Chapter 1

The sun set in the west.

The stream flowed gently, winding around the village, while a young herdsman rode his water buffalo, playing a flute as he went.

In the village, every household was rising with cooking smoke, and faint human voices could be heard.

Along the way, in the paddy fields, an old man planting rice seedlings chuckled and shouted to the herdsman.

"What a peaceful scene of rural life."

At the village entrance by the bridge, several figures slowly approached, each dressed plainly but with a robust and imposing presence. The leader, seeing the scene before him, smiled.

"Are you passing through?"

The old man planting rice seedlings also noticed them and called out.

"Passing through?" The leader said, walking to the edge of the field, "Old man, does your village have an old scholar living here?"

"Are you talking about Mr. Qiu?" The old man, simple and honest, replied with joy, "Are you looking for the scholar? Are you his friends?"

"Friends?" The leader shook his head, "Our king is looking for him!"

"King?" The old man's face changed abruptly, and he took a few steps back. Suddenly, the man in front opened his mouth, his lips expanding rapidly, turning into a mouth as big as a person, with a red interior!

A stench filled the air!

Before the old man could shout, the mouth lunged at him.

Crunch!

With a crisp sound, the leader bent slightly, his head transforming into a huge wolf's head. The wolf's mouth chewed, and blood dripped from the corners.

"Ahhhh!"

A piercing scream came from the side, as the herdsman turned and saw the man's head turn into a wolf's, and the wolf's mouth swallowing the old man. Shocked, he screamed, and the water buffalo beneath him, seemingly also startled, mooed and galloped toward the village.

"Can you run?"

The wolf-headed man spat out a piece of bone with tendons and blood, waved his hand, and the others behind him grinned wickedly, their clothes tearing to reveal their beastly forms, all rushing toward the village.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In a few leaps, they caught up with the herdsman.

Screams, roars, and swallowing sounds filled the air as the herdsman and the buffalo were devoured, leaving a trail of blood and broken bones, staining the earth red.

Then, the group did not stop but entered the village.

The entire village erupted in chaos, with men roaring in anger and women wailing in sorrow.

The sunset was like a fire, the clouds like burning, red across half the sky.

The wolf-headed man's head had shrunk back to normal size, a trace of blood still on his lips, as he walked toward the village.

Halfway through, a pig ran out from the village, fat and bulky, but moving quickly, panting as it reached the wolf-headed man.

"General," the pig's face showed embarrassment, its blood-covered mouth smacking, "I killed that poor scholar."

"Hmm?" The wolf-headed man's eyebrows furrowed like a human's.

"It's not my fault! It's not my fault!" The pig's head shook, "I didn't even touch the old man, but he started babbling and then crashed his head and died!"

"Crashed and died?" The wolf-headed man looked puzzled but then thought, "Forget it, an old scholar, dead is dead. At his age, our princess probably wouldn't be interested anyway. There are other villages nearby; there must be more scholars. We'll catch a few more."

The big pig sighed in relief and then remembered something, quickly adding, "The old scholar has a son, who looks quite impressive, much better than the old man!"

"Son?" The wolf-headed man nodded, "Catch him. Afterward, check if he has any official title. If not, kill him and eat his meat. Scholars, steeped in the teachings of the sages, have very tender meat."

As he spoke, a few urgent shouts came from ahead, and a wooden-faced man rushed over, "General! Bad news! The scholar's son has escaped!"

"Escaped?" The wolf-headed man's face showed displeasure, "A mere human could escape from you?"

"General, you don't know..."

The wooden-faced man tried to explain but was cut off by the wolf-headed man, "Forget it, one less won't matter. The deadline is approaching, and the priority is the remaining villages."

"But," the wooden-faced man hesitated, "Crow has already chased after him."

...

Blood dripped.

A green figure ran through the forest, turning several times, always in secluded areas.

It was a young man, about twenty, dressed as a scholar, holding a broken sword with blood on it.

"Phew~"

He panted heavily, his blue robe torn and tattered, mostly from being scratched by branches. Near his shoulder, a large area was soaked with blood.

Sweat dripped continuously from his forehead, and the scholar's face showed fear, frequently turning to look behind him.

