Chapter 134: Various parties gathering evidence, the legend of the mysterious Longyuan Mountain

When the Mountain God had not yet manifested, villagers traversed the mountains, not daring to claim they knew every inch, but if there truly were structures like a Taoist temple, they would have noticed.

After manifestation, a temple would be even less likely to be built; even stretching it ten thousand steps, who would idly construct a temple in the mountains—this would be blatantly slapping the Mountain God's face.

The old Taoist saw the village head's resolute expression, yet what Li Minghai and others had said earlier was also reasonable and well-founded, even able to detail certain aspects of the temple, not sounding like random fabrication.

Moreover, they had no need to deceive anyone.

The two groups gave completely different answers; certainly one side was lying. The old Taoist could not help but ask: "Donor, are you certain? I saw that gentleman speak with utmost sincerity, not like someone lying."

After hearing the old Taoist's description, the village head guessed he was referring to Li Minghai's group.

"Taoist priest, you do not know: this Longyuan Mountain is quite extraordinary, with a Mountain God present. The people you mentioned should be the construction team that came earlier, who experienced some strange events in the mountains—perhaps they had hallucinations."

Upon receiving orders from superiors, Sun Zhenbang and Xie Yixuan hurried back, dusty and weary, not even drinking water, and went straight to the bureau chief's office.

The Taoist priest Qingwei of Shangqing Temple had also said he came to Longyuan Mountain to visit a White Bone Taoist priest!

"Professor Zhang, are you certain?"

If it were anyone else, it would be hard to believe the village head's words, but the old Taoist is different, for Shangqing Temple has also experienced some extraordinary events.

Hu Xiaocao's appearance was vastly different from what they had imagined.

The cause was a murder case there; the deceased were connected by countless threads to the cultural relics smuggling case on Longyuan Mountain.

The old Taoist could not help muttering: "Could it be that the two share some connection?"

Besides not liking to speak, not being sociable, he had no other flaws; his grades remained top-ranked, he enjoyed reading extracurricular ancient texts, some so obscure even teachers could not understand them, and no one knew what this young child was researching.

Yet they never expected that besides the bureau chief waiting for them, there were also several special individuals.

Earlier, from villagers' words, they learned Hu Xiaocao's mother was healed by the Mountain God, and this story spread widely.

Although he had never directly dealt with the 749 Bureau personnel, the bureau chief knew about this department and held very high authority.

But the 749 Bureau personnel were not discouraged.

The matter of Longyuan Mountain could indeed not remain hidden.

The 749 Bureau personnel had previously negotiated with the school; Teacher Li gave a few instructions before leaving, making space for them.

Xie Yixuan pondered for a moment: "I have an impression—that little girl is also from Longyuan Village, seemingly called Hu Xiaocao; at the time I feared she might be in danger alone outside, so I accompanied her."

Although Captain Zhou and Bai Yanfei's attitudes were not as resolute as Sun Zhenbang's, it was clear they were somewhat wary of this mountain's affairs.

Xu Tiancheng reported to Wang Xuehao: "Captain, after our statistics and analysis, aside from those who died on Longyuan Mountain as criminals, the rest have clean family backgrounds, no criminal records, and temporarily no suspicious points on their resumes."

Yao Ruotong stared at the names on the paper, slightly frowning: "Those who have visited Longyuan Mountain and have close ties are not few; we must decide where to begin investigation."

The old Taoist recalled that first little girl, who also shouted "Mountain God" and said she came for the Mountain God.

The world has too many fame-seekers; though the old Taoist looks like an immortal with Daoist bones, this possibility cannot be ruled out.

All signs indicate Hu Xiaocao is not an ordinary child; this completely overturns their previous views.

Could it be that she is actually a person from this village?

The more the old Taoist thought, the more likely this seemed; shortly after the little girl left, that snake appeared, and a series of rather miraculous events occurred, utterly inexplicable by science.

This was exactly after school; the playground brimmed with innocent, tender smiles, laughter and chatter drifting to every corner of the campus.

After all, what happened on that mountain cannot be concealed.

