Wu Chun suddenly didn’t know what to say.
“Isn’t the daytime farm work tiring? Yet these people still have the energy to come and play in the lake at night.”
Moreover, having just experienced the frustration of persuasion, the restlessness in Wu Chun’s heart had barely subsided before it rose again.
It must be said that no matter where you are, there will always be some people who are difficult to understand.
That evening, Wu Chun and Xu Shi Yao didn’t dwell on this matter. They chatted for a few more moments, and then Wu Chun hurried back home.
However, they didn’t expect that the village would undergo a drastic change the next day.
The next day, Wu Chun woke up to find that his grandfather was unusually absent. Half of the washed rice was left in the bowl, and the vegetables in the basket looked like they had just been dug up from the garden, with traces of soil still on them.
Wu Chun called out to the courtyard a few times, but there was no response. They went out of the courtyard and called a few more times, but still no one answered. Wu Chun also noticed that something was different in Shili Village today.
The whole village seemed to be a bit quieter than before.
Normally, at this time of day, farmers would have been coming and going on the streets, rushing to their fields. But today, from one end of the street to the other, there wasn’t a single person in sight.
Wu Chun felt confused and touched the back of his head.
What happened today?
Just as Wu Chun was about to return home, he heard a cry coming from an unknown alley.
“Last night, there was another ghostly disturbance in Shili Mountain. Hurry and go to Shili Mountain; there’s a master who can drive away ghosts.”
Drive away ghosts?
(Note: The term “drive away ghosts” can also be interpreted as “exorcise” or “banish ghosts”.)
Wu Chun’s mind was filled with a sense of imminent danger. Without wasting any more time, he hurriedly ran towards Shili Mountain.
The closer he got to Shili Mountain, the more people there were. As Wu Chun pushed through the crowd and reached the foot of the mountain, he was blocked by the dense crowd.
The people in front were fervently discussing…
“It is said that yesterday, Old Zhang’s son went out to chop trees and saw a ghost again. He had to jump into the lake himself to save his life.”
“Yes, it is said that the ghost’s eyes and tongue were hanging out, and there was blood around its mouth. It looks really disgusting.”
“Besides, aren’t ghosts afraid of light during the day? After that master performed some rituals just now, they discovered that this ghost actually hides in the trees during the day and comes out at night to harm people. Think about it: which family’s son fell into the lake earlier? I bet he was pushed down by that ghost.”
“I think so too…”
When Wu Chun heard the word “trees,” a tightly wound string in his brain suddenly snapped, causing his to stagger backwards uncontrollably for a few steps.
“This is bad!”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Wu Chun forcefully pushed through the crowd and ran towards the mountain.
Ktf oegatfg Qe Jtec qertfv atgbeut atf mgbkv, atf wbgf mgbkvfv la yfmjwf. Pc atf wlvra bo atf mgbkv, tf mbeiv ojlcais tfjg nblmfr mbwlcu ogbw jtfjv.
“Nliijufgr, jmmbgvlcu ab ws gfrfjgmt, la lr atlr agff atja tjgybgr atf utbra. Ljnfc’a sbe cbalmfv atja atlr agff ibbxr vloofgfca? Par yfjealoei jqqfjgjcmf lr pera j mbnfg obg lar fnli cjaegf. Nliijufgr, sbe tjnf jii yffc vfmflnfv! Lbkfnfg, rlcmf P tjqqfcfv ab qjrr ys atlr qijmf abvjs, P klii vfolclafis tfiq sbe ufa glv bo atlr fzagfwfis fnli utbra.”
Wu Chun’s heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat.
“Excuse me, please let me pass.”
Wu Chun forcefully pushed the people blocking the road aside, mentally pushing himself over and over again: “Faster, just a little bit faster.”
The voices in front of him became clearer and clearer, and Wu Chun’s heart felt like a knife was hanging just a short distance away. At a certain moment, when the string pulling the knife snapped, the blade would plunge directly into his heart.
“Sorry, please step aside, okay?”
Wu Chun suddenly felt that this half of the mountain road was unusually long today. Xu Shi Yao was clearly in front of them, but at this moment, Wu Chun couldn’t run up to them as quickly as before. In Wu Chun’s eyes, the dense crowd in front of him was nothing but an obstacle preventing him from reaching Xu Shi Yao.