"Monsters, monsters!" he muttered, taking a few more steps forward. The surrounding trees and bushes grew denser, and his fear intensified.

Suddenly!

His foot slipped, and the soil beneath him rolled away. The scholar felt his feet give out, losing balance and rolling down.

Rustle.

His blue robe fluttered down the hill, finally coming to a stop in a patch of grass.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

The scholar had several more wounds, a bloody gash on his face, and his broken sword was nowhere to be found.

Flap! Flap!

The sound of flapping wings came from a distance, and the scholar was startled, barely managing to stand, trembling, with blood on his legs. He tried to run but fell again.

"Exhausted."

He felt despondent, looking ahead.

"Hmm? This is..."

An old, dilapidated temple appeared before him, ancient and broken.

"Is this where I will meet my end?"

In a daze, the scholar limped a few steps and entered the temple.

He had heard of this temple before, said to be dedicated to the Minyin Mountain God, once a place of bustling worship. But eighty years ago, with the change of dynasty, the Jian'nan region became the birthplace of the new dynasty, and the mountain people in Qingchang County gradually decreased. The temple fell into disrepair, the path overgrown with weeds, rarely visited.

In a panic, the scholar had ended up here.

The temple was small and long neglected, with debris scattered in the corners and a thick layer of dust covering the stone floor.

On the inner platform stood a clay statue, gray and indistinct.

As the scholar walked, each step left a footprint, with spots of blood.

His breath grew weaker, his face grayer, his mind more confused, but a clarity emerged.

"The end is near."

Thud.

His legs gave out, and he knelt, the pain from his wounds overwhelming his remaining clarity. Looking at the statue on the platform, he felt a sense of injustice.

"What crime did my father commit? What crime did the villagers commit? Why must they suffer such a fate? If heaven has a heart and a spirit, why allow monsters to run rampant! Now, about to die, I cannot avenge or fulfill my ambitions. How unjust!"

At that moment,

"You really can run, like a rat, scurrying everywhere, but your scent lingers, and you can't escape from me, Wulao San!"

A hoarse voice came from outside the temple.

A black shadow descended from the sky, with black wings flapping, and a few feathers falling.

Landing, the wings retracted into arms, and a man with a bird's head entered the temple, a small patch of blood on his abdomen.

"Being injured by a mere human is a great disgrace, and it must be compensated with blood and soul!"

Entering the temple, the bird-headed man looked around and sneered, "You ran all this way to seek help from a god? What a joke! In this Yuan'ning Prefecture, which earth spirit can compare to our king? You've prayed to the wrong god. When you die, don't blame others." He chuckled.

Seeing this, the scholar was initially panicked but then calmed down, "You monsters, killing and eating humans, even if I die, I will become a vengeful ghost and won't let you off!" As he spoke, his eyes became unfocused, and he lost his composure.

"Vengeful ghost?" The bird-headed man laughed, shaking his head, "Don't think too much. You won't go to the underworld. Your soul is mine!"

With that, the bird-headed man lunged forward, grabbing the scholar's neck. Black mist enveloped his hand, seeping into the scholar's body through the pores.

"Ahhh!"

The scholar screamed in agony.

The bird-headed man sneered, "Scream! The more you suffer, the stronger your soul, the better the nourishment! Hmm? You're about to die? So fragile! Well, I'll extract your soul first, then eat your meat while it's still hot."

In an instant, the scholar's vitality faded, blood flowed from his seven orifices, and black mist wove through his flesh, extracting a faint shadow of his soul. He was on the brink of death.

Suddenly! The scholar's body trembled, a glimmer of surprise in his eyes, and he mumbled indistinctly.

"Hmm?" The bird-headed man was taken aback, "Who are you talking to?"

Before he could finish, a loud "Boom" echoed, and something fell!

"Trivial trick, dare to sneak attack!" The bird-headed man, unperturbed, flapped his wings, and a black wind surged.

The black wind resisted the falling object, and the bird-headed man, upon closer inspection, saw a clay statue.

"Hmm?" He glanced at the empty platform and realized, "This temple has an earth spirit! Good! If I report this to the king, it will be a great achievement! I, Wulao San, might even become a general!"