If not for Yao Ruotong's inquiry, Xie Yixuan would almost have forgotten this matter.

Not long ago, regardless of whether it was the village head or that old Taoist who mentioned her, Wang Xuehao felt perhaps something new could be found on Hu Xiaocao.

Very few know this matter: besides the Mountain God, only the temple people and that police uncle.

Professor Zhang, recalling it even now, still feels a lingering fear: "Everyone's dreams were the same—being chased by a white skeleton in the dream."

"Ah, now I understand."

The village head and others were utterly confused, not knowing why the old Taoist said that.

"Earlier, there was a very popular online story about 'carving a boat to seek a sword'; I posted Xiaocao's view online, sparking heated discussion among netizens, even giving rise to a tale of historical fog."

After all, the several cases on Longyuan Mountain were handled by him; later he even issued orders, but anything related to Longyuan Mountain was directly reported to him.

Upon learning they came for Sun Zhenbang and Xie Yixuan, he made a phone call and immediately summoned the two executing tasks outside.

"What exactly could make the archaeological team abandon development of this ancient tomb?"

Children are easily misled, their thoughts not as meticulous as adults'; if there is a breakthrough, starting with her would certainly be the best choice.

Now it was Hu Xiaocao's turn to be curious: "Big sister, how did you know?"

Moreover, the appearance of that large snake also vaguely connects to the Mountain God; although besides Hu Xiaocao, villagers have never seen the Mountain God's form, but based on their years-long mental cognition, this is very likely the Mountain God's true form!

Then everything fits; the 749 Bureau personnel exchanged glances, recalling the old Taoist's words, and ripples stirred in their hearts.

Wang Xuehao drew a large circle around the name in the middle, eyes gleaming with sharpness: "Let's start with her."

Sun Zhenbang and Xie Yixuan exchanged glances, never expecting this matter to have alarmed the nation, prompting such a special organization to be dispatched for investigation.

Whenever confused, they would take it out to look, firming their Dao heart.

"Actually, we initially did not believe in any Mountain God, but after experiencing a series of events——"

Only the 749 Bureau personnel stood frozen, watching the old Taoist's retreating back, murmuring his last two words, their expressions somewhat complex.

After hearing the old Taoist's account, the village head grew increasingly astonished, for his description made that little girl seem to be Hu Xiaocao!

"Taoist priest, what do you mean by this?"

As for the White Bone Taoist priest they wished to visit on this trip, they likely would not meet.

Xu Tiancheng, hearing this, became curious: "What kind of dreams did you all have?"

To avoid further awkwardness, Yao Ruotong quickly changed the subject: "Xiaocao, did you not also visit Shangqing Temple before?"

The 749 Bureau personnel could not help but exchange glances, suddenly recalling information seen earlier on the police bureau's case files.

Born of affinity, scattered by affinity, extinguished.

Hu Xiaocao nodded, curiously scrutinizing the group before her.

Xu Tiancheng refused to give up, asking again: "Then what evidence do you have to prove the Mountain God's existence?"

Xu Tiancheng couldn't help but ask: "How can you be so sure that what you saw was the Mountain God?"

"Now, it's not a matter of belief or disbelief, but respect is needed, just like offering sacrifices to ancestors during festivals—would you not go just because you don't believe?"

The old Daoist turned around, smiled slightly, and said: "May I ask what brings you here, benefactor?"

"These cases are highly suspicious, and in the end, no culprit was found, leaving them as cold cases, all recorded in the Bureau—you can review the investigations."

Wang Xuehao nodded: "Good."

Furthermore, there are the matters recounted by Li Minghai and others.

He stared at the snake statue inside the temple, a sense of familiarity washing over him—Mountain Gods come in many forms, varying by region, and their images differ accordingly, but a purely serpentine form is rare.

Could it be that the Mountain God once visited Shangqing Temple?!

Seeing the village chief's expression, the old Daoist understood everything without needing further words.

From these files, it's clear these cases are indeed bewildering, not exaggerations by Sun Zhenbang and his group.

