Chapter 39: You, Mountain God Grandpa

"So, this Dao Sect is very powerful?" the old hunter asked.

"It's not 'Dao-er Sect,' it's 'Dao Sect'," Qi Wu corrected the old hunter's pronunciation.

"Tomorrow, when we head to Qinghuai County, we'll write a letter and send it to the Five Great Immortal Sects, asking them to intervene," Qi Wu said, recalling the process he'd learned when he met Dai Bufan.

At the time, he had been surprised that high-ranking local officials, despite their lack of cultivation, seemed more aloof than immortal disciples who lived outside the mortal realm.

However, Qi Wu didn't know Dai Bufan's true status within the Dao Sect, only assuming he was an ordinary disciple. If he had known Dai Bufan's identity and cultivation, his feelings would have been far more complex than simple surprise.

The old hunter was overjoyed and quickly thanked Qi Wu and the others, adding that if the tiger demon could truly be dealt with, he wouldn't even charge for guiding them. Qi Wu hurriedly declined, saying that was unacceptable. It wasn't that they didn't want to save money, but they weren't sure if the old hunter's offer was sincere or merely polite talk.

"Excuse me, I encountered heavy rain on my journey. May I stay here for the night?"

A graceful figure broke through the curtain of rain. She wore a green lotus dress, her brows slightly furrowed with a hint of sorrow, making it hard to refuse her request.

Everyone turned to look at A Yue. Just moments ago, he'd spoken of a female ghost, and now one had actually appeared. Was his mouth somehow blessed?

"No!" Qi Wu immediately rejected the request of the young woman in green.

This place was deep in the mountains, far from any village or inn. The sudden appearance of such a beautiful woman, coupled with the old hunter's earlier remarks, made him highly suspicious. The most crucial detail was that the young woman in green was completely dry! Outside, the rain was pouring as if the heavens were spilling water; how could she be dry?

The young woman in green showed a hint of indignation. She thought these people looked like they had read books, but their words were quite rude. "You are being unreasonable. Not only does this mountain god temple have no owner, but you are only here to seek shelter from the rain. It's raining heavily outside; do you expect me to keep using a spell to block the rain indefinitely?!"

"A spell? Are you a cultivator?" Qi Wu spoke cautiously. Most cultivators treated mortals gently, but it was unpredictable what they might do if truly angered. He hesitated.

The old hunter, however, was resolute. Based on his years of experience living in the mountains, he felt there was definitely something wrong with the young woman in green, though his tone was much more tactful: "Honored cultivator, since you are a cultivator and a woman, it wouldn't look good for you to share a temple with eight men like us. How about this: there's a mountain path to the north, and halfway up that path, there's a wooden hut that we hunters temporarily built. For a master like yourself, that distance is just a few steps."

The old hunter wasn't lying; there was indeed a wooden hut there, but it wasn't large enough to accommodate all of them, which was why he had brought Qi Wu and the others to the mountain god temple for shelter.

The young woman in green considered it and felt the old hunter made a valid point. As a woman, while she was not overly concerned with formalities when traveling, why stay in a drafty temple if there was a better option?

After the young woman in green left, everyone let out a long sigh of relief, fearing she might transform into a fierce, striped tiger and devour them.

"Alright, everyone sleep. We need to be well-rested to get an early start tomorrow. I really don't want to come to this dreadful place a second time," Qi Wu said with a yawn, his eyelids fighting, too sleepy to keep his eyes open.

Qi Wu had wanted to sleep with his head facing inward, but that would mean facing the mountain god statue. He always felt there was something off about the statue and didn't dare get too close, so he instructed everyone to sleep with their heads facing the door. After arranging for two people to stand watch, everyone fell asleep.

After they fell asleep, the eyes of the mountain god statue moved, looking down, staring at the sleeping group. No one noticed.

A Yue yawned, his eyes blurry as if he could fall asleep at any moment. He and another man were on the first night watch.

"So sleepy, I really want to sleep."

"Bear with it. You heard him, it's not safe in these mountains..."

"Right, I can't sleep. I'm waiting for the female ghost to attack me tonight."

"You're not that handsome. Don't the books say female ghosts like handsome men? She should attack me instead."

"Female ghosts prefer scholars. How many days have you even read? Female ghosts prefer someone like me, who's well-versed in the sages' teachings."

The two whispered, arguing about a hypothetical female ghost, becoming more awake the more they chatted.

Suddenly, a low roar echoed. The thunder and rain couldn't drown out this roar, and the two immediately shivered and started. Just as they wondered if they were imagining things, another low roar came, even closer!

"It's that tiger demon!" They exchanged glances, seeing the fear in each other's eyes.

"Wake up, there's a demon!" A Yue shouted urgently.

Everyone awoke from their sleep, gripping their weapons, staring intently at the temple entrance. Cold sweat dripped from their foreheads, and their legs trembled uncontrollably. The roar disappeared, replaced by heavy breathing. From the sound of its breath, it was easy to imagine how enormous the creature was.

A shadow appeared in the rain, growing larger and larger. The group held their breath, trembling with fear. An incredibly massive tiger head pushed through the rain curtain, extending into the mountain god temple. Qi Wu could even clearly see every strand of its fur!

The tiger demon's entire body entered the temple, making everyone's backs sweat. It was a four-meter-long tiger! The tiger demon pushed up on its hind legs, actually standing upright!

"Old Sun, what do we do now?" Qi Wu whispered. This tiger demon was beyond what their wooden sticks could defeat.

Unexpectedly, the old hunter walked straight towards the tiger demon, bowed, and said, "Please, Tiger Lord, your meal is ready."

"Hm, well done," the tiger demon said, speaking human words. Its cultivation level was unknown.

Qi Wu's eyes widened in fury, wishing he could tear the old hunter apart. The young woman in green wasn't a伥鬼; the old hunter, who had been with them all along, was!

The tiger demon displayed a human-like smile, mocking, "Originally, I didn't intend to eat you all. After all, there are too many of you, and if you all died, it might draw outside attention. But I have no choice; you actually intended to tell the Five Great Immortal Sects about me, so I cannot let you live!"

As it spoke, the tiger demon pressed the old hunter down with a paw. "And you, your talkative habit never changes. You just had to tell stories, forcing me to clean up your mess. Do I need to kill you again?"

The old hunter pleaded for mercy repeatedly, saying he wouldn't dare do it again.

The tiger demon snorted, "Chasing away that female cultivator counts as a merit. Merits and faults cancel each other out, so I won't punish you this time!"

The tiger demon had no habit of playing with its prey. It leaned down and carefully examined Qi Wu, a guttural sound in its throat, as if holding phlegm. "You are the smartest among them. If you are willing to join my ranks, I can refine you into a 伥鬼, neither dead nor alive."

By this point, Qi Wu was no longer afraid. He pointed at the old hunter and sneered, "Being like him, harming people everywhere—I'd rather die! Bah!"

"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!" When had the tiger demon ever suffered such insult? It immediately flew into a rage, and waves of sound spread, shaking the temple roof as if it might collapse. The tiger demon no longer tried to persuade them. It opened its bloody maw and lunged at the group. Qi Wu closed his eyes, awaiting death.

Just then, a gentleman's sword appeared between the tiger demon and Qi Wu. The sword light burst forth like the morning sun, dazzling brightly, cutting across the tiger demon's cheek.

"Who!?" the tiger demon roared in fury.

"Your Mountain God Grandpa!"