Ji Yuan had already greeted Zhang Shilin and the others' ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart. Though they had been thinking of their own lives too, he had saved them, hadn't he? How the hell had they left without taking him along, not even giving him a word of warning?!
What infuriated him most was that Ji Yuan did not even dare curse out loud now. He could only hold it in until his face turned red.
It took quite a while before Ji Yuan finally calmed down.
"Phew... phew..."
After steadying his breathing, Ji Yuan sat dejectedly beside the Deity Statue.
Damn it, what am I supposed to do now? Should I risk going down the mountain?
Ji Yuan looked at the food and water beside the Deity Statue. At least those bastards still had a shred of conscience and had left him something to eat.
Once he had calmed down a little, Ji Yuan remembered that Zhang Shilin seemed to have called for him while he was asleep. But he had been sleeping soundly then and perhaps had not responded at all.
"I'm your lifesaver, for crying out loud. Couldn't you at least wait for me to wake up and thank me face-to-face before leaving? You could have shaken me awake, at least..."
Ji Yuan could not help sighing again. Those traveling merchants leaving like that had thrown all his plans into disarray.
After all, he had come to a world unfamiliar to him. Ji Yuan had originally planned to go down the mountain with the traveling merchants and, preferably by relying on his status as their lifesaver, have them help him find somewhere to settle down before making further plans.
Since this world had a Tiger Spirit, it would definitely have true Masters. There might even be cultivators, perhaps immortals. Then his eyes might not be beyond treatment. If luck favored him, Ji Yuan might even step onto the path of cultivation.
Something like transmigration had happened to him, and the moment he arrived, he had run head-on into a Tiger Spirit. Ji Yuan had encountered one low-probability event after another. From the perspective of probability, that was downright exceptional luck.
Thinking of it that way, Ji Yuan actually felt a little excited.
He picked up the small sack of food from the ground, took out a steamed bun and held it in his mouth, then lifted the hemp rope on the Bamboo Tube and slung it across his body. Carefully, Ji Yuan began feeling his way toward the entrance of the Mountain God Temple.
With his level of eyesight, as long as he did not concern himself with details, it was barely useful. At least he could make out the outlines of the scenery around him, though he had to be especially careful where he placed his feet.
"Roarrrr~~~~"
He had barely reached the temple entrance when a tiger roar drifted over from the distant depths of the mountains.
Ji Yuan shuddered, and that flicker of excitement vanished instantly. By reflex, he staggered several steps backward, only for his foot to suddenly land on something round. His body immediately lost its balance.
"Crash..."
"Clang~"
"Thud..."
"Ow..."
Ji Yuan had stepped on a candle. He fell backward, struck the altar table of the Mountain God Temple, then tumbled down again, leaving him dark and gloomy.
"Hiss... heh... damn it... When a man is unlucky, even cold water gets stuck between his teeth!"
Ji Yuan struggled into a sitting position and carefully felt the back of his head, following the pain. He found a huge bump where he had hit himself. It hurt whenever he touched it, but fortunately, the pain was only on the surface. His brain should be fine.
After resting for a while, Ji Yuan felt somewhat better. He stared blankly at the little sack and the Bamboo Tube container beside his hand.
That fall had dampened Ji Yuan's urge to go down the mountain. If he slipped like that while climbing or descending a slope, would he not have a chance of being scrapped on the spot?
Ji Yuan had always treasured his life. He could even be said to be afraid of pain. He had lost his life in his previous world; though the beginning of this life was not much to look at, at least he still had something to hope for.
"Rumble—"
Thunder rang out, and silver-snake lightning danced across the horizon once more. Ji Yuan was not startled this time, but with The Coming Storm clearly at hand, it seemed even less suitable for a half-blind man like him to go down the mountain.
As the saying went, climbing a mountain was easy, but descending one was hard. Damn, it fit the situation perfectly!
How about... I rest a little longer?
"Patter, patter, patter..."
Before long, rain began pouring down in dense drops. The weather in the mountains truly changed at the drop of a hat. Now Ji Yuan did not need to agonize over it any longer. If he went out now, he would definitely be courting disaster.
Fortunately, Ji Yuan was sitting at the desk. He closed his eyes, gathered his mind, and let himself grow calm.
Sure enough, as his thoughts settled, that beautiful colorless painting in his heart slowly emerged with the sound of the rain. A vivid scene bathed in mountain rain gradually unfolded.