The Mountain God temple is bustling with people coming and going, their gazes filled with reverence; the thriving incense turns into blue smoke, drifting gently between the green mountains and clear waters.

Yao Ruotong shook her head: "Nothing."

Even before, he had been running around for the development of the Longyuan Mountain project, which shows that Sun Zhenbang himself is full of suspicions.

After that, Li Minghai and others said they saw an identical Shangqing Temple deep in the mountains, like a vast closed loop, giving a strong sense of fate.

Professor Zhang, the main person in charge of the archaeological team, upon hearing their purpose, couldn't help but sigh.

Yao Ruotong couldn't help but ask: "If we meet again by fate... Captain, you said this Daoist is telling the truth? Or is he deceiving us?"

This child, terrifyingly precocious.

What he said was too profound, stirring everyone's curiosity to its peak—perhaps noticing the village chief's confusion, the old Daoist smiled slightly and began recounting what had once happened in the Daoist temple.

Xu Tiancheng couldn't help but ask: "Daozhang, are what you and the village chief just said truly true?"

As the only female in the team, Yao Ruotong stepped forward to greet them.

Xie Yixuan, however, didn't quite understand why they suddenly asked this: "Why are we suddenly asking about this?"

The old Daoist departed, coming and going, leaving only the words 'fate'—he came with deep attachment, yet left with ease.

Those criminals learned of this news and thus came here, never imagining they would meet their end at this place.

Gazing at the endless layers of distant mountains, seemingly hiding infinite mysteries, his gaze suddenly turned solemn, his expression growing ever more reverent.

Not only that!

The young girl before him bore a maturity beyond her years, even her thoughts and ideas standing apart from the norm.

Seeing a simple question, yet Hu Xiaocao's answer was profoundly philosophical.

The atmosphere instantly fell into silence; the Bureau personnel felt awkward, especially Xu Tiancheng just moments ago.

The old Daoist respectfully offered a stick of incense in the Upper God's temple, his heart filled with gratitude and reverence; the breeze lifted his Daoist robe, as if responding from the temple.

"Besides Hu Xiaocao, the one most deeply involved is likely Sun Zhenbang—this police officer, we also need to question him."

……

Upon hearing this, the Bureau personnel were greatly surprised, then questioned Hu Xiaocao further, only to learn she actually wanted to find a way to cultivate immortality from ancient texts.

After leaving the police station, Wang Xuehao and others still pondered what Sun Zhenbang had said.

Who could bribe a police officer with decades of service?

"Xiaocao, you are truly the most special and intelligent student I have ever encountered in my years of teaching."

Regarding this cultural relic smuggling case, one cannot fail to mention Zuo Ci's tomb—earlier, the archaeological team that came here to develop the site also had to abandon development due to some strange occurrences.

I don't know why they suddenly came here, nor why they asked about the Mountain God. Seeing Li Lao's demeanor, he seems to be very respectful toward these people.

Seeing the credentials in Wang Xuehao and others' hands, even bearing the seal and signature of the highest leader, they immediately stood in solemn respect.

One must know this is in a remote mountain village, where the entire population is small, yet the temple is so lively—it shows the villagers sincerely believe, and even people from nearby villages often come over mountains and rivers to visit.

"They are from the 749 Bureau of the National Secrets Department, specially sent to investigate the Longyuan Mountain matter, hoping you will truthfully report everything about the mountain, no detail too small, with no concealment!"

But from then on, that snake was never seen again.

Yao Ruotong smiled and told Hu Xiaocao what the old Daoist had said upon coming to the village.

After returning to the 749 Bureau, Wang Xuehao and others quickly began working, their efficiency high—all information about Longyuan Mountain was laid out on the table, along with those involved in the matter.

Afterwards, the village chief brought the old Daoist to the Mountain God temple and said: "This is our Mountain God."

The two naturally had no need to conceal anything, nor any reason to—starting from the very first case, namely animal smuggling, they began to recount everything in detail.

Initially, a trafficker voluntarily reported the case, also saying he had once been chased by White Bone!

