Chapter 93: The Ba Tou Kan and the Mountain Lord Stele (First Update!)

Xu Yuan shook his head without hesitation: "Stop dreaming. Build a temple for evil spirits? You might as well ask your grandfather if he dares to accept it if we dare to build it. As soon as he moves into that temple, the Canal Dragon God will come knocking within three months."

"Really?" Her sister's eyes widened.

Xu Yuan felt somewhat helpless; while being stupid made one easy to fool, it made communication difficult.

The younger sister suddenly spoke up: "Help us behead the Haikou Toad."

Xu Yuan looked at the two sisters.

This time, the elder sister did not speak rashly; it seemed this condition had been instructed by the Old Fox beforehand.

"Why?"

The younger sister began to babble nonsense: "That fellow and its descendants are covered in greasy warts; they are too disgusting."

Since they refused to speak the truth, Xu Yuan did not press further.

"Agreed."

Xu Yuan had naturally prepared conditions to persuade the two sisters when he invited them to negotiate.

Living human sacrifices could not be given lightly, but chickens, ducks, cattle, and horses could be provided in whatever quantity was needed.

However, since they proposed this condition, Xu Yuan could accept it.

With the Dog Head Guillotine at his disposal, Xu Yuan still had a measure of confidence.

Joy was barely concealed in the sisters' eyes. The younger sister took out a tuft of fox fur and said to Xu Yuan: "Burn this with the fire in your belly, then swear an oath."

It was obviously fur from that Old Fox.

The Great Ming had binding contracts, and the evil spirits possessed similar methods.

Xu Yuan did as instructed.

After Xu Yuan finished swearing, the younger sister lifted the rope tied to the little fox's foot. Xu Yuan pointed a finger, and the rope zipped back instantly.

"The Ghost Temple Idol introduced a group of people from outside the mountain to the Locust Hag. That old woman intends to take this group to Guanghuo Street."

"Inside Ghost Wushan, any matter requiring a decision from those people at Guanghuo Street must be of the utmost importance!"

"They set out for Guanghuo Street this afternoon. Whatever you intend to do, you must hurry; at the latest by noon the day after tomorrow, they will arrive at Guanghuo Street."

Xu Yuan shook his head: "These are facts we already know; they are not worth killing the Haikou Toad for you."

The younger sister chuckled: "Do not expect us to risk our lives to spy for you. The Locust Hag is not someone to trifle with, and if it gets out that we work for the Purification Bureau, we will no longer be able to stay in the mountains."

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and said: "We will handle our own affairs, but we cannot enter the mountain now; the Locust Hag's descendants are watching us."

The two sisters rolled their eyes, then leaned their heads together to whisper and confer.

But Xu Yuan could see they were using a mysterious method to consult the Old Fox outside the town.

After a while, the two sisters lifted their heads again: "We can ensure your safe entry into the mountain."

"Avoid the Locust Hag's descendants?"

"What difference is there between those stinking bugs and the blind?"

Xu Yuan: "?"

"Wait," the younger sister said, then rolled onto the ground, transforming back into a fox and running out.

Within roughly the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the younger sister returned with a leather pouch in her mouth.

She flicked her head, and the pouch in her mouth fell into Xu Yuan's hand.

The younger sister did not transform back into human form and spoke to Xu Yuan like this: "Guess what it is?"

Xu Yuan opened the pouch directly; I'm not guessing a thing.

The younger sister stomped her feet in anger. Xu Yuan took half a stone tablet from the pouch; strange characters were inscribed upon it.

"This thing..." Xu Yuan frowned: "It is not an evil spirit, but it carries a very strong evil spirit contamination!"

Xu Yuan fiddled with it in his hand, quite surprised: "With such intense contamination, even a mere boulder should have turned into a monstrosity by now."

The younger sister rolled her eyes at this man who lacked a sense of humor and said: "Do you know why the mountain runners in the village can move freely through Ghost Wushan?"

Xu Yuan immediately became interested: "Is it related to this thing?"

"Every village's mountain runner possesses one similar. Otherwise, they cannot stand their ground in the mountains."

Xu Yuan became even more curious: "What exactly is this?"

"This is the Mountain Lord Stele from the 'Ba Tou Kan' in Ghost Wushan, before the Canal was dug."

Xu Yuan had even more questions, flipping the stone tablet in his hand: "Ba Tou Kan, Mountain Lord Stele... are the characters on this Southern Jiaozhi script?"

It resembled Great Ming script, yet was similar yet different. The scripts of these small nations surrounding the Great Ming are mostly like this.

"I suppose so..." The younger sister actually did not recognize it either: "My grandfather said that in the Ghost Wushan of those days, there was also a group of mountain runners who made their living in the mountains. Before entering, they all had to worship the Mountain Lord God at the mountain path entrance.

At every path intersection stood a small temple about half a person's height; that was the Ba Tou Kan, inside which was enshrined a Mountain Lord Stele.

After worshipping the Mountain Lord, one would not get lost in the mountains and would not be targeted by spirits.

At that time, there were thirty-six mountain paths for the runners and thirty-six Ba Tou Kan shrines;

Later, there were thirty-six villages in the mountains!"

Xu Yuan: "That doesn't sound right; there are only thirty-four villages in the mountains."

"Two villages did not follow the rules," the younger sister said somewhat proudly: "They were exterminated."

Xu Yuan frowned inwardly: "What rules?"

"My grandfather's rules!"

Xu Yuan's eyes trembled slightly. He asked no more.

The younger sister continued: "After the Canal was dug, all thirty-six Ba Tou Kan shrines collapsed, and the mountains became a place teeming with evil spirits.

Now, the mountain runners in the village must perform a 'Summoning of the Mountain Ghost' once a month.

In the past, they worshipped the Mountain Lord; now, they summon the Mountain Ghost.

After completing this, they can move freely in the mountains for that month; the vast majority of evil spirits will regard them as one of their own."

Sister again explained the method of "Summoning the Mountain Ghoul," and Xu Yuan finally asked, "Where is Guanghuo Street?"

Sister leaned in, whispering into Xu Yuan's ear, then jumped back and asked, "We've done everything we're supposed to—when will you go kill the Haikou Toad for us?"

Xu Yuan said, "Once I deal with the group in the mountains, I'll fulfill my promise immediately."

The two sisters nodded, hugging the little fox and preparing to leave.

At the door, the little fox suddenly lifted its head from Auntie's arms, staring blankly, and said, "Auntie, didn't you forget to tell them this Mountain Lord Stele can't be used often—otherwise you'll end up like the Runners of the Mountain, neither human nor ghoul… jee!"

The little fox was pinched hard by Auntie.

Xu Yuan chuckled and said to the little fox, "If you get hungry again, come find me—I'll treat you to chicken."

The little fox, whose eyes had been welling with tears, instantly sparkled again at those words.

"Really?"

"Of course. Humans always keep their word—a promise worth nine tripods!"

The two sisters shook their heads vigorously and hurried off, hugging the little fox.

"Remember our agreement."

"If you dare break it, Grandpa will make sure you learn your lesson!"

"Go ask around—how were those two villages wiped out?"

Xu Yuan closed the door, looked down again at the stone tablet in his hand—"Roadside Niche" had collapsed, meaning the Mountain God… had been stripped of his divine office?

Instead, it had transformed into a ghoul; these broken stone tablets still, in some unseen way, remained connected to it.

One "Summoning of the Mountain Ghoul" grants "protection," but this protection now is utterly different from the Mountain God's protection of old!

(End of Chapter)