Chapter 131: There Seems to Be Something Below

A flash of light streaked by, and two phantom figures stepped out from within the stone.

One was a man with long horns holding a trident, dressed in garments of grass and wood, with a ferocious expression.

The other was a person with a green face and green robes, holding a Mountain-shaped Magic Treasure in his hand; his long beard drifted, and there was a mountain-shaped mark on his forehead. As soon as the two of them appeared, they knelt and bowed to Su Yuanshan.

"Mountain God Liu Bao and Mountain God Tong You pay respects to the Chenghuangfu Lord! We wonder what instructions the Lord may have?"

Su Yuanshan was somewhat surprised to see this.

This great mountain actually had two mountain gods? What on earth was going on?

Seeing the mountain gods, the young girl seemed to have an instinctive fear; after all, she was only a Mountain Spirit, and she usually hid and walked away when she saw these orthodox gods.

Especially that Green-robed Mountain God, who had a wisp of black energy lingering behind his head; even Su Yuanshan could not quite see through his depth, let alone the young girl.

But at this moment, she forcibly suppressed the fear in her heart.

Su Yuanshan pointed at the young girl and asked the two mountain gods.

"Have you two heard of her situation?"

The two mountain gods looked at each other and replied in unison.

"We know a little!"

Su Yuanshan said indifferently.

"Very good.

From this day forth, I want you to send dreams to your believers, having them sculpt a golden body for her beside your own divine seats, and share the incense with you! This is the first thing."

"This..." The two mountain gods seemed somewhat reluctant, but after looking at each other, they chose to submit, seemingly feeling that there would be no good fruit to eat if they went against their superior, so they replied very tactfully.

"We shall strictly obey the Lord's decree!"

Hearing this, the young girl could hardly believe her ears; she looked at Su Yuanshan, not knowing what to say.

Seeing one of the mountain gods hesitate to speak, Su Yuanshan said indifferently.

"I understand what you two are thinking, fearing that her name is not justified and that you will be implicated! Do not worry, I will submit a petition upward; with the merit she has accumulated over these hundreds of years, it should not be difficult to confer upon her the title of Grass-headed Minor God, and she will not require much incense.

As for the second thing, I want you to find that last incense-offering visitor; do you understand?"

The two mountain gods bowed and replied.

"We understand. Please wait a moment, Lord and Craft Spirit!"

Su Yuanshan nodded slightly.

The two mountain gods turned abruptly and transformed into two whirlwinds, gradually moving away.

Watching the direction in which the mountain gods disappeared, Su Yuanshan was lost in thought; that Green-robed Mountain God gave him a very strange feeling, he did not know why.

Only then did the young girl calm her excited mood, and with tears in her eyes, she bowed gracefully to Su Yuanshan.

"Xiao Ling does not know how to repay the Lord's great kindness!"

Su Yuanshan gently helped her up; her wrist felt cool to the touch, delicate as jade.

"No need for such formalities, get up!"

"Thank you, Lord!"

The young girl turned her head to wipe away the clear tears from the corners of her eyes, full of emotion; in a trance, it felt like she was dreaming. She had never dared to dream that she could extend her yin-lifespan and become a god on the spot! Even if it was only an insignificant Grass-headed Minor God!

And all of this was bestowed by the Chenghuangfu Lord!

It would be a lie to say she was not grateful!

But at the same time, she was also very curious: why would the dignified Chenghuangfu Lord, instead of staying in the Chenghuang underworld, come to this remote mountain wilderness? Seeming to notice her puzzled gaze.

Su Yuanshan smiled slightly and said.

"Is the young lady wondering why I have come to this Shanwei Lin?"

Seeing the young girl nod, Su Yuanshan said.

"I have not yet asked for the young lady's name while she was alive?"

The young girl bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and said.

"Mu Qingcao!"

"Mu Qingcao?" Su Yuanshan nodded slightly and said.

"This name is quite elegant!"

"By the way, Miss Qingcao, do you know the reason why this great mountain has two mountain gods?"

Mu Qingcao shook her head upon hearing this.

