Chapter 99: The Mountain God and the Bamboo Knife
The white python, slender as a woman's figure, had a pair of wings that were not exaggeratedly large, transparent and crystalline, so much so that they were almost imperceptible upon close inspection. It was hard to imagine that flapping these wings could lift it from the cliff's edge of the stone platform, leading one to wonder if it had mastered some sort of levitation technique similar to those of Qi cultivators.
But all of that was now meaningless. The white python arched its back, then dove with ferocious speed, opening its massive maw to devour the beautiful maidservant Zhu Lu. Unexpectedly, a knife-wielding youth appeared out of nowhere, using the black serpent's back and head as steps and a springboard. He leaped into the air and struck with his woodcutter's axe precisely where the white python's wing met its body. The python needed those wings to ascend and control its direction. After losing a wing to the axe, its body continued forward by inertia but immediately skewed sideways, moving over a dozen feet. Its gaping jaws brushed past the girl, and its entire body crashed heavily onto the stone platform.
Zhu Lu and the three schoolchildren behind her also escaped disaster. Seizing the moment when the python was dazed from the impact, Li Baoping quickly shouldered her book chest and shouted for them to run. Lin Shouyi silently picked up his luggage and followed. Li Huai's teeth were chattering from fear, and after running some distance, he inadvertently noticed that Zhu Lu, that annoying girl, wasn't with them. Turning around, he was stunned to see her standing there foolishly. Wasn't that just waiting to be slaughtered? Li Huai couldn't help shouting, "Zhu Lu! Why aren't you running?!"
Zhu Lu finally snapped out of it, coming slightly to her senses, but she was still dazed. She turned her head and looked at Li Huai with unfocused eyes, seeing the boy shouting while running, "Run! Do you want to die?!"
Once Zhu Lu regained her wits, she immediately displayed the agility of a second-tier peak martial artist. With four or five swift steps, she was beside Li Huai and retreated with them to a part of the stone platform far from the white python. Indeed, no sooner had Zhu Lu left her spot than the white python, blood gushing from its severed wing, began thrashing violently from pain. Its tail whipped around madly, sending fragments of the stone platform flying. Had Zhu Lu lingered even a moment longer, she would have been crushed into a bloody pulp by the python's tail, thick as a water barrel.
The white python, having lost one wing, seemed severely weakened. It flailed about chaotically, kicking up dust and stones, and took a long time to calm down.
But the youth wasn't much better off. Holding the axe in his left hand, his tiger's mouth had split open, and his hand was covered in blood.
Chen Ping'an knelt on one knee, raising his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead to prevent it from blurring his vision.
The axe had broken in half. When the gleaming blade rebounded, if Chen Ping'an hadn't quickly turned his head aside, the broken half of the axe might have lodged into his face, or at least scraped off a chunk of flesh from his cheek.
Chen Ping'an's current position formed a pincer move with the black serpent and white python. That black serpent was acting strangely. After seeing the white python severely injured, it didn't rush to abandon Zhu He and attack Chen Ping'an. Instead, it seemed even more leisurely and collected than before, slowly swaying its upper body, maintaining a standoff with Zhu He. The black serpent's cold, yin-filled silver-white eyes occasionally glanced at the white python with a gaze no different from how the python had looked at the maidservant Zhu Lu—as if she were a delicacy on a plate.
In the center of the stone platform, the white-bearded old man, clutching a green bamboo staff, was trembling. The broken half of the axe was stuck in the ground not far from his feet. The old man crept closer, crouched down, and carefully rubbed the blade with his fingertip. Immediately, his finger bled a muddy yellow blood tinged with gold. Terrified, the old man quickly withdrew his hand, then curled his fingers and gently tapped the blade. His face full of confusion, he pinched his white beard and muttered, "Incredibly sharp, worthy of the reputation of being unmatched in sharpness, yet it's just an ordinary woodcutter's axe, not even as good as a martial artist's hundred-refined blade. So the blade is extremely brittle, far from tough enough. If the blade's quality matched its edge, and it were given to that straightforward, martial-arts-filled man as a weapon, perhaps there would be a sliver of hope. But now? Everything is finished."
