"So, is this Wendaozong really powerful?" the old hunter asked.
"It's not Wendaozong, it's Wendaozong," Qi Wu corrected the old hunter's pronunciation.
"Tomorrow, we will head to Qinghuai County. Let's write a letter to the five great sects and ask for their help," Qi Wu had asked Dai Bufan about the process before.
At that time, he was surprised that local officials with no cultivation looked down on others, while disciples from the immortal sects were much more approachable.
However, Qi Wu didn't know Dai Bufan's status in Wendaozong and thought he was just an ordinary disciple.
If he had known Dai Bufan's true identity and cultivation level, he would have been more than just surprised.
The old hunter was overjoyed and quickly thanked Qi Wu and the others. He even said that if they could really deal with the tiger demon, he wouldn't even need a guide fee. Qi Wu quickly insisted that wasn't possible.
It wasn't that they didn't want to save money; they just didn't know if the old hunter was being polite or sincere.
"Excuse me, I encountered heavy rain on my journey. May I stay here for the night?"
A graceful figure broke through the rain. She wore a blue dress and a lotus skirt, with a hint of sorrow in her eyes that made people want to agree to her request.
Everyone turned to look at A Yue, thinking that if there was a female ghost, she had really come. Did this kid really have a way with words?
"No way!" Qi Wu immediately rejected the request of the girl in blue.
This place was remote, with no village nearby and no inns. Suddenly, such a beautiful girl appeared in the deep mountains. Considering what the old hunter had just said, he couldn't help but be suspicious.
Most importantly, the girl in blue was dry!
With the rain pouring down like the heavens were pouring water, how could she be dry?
The girl in blue frowned slightly, feeling that these people, who seemed educated, were being quite rude.
"You are being unreasonable. Not to mention that this mountain god temple has no owner, you are just here to avoid the rain. It's pouring outside. Should I just keep using my magic to block the rain?!"
"Magic? Are you a cultivator?" Qi Wu became cautious. Most cultivators were gentle with mortals, but if they got angry, who knew what they might do?
He hesitated.
The old hunter, however, was firm. Drawing on years of experience living in the mountains, he felt the girl in blue must have some issues. His tone was much milder, "Esteemed cultivator, whether you are a cultivator or a woman, it’s not good for you to stay in the same temple with us eight men."
"How about this? There’s a mountain path going north, and halfway up that path, there’s a wooden hut we hunters built temporarily. For someone like you, that distance is just a few steps."
The old hunter wasn't lying; there really was a wooden hut, but it couldn't fit all of them. That’s why they had come to the mountain god temple to avoid the rain.
The girl in blue thought for a moment and found the old hunter's suggestion reasonable. As a woman, even though she was used to wandering the world, why stay in a drafty temple if she had a better option?
After the girl in blue left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, fearing she might turn into a fierce ghost and eat them.
"Alright, everyone sleep. We need to get up early tomorrow and continue our journey. I really don’t want to come to this cursed place again," Qi Wu yawned, feeling so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open.
Qi Wu wanted to sleep with his head facing inside, but that would mean facing the mountain god statue. He always felt something was off about the statue and didn’t dare get too close. So, he made everyone sleep with their heads towards the door.
After arranging the night watch, everyone fell asleep.
Once they were asleep, the eyes of the mountain god statue turned, looking down at them.
No one noticed.
...
A Yue yawned, his eyes blurry, as if he could fall asleep at any moment. He was on the first night watch with another person.
"I'm so sleepy. I really want to sleep."
"Hang in there. You heard it too; this mountain isn't safe..."
"Right, I can’t sleep. I’m waiting for a female ghost to come and attack me."
"You’re average-looking. Didn’t you read that female ghosts like handsome guys? She should be coming for me."
"Female ghosts like scholars. You’ve only read for a few days; female ghosts like someone like me who has read many classics."
The two quietly argued about the nonexistent female ghost, getting more spirited as they talked.
Suddenly, a deep roar echoed, and even the thunder and rain couldn’t drown it out. Both of them shivered, startled.
Just when they were wondering if they were imagining things, another deep roar came, much closer!
"It’s that tiger demon!" They exchanged fearful glances.
"Get up! There’s a monster!" A Yue shouted urgently.
Everyone woke up from their dreams, gripping their weapons tightly and staring at the outside of the temple, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads, their legs shaking.
The roaring stopped, replaced by heavy breathing. From the sound, they could easily guess how massive the creature was.
A shadow appeared in the rain, growing larger and larger, causing everyone to feel anxious and tremble.
A gigantic tiger head broke through the rain and reached towards the mountain god temple. Qi Wu could even see the individual hairs on the tiger's head!
The tiger demon stepped fully into the temple, making everyone’s backs sweat. It was a four-meter-long tiger!
The tiger demon pushed off with its hind legs and stood up!
"What now, Old Sun?" Qi Wu whispered. This tiger demon was not something they could defeat with their wooden sticks.
Unexpectedly, the old hunter walked straight towards the tiger demon, bowing, "Please, Tiger Lord, have your meal."
"Well done," the tiger demon spoke human words, its cultivation level unknown.
Qi Wu's eyes nearly popped out in anger, wishing he could tear the old hunter apart.
That girl in blue wasn’t a ghost; the old hunter who had been with them all along was!
The tiger demon showed a human-like smile, mocking, "I didn't want to eat you, but since you have too many people, if all of you die, it might attract outside attention. But now that you want to tell the five great sects about me, I can't let you go!"
As it spoke, the tiger demon pressed a paw down on the old hunter. "And you, you never learn to keep your mouth shut. Do you want me to kill you again?"
The old hunter begged for mercy, saying he wouldn’t dare next time.
The tiger demon snorted, "You did well driving that female cultivator away. That balances things out. This time, I won’t punish you!"
The tiger demon didn’t have a habit of toying with its prey. It leaned down to closely examine Qi Wu, its throat making a hissing sound as if it was clearing its throat, "You are the smartest one here. If you are willing to serve me, I can refine you into a ghost, neither dead nor alive."
At this point, Qi Wu wasn’t afraid anymore. He pointed at the old hunter and laughed coldly, "Just like him, causing trouble everywhere? I’d rather die! Pah!"
"You don’t want to drink the respectful wine, so you’ll drink the punishable wine!" The tiger demon had never been insulted like this before and became furious. The sound waves spread out, shaking the temple roof as if it would collapse.
The tiger demon stopped trying to persuade them and opened its massive mouth, lunging at everyone. Qi Wu closed his eyes, waiting for death to come.
At that moment, a gentleman's sword appeared between the tiger demon and Qi Wu, its light shining brightly like the morning sun, blinding and cutting across the tiger demon's cheek.
"Who?!" the tiger demon roared in anger.
"Your mountain god grandfather!"
(End of Chapter)