In the heavy rain, what Ji Yuan loved most was listening to the sounds of animals running here and there. Such a scene made him feel that everything was brimming with life, and it even made Ji Yuan think of the smell of barbecue.
Suddenly, Ji Yuan heard a small animal fleeing wildly through the rain. It seemed to be running toward the Mountain God Temple, and after a quick dash, it darted beneath the temple eaves.
Water still dripped from the little animal's body. In Ji Yuan's hearing, it cautiously walked inside the temple, but the moment it crossed the threshold, it halted as though it had discovered Ji Yuan sitting at the altar table.
Ji Yuan opened his eyes. Before him was a blurry wash of light and shadow, and the little animal was likewise only a hazy outline, somewhat smaller than a village dog.
From what he had observed in the rain earlier, Ji Yuan knew it should be a fox.
This sort of animal was rather timid and would not attack humans. Therefore, Ji Yuan felt fairly at ease.
Strictly speaking, this abandoned Mountain God Temple belonged mostly to animals. The animal droppings inside the temple made that clear. Ji Yuan and the itinerant merchants were merely passersby.
They were both sheltering from the rain, and Ji Yuan had no intention of driving the fox away. Being alone was rather boring too.
This was a Red Fox with relatively vibrant fur color. It squatted at the temple entrance and stared at Ji Yuan. Seeing that the person inside showed no reaction for quite some time, it relaxed somewhat. After hesitating, it entered the temple, pressed itself against one side of the front wall, and began shaking its body.
"Pat pat pat pat..."
Rainwater on the Red Fox's fur flew off as its body shook rapidly. Much of it landed on Ji Yuan several meters away, making him raise a hand to shield his face.
Yet while the fox shook off the water, Ji Yuan was able to hear its details more clearly. Its soft, fluffy fur appeared in every fine strand. Clearly, it was a very beautiful Little Fox.
The fox was quite well-behaved. After shaking itself dry, it lay down to rest against the wall by the entrance, occasionally watching Ji Yuan's reactions warily.
One man and one fox—one temporarily unable to travel, the other taking shelter from the rain in the temple. They faced each other in silence, each minding his own business.
At this point, Ji Yuan finally felt hungry. Naturally, there was nothing good to eat, but he still had a small sack of dry provisions, enough to fill his stomach.
Feeling his way as he opened the sack, he squeezed the food with his hand. The dry cakes were hard as stone. The steamed buns were not exactly soft, but compared to the dry cakes, they were much better, so he took out one steamed bun.
He tore off half of it and held it to his nose for a sniff. There was no moldy or rotten smell, so he stuffed it into his mouth and began eating. The more he ate, the hungrier he became. One steamed bun did not last even a dozen seconds before he finished it.
Ji Yuan could not help taking another steamed bun. He wolfed it down and finished that one too, then forcibly curbed the urge to eat a third.
The sack was not large. With two steamed buns gone, it had visibly deflated. He reached in and carefully counted by touch. There were only two steamed buns and three dry cakes left.
As a fine young man from the 21st Century with a proper job, Ji Yuan had often heard people talk about worrying over making a living, but he had never worried over whether he might starve to death. Thus, he had been slow to react in this regard before. Only now did Ji Yuan suddenly realize that his food stores were alarmingly scant!
And even if he went down the mountain, he probably would not have any relatives or friends to rely on. What would he live on? What was there that someone in his current state could do? Begging?
"This is such a headache!"
Ji Yuan could not help blurting it out almost neurotically.
It startled the fox outside into alertness, and it rose to its feet.
That drew Ji Yuan's attention over.
"Hehe, Little Fox, this blind man hasn't brought anything to feed you. I do have some steamed buns and cakes, but first, you won't eat them, and second, I'm unwilling to give them to you. If you could eat me, though, that would save me some trouble."
"Hiss..."
The fox's fur bristled slightly, its limbs taut as it bared its teeth at Ji Yuan and hissed.
"I'm joking, I'm joking! You'd be better off catching a field mouse or a rabbit..."
Ji Yuan spoke gently. He thought that his voice and movements just now must have provoked the fox. Even a rabbit would bite when driven to desperation; one should not treat a fox as anything less than a wild beast!
For quite a while, neither man nor fox made another move. The fox cautiously lay back down in the corner, while Ji Yuan sighed in relief and leaned against the altar table, continuing to stare into space.
The contract invitation finally came! Brothers, you're mighty indeed. After signing, updates before release will be steady at two chapters a day!