Chapter 30: Pork Crackling Cabbage Dumplings Part 2

【I… Hic!】 The System Cat let out a massive hiccup inside Chen Ji’s mind.

Chen Ji couldn’t help but snicker. The System Cat said wistfully, 【Why do you seem extra happy today?】

【Not especially.】 Chen Ji strolled through the Mountain Lord Temple with the System Cat, inspecting the progress. The originally drafty, dilapidated walls had already been patched up. Against the vibrant red pillars, the fresh white plaster looked a bit out of place. Chen Ji patted one of the pillars. The wood was top-quality; even after years of neglect, it showed no signs of rot or decay. Once everything was tidied up, he could just buy a couple of cans of paint and give the pillars a fresh coat.

The cracked red paint actually had a nice texture to it—a beauty forged by the passage of time. A second later, Chen Ji changed his mind. Nah, better skip the repaint. Maybe find some colorless anti-corrosive coating instead.

In a few more days, the walls would be fully done. Next up were the roof tiles—Grandpa’s cellar had some old ones stashed away, and the System Cat’s material pack included matching replacements, so there was nothing to worry about.

“Better buy some gold leaf first…” Chen Ji muttered to himself.

The real challenge was restoring the statue. That thing was gilded and painted with intricate colors; it took real skill. He was just a programmer—where was he supposed to pull off something like that? He’d probably need to hire a professional craftsman…

Chen Ji suddenly realized a problem. This statue was several centuries old, wasn’t it? Restoring it wouldn’t count as damaging a cultural artifact, would it?

Wait—no, shouldn’t he turn it over to the authorities?!

Oh boy…

Chen Ji’s eyelid twitched. He quickly searched online and breathed a sigh of relief when he learned it didn’t need to be handed over. If Grandpa found out he’d surrendered the Mountain Lord Statue that the family had guarded for generations, the old man would probably haunt his bedside at midnight and beat him senseless.

Whatever—gold leaf first. If the craftsman said it wasn’t needed, he could just use it to gild a small divine position for Grandpa Mountain God. That way, he wouldn’t be breaking his promise.

Chen Ji was placing an order for gold leaf on an online store when his WeChat pinged with a message notification. It was a voice message from his red-clothed buddy, Zhang Cheng. Chen Ji tapped it open and heard Zhang Cheng’s vigorous voice booming through: “Hey?! Bro! Ship that package for me! Pronto! Your bro here’s itching to go chop some folks!”

Chen Ji sent back an ‘OK’ emoji, switched to the courier app, and selected express priority shipping. Almost immediately, the other end confirmed the shipment process had started, with delivery expected in seven days.

He screenshot it for Zhang Cheng, who promptly fired back another voice message: “Thanks a ton, bro! Your bro will treat you to dinner when he gets back!”

Chen Ji couldn’t help smiling. Coming back might be tricky for him—after all, he’d relied on Chen Ji to ship his package outbound. Who’d handle the return shipment? Without it, how would he even get back to the country? Would the Underworld customs hold him up at the border? Or would it be like illegal immigration—fines and jail time?

With that thought, Chen Ji scrambled to his feet and headed outside the Mountain Lord Temple. He drew a circle with laundry detergent on the ground and burned a bunch of stuff for his red-clothed friend: silver ingots, plus a Western suit, watch, and thick gold chain. Clothes make the man, after all—and money makes even ghosts get things done…

Moments later, another voice message from Zhang Cheng arrived: “Whoa, bro, that’s mighty generous of you! Money received—thanks a bunch!”

Chen Ji poked at the fire pile until it was nearly out, then doused it with water to make sure it wouldn’t flare up again overnight. After a quick check on the detention center at dawn, he headed back to sleep.

What a delightful day.

The next morning, while Chen Ji was still deep in slumber, a phone call jolted him awake. Groggy, he grabbed his phone and saw it was Uncle Liu calling. He answered: “Hey? Uncle Liu, what’s up?”

Uncle Liu’s voice was frantic: “Hey? Little Chen, can you come down the mountain? Something’s off at Xiao Wang’s place—and Xiao Wang himself isn’t doing great…”

“Not doing great?” Chen Ji snapped fully awake. “What do you mean? Has he been to the hospital?!”

“They already took him there; he’s still at the hospital… But now his house is acting up again!” Uncle Liu spoke in vague terms, trailing off. Chen Ji pulled on his clothes while pressing: “Uncle Liu, we’re all friends here—just tell me what’s going on.”

Xiao Wang was a good guy—always friendly, plus he’d wrapped dumplings for Chen Ji and even delivered packages up the mountain. Help or not, Chen Ji had to go check it out.

Uncle Liu’s voice came through: “Aw, I can’t quite explain! It’s just plain spooky! Hurry over!”

Chen Ji frowned and asked immediately: “Has stuff like this happened in the village before?!”

“Doesn’t seem like it.” Uncle Liu paused, then added hurriedly: “Well, yeah—there was something, but that was decades ago! I was just a kid back then!”

So nothing weird in recent decades.

