Chapter 50 Should the Mountain Lord take a gamble?
Achan hadn't been in the room long when she heard someone calling her from outside.
"Miss Ji, is Miss Ji home?" The shouts were accompanied by knocking on the door.
Achan went out and opened the door, only to find it was Grandma Wang. She said with a smile, "Miss Ji, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Come and eat with me."
Ah Chan was feeling a bit hungry, so she didn't refuse and replied with a smile, "Thank you, Grandma Wang San."
"Oh, you're welcome, you're welcome."
Grandma Wang invited Achan into her house next door. Her husband had passed away long ago, and her two sons had already separated their households. Now she lived with her eldest son's family.
Today, her eldest son was out working and not at home. Her eldest daughter-in-law was a plump woman wearing a blue cloth dress and a floral headscarf. When she saw Achan, she greeted her with a smile: "Miss Ji, come and eat."
"Thank you, sister-in-law." Ah Chan said sweetly, with a smile on her face. She looked very pleasing. By the end of the meal, Wang's sister-in-law's youngest daughter had snuggled up to Ah Chan.
Although we didn't get to eat Grandma Wang's specialty fish today, the fried river fish by Sister-in-law Wang was still very delicious. Ah Chan praised Sister-in-law Wang so much that her face turned red.
After finishing their meal, everyone sat together and started talking about the Gao family.
At Grandma Wang's place, Achan finally heard the complete version of Lin Sui's story.
When Grandma Wang talked about Lin Sui's deceased grandmother, she couldn't help but sigh: "Gao Pozi worked as a midwife in her younger years. I heard that she delivered babies for many officials' wives. Lin Sui was also delivered by her."
"Why did Granny Gao take Lin Sui home to raise?" Achan asked curiously.
Grandma Wang sighed: "Gao Pozi told me that when that lady gave birth to Lin Sui, she had a difficult childbirth and almost died. She didn't like the child very much and didn't even look at him after he was born."
That day, the lady's sister-in-law brought a female Taoist priest to her house. The priest immediately said that the child was a jinx to her and had to be fostered by someone else until he came of age before she could bring him home. Surprisingly, the lady actually believed her and immediately sent her steward to find someone to care for him.
"So casual?" Achan thought Lin Sui's mother wasn't quite right in the head.
"Who says otherwise? I heard that the head of the household is away fighting all year round, and she is the only one in charge at home. You know, this isn't her first time being a mother, how can she be so heartless?"
Later, Granny Gao took pity on the child and said that her son and daughter-in-law had been married for two years but had no children, and they were planning to adopt a child. So, Lin Sui ended up in Granny Gao's home.
"Didn't Lin Sui's mother ever go back on her word?"
"They changed their minds. More than a month after taking the child away, the family changed their minds and sent a housekeeper to their door, saying they would take the child back. But then nothing happened."
Granny Gao went to inquire and heard that the lady's sister-in-law had brought her own daughter to visit her, and the lady was overjoyed, insisting on keeping her at home. After having the adopted daughter, she never mentioned bringing her own daughter home again.
Wang's eldest sister-in-law, always outspoken, couldn't help but interject, "Why are other people's children suddenly so precious? If you ask me, there's probably something going on here."
Grandma Wang glared at her daughter-in-law: "You're so nosy."
Achan nodded in deep agreement: "Sister-in-law is right."
"Right?" Sister-in-law Wang smiled at Achan.
After staying at the Wang family's house for more than an hour, seeing that the sky outside was getting overcast and wondering if it was going to rain, she got up to say goodbye.
Back in the Gao family's courtyard, Achan sat in Lin Sui's room for a while, then felt a little sleepy, so she took off her shoes and socks and planned to take a nap on the bed.
She didn't know how long she slept. When she woke up, Hui Niang and Lin Sui still hadn't returned. The sky outside was overcast and seemed to be foggy.
Achan rubbed her eyes, wondering whether she should go outside to take a look, when she heard another knock on the door.
Is Xiao Luo home?
Achan opened the window and listened carefully before she could understand that the other person was looking for Lin Sui's younger brother.
Without thinking twice, she hurriedly slipped on her embroidered shoes and walked out, replying as she went, "Gao Luo is not home today."
The person outside seemed surprised to hear the woman's voice, and after a pause, asked, "Are you Xiao Sui from the Gao family?"
"I am Lin Sui's friend, and I have come to visit Gao Luo today."
"Oh. Then please open the door, miss. I hunted some game to give to Xiao Luo. Please accept it for him."
Without thinking twice, Achan opened the door.
Outside the door, a burly middle-aged man in his forties was carrying a rabbit. When he saw Ah Chan open the door, he grinned and handed her the rabbit: "This is the rabbit. Thank you for your help, young lady."