They also immediately went to the hospital for a check-up, hoping to find clues, but from the doctor's feedback, Hu Xiaocao's mother had already been paralyzed in bed, her condition highly unusual, yet current medical science has found no explanation.

Even after all this time, the memory remains fresh.

Xu Tiancheng sighed deeply: "I never imagined elementary school students nowadays would be so hard to deal with."

The village chief, listening, seemed puzzled: "What coincidence?"

After all, is Sun Zhenbang still holding back due to his identity, not speaking clearly? But everyone present heard the subtext in his words.

Moreover, judging from the righteousness in Sun Zhenbang's brows and eyes, he doesn't seem like that kind of person—Wang Xuehao judges people well and has never misjudged anyone.

Yao Ruotong held a stack of documents: "Captain, these are the materials you wanted—almost all are here."

"The abbot of Shangqing Temple, Dao Name Qingwei, came to pay respects to the Mountain God temple—Wuliang Tianzun, Qingwei respectfully presents."

With the school bell ringing, the inquiry ended, and Hu Xiaocao politely bade farewell to everyone.

What she said was well-founded and logically clear, even offering many original insights—hardly like something a child could say. And regarding Yao Ruotong's questions and doubts, she could respond fluently, with clear logic.

Wang Xuehao stared at the documents in his hand, lost in thought.

"This..."

Seeing Wang Xuehao and others arrive, they were somewhat taken aback.

"We first received the report on Longyuan Mountain regarding animal smuggling."

Seeing the old Daoist very interested in this matter, the village chief was naturally pleased and said: "Let me take you to have a look, I tell you, believing in the Three Pure Ones is not as good as believing in our Mountain God."

"Fate willing, we'll meet again."

Wang Xuehao nodded, picked up his pen and wrote and drew, filling the page with many names, all of them people who had been to Longyuan Mountain.

No one knows exactly what Li Minghai and the others experienced; after waking up, they lost part of their memories, those people kept it deeply secret, and the village chief did not press further.

The village chief's face showed deep emotion: "Our village once had a little girl named Hu Xiaocao, who indeed had deep ties with the Mountain God, a pity she is now away at school, otherwise she could still come out to meet the Daoist."

Saying this, the old Daoist informed the 749 Bureau members, but they said they would also take a look around before leaving.

749 Bureau: "???"

It turns out that in the dark, things were already destined.

Going around and around, it seems we have returned to the starting point.

The bureau chief had earlier ordered the files retrieved; the 749 Bureau personnel had already read them, and they matched exactly what Sun Zhenbang and the others had described.

"Captain, do you think what Officer Sun said is highly credible?"

"Hello, Xiaocao, don't be nervous; we came this time precisely to ask about Longyuan Mountain. The village chief said you are the first and only one to have seen the Mountain God, is that so?"

Seeing the old Daoist preparing to rise and leave, Wang Xuehao and the others hurriedly followed after him.

The 749 Bureau people listened attentively; what Hu Xiaocao said was no different from what other villagers said.

"Dong dong dong——"

"In short, this case ultimately became an unsolved mystery; perhaps, as Officer Sun said, there truly is some mysterious power in the world."

"Afterward, the Daoist temple experienced several strange incidents; incense gradually flourished, and it also regained its former glory."

Regarding this, the 749 Bureau people could only shake their heads and smile wryly, not taking it seriously, after all, this idea was too fanciful.

"In this world, could there really be such a coincidence?"

Professor Zhang affirmed with a nod: "Back then, this matter caused a great uproar; the entire team was spreading the word, saying this mountain was unclean, that some kind of power was blocking it, so later we could only give up."

Xu Tiancheng was left speechless by the question.

The old Daoist showed emotion: "Originally I thought everything was mere coincidence and accident, never expecting that in the dark, things were already destined; worldly affinities and encounters, everything leaves traces."

But she at this moment is no longer the clueless yellow-haired girl she once was; so although there is evidence, she calmly shook her head: "I have no evidence."

"But existence itself is proof; the Mountain God Grandfather does not need me to prove his existence, for he naturally overlooks the human world, receiving our worship."

