Chapter 149: Heavenly Omens Appear, Great Disaster Ensues

Maybe it's because Hui Moqiong's mouth is too sweet, which made the boss lady delighted; she turned around and sent over a fruit platter, just in time to hear us talking about those lamas.

"It's been many years; every year at this time, those lamas gather at Cow Tiger Mountain to perform rites, keeping our region safe." the boss lady said.

I asked curiously, "Cow Tiger Mountain? Is that the name of the mountain behind the prison? That mountain really looks like a cow and a tiger."

I deliberately steered the conversation in that direction.

The boss lady said mysteriously, "Whether it looks like a cow or tiger isn't the main point; the main point is that the mountain emits a strange sound—you can't tell if it's a cow's moo or a tiger's roar—but whenever that sound appears, people around are bound to die, and it's not just one or two deaths."

I heard from my elders that it's the mountain god's anger; to appease it, a living person must be sacrificed, otherwise great disaster will befall. Generations have lived this way until one year, an ascetic monk went up Cow Tiger Mountain, built a temple there, and that subdued the mountain god.

Turns out there's another layer to this story.

I asked, "What's the relation between that ascetic monk and those lamas?"

"It's said that ascetic monk came from Zàng Qū," the boss lady, not entirely sure, said, "Those lamas were invited by him to help."

Saying this, the boss lady lowered her voice further, her expression changing: "They're not helping for free; the prison pays them a handsome sum each year."

The lamas from Zàng Qū… that fits; they must be Dalai Lama.

But… they wouldn't travel thousands of kilometers to this remote place just to set up a practice ground, would they? Surely it's not just for that pay?

They're really good at making money anywhere.

Moreover, I previously fought that lama and can be certain his methods are not clean.

Another group came into the shop, and the boss was calling the boss lady.

The boss lady replied, then laughed and said, "You've come at just the right time; once everything is prepared this afternoon, the ritual will begin tonight, and we should be able to see the wondrous sight of heavenly auspicious omens—that scene will be stunning!"

After saying that, the boss lady went off to work.

"Heavenly auspicious omens?" Hui Moqiong scoffed, "I think something's going to go wrong."

Liu Junyan stood up and said, "Mo Qiong, send your people out to watch; first don't startle the snake, let's see what happens."

Hui Moqiong nodded.

He usually looks carefree and laughing, but when he gets things done, he's reliable.

Li Qingying is also used to assisting him; the two work together seamlessly.

What we didn't expect was that in the afternoon, the small town suddenly bustled; street-side eateries were nearly full, wave after wave of people arriving.

Among the newcomers, only a small fraction were families of death-row inmates; most were like us, wandering guests with unclear purposes.

This made me inexplicably anxious.

Liu Junyan was meditating, his prayer beads constantly turning.

He said before that whenever he felt lost and uneasy, he would meditate.

It seems this journey will be more dangerous than imagined.

In the evening, Li Qingying returned and whispered to me, "Those people who came this afternoon don't seem to be heading for the prison; it feels more like…"

"Heading for the ritual ground, or the temple on Cow Tiger Mountain, right?" I guessed.

Li Qingying nodded, glanced at Liu Junyan's meditation direction, and said, "Xiao Jiu, I guess Seventh Lord and his crew didn't come this time for some ancient ferocious beast formation array."

I exclaimed, "How did you come up with that?"

Li Qingying also wasn't sure: "I followed Hui Moqiong around this afternoon for a few loops; his feeling wasn't about observing formations, but rather like he was looking for something."

Looking for something?

What's here worth Liu Junyan and them making a special trip, and being so cautious?

Even before being certain, they didn't even tell me and Li Qingying?

Thinking this, I suddenly widened my eyes.

Could it be…

I grabbed Li Qingying's hand; she jumped from my scare: "Xiao Jiu, what's wrong with you?"

"Sister Li Qingying, did you check the identities of those people who came this afternoon?" I asked.

"Hard to check," Li Qingying said, "but some of them seem known to Hui Moqiong; their backgrounds are probably not simple."

Indeed.

With that remark, I could basically confirm my guess was nine out of ten correct.

I tightly held Li Qingying's hand, murmuring, "Just wait a bit longer; after tonight, everything will become clear."

Li Qingying was left bewildered by me, yet she didn't press for details.

The sky quickly darkened; dinner was Hui Moqiong's takeaway.

Around eight o'clock, faint chanting drifted from the prison toward the Cow Tiger Mountain direction.

The ritual had already begun.

When the sound arrived, Hui Moqiong immediately stood in the courtyard, eyes fixed on Cow Tiger Mountain, his tall silhouette straight as a rod, motionless.

Liu Junyan sat in the main hall, his expression calm, but his prayer beads spun rapidly.

Time ticked by; as it neared eleven, outside suddenly bustled, as if everyone in town had come out, all eagerly discussing something.

I and Li Qingying also stood behind Hui Moqiong, tightly staring toward Cow Tiger Mountain.

Soon, a sound like a cow's lowing and a tiger's roar came, and the ground began to tremble.

The chanting from the prison side suddenly amplified severalfold, penetrating every corner of the town.

"Look, above the prison!" Li Qingying suddenly suppressed her voice and growled.

We saw it; we all saw it.

Above the prison, in midair, a layer of red light slowly condensed, the blood-red hue appearing hazy in the mist.

This reminded me of when I'd seen such a scene on Cow Tiger Mountain before—it had flashed by instantly.

But this time, the red light persisted; the howling from beneath Cow Tiger Mountain shook the heavens, making the whole town feel as if an earthquake were coming.

The boss lady said, once that howl appears, people around are bound to die.

Heaven-sent omens always bring great disaster; this is an unchanging truth from ancient times.

But now the townspeople are not afraid at all; they even treat it as a spectacle, and many outsiders have rushed over to see it.

All this is thanks to the lamas' monastery.

Dang……

Just then, from the direction of the temple on Bull Tiger Mountain, a bronze bell suddenly rang.

Accompanying that bell sound, we heard someone outside shout: "The temple bell has rung—quickly make a wish, welcome auspicious omens!"

The bell's echo still lingered in our ears when a golden light burst forth from beneath Bull Tiger Mountain, like an awakened golden dragon, coiling in an instant above the mountain.

A soul‑stirring dragon roar surged like a sudden storm, the ground heaved violently, and we could barely keep our footing.

Hui Moqiong turned and shouted at Liu Junyan, "Seventh Lord, the fox's tail is showing!"