Chapter 12: Wangxiang Village

The Holy Maiden was left empty-handed in the town and used a crafted parrot to scold Wu Haishan.

Wu Haishan led his men in another frantic chase, finding their way into the valley.

Only Ah Hua remained, clucking praises over the roasted insect skewers.

A Wu Xiu under Wu Haishan, furious, kicked a stone away: "Damn it, tricked by that brat again!"

The stone flew up, heading straight for Ah Hua.

The rooster's head snapped, eyes wide, it clawed at the stone until it shattered, then shot forward like lightning at Wu Xiu, pecking fiercely.

Wu Xiu let out a shriek of pain, a bloody hole appearing on his arm!

Enraged, he drew the waist knife, but the rooster had already flapped its wings and flown to the treetop.

The Wu Xiu chopped down the big tree; Ah Hua flew to another tree, perched on the treetop, glaring and clucking provocatively.

Chop away; if you dare, chop down every tree in this mountain.

Wu Haishan held him back: "The main matter is urgent."

The Wu Xiu cursed as he sheathed his blade: "Wait till I get a bow and arrow, I'll shoot this beast dead!"

Ah Hua, victorious, raised its head and crowed from the treetop, utterly pleased.

The group followed the tracks deeper into the mountain, avoiding powerful evil spirits, winding and turning; Wu Haishan felt several times he was about to catch that boy, but the boy was like a loach, always slipping away at the last moment.

They entered a valley, barren inside, where grass and trees had withered unnaturally.

Ahead stood a solitary, strange rock, thin and long, with a slightly thicker top resembling a head.

Thick vines coiled around the strange rock, blooming with small pink-white flowers.

This strange rock stood seven zhang tall; when Wu Haishan first saw it, he was startled, thinking it was a huge green-scaled, white-flowered venomous python, head raised to the sky, swallowing the essence of sun and moon.

Wu Haishan felt the strange rock staring at him with ill intent.

Wu Haishan scratched his neck irritably, and the inner fire in his belly erupted uncontrollably from his nostrils.

Without asking Ah Guang, he knew that in Ghost Wushan, such rocks were ninety-nine percent strange.

"This mountain is truly eerie!"

The person leading the way stopped: "That boy went southwest."

Wu Haishan grew impatient: "Chase! Is there any need to say more?"

As he spoke, uncontainable anger flew out from his mouth.

Wu Haishan never wanted to take this mission; he wanted to stay by the Holy Maiden's side to see what the so-called "bait" truly was. For a Rank Dan Xiu, this was a rare opportunity to broaden his horizons and cultivate.

The group went around the mountain foot, following the tracks downward.

Xu Yuan was actually about two li ahead of them, his clothes torn in several places by thorny branches, looking quite wretched.

Several times in between, he nearly got caught by them.

His escape relied on the ability of "Gazing at Fate."

People from the Pingtian Society crept through the woods and bushes; Xu Yuan could see their "fate" a step ahead.

The distant "Heavenly Rock Python," about to transform, kept staring at him; Xu Yuan's back broke out in goosebumps.

That strange entity could see all prey within a ten-li range.

"Enter Wangxiang Village before dark; absolutely do not spend the night in the mountain!" Xu Yuan calculated the distance; time was tight, so he quickened his pace.

Wu Haishan chased for another hour or so behind, then suddenly pulled Ah Guang: "It's almost dark; where can that boy go? Does he want to die in Ghost Wushan?"

Ah Guang replied: "He should be heading to Wangxiang Village."

Wu Haishan continued: "Can one find lodging in Wangxiang Village?"

Ah Guang answered again: "No; mountain villages never accept overnight guests."

"Then how does he spend the night in the village?"

"Pretend to be a merchant collecting goods in the mountains; the mountain rule is: villagers give what they have, you must accept it, the price must be fair, no cheating or fraud."

Wu Haishan sighed in relief: "Just spend some money then."

Ah Guang remained expressionless and silent.