Hu Xiaocao naturally has evidence—the snake shed, the ancient texts, she has always carried them with her, they are her spiritual mainstay from diligent study.

After hearing Li Lao's words, everyone fell into deep thought involuntarily.

Watching her departing back, Xu Tiancheng couldn't help but sigh: "Are children nowadays this smart? Simply outrageous."

They also found Zhou Dui and Bai Yanfei.

Facing Wang Xuehao's piercing remark, Sun Zhenbang hesitated a moment, but still decided to speak his innermost true thoughts.

"Ancient texts?"

"So you also believe in the Mountain God's sayings?"

But here it is different; all who come and go are devout believers; the old Daoist, upon stepping in, felt an indescribable sensation.

The bureau chief briefly explained the situation, introduced the identities of Wang Xuehao and others, his expression unprecedentedly solemn.

Wang Xuehao pondered for a moment: "Whether true or not, we will surely investigate until the truth comes to light."

Wang Xuehao rubbed his temples: "As a police officer, he has no reason to lie; doing so brings him no benefit, and if someone behind the scenes is directing him, it also doesn't hold up."

"When the Daoist temple was in disrepair, a little girl once came, saying she was entrusted by the Mountain God; perhaps from that moment, the seeds of karmic affinity were sown."

Yao Ruotong's gaze fell on Xie Yixuan: "You previously accompanied a little girl to find the Daoist temple; do you still remember this?"

The old Daoist originally cultivated Daoist methods; though he saw no supernatural phenomena, his mind held vast philosophical thoughts, and he had deep insight into such karmic matters.

The old Daoist smiled faintly; even if he had not seen the Hu Xiaocao the village chief mentioned, he felt inexplicably certain in his heart that she was that little girl from before.

"So it is the Daoist Grandfather."

"Back then we wanted to develop this tomb, but many strange things occurred—small animals came to cause trouble, and some said they saw ghostly shadows; even the team members had the same nightmare every day, such strange things kept happening, preventing our work from proceeding."

Wu Du, Elementary School in front of the station.

Hu Xiaocao's black-and-white clear eyes blinked, and instead she asked: "Big brother, how do you know what I saw wasn't the Mountain God?"

The Mountain God of Longyuan Village is a snake, and the Shangqing Temple once also appeared with a remarkably miraculous great snake; from then on, the temple's fate drew a turning point.

Everyone followed his gaze; the several large characters that came into view were exactly "Hu Xiaocao!"

Speaking of this, Zhou Dui and Bai Yanfei both fell silent, finally sighing, their expressions very complex.

The 749 Bureau personnel immediately rushed to the "Wu Du Archaeological Center," found Professor Zhang and his team, and learned the specific detailed circumstances at that time.

Li Lao smiled gently: "Xiaocao, these uncles and aunts have some important questions for you; you must answer truthfully."

The old Daoist couldn't help but ask: "Dare I ask, what Mountain God do you enshrine?"

But he did not expect the little girl before him to have skin white and delicate, features refined, utterly unlike someone from the countryside.

According to the villagers' accounts, the earliest Mountain God legend originated from this little girl.

Hu Xiaocao first inquired about their origins, then began to recount what had happened before; even though so much time has passed, it remains vivid in her mind, as if it happened just yesterday.

Originally we thought Hu Xiaocao would be the easiest to investigate, but the facts turned out otherwise than we expected.

In the office, Li Lao again told the 749 Bureau people some matters about Xiaocao, among which one matter made the teacher especially proud.

After all, the coroner in the police bureau, as well as the other police involved in the case, can testify; these people's statements can also corroborate.

The old Daoist was instantly stunned in place, inevitably recalling the snake that had once appeared in the Daoist temple.

It is hard to imagine such words actually coming from the mouth of an elementary school student.

Perhaps the Mountain God does not exist, and everything is merely coincidence; but this too is a fate of Daoist nature and the cycle of life and death; since it is thus destined, there is no need to dig deeper, otherwise worldly affairs are endless, who could clarify them, who could understand the Dao?

