Chapter 20

From the center of the nine twists and turns of Que'er River, if one walks east for two thousand four hundred and one zhang and then turns to look back at the mountains, one can see the full view of Que'er Mountain: in front, the mountain ridge slopes upward, in the middle, the mountains are covered in green armor, and behind, three stone pillars stand straight into the sky. Below, the sloping greens and terraces are layered seamlessly, with the mother and child stones hanging like claws... It looks just like a bird about to take flight.

Upon closer inspection, there is a cave through the mountain at the position of the bird's head, which penetrates from the shady side to the sunny side. This breaks the feng shui of the bird, making it a bird without eyes. Even if the bird soars high, it cannot last long, and naturally, it cannot help the 'Child Sitting on a Lotus' to attract wealth and treasures, thus becoming a useless spot.

Without the pearl in its eyes, it naturally fails to be a good feng shui spot.

The phrase 'the bird with closed eyes' in the verse not only refers to the cave at the bird's eye position but also implies that the bird's eyes cannot be closed—this is a great difficulty, which is why Old Liu was surprised when Fox Lady mentioned it!

One trouble after another, and the new trouble is even more urgent than when Feng San came to the City God Temple. Old Liu instructed Zunxianbao to invite August, Cheng San, and Lu Fatso to watch over Feng San, and then he took some dry food and was about to go up the mountain... As the guardian of the local feng shui, Old Liu probably had no more important task than the changing feng shui.

Everyone was busy with their own affairs and didn't have time to take care of Zunxianbao—first, he watched Old Liu and the others plan and arrange the plot for Feng San, then he joined in the act to trick the guy into jumping into a manure pit, and finally, he fried the ghost... How could he go to sleep when he was so excited?

So, he secretly followed Old Liu up the mountain.

The City God Temple is at the foot of the mountain, and there are two paths up: the shady side, which is a gentle path, and the sunny side, which is a steep path. The distances and times are different; the shady side takes a day, while the sunny side takes only half a day. Old Liu, being in a hurry and unafraid of wolves, naturally chose the sunny side path.

This was fine for him, but Zunxianbao couldn't keep up. A child's legs can't match an adult's, and the further he went, the farther he fell behind. In just an hour, he had disappeared from Zunxianbao's sight...

In the middle of the night, in the wilderness, alone and lost... Such a situation would terrify an adult, let alone an eight-year-old child. Even though Zunxianbao was used to seeing ghosts, he couldn't help but feel panicked.

He hurriedly followed the direction Old Liu had taken, ignoring the branches that scratched his hands and face. But after a while, he not only failed to catch up with Old Liu but also found himself in a darker and quieter place, and the fear grew stronger, making his steps more chaotic!

Just then, he suddenly saw a faint light!

Zunxianbao, like a man seeing a savior, ignored everything else and followed the light. The light, which was faint through the thick forest, became clearer and brighter as he approached. When he could finally see clearly, he found that the light was coming from a crack in the mountain wall.

Not only that, but a faint aroma was also wafting from inside.

Zunxianbao, who usually stayed in the ghost market and was not afraid of ghosts but was not very familiar with human affairs, had no suspicion or caution at all. He assumed he had encountered hunters or merchants and rushed in without a second thought.

The crack was not very wide but was a shelter from the wind and rain. Inside, a crackling campfire was burning, roasting wild game with hot oil dripping. Next to the fire, a sickly young man and two strong men were drinking. Zunxianbao's sudden appearance startled them!

The two strong men, holding sharp knives, leaped up to protect the young man and shouted, "Who are you?" Their eyes were full of vigilance and suspicion, ready to kill the child at the slightest provocation!

This young man was the one who had gone to Half Town to find Feng San. His name was Wu Di, a member of the fifth rank of the Pao Ge Society, responsible for external contacts and affairs, resolving disputes, and it was he who, at the behest of Luo Dahu, had gone to find a way to eliminate Old Liu. They were hiding in the mountain crack to avoid being seen, waiting for Feng San to kill the temple guardians the next day and then take over the land. But they didn't expect a child to appear in the middle of the night instead of Feng San.

