Chapter 71: [Mountain Demon]

January 7th. The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Commonly known as Laba.

Legend has it that when the founding Zhu Emperor of the previous dynasty was in distress, starving and freezing, he gathered some grains and rotten beans discarded by others, boiled them into porridge, and drank it. Thus, the Laba porridge handed down through later generations was born.

And since Jin Ling was once the capital where that Zhu Emperor founded his dynasty, the custom of Laba porridge is deeply rooted in Jin Ling.

The winter climate grows increasingly cold at this time; although Jin Ling's geographical location means it has not yet snowed, the weather is visibly becoming colder day by day.

Just as the sky began to darken, the north wind blew fiercely, and in the Lin Zi beneath Purple Gold Mountain located in the eastern part of the city, the sound of the wind howled even more intensely.

Moreover, a damp mist drifted and surged out from within the mountain's belly, seemingly riding the momentum of the cold wind, slowly sweeping over the ridges.

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Chen Yan also cooked a pot of Laba porridge in the evening to mark the occasion.

With only Gu Qingyi and himself at home, it seemed desolate.

Chen Yan did not feel it was bad—he had been used to loneliness since childhood. When the Old Grandma was alive, he could accompany her; during festivals, the two of them, grandfather and grandson, relied on each other.

After the Old Grandma passed away, Chen Yan, alone, would occasionally feel a sense of desolation.

But now...

Glancing at Gu Xiaoniang sitting at the dining table, a faint smile appeared in Chen Yan's eyes.

It could be said... he had a strangely acquired family member.

Gu Qingyi served herself a bowl of Laba porridge, took a sip, and frowned.

"Not sweet."

Chen Yan smiled, stood up, went to the kitchen, fetched the sugar jar, and placed it before Gu Qingyi: "If you want it sweet, add it yourself."

Gu Xiaoniang's eyes lit up with a smile, and then, without hesitation, she added three spoonfuls of sugar.

"If you eat like that, even if the cold doesn't kill you during the day, you'll get diabetes," Chen Yan sighed.

"In the Heavenly Human Realm, one is immune to all diseases," Gu Qingyi replied, shaking her head.

"Then how long can one live in the Heavenly Human Realm?"

"Long enough for your bones to turn to ash."

"In our world, when people die, they are cremated; they can turn to ash in an instant."

"Then live long enough for your grandson to turn to ash," Gu Xiaoniang answered.

Can we even have a proper conversation anymore... Chen Yan shook his head.

But... it actually made him feel a bit closer.

When the Old Grandma was still alive, the two of them, grandfather and grandson, often joked and talked nonsense in such a random, off-the-wall manner.

That Old Grandma was never very serious either.

Bickering casually with Gu Qingyi like this made Chen Yan feel a familiar sense of intimacy.

"The wedding dress shop said the clothes will take about two weeks to finish; they will try their best to deliver before the Spring Festival."

"Mm." Gu Qingyi lowered her head to drink the porridge, hiding her flushed face.

After beating Chen Yan a few times that day... the measurements were finally given. But not through Chen Yan's hands; instead, she took Chen Yan's phone and told the tailor in the shop directly.

What made Gu Xiaoniang shy wasn't the numbers, but... following the tailor's instructions, hiding alone in the room, measuring her own body with a tape measure... that process made Gu Xiaoniang blush just thinking about it.

"I checked the almanac. A ghost marriage requires a Yin day, preferably an inauspicious one. There is no such day recently; the earliest one that barely fits won't be until next month," Chen Yan said casually, picking at the side dish for the porridge with his chopsticks: "I have prepared quite a few talismans, but drawing them takes some time..."

"Mm." Gu Qingyi replied in an equally casual tone.

"You seem... a bit low on energy?" Chen Yan glanced at Gu Xiaoniang.

Gu Xiaoniang sighed and said softly, "I'm fine, don't overthink it."

Although this is the result I always wanted, but... which girl would hope for her wedding to be a ghost marriage?

