The gravel road was often dotted with mud splashed up by horses' hooves.
After the rain, it was barely passable.
Traveling through the night was now inevitable.
Lin Jue calculated the distance and glanced at the color of the sky. He figured he wouldn't be able to cover much more ground, but seeing the fair number of merchants traveling along the same route put his mind at ease.
It did not take long for the sky to darken.
Gradually, everything sank into a dim, hazy gloom.
The merchants and pedestrians who had set out with him earlier gradually spread out ahead and behind, their varying burdens dictating their pace. Still, vague silhouettes remained visible in the dimming world. Although the bamboo forests lining the road were deep and dark, and waves of evening mist intermittently obscured the view, the swaying bells of the mules, horses, and donkeys continued to ring clearly. The sound echoed through the mountains, bringing a sense of comfort.
At the very least, he knew he was not alone on this road.
Ever since Lin Jue began practicing the Qi Nourishing Method, the lingering aftereffects of having a monster breathe on him in the Wang Family Ancestral Hall had gradually faded. Even so, he still felt somewhat apprehensive. Combined with the unsettling tales he had overheard from the merchants while sheltering from the rain at the tea stall, he could not help but harbor a few concerns.
He stretched his neck, peering ahead and then behind, weighing whether to quicken his pace to catch up with those in front or slow down to wait for those in the rear. Either way, he wanted to find someone to walk with.
Back then, he had ventured into the Wang Family Ancestral Hall in Heng Village to save his eldest uncle's life. Now, without any reason to risk his neck, who would willingly cross paths with monsters and ghosts?
Lin Jue soon found a companion.
The man was up ahead, traveling alone. Just like Lin Jue, he was craning his neck, looking for someone to travel alongside.
Eventually, the man simply stood by the side of the road and stopped moving.
Lin Jue quickly caught up to him.
Before Lin Jue could speak, he heard the man's voice.
"Oh! A scholar!"
The man was quite handsome and relatively young. The moment he saw Lin Jue, he said, "I've unfortunately been reduced to traveling by night. Might we walk together to bolster our courage?"
"That is exactly what I was hoping for," Lin Jue said.
"You speak like a true scholar."
"Not at all, not at all."
"May I ask how I should address you, young gentleman?"
"My surname is Lin, given name Jue."
"You haven't taken a courtesy name yet, have you?"
"I'm not of age yet."
"I figured as much." The man paused. "My surname is Huang, given name Quan—the 'Quan' meaning wholehearted, don't get the wrong idea. I'm older than you, so just calling me Brother Huang will do."
"Brother Huang, a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine!"
Huang Quan started walking forward alongside him. Perhaps to keep his fear at bay, he chatted incessantly.
"Why are you traveling alone at such a young age?" he asked.
"My family is poor, so I've come out to seek an education."
"Seeking an education is tough, especially for children of common folk like us. Finding a renowned teacher is truly difficult, and without one, it's hard to pass the exams," Huang Quan sighed.
"Who could say otherwise?" Lin Jue agreed.
"The world isn't peaceful these days, either."
"Indeed."
"I heard the people ahead say there are monsters on this road!"
"I heard that at the tea stall, too."
"Are you a brave person, Brother Lin?"
Huang Quan looked at Lin Jue with a hint of anxiety. It seemed that if Lin Jue so much as admitted to being timid, Huang Quan would drag him into stopping again to wait for more people.
"Fairly."
"Then I am relieved. Haha, to be honest, I'm quite bold myself. My courage reaches the heavens," Huang Quan gave a few dry laughs. "But traveling by night is lonely. Finding someone to chat with for amusement and mutual care is nice. Setting aside the possibility of meeting monsters or bandits, the road is uneven. If one of us missteps and falls, it's good to have someone there to lend a helping hand."
"You are absolutely right, Brother Huang."
Lin Jue saw right through him but chose not to expose the lie.
Humans were indeed social creatures. Most fear and anxiety stemmed from solitude. Once he had someone walking and chatting beside him, his earlier apprehension temporarily faded.