The old man carefully examined the bright, clear, and beautiful cutting line of the blade and sighed emotionally, "As for the mystery of this axe... it must lie in that boy's whetstone, right? But the question is, how good must that whetstone be to grind a cheap, inferior axe to such an edge?"
A hint of greed and fervor flickered in the old man's eyes as he secretly glanced at the baskets and luggage of Zhu Lu and Li Baoping. No doubt, the whetstone was hidden among them.
The old man then sighed deeply. Even if the item were good and he could get his hands on it, it seemed he wouldn't have the fortune to enjoy it now.
He cursed bitterly. The only thing he could resent was that fifth-tier martial artist's inexplicable use of the "Gathering Soil to Form a Mountain" technique, a lost art of mountain opening from countless years ago. The old man had been hiding underground at the time, watching with a mocking attitude as if seeing someone drawing talismans blindly. In the end, he himself had fallen for this very trick. Actually, this technique of pinching soil to form a mountain wasn't particularly advanced or brilliant. It was just that such techniques had been dormant for so long. In all the years the old man served as the Earth God of Chess Mound Mountain, he had only been summoned out of his mountain belly mansion once by this technique—by two immortals who came to the mountaintop to play chess. Of course, those two were true land immortals with transcendent Dao arts. A mere fifth-tier martial artist wasn't even fit to carry their shoes. The only reason he had been called to the mountaintop back then was that the two immortals didn't want to break certain old rules. It wasn't out of respect for him, the lowly Earth God of Chess Mound Mountain.
Chen Ping'an wasn't unwilling to take the opportunity to deal with the white python. It was just that his internal organs were churning violently, leaving him powerless to do more. After wiping off the sweat once, it would soon cover his face again. Chen Ping'an simply stopped wasting energy and focused on regulating his breathing, trying to calm the chaotic Qi within him. This adjustment was like trying to patch up a window leaking from all sides during a heavy rain.
The sound of drumming resounded again from his heart, growing louder. The sound wasn't heard through the ears but felt as a mysterious inner voice, clearly conveying the trembling and wailing of his physical body.
This almost instinctive intuition in the youth first originated from the colic pain he had experienced as a child in Mud Vase Alley. He had also experienced it once on the mountain.
This time, he didn't writhe on the ground because Chen Ping'an sensed that strange, fiery Qi within him, like a fire dragon, began surging upstream from his abdomen. Everywhere it passed—whether the various Qi palaces and acupoints he had learned from the wooden dummy at Song Jixin's house, or the meridians connecting the fortress-like passes of the human body—it greatly alleviated the pain. It was like a general leading troops to quell a rebellion, or like the emperor personally leading an expedition in Song Jixin's historical romances. The effect was significant. Although it couldn't resolve the root cause, it at least allowed the rebellious forces to avoid its edge.
Although Zhu He was seriously injured, his momentum didn't decrease but instead increased. His fighting spirit soared, his sleeves billowing and snapping in the wind, exuding an aura of authority not to be underestimated.
The black serpent, slowly slithering along the edge of the stone platform, narrowed its eyes. Even though Zhu He displayed considerable combat power, it remained unhurried, shaking its head widely from side to side as if clumsily searching for an opening. This inadvertently gave Zhu He an excellent opportunity to suppress his injuries.
Watching this, the old man hesitated, then weakly called out a warning, "Don't struggle pointlessly. The reason this beast isn't in a hurry to eat you is simply that it wants you to fully activate your blood and Qi. It's just waiting for an unripe fruit to ripen. Don't think it has no way to deal with you. If it swallowed your body now, it wouldn't be able to digest your essence, spirit, and Qi—and that would be the truly nourishing meal."
The old man sighed mournfully and began tidying his tangled beard and torn clothes, mocking himself, "At least I'm a local Earth God. I should look like a proper mountain deity before I die."
