Mythology Returns! Starting with Folklore and Strange Tales

The cave itself is just an ordinary cave.

However, the monster's long-standing presence left behind an unyielding stench of wild beasts, along with a pungent, fermented smell of excrement.

The deeper they went, the stronger the smell became, and faint scraping sounds could be heard coming from the depths of the cave. This heightened the villagers' tension to the extreme, and they raised their hunting rifles, knives, saws, sticks, and pitchforks, pointing them at the darkness that the torches could not illuminate.

It wasn't until a few minutes later, when they reached the end of the cave, that they realized the dawdling creatures weren't the offspring of some old cat or monkey, but rather a group of dirty children with many missing limbs.

Clearly, they were stored in the cave by the old cat-monkey as a reserve food supply.

"Oh, what a tragedy!"

Someone sighed in the darkness.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Wei's mood suddenly sank.

Although he had long suspected something about the cave, Zhang Wei had always imagined it as a place littered with corpses; he hadn't anticipated the possibility of storing children there. Moreover, after these past two days, Zhang Wei found it difficult to view the people in the silhouettes from the perspective of a mere traveler.

"Waaaaah!"

"Aaaaaah!"

Perhaps because they had finally seen living people, after a brief moment of bewilderment, the entire cave burst into tears.

After the women from the village who had come along calmed the panicked children, as they left the cave, several dirty figures appeared in their arms, along with a carrying pole full of tender white cabbages.

Before descending the mountain, people collected some dry firewood and leaves, mixed the old man's body with the old cat and monkey's body, and set them on fire. In front of the gradually burning pile of firewood, the old man and another old man in the group told the villagers to keep quiet about the matter.

Fortunately, having learned in advance of the abilities Zhang Wei had deliberately displayed, the elders only addressed the Liu family members before going up the mountain, while the outsiders were kept at the foot of the mountain.

Although it caused some trouble at the time, it was still much simpler than asking them to keep the secret now.

It was bustling when they arrived, and even more lively when they left.

As dusk fell on Liujia Village, a group of women began washing their children in the small river beside the village.

Not far away, the village chief and his assistant, watching the bustling scene before them, sighed, "Uncle Liu, do you really believe what that Liu Laosan said?"

"If you're not deaf and dumb, you can't be a good father-in-law!"

The village chief didn't even look at the work being done, but just gazed at the river and slowly said, "His grandson, if Liu Laosan says so, then so be it. A grandfather can always see things more clearly than us cousins. Besides, if something really happens, it'll be Liu Laosan's family who takes responsibility. What are you afraid of?"

"I mean, that kid clearly has some talent, why don't we give him a try..."

Before the clerk could finish speaking, the village chief glared at him fiercely.

Putting aside how capable a child could be, and even if such thoughts were acceptable, it's unacceptable to say them in front of someone with the surname Liu.

He is indeed the village chief, but before that, he was Liu Laosan's cousin, and the boy's great-grandfather!

If it were truly a demon possessing the child, that would be one thing, but if the wolf spirit from the previous night gave the child some kind of talent, then following the director's advice would be tantamount to slaying the dragon of the Liu family.

However, the clerk's words did remind him.

In recent years, the absence of war has brought much more stability, but how many millions of demons and monsters were spawned during the century of war? Although the authorities have been constantly suppressing and cracking down on them, priority has always been given to cities, while villages and towns, especially those near deep mountains, forests, and major rivers, have been left untouched.

It's one thing if there are some minor disturbances during the four major ghost festivals, but the key issue is that in recent years, those ghostly things have gradually become dissatisfied with their rampages only for a day or two before and after the festivals.

The case of Gou Dan's parents and even his brother is a clear example. And this is still a wolf spirit with no ability. People like Old Cat Monkey don't care about holidays. As long as you meet their conditions, whether they catch you or not depends entirely on luck!

Besides these, kidnappers and wild animals are also threats...

After the Cold Clothes Festival, I'll go ask the third brother's family again. If he really has talent, then we can't let him grow wildly. Witches and shamans are definitely out of the question. Monks? Although it's the right path, once you enter it, you're supposed to be far removed from the secular world, so no choice, no choice!

On the contrary, sending him to be a Taoist novice would not only fulfill his talent but also ensure the continuation of the family line!

I dare not hope to have the same rich bloodline as the Celestial Master, but having two ancestral temples will give the Liu family descendants another way out. Then when he is buried in the ancestral grave, he will have something to brag about to the older generation!

Despite having a thousand thoughts running through his mind, he didn't say a word.

One thing at a time. Village affairs should be discussed and handled fairly. For example, when conflicts arise between people with different surnames and those with the surname Liu, he always respects the opinions of those in charge. But behind closed doors, it's family matters, family affairs, and you shouldn't even think about interfering!

"..."

Compared to the scheming between the village chief and the village officials, things were much simpler on Zhang Wei's side.

After descending the mountain, I took a hot shower and began a life of being waited on hand and foot!

Well, it's not that he became a landlord.

The main reason is that although his affairs are kept tightly under wraps from the outside world, his family still knows a little about them. And because of the children's strong curiosity, Zhang Wei was surrounded by more than a dozen of his cousins ​​whenever he had a spare moment.

When eating, someone would serve food to me; when drinking water, someone would hand me a cup; and there was even a whole piece of brown sugar that my little cousin had taken from my grandmother's dowry cabinet soaking in the water!

The adults in the family sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) watching with smiles on their faces.

Seeing this, Zhang Wei, somewhat helpless, had no choice but to tell his heroic deeds, which made a group of children shout and cheer!

I must say, it feels pretty good to brag like that.

At least, Zhang Wei's gloomy mood, which had been rising since Lao Zhang fell seriously ill, was somewhat relieved at this moment.

But happy times are always short-lived. After dinner, the group of children were taken back to their respective homes. Although they wanted to pester Zhang Wei to talk more, their parents' broom handles didn't listen to reason!

Thus, Zhang Wei had his only peaceful night since entering [Silhouette].

The next day.

While his third aunt got up to worship the gods, Zhang Wei, under the pretext of going to the outhouse, swallowed the essence of the sun and moon that had accumulated overnight in the gold and silver bowls when no one was looking.

It tastes a bit like orange-flavored green tea?

It has a sweet and smooth taste at first, followed by a refreshing coolness.

As the essence of the sun and moon slid down the esophagus, a warm current began to emanate from the stomach as soon as it entered the stomach. The sensation was similar to drinking a few sips of ginger soup after returning from outside on a cold winter's day. The whole body quickly warmed up, and the sluggishness of waking up in the morning quickly faded away, replaced by a feeling of vigorous excitement.

As for the Qi Refining Technique, the rapid and obvious effects of the sun's essence and moon's radiance are inseparable from its influence.

But apart from the essence of the sun and moon, the only Qi that Zhang Wei absorbed was the essence of the five grains from last night's dinner.

But it was just a meal, and there wasn't much meat or fish, so the effect was naturally not very noticeable.