Go all out

Chapter 5: Asking the Mountain God

“Master, once we find my mom, could you…” I hesitated before asking. “Let that beast go?” my master sneered. “Yes.” “Then who’s going to make amends for the two lives lost in that village?” my master asked, fixing me with a stern gaze. “When a person kills another person, they must pay with their life—but does that not apply when a beast kills?” I was speechless. My mom confirmed that she had killed those two, but no matter what, I wasn’t going to let her die. After saying that, my master ignored me. He went off on his own, tucking into his breakfast with a hearty appetite. A few minutes later, he slung his hunting rifle over his shoulder, and I naturally followed, carrying my backpack. No matter what, if my master was going to lay a hand on my mom, I’d fight to the death to stop him. Just as my master and I stepped out the door, a black Mercedes drove up from a distance and pulled up in front of the shop. A man clutching a briefcase quickly got out of the car and approached my master with a somewhat ingratiating air. The man was dressed in a suit and tie, his hair slicked back to a high shine—he was clearly a wealthy man. After approaching, he said respectfully, “Hello, Master Li. I was referred by Mr. Zhang. I called you last week to say I’d be coming today. I was wondering if you could do a reading for me today…” Hearing this, I took a curious look at the man. First, I was drawn to a black mole at the corner of his mouth. People say that a mole near the mouth signifies wealth and a love of food—in today’s terms, he’s a total foodie. But the man before me was no ordinary “foodie.” First, there was a red spot beneath his left eyebrow—the “Sha Point”—which we fortune-tellers regard as an ominous mark. Furthermore, his nose was unusually large yet hooked, and his cheekbones were slightly asymmetrical. Combined with the Sha Point at the corner of his eye, these features clearly indicated a fierce and ruthless disposition. In other words, he was the kind of “foodie” who would devour others without sparing a bone! This man is a ruthless individual, and his Life Palace is dark and gloomy—clearly, he’s recently run into trouble, and it’s highly likely he’s gotten involved in something that threatens someone’s life… The master glanced at him and waved him off. “I’m busy today. Come back sharp at the same time next Monday.” Upon hearing this, the man shuddered and hurriedly said, “Huh? Master Li, I made an appointment last week! Besides, this matter at my company is really urgent. Could you please find some time today to take a look? Show me the way forward.” “Your company? If it’s really a company matter, then I’ll read your fortune right now!” The master gave him a cold smile. The man immediately felt a bit embarrassed. Gritting his teeth, he could only say, “All right, then. I’ll be here right on time next Monday.” With that, the man quickly got into his car and drove away. “Xiaotian, what do you think of this guy?” The master asked me suddenly after he’d left. Without hesitation, I recounted my entire analysis. The Master nodded, then shook his head. “You underestimated him a bit. He has indeed been implicated in a homicide, but he has no direct connection to it—he’s just been dragged into it.” Hearing the Master say this, I finally remembered: although the man’s brow had been dark, there was a red pimple just to the right of the center of his forehead. A pimple is different from a mole—once it bursts, it naturally heals back to normal. Simply put, he’s been having a run of bad luck lately, but a turning point is coming—and that turning point will be next Monday. The master watched the black Mercedes drive away, staring blankly for a moment, then suddenly turned to me and said, “Xiaotian, you’ll read his fortune on Monday.” “Me?” I was taken aback. “Yes, you do his reading, because I might not be back by Monday…” My master’s voice was strangely calm. What did “might not be back” mean? I was a bit confused. The Master didn’t explain further. He hopped on his scooter, and after I closed the shop, I hurried after him, and the two of us headed toward the mountain. Master didn’t say a word the whole way. About half an hour later, we reached the foot of the mountain. Master knew this mountain far better than I did, but after getting off the scooter and parking it, he looked at the path leading up the mountain with a hint of hesitation. He took out three copper coins and three sticks of sandalwood incense. After lighting the incense, he inserted the coins into the sticks and then planted them in a straight line into the ground. But to my surprise, as the incense burned, the three copper coins holding the sticks suddenly popped out on their own. I was startled—having followed the master for so long, I naturally knew what he was doing. This was “consulting the mountain deity.” My master