He sat on the ground, tidying himself while sneering, "By the way, these beasts aren't just physically strong and agile. A hundred years ago, one of them devoured a Daoist Qi cultivator of the mid-five levels. By now, it ought to have cultivated at least one or two basic Dao techniques. Though you might say they're crude and shallow, when used by this beast, even a fifth-tier physique might not withstand them. In the end, it's just your bad luck. It's a pity that a fifth-tier martial artist led the team into the mountains. If it were a sixth-tier, the two beasts could still handle it, but they might not be willing to come out, fearing mutual destruction. If it were a seventh-tier, well, they would have actively retreated for dozens of miles, praying that you'd leave the territory of Chess Mound Mountain quickly."
The maidservant Zhu Lu shuddered in horror. Upon hearing this, she fell into utter despair.
Lin Shouyi muttered to himself, "A Liang? Where's Senior A Liang?"
Li Huai suddenly noticed Li Baoping quietly opening her book chest, pulling out a small porcelain bottle and clutching it tightly in her hand.
Following her gaze, in the distance, Chen Ping'an nodded slightly to them without any change in expression.
Li Huai suddenly felt a twinge of envy for the unspoken understanding between Li Baoping and her little junior uncle.
The books said this was called "heart-to-heart connection."
Meanwhile, Zhu He, upon hearing the Earth God's revelation of the celestial secrets, showed no trace of fear on his face. He twisted his wrist and said with a carefree smile, "If I hold back and die with my hands tied, that's a pathetic death. If I let loose and fight a glorious battle, that's also death. Since I'm going to die either way, why should I care whether I become a stepping stone for that beast to transform into a dragon?!"
A fifth-tier martial artist was already qualified to be called a small martial arts master. Their soul intent was strong, their spirit body solid—they only lacked condensing a martial heart.
Zhu He, trapped in a place of certain death, showed no intention of retreating. This actually aligned with the true intent of martial arts: "Facing death to forge a martial heart." However, he still needed further tempering and honing.
Zhu He's martial aura had already reached its peak, ready to burst forth.
The black serpent immediately changed its previous lazy demeanor, as if it had confirmed that Zhu He was holding nothing back. All his soul and spirit had come to a boil in the Qi palaces, and as blood and Qi circulated rapidly throughout his body, it could now taste this delicacy.
The black serpent raised its head, opening its mouth slightly, gradually revealing the terrifying sight of two ivory-colored fangs, thick as a young man's arm. In contrast to the white python's filthy demeanor, where saliva dripped whenever it opened its mouth, this black serpent, which had the potential to become a divine ink-black flood dragon, was relatively much cleaner. Inside its wide mouth was pure white, and a stream of cold air flowed outward. The stark contrast of black and white made this beast exude an air of solemn dignity, making it seem more like a true Earth God or mountain deity than the disheveled old man.
The black serpent suddenly launched its attack. This time, it wasn't a deceptive head-on collision. It instantly opened its mouth to the extreme. It seemed to be biting down at Zhu He's head on the stone platform, but in reality, halfway through, it spat out a putrid, snowy-white miasma. The miasma condensed like a solid substance, like a bolt from a crossbow shooting straight to the ground.
Zhu He was a homegrown servant of the Li family from the small town. His practical combat experience wasn't rich. In his martial arts career, he mostly engaged in measured sparring with the family's old patriarch. This was his first life-or-death battle. But after being badly tricked by the beast's feint earlier, Zhu He was alert to the black serpent's cunning. He moved with its movements, refusing to meet it head-on.
Sure enough, as soon as the freezing miasma, sharp as an arrow, missed its mark and shattered the stone platform, Zhu He sidestepped a few paces and immediately felt a gust of wind sweeping toward him from the side. The same one-two punch as before. Zhu He had anticipated this. He tapped his toe and, instead of retreating, surged forward, charging straight at the black serpent's belly.
