Go all out

Chapter 19: The Rat Demon

Whoosh! Just as I was trying to get a clearer look, the eye flashed and vanished. Then there was a rustling sound from the grass as something large darted away. “What was that just now?” I took a deep breath and couldn’t help but ask. Tian Zhan sniffed the air, a strange look crossing his face. “It was a spirit creature, but I have no idea what kind. And there’s something familiar about its demonic aura…” At that point, Tian Zhan fell deep in thought. The only thing I can be certain of now is that the emerald-green eye I just saw was indeed the same one I’d seen that night before going to sleep. What? Has it set its sights on me? I thought for a moment, then asked, somewhat puzzled, “Was that the Mountain God just now?” “No. The demonic aura I sensed wasn’t very strong, so its cultivation isn’t deep. The real ‘Mountain God’ that reigns over this mountain has at least three or four hundred years of cultivation!” Tian Zhan said, shaking his head. “How do you know that?” I asked, surprised. “Did you forget about that wild rabbit from earlier? It told me.” “Holy crap, that’s practically a foreign language to me,” I said with a laugh. “Screw you,” Tian Zhan retorted with a laugh. “So what do we do now?” I asked helplessly. That spirit creature from earlier must still be nearby, and with something like that watching us, we’re in danger at any moment. “Didn’t you notice just now that the spirit was only targeting me?” Tian Zhan suddenly said. “What do you mean?” “It means that spirit might know your mom. It doesn’t dare hurt you, but it wants to stop me from going up there, so it deliberately showed up to warn me!” Tian Zhan’s lips curled into a smirk. I froze, instinctively glancing in the direction the spirit had fled, and sighed inwardly. Mom, do you already know I’m on my way up? “Come on, don’t overthink it. Maybe that spirit isn’t on your mom’s side after all? Let’s go—keep climbing the mountain. Once we find your mom, everything will make sense!” Tian Zhan said. I nodded and continued on my way. When we were kids, we called this mountain Wuzhi Mountain because it was huge and shaped a bit like fingers. It wasn’t particularly high, though—it was just massive. It would take days and nights of walking to cover it all. Around noon, Tian Zhan and I sat down to rest for a while. Thanks to those magical wild berries I’d eaten, I wasn’t hungry at all, and even after walking for so long, I wasn’t particularly tired—which surprised me. “What kind of fruit was that we just ate?” With this question on my mind, we rested for a while, then Tian Zhan and I continued up the mountain. We arrived first at the large tree where my mom had been shot last time. Tian Zhan tried searching the area using his own methods, but found no clues. Wuzhishan is just too vast—if my mom were really hiding from me, finding her wouldn’t be easy at all. However, by the afternoon, something began to happen. The spirit creature that had appeared that morning kept showing up nearby; I spotted it several times. And this time was different—the look in its eyes as it gazed at me had grown fierce, as if it were determined to stop Tian Zhan and me from going up the mountain. Tian Zhan was getting pretty annoyed too. He tried a few tricks, but this spirit was exceptionally clever—as soon as it sensed danger, it immediately ran far away. What surprised me even more was that it seemed to know my route; it would disappear for a long time, only to reappear right in front of me at any moment. I didn’t know if it was because it had been cautiously following us the whole time. In any case, this spirit kept me on edge the entire afternoon, and Tian Zhan was constantly looking for an opportunity to capture it. Finally, after enduring the spirit’s harassment for so long, Tian Zhan struck it with a yellow talisman, wounding it. The spirit let out a wail and vanished in a flash. Tian Zhan and I followed the trail of blood, but the result left us both a bit disappointed—we couldn’t find the spirit; it seemed to have hidden itself away somewhere. What surprised me, though, was that Tian Zhan’s expression had changed; he seemed to have found some clue and spent the entire afternoon deep in thought. After circling around like this all afternoon with nothing to show for it, we had no choice but to find a place to spend the night and see what tomorrow would bring. If we don’t find it today, I’ll have to head back by noon tomorrow at the latest. Since the shop won’t be open, I won’t have any income—and how am I supposed to pay Master’s medical bills then? Feeling helpless, I built a campfire, and Tian Zhan and I each ate some hardtack. But Tian Zhan gave a soft snort and set his hardtack aside. “Xiao Tian, don’t eat that. We’re guests, after all. Even though the Mountain God sealed himself away, he should still treat us to good food and drink! Eating this stuff is beneath us. Just wait—I’ll have the Mountain God send us some food! And while we’re at it, hehe…” Tian Zhan chuckled, pulled out a piece of yellow paper, quickly scribbled something on it, then chanted a spell. The yellow talisman in his hand burst into flames and shot off toward a certain spot. I couldn’t help but put down the cookie I was holding. To be honest, I wanted to eat a few more of those wild berries from earlier—they were so delicious. But after waiting quite a while, there was still no sign of activity nearby. Could it be that the Mountain God was already asleep? Tian Zhan stood up, looking somewhat impatient. “Hmph, you old fart, trying to play dumb, are you? Think I can’t find your lair??” Tian Zhan angrily pulled out a sheet of white-and-yellow paper, about the same size as the yellow talisman from before. However, he looked a bit pained as he did so—clearly, this was no ordinary item. He took out some cinnabar, dipped his brush in it, and began to write in a sweeping, flowing style on the yellowish-white paper. His movements were exceptionally skilled, and to my surprise, as soon as Tian Zhan finished his stroke in one fluid motion, the talisman was complete! How many failed attempts must it have taken to master this? I stared at Tian Zhan, whose expression was grave. Three years ago, he knew nothing except how to pick up girls, but now that he’s returned, he’s shrouded in mystery. I’m growing increasingly curious about what he’s been through during those three years. The