Chapter 66 - Mountain Village
Cultivation should be lonely.
At least, that was what Su Huanhuan thought.
Immortal, a person in the mountains.
Having chosen heaven and earth, one naturally cannot choose the human world.
Cultivation is to cultivate longevity.
And longevity, how can it accommodate others?
In fact, perhaps this was indeed the case.
Su Huanhuan had originally also thought she would continue to be lonely forever.
Continue to cultivate like this forever.
But now, well, she felt her thoughts might have changed a little.
Even if there truly was a so-called solitary path for all eternity...
it was, rather, a bit too lonely.
"......"
Luo He scratched his head.
This child is getting emo late at night?
He felt Su Huanhuan's emotions fluctuating wave after wave, yet she insisted on not speaking.
So he poked a head out from Su Huanhuan's chest.
"What are you thinking about? It's so noisy, it's affecting my cultivation."
"......"
Her inner voice was clean in an instant. Comfortable.
"Luo He... I suddenly still feel that the you who couldn't speak was cuter."
"That won't do. I do whatever I want to do."
"Then can you not pop out of my chest?!"
"Oh."
Luo He shrank back, leaving only Su Huanhuan, whose heart had finally been moved a little with great difficulty, fuming with her teeth itching.
"Your state of mind is not very stable; that's not too good for you right now."
"It's better not to think about some things for now."
"Isn't it just because you said something about not being here for a lifetime..."
Hearing Luo He say this, Su Huanhuan gradually understood.
"Wait, you did that on purpose?"
"On purpose what?"
"You definitely sensed my inner voice and deliberately..."
"No, that was really noisy. I was just giving you a little suggestion, that's all."
"...If you want to be good to me, you can say it openly and honorably."
"What's there to be good or not good about? It's all just a fair and just business deal."
Luo He's voice was still so infuriatingly calm.
Indeed, even if he had been reborn as a ghost... he and his former self were still essentially the same.
Including this rock-solid stability...
"I just feel that your primary goal right now is to live well."
"Of course, this point of living well is also not at all simple."
"Then what about after living?"
"After..."
Luo He was silent for a moment, then replied:
"Just living well is already very difficult; I'm not that greedy yet."
"Heh..."
That was also true.
...
Early morning.
Slept well.
After putting out the fire and organizing her things, Su Huanhuan arranged her attire anew and walked out of the hunter's cabin.
"Slow down, there are people."
"Hmm?"
Luo He spoke softly beside her. Following the direction Luo He pointed, Su Huanhuan saw an elderly man and woman walking along the forest path.
The two elders already had hair and beards of white, but they weren't leaning on walking sticks; even on this mountain path, they still walked steadily, hale and hearty, with a bit of a "vigorous in old age" feeling.
They were also somewhat surprised to see Su Huanhuan, dressed in a gray robe and looking travel-worn.
The old man conversed a bit with the person beside him, then came closer and gave a slight bow.
"In these deep mountains and old forests, a young lady like you is truly a rare sight... Did you sleep in that small cabin for a night?"
"Yes, I saw it was in disrepair for a long time and thought it was unused... If it is your home, I am willing to pay a lodging fee. I've been very presumptuous; I ask for your magnanimity."
"No matter, no matter."
The old man quickly waved his hand to indicate it was alright, then continued to speak:
"Ahead, there is a mountain village under Yedu's jurisdiction called Deer Steps Village. This old man is its village chief. I heard from the villagers that there was a firelight here last night, so I rushed over during the day to take a look."
"Then your elderly self's constitution is really quite good, to walk such a steep mountain path."
Su Huanhuan looked at the path behind the old man.
"Having walked in these mountains for a lifetime, one naturally becomes familiar with them."
"However, young lady, staying here for one night is alright, but recently, these mountains have not been peaceful at all."
"Oh, not peaceful?"
"Precisely. Young lady, last night... did you happen to hear any strange noises?"
"Strange noises?"
Su Huanhuan gave Luo He, who was at her side, a look; Luo He nodded his head.
