Chen Ji simply explained the question he wanted to ask. The little yellow weasel rushed over to the red fox and gesticulated wildly—a flurry of squeaks and whines. Before long, it scampered back, tugging at Chen Ji’s pant leg until it could clamber into his palm. Its voice brimmed with smug pride, just like a child proudly showing off a perfect test score to their parents: 【Brother Chen! I worked it out with it!】
【Why target Brother Xiao Wang…】 The little yellow weasel raised one of its tiny paws, waving the pink paw pad with mock ferocity right in front of Chen Ji’s face: 【Red Fur said Grandpa Mountain Lord told it to do it! Grandpa Mountain Lord wanted Red Fur to teach Brother Xiao Wang a lesson!】
Chen Ji paused. “How did Xiao Wang offend Grandpa Mountain Lord?”
The little yellow weasel’s eyes sparkled brightly. 【I asked about that too! Red Fur said Grandpa Mountain Lord didn’t explain, but it overheard! Brother Xiao Wang said he wants to fuck Grandpa Mountain Lord!】
“……?” Chen Ji wondered if he’d misheard. “Say that again?”
【Brother Xiao Wang said he wants to fuck Grandpa Mountain Lord!】 the little yellow weasel repeated with utter confidence.
Chen Ji: “……You’re sure?”
The little yellow weasel nodded solemnly. 【Positive! Red Fur said it heard it straight from the source! It was hiding in the bushes and caught Brother Xiao Wang muttering about ‘fucking,’ ‘Grandpa Mountain Lord,’ ‘Brother Chen,’ and all that! Grandpa Mountain Lord flew into a rage, which proves Brother Xiao Wang was in the wrong!】
With that, the little yellow weasel cocked its head in puzzlement. 【Brother Xiao Wang fucking Grandpa Mountain Lord? How would he even do that to Grandpa Mountain Lord? Hmm…… I can’t picture it…… Does Brother Xiao Wang mean he wants to pick a fight with Grandpa Mountain Lord? Isn’t that just asking for death? ……Humans are so weird!】
Chen Ji: “……That’s enough. Don’t say another word!”
Young folks—especially one from the new millennium—having some niche kinks was perfectly normal! He just hadn’t expected Xiao Wang’s tastes to run quite that obscure……evoking the infamous appetites of King Zhou of Shang. Truly the mark of an emperor!
Still, he needed to respect others’ privacy and not pry too much. Plus, in the name of protecting cultural relics, he’d have to firmly shut Xiao Wang down and keep a tight watch to prevent any indecent public displays.
After all, Chen Ji was the one who polished that statue.
His mind overflowed with ellipses. He’d racked his brain for reasons behind Xiao Wang’s family mishap, imagining everything from the red fox digging up its own ancestral grave and kicking skulls around like soccer balls. But this? Xiao Wang harboring impure designs on Grandpa Mountain Lord? That possibility had never crossed his mind!
This was going to be tricky.
Chen Ji gently stroked the little yellow weasel’s head. “Good baby, go tell it this: since it had nothing to do with the incident, I won’t give it any trouble. Have it behave itself here, heal up its injuries, and I’ll let it go once it’s better.”
The little yellow weasel’s eyes lit up like stars. 【Brother Chen! You’re the best!】
Chen Ji smiled softly. “We’re both devoted to Grandpa Mountain Lord, handling tasks for him. How could I make things hard for it?”
The little yellow weasel bobbed its head vigorously before darting back over to the red fox for another round of frantic gesturing. Moments later, the red fox obediently trotted up, gingerly nudging its head against Chen Ji’s calf. When he showed no sign of objection, it rested its front paws on his leg and burrowed its head into his palm, rubbing against it with abandon.
Chen Ji obliged by rubbing the red fox’s head in return. It let out a couple of soft whines of contentment. He then set it down to rest and recover, turning to thank the little yellow weasel for its efforts before handing over the promised egg yolk pastry.
Slinging the pastry over its shoulder, the little yellow weasel bounded off in high spirits. Chen Ji watched it go, a heavy sigh escaping inwardly—Xiao Wang had pissed off Grandpa Mountain Lord, who clearly wasn’t the patient type if he’d sent the red fox all the way down the mountain. What a mess the future might hold.
Perhaps he should give Xiao Wang a heads-up first. Depending on the situation, maybe stock up on extra offerings to beg Grandpa Mountain Lord’s forgiveness—or try something else.
This was Shangyang Village’s one and only express station, after all!
A sudden breeze stirred the branches with a rustling whisper, sending a few loose strands of hair slipping free from Chen Ji’s tie to dance before his eyes. He tucked them behind his ear and ran a hand over the locks at the nape of his neck—was it growing a bit too fast?
He recalled getting his last trim just a month ago, yet here it was, long enough to need tying back, or it’d get in the way.
Probably……well, life on the mountain meant no late nights, regular meals, and the occasional “thrilling encounter” with some “cute critters” to get his blood pumping and toughen his nerves. Who knew—maybe his health had improved overall, accelerating his hair growth.
Eh, better fast than slow. If it kept falling out like before, by thirty-five he’d have the system cat scouring the web for the best affordable wigs……or simpler yet, just rock a permanent baseball cap.
Out of nowhere, something heavy latched onto Chen Ji’s back. He glanced over his shoulder to find the system cat sprawled there, hind legs kicking futilely for purchase. Chen Ji chuckled and cupped its rear paws, letting it scramble up onto his shoulder.
