Chen Ji pulled out his phone and glanced at the time. Jiao Fengqing asked, “Master Chen?”
“Nothing,” Chen Ji replied.
Though he hadn’t explained, Jiao Fengqing immediately imagined it had something to do with waiting for an auspicious hour—after all, even ribbon-cutting ceremonies and groundbreaking events required picking the perfect moment. How much more so for something as vital as reuniting her parents’ souls with their bodies, two lives hanging in the balance!
The old couple was still bickering over who should go first when Chen Ji saw that five minutes had already passed. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, placed one hand on each of them, and shoved them into their bodies. In the next instant, both bodies let out a simultaneous “Ah!” Their previously cloudy, vacant eyes suddenly sharpened with life. The pair stared straight at Chen Ji, and the old lady clapped a hand over her mouth, blurting out, “Hey, you!”
Before Chen Ji could respond, Jiao Fengqing flung herself at them. “Mom! Waaah, Mom! You’re awake! You’re finally awake!”
Seeing they had plenty to catch up on, Chen Ji simply packed up his things and left—especially now that the green bubble had appeared, meaning he could just handle the payment via transfer. No rush.
The inn boss spotted Chen Ji coming downstairs and gave him a polite nod and smile. When Chen Ji nodded back and made to leave, the boss couldn’t help stepping forward to ask quietly, “Uh… is everything okay in 204?”
He had glimpsed what looked like firelight from the window.
Chen Ji nodded. “Everything’s fine. Upstairs are friends of a friend. Her parents got worn out shopping, and I happened to be nearby, so I came to check on them.”
Chen Ji didn’t want to cause any trouble. That fire tornado had shot up so suddenly that he’d instinctively blocked it with his lines—no way it had singed the ceiling. There was definitely some smoke smell in the room, but that would dissipate soon enough.
Relieved by Chen Ji’s calm and composed demeanor, the inn boss felt his heart settle back in his chest. He nodded repeatedly. “Good, good. Well, you’re busy… want some water? Let me treat you to a bottle!”
With that, the boss fished a bottle of fizzy soda from the nearby mini-fridge and pressed it into Chen Ji’s hand. Chen Ji had no patience for back-and-forth refusals. He accepted with a word of thanks and stepped out of the inn.
The streets of Wujiang Village were packed with tourists. Chen Ji queued up at one stall for a braised pork pie with preserved vegetables, then grabbed some cheese-filled glutinous rice dumplings from the next one over. He sat on the stone steps under the eaves, divvied up half the snacks and stuffed them into his backpack for Second Master Huang, then started eating his share.
The pork pies were thin and shatteringly crisp, crackling with every bite. The perfect balance of fatty richness and the unique savoriness of the preserved vegetables made each mouthful divine. Chen Ji wolfed down half a pie in one go, then took a nibble of a glutinous dumpling. They were pounded so smooth not a single grain of rice was visible. One was stuffed with cheese and fruit, the other with purple sweet potato and taro mash. When he bit in, it was soft and stretchy, first bursting with the deep aroma of grains, then the tangy creaminess of cheese mingling with fruity sweetness—perfect for cutting through the richness.
Sure, they were trendy internet-famous eats rather than local specialties, but that didn’t make them any less delicious.
Chen Ji chugged half a bottle of ice-cold soda, let out a satisfied belch, and felt the wonders of the world anew. Little Azure Mountain, crawling with man-eating monsters everywhere—that was the real abnormality!
A normal world should be like this. Streets teeming with people or empty ones alike—no vanishing crowds, no headless walkers. The occasional stray cat or dog might dart by, but nothing like an eighty-foot-long Great Immortal Huang accelerating to top speed in under a second.
【Woo woo, so good! This one’s so chewy and sweet! Chen Ji, I want more!】 Second Master Huang’s big tail poked out from the backpack and prodded Chen Ji’s arm. Speaking as if to himself, Chen Ji said, “These spoil fast. Worst case, we come back next time… They’re easy to make too. Want me to pick up the ingredients someday and whip some up? Any flavor you like.”
【Yes yes yes!】 Second Grandpa agreed eagerly, shaping a little heart with the tip of his tail before retreating back into the backpack.
—Fine, he could get used to an eighty-foot Great Immortal Huang like that.
His phone buzzed. Chen Ji opened it to find a message from Black Impermanence: just a cartoon character with a massive question mark overhead. Chen Ji fired back an “OK” to signal it was done. Black Impermanence replied with a “Good brother, share the wealth!” sticker, and the chat was over.
Great—they were both off the hook for overtime tonight. They could catch a flight straight home… Or maybe squeeze in some expense-account tourism. They were already here, after all; heading back tomorrow wouldn’t hurt.
Seeing the glutinous dumpling stall empty, Chen Ji promptly ordered two of every flavor. There was still a crew of invalids, elderly, sick, and pregnant waiting at home to be fed. Luckily, the vendor was an old hand—efficient as could be. Five minutes later, everything was packed and ready.
Chen Ji crammed it all into the backpack, ducked into a nearby alley, and slipped into a blind spot for the cameras. With that, Second Master Huang whisked him back to Little Azure Mountain… What a hectic day!
Meanwhile, deep in the dense forest on the back side of Little Azure Mountain, Second Brother and the others had successfully located their bait bag. It was hanging from a tree right by the spot where they’d tumbled down—no sign it’d been touched.
