Never Curses, But Can't Help It

After waiting until no sound could be heard at all for quite a while longer, Ji Yuan slumped against the Deity Statue, drained of strength, sweat pouring out as if it cost nothing.

The physical exertion he had just expended felt like running a five-kilometer cross-country race several times in a row during his university days. Now Ji Yuan didn't even have the strength to move a finger; he just leaned against the Deity Statue like a dead dog, gasping for air.

This sight left Zhang Shilin and the others at a loss. They had been celebrating their own survival moments ago, but now panic set in.

"Master, Master, are you alright?"

"Water..."

"Water, water, water! Quick, get the Master some water!"

Zhang Shilin and the Traveling Merchants scrambled in a flurry, grabbing towels and bamboo cups, while someone fanned Ji Yuan with their clothes.

"Water's here, water's here, Master, drink!"

Zhang Shilin initially tried to hand the Bamboo Tube to Ji Yuan, but seeing that he was only panting and not raising his hand, he carefully brought the tube to Ji Yuan's lips and tilted it.

"Gulp... gulp... gulp..."

After a bout of heavy drinking, Ji Yuan had had enough, but Zhang Shilin was still too nervous to let go. Ji Yuan's mouth was blocked by the tube, and his limbs were weak.

'Damn it, have some awareness!'

Ji Yuan had to hold his breath and close his mouth. Only when water spilled out did Zhang Shilin realize the Master didn't want any more and quickly withdrew the tube.

"Hiss... huff..."

Ji Yuan let out a long breath, finally recovering a bit.

Seeing this, Zhang Shilin and the other Traveling Merchants also breathed sighs of relief. Then, suddenly remembering something, Zhang Shilin knelt directly before Ji Yuan.

The other Traveling Merchants followed suit.

"Thank you, Master, for saving our lives! Thank you, Master, for saving our lives! We kowtow to you, we kowtow!"

"Thank you, Master, for saving us!"

"Thank you, Master..."

The remaining eight Traveling Merchants knocked their heads on the ground with audible thuds—not just for show.

This kowtowing made Ji Yuan very uncomfortable. In his whole life, he'd felt awkward even receiving a bow, let alone being kowtowed to by so many people.

"Get up, don't kowtow. You're not blaming me for failing to save Wang Dong and the others, and that's good enough..."

This was Ji Yuan's honest thought. In his past life, he'd seen too many cases of kindness breeding resentment. Rather than let the Traveling Merchants harbor thoughts that might cause trouble later, it was better to bring it up himself first.

Sure enough, at these words, the Traveling Merchants all froze, exchanging glances, the atmosphere turning awkward.

They didn't dare admit it, but that didn't mean they hadn't thought it. In fact, even Zhang Shilin had wondered if the Master had acted sooner, Wang Dong and Jin Shunfu wouldn't have died.

The silence of these Traveling Merchants confirmed Ji Yuan's guess. He was not Huang Laoxie, who enjoyed being willful and self-tormenting. Doing good deeds didn't require others to always remember his kindness, but he didn't want misunderstandings to linger in people's hearts either.

Ji Yuan thought a bit too much. What if someone among them grew more resentful over time? What if the families of the dead held a grudge? What if they ended up blaming him instead of the Tiger Spirit?

"It's not that I didn't want to save those four earlier. The truth is, I was stretched thin myself. You heard what the Tiger Spirit said—turning death into life is no simple matter. When the Ghost Servants came, I was at a critical moment and couldn't move at all!"

Since he was already making things up, making up a second story didn't matter. Ji Yuan just spun a tale, intending to make it sound serious.

"To save you, I didn't hesitate to expend my own cultivation to break free. Unfortunately, those four had already left. In my current state, it's already a miracle that I managed to protect you."

Given Ji Yuan's current appearance, these words were quite convincing, making Zhang Shilin and the others feel deeply ashamed.

"Hey, be more careful in the future. Deep in the mountains and forests, meeting a handsome scholar or a beautiful woman at night—none of that is normal."

Ji Yuan's earnest words were meant for the Traveling Merchants, but also a reminder to himself.

"Thank you for the lesson, Master! Thank you for the lesson, Master!"

"Thank you, Master!"

"Master, are you hungry? We still have some food."

"Stop calling me Master. Just call me Mister..."

Ji Yuan felt that the term 'Master' made him sound like a charlatan. Even the Tiger Spirit Lord Lu's choice of words was more appropriate.

As for eating, though he knew his body was weak, he had absolutely no appetite.

That night, even knowing the danger had passed, few dared to sleep, except for Ji Yuan, who was exhausted. He swore he only meant to lie down and rest for a moment, but he fell asleep within seconds.

The next day at dawn, the Traveling Merchants, who had endured a night of fear, could no longer sit still. They all got up, ready to leave this place.

Zhang Shilin and the others took out the luggage of the other four, placing it into their own baskets, stacking empty baskets beneath theirs.

"Sigh... Little Dong's gone. How do we explain this to Uncle Wang..."

"Yeah, Old Jin still has two kids at home... this... sigh..."

"Liu Quan and Li Gui hadn't even married yet, so young..."

"We'll help out more in the future!"

"Yeah, that's all we can do..."

The Traveling Merchants sighed in lament. With daylight, their fear had eased somewhat, but the atmosphere was heavy with grief.

Zhang Shilin walked behind the Mountain God Statue, where the esteemed figure was still fast asleep, covered with a robe and a straw raincoat—things they had draped over Ji Yuan after he dozed off.

Truly worthy of a master, last night none of them dared to sleep, even holding in their urine; only someone with skill and nerve could sleep so soundly.

"Master, Great... sir, Mister Ji, we're leaving. What are your plans? Sir?"

Ji Yuan was deeply exhausted, vaguely hearing someone calling him.

"Sir, we're leaving. Do you have any instructions? Sir..."

"Hey... don't bother me... so annoying..."

In his sleep, Ji Yuan scratched an itch on his face with one hand and waved the other like shooing a fly.

"Shilin, don't disturb the master's sleep!"

"Yeah, Leader Zhang, the master's been staying here for a month! Let's take advantage of the daylight and head down the mountain now!"

"Brother Shilin, the master's shooing us away, let's go!"

Zhang Shilin had wanted to say goodbye in person, maybe even beg for a Protective Talisman or something, but now he didn't dare disturb him further.

Hesitating, he took a bag of dried flatbreads and a bamboo tube full of water from his basket, carefully placing them beside the Mountain God Statue.

"Let's kowtow to the master before we go!"

"Mm, right."

"Makes sense."

"Good!"

The group of traveling merchants, along with Zhang Shilin, gathered on one side of the deity statue, knelt down, and knocked their heads twice toward the sleeping Ji Yuan.

"Dong dong dong dong..."

"Hey, shut the hell up..."

Ji Yuan turned over and cursed.

"Ah, the master's angry! Hurry, let's go!"

"Go go go!"

"Hey, wait for me."

"Shh, keep it down!"

The traveling merchants quickly shouldered their baskets and left the Mountain God Temple that had terrified them, silently deciding never to take the Niu Kui Mountain path again.

Sun high in the sky, Ji Yuan in the temple stretched and woke up.

"Heh ah hoo... slept... so comfortably!"

The surroundings seemed too quiet. Ji Yuan rubbed his eyes and looked around; though his vision was blurry, he could tell it was daylight, but something felt off.

Wait! Where are the people? Where did everyone go!

Holy crap crap crap crap! Damn you Zhang Shilin, you bastards left me behind!

Hey, no collections, no recommendation tickets, nothing.