Chapter 114: The Poachers

Third Bro stared at the young man approaching against the light. The faint sunlight seemed to be swallowed up by him as well, leaving not a trace of brightness in his pitch-black eyes. His footsteps were so light that they almost gave the impression he was floating, as if the figure before them were not a man at all, but a ghost.

Second Brother was the first to shake off that inexplicable fear. “No need,” he said.

He continued, “Thanks for saving us back there. None of us are hurt or anything serious. Our car’s at the foot of the mountain—we can make our own way down. No need to trouble yourself.”

His words came out crisp and decisive, nothing like his usual taciturn nature.

Old Five finally snapped out of it then. He reached for Third Bro’s hand, seeking some sense of security, but only managed to grab hold of his pant leg. Undeterred, he clutched it tightly and let out an awkward, polite chuckle. “Haha… yeah, no need. We come up into these mountains all the time. A little tumble like that is nothing. We know when we’re okay or not. Really, no trouble at all!”

Third Bro said nothing.

Chen Ji offered them a polite smile as he walked past. His robes fluttered, carrying with them an archaic fragrance. He picked up the moon blocks and glanced sideways at them before letting his fingers relax.

“Pa!”

The moon blocks hit the ground.

The three of them couldn’t help but look down at the result of the toss. One yin and one yang—it was a holy block!

Unthinkingly, they all breathed a sigh of relief. A holy block… surely that couldn’t mean anything bad!

Second Brother moved quickly. He hauled Old Five to his feet and steadied Third Bro with a hand. “Thanks again. We’re heading out.”

Without waiting for Chen Ji’s response, he fished two hundred in cash from his pocket and tossed it into the merit box. Then he pulled the other two along as he turned and left.

Chen Ji watched their retreating backs and suddenly spoke up. “Don’t you want to know what I asked?”

Their footsteps halted. Old Five turned his head, his lips parting as if to speak.

Chen Ji smiled faintly. “Head down the mountain now. Don’t linger here any longer—you’ve received the holy block.”

Second Brother gave Old Five another tug, and they stumbled out the door. The foreman had come early today after Chen Ji mentioned three local hunters had fallen and gotten hurt. He’d packed up his tools and come to fetch Chen Ji and the men together. But seeing the three striding off fit as fiddles left him baffled. “Hey? Don’t run off! Come with us—hey?!”

His shout only made the three hurry faster. They even veered off to the right and plunged into the woods, vanishing from sight in moments. The foreman stood there scratching his head in confusion. He turned and spotted Chen Ji emerging. Puzzled, he asked, “Boss, didn’t you say you were bringing them down the mountain?”

Chen Ji had even paid them extra for the early wrap-up!

“It’s fine,” Chen Ji replied. “These ones left, but there are others.” He called back toward the courtyard. “Motorbike down the mountain—forty bucks a head! You in or not?!”

Zhao Ling and her classmates, who had been chatting inside, let out a whoop. “Yes! Coming, driver—wait up!”

Heaven forbid they walk! The mountain was so steep—it had taken over two hours to climb up. The views were nice enough, and they’d had fun playing with Little Red and eaten their fill, but there wasn’t much else to do. They were already planning to head down, but the thought of another two-hour hike made their legs go weak. Forty bucks? Fine by them—who went on a trip without spending money? Totally worth it!

Once the place was fully renovated, sure, they’d love to stay a couple days to soak in the vibes and heal their souls. But for now? Pass.

A quick calculation told them they’d still make it back to town by car. At least the town had inns and eateries!

The foreman, in high spirits, loaded up the college kids and drove off into the evening.

Second Master Huang, lounging on the eaves, drawled lazily, 【You’re just letting those three go?】

Chen Ji’s expression didn’t change. “No need. I asked Fifth Grandpa to set up some mist in the back hills—they won’t get through.”

As long as these college kids were gone, Chen Ji didn’t particularly care if a few poachers bit the dust. They might not deserve death, but that wasn’t his call. The living world had laws and police. The underworld had the ledgers of life and death. And for those in between, there was the Mountain Lord. None of it had anything to do with a powerless, innocent mortal like him.

He didn’t know about the rest of Little Azure Mountain, but this stretch was crawling with ghosts every three steps and monsters every five. If those men blundered around in here, their odds of survival weren’t great.

Chen Ji’s phone rang. Before he could answer, he saw Black Impermanence waving his own phone from a distance—it was him calling.

Black Impermanence met Chen Ji’s gaze but didn’t approach or say a word. He just waved the phone again.

A clear prompt to hurry up.

Chen Ji noticed the new contact had already sent him an address. He turned to Second Master Huang. “Second Grandpa, could you take me to Wujiang Village?”

【Sure thing.】 Second Master Huang leaped down from the eaves. By the time he hit the ground, he had grown into a massive two-meter-eight version of himself. His long tail coiled deftly around Chen Ji, and together they stepped into the Ghost Path.

A blast of wind hit them head-on. Chen Ji closed his eyes. He’d grown used to the trip, so it didn’t scare him as much anymore. Even glimpsing the occasional red or white shadow in the gloom didn’t faze him. In truth, he had half a mind to suggest something—like an ancient carriage where Huang Er or Little Ghost Fire could pull while he drew the curtains and rode in comfort.