“Villagers, please don’t rush. Once the ritual is completed and the tree is cut down, the ghost will be eliminated. Let’s count down from ten together.”
Almost everyone present began to shout.
“No!”
Wu Chun shouted loudly, but unfortunately, no one paid any attention to him. At that moment, everyone except Wu Chun was enthusiastically counting down the tree. Their eyes were filled with excitement as they believed that the ghost would soon be eliminated. In the future, when they chopped wood at night, they wouldn’t encounter any obstacles and wouldn’t be harmed.
In the eyes of these people, their future lives would begin to move in a better direction after the ghost was eliminated.
Wu Chun’s hands gradually clenched into fists, his eyes turned red, and his gaze changed from fear to hatred.
Wu Chun hated, he hated these people who knew nothing; he hated these people who knew everything but were selfish.
In this kind of village, how could these people be worthy of Xu Shi Yao, the Guardian of Reincarnation?
“Wait a moment.”
At that moment, a familiar voice came from in front of him, and Wu Chun was startled at first, but then a smile appeared on his face.
It was his grandfather.
“Master, what village are you from? I know all the famous ones around here, so why haven’t I seen you before?”
Taking advantage of his grandfather’s time-delayed conversation, Wu Chun pushed past one person after another and made his way to the front of the crowd. There, he could clearly see the so-called master.
Just an ordinary person who did not stand out in the crowd.
Wu Chun felt as if someone who had been working in the field had suddenly been grabbed to play the role of the so-called master.
Wu Chun shifted his gaze away from the supposed master and looked to the side, where he saw the artist standing in the group of people.
Wu Chun suddenly understood. A flashback of his conversation with the artist yesterday flashed through his mind.
“Young man, is this mountain haunted? It would be great if it is.”
Wu Chun forcefully slapped his own forehead. He couldn’t believe that he thought that saying such things would scare people away. Now it was clear that he was just being foolish.
The other person is using the villagers’ desperate desire to get rid of the ghost on the mountain to achieve his own hidden agenda.
Wu Chun glared at the artist in the crowd. He seemed to remember the person who mentioned his name, possibly Du Zhengde.
“Grandfather.” Wu Chun moved closer to his grandfather and questioned the supposed master just like him: “Yes, master, what village are you from?”
“What do you know, little child? Are you from here? Your accent doesn’t sound like it. Adults’ affairs are not for children to interfere with.”
“My grandson knows a lot.” Before Wu Chun could speak, his grandfather beside him reluctantly threw aside what he was holding and spoke loudly.
“I’m telling you, old man, this person has good intentions to come and get rid of the ghost. Whether it works or not, we have to try. Look how long this ghost has been bothering us on this mountain.”
Immediately, someone behind them tried to convince them.
As Wu Chun looked at the people behind him, he felt both anger and pain in his heart.
Xu Shi Yao was standing inside the crowd, surrounded by people, inside the pine tree. Although he could only be trapped inside the pine tree during the day, he could clearly see and hear everything that was happening outside.
At this moment, Xu Shi Yao looked at the place he had selflessly guarded for the past five years, yet the people he had protected were now screaming to kill him. What kind of feeling would he have in his heart?
The more Wu Chun thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt, and the more he felt that it was undeserved for Xu Shi Yao.
What was the purpose?
Protecting a group of people like that.
Tears rolled down Wu Chun’s cheeks, and he quickly wiped them away.
He couldn’t cry, he couldn’t cry at this moment.
Crying would weaken their momentum; in this outnumbered situation, their resolve must remain steadfast.
The number of people jeering behind them increased, and Wu Chun became visibly nervous while his grandfather beside him remained incredibly calm.
“Don’t worry, everyone. I just feel like this person looks familiar. I think I’ve seen him before. Oh, now I remember! Earlier this year, before spring, there was a family in the village ahead of us who was building a new house. Weren’t we both carrying cement bricks together? I remember wondering how you went from carrying bricks to being a master in less than half a year. Who introduced you here?”
After hearing his grandfather’s words, the wind behind them also began to shift slightly.