There indeed were, but there was no threat, so he hadn't said anything last night.
"In these years, I don't know what kind of spirit monster has appeared in the mountains, but a great beast has actually become a spirit and often runs down the mountain to eat people."
"Many travelers who come here have been eaten completely. Look..."
As the old man spoke, he took out a hoe from the small cabin.
He hoed at a patch of dense weeds for a good while, and afterwards, a large pile of simple, small grave markers was strikingly revealed.
"We have no way to deal with that tiger demon either; we can only help these poor people collect their remains and bury them here..."
"Last night, you actually slept on this pile of dead people!"
"Ah, such a thing actually happened!"
Su Huanhuan's flowery face turned pale with fright, and she couldn't help but take a step back.
"Absolutely true... If it weren't for the sky being too dark at the time, I should have come up to remind you then."
"However, young lady, you truly are lucky to be alive; you actually didn't run into that monster tiger last night."
"With such a demonic creature in the mountains, why does your village still remain here?"
"Alas, the people in the village are attached to the old ways; not wanting to move away is one reason."
The old man looked at Su Huanhuan and continued to speak:
"Seeing you walking this road, young lady, you must be going to Yedu, right?"
"Precisely."
"Then that's right."
The old man slapped his thigh.
"Then, our Deer Steps Village is under Yedu's jurisdiction. Previously, a Reverend Immortal from Yedu came to investigate this matter."
"Although he did not eliminate that demon tiger, he did impart to us a technique to avoid demonic creatures and also left behind a Dharma formation for us to use for refuge."
"Young lady, although nothing happened to you last night, the road to Yedu is not short; tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, it's hard to say."
"Why not come to our village to rest for a night? I will also impart that technique to you... May it ensure your journey ahead is without worry."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, old sir."
Su Huanhuan patted her chest with lingering fear and bowed respectfully to the old man.
...
Inside Deer Steps Village, it looked no different from an ordinary mountain village.
Women washed clothes by the creek, men worked in the fields, children chased each other and ran across the field ridges, and even the big yellow dog lying by the doorway seemed a bit more energetic.
If one had to point something out, it would be that the people here did not have the gauntness that comes from long-term labor.
It rather had the feeling of a self-sufficient, carefree Peach Blossom Spring.
Seeing the village chief bring back an outsider, these villagers didn't seem to find it strange either; on the contrary, they waved friendly at Su Huanhuan.
Su Huanhuan smiled and waved back in response.
"What do you plan to do?"
Luo He, remaining inside Su Huanhuan's body, quietly asked.
"The methods of this group of mountain folk are not new, but the thing they've raised is still rather interesting..."
Su Huanhuan silently communicated with Luo He in her heart.
"Just wait, stupid fox. I'll add an extra dish to your meal later.”
"We're here."
As the old man stopped, the two walked before a large ancestral hall built of stone.
This was a wide, open space; not a single villager could be seen here.
The old man pushed open the door of the ancestral hall; inside, candlelight shone brilliantly, and offerings were placed everywhere.
In the very center of the ancestral hall sat a figure from behind, wrapped in a piece of red cloth.
"Inside is an elder from our village. After you go in and greet him, he will then teach you."
"Go on."
Meeting the old man's benevolent gaze, Su Huanhuan walked straight inside without deviation.
Just as she had expected, the moment she entered, the ancestral hall door behind her instantly slammed shut.
The wind from the closing door made the candlelight within the ancestral hall sway.
Following a bizarre sound, one that a human body could not possibly make, the red cloth behind that figure in front fell down.
Su Huanhuan couldn't be bothered with nonsense either; she casually materialized a blood spear and thrust it forward.
Hiss, hiss, hiss!
A sharp and ear-piercing screech instantly filled the entire ancestral hall; that human figure also rapidly swelled and twisted.
The blood it left behind was as viscous as petroleum and also carried a deep stench.
Then, a tiger—incomparably ferocious, its body covered in pustules and wounds, gaunt and sinister—appeared.