Gu Qingyi suppressed the thought in her heart and said casually, "Are you going back to your hometown for the Spring Festival?"

"Mm, I have to go," Chen Yan nodded: "There are many social obligations to fulfill, and..."

Before he could finish, Gu Qingyi suddenly changed expression, waved her hand, and said, "Don't speak!"

The casual, relaxed expression on her face vanished; she suddenly leaped from the chair and rushed out of the house at high speed.

Chen Yan was stunned, not understanding why, but immediately followed her out into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, Gu Qingyi squinted at the east, then leaped up onto the roof of the villa.

Just as Chen Yan was about to speak, he saw Gu Qingyi waving at him from the rooftop: "Come up."

Hm?

Chen Yan took a breath, cast a 【Command · Escape Technique】, his body leaped up, and he landed beside Gu Qingyi on the roof.

Gu Qingyi squinted at the eastern direction, then said with absolute certainty: "There is evil qi!"

Chen Yan's expression immediately turned serious; he formed a hand seal with both hands, then circulated his primal energy, concentrating it into his eyes.

He activated the Heaven Eye Qi-Viewing Art to its maximum and looked east...

Under the Qi-Viewing Art, in the distance to the east, high in the air, a faint, blood-red cloud, like blood, was gradually coalescing...

"Let's go see!" Gu Qingyi turned her head to look at Chen Yan.

"Huh?" Chen Yan was stunned.

Before he could react, he felt his hand grabbed by a smooth, soft small hand, and then...

"Holy crap!!!"

Chen Yan cried out in shock, and his entire body shot into the air!

In the blink of an eye, the villa was behind them!

In another blink of an eye, the residential compound was behind them!

The wind howled in their ears, the sky and earth spun!

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Below Zi Jin Mountain.

The forest path was completely empty. At this time of day and weather, there were no tourists left.

Besides, this forest path was not within the scenic area, but slightly closer to the mountain's flank.

A figure was hastily cycling out of the path, with a large, muscular Husky running beside the bike.

The rider was a woman, her back carrying a sketchpad. She appeared to be a female artist.

She had been sketching in the woods all afternoon, lost in inspiration, and stayed later than planned.

As an artist, she was accustomed to this lifestyle—entering mountains and valleys daily to sketch.

Right now, the female artist felt no fear—Jin Ling was a major city; even though this was a forest path in the mountains, it was not far from the scenic area.

In this era, there were no true remote wildernesses near major cities.

Moreover, Jin Ling's public security had always ranked among the best nationwide.

And the large, muscular Husky she brought gave her considerable peace of mind.

She pedaled hard, simply wanting to get home quickly for dinner—after hours of sketching, lost in concentration, she had forgotten her hunger, and now her stomach was rumbling.

Around a bend, the woman suddenly saw a figure crouched beside the road under the forest on the left.

Her heart leapt!

Instinctively, she squeezed the brakes and slowed down.

But as she drew closer, she saw it was a person crouched beneath a tree; their clothes were hard to make out in the dark, but seemed vaguely dirty.

And from the back, it looked like an old woman?

Her shoulders trembled slightly, as if she were crying?

The female artist had a kind nature; she couldn't help slowing further, glanced at the Husky panting beside her bike, mustered her courage, and stopped to walk over.

"Old Grandma?"

The figure trembled slightly.

"Old Grandma?" The artist stopped three or four steps away, testing the waters: "You… what's wrong? Do you need help?"

The figure continued to tremble faintly, but a faint, broken voice drifted out:

"I… so hungry, so hungry…"

Hungry?

The artist frowned: "Did you lose your way? Or…"

At that moment, the figure slowly turned its head.

Beneath tangled hair was a grotesque face, especially those eyes—blood-red as if soaked in blood!

"So hungry… so want to eat meat…"

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Two figures landed on the ground, swirling with wind.

"This is the place. It should be nearby," Gu Qingyi said cautiously: "I'm not skilled in spell-based tracking, but my sensing is correct. Chen Yan, use your Qi-Viewing Technique… hmm?"

