"Haha, this is Helian Mountain, little brother. I will only take you here. I still have to deliver these things to the town ahead. I won't go in. Hahaha, if you have the chance in the future, come and ride on my donkey cart. I won't charge you a penny!"

“Let’s go!”

The man driving the donkey cart laughed a few times, then waved the whip, and the donkey brayed a few times and sped up a little. Then, while the sun was still shining, they had to hurry on their journey. The desolate horn sounded, and the young Taoist watched the man he met by chance leave, and then he looked at the town where he had lived for many years.

The Helian Mountain in the distance remained the same as before, not much different from when he left.

The young Taoist took a few steps, but suddenly stopped.

He looked at the Taoist robe he was wearing and the little peacock that was quite eye-catching at first glance.

After thinking about it, to avoid trouble, he swept his sleeves, and his own Qi was transformed into ancestral Qi. With a word of change, the plain Taoist robe on his body turned into the simple clothes he often wore in the past. The wooden hairpin turned into an ordinary branch. He took a few steps again, and the shoes on his feet were the same as before. He raised his hand again to induce the ancestral Qi to change, hiding the small peacock tail feather that was as bright as gold and had just been hiding in his sleeves.

It looks like a three-yellow chicken cub.

The little peacock Qi Yuntun was curious: "Hey!!! Aqi Aqi, what are you doing?"

The young Taoist said, "Save some trouble."

"Aqi, do you care about this?"

"No matter what I wear, I am still myself, but when in Rome, you have to follow the customs. I think these clothes will make others feel alienated. It's better for me to wear the old clothes."

The little peacock didn't care at all.

Anyway, he was wearing silk and satin, or a plain Taoist robe, or the brown shorts like he is now.

Qi Wuhuo is always Qi Wuhuo.

He just flicked his tail feathers curiously, and it seemed as if he had really disappeared. However, he felt that if he circulated his Qi, he could break the young Taoist's transformation technique. However, Qi Wuhuo suddenly felt his sleeve being pulled. He lowered his head and saw the little medicine spirit with envy on his face. He pointed at Xiao Yuntun, then pointed at himself, and babbled something.

"You want to change too?"

The young Taoist burst out laughing, and then he used the method of Yuanshi Zuqi to transform the non-resisting little medicine spirit into a tiny chick with a light yellow face. The two little guys sat side by side on the young Taoist's shoulders, but one had long feathers on its head fluttering in the wind, and the other had branches and leaves hidden under its wings, as if from trees, to distinguish them.

"Okay, let's go home."

Qi Wuhuo walked back to the town, still feeling a little nostalgic. The roads, the houses, and the air at the foot of the mountain seemed to be the same as always. Nothing had changed during the time he was away. The night watchman in thick clothes came towards him. It was not time for him to work, but he had gone to get some strong liquor and was thinking about what he had said today.

The young man greeted him naturally and asked if it was early to get wine today. The night watchman saw the young man and replied subconsciously: "Of course, there is nothing to do today, it's my turn to rest. The old wine shop has opened a jar of new wine, so of course I have to drink some to try."

"You kid don't know the taste of wine, haha, you'll be fine when you're older."

The night watchman retorted subconsciously, walked a dozen steps, and suddenly reacted, turned his head sharply, and shouted:

"Qi Wuhuo?!"

"You're back?"

"You kid, didn't you die outside?!"

The young Taoist had already walked away. The night watchman saw him waving his hands with his back to him, then smiled and replied, "Lucky to be back." The night watchman muttered a few words, then couldn't help laughing for no reason, and said in a still unpleasant way, "It's not easy to get out there, is it?!"

"Just come back. There's always food for you here in the mountains and below."

"Just stay at home and don't go wandering around for no reason."

I strolled all the way home and bought two taels of pork head, feeling very happy.

The wife at home widened her eyes and said unsatisfiedly: "Didn't you say you only drink a little bit of wine?"

“Is this a little bit?”

The night watchman smiled and said, "Well, let's not talk about this. Do you know who I met today?"

"Who is it? Is the wife of Old Wang hooking up with Old Li again?"

"Or what?"

The night watchman smiled and said, "I saw Qi Wuhuo coming back."

The night watchman's wife was surprised and asked, "You're back?"

"Yeah, haha, drink some."

