Chapter 90: A Rare and Miraculous Scene

The animals in the jungle all sprang to life, their eyes the size of mung beans like radar, constantly moving back and forth among the herbaceous plants.

Small rodents such as squirrels and rabbits poked their little heads out from the broad leaves, as if searching for something.

From time to time, a bird would take flight, circling above; occasionally it would swoop down, and when it reappeared, a faint green tint had appeared on its claws or beak.

The usually quiet forest was like boiling water in a pot, never before seeing so many animals constantly shuttling through the plants and vines.

If anyone were here, they would surely witness an extraordinarily miraculous sight.

Because most of the animals had a few sprigs of green plant in their mouths or on their paws.

Just like on this winding mountain road, a car was driving along.

"I heard the professor say there's a tomb nearby; let's first go check it out."

"Did the professor say what kind of tomb this is exactly?"

"According to the relevant records, it might be from the Han or Qin dynasty, but the specifics need further investigation; we came this time just to scout the route, and the professor is waiting for us to bring back the news."

"According to the historical records, there might also be a larger cluster of tombs here."

"If that's really the case, then it's definitely a major project."

Several young people sat in the car; they were an archaeological team from Wu Du, and word had come back that a Song-dynasty tomb might have appeared nearby.

Just as everyone was discussing.

The driver, Xiao Li, suddenly hit the brakes, and the tires scraped the ground with a screeching sound.

Everyone's bodies lurched forward from inertia, but fortunately they were wearing seat belts, so no serious problem occurred.

"Xiao Li, how are you driving?"

"Yeah, that's dangerous; we should slow down to avoid an accident—out here in the remote mountains, it's not easy to find someone to fix things."

Xiao Li slowed the car, a little embarrassed, and said, "Sorry, a black shadow just flashed across the windshield."

Only after looking closely did they realize it was just a bird—a false alarm.

In the distant sky, birds could be seen circling, heading toward the mountains, forming a black line that divided the sky into several sections.

At this moment the sunset had already fallen, a red sun sinking into the sea of mountains; birds returned to the forest, carrying countless hues of evening glow that fell on the treetops, and even from a distance it looked magnificent.

Everyone involuntarily rolled down the window to get a clearer look, saying, "How come there are suddenly so many birds?"

Moreover, all those birds were circling in one place, a fluttering mass that looked thick and dense.

"This area has many mountains and dense forests, with lots of plants, so many birds are normal."

"I've heard that before, herds of wild cattle and antelope-like creatures were sometimes encountered on the road."

The archaeological team didn't think much of it, after all the ecological environment here is good and the wildlife is rich, which is normal.

"Let's keep moving forward."

Soon cooking smoke curled up, and the surrounding houses and buildings became denser, no longer the previous desolate, uninhabited scene.

The archaeological team's vehicle also wound down the mountain road all the way to the town.

The township official received the news and, upon seeing the archaeological team arrive, hurried forward to greet them.

"Hello, may I ask if you are the archaeological team that came from the city?"

Several people nodded and greeted, "Hello."

"The city has already greeted us; if you need any help, just speak up—don't stand on ceremony with us."

"We're here mainly as a vanguard to scout the route; once we've surveyed the situation clearly, we'll report back to the city, and only then will the main archaeological team come. So this time we're traveling light, and the town mayor doesn't need to make any arrangements—just a place to stay will do."

After a brief introduction, the township official warmly ushered them in, saying, "Let's not stand here talking—haven't you eaten yet? I've already prepared food."

Regarding the news of a tomb nearby, it's very likely to be a large one; the city attaches importance to it, so they sent the archaeological team down, having already greeted the local personnel to cooperate with the team's work.

However, these people are just here to scout the route and, incidentally, to conduct a survey.

After eating and drinking their fill, they also stayed at the town's hotel; after a day's travel they were tired, planning to go out for field investigation the next day.

When the archaeological team members had rested the next day and were ready to set out, the township official, upon learning their destination, said:

"The place you mentioned is exactly the area of Longyuan Mountain; there are several villages nearby, and I'll have the local villagers guide you—locals will be more familiar."