talisman soared into the air, erupting with a roar into a column of flame that shot straight toward the heavens. The next moment—to my utter astonishment—the dark clouds in the sky shifted, and a bolt of heavenly lightning as thick as a bowl’s rim crashed down, striking a massive tree on a distant mountaintop and reducing it to ashes in an instant. “Hmph, let’s see if you dare to come out now!” Tian Zhan cursed loudly. Stunned, I walked over. “Tian Zhan, did you just summon the Thunder God just now? Did you make him send down a bolt of lightning?” Tian Zhan hurriedly made a “shh” gesture. “Keep your voice down. How could I possibly have that kind of power? It was just a clever sleight of hand.” Damn, that was way too realistic! “Hmph, still not coming out? Fine, next time, I’m going to strike your lair directly!” Tian Zhan bellowed at the top of his lungs. I have to admit, I was pretty impressed by how he pulled off that show—after all, even I had almost been knocked to my knees just now… “Here it comes.” I suddenly heard a rustling sound and hurriedly pointed toward the distant bushes, but the scene that followed nearly made me take off running. From the distant bushes, a wave surged toward us like a flood, and out crawled a swarm of tiny creatures—some the size of a fist, others as big as a human head. To my horror, they were tens of thousands of rats! Could the so-called Mountain God be a rat spirit?? “Stay calm!” Tian Zhan said calmly. I forced myself to suppress the urge to turn and run, standing motionless beside Tian Zhan instead. If I ran, it would be a huge embarrassment for him. After the swarm of rats surged forward, they came to a halt right in front of us. Leading the pack was a rat as big as a cat. Its two gleaming incisors stood out strikingly, and the whiskers around its mouth had turned white. I could clearly see an anthropomorphic expression of respect on its face. It stood up, clasped its paws together, and—to my surprise—spoke in human language: “Honored guests, our Ancestor has been waiting for quite some time. Please come in!” “A long time? I’d say it’s been hiding from us for quite a while, wouldn’t you?” Tian Zhan said bluntly. “You’re joking. The Ancestor has already prepared a feast and is here specifically to welcome you both. Please, come in!” The rat didn’t seem offended and remained just as respectful as before. I was thoroughly impressed. A simple illusion had actually startled a rat spirit hundreds of years old?? The organization behind Tian Zhan was likely far more than just a paranormal investigation team! “Fine, we’ll give your Ancestor some face.” Tian Zhan lifted his huge foot and, as if the rat on the ground were a carpet, walked right over it. “Xiao Tian, what are you standing there for? Come on over and take a ride on this living elevator.” Tian Zhan waved at me. I had goosebumps all over—this swarm of rats was genuinely unsettling. Only someone like Tian Zhan could remain so calm. I had no choice but to quicken my pace and walk over as well. I tentatively stepped onto one of the rats on the floor—to my relief, they actually supported my weight. I gritted my teeth and placed my other foot down as well. The big rat let out a squeak, and I felt as if I were actually riding an elevator—moving neither too fast nor too slow. I was truly amazed. “Not bad, huh? Stick with me, and I guarantee I’ll blow your mind time and time again!” Tian Zhan said with a chuckle. I nodded with a smile; today had certainly been an eye-opener. “Once we get to that old guy’s lair, just ask for whatever you want to eat—don’t be shy!” “Of course—I’m not the type to be shy around strangers.” We exchanged a smile, as if we’d been transported back to our childhood days when we used to sneak off together to pick watermelons. Those were truly carefree times—but things are different now. All sorts of pressures and responsibilities keep me from ever going back to the way things used to be. It was the same for Tian Zhan. After what felt like about half an hour of “riding the elevator,” I was even more astonished: these rats had actually carried Tian Zhan and me over a cliff seven or eight zhang high. I broke out in a cold sweat—no wonder we’d climbed the mountain so many times without ever discovering any rat spirits. We could see that the rat spirit was hiding deep within Wuzhi Mountain, in a particularly perilous spot. Ten minutes later, after passing through a patch of forest, a cave came into view. To my surprise, the cave’s exterior resembled a subway entrance, and its surface was covered with all kinds of flowers like a garden, giving off a sweet fragrance. Inside the cave, a red light flickered, and a faint fragrance wafted out, leaving me speechless—it almost felt like I was about to enter a red-light district. “Two distinguished guests, the Ancestor has been waiting for quite some time. Please come in!” The giant rat said, arching its back slightly. Tian Zhan nodded, then leaned in close to my ear and said, “Don’t say much for a bit—I’ll ask her directly where she lives.” “Mm-hmm.” I nodded; that was exactly what I planned to do. I’d just eat a little, and leave the rest to Tian Zhan to handle. Tian Zhan led the way inside, and I naturally had to steel myself and follow. The surface of the cave was covered with countless claw marks, and it was incredibly spacious—as if countless rats had literally dug it out by force. This left me marveling; the difficulty of such an engineering feat was probably no less than building a subway line. After walking for about a minute, the space suddenly opened up before us. At a glance, I could see the floor was covered with fresh flowers, and the surrounding walls were hung with all kinds of red lanterns. For a moment, I thought I’d stepped into the boudoir of a wealthy young lady from ancient times. A petite woman was staring at the two of us with a peculiar expression. She was wearing a sable coat and leaning back in a large armchair, looking every bit the beautiful young housewife. What surprised me even more was that seven or eight rats—as big as humans—were kneeling around her, and when they stood up, they were enormous. They were massaging her legs, but the moment they saw Tian Zhan and me walk in, their gazes all turned toward us in unison. I was completely baffled. Was this woman a rat spirit who’d been cultivating for hundreds of years?? Was she the so-called “Mountain God”?