Chapter 5: She Came From the Mountain (Extra Update)

Good grandson:

You always thought the old woman was a fraud and a witch; now, do you finally believe it?

Pity, but I cannot see the face of my good grandson when he is at a loss.

In the past, you refused to learn my skills; now, you must surely be willing.

There is one thing I must tell you, and that is... money.

That's right, the old woman is actually quite wealthy.

Do you think that being able to tell fortunes for someone like Little Ma and help him so greatly was given for free?

However, our sect has a rule: the money earned within the sect cannot be spent by those outside the sect, not even by one's own flesh and blood, or a curse will befall you.

So, although the old woman has money, you stubbornly refused to enter my sect for so long, so... from childhood to adulthood, you had to save up many days' worth of breakfast money just to buy a tattered comic book; the old woman saw it all, but in her heart...

Alright, in truth, my heart was taking malicious glee.

(Chen Yan reading the letter: "@#... %￥&... %")

Now, good grandson, you must be regretful, right?

Listen to Grandma, enter my sect, and inherit my mantle.

The money Grandma left behind, my good grandson can spend it however he wishes, use it however he wishes.

Is that agreeable?

Remember this well.

Inside the box, there are three things.

First, it is the secret manual of our sect; many skills are written in that booklet, so study it well. Fortunately, when you were young, I taught you all sorts of arts like the Heavenly and Earthly Fiendish Arts, so your foundation was laid long ago. Study it yourself, slowly, do not be greedy for too much at once, and you will surely learn it all.

Second, it is the money; inside there is a bank account. Go find it; the valuable things Grandma left for you are all inside.

As for the third, this is important! Grandma left you a candle, the white one, yes, only half a stick.

Remember this: in the future, if you encounter something particularly dangerous, a barrier you might not pass, in a moment of crisis, light this candle! Naturally, it will protect you, turning danger into safety and disaster into auspiciousness!

This is a life-saving item Grandma left for you; you must keep it safe! Do not use it unless absolutely necessary!

Very well, at the time of parting, I have become chatty.

Good grandson, do not cry.

So afraid, you cannot cry now either, can you?

·

That is all the content of the letter.

·

Cry?

Now Chen Yan truly cannot cry!

Where is there any sorrow left in the heart?

Old Grandma... is this death?

Have you ever seen a dead person in any family greeted by Black and White Impermanence, and even kneeling to kowtow and pay great respect?

And also... return... to take up the post.

Where is Old Grandma dead? She has been promoted!

Truly, a tragic play has turned into a power fantasy.

I say, since you are in such a situation, don't talk to me about dying and such...

Just say straight out that you have transcended tribulation and ascended, is that not enough?

·

That half stick of white candle was found first.

It looks like just an ordinary half stick of white wax; turning it over and over, one cannot see anything peculiar.

Remembering Old Grandma's last words, one cannot light it unless absolutely necessary; this is a life-saving item, so keep it close to the body first.

A booklet full of strange drawings and talismans was found.

If this item were to leak outside, perhaps one hundred people would have one hundred who could not understand it, but falling into Chen Yan's eyes, he could roughly understand what it means—after all, starting at age ten, Old Grandma tricked him into learning a belly full of all sorts of chaotic things like the Heavenly and Earthly Fiendish Arts and such.

And the last item is what Old Grandma spoke of: that she was very wealthy and left behind a huge inheritance.

It is a piece of paper.

Written on it is a long string of 【Bank Account Number】, English letters and numbers.

The problem is, I cannot understand it!

Chen Yan is roughly familiar with domestic banks: ICBC, ABC, BOC, CCB, and Bank of Communications; where do normal account numbers have English letters?

Uh... Old Grandma, you didn't leave me a game account, did you?

The problem is, accompanying this account is also a strange metal key.

This is a key with a hexagonal keyhole.

He looked up at Old Grandma's memorial portrait.

Hmm, although Old Grandma liked to play tricks on him, she would not go so low.

Ran into the room, took out a mobile phone, and went online!

Bypass the firewall!

After several tens of minutes, Chen Yan, through the pattern of this account and an image search of the key's shape, confirmed one thing.

