Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

Li Ping rode on the back of the gray donkey, his palm pressed against the Earthly Element Qi-Gathering Technique he had just acquired, which he had just rolled up in his robes.

The mountain wind howled, whipping up the snowflakes on the ground and driving them straight down your collar.

Dazhuang led the donkey, clearing the way with each step, leaving deep and shallow footprints.

"Sir, it's getting dark. Shall we return to Wild Fox Ridge, or go straight back to the city?"

Dazhuang turned around and wiped the snow water off his face.

Li Ping looked into the depths of the mountains; the echo of the beast's roar from before still seemed to reverberate through the valleys.

"Let's not go back to Dazhuang yet. From which hill did that commotion come?"

Dazhuang pointed to a steep mountain peak to the west.

"It looks like Eagle's Beak Rock to the west, but that place is eerie; even old hunters avoid it."

"Let's go take a look."

Li Ping patted the gray donkey's rump.

"Sir, is that place really safe to go? There are many wild beasts in the mountains. If we encounter a large one, we might not be able to escape unscathed."

Dazhuang hesitated for a moment

"Don't be afraid, we've got weapons, let's go."

Li Ping urged

The two walked westward along the rugged mountain path.

As darkness fell, the fog in the forest thickened.

"Dazhuang, how long have you been in these mountains?"

Li Ping was getting a little uncomfortable from the bouncing on the donkey's back, so he started to make conversation.

"My lord, my ancestors for three generations were hunters in these mountains. I've been living in these forests since I was a child."

Dazhuang answered while using a wooden fork to clear away the dead branches blocking his path.

"Have you ever heard anything strange about Eagle's Beak Rock?"

"My grandfather told me that the place used to be the back mountain of a Taoist sect, but later it was abandoned for some reason."

"There are some places in the mountains that even wild animals avoid, saying that if you step in, you'll be struck by lightning."

"That's either lightning-struck wood or remnants of a lightning rod array."

Li Ping seemed lost in thought.

"Adults know more, but my grandfather also said there's a big hole under Eagle's Beak Rock."

"There's a man-eating black bear locked up inside, and it roars every few decades."

"People used to take it as just a story, but today's commotion really sounds just like what my grandfather said."

"The Bai family has probably dug that hole open."

Li Ping's face was somewhat dark.

After rounding a bend in the mountain, a dilapidated temple came into view.

Half of the temple's roof had collapsed, and the stone lions in front of the gate were headless, lying in the snow.

"Mountain God Temple?"

Da Zhuang was somewhat surprised

"This place has been abandoned for at least thirty years, so how come there's still a fire?"

Li Ping dismounted from the donkey and noticed a faint orange-red light shining through the cracks in the dilapidated temple window.

He gripped the short knife at his waist and tiptoed toward the temple gate.

Pushing open the half-closed wooden door, a musty smell mixed with the scent of pine resin wafted out.

A withered old man squatted beside the brazier, his hair disheveled, poking at the embers with a dry twig.

"You're here?"

The old man didn't even raise his head, and said in a hoarse voice...

Li Ping stepped over the threshold and, under Da Zhuang's protection, walked to the brazier.

"Old man, why are you alone in this desolate wilderness on such a snowy day?"

The old man raised his head, revealing a pair of cloudy eyes and a face covered in black mud.

"Guard the temple, guard the mountain, guard the beasts under the ground."

The old man chuckled, his laughter somewhat grating.

Dazhuang whispered to Li Ping

"Sir, this old man is insane. He used to beg for food in the city, but then he ran away to the mountains. Everyone thought he was dead."

Li Ping squatted down and looked at the firelight in the brazier.

"Grandpa, did you hear that loud noise in the mountains earlier?"

The old man paused, a flicker of fear crossing his cloudy eyes.

"I heard it, why can't I hear it? The mountain is waking up, the chains beneath the earth have broken."

He pointed to the ground.

"chain?"

Li Ping pressed for answers

"A seal left by immortals in ancient times, suppressing the old demon in the mountains."

"But some people were greedy and insisted on digging up those shiny stones, severing the earth's veins."

The old man was waving the withered branch erratically.

"Miners, what a terrible thing you've done! The beasts from underground are coming out, we'll all die, we'll all die!"

Li Ping was shocked.

Miners?

In these mountains, besides the abandoned mine he had just taken over, there was only the spirit sand mine privately operated by the Bai family.

In order to mine minerals, the Bai family actually broke the seal of an ancient immortal.

"Old man, do you know where that seal is?"

Li Ping asked eagerly

The old man stopped answering, instead hugging his knees, shrinking around the brazier, and muttering to himself.

"The mountain has awakened; the beasts are about to eat people! Run! Run!"

Li Ping stood up, looking at the dilapidated mountain god temple, his face turning somewhat pale.

"Sir, can we trust this madman's words?"

Da Zhuang was somewhat suspicious

"I'd rather believe those idiots from the Bai family are here; they've probably caused a huge disaster over a few pieces of spirit sand."

Li Ping gritted his teeth

"Let's go, let's get out of here first."

As soon as the two stepped out of the mountain god temple, a rustling sound suddenly came from the woods.

The gray donkey pawed restlessly, its ears perked up.

Something's coming.

Dazhuang picked up his hunting rifle and pulled back the bolt.

Li Ping also drew his short sword, spreading his divine sense to warily observe the surrounding shadows.

"roar!"

A deep growl came from the bushes.

A huge wolf suddenly appeared.