The system cat let out a long breath, its tail flicking lazily across his back. 【Whew……finally made it…… Just snagged two awesome quests! Killer rewards! Chen Ji, you in?】
Uncle Liu would be tied up at the hospital looking after Xiao Wang’s family for the next few days, halting work here. A thought struck Chen Ji—temple renovations usually sailed smoothly: rains held off, winds calmed, disasters averted. But snags? They signaled divine displeasure.
Hmm…… With Grandpa Mountain Lord dispatching a fox spirit to endanger Xiao Wang’s family, that displeasure was obvious. Maybe time to switch contractors?
Chen Ji asked, 【Xiao Ba, what’s the remaining workload in days?】
The system cat managed all his minutiae, rattling off the answer without consulting notes. 【Non-stop with the current four-man crew: ten days, plus seven for drying—seventeen total. Hire ten strong laborers, skip drying: three days minimum. That’ll cost an extra ten thousand yuan.】
Chen Ji nodded. 【Hook up the ten-grand option. Get it done quick.】
He needed the basic structure finished before activating the system’s one-click renovation reward. Otherwise, how would he explain to Uncle Liu how those rooms got fully decked out during his absence? He’d planned to take it slow, but summer heat meant more showers, and without a water heater, it was miserable.
【Got it. I’ll ping them first thing tomorrow morning and nudge you if they reply.】 The system cat continued, 【About those quests? One’s gathering ten jin of herbs, the other’s five types of minerals. You doing them?】
【Grab ’em for now. No rush.】
Chen Ji inclined his head. Dusk had deepened, so he headed off to bed.
The next day, Chen Ji had geared up for the quests when a message from the delivery little bro pinged: Chen Ji had a bunch of packages coming, slated to hit the Shangyang Village express station around ten in the morning. Come pick them up.
The delivery little bro rarely called, but one parcel was insured for thirty thousand yuan—he had to wait for Chen Ji’s sign-off.
Chen Ji had him snap photos of the labels. Spotting Wudang Mountain as the origin, he figured it was the talisman paper from Zhang Cheng’s daoist pal. Perfect timing for studying the Five Thunder Talisman—authentic stuff! Xiao Ba could analyze it on arrival, figuring out the recipe.
With finished yellow talismans priced like his own life, blank sheets wouldn’t come cheap either. Better whip up some budget alternatives—couldn’t keep hitting up Zhang Cheng.
Chen Ji descended the mountain with the system cat riding in the bamboo basket, keeping an eye out for any wild foraged goods along the path. Rounding a bend, a tall, slender figure emerged from the trees. Chen Ji halted, a spark of pleasant surprise lighting his face. “Chang Xu?”
The man turned, his strikingly handsome features set in an icy, water-cool calm. Thin lips pressed into a stark line, tinged with an oddly vivid red. A pallor of illness clung to him, lending an air of eerie allure.
“You?” The man’s voice came out hoarse.
Seeing his sickly pallor, Chen Ji hurried forward, his hand landing naturally on Chang Xu’s arm with genuine concern. “Chang Xu, are you ill?”
Chang Xu shook his head faintly. “I’m fine.”
Taking the hint that he didn’t want to elaborate, Chen Ji dropped the subject, wary of overwhelming him and scaring him off.
Chang Xu spoke up abruptly. “Heading down the mountain?”
“Got packages waiting.” Chen Ji nodded. “You got plans later? If not, come back to my place for a meal, rest up, then head out?”
“I’ll walk you down,” Chang Xu said.
Chen Ji blinked. “Huh?”
“I’m going down too.” With that, Chang Xu strode ahead. Chen Ji fell into step beside him. Truth be told, he was intensely curious about Chang Xu. Shangyang Village was the nearest settlement—someone like him would’ve been village gossip by now. Yet here he was, turning up on Little Azure Mountain for the third time.
The mountain sprawled vast, much of it untouched primal forest. The village-side trail was navigable in two hours for a quick, practiced hiker, but other routes demanded at least a full day.
And Chen Ji knew for certain: within thirty kilometers of the Mountain Lord Temple, centered on the mountaintop, there were no other roofed dwellings.
So where did Chang Xu bunk down if he lived up here? Surely not pulling some novel-style hermit trick, like Sleeve Universe, tossing out a magic abode wherever?
But they weren’t close enough for prying questions just yet.
They couldn’t trudge along in stiff silence, so Chen Ji figured Chang Xu, another enigmatic sort, might know about the weird happenings. “Hey, Chang Xu—heard about the recent drama?”
Chang Xu said nothing but slowed his pace, his gaze shifting to Chen Ji.
Chen Ji’s eyes crinkled with barely suppressed amusement. “Grandpa Mountain Lord lost his temper and sent a fox spirit down the mountain. Know why?”
“Any injuries in the village?” That was Chang Xu’s first question, his second following swiftly. “Why?”
“No casualties—barely pulled them through.” Chen Ji explained, “Wasn’t me who stepped in. Second Master Huang handled it.”
“Ah, him.” Chang Xu dipped his head in acknowledgment.
Chen Ji lowered his voice and beckoned to him with a crooked finger. “I had the Yellow Weasel ask around for me. Apparently, that family angered Grandpa Mountain Lord. They’ve got a young little girl there, and it seems like… well…”
Chang Xu frowned and leaned in closer. The young man’s voice, laced with amusement, slipped right into his ear.
“That little girl has taken a fancy to Grandpa Mountain Lord,” he said. “She wants to become his lover…”
In the next instant, Chang Xu staggered and fell straight to the ground. His icy eyes filled with confusion and shock. “…?”