But how could Zunxianbao know this!

He smiled and walked to the fire, sitting down and warming his hands, "So cold! So cold! I'm freezing! Brother, Uncle, I'm lost. Can I stay here until dawn?"

"Lost? Hmph, you're just lost, huh?" The man in the blue robe sneered, tilting his knife slightly, "I think you..." He made a move to strike!

"Wait!" The sickly Wu Di suddenly shouted, pushing the two men aside and showing a smiling face, "Kid, where are you from? Are you from the City God Temple below...?"

"Yes!" Zunxianbao, happy to be recognized, replied, "How did you know I'm from there?"

"Oh..." Wu Di gave a signal to his subordinate, who immediately went out to check the surroundings. Wu Di then asked, "So, how did you get here? Did you come alone or...?"

"I'm lost!" Zunxianbao warmed his hands by the fire, "I was following Old Liu, but he walked too fast and I lost him. I don't know how I ended up here—Brother, how do you know me?"

"Oh, I've been to your place before, so I recognize you," Wu Di replied, but his eyes were on the gestures of his subordinate. The man returned and signaled that no one was hiding outside, which calmed Wu Di a bit. Just as he was about to say more, he remembered what the second-rank member, Mao Fatso, had said:

"...Brother, he's just a kid, how was I supposed to know he would use that trick? He said he only wanted rice, but I didn't know it would be so much..."

A thought came to him: "Right, are you the kid who lives with Daoist Liu? I saw a kid with Daoist Liu last time, but I didn't see clearly, I wonder if it was you?"

Hearing that he knew Old Liu, Zunxianbao let his guard down and said happily, "Yes, it's me, really me!" Then he tilted his head, thinking, "Hmm, I don't remember you..."

Wu Di suddenly laughed, a mix of joy and sinister intent, "Great! Really great! I didn't expect to meet you here—Kid, this is your own doing, don't blame us!" He pointed at Zunxianbao and ordered, "Kill him!"

Zunxianbao, though inexperienced, was not stupid. He instantly realized the danger and pretended to be panicked, standing up but slipping and falling to the ground...

The child was just a kid, while they were three grown men. The comparison was clear, and with him already on the ground, the man at the entrance sneered as he watched his companion approach the child with a raised knife, and he leaned against the wall, saying:

"Hey, you don't need to use the knife, just strangle him, don't make a mess and attract wolves or wild boars!"

"Good idea!" the man in black replied, "Just snap his neck, no blood, no trouble, much better!" He walked around the fire, sheathing his knife...

At that moment, Zunxianbao suddenly reached out and swung a stick, scattering a handful of red-hot coals into the face of the man in blue!

Rustle!

A large handful of red-hot coals was thrown, and even though the man in blue quickly turned his head, several embers still hit his face!

The child had already dashed past him like the wind.

Before he could cry out in pain, Wu Di's angry voice came from behind, "You two idiots! How could you let a kid escape like that! What are you waiting for, hurry up and chase him!"

The usually refined and polite fifth-rank member was now cursing, clearly furious. The two men didn't dare hesitate and immediately chased after the child.

The path outside the mountain crack was not easy to navigate, and they quickly closed the distance. The man in blue, angry at the child for throwing coals at him, picked up a thick branch and threw it at the child!

Whoosh! The branch hit the child's back, knocking him into a pile of leaves.

The two men shouted and pounced, the man in black lifting Zunxianbao, while the man in blue slapped him several times, cursing, "You little brat, you dare to run, I'll kill you..."

Zunxianbao's face immediately swelled up!

After a few slaps, the man in blue was still not satisfied and wanted to continue, but it was too late—Wu Di appeared behind them, angry, "What are you doing! Hurry up and finish him!"

Hearing the scolding, the two men didn't dare hesitate. The man in black immediately clamped Zunxianbao under his arm and grabbed his head, twisting it with force...

Snap!