Song Dashan and the man chatted for a bit longer before parting ways.
It was the busy farming season, and there was much work to be done in the fields. The man was in a hurry to get back to it.
After offering his incense, Song Dashan also had to get back to his farm work.
Carrying the incense, he walked into the Xuanqing Temple.
Inside, he saw someone was already offering incense.
It was a young girl, just of coming-of-age, dressed in cyan linen clothes, her face full of sorrow.
Song Dashan was a little surprised. "Xiuxiu, why are you the one offering incense? Where are Mingzi and Uncle Gen?"
Song Xiuxiu looked up at the sound of his voice. Seeing it was Song Dashan, she replied, her tone heavy with melancholy.
"Oh, it's you, Brother Dashan. My father and brother went into the mountains to hunt and haven't returned. My mother has trouble walking, so I came to offer the incense."
Song Dashan was taken aback. "Didn't Mingzi and Uncle Gen just go hunting yesterday? They went again today?"
Song Xiuxiu sighed. "Brother Dashan, it's not that they went again today. They went into the mountains yesterday and still haven't come back."
Song Dashan gave her a stunned look, then turned his head to gaze at the vast, deep mountain forest stretching out behind the village.
The small hill right behind the village was safe enough; people often went up there to cut firewood and such.
But as far as he knew, Song Xiuxiu's father and brother usually went hunting on Wolf Head Mountain, which was much farther back.
And he could clearly see that Wolf Head Mountain was shrouded in a thick fog.
Song Dashan's rugged brows furrowed. "A thick fog has rolled in on Wolf Head Mountain. Whenever it gets foggy, there can be miasma too. Mingzi and Uncle Gen have been gone for a day and a night without coming out. Isn't that dangerous?"
Besides, on Wolf Head Mountain... there were signs of wolves.
Two grown men in peak condition with hunting experience wouldn't be in much danger.
But after a day and a night in the mountains, how could their condition be good?
If they were unlucky enough to run into wild wolves, they might never make it out of Wolf Head Mountain.
Song Xiuxiu's eyes were already turning red. "I just hope Father and Brother can return safely today."
Song Dashan had been to Wolf Head Mountain before and didn't hold out much hope. He frowned and said, "I'll go talk to the village chief. We can take some able-bodied men into the mountains and see if we can find Mingzi and Uncle Gen."
Song Xiuxiu shook her head. "Brother Dashan, I've already spoken to the chief. He won't agree to go into the mountains now. He said we have to wait for the fog to clear."
Song Dashan opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
He could understand the chief's concern, fearing they would suffer even greater losses.
Song Xiuxiu said no more. With reddened eyes, she knelt before Song Xuanqing's statue.
"Xuanqing Gong, please protect them. I pray that my brother and father return safely."
*
"Incense Value +4.5."
Hearing the system's notification, Song Xuanqing stroked his chin thoughtfully.
He felt that his chance to complete the novice mission and unlock the system had arrived.
He couldn't grant wishes for a bountiful harvest and the like, but finding a person should be no problem, right?
Although Song Xuanqing's essence was tied to his statue, he was able to leave it.
He just wasn't sure of his range.
As long as he could enter Wolf Head Mountain, finding two people and leading them out shouldn't be an issue.
As for a little thick fog and miasma?
The Wild God, Song Xuanqing, didn't give them a second thought.
After both Song Xiuxiu and Song Dashan had finished offering their incense, Song Xuanqing left the Xuanqing Temple.
The brilliant sunlight shone on Song Xuanqing's body, but it cast no shadow.
He floated in mid-air, observing Song Family Village as he flew toward the mountain behind it.
This was the first time he had stepped out of the Xuanqing Temple to see the world with his own eyes since arriving in it.
Song Family Village wasn't populous. With twenty to thirty households, it had only about a hundred people in total.
Mud-brick and thatch-roofed houses were scattered about. The villagers mostly wore coarse linen clothes; those from poorer families wore clothes that were faded from washing and covered in patches.
Children ran and played in groups in the fields, men toiled under the sun, sweating profusely in the farmlands, while women and children were busy with chores at home.
It was the very picture of a simple, rustic village.
Song Xuanqing gave Song Family Village a cursory glance before heading into the back mountain.
By now, he was feeling a little excited and eager.
Although his Domain was only Song Family Village, his range of movement was not limited to the village itself.
Song Xuanqing didn't rush into Wolf Head Mountain. He first wandered around the small hill.
As a Wild God, Song Xuanqing's speed was naturally incomparable to that of a mortal. He explored the entire hill in less than a quarter of an hour.
Unfortunately, he didn't find Song Xiuxiu's father and brother.
It seemed they were indeed trapped on Wolf Head Mountain.
Song Xuanqing looked at the fog-shrouded Wolf Head Mountain and flew toward it.
However, a few breaths later, Song Xuanqing came to a halt before Wolf Head Mountain, his expression ugly.
He couldn't enter Wolf Head Mountain.
No, to be precise, he couldn't leave the small hill he was on.
This seemed to be the edge of his range of movement.
Song Xuanqing had a gut feeling that if he forced his way into Wolf Head Mountain, he would become extremely weak and likely lose all ability to move.
Even after returning to his statue, he would remain weak for a short period.
He was already a weakling of a Wild God. What if the person who smashed the Three-Eyed Lady's statue came to smash his during this period of weakness?
Song Xuanqing stopped before Wolf Head Mountain, gritting his teeth as he stared at the tall, fog-enshrouded peak.
After taking a few deep breaths, Song Xuanqing very wisely turned back.
*Xiuxiu, my girl, it's not that this god doesn't want to help you, it's that this god can't enter Wolf Head Mountain!*
*Forget it. I'll go back to the statue first and think of another way.*
Song Xuanqing's current abilities were truly limited.
*
Back in his shrine, Song Xuanqing listened to the wishes of the villagers who came to offer incense, all the while pondering other ways to bring Song Xiuxiu's father and brother out of the deep mountains.
He could also see if any other villagers had wishes he could grant immediately.
But unfortunately, by the end of the *shen* hour in the afternoon, as the sky began to darken, all the villagers who were going to offer incense had already done so.
Song Xuanqing still hadn't found a more suitable target for his novice mission.
Yet he currently couldn't enter Wolf Head Mountain, let alone rescue Song Xiuxiu's father and brother.
Just as he was feeling dejected, Song Xuanqing suddenly heard a rustling sound from a corner.
*Huh? What was that noise?*
At this hour, the villagers had long since finished offering their incense. Even for those who hadn't made it in time, it was considered improper to offer incense after the *shen* hour.
Thinking of the fate of the Three-Eyed Lady's statue in the next village, Song Xuanqing vigilantly concealed his aura and looked toward the corner where the sound had come from.
There, in the farthest corner of the temple, was a hole the size of a child's fist leading outside.
A slender and agile black cat was squeezing through the hole.
The cat was pure black from head to tail, save for its eerie green eyes. Its fur was glossy and smooth.
But what truly caught his attention was the faint demonic aura emanating from the cat.
Clearly, this was a cat demon that had only recently gained its power.
The black cat was completely unaware that Song Xuanqing was watching it.
After slipping inside, the cat first scanned the temple's interior. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, it then furtively glanced at the temple entrance.
Seeing that not only was no one coming to offer incense, but there were no villagers even passing by outside, the black cat relaxed.
Then, with a light leap, it jumped onto the offering table.
And then, right under Song Xuanqing's nose, it began to feast on the offerings that belonged to him.
Song Xuanqing: ???
Proofreader: Peter Pan