Therefore, among these mountains, whether there is the Daoist temple Li Minghai spoke of is no longer important, for the old Daoist already has the answer in his heart.

What matters most is the aura surrounding her whole body, which feels out of place among her peers, those dark, clear eyes seeming to be filled with stories.

Since that snake appeared, Shangqing Temple has reached a turning point, and after that it even unexpectedly revealed divine traces, attracting countless people, thus making the incense flourish and escaping its previous predicament.

After the incident, the personnel of the 749 Bureau talked with Hu Xiaocao and the people around her; whether it was Li Laoshi or other classmates, their impression of Hu Xiaocao was not bad.

Many people went to Shangqing Temple, but most could only be said to have come out of curiosity; many believers still could not reach the state of piety.

"Go to the city hospital."

……

"Then can you tell me, what exactly happened at that time?"

Although I do not know whether all this truly involves the so-called Mountain God, some things simply do not need to know the truth; for example, Daoist belief in the Three Pure Ones is faith, but who has ever gone to ask whether the Three Pure Ones truly exist?

Sun Zhenbang's expression became extremely complex; he had long thought that this day would eventually come, feeling both unexpected and yet somehow reasonable.

He never expected that besides Li Laoshi, there were also several strangers in the office.

Sun Zhenbang's words left the 749 Bureau personnel lost in thought.

Although they believed that the people's police would not commit violations of law and discipline, and Sun Zhenbang's record was also very clean, having always been diligent and dutiful, they could not rule out other possibilities.

The 749 Bureau personnel felt deeply puzzled, took some medical records and documents, and could only return again to the temporary base.

The 749 Bureau personnel beside them kept listening to the village chief and the old Daoist's conversation, their gazes growing increasingly doubtful.

Besides Sun Zhenbang and Xie Yixuan, the 749 Bureau also investigated that in Yunling of the neighboring province, several police had come across provinces to investigate, but in the end it came to nothing.

Hu Xiaocao knocked on the office door: "Laoshi Li, you called me over—what's the matter?"

"Some things I didn't believe at first either, but after going through so much, I can't help but believe; I think if it were you, your views would probably be the same as mine."

With just one sentence from Sun Zhenbang, he completely left the 749 Bureau personnel speechless, just like when they encountered the old Daoist and Hu Xiaocao—one sentence each, directly leaving people unable to speak, yet they had to admit, what they said really was damn reasonable.

Wang Xuehao's eyes were sharp; after hearing their account, he could tell at a glance that Sun Zhenbang and Xie Yixuan actually believed in these things.

Looking at the little girl in the office, Wang Xuehao and the others were somewhat taken aback, having originally expected to see a dark-skinned, malnourished little girl.

If not absolutely necessary, Professor Zhang would never give up, but at that time the situation had already severely affected their daily lives, and follow-up work could not proceed.

Saying this, the old Daoist pointed to his chest: "Superstitious matters—aren't they essentially idealism?"

This is a kind of thought, a kind of belief, requiring no sight of the source.

"When the true is false and the false is true, where there is nothing there is something; some things you believe are real, not believing makes them false, and even if I say more, it's useless."

"If something is a coincidence, having happened so many times it can no longer be called a coincidence, and those who experienced these things are not just us."

These several police officers all deeply believe in the strange events of Longyuan Mountain.

Even Hu Xiaocao does not know that among these things there is actually such mystery.

The group again set off for the police station.

If not for the remote location and sparse population, it would probably have been exposed earlier to the nation's view.

The old Daoist's gaze fell toward the distance, his expression somewhat profound.

"May I ask if there is anything we need to cooperate with?"

The police bureau chief personally received Wang Xuehao and the others.

Now it seems as if there are two invisible big hands, linking these together.

"Please, Daoist, stay your steps."

The 749 Bureau found the other members of the archaeological team, and what they said was not much different from what Professor Zhang said.

After leaving the archaeological institute, the 749 Bureau personnel felt somewhat complicated.

Anyone who enters Longyuan Mountain, more or less, will experience some extraordinary things; if they are criminals, even their lives may not be spared!