Uncle Liu watched as the Yellow Weasel, who had been snarling arrogantly just moments ago, ready to tear all eight of them apart, went utterly meek as a lamb after Chen Ji spoke to it softly a couple of times. He couldn’t help but feel that there was something special about this young man. Well, it made sense—the Chen family had always carried that kind of heritage.
He remembered how, back when he was a kid, whenever someone in the village came down with everyday ailments, it was Old Master Chen who laid hands on them and set things right. There was even that time the old Liu family at the end of the village was haunted by something awful. The whole household was in chaos, with folks talking about hanging themselves or jumping into the river. But Old Master Chen stepped in, and by the next day, everyone was right as rain.
Uncle Liu had originally figured Chen Ji was just a young guy from the city, clueless about rural ways. The stuff in the cellar was clearly top-quality material, but a sloppy job would do, and he could pocket the leftovers to build whatever he wanted. But now, that thought was completely gone from his mind.
There was that old saying: You don’t have to believe, but you sure as hell better show respect.
After a busy day, Chen Ji saw the workers off. The System Cat looked at him, drenched in sweat, and shooed him off to take a bath. The industrious little cat, half-draped over him, went to pick out some pre-made meals for its hardworking master. Chen Ji headed into the bathroom. Thank goodness the generator had arrived—otherwise, even a hot bath would have been a hassle, though it wasn’t exactly simple now either.
While waiting for the kettle to heat the water, Chen Ji stripped off his clothes. In the mirror, the young man had a lean, well-proportioned build, his sharp brows framing a pair of striking phoenix eyes. After a full day of labor, his lips glowed with a vivid, full flush of blood.
Chen Ji’s features weren’t effeminate, but there was an inexplicable trace of Yin Qi to him. This aura refined his brows and eyes, giving him an exquisite look tinged with something indefinable, making him seem distant and hard to approach.
Chen Ji glanced at his neck, his fingertips tracing the “Fire Dragon Waist Entwine.” The mark had turned into a bluish shade laced with Death Qi, more like a rope burn than any skin condition.
He turned his back to the mirror and stared at the pattern trailing down to his tailbone. He couldn’t recall crossing anyone—not even the Yellow Weasel; it had come after him first. Maybe it was some ancient tree spirit?
With a smirk, he poured the hot water from the kettle into the bucket and took an uncomfortable bath using well water. Even so, when he emerged, he felt refreshed. He devoured two full bowls of rice with the self-heating sour cabbage stew the System Cat had prepared for him. Under the clear breeze and bright moonlight, he casually rubbed the System Cat’s head.
No wonder people always said that if life got too tough, just head back to the countryside and farm. There was real truth to it. Back when he had a desk job, eating this stuff for days on end would have driven him nuts. Now, though? Not only was he chowing down without complaint, but he was genuinely hauling bricks—and loving every minute.
The System Cat grew drowsy under his rubs, but suddenly seemed to remember something. It tried to wriggle out of Chen Ji’s arms. He pinched its armpit and chuckled. “What’s up?”
The System Cat cleared its throat solemnly: 【This System is about to issue your rewards!】
Chen Ji tucked it back into his embrace, letting it flop belly-up on his lap. “No one’s around. Just say it.”
The System Cat figured that was fair and sprawled out without a care, letting out a burp. It waved a paw: 【Our tasks are phase-based, right? Repairing the east courtyard wall bumped the progress bar by 20%. I’ve stored the green bricks and timber for now—we’ll use them later. The money’s in your account. Oh, and there’s a high-powered generator that doesn’t need gasoline. It’s in the room.】
【Plus, there’s a nice task reward: one-click soft furnishings. Want me to take it? It’s easy.】
“What’s the task?” Chen Ji’s tone was indulgent, like he was teasing his pet cat.
The System Cat replied: 【Head into the mountains and gather three or more plant-based pigments to restore the temple. Three-day limit.】
Chen Ji accepted without a second thought. It was straightforward—folks around here lived off the mountain, and plenty of plants could be used for dyes. He’d picked them as a kid for fun. Spring was here, so rare ones might be scarce, but common ones were no problem.
He rubbed the System Cat’s fluffy belly, a smile lighting his face. “Our little 8839 is so clever, digging up tasks like this.”
The System Cat stretched lazily, its furry head nuzzling Chen Ji’s chest with a ticklish sensation: 【Heh heh~ You’d better know it.】
Man and cat savored the courtyard breeze for a bit, until it was time to surf the internet. Chen Ji carried the praiseworthy System Cat back to the room. He should have settled down too, but something stirred in his heart. He turned and stepped out the door.
【Chen Ji, what are you doing?】 the System Cat asked.
“Grabbing a couple of sodas,” he said without looking back.
