing for quite some time and began eating.

"In this Yin Residence, aside from the Blood Food of cattle, sheep, and pigs offered during the monthly family rites, there are only these offerings. Daoist Priest Shi, please do not take offense. That Blood Food has been left out for a long time. Ghosts like us can eat it without issue, but living people might fall ill if they ate it." Han Shijin explained. Seeing Shi Xuan sincerely express his satisfaction, he introduced the tea as well. "This is Snow Bud Tea brought back from Northern Liao. Paired with the cold spring behind the Yin Residence, it is just right. Daoist Priest Shi, please have a taste."