Chapter 85: The Rules of the Mountain Forest

The leaves were golden, the mountains and rivers already autumn.

Three figures stood at the temple gate, all clad in Daoist robes; the one in front looked to be in his thirties, while the two behind were teenage novice Daoists, and behind them stood a donkey, its back laden with bamboo baskets.

On the ground lay a fox, gazing into the distance.

Second Shixiong held several small porcelain bottles, placing special emphasis on handing them to Lin Jue and the little disciple.

“Remember, the blue bottles contain Divine Speed Pills, the white ones Heart-Protecting Pills—eat them and you won’t grow confused or be misled by miasmas, demonic qi, or ghostly influences. The green bottles hold Sandtang Pills; after eating them, you won’t drown if you fall into water, and you’ll move freely. The red bottles contain Soul-Returning Pills—they stop bleeding and heal wounds; if you suffer a mortal injury and cannot walk, eating one will let you reach a clinic.”

The little disciple listened solemnly, striving to memorize.

Lin Jue also committed it to memory.

“On the donkey’s back are more pills and celestial treasures—see if you can trade them for useful items at the Dao Assembly. Your third Shixiong is unreliable; you must remember that although the pills are sealed and the celestial treasures treated to withstand rain, they cannot be submerged in water. If a heavy storm comes, for safety’s sake, take cover.”

First Shixiong reiterated these warnings to them, just as Master Yunhe had done when the two first descended the mountain with third Shixiong .

Third Shixiong heard it all without offense, only standing aside and smiling.

“When you reach Mingchao Mountain, listen to your third Shixiong —but don’t follow him blindly. The Dao Assembly is a mix of good and bad: besides the Talisman Sect’s temples and the orthodox Spirit Method Sect’s monasteries, there are many hermits and martial wonders whose conduct and character are unpredictable. Beyond people stand other people; beyond mountains lie other mountains. The world holds countless arts, strange and elusive—don’t provoke conflicts lightly.”

“Understood.”

“Understood!”

Both said solemnly.

“And remember what I told you: dry pork ribs and rice cooked together into porridge, nothing else added, make a good breakfast. Dice salted vegetables and cured meat, stir-fry them in lard, and they’ll make a fine side dish for dinner. Remember: soak the cured meat in water for two hours first.”

“Got it.”

First Shixiong waved his hand.

“Go.”

The little fox understood human speech; hearing this, it turned to look at Lin Jue. Seeing Lin Jue shake his book satchel and step forward, it leapt ahead.

Ahead lay a flight of steps.

The fox leapt lightly, graceful as a breeze, clearing twelve stone steps at once and landing on the level ground below.

It turned back to look at Lin Jue.

The three also began descending slowly.

“Your first and second Shixiong are so nagging—worrying about this, worrying about that, they’d wear themselves out dead,” third Shixiong said as he walked, then chuckled, “You’re becoming much the same, Lin Jue. But I see no point in your warnings—those ribs and cured meat won’t last days. Once you’re gone, some people in the temple will still suffer hunger and thirst.”

Someone behind them already wore a grimace.

Lin Jue, carrying his book satchel and leaning on his staff, soon reached the forest path, where fallen leaves carpeted the ground, the mountains bathed in autumn.

Three swords were stuck into the donkey’s load.

Two were iron Daoist swords from the temple; one was a fine sword gifted at night by a martial artist through snow.

Daoist robes, a black donkey, and swords.

They carried a touch of martial spirit.

“You may listen to some of what your first Shixiong says—but not all.”

Third Shixiong walked on, repeating first Shixiong ’s words as if deliberately contradicting him:

“At Mingchao Mountain, yes, you shouldn’t provoke those assorted characters lightly—but if they come after you, don’t cower. After all, we represent Yishan, the orthodox Spirit Method Sect, our Ancestors’ names and arts.”

“And those Talisman Sect Daoists—hah! They’re good at summoning spirits to subdue demons and exorcise evils, but how much real cultivation do they have in human combat?”

“Our Fuxiu Temple has wide connections.”

“Most importantly—”

“Martial folk are naturally free-spirited. Too much caution sometimes makes it harder to make friends!”

“...”

Lin Jue and the little disciple exchanged glances.

First Shixiong ’s words were certainly reasonable; third Shixiong ’s were too—just different temperaments and approaches. How to weigh them, how much to take from each, was up to them.

“Won’t the spirits help the Talisman Sect Daoists in their duels?” the little disciple asked curiously as they walked.

“Of course! The Talisman Sect thrives everywhere—not just because their cultivation is simple, but because they pose no threat to people,” third Shixiong said. “Spirits aid them in subduing demons and exorcising evils, but when it comes to human affairs, the court handles it. If spirits helped with everything—even fighting people—how could the court allow them to build temples and spread their teachings?”

“Oh, right...”

The little disciple nodded, finding it sensible.

At that moment, a voice suddenly came from the forest:

“That’s not entirely right! Rituals and norms mostly exist in times of peace. Spirits avoiding human affairs is their own ritual—but when the human world descends into chaos, is the Nine Heavens immune?”

The voice was strange—clearly not human.

Yet Lin Jue was already familiar with it.

Not just the voice, but its tone and rebuttals too.

Over the past year, he’d ascended and descended this path more than a dozen times; each time he passed here, he’d call out to the elder. Sometimes he got a reply, sometimes not; sometimes the voice spoke before he even called.

Time passed, though they’d never met or exchanged names, they’d grown strangely familiar.

Third Shixiong merely nodded upon hearing it.

He’d descended with Lin Jue to buy supplies several times and had gradually come to know this spirit.

This one was likely lonely and bored, perhaps by nature too—whenever Daoists passed and said something amiss, it would leap out to correct them.