The township official ultimately chose Longyuan Village, because this village has recently had a strong presence, with many events occurring, so the town is familiar with it.

Bringing them to Longyuan Village, they directly found the village chief, Liu Deming, and told him the matter.

It was just a matter of sending someone to act as a guide; for the village chief, that was trivial.

"I happen to be free, so I'll take you around."

Upon hearing that, the township official felt relieved and said, "Then I'll leave them in your care."

Some villagers saw the township official, but the few people beside him were unfamiliar to them.

"This seems to be Official Li from the town; what are you doing looking for the village chief? Those few people beside him look unfamiliar."

"I heard that an archaeological team came from the city."

"Archaeology? What's that for?"

"It seems they're going to dig up some graves or ancient tombs."

"Well, that's basically legal tomb raiding, right?"

"Probably; I've heard that there might be a big tomb in these nearby mountains—who knows what relics could be inside."

"Ah, then there might be something valuable in there—why don't we go dig too?"

"What are you thinking? Even if you dug those up, they wouldn't belong to you; they'd have to be turned over to the state."

"You wouldn't think this place is still a auspicious feng shui spot."

The villagers chattered on; earlier an observatory had come to film a lunar eclipse, and now an archaeological team has arrived, indicating that there are cultural relics nearby.

"If you ask me, it's all thanks to the Mountain God's blessings that have turned this place into a treasure land."

This statement won the agreement of most people.

The village chief waved at them and said, "Come with me; while it's still light, let's set out early—you need to cross this mountain to get to where you're going."

As the group was about to enter the mountain, the village chief unexpectedly changed direction and walked toward the buildings at the mountain foot.

The village chief patted his head, somewhat ruefully saying, "Look at my memory, I almost forgot something important—wait for me a moment."

The others looked at each other, seeing confusion and doubt in each other's eyes.

Not far away stood a strange building, with people coming and going, looking quite lively.

"Wasn't the plan to go up the mountain? How did we end up here instead?"

The archaeology team members were somewhat puzzled.

The village chief explained, "This is our village's custom; everyone now must first pay respects to the Mountain God before going up the mountain."

Since the villagers learned that this mountain peak is shrouded by the Mountain God, they burn a few sticks of incense and worship before ascending, as the temple is right at the mountain foot and thus on the way.

"Worship the Mountain God? I didn't expect such a custom."

The archaeology team members were still puzzled, but said nothing, after all customs vary from place to place.

Over the years, while searching for ancient tombs, they have visited many places and encountered even stranger customs, so they didn't think much of it.

The archaeology team members stood at the temple gate without entering.

Only, the surroundings were bustling with people coming and going, the incense was thriving, and everyone's face showed sincere reverence, indicating genuine faith.

"I never expected such a temple to exist in this tiny remote village, with quite a few devotees."

"Who says otherwise? I recall we once visited a place where the people also worshipped the River God."

"Beliefs differ from place to place, especially in such remote mountain villages, where some locales still preserve even older customs."

"It should be a local deity statue."

The archaeology team, having traveled far and wide, found it nothing unusual, merely commenting a few times.

Soon the village chief and his group emerged from the temple, "All right, let's go up the mountain."

On the mountain, vegetation is abundant, plants grow lushly, and broad leaves block much of the light.

Before even entering the mountain, a cool mountain breeze blew toward them.

The group was preparing to set off toward the mountain when the nearby shrub thicket suddenly began to rustle, a continuous whispering sound that instantly drew their attention.

Everyone became somewhat wary.

"Huh, what sound is that?"

"Could it be a snake?"

They hurriedly looked toward the source of the movement.

In the shrub thicket, pea‑sized eyes blinked, staring at the group, and proudly wagged its fluffy big tail.

A squirrel shot out at high speed, leaving an afterimage in the air, and collided squarely with the archaeology team heading up the mountain.

Seeing it was a false alarm, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The village chief timely explained, "Our village is near the mountains; it's normal for small animals to occasionally run down."