But Chen Ji knew better than to voice some ideas.

In about fifteen minutes, Second Master Huang leaped out of the Ghost Path. The dim world brightened sharply into crisp clarity. Warm sunlight bathed Chen Ji, washing away the Yin Qi he’d picked up on the journey.

Wujiang Village was one of the better-developed tourist spots around. Like the deal with the Yun Family, the place was packed with small buildings turned into farmstay inns. Milk tea, coffee—you name it. Street stalls lined the roads, hawking local specialties.

Even from afar, the buzz of mortal bustle reached them.

Second Master Huang shrank to his original form and hopped into Chen Ji’s backpack. Chen Ji followed the nav to the WeChat address. It took about twenty minutes, dodging touts offering rickshaw rides along the way.

The place was an elegantly antique guesthouse. The flowers crammed into vases by the door made it clear this wasn’t cheap. A woman around thirty stood at the entrance, glancing around expectantly—probably waiting for someone.

This must be her.

Chen Ji approached. The woman spotted him and froze, hesitating on whether to greet him. He showed her the WeChat interface. Her expression shifted from uncertainty to disbelief. “You’re that master!”

She’d seen the video. To think this was the man who could save her parents!

Chen Ji smiled. “That’s me. Let’s talk inside.”

She nodded vigorously, shoving a business card into his hand. It read something like “Asia-Pacific General Manager, XX Company” with a phone number below. She hurried ahead but still managed to say, “Hello, Master Chen. My surname is Jiao—Jiao Fengqing. I didn’t realize it was you earlier. Forgive any rudeness!”

Chen Ji nodded. Inopportunely, it crossed his mind: wasn’t an Asia-Pacific GM at a multinational worth a million a minute? And here she was vacationing—with her parents, no less?

His face remained calm and steady. “No rush on that. Let’s check them out first.”

Jiao Fengqing led Chen Ji up to the second floor and swiped into a lavish suite. The moment he stepped inside, an inexplicable sense of emptiness washed over him, though he couldn’t pinpoint why. She guided him further in, to the bedroom. There, he saw an elderly man lying down and an elderly woman sitting up.

Both had their eyes wide open, staring blankly ahead like lifeless puppets.

“When did this start?” Chen Ji asked directly. “Anything special happen right before? Any unusual sights? Think carefully—even ordinary stuff, like kicking over a rice bowl on the street.”

“It started last night,” Jiao Fengqing said. “They were fine before. We got back from playing yesterday, and I went to rest. When I woke up, this is how I found my parents!” She paused to recall. “We arrived yesterday morning. Ate rice noodles downstairs—a lot of tourists do, so we gave it a try. Wandered the old town after. Didn’t run into anyone special. Ate at chain places, nothing out of the ordinary!”

Chains lowered the odds of something supernatural—reputations mattered, ingredients were vetted. Couldn’t guarantee perfection, but better than street vendors who might vanish overnight, leaving you high and dry if you got sick.

Jiao Fengqing went on. “Didn’t buy anything weird. Just some snacks. Oh, and two floral hair wraps on the road… the floral cloths! They’re right here!”

She hurried to the table and fetched the two pieces of floral fabric. Chen Ji examined them. “Not this.”

If it wasn’t some offended spirit, then something else. Black and White Impermanence had sent him, so these two were within his power to save. And since they’d called him in, they probably weren’t meant to die in the first place. Official duties tied their hands—they had to follow protocol.

Chen Ji studied the elderly couple. To his eyes, everyone was made of lines, densely packed. But this pair had outlines of lines with hollow interiors.

Their souls were missing.

Normal souls didn’t wander off—the body was still alive and kicking. Usually, it was scare-induced soul flight or deliberate theft.

Simple fix… just call the souls back.

Chen Ji instructed, “Go downstairs and buy a bowl from the innkeeper, a bowl of rice, and a pair of chopsticks. Pay for it—don’t accept it free.”

Jiao Fengqing nodded repeatedly before hurrying downstairs. Second Master Huang poked his head out from the basket and glanced around. “How strange,” he said curiously. 【This couple’s souls are gone… but there’s no weird smell in the room.】

Had anything supernatural passed through, Second Master Huang surely would have detected it.

“I find it strange too,” Chen Ji remarked. He pulled a book from the basket and flipped through it. Second Master Huang leaned over for a look and recognized an old familiar item—Chen Ji’s grandfather’s notebook.

Second Master Huang: 【What are you looking at that for?】

Chen Ji remained calm and steady. “Cramming at the last minute.”

Second Master Huang: 【……Huh?】

“I’ve never tried it before,” Chen Ji explained. “Second Grandpa picks it up instantly—he’s got a real talent for it. I’m not as clever as Second Grandpa, so I have to follow the book.” With a smile, Chen Ji reached out and patted Second Master Huang’s head. Second Master Huang lifted his head. 【Hmph, you can’t even do this? What a waste!】

He declared this arrogantly. 【Fine, fine. This Seat can’t stand to watch you make a fool of yourself. Give it a try first! If you really can’t manage, Second Grandpa will step in and fish those souls back for you! It’s guaranteed to work!】

“Then thank you, Second Grandpa.” Chen Ji’s fingertip brushed against Second Grandpa’s coffee-colored nose tip, giving it a gentle rub.