Achan reached out and took it. When she grabbed the rabbit by the ears, the rabbit, which had been stiff, suddenly bounced.
Startled, Achan loosened her grip, and the rabbit jumped to the ground and ran away.
"Girl, how could you let the rabbit escape? That was a rabbit I caught with great difficulty, you have to compensate me." A sinister voice rang in her ears, and the next moment, her arm was gripped tightly.
Achan looked up in surprise and found that the middle-aged man, who had been perfectly normal just moments before, now had an extremely ferocious expression.
The surrounding fog had become increasingly thick.
Achan did not show any fear. She carefully examined the middle-aged man in front of her and it took her a while to confirm her judgment.
The man appeared no different from an ordinary person, but the feeling of his arm as he gripped it was wrong; it didn't feel like a human hand, but more like a ring of cold iron.
Such a low temperature suggests either a corpse or a ghost.
But it's difficult for a corpse to imitate a person so closely; Hui Niang is truly unique.
Therefore, what's in front of you is undoubtedly a ghost.
He is not a high-level ghost, yet he can still appear in broad daylight. As far as Achan knows, the only ghost that can travel in broad daylight is the Changgui.
If this man is from the village, and he has become a changgui (a type of ghost), then there probably isn't just one changgui in the village.
As Achan was thinking, two more figures appeared at the door, a man and a woman, both dressed as villagers.
The female ghost led the way, and the two male ghosts carried the defenseless Achan out of the house. As they walked out the door, Achan glanced at the house of Grandma Wang San next door, hesitated for a moment, but still didn't call for help.
Even if she shouts, no one can save her. Don't let it drag Grandma Wang's family down with her.
These ghosts were probably seeing such cooperative humans for the first time. They didn't shout, cry out, or struggle; they obediently let them carry them up the mountain.
As they passed through the village, Achan spotted several villagers in the mist. The villagers made eye contact with her and then followed the group.
Fine, they're all accomplices.
As Achan was being carried around unsteadily, she wondered how bored that tiger demon in the mountains must be to be so keen on turning people into ghouls and to have created such a whole series of things.
After entering the mountain, the group of ghosts obviously sped up. After walking for about half an hour, Achan suddenly heard a woman's voice in the mountain, as if she was calling for someone.
Her expression hardened, and she knew something was wrong. Sure enough, the four ghostly creatures following behind the group headed in the direction from which the sound came.
Unable to stop them, Achan could only look worriedly in the direction from which the sound came, hoping that Lin Sui would not be caught by them.
About fifteen minutes later, the group of ghosts carried Achan to a ravine. The area was lush with vegetation, but there were stone slabs laid out on the ground at some unknown time, suggesting that someone had been there before.
Further ahead, a dilapidated mountain god temple appeared, its doors and windows long since rotted away, leaving only three dark holes.
If you listen carefully, you can hear what sounds like weeping coming from the mountain god's temple. The sound is high and low, and it's not just one person.
The ghost put Achan down. The two shoes she was wearing on the mountain had long since fallen off, and now she could only walk barefoot on the ground. Although they weren't cold, they were very uncomfortable.
After she was put down, the ghosts suddenly disappeared, but the mist surrounding her did not dissipate.
Achan looked around and slowly walked towards the mountain god temple.
She had only walked to the entrance of the mountain god temple when she saw a few people huddled together inside. Their eyes were not on her, but on what was behind her.
Achan turned around, and a huge tiger's head was right behind her. The black tiger had its blood-red mouth wide open, and its mouth was full of a fishy stench.
Achan covered her nose in disgust: "Mountain Lord, even if you are a demon, you should at least pay attention to your appearance and demeanor."
The black tiger demon shut its mouth, its furry head close to Achan's, somewhat surprised: "Aren't you afraid of me?"
Achan chuckled: "How novel! Who would be afraid of their own kind?"
She also sized up the black tiger demon in front of her. Its glossy black fur was covered with white stripes. Tigers are born with double pupils, but this one had three pupils. It had become intelligent and spoke so fluently, so it was probably no less than the third realm.
“You’re from the same clan, but you don’t look like a monster.” The black tiger demon looked A-Chan up and down.
"Just because I'm not now doesn't mean I wasn't before."
The black tiger suddenly roared at Achan: "Human, you're lying to me!"
"All you tigers do all day is roar, don't you know how noisy that is?" Achan roared back angrily.
The black tiger demon's eyes were thoughtful. It didn't see even a moment of fear on the woman's face; she wasn't faking it.
"As far as I know, demons cannot transform into human form."
Achan rolled her eyes at it: "That's because you're so naive. How many demons have you even seen?"
"So you've seen many of them? What kind of demon were you before?"