But as soon as the village chief finished speaking, a white shadow flashed by, ears perked long, hopping away.

Then several voles also darted out, leaving afterimages in the air.

The village chief narrowed his eyes, watching the direction the animals went, and couldn't help muttering to himself.

"How come it feels like they're heading toward the village?"

"Normally, these animals shouldn't be so active in broad daylight; the village chief is baffled as to why so many small animals suddenly came down the mountain."

"Could something strange have happened in the mountains?"

He glanced at the nearby forest, which appeared lush and normal.

Just as everyone was puzzling over this,

"Roar——"

A low growl flickered in and out; the village chief's face changed, "Hearing this sound, could it be that a fierce beast has also come down the mountain?"

Although there are fierce beasts on the mountain, they mostly avoid people; there has been no record of a beast actively descending to harm humans, only occasional wild boars that accidentally stray down and damage crops.

But that was a long time ago.

The village chief pondered further; there are several routes down the mountain that lead to the village, so it makes sense that these small animals might have been startled by a beast and fled downhill in panic.

If a beast really had come down, it would be essential to warn the villagers; to be safe, the village chief decided to turn back.

"Sorry, the situation has changed; we probably need to head back first, and if there really is a beast about, even we few wouldn't be safe."

The archaeology team members also expressed understanding, heeding advice to eat and not forcing their way up the mountain.

However, as everyone hurried back to the village, they were shocked by the sight before them.

"This, this is——"

Dozens of small animals, besides the usual rabbits and voles, also included weasels, foxes, and hyenas—these carnivores all gathered at the village entrance.

They seemed to have overcome their bloodthirsty instinct, ignoring the tasty morsels nearby; the timid herbivores, upon seeing their predators, did not even flee.

They all entered the village in orderly fashion, beastly bodies yet seemingly following human rules.

The scene before them was bizarre and absurd.

If not witnessed firsthand, one could never imagine that natural enemies could coexist peacefully, completely violating biological norms and nature.

Animals do have certain gregarious migratory behavior, but only within the same species.

Now, different kinds of animals, weeds, and carnivores are mixed together, migrating toward the human village as if some mysterious force were driving their behavior.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would never believe such a strange thing could happen in the world—truly, the myriad world holds everything possible.

"I—I must be dreaming; how could there be so many animals here?"

Several archaeology team members were dumbfounded, while the animals had already blocked the village entrance, so for a moment the village chief and his companions dared not act rashly.

The archaeology team felt that the village chief beside them was unusually quiet.

Turning around, they saw his face not only lacked fear but was filled with reverence and respect, even as he clasped his hands together and began to worship there.

This action left the archaeology team bewildered, and they couldn't help but remind:

"Will these animals pose any danger to the village, Village Chief? Will the fields and livestock be unaffected? The urgent priority is to contact the villagers and quickly drive them away."

Earlier worried that feral beasts descending the mountain would harm people, the Village Chief was now unexpectedly calm; he shook his head.

"This is the Mountain God showing its power."

"Don't worry, I originally thought there might be something abnormal in the mountains, but now it seems these animals are guided by the Mountain God, so there's nothing to worry about."

Every word the Village Chief said was clear to the archaeology team, but put together it left them confused.

The archaeology team members were incredulous: "You're saying these animals are being controlled by the Mountain God?"

I had thought the villagers held only ordinary faith, but I didn't expect them to be this superstitious.

Seeing the archaeology team's bewildered expressions, the Village Chief even turned around to comfort them: "Don't worry, these animals won't harm us."

Seeing the Village Chief and others speak with conviction, the archaeology team's faces showed complex expressions; obviously they did not believe.

Although the animals' behavior is indeed strange, they are still wild beasts—who can guarantee they won't hurt people or carry some virus?

In the village, Wu Yuan was currently drying herbs.

"Sigh, I don't know what's going on these days—common herbs like snakebed, white angelica, half-branch lotus, and ephedra, which I clearly remember being abundant, are nowhere to be found on the mountain."

Wu Yuan spread the medicinal materials in the courtyard, couldn't help but yawn, and said, "Could it be that I'm getting old and my memory is failing?"

