Entering the Mountains

The weather in the south is much hotter than in the north.

The weather in the mountains is particularly unpredictable; it might be sunny one minute and then pouring rain the next.

The car couldn't move because as soon as it started raining, fog rolled in ahead, and visibility was frighteningly low.

Two cars, with their hazard lights on, were parked on the side of the road, with warning signs placed behind them.

"Qi Chu, this rain came so suddenly."

Mr. Mengfei looked at the rising steam outside and felt slightly worried.

This wasn't the first time Qi Chu had encountered this situation, and he sat calmly in the car, staring blankly at the rearview mirror.

"It's alright. The rain will stop in half an hour at most."

As Qi Chu had predicted, a torrential downpour lasted for 20 minutes.

After a clap of thunder, the clouds parted and the sun shone.

The group continued their journey, with Qi Chu leading the way, until they arrived at a small village at the foot of the mountain.

The endless mountains are like a painting, stretching as far as the eye can see.

The mountains are made up of one valley after another.

Qi Chu led Su Ziyang and his group to a village located at the foot of a mountain.

The people remaining in this village are mostly children and the elderly.

Most of the young people with some labor capacity have gone out to work, and no one is left to live a life in the mountains anymore.

This wasn't Qi Chu's first time in this place; he led the group to a house with practiced ease.

An elderly woman and a small child lived in this house.

Qi Chu speaks a dialect, but for the sake of simplicity, I'll just write it in Mandarin here.

"Grandma, do you still remember me?"

Qi Chu asked with a smile.

"I remember, I remember!"

The old woman was overjoyed to see Qi Chu, a simple smile spreading across her dark face.

"Auntie, take 10 jin of rice from your rice jar. Then park the cart in your yard and please take good care of it. We'll settle the bill together later."

After Qi Chu finished speaking, the old lady happily agreed.

"Auntie, here's the money for the rice."

Qi Chu took out two hundred yuan and handed it to the old woman. The old woman didn't say anything and just took it.

Actually, rice isn't that expensive; Qi Chu could have brought it from home. Qi Chu's intention was simply to help this left-behind child and elderly person.

When Qi Chu first came, the old lady actually refused to accept so much money from Qi Chu.

But Qi Chu insisted on giving it to him, saying that familiarity breeds contempt.

When Qi Chu came again, the old lady no longer refused, but each time she would take very good care of Qi Chu's car and other belongings.

"Auntie, there's something else. I need to use your family's heirloom crossbow and arrows."

Qi Chu chuckled, and the old lady smiled, "Use it, use it. Anyway, this old woman like me doesn't really need it."

The old woman took out a homemade crossbow from behind the door. The shaft of the crossbow was worn smooth from being handled so much, indicating that its owner had taken it on many trips in the mountains.

"This stuff is great!"

Su Ziyang and Mr. Mengfei looked at the crossbow in Qi Chu's hand in unison.

"I also thought this thing was interesting. I just used it to demonstrate in the mountains. The old lady insisted on giving it to me, but I couldn't use it."

Qi Chu pulled the trigger and drew the bowstring to check the crossbow. Finding it to be very sturdy, he then confidently carried it on his back.

The group's plan for entering the mountains was as follows: Su Ziyang, being young and strong, was responsible for carrying supplies; Su Ziyang Qi Chu responsible for leading the way; and Mr. Mengfei brought up the rear.

Fairy Li walked in the middle, which was safer.

The Bones move freely on both wings, serving as a guard.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Qi Chu stopped them and refused to go any further.

"Everyone, please be quiet and wait a moment."

Su Ziyang was initially worried that Bones wouldn't behave well, because Bones had been running around wildly ever since they got out of the car.

But Qi Chu around and waved his hand, the Bones obediently squatted down on the ground, remaining motionless. Even its mouth closed, no longer sticking out its tongue to cool itself.

Qi Chu, however, had no such worries and simply went about his own business.

Su Ziyang watched as Qi Chu took out a colorful silk ribbon from his backpack.

This thing is made of five colors of silk, not sewn together, but tied together, but when you pick it up, it looks like a rather wide rope.

After taking a few steps to the right, Qi Chu muttered something under his breath.

Then, the colorful silk was wrapped around a small stone, tied a couple of times, and then the stone was put back in its original place.

Then Qi Chu began to step left and right with the Pace of Yu, chanting incantations.

Su Ziyang didn't hear the rest clearly, but Su Ziyang understood the last word.

Qi Chu uttered a low shout, "Open!"

After reading the opening, Qi Chu drew another line on the spot.

Then he waved to the group, indicating that they should follow the line he had drawn.

Although the group didn't quite understand why, they did as instructed.

After walking about a hundred meters, Qi Chu finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Phew. All done."

What's the principle behind this?

Su Ziyang is the kind of person who likes to get to the bottom of things.

This time, Qi Chu didn't make anything mysterious. "It's just a ritual before entering the mountain. Every mountain, big or small, has a mountain god. Big mountains have big gods, and small mountains have small gods."

"This action tells the mountain god that we have entered the mountain legally and legitimately, seeking the elixir of immortality. In this way, our journey will surely go smoothly, and our wishes will be fulfilled."

Qi Chu explained it very clearly.

Su Ziyang has never seen a real god or a ghost.

However, Su Ziyang had seen quite a few things related to ghosts and monsters.

Therefore, Su Ziyang was quite convinced of the matter. Since Qi Chu was treating it with such great importance, it must be something beneficial.

One for each of you. Don't lose them!

Qi Chu took out four objects that looked like cricket cages from his backpack.

Then he first hung one of these things in the backpack on his waist, and then gave the remaining three to Su Ziyang and the other two.

"What's that thing here? And why is it making a sizzling sound?"

Looking through the gaps in the fabric, Su Ziyang saw a huge red-headed centipede gnawing at the cage.

"..."

Su Ziyang didn't know what it was, and was startled when he held it so close.

"What's going on? You scared me! If this thing jumped out and hit us both, who could take that?"

Su Ziyang didn't quite understand Qi Chu's approach.

"This is a traditional early warning system. Centipedes and snakes are mortal enemies. This thing is used to deter snakes. Once a snake appears nearby, it will move around erratically, and we should be careful."

This was the first time Su Ziyang had heard of such a theory: centipedes and snakes are mortal enemies.

What kind of theory is this...?

However, Su Ziyang obediently hung the thing on his waist.

Now that they could talk, Qi Chu and his group chatted as they walked.