Although this Huang Quan was cowardly and cared greatly about his pride, he was a talkative man. Because he frequently traveled this road and wandered abroad, he was quite knowledgeable. Lin Jue chatted with him as they walked, and they found they got along rather well. Gradually, Lin Jue grew more engaged.
Whether it was the loneliness and boredom of a night journey, or the anxiety and fear, all of it was cast aside for the moment.
"Where is your destination, Brother Lin?"
"I'm heading to Qiyun Mountain first."
"Ah? Qiyun Mountain?"
Huang Quan seemed somewhat surprised by this.
"It seems you've heard of it, Brother Huang?"
"Hahahaha, the immortal Qiyun Mountain is famous far and wide. How could I not have heard of it?"
"Is it that famous?"
"Naturally," Huang Quan said. "In the past, there was a man-eating monster on this road. Many masters were invited, but none could eradicate it. It was the Daoists of the immortal Qiyun Mountain who finally eliminated the beast."
"Truly?"
Lin Jue was very interested.
"Of course."
"What kind of immortal magic and Daoist arts do the Daoists of Qiyun Mountain know? How did they get rid of it?"
"I don't know the exact details. I didn't dare run over and watch. All I know is that they made quite a commotion, and the battle seemed intense. In the end, I heard a divine official descended to the mortal realm and beat the monster to death with a single strike of a club."
"To think it was like that..."
"Yes!"
"Then I must ask for your guidance, Brother Huang. After passing Dangu County up ahead, how does one get to Qiyun Mountain? How high is Qiyun Mountain, and is it hard to climb? Are the Daoists on the mountain easy to deal with?"
"Qiyun Mountain is to the north, and Dangu County is also to the north. Once you reach Dangu County, you naturally keep heading north." Huang Quan paused, failing to answer the remaining questions. Instead, he kept looking at Lin Jue in evident surprise. "Brother Lin, you're a scholar venturing out to study. Why aren't you going to the academies presided over by famous teachers and great scholars? What business do you have at an immortal mountain's Daoist temple?"
By now, the sky had darkened even further. The night offered only a faint glimmer of light, and they had to rely on the differing shades of the ground to distinguish the path. Huang Quan turned to face him, his eyes somewhat bright in the gloom.
"To tell you the truth..."
Lin Jue did not go into detail, merely giving the simple reason he usually offered. "Because of certain events in the past, I ran into a monster in an ancestral hall at night, and it breathed on me. Later, at a temple fair, I heard that the Xuantian Temple on Qiyun Mountain was very renowned and spiritually efficacious, so I thought I would go see it for myself."
Lin Jue was not lying.
"So that's how it is!"
Hearing this, Huang Quan blinked in utter astonishment. He pondered for a moment before speaking up. "You've actually seen a monster, Brother Lin?"
"You could say that."
"And it didn't harm you?"
"That monster didn't harm me."
"Then it must be considered a good monster."
"Indeed." Lin Jue paused for a moment before asking, "Brother Huang, you are experienced and knowledgeable. I wonder, what are your thoughts on "seeking immortality and asking about the Dao"?"
"You harbor a desire to seek immortality and ask about the Dao, Brother Lin?"
"I do have some thoughts on it."
"Haha, most people in the world yearn for the path of immortality and long life, so it's normal to have such thoughts. However, since ancient times, countless people have sought immortality, asked about the Dao, and visited famous masters. Many were distinguished figures and refined scholars, yet very few truly found what they sought. This alone proves that walking this path is not easy," Huang Quan told him calmly.
"That makes sense..."
Lin Jue thought about it carefully and deeply agreed.
"It is said that aside from karmic opportunity, one also needs the right temperament, moral character, and innate talent. Not a single one can be missing. Ultimately, it all comes down to fate."
"I'm only repeating hearsay. I don't really know that much," Huang Quan smiled. "But since you've seen a monster, Brother Lin, your experience already exceeds that of many others."
"It was all just a coincidence."
