On Xiniuhezhou Island, an unnamed mountain lies at the foot of Chenjia Village. Rumors of a demonic spirit lurking in the mountain have been circulating for three generations, leaving the villagers afraid to risk their lives. A custom, dating back to an unknown generation, has been established: every year in the first month of autumn, the village selects a thirteen-year-old girl, wraps her in red cloth, and places her at the entrance to the mountain path, claiming it's a tribute to the demon. This tradition continues year after year.
However, most of these girls were killed by wild beasts, and some starved to death.
Unbeknownst to everyone, the true "King of the Mountain" of Nameless Mountain is a black-maned bear demon, a mere three hundred years old. Occupying a cave dwelling in Qiyang, it guards its territory, never disturbing the people below. Even the smaller demons in the cave dwelling dare only forage deep within the mountain.
In the early autumn of that year, a little wolf demon on patrol passed by the mountain pass and heard two villagers squatting behind a rock and cursing: "This black-hearted mountain king! He took the virgin girl but didn't protect our village. And the other day he even lost two pigs!"
The little wolf demon was stunned for a moment before scurrying back to his cave and relaying the exact words to the bear king. The bear demon, who had been munching on wild fruit, crushed the core upon hearing this and said, "When did I ever take their virgin daughter? How dare you tarnish my reputation!"
The more it thought about it, the angrier it became. It simply went down the mountain in anger. A gust of black wind blew, and the black bear demon appeared, blocking the entrance to Chenjia Village. Its roar made the leaves of the old locust tree at the entrance fall. "Your village chief, come out! Tell me clearly, when did I ever ask for your people?"
There was a commotion in the village. After a long while, the village chief ran out trembling. He shuddered when he saw the bear monster. Is the legend really true?
He just waved his hand, and several villagers came out trotting with cloth bags in their hands. Seeing the bear monster with green face and fangs, they were afraid to go forward. The bear monster didn't do that on purpose, he was just angry. He was a vegetarian monster, and Pingqiu was wrongly accused of eating people for no reason. Is this fair?
"Your Majesty, please calm down! We are the ones who have been negligent. This year's girl... please accept her first. From now on, our village will present her with honor every year!" As he said this, the village chief opened his pocket. Inside was a little girl in a coarse cloth skirt, about thirteen or fourteen years old. Her face was as pale as paper, but she stared at the bear monster with her eyes wide open.
The bear demon was stunned. It had come to seek justice, so why was another person brought in? Then it looked at the girl again. There was no fear in her eyes, but rather a stubborn streak. Suddenly, she said, "If you're truly the mountain king, don't harm our villagers! Otherwise, you're just bullying the weak!"
The bear demon was choked by these words. Looking at the village chief's fawning and cowardly expression, he suddenly felt bored. With a wave of his claws, he swept the village chief aside and said to the girl, "I won't kill you, and I don't want your things. If you want to leave, come back to my cave with me, so you don't end up being sacrificed here." It wasn't stupid. After careful consideration, it understood what was going on. It couldn't bear to be indebted for no reason, so it continued in a gruff voice, "No, I'll wipe out your shabby village!"
The girl, Chen Acui, had lost her parents long ago, leaving only her blind grandmother. The village chief and villagers had just said they needed someone to sacrifice themselves to protect the village. She hadn't hesitated, but seeing the pleading looks in their eyes, she gritted her teeth and agreed. Hearing the bear demon's words, she gritted her teeth and nodded, "I'll go with you, but you have to allow me to come back to see my grandmother later."
The bear demon agreed, and before leaving, he said, "As long as I have her, I'll be fine. I don't need you to contribute any more virgins. Do you understand?"
The village chief nodded vigorously.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