Second Brother gazed into the thicket. They’d pored over the video footage before heading into the mountains. This stretch was Five-Step Snake territory. Cutting through would take them to the plateau on the far side of the mountain, where the white tiger had appeared. There was a water source there—animals would gather to drink, and the white tiger was no exception.
But the fog that had clearly dissipated before they left was rising again.
Third Brother hesitated for a moment. He flat-out lacked the guts for another round with the Uncanny Fog. Gritting his teeth, he said, “We go around!”
Second Brother replied calmly, “Going around is dangerous… Still no word from Old Four.”
Only then did Old Five and Third Brother remember Old Four existed. They couldn’t be blamed—their minds had been solely on escaping the Mountain Lord Temple ASAP, rushing back to recover the hunting rifle before someone found and turned it in, which would’ve spelled big trouble. Then Chen Ji had given them a real scare, and Old Four had slipped their minds entirely.
Old Four had said he was dropping that girl off at the Mountain Lord Temple, but there’d been no sign of her—or him—in the temple. So where had Old Four gotten to? Something happen on the way?
Second Brother said, “They should’ve gotten there ages ago.”
Old Five couldn’t resist chiming in, “Or maybe they already headed down?”
But if they’d gone down, it didn’t explain the lost signal— theirs had been fine until they hit the Uncanny Fog. So Old Four…
Old Five, quickest with his mouth, blurted, “You don’t think Fourth Bro got lost in the Uncanny Fog on his way to find us?!”
If so, the lack of contact by now…
The three stared into the forest, where the milky-white fog drifted ethereally through the trees, twisting into countless shapes as if mirroring their thoughts. Second Brother turned to Third Brother. “We going in?”
They were brothers who’d shared life-and-death stakes, after all—that was why he bothered asking.
Otherwise, not a word.
Third Brother fell silent for a long moment before saying, “…Yeah, one more time! If we don’t find Old Four, tough luck for him!”
Old Five swallowed hard. Fourth Bro and Second Brother were the best fighters in the group; Third Brother leaned toward strategy, while he handled gadgets. Old Five murmured to Second Brother, “Bro, watch out for your little brother in there.”
Second Brother gave a slight nod. The three checked their gear and were about to plunge back into the woods when a phone rang among them.
It was Old Five’s.
The sudden ring startled him. Fumbling it out, Old Five lit up at the caller ID. “It’s Fourth Bro! Fourth Bro’s calling!”
They hadn’t entered the Uncanny Fog zone yet—the signal held.
Third Brother visibly relaxed. “Answer it.”
Old Five did, and Fourth Bro’s voice came through: “Where are you guys? My phone took a tumble, GPS is glitchy… Let’s pick a meetup spot.”
“Fourth Bro,” Old Five hurried to ask. “Where are you now? Weren’t you taking that girl to the Mountain Lord Temple? We didn’t see you there… We’re in the woods heading to the back mountain. Meet at the temple?”
“Got it,” came Old Four’s swift refusal. “I’m way out already. Skip the temple—that priest gave me the creeps. Head west and down from there. Three kilometers, bit risky so watch yourselves… I just spotted that red fox. It’s prowling around here.”
Old Five had it on speaker. He glanced at Third Brother. Compared to the killer Five-Step Snake lurking in leaf piles, a red fox was easier prey—and way more valuable. Third Brother frowned slightly, though. Following Old Four’s directions would loop them back to the path they’d just taken.
So that’s where he was?
Third Brother nodded, and Old Five replied, “Got it, heading your way now…”
Second Brother suddenly pulled out his phone, checked it, and showed Third Brother the screen. The GPS clearly pinpointed Old Four three kilometers to the west. Second Brother frowned. “GPS isn’t busted?”
Old Five had already hung up. “It glitches out sometimes after a drop… C’mon, Second Bro, Third Bro—let’s go!”
No Uncanny Fog meant their lives were a lot safer. Sweet.
The trio set off without a second thought. Three kilometers of rugged mountain trail was child’s play for them. Soon they were back at their previous spot. Fearing Old Four’s GPS might flake again, Old Five had noted the coordinates. They followed them straight to Old Four, perched in a tree.
He sat there gazing into the distance. Old Five hurried over upon spotting him. “Fourth Bro, what’re you doing?”
Old Four looked down, his face pale, eyes strikingly dark. Old Five didn’t notice. “Trouble?”
Fourth Bro nodded. “I found the red fox’s den.”
Second Brother stared steadily at him. Third Brother brightened. “For real?”
“Why would I trick you guys?” Fourth Bro leaped lightly down from the tree. For some reason, it struck Old Five that he seemed a bit stiff, but he landed perfectly all the same. Old Five shook his head to clear away the strange sensation. “Then lead the way quick, Fourth Bro!”
Old Four nodded and guided them toward the mountainside. The forest grew denser with every step, only to thin out again before long. Massive boulders on the cliff gradually emerged through gaps in the branches and leaves, coming into sharper focus.
Old Four lingered at the rear of the trio, pointing toward a pitch-black cave mouth and murmuring, “It’s right in there.”
Third Bro scrutinized it closely for a moment. “Caves like this might have other exits. Everyone, keep your senses sharp and check for any.”
Fourth Bro suddenly chuckled. “Mm, I already checked. No other exits.”
Old Five rubbed his arms. For no reason he could name, a powerful urge welled up inside him—he did not want to enter that cave.