“The brick carrier? Is that right or not?”
“Yes, he is right. If he was a master from the surrounding villages, we should know him, right? Do any of you recognize him?”
“I don’t recognize him. I’ve never seen this person before.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen him, too.”
…
Wu Chun felt a glimmer of joy in his heart. With sudden inspiration, he took a few steps forward.
“Teacher Du, what are you doing here?”
Wu Chun’s tone was filled with pleasant surprise, as if he had met an acquaintance. He walked over to Du Zhengde, shook hands with him sincerely, and then turned to his grandfather and said, “Grandpa, this is the Teacher Du I often mention to you. He’s an artist and very talented.”
Wu Chun admitted that as he said these words, he couldn’t help but feel nauseous in his stomach.
“No wonder the name Du Zhengde sounded familiar earlier. It turns out that my grandson mentioned you to me,” his grandfather said.
Wu Chun couldn’t help but mentally applaud his grandfather. They were now like actors improvising a scene without rehearsal or prior discussion, but they had to perform well.
“Guys, it’s not that I’m holding up the exorcism, but ghosts hold grudges, you know. Just think: if we can’t get rid of them, won’t our future days be even worse? The famous masters showed no interest in this matter before, and I’m really worried. After all, the masters will perform their rituals and leave, but we, even our future generations, will still have to live in this village.”
Grandfather’s words were truly heartfelt, especially the last sentence, which made everyone think deeply.
“Everyone, rest assured. I am indeed an artist. I’ve come here recently to seek inspiration, and this master is my friend. We both come from a different place, so you wouldn’t know us.”
Wu Chun glanced at Du Zhengde. What a despicable guy.
He resisted the urge to go up and give him a good beating. Does he have some kind of disease to be so obsessed with that tree?
The current atmosphere was tense. People might have reservations because of Grandpa’s words, but the visiting master from another place seemed reasonable.
There is no rule that says a master has to be a local resident.
Just then, a voice suddenly came from the back of the crowd.
“This tree must not be cut down.”
It sounded like an old woman.
Wu Chun stood on tiptoe and looked ahead. He saw Xu Shi Yao’s mother supporting an old lady, who seemed to be about the same age as his own grandfather, walking towards them from the back of the crowd. The villagers seemed to have great respect for this old lady, as they willingly made way for her without hesitation.
“Sun Xian Gu, how did you get out of the temple?”
So this was Sun Xian Gu!
Wu Chun remembered his grandfather telling him that there was a temple not far away that was supposed to keep the peace in the area. And according to the stories, Sun Xian Gu was the chosen maiden of the temple’s divine beings, responsible for delivering messages between the two realms.
Sun Xian Gu was raised in the temple at an early age. She usually performs rituals for people without charging a fee and is highly respected herself.
Sun Xian Gu looked around and furiously struck the ground twice with her stick. Angrily, she said, “If I don’t come out, someone will chop off the deity that brought me here!”
A Soybean :
My… My leg got bitten by a bug, and it’s swollen. It hurts so much, oh my goodness!
I hope your health will be good after bitten
Thank you for your translation 💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝
Someone wrote that this is book is heart-warming… Yeah, right… I’M CRYING EVERY TIME WUWU CRIES!!
I agree ! Heartwarming where ? It’s angst and sadness QAQ
».. they hurriedly ran towards Shili Mountain.« he hurriedly ran
»The closer they got to Shili Mountain..« he got
».. they were blocked by the dense crowd.« he was blocked
»When Wu Chun heard the word “trees,” a.. in her brain.. causing her to sragger..« “trees”, & him x 2
».. they could faintly hear voices coming from ahead.« he could
»Xu Shiyao was clearly in front of them.. run up to them as quickly as before.« Shi Yao & 2x him instead of them
».. dense crowd in front of them.. preventing them from reaching Xu Shi Yao.« 2x him instead of them
It’s crazy and scary how uneducated people can react. I hope that old lady can talk some sense into them (and maybe help with the tree planting plan xD).
Thx for the ch ٩( >ヮ<)۶
Thank you! I’ll correct them 💙
Hope your leg has healed well.. Thanks for the chapter..