“I’m heading over now.” Chen Ji agreed, and the call ended. He hesitated a moment, then grabbed the box with the yellow talismans. The System Cat, hovering nearby, said worriedly: 【Chen Ji, do you really have to go? What if it’s too much to handle?】

【It’s fine.】 Chen Ji replied: 【Don’t forget—I can see them. If it’s real demons or ghosts and I can’t deal with it, I’ll just walk away.】

【Okay, but promise you’ll run if you need to!】 The System Cat leaped onto Chen Ji’s body and, in the next instant, dissolved into nothingness, returning to his body. Chen Ji slung on his backpack, stuffed his things inside, and headed out.

Before leaving, he made sure to light incense in the main hall, announcing his departure—but this time, Chen Ji wised up and didn’t specify when he’d return.

A thick morning fog blanketed Little Azure Mountain, so dense you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Chen Ji switched on his fifty-thousand-lumen flashlight, illuminating a patch of the world. It wasn’t as powerful as the one-hundred-fifty-thousand-lumen spotlight, but it was portable!

The beam didn’t cut through much fog, but it was better than stumbling blindly.

The System Cat, getting cold feet, quietly activated a Full Territory Scan. In a spot like this, a massive demon popping up right in front of Chen Ji wouldn’t be surprising at all—this was straight out of a horror flick! But it didn’t dare tell him; the place had that mystical vibe, and it was afraid of summoning trouble by naming it.

A Full Territory Scan couldn’t detect demons or ghosts, but it would pick up venomous snakes or wild beasts! Chen Ji was no tank; if he accidentally stepped on a viper in the fog, forget saving anyone—he’d be lucky to survive himself.

The scan imagery fed straight into Chen Ji’s mind via the System Cat. He said nothing—better not acknowledge the rule-breaking cheat, or it’d be evidence against him. Just use it quietly.

Suddenly, Chen Ji heard a strange cry.

“Screee—!”

A massive black shadow loomed in the fog behind him. Chen Ji’s scalp prickled. In the next instant, a brownish-yellow weasel with white-tipped fur burst from the mist. It stood upright like a person, eyeing Chen Ji: 【Chen Ji, you little punk—what’re you doing wandering around at this hour?! Ptoo! Quit kicking!】

Only then did Chen Ji notice Second Master Huang had a rabbit clamped in his mouth—even bigger than his own body. Second Master Huang swatted the rabbit’s head with a paw, stunning it; only faint breaths proved it was still alive.

“Second Grandpa Huang!” Chen Ji said quickly. “I’m heading down the mountain—something’s up in the village. Coming with?”

【Huh? Sure thing!】 Second Grandpa Huang’s mouth moved faster than his brain. By the time he realized it, Chen Ji had already scooped him up. His jaws slackened, and he yelped: 【Rabbit! My rabbit!】

Chen Ji had already nabbed the rabbit by its ears. As he walked, he asked: “This rabbit for?”

【For you!】 Second Grandpa Huang said. 【You let it go, and we’re through! Don’t you humans love saying bunnies are too cute…】

“Bunnies are too cute, so we’ll make salt-and-pepper stir-fried rabbit chunks.” Chen Ji said. “Not convenient right now—can you get a kid to drop it at my door?”

【Deal… Tie it up first.】 Second Grandpa Huang let out a cry from Chen Ji’s arms. Echoes answered from the fog, and soon two or three weasels fell in step behind Chen Ji, chittering at his heels. Chen Ji bound the rabbit’s legs with plastic twine; a little weasel snatched it by the neck and scampered off.

Chen Ji gave Second Grandpa Huang in his arms a rub: “Second Grandpa’s the best.”

【You know it! Don’t you know who your Second Grandpa Huang… Hey, where’re you petting?!】

Chen Ji didn’t even look as he slid his hand from Second Grandpa Huang’s belly up to his head and gave it a good scratch. Second Grandpa Huang squinted in bliss, then shook himself vigorously and flipped nimbly onto Chen Ji’s shoulder: 【Watch your step—if you fall, your Second Grandpa Huang can’t save you… In such a rush? What’s the deal?】

Chen Ji gave a quick rundown. Second Grandpa Huang turned dead serious: 【What?! That kid who wrapped me those dumplings yesterday got hit? Let’s go, go, go! Hop on me—you ride! I wanna see what punk dares mess with someone under your Second Grandpa Huang’s protection!】

Those dumplings had been top-notch!

A massive black shadow surged from Second Grandpa Huang’s body. Chen Ji’s feet sank into something soft; the next moment, he was astride the shadow, hurtling forward at dozens of times normal speed. The dense white fog parted like a knife slicing through silk.

The gale whipped the black shadow’s fur into a frenzy, wind roaring in their ears. Chen Ji clutched Second Grandpa Huang’s fur to steady himself. Maybe it was the thick fog on either side or the sheer velocity, but Chen Ji had the weird illusion that he wasn’t moving at all.

Suddenly, Second Grandpa Huang’s voice rang out: 【Ow! Easy, easy! You trying to yank out your Second Grandpa Huang’s fur?!】

Chen Ji pulled his hand back—and sure enough, a few strands of black fur clung to his palm.

【My fur—! Ow—!】

【No salt-and-pepper rabbit, and we’re not square! And sweet water too—!】

Amid the fog, the White Tiger halted its pursuit and quietly averted its gaze.