"Fox demon, have you heard of Qingyu Mountain? I grew up there." Achan secretly leaned forward and reached out to touch the fur on the black tiger's neck. It felt a little rough, so it seemed that it hadn't been well taken care of.
Black Tiger took a step back in disgust: "Qingyu Mountain, the Qingyu Mountain with the Five Realms Fox King?"
"Yes, the Fox King you mentioned is my grandmother."
The black tiger demon was starting to believe it. Qingyu Mountain was far from the Great Xia Dynasty, and it was not a place that an ordinary woman should know about. Even he, a tiger demon of the third realm, had only heard about it from other great demons by chance.
"Then how did you end up like this?"
“I was harmed, so…” A-Chan said, turning her head to look inside the mountain god temple, “Shall we talk about this in private?”
The Black Tiger Demon glanced at the people inside, exhaled, and they immediately fainted: "Alright, now talk."
Achan didn't dwell on it and continued, "Then I possessed a human body."
The black tiger demon's eyes widened instantly: "Possession? You actually succeeded?"
"It's not that easy. Can't you see I'm powerless right now? I can't even break free from your accomplice."
As Achan spoke, she rubbed her stiff neck. When she was carried here, none of the ghosts had supported her neck. She was exhausted.
The Black Tiger Demon narrowed his eyes: "What a coincidence. I was just thinking of capturing a woman to play with, but I ended up capturing one of my own kind."
Although it believed that Achan was also a demon, it didn't intend to let her go so easily. If she really was a fox demon from Qingyu Mountain, then...
A glint flashed in the black tiger demon's eyes as it slowly circled around Achan: "Even if you were originally a demon, you aren't anymore. Rather than letting you go, I should kill you."
Achan was not surprised; that's how it is among the demon race—the strong are respected.
"So, I've already figured out what I'm going to use to buy my life."
"Oh, what is that?" the tiger demon asked curiously.
"Are you interested in the inner core of a fox demon from the Four Realms?"
Humans cannot easily devour the inner cores of demons, but demons can devour each other. No matter how cunning this tiger demon is, it will not let go of such a good opportunity.
"Your inner core?" the tiger demon asked tentatively.
“My inner core exploded a long time ago. I’m talking about my uncle’s inner core.” Under the tiger demon’s gaze, Achan said calmly, “I have thirteen uncles. Three of them have died over the years. My sixth uncle died in the Great Xia. I happen to know where his inner core is.”
Where?
“Xiling, I can take you to find the inner core, but you have to do me a favor.”
"What kind of help?" Now, the tiger demon was 100% certain that the woman in front of him was indeed a fox demon. He even knew that the Fox King of Qingyu Mountain had fourteen sons, so she was definitely not an imposter.
“I want to turn back into a demon, but staying in the capital will never be possible. I want you to take me back to Qingyu Mountain.”
“This…” Black Tiger hesitated.
Achan glanced at him and asked, "Did you offend some powerful demon and have no choice but to flee to the Great Xia, afraid to go back?"
The black tiger demon was somewhat embarrassed and angry: "That's not it, I just don't want to clash with them head-on."
"I understand, but I don't think you need to worry. If you're afraid of being hunted down by a powerful demon, I can point you to a better place."
"Where to?"
Achan smiled mysteriously and whispered in the tiger demon's ear, "You know the White Tiger clan of White Peak Mountain, right? Their third princess is fond of Black Tiger. If you can win her favor, who will dare to mess with you in the future?"
The black tiger demon's eyes lit up immediately: "Really? What does the Third Princess look like?"
Achan immediately gave a disgusted look: "Tall and strong, with a loud voice and a particularly bad temper, he's so annoying."
The black tiger demon became even more excited upon hearing this; this was the tiger of its dreams!
Seeing that the Black Tiger Demon was interested, Achan asked, "So, do you agree to this deal?"
"Alright, as long as you get the inner core for me, I'll take you back to Qingyu Mountain, and also the Third Princess..."
"Don't worry, once my grandmother restores my demon form, I will take you to White Peak Mountain."
"It's a deal." Black Tiger raised his huge paw and touched it with Achan's slender white hand.
Just then, mist rose up again in the distance, and four ghouls appeared. They threw the struggling person to the ground. Ah Chan looked over and saw that it was indeed Lin Sui.
She sighed inwardly, not approaching Lin Sui to speak, but instead asking the Black Tiger Demon, "Mountain Lord, why have you captured another person?"
The black tiger demon raised its large head: "The one inside said his sister was down the mountain and asked me to go and catch her. Who knew I'd end up catching you? I wonder if this is his sister?"
Yes, that's right.
"You know him?"