He shut the door behind him with a creak. An eerie unease crept over him again—a subtle sensation, hard to pin down, with no evidence to back it up. But it felt exactly like being watched, sending chills down his spine.
And perhaps more than one thing was watching.
The once-cool evening breeze turned bone-chilling in just a few steps. Chen Ji slowly approached the temple gate. He had a hunch: the Yellow Weasel had been hanging outside for a full day and night now. Dead or alive, it was time for a resolution.
The Mountain Lord Temple loomed especially terrifying at night, even though it was a place he’d lived as a child. His body began to tremble uncontrollably. Chen Ji closed his eyes briefly, a faint smile curving his thin lips. The crimson hue gleamed unnervingly in the darkness.
Too bad he couldn’t see it himself.
He pushed the temple doors open a crack. Instantly, a cacophony assailed him: shrill laughter, wails, sobs, low moans, and murmurs overlapping in chaotic disarray.
Chen Ji stood there, listening intently.
Just then, a thick cloud drifted by the wind, blotting out the already dim moonlight. The entire Mountain Lord Temple plunged into endless night. At the same moment, eerie green lights flickered to life in the darkness, silently encircling Chen Ji. One more step, and he’d be trapped in their midst.
【Chen Ji… hee hee…!】
【Chen Ji!】
【Hee hee… come out… hee hee!】
Invisible monsters, unseen by the naked eye, lurked around him, poised to strike.
Suddenly, a beam of light pierced the heavens, scattering the night like daybreak inverted. The domineering radiance burst from Chen Ji, illuminating half the mountainside.
A pack of Yellow Weasels froze, stunned by the blinding glare.
Chen Ji hung his 150,000-lumen mega spotlight on a nail by the doorframe, eyeing the cluster of big and small Yellow Weasels like a bunch of idiots.
It wasn’t hard to figure. If the Yellow Weasels could kill him, why hadn’t they? If they could enter the temple and finish him, why not? If they could rescue their buddy, why leave it dangling?
Unless they had that cliché villain habit of toying with victims before the kill.
More likely, they simply couldn’t.
Last time, the hallucinations hit at dusk, the boundary between yin and yang. This time, in pitch darkness—so probably their powers peaked at night.
From these encounters, Chen Ji guessed the Yellow Weasels’ main trick was illusions. But thanks to the Mountain Lord Temple—or some other unknown limit—they couldn’t harm him directly here. Well, unless they all farted at once and gassed him physically.
So he decided to test it. Wrong guess? No big deal—he’d die either way. Problem unsolved meant death too. A few days’ difference was negligible.
But if he was right…
Chen Ji flashed a mild smile. “Gentlemen, good evening.”
“Here to rescue it?” With a flick of his hand, the tripod shifted. The steps to the gate were only two meters—what chance did a few branches and one Yellow-Skinned Weasel have against a grown man’s strength? In an instant, it was in his grasp.
Chen Ji dangled it by the red plastic rope like a chicken fresh from the village market, utterly casual amid dozens of sinister Yellow Weasels. “We’re all neighbors here—no need for bad blood. This little pest’s been harassing me for days. I have just one request: from now on, Forest Administration stays out of each other’s yards, live and let live as good neighbors, and I’ll let it go.”
The Yellow-Skinned Weasel thrashed wildly in his grip, but Chen Ji had bound it tight—it wriggled like a maggot. Amused, he said, “Disagree? Go on home then. Tomorrow morning, I’ll offer it up to Grandpa Mountain Lord. That works too.”
Weasels held grudges—his grandpa had scrawled that in the manual, underlining it heavily.
Chen Ji didn’t want endless trouble, so he wasn’t planning a full purge just yet.
The pack of Yellow Weasels stood stock-still in the light, as if spellbound. The one in his hand struggled harder, but Chen Ji ignored it, waiting for the others’ response.
One Yellow Weasel suddenly stirred and approached. Chen Ji leisurely tugged the plastic rope; the noose at the other end tightened sharply. The Yellow-Skinned Weasel went limp.
The advancing Yellow Weasel’s steps halted. Chen Ji smiled. “No need to fear. Come on—give me your answer.”
The Yellow Weasel let out a cry.
Chen Ji watched with an encouraging smile.
It cried again, more urgently. Instinctively, Chen Ji yanked the rope tighter. The Yellow-Skinned Weasel kicked feebly, on the brink of death.
In the next instant, the shadow of the Yellow Weasel in his hand ballooned wildly. Under the 150,000 lumens, that black shadow loomed starkly. It rose from the ground, closing in until its head nearly brushed his—a single lunge, and Chen Ji’s throat would be torn out.
Chen Ji regarded the hovering black shadow with calm poise. It roared: 【You damn well let me speak!】
【I’m about to be strangled to death—!】