"I wonder, what did the monster you saw look like, Brother Lin?"
"To tell you the truth, I never saw its true face."
"Oh?"
"I really didn't get a clear look."
"That's a real shame."
Huang Quan lowered his head, seemingly deep in thought.
"Then what about looking at me, Brother Lin?"
A dark, sinister voice suddenly spoke from right beside Lin Jue.
Thinking it was just a joke, Lin Jue turned his head, only to see Huang Quan slowly lifting his face. There, in the dim light, was the terrifying visage of a monster—
A vicious face with a long snout, jagged fangs, and eyes glowing with green light.
"!"
Lin Jue was deeply startled.
The face suddenly thrust closer to him.
Thump, thump, thump—
Operating on pure instinct, Lin Jue stumbled several steps back.
At the same time, a breath of fiery qi rose to his throat.
He looked at the monster again, only to hear a loud bang as it burst into a cloud of smoke. Then, with a quick turn, it vanished rapidly into the haze.
"This?"
Lin Jue couldn't help but feel shocked and bewildered.
That man was actually a monster?
There really were monsters on this road?
Where did it run off to?
Gulp...
Lin Jue swallowed hard and looked around. Seeing only empty space, he swallowed the breath of fiery qi back down, unwilling to waste it so easily.
He pulled a small knife from his scholar's book chest and waited vigilantly for a while. There was no movement around him.
It seemed as if the creature had left completely.
Lin Jue continued to look around. All he saw was the barren mountain and the dark night, bordered by endless bamboo forests. The clouds had parted after the rain, revealing moonlight that bathed the gravel road until it shone as white as jade. The barren mountain and the bamboo forests were outlined in silhouette, yet they did not appear any brighter. Bathed in this cold light, they felt even more profound and desolate.
He was a lone man in the mountain night, where the puddles on the road shimmered with silver ripples.
For a moment, he was anxious to leave, yet equally anxious to stay.
Lin Jue listened closely and realized that, at some unknown point, the traveling merchants who had been walking ahead of him had strayed far into the distance. The sound of their bells was faint and nearly inaudible. He immediately knew that catching up to them would not be easy.
A short while later, he suddenly heard a terrified scream from behind.
"A monster!!"
The voice was brimming with absolute terror, sounding as though the person were tearing their throat apart.
That kind of fear seemed contagious, sending chills down his spine.
Had someone else run into the monster, too?
He heard a flurry of footsteps rushing forward.
Lin Jue hastily tightened his grip on his small knife. The feel of the hilt and the weight of the blade gave him a great deal of comfort.
Gritting his teeth, the youth felt his blood surge. With deliberate effort, he managed to transform all of his shock and apprehension into the surging anger of someone who had been threatened and intimidated.
The village elders often said that when a person died and became a ghost, the ghost was weaker than a human. As for monsters in the mountains that attained the Dao, unless they were originally fierce beasts or possessed extremely deep cultivation, they were not much stronger, either. Even a fox spirit would still fear a vicious dog, and awakened rats and rabbits would remain terrified of owls and eagles. Awakened centipedes and snakes would eventually be suppressed by chickens and ducks. Humans were inherently not weak, which was why the majority of monsters and ghosts harmed people by either exploiting moments of vulnerability or using deception and temptation. That was where the saying "monsters rise through the hearts of men" came from.
Lin Jue's conscience was clear. His vitality was robust, he suffered from neither illness nor disaster, and he had even been practicing the Qi Nourishing Method for two months. As his anger surged and he consciously controlled his thoughts, his mind instantly steadied.
This method was truly effective, yielding immediate results.
He even felt the urge to look around and demand to know where the wicked monster of this place was, and whether it dared to come out and fight him.
To test whose was sharper—its fangs and claws, or his blade?
Clop, clop, clop...
There was a hurried sound of footsteps mixed with the clopping of hooves.
Lin Jue turned his head to look. By the moonlight, he saw no monster. There was only a pedestrian who had also been frightened by the creature. The man ran up close to him but didn't dare advance any further, remaining half-hidden in the dappled shadows of the bamboo forest.
