Chapter 132: The Creeping Ghostly Fog

Earth Mother? Earth Rumble? Su Yuanshan thought to himself, two more terms I've never heard of!

But if there really is something beneath this great mountain, logically, as the dignified City God of Huangliang Xian, I should be able to sense its existence within my jurisdiction, so why do I know nothing about it?

Can't sense it at all?

Recalling the words of the woodcutter: This mountain forest is like it's alive!

And the repeated warnings from the old man at the foot of the mountain: Do not go into that Shanwei Lin!

Su Yuanshan felt increasingly uneasy.

Uncertain factors and unstable elements seemed to be growing more and more numerous.

He thought to himself, it truly corresponds to that remark by Guangyuanzi—great chaos is imminent!

Just as Su Yuanshan was lost in these stray thoughts, he saw the two Mountain Gods returning in a hurry, so he withdrew the formation's protection.

Sure enough, having a righteous deity of the City God level backing one up makes for fast efficiency.

The two Mountain Gods were seen cupping their hands and saying.

"Reporting to the Prefecture Lord, the person has been found!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Qingcao's expression brightened, and she looked around with anticipation, yet she saw no other figure.

Su Yuanshan's eyes also lit up upon hearing this, and he said.

"Oh, where is he?"

The Long-horned Mountain God was seen saying.

"This person's surname is Han, but..."

He said hesitantly.

"He already died several months ago!"

The other Mountain God also said with a look of deep emotion.

"That's right, I heard from the minor spirits nearby that even when Old Han was bedridden with illness, he never forgot to go offer incense to the Craft Spirit, and until the moment he died, he was still holding three sticks of incense!

To tell the truth, as a minor spirit, I've been a deity for these few hundred years and have never seen such a devout incense-offering visitor! Sigh!"

When he said these things, Mu Qingcao's eyes were already moist; she could even imagine the scene at that time.

That Mountain God said with a sigh.

"I will take the Prefecture Lord and Lady Craft Spirit to see, let's go to his grave! I heard that although he died, he refused to leave and still lingers around that burial mound."

Su Yuanshan was just about to ask why this great mountain had two Mountain Gods, and whether there was a powerful, mysterious entity beneath this mountain.

But noticing Mu Qingcao's tear-filled eyes and her gaze full of anticipation, he had to suppress the doubts in his heart and said indifferently.

"Alright, let's go and take a look!"

When the Mountain God led Su Yuanshan and Mu Qingcao to that burial mound, they discovered it was already overgrown with wild grass, with only a solitary grave standing alone on the hillside, on which a name was carved: Tomb of Han Dashun.

He could even see a white-haired old man sitting on the hillside leaning on a cane, holding three sticks of incense in his hand, at this moment looking lonely toward the direction of the Craft Spirit Lady Temple, until Mu Qingcao walked over and softly called his name.

The old man turned his face, first in surprise, then in excitement, and finally, with tears streaming down his face, he knelt down, held the three sticks of incense high, bowed toward Mu Qingcao, and said with a choked voice.

"Han Dashun has come to offer incense to the Lady!"

At that moment, Mu Qingcao touched the old man's white-haired head and cried; she stroked him as if he were her own child.

Although one was young and beautiful, and the other was white-haired and aged!

But who could truly understand Mu Qingcao's state of mind?

In a trance, she seemed to have returned to the past, seeming to see again the scene of that babbling three-year-old child following his father to offer incense to her for the first time.

She seemed to see again that when the father died, the grown young man took over his father's promise and continued to come to offer incense to her, through wind and rain, without fail.

She seemed to see him marry and have children, see his wife die and his child perish, suffer great blows, become reticent and solitary, yet still persist in offering incense to her, even when the blacksmith trade was undoubtedly unsustainable.

She seemed to see him change from a lively, sunny, handsome young man into a withered old man with pine-bark skin and crane-white hair, yet still leaning on a cane, struggling to cross forests and climb slopes through wind and rain to come and offer incense to her.........

That Long-horned Mountain God looked deeply moved, yet that Green-robed Mountain God had a cold expression, seemingly indifferent to the matters around him, and there seemed to be a wisp of black energy escaping from the back of his head, baring fangs and brandishing claws as it slowly dissipated behind him.