As he spoke, he rose from the ground, abandoning the scholar, and prepared to leave.

"If it were elsewhere, you might have a chance! Unfortunately, this temple is my domain." A calm voice echoed from the statue.

The dilapidated temple trembled, and white light seeped from the walls, spreading and enveloping the bird-headed man, trapping him in mid-air.

"Bad!" The bird-headed man's face changed, "You, a wild spirit, have great audacity! I am a soldier of the Tongshan King, with a soul tablet, and if I die, there will be repercussions. This dilapidated temple..."

"Letting you escape to report would not end well. Killing you makes no difference. Goodbye, no hard feelings."

With that, the statue's light fell, and with a crack, the bird-headed man's head exploded, blood splattering.

Then, the white light quickly dissipated.

The scholar, seeing this, laughed maniacally, but his voice was like a mosquito's. After a few moments, he stopped laughing, struggled to stand, and bowed deeply to the statue, "Thank you, Mountain God, for your great kindness. Unfortunately, I am about to die and cannot repay you."

As he spoke, his face was as pale as paper, veins visible under the skin, a black mist around his brows, signs of deep sorrow and injury, and the invasion of demonic energy, indicating the imminent loss of his yang energy and impending death.

After bowing, the scholar's face grew even grayer, "Unfortunately, only one monster is dead, and many more are still at large. This grudge..."

At that moment, the statue spoke, "If you want revenge, there is a way."

"What?" The scholar was startled, his eyes widening, his face suddenly flushed, "How can I take revenge? Could the Mountain God save me?"

"You are about to disperse your soul due to the demonic energy, and you might not even reach the underworld. I am a small god, neglected for decades, barely able to protect myself, let alone leave this temple. Killing that monster was my limit. How can I save you?"

Hearing this, the scholar was taken aback.

Then he heard the statue say, "However, I have a method, an alternative path. It's up to you if you're willing."

Hearing this, the scholar became more spirited, "I would like to hear more."

The statue said, "Think carefully. What I will say is already in your heart."

The scholar thought for a moment and indeed found a new thought in his mind. He was surprised but then smiled, "I am about to die, with no hope of revenge, not even as a wandering ghost. The Mountain God killing this monster is already a great kindness. Now, you are willing to expend your divine power to help me enter the cycle of rebirth. In a way, I am the one benefiting. Please instruct me."

"Good!" The statue said, "Behind my neck are three fine hairs. Pull one out, hold it in your mouth, clear your mind, and wait."

The scholar, nearly at the end, struggled to stand and took several breaths to pull out the hair, straightened his clothes, and bowed toward the village, then remained still.

Suddenly!

A light flickered.

White light shimmered over his body, and a translucent figure, identical to the scholar, emerged from his crown. Initially confused, it then realized and bowed to the statue, expressing gratitude.

From the statue, a white figure rose, bowed, and pointed, shooting a beam of white light that enveloped the scholar's translucent figure and disappeared into the ground.

"The path to the underworld is long. May you have a peaceful journey in your next life." The white figure sighed, shimmered, and a beam of light fell onto the still scholar's body.

In the next moment, the scholar's mouth made a "Pop" sound, as if something exploded. His body trembled, and he lifted his head.

"Success!"

He tried to stand, but fell again with a thud.

"Decades without using my legs, I can't even coordinate the movement to stand. Well, I'll adapt and heal."

As he spoke, his wounds rapidly healed, and his spirit revived.

After half an incense stick's time, the scholar stood up.

He bounced a few times in place and took a few unsteady steps.

"I've been in this world for decades, trapped in a statue, and now I finally feel like a human again."

Muttering, he closed his eyes, a look of absorption on his face, and after a while, reopened them.

"I didn't expect this person to be so stubborn. No wonder he was so unwilling. Well, since I am in this body, everything from my past on Earth is gone. From now on, I am Qiu Yan."

Boom!

As he spoke, lightning and thunder suddenly appeared in the sky, and black mist seeped from the cracks in the floor, coalescing into three black clouds.

Qiu Yan's face changed, but he was not surprised.

"Indeed, as I expected."

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