"This little woman is not very clear either, I only know that the Green-robed Mountain God came later!"

"Oh? So that's how it is!"

Since Mu Qingcao did not know, Su Yuanshan did not ask further and instead changed the subject.

"Actually, I have indeed come for a troubling matter!"

Seeing the young girl attracted by the topic, her beautiful eyes looking at him, Su Yuanshan set up an Isolation Array in the surroundings before taking the Chenghuang Demon-Slaying Sword out from his Spirit Void Ring.

But as soon as the Chenghuang Demon-Slaying Sword appeared, Mu Qingcao's expression changed drastically, and her spirit body almost dissipated!

Seeing that the situation was not good, Su Yuanshan hurriedly took action to suppress that sharp, piercing energy, and only then did Mu Qingcao's complexion improve slightly.

The sword was barely unsheathed, and she almost died!

Staring at the Chenghuang Demon-Slaying Sword, Mu Qingcao subconsciously stayed far away, seemingly still having lingering fears.

Su Yuanshan thought to himself that he had been reckless, almost forgetting that she was only a Mountain Spirit and not an orthodox god; how could she withstand the sharp energy of this Chenghuang Demon-Slaying Sword!

Channeling a stream of divine power to protect Mu Qingcao's spirit body, Su Yuanshan then asked.

"Can the young lady see any flaws in this Demon-Slaying Sword?"

Feeling a warm force clinging to her body, protecting her from harm, Mu Qingcao became a little bolder; she moved slightly closer to the Chenghuang Demon-Slaying Sword, examined it carefully, and then nodded and said.

"That is correct, this sword seems to have a crack."

"In the short term, there may be no impact, but if it is not repaired in the long term, it will be difficult once the cracks expand!"

Su Yuanshan nodded slightly.

"Miss, you are truly worthy of being a Craft Spirit. What you said is exactly what I am concerned about. I wonder if there is any solution?"

Mu Qingcao nodded.

"To repair a treasure of this level, there are only two things required: first, repair materials, which I happen to have here. Second, a sword-tempering spirit fire. For a treasure of your level, it can only... it can only..."

Su Yuanshan could not help but ask.

"Only what? Miss, please speak freely!"

Mu Qingcao sighed and said.

"It can only be tempered with my Life Spirit Fire!"

Life Spirit Fire? Wouldn't that mean? Wouldn't that cost her life?

At that moment, Su Yuanshan was stunned; he had not expected this outcome.

He had just pulled her back from the abyss of death, and now he would be pushing her back into it; this... was somewhat unkind!

Seeming to notice Su Yuanshan's dilemma, Mu Qingcao smiled, and suddenly she seemed to have come to terms with it.

"Let me help you repair this sword. I don't have much lifespan left anyway! As a craftsman, being able to repair a treasure of such grade is my greatest honor.

If I can do something for the common people, I am happy to see it happen. Let this be my repayment to the Prefecture Lord, a repayment for everything you have done for me!"

Su Yuanshan thought to himself, what a sensible young lady.

For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt the mountain beneath his feet shake, and a low, muffled rumbling sound came from underground, as if something were roaring.

Seeing Su Yuanshan's expression of surprise and doubt, Mu Qingcao, who was beside him, comforted him.

"Prefecture Lord, there is no need to worry. Such strange occurrences happen often in Shanwei Lin, but it will calm down soon."

"It?" Su Yuanshan frowned slightly.

"Does Miss Qingcao mean that there is something beneath this mountain?"

Mu Qingcao shook her head and said.

"I am not sure either. Perhaps there is. It should have existed for hundreds of years. I remember when I was still alive, such strange roars often came from beneath our Xiling Imperial Capital. However, it was not an earthquake, because it would roar once every hundred years or so, and we called it 'Earth Rumble'.

Everyone said that the Earth Mother had manifested, and they would worship it during every festival. Although every Earth Rumble would bring tremors, it basically caused no harm.

I don't know why, in the last few hundred years, the intervals between Earth Rumbles have become shorter and more frequent."