That dose of medicine could make someone obey and answer every question, but Wu Haishan's last words were not a question, so Ah Guang offered no explanation; it was not as simple as spending money.

The sky in the mountains darkened earlier than in the town, causing Xu Yuan to misjudge the time; night was about to fall, and Xu Yuan was still half a li from Wangxiang Village.

The surrounding gullies and pits had plunged into total darkness, filled with various strange sounds, as if something was emerging.

Xu Yuan ran wildly; just as he passed a small grove, a pair of mural-like eyes opened on the tree bark, and sharp branches like ghost claws reached for Xu Yuan, but only grazed his back.

Those eyes were filled with regret and hunger, watching the blood-food depart.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sound of wooden sticks echoed in the village, like the night watch in a city.

Once the wooden stick sounds ceased, the village would close its stockade gate.

Xu Yuan panicked, shouting loudly: "Wait a moment—"

Once the stockade gate closes, no one may enter or leave; whoever dares to intrude must face the firewood knives and crossbow arrows of the village's mountain runners.

If you can defeat the mountain runners, the village rules no longer apply to you, and you may do whatever you wish in the entire village.

But Xu Yuan clearly did not yet possess that capability.

Wangxiang Village housed over thirty households, fewer than two hundred people.

Outside the village, peach wood stakes were erected, and peach branches woven into a fence wall, forming a circle.

The stockade gate was narrow and small, not even as large as the main entrance of the "Yitingfang" inn.

An old man in his early fifties, with rough dark skin, hunched back, and a face full of sorrow, was closing the stockade gate while beating the wooden clapper.

Hearing the shout, the old man merely shifted his eyeballs slightly, saw it was a stranger, and did not even pause.

Xu Yuan hurriedly shouted again, "I'm here to collect goods; the price will absolutely be fair!"

The old man's eyes rolled upward once more; seeing the sky was not yet completely dark, he paused briefly.

The village gate was half-closed, halted there.

Xu Yuan rushed to the village gate at top speed, flashed his figure, and darted into the village.

"And us!" another shout suddenly rang out: "We are also here to collect goods."

The old man raised the village gate, preparing to close it; the sky had already turned completely dark.

But upon looking again, he recognized one of them: Ah Guang.

Knowing Ah Guang was familiar with the mountain runners, the old man slowed his hand a bit.

Wu Haishan and his group were all established cultivators; their reckless sprint was very fast, and Xu Yuan wished he could help the old man shut the village gate completely.

But inside the village, Xu Yuan dared not act rashly.

"Can't make it, can't make it, can't make i—" Xu Yuan kept muttering in his heart, watching as the village gate closed until only a sliver remained, about to shut completely.

Suddenly, a hand reached in through the crack, jamming the village gate.

According to the rules, as long as the gate wasn't closed, entry was still possible.

Wu Haishan was drenched in sweat; he had brought three cultivators, making five people including Ah Guang.

Besides Wu Haishan and Ah Guang, the other three all bore injuries.

The worst off one, from the elbow down on his left arm, had been bitten off by something unknown!

They were still behind Xu Yuan; the evil spirits and anomalies had already been dispatched.

Wu Haishan saw Xu Yuan and revealed a cruel smile: "You little brat, you actually ran..."

As he pressed forward, about to strike, a smoking pipe with a bowl extended between the two of them, blocking the way.

"Settle matters outside outside; this is our village's rule." The old man's voice carried a heavy phlegmy rattle, making it very unpleasant to hear.

Wu Haishan frowned displeasedly; this old thing wasn't even a mountain runner, yet he dared to set rules for me?

The old man took a puff of smoke; the copper bowl of the pipe instantly burned red-hot. Wu Haishan cried out "Ah!" as a large blister formed on his arm from the burn!

He stared at the old man in shock; he was a Rank Dan Xiu, possessing "Fu Zhong Huo," so ordinary flames simply could not burn him.

Let alone scald him.

(End of this chapter)