Su Yuanshan was startled when he saw this, thinking to himself, what is that thing? This fellow definitely has something strange about him.

So, he looked toward the two Mountain Gods without changing his expression and asked.

"As the City God of Huangliang Xian, why have I never heard of you two, and why is this the first time I've seen a single mountain with two Mountain Gods? Can the two of you tell me the reason for this?"

Seeing Su Yuanshan staring at them with piercing eyes, that Long-horned Mountain God said in fear.

"Reporting to the Prefecture Lord, there were originally two mountains here, which later gradually formed into one due to the Earth Rumble, but no decree was issued from above to abolish the positions, so... it evolved into having two Mountain Gods today. It is not that we violated Heavenly laws and acted privately, I beg the Prefecture Lord to investigate clearly!"

Su Yuanshan's heart stirred, and he frowned as he said.

"There is such a thing? Why did you not report it?"

That Green-robed Mountain God cupped his hands and replied indifferently.

"We did report it, and not just once, but unfortunately, there has never been a response from above!"

That Long-horned Mountain God said with a fawning smile.

"The Prefecture Lord is new here, so perhaps you are unaware of this matter; it is unavoidable."

Su Yuanshan did not know if what they said was true or false, nor did he know who they had reported it to.

The previous City God of Huangliang Xian? The Fengdu Yinsi, or the Heavenly Court?

However, it is true that I've heard things are a bit chaotic up there!

But for some reason, he always felt there was a sense of conspiracy in it, tangled and difficult to unravel.

Without continuing to probe, Su Yuanshan asked again.

"What is this Earth Rumble you mentioned just now?

I felt it just now as well; the entire great mountain was shaking. As Mountain Gods, you should know the reason for it, right?"

The two Mountain Gods looked at each other, their expressions hesitant, their eyes evasive, as if they were unwilling to talk more about it.

"This... to be honest with the Prefecture Lord, we... also don't know how to begin!"

Su Yuanshan frowned upon hearing this.

"If I tell you to speak, then speak. Why hesitate? What unspeakable difficulty do you have?"

The Long-horned Mountain God wore a bitter smile; he looked around vigilantly and was about to speak, but his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he hurriedly bowed to Su Yuanshan.

"Prefect, this minor god has urgent matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave first."

As he spoke, he actually flashed into a rock and vanished.

The Green-robed Mountain God also seemed to have a slight change in expression; without saying a word, he bowed to Su Yuanshan and disappeared on the spot.

Just as Su Yuanshan was feeling puzzled, he was surprised to discover that the entire mountain had begun to fog up, and the mist was growing thicker and thicker; at this moment, Su Yuanshan saw Mu Qingcao say something to Han Dashun.

Han Dashun bowed to him from afar with a face full of gratitude, then his figure grew fainter and fainter until he finally vanished; his gratitude was self-evident, clearly his wish had been fulfilled, and he had departed for the netherworld.

Mu Qingcao walked over slowly, her expression somewhat desolate, but there was more relief between her brows; she walked up to Su Yuanshan, bowed deeply to him as well, and said with emotion.

"Thank you, Prefect, for your great kindness. This young woman's wish has been fulfilled, and I have no more attachments. Let me help you forge your sword, Prefect!"

Looking at her appearance, it seemed as if she had already prepared herself to die.

As she spoke, Su Yuanshan felt the mountain beneath his feet shake once more, and a dull roar seemed to come from underground.

Earth Rumble? Is this Earth Rumble again? This is already the second time in a short while.

The mystery in Su Yuanshan's heart seemed to grow larger; just then, he suddenly heard a sound of bells coming from afar, as if an old ox with bells hanging on its body were approaching, accompanied by heavy footsteps and strange ringing.

Su Yuanshan noticed that at this, even Mu Qingcao's complexion changed, appearing to lose all color—though her face was already very pale—and her expression became somewhat panicked as she hurriedly said.

"Prefect, come with me quickly! The Earth Mother's Slaughter Ghosts have begun to patrol the mountain."

Su Yuanshan was stunned upon hearing this.

"Slaughter Ghosts?"