Chapter 1: The Taoist at the Wind and Rain Mountain God Temple

You hour, sunset.

The sky grew late, the setting sun dipped into the west, leaving only a dim, yellow glow on the horizon.

The Qingping Mountains, stretching twelve hundred miles, gradually slipped into twilight. The mountain forests grew increasingly dark; bird calls became sparse, insect chirps faded, and the entire mountain seemed to fall into silence along with the setting sun.

By the Xu hour, the entire Qingping Mountain was completely shrouded in night. From afar, it looked like a vast, dark expanse, resembling a giant beast crouching on the land.

As dark clouds gathered, a night wind suddenly rose. The cold wind howled, and the mountain forests were accompanied by thunder and lightning. Before long, the rain poured down like a deluge.

In the Qingping Mountains, veiled by night rain and clouds, only the Mountain God Temple halfway up the slope seemed to have a faint, flickering light, appearing and disappearing.

At this moment, a young Daoist holding an oil-paper umbrella gazed at the Mountain God Temple from afar, whispering to himself: "Presumably, that creature is right here."

The Daoist’s surname was Jiang, his given name Sheng, and his courtesy name Yuanchen. He was a newly promoted inner disciple of the Penglai Dao Sect. After successfully establishing his foundation, he had descended the mountain to gain experience in accordance with sect rules.

Dao Sect foundation-establishment disciples are required to travel and cultivate in the outside world; only after opening their Purple Mansion can they return to the sect.

Jiang Sheng had traveled here and discovered that the Qingping Mountains held hidden mysteries, counting as a blessed land where even the creatures within had obtained a measure of opportunity.

This was undoubtedly a windfall from heaven, and Jiang Sheng naturally did not want to miss it.

Inside the Mountain God Temple, flames licked the firewood with a crackling sound, and wisps of blue smoke rose straight up, swirling toward the temple roof.

In this temple amidst the night rain, two groups of people sat around their respective campfires, silent.

In the corner on the left was a grandfather and his grandson. They sat cross-legged on a pile of withered yellow weeds, seemingly indifferent to the fierce wind and rain outside or the dilapidated environment. The old man held two flatbreads, roasting them over the fire, while the little grandson stared at the bread with eager eyes.

In the corner on the right were five young men. They squatted on the ground, reaching out to warm themselves by the fire. From time to time, one would yawn, take a small sip from a wine flask at his waist, smack his lips, and continue staring at the bonfire.

The two groups went about their own business, neither disturbing the other. Though silent, there was a tacit understanding between them.

Just then, the door of the Mountain God Temple creaked open. Both groups looked over in unison to see a young Daoist holding an oil-paper umbrella.

The group of young men clearly breathed a sigh of relief and continued to force themselves to stay awake, warming themselves and drinking. The old man also went back to roasting his bread, but the little grandson was very curious about the suddenly appearing Jiang Sheng.

"The mountain rain rose suddenly, and there is nowhere to go in the night, so I must impose upon you for a while," Jiang Sheng said with an apologetic bow.

"Daoist, you jest. This Mountain God Temple has no owner, and we are only here to shelter from the rain. How could it be an imposition? Please, make yourself at home," the old man smiled.

Jiang Sheng noticed that when the old man mentioned the temple had no owner, the expressions of the young men turned somewhat strange.

Ignoring the young men, Jiang Sheng walked over to the grandfather and grandson: "Old man, may I borrow a piece of firewood?"

The old man knew Jiang Sheng wanted to start a fire to warm himself, so he smiled: "Daoist, if you don't mind, just come and share our fire."

"Then I shall impose."

After Jiang Sheng sat down, the old man chatted idly: "Daoist, why enter the mountains so late at night? The Qingping Mountains are not very peaceful at night."

Jiang Sheng explained: "I am traveling and reached this place. My original intention was to climb the mountain in search of a creature, but I did not expect to be blocked by the night rain."

The old man was very curious: "Oh? Searching for a creature? You may not know, Daoist, but the Qingping Mountains are vast, and there are many venomous snakes and fierce beasts. If the creature you are looking for is rare, it would be very dangerous to accidentally encounter mountain wolves or vipers."

"If that creature is very important to you, it would be best to hire a local hunter to guide you for the sake of safety."

Jiang Sheng did not answer the old man. He looked at the wind and rain outside the temple and suddenly said: "Old man, you had better take your grandson and leave first. This Mountain God Temple is not a peaceful place."

The old man shook his head repeatedly: "The rain is heavy and the wind is fierce outside, and it is damp and cold. Furthermore, the mountain paths are slippery at night and not safe. This temple is, at the very least, a place to shelter from the wind and rain. How could we leave?"

Jiang Sheng shook his head: "Old man, take my advice—it would be best to leave now."

The little grandson looked at Jiang Sheng with a puzzled face, and the old man was even more confused: "I say, Daoist, I kindly invited you to warm yourself by the fire, yet you advise us to go out and get soaked in the rain. What kind of logic is that?"

Jiang Sheng sighed. Before he could explain further, one of the five young men spoke up: "Hey, you Daoist, why do you say this Mountain God Temple is not a peaceful place?"

Jiang Sheng sighed softly and looked at the young men gloomily: "Under the Qingping Mountains lies Qingping Town; in Qingping Town, peace is hard to find. These days, several households in Qingping Town have hung up white funeral banners one after another. If it is hard to find peace at the foot of the mountain, it is even harder to find it within the mountain."

"Daoist, have you discovered something?" Even if the old man was slow, he knew the situation was turning ominous.

This young Daoist seemed to be at odds with the five young men!

Jiang Sheng nodded slightly: "I have discovered that there are vengeful spirits wailing in this temple; I have also discovered that there are demons and evil spirits causing mischief in this temple."

"Daoist! You speak so spookily—where are these demons? Where are these vengeful spirits?!" One of the young men shouted angrily, looking as if he would rush forward to strike Jiang Sheng if he couldn't provide proof.

Jiang Sheng’s gaze swept from left to right across the five young men and the grandfather and grandson, then looked toward the broken Mountain God statue in front of him: "The vengeful spirits are blinded by illusions and do not know they are already dead, and the demon causing the mischief is right before us."

As Jiang Sheng’s voice fell, the Mountain God Temple suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Jiang Sheng looked at the five young men, whose faces had suddenly turned dull, and shouted sharply: "Wake up at once!"

This shout carried the power of a spell. The five young men immediately swayed and collapsed, clutching their heads and wailing in agony.

"Ahhhhh! Who am I? I am Wang Da! I am Wang Da! I was eaten by a tiger!"

"There's a tiger! There's a tiger!"

"Help! Don't eat me, don't eat me, help!"

The shrill wails echoed in the temple. The five young men had somehow transformed into ghostly shadows, repeating the scene of being devoured by a tiger before their deaths.

The grandfather and grandson were so frightened by this scene that they retreated repeatedly until they were pressed against the corner of the wall.

They never expected that by merely seeking shelter from the rain, they would encounter such a terrifying scene!

Recalling Jiang Sheng’s advice to leave, the old man hugged his grandson tightly, filled with regret. Had he known the temple was so terrifying, he would have taken his grandson and left, even if it meant braving the night rain and slippery mountain paths!

Suddenly, there was another burst of wailing from the vengeful ghosts!

The five swaying, pained ghosts suddenly stood up. Their faces were now blank, their expressions sinister, and their forms gradually became ethereal. In the blink of an eye, ghost energy overflowed.

Chang ghosts!

Those devoured by a tiger become controlled by the evil tiger after death, reduced to ghostly servants of the tiger, known as *Chang*.

"Daoist, do you know that you have ruined the Mountain God’s banquet?"