Wu Yuan walked back into the inner hall, but didn't notice that shortly after he left, a small squirrel came into the courtyard, as if it had discovered a new continent.

Its eyes lit up, it darted onto the pile of herbs, its little nose twitched as it sniffed continuously, and soon it left the courtyard.

When the squirrel returned again, it was followed by a whole squad of squirrels.

At that moment, Wu Yuan was napping in the main hall, vaguely hearing a chirping sound, which he took to be outside birdsong and didn't think much of.

Soon the outside clamor and the villagers' discussion thoroughly put him into Startled Awakening; puzzled, he walked out of the courtyard to look.

"Ah!"

The next second, a earth-shattering scream rang through the clouds.

"My herbs?!"

"Where did all my herbs go?!"

Besides this, similar scenes were also playing out in other villagers' homes.

The villagers stared dumbfounded, foolishly watching the scene before them, some at a loss.

Someone grabbed a broom to drive them away, but was quickly stopped by another.

"You're courting death—can't you see these little creatures have spirituality? They might have come down from the mountain, acting on the Mountain God Sir's orders."

"Think about it—how could so many small creatures suddenly appear, all unafraid of people? This is highly abnormal, obviously not right."

Normally these creatures avoid people; now they don't even dare to actively enter villagers' homes.

The villager holding the broom thought it made sense, smacked his forehead, and said, "Good thing you reminded me—I almost offended the Mountain God."

Having said that, he quickly bowed to those animals.

Not long after, the village fell into chaos.

Some animals came out carrying basins, while others had bowls on their heads.

From afar, those who didn't know might think these pots, pans, bowls, and ladles had grown legs and could walk on their own.

Besides taking these items, the animals didn't harm livestock or grain; they seemed uninterested in anything else, taking what they wanted and leaving without lingering.

This phenomenon further indicated they were organized and orderly; the villagers dared not disturb them, fearing they would provoke the Mountain God's displeasure.

Some villagers were napping, unaware of this; others who saw it thought they were hallucinating.

Zhuzi, who had just finished drinking at the neighbor's house, was walking home when he accidentally kicked something.

A white bowl lay sideways in the middle of the road, then began to move slowly.

Zhuzi let out a drunken belch, couldn't help rubbing his eyes, and said, "Strange, how am I seeing a bowl with legs?"

He crouched, poked the bowl with his hand, and soon a small head popped out—it was a field mouse, chattering at him nonstop, as if scolding him.

Zhuzi instantly understood, quickly moved aside, and said, "Sorry for blocking the way."

The field mouse then set the bowl down, continued heading forward, and chased after the group ahead.

Zhuzi still stood there, laughing foolishly, scratched his head, and said, "Looks like I really drank too much—I actually saw a field mouse moving a bowl."

After letting out another belch, Zhuzi continued walking home.

At this moment, the animals carrying items also left the village, leaving the archaeology team once again dumbfounded.

Seeing the long-legged pots, pans, bowls, and ladles not far away, with some furry large tails still visible outside, the scene was somewhat eerie yet oddly comical.

Animals moving house and carrying belongings isn't rare, but so many animals relocating, and taking pots, pans, bowls, and ladles, is quite unusual.

The archaeology team members couldn't help swallowing, staring dumbfounded, and said, "Village Chief, you really aren't going to manage this?"

The Village Chief also fell into silence.

"How to manage it?"

We certainly can't go and snatch the pots, pans, bowls, and ladles from the animals' hands, can we?

Those animals didn't linger long; carrying those items, they soon vanished from everyone's sight.

The archaeology team and the Village Chief hurried back to the village, where many villagers came out of their houses, chattering about everything that had just happened.

The Village Chief asked: "Is everyone all right?"

"Don't worry, Village Chief, the adults are all fine."

If there were any losses, it would probably be just a few pots, pans, bowls, and ladles missing from homes—but they aren't worth much, so the loss is practically zero.

Those small animals seemed to have spirituality as well, knowing not to strip one place bare; they took a little from each household.