"Who... who is it?"
The man had also spotted Lin Jue and shouted in a panic.
"Me! I'm human!"
Lin Jue replied loudly.
"You're human?"
"Human!"
"There are... there are monsters in these mountains!"
"You saw it, too?"
Lin Jue stood firmly, staring at the man.
The man didn't move his feet, either, not daring to approach casually.
The two of them conversed from a distance.
"You met it as well?"
The man was just as surprised as Lin Jue.
"That's right."
Lin Jue was currently devoid of fear, so his answer was decisive. "The monster disguised itself as a human and walked alongside me. As we were chatting, it suddenly revealed its true form and tried to terrify me, most likely hoping to shatter my courage. Seeing that it had failed, it suddenly burst into a cloud of smoke and left temporarily."
"That's exactly what I encountered! The exact same thing!"
The man subconsciously took two steps toward Lin Jue, but quickly stopped, maintaining a degree of wariness. "Are you really human?"
"I am really human."
"Where do you live?"
"The neighboring county, Shu Village."
"Shu Village? I've been there!"
"You have?"
"Is it the one where everyone is surnamed Shu, and there are three bridges?"
"Hmm? Shu Village is indeed a village of the Shu surname, but the whole settlement is built across a stream, and there are wooden footbridges everywhere. How could there be only three?"
"Phew..."
The man seemed to feel his test had succeeded and breathed a sigh of relief. However, he continued to ask, "What is your name?"
"My surname is Lin, given name Jue."
"That's not right!" Suspicion returned to his voice. "Shu Village is full of people surnamed Shu. Why is your surname Lin? No, no, that's not right!"
"We came from elsewhere. We had ties to the elders of Shu Village, so we ultimately settled down there."
"..."
"It's still not right!"
"What is it now?"
"I ran into a monster and got the fright of my life. You met the monster, too, so why didn't I hear you scream?" The man was incredibly suspicious, clearly having had his wits scared out of him. "Moreover, I'm questioning you. Why aren't you suspecting me at all? Why haven't you asked me a single question?"
"To tell you the truth, I have always been bold. Besides, I've seen monsters before. I know that while they are strange, being overly terrified of them will only put you at a disadvantage."
Lin Jue paused as he spoke, his tone suddenly deepening.
"The reason I'm not doubting you or questioning you is because I believe a chance meeting in the mountains is fate. Since I want to travel alongside you, I ought to maintain a degree of trust! If you're also human, then I will harbor no doubts and walk this dark road with you! But if you're not human, the knife in my hand is going to see monster blood tonight!"
The final two sentences were spoken through gritted teeth.
For a brief moment, he gave off the aura of the characters from the village elders' stories—those bold individuals who, after stumbling upon evil during a night journey, felt no fear and dared to grapple with monsters and ghosts.
"..."
The man hesitated for a moment before finally stepping forward.
Lin Jue finally got a clear look. It was a short middle-aged man sporting a wispy three-strand beard. He gripped a set of reins in his hands, leading a mule behind him.
"My name is Yao San. My home is just up ahead."
"You are..."
Lin Jue asked while eyeing him warily.
"My family makes inkstones. Today, I packed them onto the mule to sell them to a merchant caravan, so they could take them to the Capital and Jiangnan for sale. They forcibly kept me behind to drink a few cups of wine with them. Coupled with that rain, I suddenly ended up having to travel by night." The man was filled with regret. "If I had known I would really run into a monster, I would have turned right around!"
"I see."
Lin Jue then inspected the mule Yao San was leading.
"And you? Where are you going?"
"I am going to Qiyun Mountain."
"Where is Qiyun Mountain?"
"I haven't been there either, but they say it's to the north."
"Why are you traveling alone at night?"
"Aren't you alone, too?"
Lin Jue turned his head to look at Yao San. This was, thus far, the aspect that made him suspect the man the most.
