Shangguan Xi spoke slowly as he recounted the story: "After this incident, everyone was surprised as to why only this village survived. It was later discovered that it was probably related to the mountain behind it. The people of that time called this mountain Taiping Mountain to protect the peace of the area."
Xu Yuehua nodded thoughtfully, while Shangguan Qi continued, "Let's return to the strange and unusual things about this mountain. Going up the mountain is indeed dangerous, and there are many dangerous spirit beasts, but they have never harmed the people living at the foot of the mountain. If someone with ill intentions goes up the mountain, they will surely not have a good outcome. It is precisely because of this that everyone has made this place seem so mystical. There is also some mysterious contribution from Taiping Mountain. To this day, no one knows why the spirit beasts on the mountain have not attacked the villagers at the foot of the mountain. Logically speaking, this should not happen, but who can truly know or understand the outcome of these events and the truth behind them?"
After Shangguan Xi finished speaking, everyone came to their senses. When they came to carry out the mission, they hadn't thought about so much. They only thought about taking the crystal of the fighting lion and leaving. They didn't know that there would be so many intricacies involved.
"So now, is the turmoil on this mountain still in the outer layer? If we want to enter the inner layer, what should we do?" Shi Mu listened from the side, feeling confused, but he understood most of what was going on. However, what followed proved to be a problem for them.
"This turmoil, actually, is quite simple. According to ancient records from previous years, it's because in autumn, most of the spirit beasts in the mountains begin to give birth. So, to prevent their wives and children from being killed, the male spirit beasts would form a perimeter as a guard. In the innermost layer of the forest, the pregnant females gather together, waiting to give birth." Shangguan Xi paused slightly as she spoke. "I originally thought that after so many years, the rules and customs in the mountains would have changed to some extent, but I didn't expect it to remain the same."
Shangguan Xi scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly. In the end, this task was assigned to her, and it was her fault for not conducting a thorough investigation beforehand. "So what should we do now? There's such a group of spirit beasts surrounding the outer layer. It won't be easy to get in and find the beast lion's lair, and we might not even be able to get in."
"This is still my fault. If I had investigated more thoroughly when I accepted the mission, this wouldn't have happened. I also didn't discuss it with everyone, so I'm really sorry." Shangguan Xi said with a hint of guilt on her face. Everyone here is used to working alone, and now that they've suddenly joined a team, it's inevitable that they're a little unaccustomed to it, so some of their habitual behaviors still remain from when they were working alone.
Upon hearing this, Nangong Yu, unusually, did not argue with her. He put one hand on her shoulder, waved his hand dismissively, and said, "We didn't even take this little thing to heart. Besides, isn't the purpose of our trip here to train? Since there are so many spirit beasts in this outer layer, isn't it a perfect opportunity for us to train?"
Nangong Yu's words were clearly meant to comfort Shangguan Xi. The others remained silent, but they also did not show any reproach. For a moment, Shangguan Xi felt much better. "So what do we do now?"
Shangguan Xi looked to Xu Yuehuai for help. Even though she was the captain, Xu Yuehuai was the first person she thought of when she encountered a problem.
Xu Yuehuai sat on a large rock, her eyelids drooping, deep in thought. When she received a glance from Shangguan Xi, she looked up and said, "Our worries here are all valid. Instead of thinking so much here, we should go up the mountain and find out what's going on. If we can't win, we can run away. We don't even know what's going on up the mountain right now, so we shouldn't be so worried."
Xu Yuehuai was like a reassuring presence among them. After she finished speaking, everyone nodded in unison. Xu Yuehuai walked in front and headed towards the path leading up the mountain.
The young man hauling firewood watched them from the shadows. Seeing that they still went up the mountain, he sighed and muttered to himself, "Well, that's it, they're going to die on the mountain again."
The boy carrying firewood spoke as he left the area and returned to the village.
The village at the foot of the mountain is not big, with only about ten people, mostly elderly. There is only one young man, a boy who hauls firewood, so he took on all the more strenuous work.
"Grandma Chen, this is your firewood for this month. Don't be stingy with it. Remember to tell me when you run out. Winter is coming soon and the temperature is dropping. If you catch a cold and something happens to you, you'll suffer a lot." The boy carrying the firewood led it to an elderly woman's house.
The gatehouse was dilapidated. Hearing the noise, an old woman in her seventies or eighties came out. Her back was hunched, and her face was filled with joy and heartache upon seeing the situation. "Oh dear, Xixi, I, this old woman, can't possibly use all of this stuff. Please take some with you. Your room is so cold. You go out every day to bring us all this firewood. What are you going to use for yourself? No, no, if you don't take some with you this time, this old woman will refuse to take it no matter what."
Grandma Chen coughed twice while speaking, and almost fell over because she was unsteady on her feet. Fortunately, Xixi stepped forward and caught the old lady in time. "Grandma Chen, you have to be careful. Look, you're coughing again. Hurry up and go back inside. It's windy outside, and you'll catch a cold."
Xi Xi helped Grandma Chen walk into the house. Grandma Chen held his hand and said, "Xi Xi, have any people gone up the mountain recently? I keep hearing screams of people at night. Don't let those people go to their deaths. You must remember to save them."
Xixi said nonchalantly, "It's their fate if they want to go up the mountain. What's the point of trying to save them? Besides, even if I tried to stop someone who wants to die, I couldn't. Grandma Chen, don't worry about it. If you can't sleep at night because of the noise, go to my room. My room is quiet and has good soundproofing."
Grandma Chen sat down shakily, took a sip of tea, and after a while, continued, "No, no, this old woman's health is just like this, so I won't trouble you young man to move over and make room for me."
"Also, you must never say anything about looking for death again. You saved them now, which is accumulating good fortune for you. If you encounter any problems in the future, Heaven will protect you and keep you safe and sound. Even if you go to the underworld, the King of Hell will take care of you. You can't be so careless when doing good deeds, understand?" Grandma Chen said earnestly.
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