explained that every mountain, no matter how big or small, has a mountain deity who presides over everything within it—just as every river has a river deity. My master and I had gone in to capture my mother—which amounted to taking something that belonged to the Mountain God—so we had to burn incense to inform the Mountain God. But now that the three copper coins had flown out, it was clear the Mountain God did not approve. If he had agreed, the incense would have burned out, and the three coins would have turned to ashes, taken away by the Mountain God. My master clutched the three copper coins, his face darkening. “Hmph, birds of a feather!” “Xiaotian, let’s go—we’re heading up the mountain!” My master snorted coldly and, disregarding the Mountain God’s objections, simply set off up the mountain with his hunting rifle on his back. I was taken aback. Wasn’t Master afraid the Mountain God would appear? If the Mountain God did appear, the consequences would be dire. Seeing that the Master had already walked far ahead, I naturally hurried to catch up. I couldn’t stop the Master from going up the mountain, but I could stop him from harming my mother! After climbing for half an hour, I immediately sensed something was wrong. Since the Mountain God had objected, Master and I had already encountered seven or eight venomous snakes along the way—and even a ferocious wild boar. Although my master scared them off with his tools, these creatures rarely appeared in my presence. After all, whenever I went up the mountain before—thanks to my mom—I never encountered such dangerous creatures. But right now, it’s clear the mountain god isn’t giving my mom any leeway. But looking at it another way, the mountain god is also protecting my mom. I felt a little more at ease. Following behind my master, I watched his expression grow increasingly grim as these snakes and other creatures kept appearing—and with ever-greater frequency. On several occasions, a few vibrantly colored venomous snakes nearly bit my master. My master, who never takes a life unless absolutely necessary, even shot one snake in the tail with his gun just to make the swarm retreat. I felt a chill run down my spine. By noon, we’d come up empty-handed. I was secretly relieved, but my master’s face had turned ashen. We sat under a large tree to rest. I didn’t say a word—I certainly wasn’t going to rub salt in the wound and provoke him. Master had raised me all these years, so I knew his temperament well. All I could do was pull a piece of bread and some water from my backpack and hand them to him. He glanced at me and took them. After resting for over ten minutes, my master and I continued our search. In the afternoon, the snakes were nowhere to be seen, and the rest of the journey was uneventful, which made me breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed the Mountain God had been angry earlier that morning, but by the afternoon, his anger had subsided. However, the Mountain God must have alerted my mom, so she was probably hiding. No matter how skilled my master was, he wouldn’t be able to find her. Sure enough, by the time night fell, we still hadn’t seen even a trace of my mom, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was already pitch black, and I thought the master would head back today and come back tomorrow—after all, the two of us had been wandering around the mountain all day and were pretty exhausted. But to my surprise, he quietly chopped down a few large tree branches and set up a makeshift shelter all by himself. “Is the master planning to spend the night here?” “Xiaotian, come give me a hand—the two of us are sleeping here tonight,” the master called out to me. I could only nod and go over to help. Soon, the shelter was set up. The master told me to wait there while he went off alone to gather some firewood and wild fruit. After we got the fire going, the master and I sat by the fire, slowly eating bread in one hand and wild berries in the other. Once we’d finished, the master scattered a circle of sulfur around us to keep insects and snakes away. The master told me to go to sleep first while he kept watch, but how could I possibly sleep? I could only say, “Master, you sleep first.” He didn’t say a word, just nodded and lay down inside the shelter. Soon I heard him snoring, while I lay there staring at the burning fire, wide awake. How can I put this? I didn’t know why my mom wouldn’t see me when I arrived last night. Was she angry, or was it because of my master’s words: “Humans have their way, and spirits have theirs; humans and spirits follow different paths”? Was that why she’d deliberately kept her distance from me? I sighed. Just then, I suddenly heard a rustling sound in the distance. My heart skipped a beat, and I hurriedly looked over with caution, only to discover a pair of emerald-green eyes slowly emerging from the darkness…