"He's back, what's your business?"

"It's none of my business. I just feel that it's great that this guy disappeared suddenly that year and didn't die outside. I can't explain why, but I feel good."

Qi Wuhuo walked all the way to the edge of the town. His little house was still there, and the lock on the fence outside the yard was still there. The plum blossoms that his teacher had transformed had withered early this year, and fell to the ground, covering the entire yard. The young Taoist took out his key from his sleeve and inserted it into the keyhole. With a not-so-crisp sound, the lock opened. The young man lifted the chain, put it on the pile of stones next to him, and then pushed open the door.

When the door was opened, it brought with it a small gust of wind.

Then the plum blossoms that fell all over the yard were swept up, filling the temples and eyebrows of the young Taoist priest. His sleeves were slightly raised, and the little peacock could not help but fall from the boy's shoulders, spread his wings and glided. The little medicine spirit babbled anxiously, meaning that I haven't sat on it yet! But suddenly he realized that he had been turned into a bird, so he also tried to flap his wings.

Then plant it directly upside down.

Spinning around.

It fell into the palm of the young Taoist priest’s hand.

He sat there in a daze, with his wings lifted up and his head pressed down, his eyes blurry.

The young man laughed and said, "You're back."

He walked in and opened the door. There was some dust in the room, but other than that, it was not much different from when he was here. Only the bedding was a little damp. The little peacock flew in, looked around, and said, "Huh? Aqi Aqi, did you live here before?"

"It's narrow, dark, and damp."

"It's much smaller than Lianyang Temple."

The young man smiled and said, "Really? I think it's great."

He walked to the window, pushed it open, and saw the mountains in the distance and the blue sky. The room was filled with the fragrance of plum blossoms, and he said, "Isn't this all right?" The little peacock and the little medicine spirit sat on his shoulders. Looking at He Lianshan, the young Taoist felt peaceful and warm. He didn't think there was anything wrong with his room.

The news of Qi Wuhuo's return quickly spread around the area.

After all, it was the most remote and ordinary place in the town. Soon, people came to the turning door to join in the fun and see the situation of this young man. They were mainly curious about where he had been in the past year, why he disappeared without a word, and why he suddenly came back?

"Oh, so you want to go out and see the world."

"Did you make any money in the past year? No."

"Well, it's nothing. It's good for young people to see the world. Not making money is also a good thing. I bought some vegetables at the market this morning. You just came back, so I guess there's nothing at home. This is good stuff. It's more expensive in the city, one pound, and it's not so fresh. It's all treated with drugs."

"By the way, where did you buy this chick? Auntie, I want to raise some chickens to lay eggs."

“I haven’t seen many for sale.”

People come here to sit, and most of them will leave something after satisfying their curiosity.

I like to tell young people what to do.

But he would also naturally think that since you just came back and can't even start the stove, it would be normal to order you enough dishes to eat three or five meals. So the young Taoist's house had several more large cabbages, a jar of pickled vegetables, some salt, a small bowl of oil, a small bag of rice, three eggs, and all kinds of things, enough for him to eat for seven or eight days.

Qi Yuntun was held in the hands of the aunt and kneaded over and over again. She said that the chicken was not fat enough and fed it with vegetable leaves and millet. For the first time, little Yuntun felt that he was not that fond of food. Little Yaoling watched him laugh at the joke and couldn't escape it either.

"Is this a human? How strange."

"People are inherently strange." The young man laughed.

His soul knew that these people who lived ordinary lives were just curious about him and had some goodwill towards their neighbor who had returned. Some wealthy families seemed to be a little frightened and nervous because of his return, but there were not many. The young man could "hear" what they said, that he had disappeared for more than a year and came back still in tattered clothes, so he thought he had an old relationship with the mountain god, and it was just a rumor.

The little peacock opened his eyes wide and said, "Aqi, Aqi, do you know the mountain god?"

"Um."

"In fact, you recognize it too."

"Huh?? I, do I recognize it?"

The little peacock Qi Yuntun was puzzled, and the young man laughed, washed the rice, cooked, and made dishes. He fried rice, bacon and cabbage, added more oil, and a pile of pickled cucumbers. It tasted very good.

Cleaning the house and wiping off the dust, it’s as if the past years have never existed.