Unexpectedly, the black serpent's body recoiled, and it spat out frequent mouthfuls of miasma, not to pierce Zhu He's body but to obstruct his forward charge. Meanwhile, its tail extended further and further, forming a siege-like posture coiling around the mountaintop, encircling Zhu He in a large cage, forcing him into a desperate struggle.
After forming two rings of "city walls," the black serpent's long body still managed to raise its tail high, like a patrol soldier, preventing Zhu He from leaping out. Zhu He reacted swiftly enough. Before the second ring was formed, he attempted to leap into the air. But as soon as his body left the ground, the tail slammed down violently. Zhu He crossed his arms to protect his head, and he was smacked back onto the stone platform. Though his internal organs weren't injured, his Qi sea churned like boiling water, causing his face to flush bright red. The soul and spirit intent flowing through his body, in an attempt to protect him from further harm, had to leave their established meridian paths and seep into the peripheral flesh and skin.
The black serpent's cold silver eyes revealed a hint of smugness.
If before, this martial artist was like a meal that was seventy percent cooked, now he was ninety percent done.
So it no longer wasted its energy. Instead, it opened its mouth wide and lunged at Zhu He, lowering its head again and again.
Zhu He threw punches like rainbows, maneuvering nimbly within this fighting pit. His arms emitted a faintly blue protective Qi, and each punch split the air with a loud crack.
Though he was at an absolute disadvantage, Zhu He showed no sign of decline. His eyes gleamed, and his spirit was more vibrant than ever.
The white-bearded old man pricked up his ears, clicking his tongue in amazement. Though he couldn't see the battle directly, he could guess the gist. He thought to himself, "What a promising martial arts master in the making. What a pity to fall halfway."
Suddenly, he jumped up as if his tail was on fire. He picked up the dim green bamboo staff and shouted to the companions of these martial artists, "Someone come quickly! Any of you, as long as you're a virgin boy or girl! Scuff away the character 'Yue' that your elder stamped with your foot, and I'll be free from this talisman's restraint. Then I can lend him a hand. I can't promise to kill the beasts, but escaping shouldn't be difficult. Hurry!"
The old man's anxious gaze swept across their faces.
A cold smirk curled on Lin Shouyi's lips.
Li Huai was just about to muster the courage to take the risk, but Li Baiping grabbed his arm and held him back.
The old man was stunned, then stamped his feet in exasperation and cursed, "You ungrateful fools! Do you want to watch your elder fight to his death?! Have you had your conscience eaten by dogs?!"
Zhu Lu's figure flickered, and she dashed toward the Earth God of Chess Mound Mountain.
In the distance, Chen Ping'an suddenly shouted sternly, "Zhu Lu, don't go! If you don't help him, he has no way out and might have to fight alongside us. If you help him, given his cowardly nature, he'll definitely run! Besides, we're not sure if he's in league with those two beasts. Don't be impulsive! He's been seeming to help us all along, but have you noticed that he hasn't actually helped Uncle Zhu at all?!"
Zhu Lu didn't want to listen to Chen Ping'an's words. She just kept charging forward.
The moment Chen Ping'an started speaking, he had already begun sprinting toward the old Earth God, his speed no less than Zhu Lu's.
Barring any mishaps, the straw-sandaled youth had a chance to stop Zhu Lu.
The Earth God's expression flickered between light and shadow as he stood in place holding the green staff.
The white python, having lost a wing, thrashed about for a while and then lay still on the stone platform, seemingly too weak to continue the fight.
But when Chen Ping'an rushed toward the Earth God, his body appearing within a dozen paces of the python's head, the white python lunged forward without warning, its massive mouth snapping at the youth. There was no sign of its previous death throes.
Chen Ping'an, however, abruptly stopped and retreated backward, dodging the python's dangerous ambush. He shouted angrily, "Zhu Lu! See that?! This beast also wants you to ruin Uncle Zhu's 'Yue' character! That man and the beasts have probably already made a secret pact!"
Chen Ping'an's view was blocked by the white python's body, so he couldn't see what was happening near the old man.