Spread across each household, it really wasn't much.

Of course, the one who suffered the greatest loss was Wu Yuan—since he was the village's only barefoot doctor, all his medicinal herbs were completely looted by those small animals.

It's really amazing; I was cooking at home when suddenly a few weasels burst in, I was worried they'd mess with the chickens and ducks, but they only took a few bowls.

Who says otherwise? I was worried those few hyenas would bite people, but they just snatched a basin.

My house also had a few foxes walk in; they seemed just like people, and at the time I was startled, scared speechless for a while.

These animals suddenly appeared; the villagers were inevitably a bit panicked, but seeing that the animals had no intention to harm them, they were quickly replaced by curiosity and surprise.

What are these animals doing with pots, pans, bowls and basins?

Animals certainly couldn't do this; maybe the Mountain God is driving them. The key is what the Mountain God needs these for—could it be that the Mountain God wants to cook?

The Mountain God's reputation suffered unintentionally, and some even suspected it was hungry.

You must be joking—what kind of existence is the Mountain God that still needs to cook and eat?

Then tell me, what does the Mountain God need these for?

Anyway, the Mountain God surely has its reasons; we shouldn't worry about it so much.

The village chief patted Wu Yuan on the shoulder to comfort him: 'Old Wu, don't be too upset; after all, your herbs were also picked from the mountain, so it's only natural for the Mountain God to take them back.'

Wu Yuan nodded, soon letting go: 'After all, the Mountain God saved the whole village—let alone these herbs, even asking for more wouldn't be excessive.'

You couldn't think of it any better.

But speaking of which, what exactly does the Mountain God want these for?

Hearing the villagers' discussion, the archaeology team members' expressions became somewhat complex.

Although these animals' behavior indeed defies common sense and is very peculiar, it can be said there has never been such a record.

Having intruded into the village, taken pots, pans, bowls, basins and herbs, if they hadn't seen it themselves, they would definitely think this was a fabricated story.

But now these phenomena are happening right before their eyes.

Unfortunately, they are not zoologists, so they cannot investigate the reasons behind these animals' behavior.

But it's not that everything can be tied to the Mountain God, yet these villagers firmly believe it.

The archaeology team members discussed this at length.

What are these villagers thinking, attributing everything to the Mountain God?

Others also found it hard to comment: 'Forget it, we just need to do our own work.'

The archaeology team doesn't believe in the Mountain God theory, but the animals' behavior is indeed abnormal; after thinking about it for a while, they gave up.

After all, nature is full of wonders; it can't really be the Mountain God controlling these animals, can it?

And up on the mountain, Ye Qin soon saw that pile of pots, pans, bowls and basins; the small animals seemed to be presenting treasures, and he was instantly torn between laughter and tears.

In an instant, the originally secluded mountains gained a touch of bustling life; now only the lack of a fire for cooking is missing.

Actually, we don't need that many.

This can't be blamed on the animals; although they received Ye Qin's command, after all their spiritual awareness hasn't been awakened.

The implements Ye Qin described are only a vague impression in their minds; they also don't know exactly what he wants.

So as long as something could contain, they hauled all of it over.

Ye Qin picked through them, finally settling on a large vat; the other items were too small in capacity and didn't meet his needs.

Ye Qin told them to return the items to their original owners.

Regarding Ye Qin's order, the small animals had no objection; they quickly picked up those pots, pans, bowls and plates and ran down the mountain.

So the villagers soon saw again that the animals had taken the pots, pans, bowls and basins from their homes, now all piled at the village entrance, returned.

They were intact, except for a few nicks on the edges, perhaps from bumping into something on the road.

Could it be that the Mountain God no longer needs these?

Probably so.

This made them even more certain that the Mountain God had manifested its spirit.

But what exactly the Mountain God wants to do remains unknown.

After these days of the animals gathering herbs, plus those plucked from Wu Yuan's hands, the green plants around Ye Qin could almost be piled into a small hill.

Now one could say everything is ready, only lacking the east wind.

All preparations are complete; we can start refining the elixir!

(End of chapter)