Until the house was restored to its original state, as if the young man had never left, the young man took a step forward, picked up the backpack beside him, and walked towards Helian Mountain. The people next to him greeted him and asked him why he was so diligent and wanted to go to the mountain to chop firewood again. The young Taoist would say yes, he had just come back, so they smiled and asked him to bring the firewood later so they could order some.

The young man agreed with a smile.

The mountain road is familiar. Although I haven’t walked it for a year, it doesn’t feel strange at all.

He walked forward following the scent, picking some fruits and putting the fallen firewood in the basket on his back. He also went to see the herbs he had planted along the way. However, when Qi Wuhuo went over, he found that the place where he had planted them was empty, and he was slightly surprised.

"there is none left?"

I searched several places again, but still couldn't find it.

These were the gifts sent to him by the surrounding earth gods such as Tao Taigong when he became a mountain god.

The young Taoist planted these spiritual herbs on Helian Mountain, hoping to improve the vitality of the entire mountain, but he didn't expect them to disappear. Did someone who was collecting herbs find them? Or... Qi Wuhuo raised his hand to attract the Qi, and when his mind moved, he found a familiar breath.

It's that little deer spirit.

The little deer spirit sighed.

On top of his head was sitting Xiao Huangjing, also holding his chin with his hands and sighing.

"Why hasn't he come back yet?"

“That’s right…”

"Damn it, that big black guy! We thought he was a real guest, but he actually stayed in the Mountain God's Mansion in Helian Mountain these days and refused to come out. Even Master Tao couldn't get any help when he went to argue with him..."

The two little guys thought of that guy and sighed together again.

They all said in unison: "Why hasn't he come back yet?"

I heard a gentle laugh: "Who's coming back?"

The little deer spirit's ears moved and its eyes widened, and the little yellow spirit did the same. It rolled over and got up, saying, "Hey, hey, hey!" The two little guys turned their heads and saw a young Taoist priest sitting in the woods. His black hair was tied with branches, with a smile on his face. He was wearing a brown shorts and a blue coarse cloth tied around his waist that hung down on one side. His eyes were gentle.

"!!! Mountain God?!"

"Woo woo woo, you're finally back!"

Little Huangjing took a running start and then pounced towards the young Taoist priest.

In the end, Qi Yuntun grabbed him in mid-air and threw him down.

"Who? Can I eat?"

The little peacock looked at the young Taoist.

The young Taoist shook his head and then let go. Instead, the little medicine spirit widened its eyes. It is extremely difficult for any plant to become spiritual, and it is possible that it will never meet another medicine spirit from the time it becomes spiritual until it dies. He suddenly became happy, pointed at the little Huangjing, then pointed at himself, babbling, with a look of joy on his face.

The little deer spirit, of course, thought he was an old deer and came over, but he was very polite and said, "Mountain God."

Very solemn and mature.

reliable!

The short tail sways at high speed.

It's about to leave an afterimage.

They were all obviously happy, asking where the young Taoist had been. He had just returned today. The young Taoist answered them one by one, sitting on the bluestone under the tree, with Little Huangjing and Little Yaoling sitting on his knees, and Little Peacock on his shoulders. He reached out and stroked Little Deer Spirit's head, saying, "You just said, which big black guy?"

Now, the two little guys were angry and said:

"Yes, that's him!"

"Bad guy!"

"Rob the mountain god's house."

"Hmm? Take your time..."

The young Taoist's voice naturally carried a hint of the Buddhist Fearless Seal, which calmed the two little guys down and allowed them to slowly narrate. Only then did they understand what had happened. It was some time ago, during the catastrophe in Zhongzhou. At that time, the Earth God suffered a great loss, and the lifespan of an Earth God is at least three to five hundred years, and at most he may have practiced the method of cultivating the earth veins.

Of course, people are staring at you.

Then there was a big black bear who claimed to be carrying a letter from the previous mountain god Tiger. He came to Zhongzhou, but he did not dare to go to the central area which was severely affected by the disaster. Instead, he came to this remote place which was not affected too much. At first, he helped to drive away some monsters that had affected here. The monsters in the mountains thought he was a friend and treated him warmly.

But slowly, this guy revealed his lazy and gluttonous nature and ate a lot of elixirs.