This is indeed an account and user symbol of a certain bank.

The problem is, this is a private bank with a long history.

The location is...

Gangcheng.

Chen Yan rubbed his forehead.

Oh, our Old Grandma, you've been to Hangkang too?

·

In the northeastern reaches of Longguo, at the border between Lu Province and Beizhou, there lies a place the locals call 【Golden Peak Mountain】.

Well, that's the name on official maps.

The locals call it Naitouzi Mountain.

Beneath its towering ridges, a winding valley path winds through, where the mountains above and below are thick with greenery, and the path itself is half-hidden, half-revealed.

Suddenly, a cold wind swept through, and a slender figure emerged slowly from the valley.

Her figure was graceful, yet she wore plain clothes: a small jacket and loose cotton trousers with tightly cinched cuffs—out of place for this era.

In her hand, she carried a woven snake-skin sack.

On her fair, rosy face, features that should have been sweet and alluring carried a faint chill; her thin eyebrows arched slightly, turning what might have been a charming peach-blossom face into one with a touch of menace.

Her jet-black hair, thick enough to make many girls envious, was braided into a clumsy, oversized plait.

The girl walked out of the valley path, taking about twenty paces before suddenly stopping and turning to scan behind her.

"Come out!"

Her voice should have been soft and sweet—the kind men loved in little cuties—but instead it was icy, utterly unnatural.

From the green thickets along the mountain path behind her, two small heads popped out.

One was a half-grown boy with thick eyebrows and big eyes; the other, a little girl with pigtail braids.

They exchanged exaggerated winks and grins, then the boy grumbled: "Fourth Sister, don't forget to bring us something good from beyond when you come back."

The girl's face darkened: "Go back, go back. If you miss the time and can't return to the realm, are you going to become lonely ghosts in these mountains?"

The half-grown boy shrank his head in fear, but the pigtail girl laughed loudly, clapping her hands: "Fourth Sister, may your banner fly high and your victory be swift—bring back that Chen family dog for questioning!"

Gu Sijie shot her a glare, and a faint blush seemed to rise on her face.

After a pause, she spoke in a quiet, delicate voice:

"Don't blabber nonsense."

The pigtail girl wasn't fazed; she stuck out her neck and shouted: "Third Uncle said you mustn't be too fierce out there—you must control your temper, don't go breaking people! You've got to smile more!"

Gu Sijie looked at the pigtail girl, then at the half-grown boy: "While I'm gone, watch the house. Tell your uncles: before the next blood tide comes, I'll return."

With that, she slung the sack over her shoulder and waved her hand.

A wave of greenery surged through the mountain valley, pressing the two children back.

In less than a few breaths, the once half-visible valley path vanished entirely.

Once settled, Gu Sijie raised her head to gaze at the sky, a cold expression on her face.

Chen family, you'd better behave and let me drag you back!

·

About an hour later, the girl emerged from the mountains and arrived at a small county train station.

Her entire outfit, utterly out of step with this era, screamed rustic excess—still, in this day and age, in Jiangsu Province, who in the countryside still wore such coarse cotton jackets and tight-legged trousers?

And it's 2024—whose decent person walks around carrying a snake-skin sack?!

Yet this girl wore it, and her naturally alluring features took on an odd, distinctive aura because of it.

That was fine.

But the key was…

【Why do their ID cards for buying tickets not have plastic shells? They're not the same as the one Third Uncle made for me?】

【That little iron box the man held up to his face—is that the big brother phone Third Uncle mentioned? But I didn't hear it was this small!】

【And that person… is that a TV? But how come there's no power cord? He's just walking around holding it?】

【That woman at the entrance—winter's here, and she's wearing such a short skirt? Her thighs are exposed! What decorum!】

The girl stood dumbfounded…

"The World Beyond isn't what Third Uncle described!"

·

(This chapter is an extra update.

Yesterday I stated the update time, and many readers objected—saying midnight updates are bad—so let's change it to:

Every day, two updates at 8 a. m. OK?)

【Please follow, please recommend, please collect~~】

·