He turned around—the twenty-two-year-old bastard son was violently vomiting against a roadside tree.

"Chen Yan?"

"You… wait! I… vomit!" Chen Yan didn't turn, waving his hand at Gu Qingyi.

Gu Qingyi frowned: "Too weak."

Chen Yan rolled his eyes… You flew twenty kilometers in under five minutes, and you did it hugging the ground!

And who's weak here—me or you?

Last time, that kid took me flying over a hundred kilometers straight out of Jin Ling. I didn't get this sick.

Clearly, your spellcraft is terrible!

"At least warn me before you drag me flying," Chen Yan gasped.

"I… I tried my best to slow down for you," Gu Qingyi admitted guiltily, speaking carefully.

Chen Yan wiped his mouth hard, then glanced disdainfully at his stained knuckles, instinctively glancing toward his stepmother, my lord.

Gu Qingyi stepped back, voice serious: "If you dare use my clothes to wipe, I will kill you."

Chen Yan snorted, exhaled: "…So what exactly are we here to see? What is this malevolent aura?"

"I sensed a trace of malice," Gu Qingyi said slowly: "It must be some awakened evil cultivator."

"Evil cultivator?"

"Yes—mountain goblin, mountain demon, mountain sprite, or some demonic beast—you don't think all demonic cultivators are as dull and stupid as Gui Geng, do you?"

Well, that touched his knowledge blind spot.

The booklet taught cultivation techniques, not encyclopedic knowledge. Gu Qingyi's terms were unfamiliar to Chen Yan.

"So what do we do now?"

"Find it, then slay it. Such beings, once revived, will harm sacred spirits. And… slaying them extracts their malevolent spiritual energy, turning it into pure Yin Wraith Qi—excellent material for pills, talismans, or alchemy."

Gu Qingyi glanced at Chen Yan: "You'll need it. To ascend from Gui Yuan Realm to Ascension Platform Realm, you must break the Heart Trial—you cannot avoid Yin Wraith trials."

Chen Yan thought: "Is that thing very dangerous?"

"I can crush it with one punch."

Then it's fine!

Chen Yan relaxed.

Then he carefully observed with his Qi-Viewing Technique and identified the direction where the crimson blood-wraith aura was strongest.

Gu Qingyi nodded, glanced at Chen Yan: "I'll go in. You wait here."

"Aren't I coming?" Chen Yan asked. "If you don't need me to fight, why bring me along?"

"Some evil cultivators possess innate divine abilities and are skilled at concealment and escape. If I go in to slay them and they manage to flee, you block them here." Gu Qingyi pondered for a moment: "You are at the Return to Origin realm. With this level of malevolent qi, you should be able to handle an evil cultivator of such strength. However..."

She walked over to Chen Yan's side, reached into his upper shirt pocket, and pulled out a blank, clean talisman paper.

Gu Qingyi focused her spirit, raised her hand, and a point of Jin Guang from her fingertip landed on the talisman paper, instantly transforming into a strange rune shaped like a tiny figure.

"Take this. If you encounter it and cannot handle it, ignite the talisman, and I will arrive immediately."

To be honest, Chen Yan was actually feeling a bit uneasy in his heart.

After all, although he had already begun cultivation, he was ultimately just an ordinary young man who had lived in the mortal world for twenty-two years.

He had truly never experienced fighting and killing. Moreover, dealing with some so-called 【evil cultivator】.

The only time he had seen blood in his life was back in the countryside, helping Old Grandma kill a chicken.

However, in front of Gu Xiaoniang, Chen Yan was unwilling to appear too cowardly. He secretly gritted his teeth and slowly said, "Good! I will block the perimeter for you."

Gu Xiaoniang looked at Chen Yan with a half-smile: "Since you have embarked on the path of cultivation, you will sooner or later have to face such a trial. Meeting an enemy for the first time with my protection is quite good treatment."

Having finished speaking, she waved her hand, leaped into the air, and vanished into the mountain forest.

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