This wolf was twice the size of a normal wolf, and its fur was iron-gray.

His eyes gleamed with a scarlet light, and thick saliva clung to the corners of his mouth.

"It's a monster!"

Da Zhuang exclaimed

The iron-gray wolf moved with incredible speed, its hooves whistling through the air, charging straight at Dazhuang.

"Bang!"

Da Zhuang decisively fired.

Iron shot erupted, striking the wolf's shoulder and exploding into a spray of blood.

But the wolf seemed oblivious to pain, its momentum undiminished, and it rammed Dazhuang, sending him flying.

Dazhuang fell heavily onto the snow, and his hunting rifle slipped from his hand.

The wolf turned its head, its scarlet eyes fixed on Li Ping, and with a push of its hind legs, it pounced again.

Li Ping slipped, narrowly avoiding the wolf's attack.

He circulated his spiritual energy and swiftly pulled a flaming talisman from his robes with his right hand.

"go!"

The talisman transformed into a fireball, hurtling straight towards the wolf's face.

The wolf, unable to dodge in mid-air, was struck squarely by the fireball; its facial fur instantly burst into flames, emitting a foul, acrid stench.

"Awoo!"

The wolf howled in pain and rolled around in the snow.

Taking advantage of the moment, Li Ping lunged forward, his short knife flashing as it plunged into the wolf's neck.

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered all over Li Ping's face

The wolf struggled violently for a few moments, then finally fell silent.

Li Ping drew his short sword, panting heavily.

This was just an ordinary wild beast, its strength equivalent to the early stage of Qi Refining, but its ferocity far exceeded that of ordinary wild animals.

If hundreds or thousands of such beasts were to rush out of the mountains, how could the dilapidated city walls of Xiyun County possibly stop them?

Dazhuang got up from the snow, rubbing his chest, his face pale.

"My lord, this beast is incredibly strong. If you hadn't intervened, I'm afraid I would be dead today."

"Stop talking nonsense and get going."

Li Ping wiped the wolf blood from his face.

"This is just the vanguard."

"If the seal in the mountains is truly broken, it won't be long before hordes of demonic beasts rush out."

"At that time, neither Yefuling nor Xiyun County will escape."

The two dared not delay, and leading the gray donkey, they hurried out of the mountains overnight.

It was late at night when we returned to Wild Fox Ridge.

As soon as Li Ping entered the courtyard, Qian Duo came to greet him carrying a hand warmer.

"My lord, you've finally returned! It's the middle of the night, and I thought you'd gotten lost in the mountains."

"Enough talk, bring us our food ration books."

As Li Ping took off his blood-stained sheepskin coat, he gave instructions.

Qian Duo was somewhat surprised, but he still quickly ran back into the house and brought back a thick stack of notebooks.

"Sir, what are you doing looking at this booklet in the middle of the night?"

"Let's calculate how long we can hold out. If all the refugees from the mountains retreat to Yefuling, how many months will our food supply last?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Duo's eyes darted around, and he quickly began to calculate in his mind.

"Sir, if we only consider the able-bodied men of Wild Fox Ridge, our stored grains can last us a year without any problems."

"But what if we also bring over those hundred or so people from the escaped village?"

"Add to that the surrendered soldiers from Black Wind Stronghold, and the daily rations consumed have increased several times over."

"Speaking numbers"

"Eat sparingly, it'll only last three months at most."

"This still includes the old grain found at Black Wind Stronghold."

"If spring comes and the mountains are in a period of food scarcity, it will be even harder to get through."

Money makes him look miserable

"Go to the city to buy grain and have Jin Fugui transport it in from other places under the guise of a merchant caravan."

"Don't use the county government's name, lest that old fox Chen Rang become suspicious."

"Sir, this money for buying grain..."

Qian Duo looked at Li Ping with a pang of sympathy.

"Deduct from the silver seized from Black Wind Stronghold"

"Money can be earned back, but if people starve to death, who will guard Wild Fox Ridge for me?"

Li Ping glared at him.

"Yes, I will take care of it first thing tomorrow morning."

Qian Duo readily agreed, picked up the booklet, and left.

Shi Gan was waiting in the house, still wearing his clothes, when he saw Li Ping enter covered in blood and was startled.

"Sir, have you encountered remnants of bandits?"

"More troublesome than bandits"

Li Ping sat down in the chair, picked up the cold tea, and took a sip.

"Shi Gan, how is your injury healing?"

"I'm out of danger. What are your orders, sir?"

Shi Gan patted his chest.

"Starting tomorrow, have Zhang Tiebi accelerate the forging of steel crossbows and arrows; we need as many as we can."

"Also, have Dazhuang lead men to Taohu Village and evacuate all the villagers towards Yefuling."

"The defenses of Wild Fox Ridge need to be reinforced."

Li Ping glanced at the oil lamp on the table, his eyes flickering.

"My lord, is this the start of a major war?"

Shi Gan was somewhat excited.

"Not fighting with humans, but fighting with beasts."

Li Ping sighed.

"The trouble the Bai family caused will likely leave us to clean up their mess in the end."

He touched the Earthly Qi-Guiding Manual in his pocket, a sense of urgency rising within him.

He must break through to the late stage of Qi Refining as soon as possible, otherwise he will find it difficult to even protect himself in the upcoming chaos.

Outside the window, the wind and snow intensified, faintly mingling with the low roars of beasts echoing from the depths of the distant mountains.