"How was I traveling alone? I had long heard that people encountered monsters on the road here. While I was still at the tea stall back there, I waited to join a few local merchants. Who would have thought that halfway through the journey, a strange, eerie wind would suddenly blow? When I looked around, I was the only one left. Right after that, I ran into the monster. At first, it also pretended to be human and chatted with me, even bringing up the price of inkstones."
As Yao San spoke, he stealthily evaluated Lin Jue.
There was a faint trace of worry in his eyes.
"I understand..."
Lin Jue nodded, more or less accepting the explanation.
There were no glaring holes in the man's story. Moreover, he knew about the tea stall and was leading a mule. At least in the weird tales told by the village elders, one rarely heard of monsters whose transformations could replicate mules and horses. Usually, their shapeshifting was restricted to a limited scope and specific conditions.
Any monster with the power to do that was considered quite formidable.
"Let's go, then."
Regardless of the circumstances, staying on this desolate mountain path in the dead of night was not a good choice. Ultimately, they had to keep moving.
So, the two men walked forward, one following the other.
Behind them, the clatter of the mule's hooves rang out clearly, accompanied by the occasional snort.
"Ah, why did you meet a monster, and I met one too? Just how many monsters are there on this road?" Yao San sighed, complaining.
"Are there many people who run into monsters on this road?"
"I wouldn't say there are many, but I wouldn't say there are few, either. I'm just a country bumpkin picking stones to grind into inkstones. How many people could I possibly know?" Yao San's voice trembled. "I've just occasionally heard of these kinds of things."
"What was the monster like?"
"I don't know either. It's hard to say. It's just that I haven't heard of anyone being eaten by a monster on this road. The monster doesn't seem to eat people. It just scares them on the path, and always at night." As Yao San spoke, lingering fear still crept into his voice. "I don't know what kind of monster it is. When I first met it, I harbored a few suspicions as well. But as it chatted with me, it was not only incredibly knowledgeable about the conditions of the surrounding villages, but it also knew all about ink, paper, and inkstones, as well as who led the merchant caravans and what routes they took. Only then did I lower my guard."
"It doesn't eat people, it only scares them?"
"Yes. But then again, this road is also a major local trade route. If there really was a man-eating monster, even if it only struck at night, the local authorities would probably find a way to deal with it."
"That makes sense."
"Could I trouble... could I trouble you to hold the mule for a moment, little brother?"
"Why?"
"I... I urgently need to pee."
Yao San wore a mortified expression and spoke with a tone that suggested he was about to wet his pants.
"..."
Lin Jue took the reins and held onto the mule.
The sound of rushing water soon echoed beside him.
Followed by the sound of Yao San finally exhaling in relief.
"By the way, little brother Lin, did you get a clear look at what the monster looked like earlier?"
"It was too dark. I only saw its general outline."
"Did it have fangs?"
"It did."
"Did it have sharp claws?"
"I think so."
"Was it like this?"
Yao San lifted his leg to rest his foot on a roadside tree and suddenly turned to face Lin Jue. At some unknown point, his appearance had shifted. A vicious face with a long snout, jagged fangs, and eyes glowing with green light—it was the very image of a monster.
"Hss!"
Lin Jue couldn't help but be startled once again.
Seeing this, the monster immediately flashed a wide grin.
"Hehe..."
A snickering laugh actually echoed on the desolate mountain night road.
At the exact same time—
"Poof..."
A cloud of smoke exploded right in front of his face.
Lin Jue froze for a second. His instincts drove him to stumble back, but after retreating half a step, he lunged right back forward.
"You thing!!"
To guard against monsters, he had been deliberately suspending that breath of anger within his heart. It was hard to say whether this anger was genuine or faked, but as it surged to his head right then, it was as aggressive and overwhelming as ever.
"Again?!"
Lin Jue's shock and bewilderment morphed into sheer fury. He was practically glaring with gritted teeth.
"Swish!"
One hand shot out abruptly!
It pierced straight through the demonic smoke!
Before the monster could slip away, he seized it forcefully by the collar.
His knuckles turned white from the sheer force of his grip.