He ran to occupy the place of the mountain god, and found a lot of ghosts and monsters from somewhere. They said that the mountain god never showed up, and never took any action in such a big event as the catastrophe in Zhongzhou. He was too timid and afraid of trouble. It would be better to let him take over the mountain god position. After all, he can protect the creatures of this mountain, give you good food and drink, and be the master and ancestor.

When talking about this, the little yellow spirit was very angry. He looked at the young Taoist priest and said, "Mountain God, you must have helped solve it. The great disaster in Zhongzhou didn't run away as he said!" He had great trust in the young Taoist priest. When he saw the young Taoist priest nod, he became happy and said, "Grandpa Tao wanted to ask him to move out, but he refused."

"Grandfather said he has some very powerful bloodline, and can fight with real people."

"Is that so..."

The young Taoist priest had not expected that after he solved the disaster in Zhongzhou, someone saw that he was not in the mountain and came here to occupy the mountain. Judging from his words and actions, his character did not seem worthy of entrusting the status of mountain god. However, since Tao Taigong and others did not contact him with the Xuantan method, the matter should not be serious.

The young Taoist felt guilty.

He felt that as a mountain god he was unable to fulfill his duties as a mountain god, and he became determined to pass on the seal.

But then he thought, if the status of the mountain god were to be spread, even if others obtained this mark, it would only be a means of the innate Qi.

Not necessarily better than Tao Taigong.

And Tao Taigong also said it was tricky, it seems that this guy is indeed extraordinary.

It seemed that a monster wanted to take advantage of Lord Lingmiao's lack of time to gain some benefits from the gods of the land, and it just happened to choose Helian Mountain, thinking that without the mountain god, there would be less resistance to occupying the magpie's nest. The young man thought about it and felt that it would be a good opportunity for him to resolve the matter before he left.

If I had come back earlier, handed the mark to someone else and left, He Lianshan would still be bullied.

It’s just right to come back at this time.

He stood up and said, "Come on, take me to see it."

"Huh?"

"He said there was a letter. I'll go take a look."

"Also, guests are welcomed when they come, but bad guests like this will be kicked out."

…

The platform where the Lord of Tiger Mountain used to make elixirs and preach was now mostly populated by monsters. Although they did not cultivate by devouring blood, they all looked ferocious, and were different from the monsters in the mountains in the past. The leader was a rather sturdy man, who sat cross-legged there, wearing a cassock, with short black hair, and drinking tea quite calmly.

All the monsters praised his magical power and said, "Your Excellency once heard Dharma in the South China Sea, and later left to practice in the Monster Kingdom."

"Ordinary real people are no match for him."

"I have given up Buddhism and sought the Way. I have come to this mountain to seek a follower of the Earth God and to cultivate a free and easy life."

“That’s a very good thing!”

The black bear laughed loudly and said, "It should be so. This Helian Mountain is a good place for me." Just as he was laughing and feeling proud, he suddenly heard footsteps. The clear voice came slowly from the bottom up. The sound seemed to have a mysterious flavor, which calmed the minds of the group of monsters and made them listen quietly subconsciously:

"Watching chess pieces fall apart, the sound of felling trees, walking slowly at the edge of the valley, selling firewood and making tea, playing the zither to indulge in my feelings. In the autumn, facing the moon, I pillow my head on the roots of pine trees and sleep until dawn. I recognize the old forest, climb the cliff and cross the ridge, and cut the dead vines with an axe."

"I harvested a load of rice, and went to the market singing songs, and exchanged it for three liters of rice."

"There is no more competition, the current price is average, there is no scheming, no honor or disgrace, and a peaceful and long life."

The voice was gentle. The demons saw a man wearing brown clothes and shorts, carrying a backpack, with the little deer spirit on one side and a bird on his shoulder. He looked gentle, like an ordinary young man chopping wood. But how could an ordinary young man come here and not change color when seeing these demons? The man transformed from the black bear stood up to three meters tall, looked at them with a pair of eyes, and chanted:

"He was a monk."

"Young man, this is the dojo of the Helian Mountain God. I wonder why you are here?"

The demons all started shouting, creating a cacophony of noise and a piercing sound.

The young man smiled and replied:

"I am the god of Helian Mountain, and I have no doubts."

Then the group of monsters suddenly quieted down.