“Yes, I know them. I’ve met everyone here before.” Achan turned to the Black Tiger Demon and said, “My current status can be considered that of a noblewoman from a high-ranking family.”
As she spoke, Black Tiger exhaled again, and the people who had fainted earlier regained consciousness.
Lin Sui was also pushed into the mountain god temple by the ghost. She glanced at A Chan as she passed by, but did not say anything.
As soon as Lin Sui entered the mountain god temple, she spotted Lin Heng, who had just woken up. She pounced on him, grabbed his collar, and demanded fiercely, "Lin Heng, where's Xiao Luo? Where did you take Xiao Luo?!"
Lin Heng forcefully shoved Lin Sui away: "Lin Sui, what's wrong with you? How am I supposed to know where he is?"
Lin Sui ignored him completely. She looked around, found a stone by the door, grabbed it, and smashed it on Lin Heng's head.
Seeing the two locked in a fierce fight, Achan giggled, "So, the Mountain Lord enjoys watching this kind of drama, siblings killing each other?"
"It's alright. Staying here is too boring. I only occasionally encounter one or two interesting humans, but unfortunately they don't know what's good for them, so I have no choice but to eat them."
Achan said disdainfully, "What's the point of eating people? They're just ordinary humans. I have a better suggestion. Would you like to hear it, Mountain Lord?"
"Tell me about it?"
"These guys really enjoy hunting. What do you think about making them the prey?"
Who hunts them?
Achan raised her chin and pointed at the crazed Lin Sui: "She's a good candidate. It's interesting to see the strong become the prey and the weak become the hunter. Shan Jun will find her a suitable weapon later, and then we can watch the show from the mountain."
"Hmm...you fox demons really know how to play games." The black tiger demon nodded. "That's a good idea."
At Achan's suggestion, the Black Tiger Demon entered the Mountain God Temple. It roared, and Lin Sui, who had lost her senses, regained consciousness. Only then did she realize that there was a monster in front of her.
However, seeing Achan standing next to the demon calmed her down a bit. Achan seemed unfamiliar, while she looked very familiar with the tiger demon, but Lin Sui still chose to believe her.
"I'm going to play a game with you. I'll let you leave here. You can escape as much as you want. Whoever manages to escape, I'll let him go."
The group of people, who had been somewhat desperate, suddenly felt a glimmer of hope and hurriedly said, "Mountain Lord, we are willing."
"As for you," the Black Tiger Demon turned to Lin Sui, "you are to hunt them down. As long as you catch one and bring him to justice, I will let you go."
Lin Sui turned to look at Lin Heng, but didn't say anything.
Soon, the black tiger demon released the group. They hesitated as they walked out of the ravine, and seeing that there was no obstruction or rising mist, they fled into the mountains as if their lives depended on it.
Achan watched the backs of the group, her eyes crinkling with a smile. Watching the prey flee in terror and die was the real joy of hunting; they would love this game.
Lin Sui was left behind. A Chan looked around and, seeing nothing of value, instructed the remaining cougars to find her a wooden stick. She then took the stick to the Black Tiger Demon and said, "Mountain Lord, give me some demonic energy."
"Tsk." The black tiger demon breathed a breath of demonic energy onto the stick, and it instantly became as sturdy as a fine iron rod, yet it was very light to hold.
Achan placed the stick in her hand into Lin Sui's hand, and after she took it, she patted the back of her hand: "Let's go."
"Which direction did Lin Heng go?" Lin Sui was still unwilling to give up, even though she hadn't found out her brother's whereabouts.
She and Chen Hui had just found a large amount of blood in the mountains, but before they could search thoroughly, they were captured. She was terrified that something might happen to her younger brother. Given the vicious nature of Lin Heng and his gang, they wouldn't let Xiao Luo go easily.
Achan pointed in the direction Lin Heng had fled and said to her, "Go ahead, be careful on the way."
"You want to let this human go?" After Lin Sui left, the black tiger demon's head suddenly popped out from A Chan's shoulder.
"I'm wondering, when people are driven to the brink, do siblings kill each other? Mountain Lord, aren't you curious?"
"I don't think so. Humans value those messy emotions the most."
"A-Chan smiled, but I have a guess. Does the Mountain Lord want to take a gamble?"
About fifteen minutes after the group was released, the black tiger's figure darted through the forest, with Achan riding on its back, her long hair flying in the air.
"Mountain Lord, slow down! The wind is too strong, it's messing up my hair."
"Hey, why are you so demanding?"
"It's clearly because you tigers live such a crude life!"
"Foxes are just pretentious."
The black tiger demon slowed down and found a huge rock on the mountaintop. It jumped up from there and could clearly see Lin Heng, who was wandering around the mountain like a headless fly, as well as Lin Sui, who had just caught up with Lin Heng.
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