But the white python's head, after first looking somewhat anxiously toward the girl's direction, slowly turned to the youth, its eyes filled with mockery.
At that moment, the youth was filled with indignation and disappointment.
So much so that he didn't notice the fire dragon within his body, which, after passing through three high Qi palaces and acupoints, inexplicably changed from a forceful, overwhelming momentum to a cautious, humble posture.
With her mind a mess, the girl Zhu Lu ran near the "Yue" character. Tears streaming down her face, she stomped on it wildly, sobbing, "I want to save my father! I want to save him! I know, because he's my father, that's why you all don't care whether he lives or dies!"
The yellow talisman ashes on top of the "Yue" character were trampled into the mud and eventually dissipated. Under the girl's stomping, the character gradually blurred and vanished.
The white-bearded old man stared blankly at the girl's feet, letting out a suppressed, almost eerie chuckle from the depths of his throat. "Heh heh..."
Then he raised his head, his gaze playful as he stared at the panicked girl. He casually twisted his wrist, and the green bamboo staff left a trail of emerald fireflies in the air. His aged face seemed to bloom like a withered tree in spring. The old man beamed and nodded, "Heh heh. A daughter's eagerness to save her father. I understand, I understand."
The old man's figure began to rise rapidly, his face growing younger and younger. His bones stretched and cracked with a series of popping sounds like beans splitting. Now appearing as a middle-aged man, he threw back his head and laughed, half crying, half laughing, ecstatic. "Hahaha!"
The green-staff man, now handsome and handsome, laughed as he looked at the white python. "As agreed, I'll help you deal with that sneaky hat-wearing man. As for these guys, they're yours to do with as you please. Of course, from now on, our relationship can't continue as it has for the past few hundred years. Don't worry, once I'm officially enfeoffed as the mountain god, I'll promote you to the Earth God of this place. As for your man's river-walking matter, I'll also give it some support. In short, mutual benefit, a grand occasion for all."
Having said this, the green-staff man, now a handsome young man of about twenty, smiled at the dumbfounded girl. "Your father and I have a special connection, you know. Originally, in Great Li's upcoming enfeoffment of various mountain and river deities within its domains, I was at best going to be restored to my rightful status as Earth God. But he actually managed to call out that 'Mr.' name, which is truly shocking. It effectively reconfirmed my original Earth God status, which had been stripped away by those immortals. To be honest, if he had written the character 'Yue' (嶽) from the mountain opening chapter with that soil-gathering technique, I might not even need Great Li's enfeoffment to become the orthodox mountain god of Chess Mound Mountain right now."
The man's expression was extremely delighted. He paced slowly, waving his hand dismissively, and chuckled, "It's fine, it's fine. I'm very satisfied. Your father is a good man. And you are too. You are my benefactors. But with such a great enfeoffment favor, I truly have no way to repay you."
The girl's face was deathly pale. Her lips trembled as she repeated in a daze, "You lied to me, you lied to me..."
The elegant man glanced at the white python. "Losing a wing is something neither of us could have predicted. Don't expect any extra compensation from me. I'm quite destitute now. Over the years, you two have scraped this Chess Mound Mountain, hundreds of miles around, clean. I, this dignified Earth God, am left with nothing but the skin of the land. It's quite disgraceful."
The white python nodded submissively, showing a rare hint of fawning, and gently shook its head.
The man grandly waved his green staff. "I don't care about your meager possessions. Let all past grievances fade away with the wind."
Finally, he looked around and said with a grin, "As for that brother you call A Liang—not only did he fail to pay respects, he dared to sit in my seat, and even reduced the character 'Yue' (嶽) down to 'Yue' (岳)..."
At this moment, the mountain god, in the prime of his pride, suddenly looked down with a bewildered expression, his face twisted with agony and incredulity.
An ordinary bamboo knife had pierced through his heart from behind.
The hat-wearing man stood shoulder to shoulder with him, facing the opposite direction. He released the handle of the knife, then patted the mountain god's shoulder and answered with a grin, "Looking for me?"