Today's rain was much briefer than yesterday's. It stopped not long after starting, but the temperature had turned a little chilly because of it.
Feeling the chill, Ji Yuan fumbled into a piece of clothing left behind by the traveling merchants, then draped the straw raincoat over himself.
From the traveling merchants' conversation yesterday, he had learned that it should be early spring now. Colder weather was normal, but neither of the two rains Ji Yuan had encountered carried that lingering, misty feeling of spring rain.
It was already quite late when he woke up today. Now that the rain had stopped, it was probably nearing evening. Darkness fell quickly in the mountains, and with the roads so slippery, even if Ji Yuan had the nerve to go down the mountain, conditions did not permit it.
There would be no traveling merchants tonight, which meant no fire to warm himself by.
"Ah..."
Ji Yuan sighed repeatedly, utterly pessimistic about his future and fate. For now, he could only hope that tomorrow would bring clear skies stretching ten thousand miles, giving his pitiful visibility at least some advantage.
Just as Ji Yuan had expected, night fell quickly in the mountains. Before long, everything had turned gray and hazy. With evening approaching, he felt a little timid and did not dare sit at the desk before the deity as he had during the day. Instead, he slunk back behind the original Deity Statue.
At some point, the Red Fox that had been sheltering from the rain in the temple had already left.
Ji Yuan was even more uneasy than he had been the day before. After all, he was alone now. He had only tricked the Tiger Spirit into leaving last night—it could not have caught on after just one day, could it?
After no more than a brief nap, Ji Yuan's sweet dreams were disturbed by a fresh burst of noise. It was not yet dark, and voices drifted over from the distant mountain path.
Ji Yuan instantly became alert. He sat up on the tattered straw mat behind the Mountain God Statue and listened closely.
No way, what a coincidence? This broken temple isn't some transportation hub—can people really show up here every day? Could they be Ghost Servants? No, no, no. There are footsteps. Don't scare yourself!
A little farther down the mountain path, a group of nine people was walking along it, their steps mostly brisk and light.
There were men and women among them, most appearing quite young. Several carried weapons, mainly sabers and swords, while one held a long staff capped with iron. Two people in the middle carried a large burlap sack over their shoulders, though it was unknown what it contained.
Yet all of them looked somewhat bedraggled. Since they had brought no rain gear, even though they had promptly found shelter from the rain, they had still gotten soaked.
The one walking at the front was called Yan Fei, a young man holding a Tassel Sword. He stood around six feet tall, with a balanced, slender build and a pair of phoenix eyes that gleamed brightly.
He looked ahead, pointed into the distance, and spoke to his companions.
"The Mountain God Temple is up ahead. Let's hurry there to rest, warm ourselves by the fire, and conserve our strength!"
"Alright, everyone, move faster. This mountain path is terribly hard to walk after the rain!"
A woman wore a short jacket over her close-fitting martial outfit, whose cuffs were tightly bound at her wrists and ankles. It was now soaked through and clung to her body, and every few steps, she viciously flung off the mud stuck to her boots.
"Not one of us thought to bring rain gear. What a joke."
As she quickened her pace, the woman mocked herself irritably.
The burly man carrying an iron-bound long staff smiled.
"Hehe, Junior Sister Luo, the weather in these mountains changes at the drop of a hat. The sun was still hanging high before we came up the mountain. Who could have expected this?"
"What are you laughing at? Aren't you soaked like a drowned rat too?"
"Enough arguing. We did not come here to play. Everyone, get inside the temple and regroup!"
Though the ground was muddy and their steps were somewhat awkward, Ji Yuan had to admit that their foot speed was still very fast. Before long, they reached the Mountain God Temple.
It was a dilapidated little wilderness temple, its surrounding woods interspersed with withered trees. The light obscured by mountain rocks and tree shade, coupled with the fact that it was now evening, made the entire area look gloomy and sinister.
"Caw—caw—"
Two crow cries rang out from a withered tree behind the Mountain God Temple, making the scene all the more fitting.
The nine people's previously brisk steps all slowed unconsciously, and even their voices dropped considerably.