And it was erudite; most of what it said held truth.

As it did now—

In chaotic times, rituals and norms vanish.

So do spirits.

“Your lifespan far exceeds ours—you naturally see more,” third Shixiong said politely, bowing casually. “But when, exactly, is the chaos in the Nine Heavens?”

“You can ask such a simple question?”

“This humble Daoist is shallow in learning.”

“Hah! You only helped a forest spirit build a shrine and stabilize its divine seat on the neighboring mountain a few months ago—don’t you know how spirits come into being? Don’t you know where their divine power originates? How many times have the main spirits of the Nine Heavens changed? When did those changes occur? Haven’t you read the histories and divine records?”

“How so?”

“How foolish!” the forest spirit sighed, as if shaking its head in frustration. “Human chaos is spirit chaos!”

“That’s true...”

Third Shixiong nodded and sighed.

The voice came again: “Where are you going? Carrying so much—this isn’t like a trip to buy supplies in the villages or towns below.”

Third Shixiong said nothing, turning instead to look at Lin Jue.

He knew this spirit only liked arguing and rarely chatted idly; it had no bond with him, so this question clearly wasn’t meant for him.

“We’re going to Mingchao Mountain to attend the Grand Dao Assembly,” Lin Jue replied.

“Another Grand Dao Assembly, eh?”

“Yes.”

“The road ahead is dangerous, especially in Huizhou—very dangerous. Demons and ghosts are growing more numerous, and the younger ones have even less discipline—be careful.”

“Thank you, elder.”

The voice fell silent.

Lin Jue and the others continued walking.

Their steps had never paused.

As Master Yunhe had once said, “If you meet such a spirit, it’s quite good.” Over time, Lin Jue no longer found it startling—he came to enjoy it.

“Brother, where will we stop tonight?”

“How should I know? We go as far as we go.”

“Huh? You don’t know which way to go?”

“The world is vast, Mingchao Mountain is far away, and I’ve never been there. I only know the first two days’ route, the general direction—so we walk, and ask along the way.”

“Where will we sleep? What will we eat?”

“Didn’t we bring taoguo? I ate one last night while it was still warm—delicious, with plenty of meat filling!”

Third Shixiong walked ahead, smiling, carefree and untroubled:

“We Daoists are close to heaven and earth. Wind cannot topple us, rain cannot ruin us. If we find an inn, we sleep in an inn; if none, we sleep beneath heaven. If there’s a restaurant, we sit and eat; if none, we eat taoguo. When the cart reaches the mountain, a path appears; when the boat reaches the bridge, it naturally straightens.”

“Why overthink it?”

“It only adds needless worry.”

Lin Jue, too, felt infected, smiling.

“Alright.”

It seemed first Shixiong was right, Master was right—third Shixiong was unreliable.

Fortunately, Lin Jue didn’t mind at all.

He glanced at the little disciple.

She wore a calm expression—she’d gone out to repair roads even in snowfall, so this bit of exposure to wind and rain meant nothing.

And there was the little fox...

Never mind—it was wild by nature.

“But what if we’re caught in a heavy rain and the pills and celestial treasures get ruined?”

“Then your brother will get scolded...”

“Hah!”

Laughter echoed through the mountains, causing the fox to turn back.

He glanced back once, then continued forward.

Lin Jue watched it run and leap freely ahead, like a spirit of the world, leaping over streams and bridges, scaling mountains and ridges—only when it reached the main road or places crowded with people did it grow quiet, coming close to Lin Jue.

The sun rose higher, then slowly sank westward.

Before they knew it, dusk had arrived.

As expected, dusk fell upon the mountain path, and the travelers could see no inn ahead or behind.

“Autumn wind urges sleep, falling leaves aid slumber—perfect. The weather is neither cold nor hot; isn’t heaven aiding my freedom in the mountains?”

Third Senior Brother found a flat patch of ground beneath a tree and began unloading the bamboo baskets from the donkey’s back; the three swords were simply tossed onto the ground, mingling with the fallen leaves.

Lin Jue also set down his book satchel.

Then he saw Third Senior Brother gather several stones and larger branches, arranging them into a square frame beneath the tree—the stones forming the corners, the branches linking them into lines, with the long swords and travel bags placed inside.

Only then did Third Senior Brother step inside.

“Senior Brother, is this…”

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Third Senior Brother explained:

“You don’t know—humans have human rules, spirits and ghosts have their own rules, and there are rules between humans and spirits and ghosts—

“Where there are roads and houses, it is humanity’s domain; far from the roads lies the realm of spirits and demons. Daytime belongs to human activity, night to spirits. Humans never sleep outdoors casually, and refined spirits and ghosts likewise avoid intruding upon human dwellings—hence some spirits deceive people into opening doors, and even some clever beasts do the same.

“If a human must sleep outdoors, they can build a square frame; even if this spot happens to be a spirit’s territory, the spirit will see it and not trouble them.

“These are turbulent times, filled with spirits and ghosts. Spears and swords are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against. Even if you’re not afraid, being woken by them is no good.

“Just for peace and quiet!”

Third Senior Brother had already sat cross-legged within the frame.

The long sword lay beside him.

“So that’s how it is.”

It seemed Third Senior Brother indeed had some worldly experience.

Lin Jue and the other followed him inside.

Sitting or lying down, they listened to the wind through the forest, watched leaves drift through the air; though today’s weather was ordinary and the sun unseen, they quietly waited as the sky slowly darkened, preparing to spend the night.

Yet before the light fully vanished, Lin Jue felt the mountain wind grow stronger, the sounds of the forest louder, and even a faint dampness in the air.

He looked up at the sky—dark and murky.

Lin Jue could not help but frown—

It looks like rain is coming.