Chapter 36

From the perspective of others, this was just an eccentric old man, joking around with his son who was also a few years older. After a few glances, Huo Shan and his companions seemed to pay little attention to the father and son. Just as Gui Bu Gui and Wu Mian were about to leave after passing by Huo Shan and his companions, Huo Shan, sitting in the pavilion, suddenly said without any warning, "Don't be in a hurry to leave. You two wait a moment, I have something to ask you."

Gui Bu Gui and Wu Mian stopped simultaneously, both looking at the red-haired man with puzzled expressions. Huo Shan's gaze slowly swept over the faces of the father and son, finally settling on Wu Mian's face. He said, "You two look very unfamiliar. I've been here for over two months, how come I've never seen you before?"

At the time, the rule was that when elders were present, the younger generation could not speak on their own. Therefore, Gui Bu Gui replied, "If we could be seen here in the past two months, I would have lost my job."

After saying this, Gui Bu Gui grinned, blew his nose, and wiped it on the wooden pillar of the pavilion. He continued, "My son and I take care of the ancestral tombs for the Anyang and Pingyang Marquises. The Anyang Marquise's tomb is on the hillside, and the Pingyang Marquise's tomb is at the back of the mountain. It's inconvenient to go up and down, so we usually come down once every three months to buy food. After a few days of buying grain, dried vegetables, and salt, we have to return to the mountain immediately."

Wu Mian did not know that there were indeed two large graveyards on the hillside and at the back of the mountain, which Huo Shan had already carefully inspected and found no issues. He thought that after answering, Huo Shan would let them go. Unexpectedly, the red-haired man stared at Gui Bu Gui for a while and then said, "There are indeed two graveyards on the mountain, but if you two are the caretakers, why did I only see two empty houses by the graves and not you two?"

Gui Bu Gui became somewhat impatient. He spat a sticky phlegm at Huo Shan's feet and said in a condescending manner, "Do you think you're a government official? Ask a few questions and that's it, but you keep asking. Today, I'm in a good mood, so I'll teach you a lesson. My son and I are caretakers, not guards. We patrol the graves during the day, and as long as there are no tomb robbers, it's fine. The empty houses you mentioned are not for us to live in; they are for the direct descendants of the tomb owners to stay in when they guard the graves. My son and I live in a thatched hut between the two ancestral tombs, which is convenient for both sides."

Mount Yang was so vast that Huo Shan and his companions could not possibly inspect every corner. However, the old man's explanation seemed quite plausible, and there were no obvious flaws. Moreover, their appearance and age did not match the person they were looking for.

Despite this, Huo Shan was still unwilling to let the father and son go easily. He turned to his companions and said, "Bring the pavilion chief here to identify if they are from here."

As soon as these words were spoken, the muscles in Wu Mian's body suddenly tensed. Although Gui Bu Gui's lies seemed to have temporarily fooled Huo Shan, as soon as the local pavilion chief arrived, it would be immediately clear whether the old man and Wu Mian were locals. There was no time to waste; taking advantage of Huo Shan's momentary lapse in vigilance, a sudden move might offer a chance to escape.

Just as Wu Mian was about to make a sudden move, he suddenly saw Gui Bu Gui give him a meaningful look, signaling him not to act rashly. Gui Bu Gui's calm and composed demeanor suggested that the situation was still under his control and that nothing serious would happen.

A moment later, Huo Shan's men brought a pavilion chief, who was about fifty or sixty years old, over. Before they even approached, Gui Bu Gui was already waving his hand at the pavilion chief, saying, "Hey, old man, when are you going to pay me the three bushels of grain you owe me? Let's get this straight, we agreed that the three bushels of grain would come with interest. If you don't pay us the next time we come down the mountain, it will be four and a half bushels. Don't say I didn't warn you."

When the pavilion chief saw Wu Mian and Gui Bu Gui, his brows furrowed, and he was about to say he didn't recognize them. However, after hearing the old man's words, the pavilion chief's expression suddenly changed. He looked at Gui Bu Gui with a somewhat awkward expression and sighed, "Old Shen, don't treat those few bushels of grain as a treasure. You... your son and I will definitely pay you the next time we come down the mountain." His expression truly seemed like that of someone who was at a loss when faced with a creditor.

After these words, Huo Shan no longer needed to ask any more questions. He ignored the father and son, waved his hand, and signaled them to leave.

Gui Bu Gui nodded to the pavilion chief and, after a polite exchange, left with Wu Mian, out of Huo Shan and his companions' sight. They walked for several miles outside the village, turning and twisting through a large field of crops. Even if Huo Shan discovered something was amiss and brought his men, they would not be able to find the two of them. At this point, Wu Mian said to Gui Bu Gui, "You haven't wasted these few hundred years. You thought so far ahead. You must have planned this all along and even got the pavilion chief to play along. What did you offer him?"

Gui Bu Gui smiled slightly, saying slowly, "A little Huo Shan is not worth such planning. I planned for his master and grandmaster. Do you think I could change my appearance with just a few wild herbs? These herbs were planted by me around my cave over a hundred years ago. The two graveyards were also built as empty graves by people I hired. As for the pavilion chief, I didn't find him; I found his ancestor several generations back. At that time, I found a few local families, used some tricks, and made them believe I was an old immortal practicing on Mount Yang. No matter which of their descendants became the pavilion chief, as long as I said the exact words I just said, they would respond in the same way. After being enlightened by me, the old immortal, they would have the opportunity to ascend to immortality."

After these words, Wu Mian was silent for a moment. Then he said, "You've been planning for hundreds of years, all to guard against Fangshi and Guangren?"

"Even the three years of decline can be useful," the old man chuckled, "But we are both immortals, and we are like close brothers now. Who knows if we won't have a falling out after a thousand or eight hundred years. I don't harm others, but I also need to be prepared for anyone who might harm me. Thinking a few steps ahead is never wrong. Actually, I also hope that my plans won't be needed..." As he said this, a hint of loneliness appeared on Gui Bu Gui's face.

However, he quickly returned to his usual self, laughing at Wu Mian, "Do you want to know anything else? Just ask, and I'll tell you everything."

Wu Mian smiled strangely and said, "Then explain, what's the deal with your son? Who does he leave the door open for at night?"

Before he could finish, the old man turned and ran without a word. However, he had only run about five or six steps when a thunderclap suddenly sounded in the clear sky. His body went numb, and he lost consciousness.

Wu Mian walked to the unconscious Gui Bu Gui and muttered to himself, "See, lying gets you struck by lightning." After saying this, he grabbed the old man's ankle and dragged him, continuing on his way.

Liaoxi Commandery, a frontier stronghold during the Qin Dynasty, was originally a barrier against the Xiongnu, Donghu, and other barbarian tribes. In recent years, due to the Qin army's fierce reputation, the barbarian tribes outside the border did not dare to easily invade. As a result, Liaoxi Commandery had been peaceful and free from disasters. However, in recent times, several strange events had occurred.

First, half a year ago, an earthquake struck Liaodong Commandery, followed by over a hundred aftershocks. Rumors of the mountain god's anger spread, causing panic among the people of Liaodong, who began to migrate to Liaoxi Commandery. Within a few months, Liaoxi Commandery was on the verge of overpopulation, and some people from Liaodong even started building houses outside the city, forming new natural villages. Leaving one's post without permission was a serious crime under Qin law, but with the current chaos in the world, it was uncertain who would rule in the future, and no officials in Liaoxi Commandery were paying attention to this issue.