Though the Mountain God Temple was ruined, aside from its missing doors, it could still keep out wind and rain. Yan Fei walked to the edge of the eaves and swept his gaze across the interior. He spotted the pile of charcoal and unburned firewood left behind by the traveling merchants, and his heart eased slightly.
"The people of Shuixian Town were right. This place really does seem to be a frequent resting spot for travelers, but everyone should still stay alert."
Ji Yuan found this group's reaction rather baffling. They had been complaining loudly on the road earlier, yet they had suddenly become cautious now.
But he could not laugh at them either. When no one was around, he longed for people to come. Now that people had truly arrived, he worried that they might be vicious villains. After all, he had little ability to protect himself right now.
Only after several people circled around outside the Mountain God Temple did they enter.
Yan Fei was the first to walk inside the temple, with the others following close behind.
After glancing several times at the fire pit and dry firewood, they softened their steps and slowly approached the Mountain God Statue. They repeatedly looked toward the top of the temple and into various corners, but their main attention naturally remained on the space behind the Mountain God Statue.
Yan Fei was the first to discover Ji Yuan. Since he was at the front, he walked to the old campfire and pretended to inspect it. Then he raised his head and looked behind the Mountain God Statue, where he saw Ji Yuan leaning against it.
"A beggar?"
The others also came over and roughly made out Ji Yuan's appearance.
"Hey, beggar, are you the only one here?"
The man holding the long staff shouted at Ji Yuan. That booming voice made Ji Yuan's ears itch, and he subconsciously scratched his left ear with his pinky.
This group's breathing was generally stronger and deeper than that of the traveling merchants. Ji Yuan's instincts told him that these people were likely no ordinary folk. He did not dare prattle on in front of them and decided it was better to honestly answer whatever they asked.
"Yes. Before you came, I was the only one here."
Ji Yuan had originally wanted to tease them with, "Don't you people count?" But then he remembered that this was not a keyboard argument over the internet, nor was it the world he knew. He had better watch his mouth unless he wanted to get beaten up.
Junior Sister Luo looked at Ji Yuan's ragged, wretched appearance and exclaimed in surprise.
"There are fierce tigers that eat people in these mountains. You actually dared to come up here alone?"
Though curiosity was probably the main reason behind the question, Ji Yuan still hoped they might take him down the mountain. At the very least, he had to try, so he answered in a half-truthful, dejected tone.
"There was nothing I could do. My eyes don't work well, and the person who brought me here left on his own. Even if I know there are tigers in the mountains, without anyone to help me, it isn't easy to go down alone."
Sympathy. He had to win their sympathy!
At that moment, the young man with phoenix eyes made a gesture at everyone. He pointed at Ji Yuan, then at his own eyes. Everyone instinctively examined the beggar's eyes more closely and discovered that although Ji Yuan's slightly opened eyes were clear, his pupils were grayish white.
Someone lowered their voice and said, "He's blind..."
Naturally, that lowered voice could not escape Ji Yuan's ears. Optimistically, he thought that speaking quietly meant they were concerned about his feelings. From the looks of it, this person's heart was not too bad, at least.
Thus, Ji Yuan's hopes of leaving rose a little further.
The burly man holding a long staff glanced at Junior Sister Luo and the others, then said to him,
"You're lucky to have run into us. Once we deal with that Man-Eating Great Beast, we'll take you down the mountain with us!"
The joy that had just risen in Ji Yuan's heart made it leap violently when he heard the latter half of that sentence.
They wanted to kill a Great Beast? Which Great Beast? It could not be Lord Lu, could it?
"Uh, what are you doing up the mountain?"
Ji Yuan asked them uneasily.
It was the staff-wielding man with the especially loud voice who answered again.
"Hahahahaha... We heard that this mountain has had a man-eating fierce tiger for quite some time. The Government Office has long failed to get rid of it. Upholding the spirit of chivalry in our hearts, we accepted the Ning'an County Magistrate's Bounty and came to Shuixian Town to rid the people of this evil!"
"Exactly!"
"That's right!"
The men and women around him also nodded in agreement, brimming with confidence as they displayed their chivalrous spirit before Ji Yuan.
Ji Yuan was stunned. The thought that instinctively sprang into his mind was: These people have come looking for death!
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