Calabash Fairy

The man had black hair and beard, a handsome face, and was dressed in a white scholar's robe that was meticulously arranged.

Although surrounded by a gloomy aura, it did not give people a sinister feeling at all, but only the refined and easygoing nature unique to scholars.

At this moment, he was holding a gold-embossed invitation in his hand, looking towards the direction of the Ten Thousand Mountains, his eyes full of surprise.

"The mountain god of Qingfeng Mountain, the mountain god of the Hundred Thousand Mountains?"

It is truly strange and bizarre.

Five hundred miles away from the ancient ferry city lies the endless mountain range, stretching as far as the eye can see.

The local people all know that the mountain is absolutely forbidden to enter; a long-standing legend says that a man-eating monster dwells within.

As a judge under the City God Zhang of the ancient ferry city, Lu Zhang was well aware that the Ten Thousand Mountains were the land of demons, not human, and the divine way did not exist there.

Just now, the City God summoned him and ordered him to go to the Ten Thousand Mountains and, with utmost courtesy, deliver the invitation to the Mountain God of Qingfeng Mountain.

He had previously asked the City God out of curiosity, but the City God said that this person was personally appointed by Heaven and was not under his jurisdiction. But isn't Heaven just...

Lu Zhang shook his head repeatedly, banishing these distracting thoughts from his mind.

"The City God instructed me to deliver the invitation, so I will make a trip to the Ten Thousand Mountains. Once I meet this person, everything will become clear."

He was genuinely curious about the nature of this Qingfeng Mountain God, whom the City God treated with such solemnity.

Lu Zhang took the jade brush from his waist, and ink-like magic flowed from the tip of the brush, allowing him to paint in mid-air.

As he freely wielded his brush, a lifelike little boat, like a traditional Chinese ink painting, appeared before him.

Lu Zhang leisurely put away the jade pen, stepped onto the ink-wash boat, and sailed towards the Ten Thousand Mountains.

...............................

The ink-wash boat moved at an extremely fast speed, flying non-stop for three days. After Lu Zhang flew over the continuous mountains, he suddenly felt the spiritual energy around him clear, and he couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

"The spiritual energy here is different from the surrounding area; the earth's veins have clearly been manipulated."

"It seems this is the territory of Qingfeng Mountain."

Lu Zhang looked expectantly in the direction where the spiritual energy was gathering, and steered his ink-wash boat, quickly flying towards the center of Qingfeng Mountain.

Before long, after passing through a cloud, a peaceful and serene mountain village nestled against the mountains and beside the water, surrounded by wheat fields, appeared before him, like a paradise.

"this...."

Lu Zhang stared blankly down below.

In the village, wisps of smoke rise from chimneys, and the men working in the fields sit in twos and threes on the ridges, enjoying the shade of the rice stalks that are almost as tall as a person, chatting and laughing as they eat.

On a large open space, looms stood in rows, with silk and ramie piled up to the side, and skillful women were constantly weaving clothes.

Meanwhile, from the academy on the riverbank, the sounds of young children reading aloud could be heard.

Everything was so thriving...

Lu Zhang watched this scene with a complicated expression, still filled with disbelief.

He had imagined this scene could appear anywhere, but he never expected it to appear in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

"...Amazing, truly amazing."

Lu Zhang rode a small ink-wash boat and slowly floated down, but instead of heading straight to the foot of Qingfeng Mountain, he arrived at the entrance of Xiahe Village.

It was because someone in the village had already noticed his arrival.

On the ground, Yang Sheng watched the small ink-wash boat slowly descend, and exchanged a glance with Qiu'er behind him. They both saw the caution in each other's eyes.

"Qiu'er, do you recognize this person?"

"I don't recognize him, but he didn't try to conceal his aura; it seemed to carry the scent of incense..."

Yang Sheng nodded slightly, just as the man landed on the ground and walked towards them with a kind smile. He bowed and said:

"Greetings, both of you."

"I am Lu Zhang, a civil judge under the City God of Gudu City. I have come to your esteemed place to request an audience with the Mountain God of Qingfeng Mountain. May I ask which of you two is the temple keeper? Could you please convey my request?"

As a civil judge in the City God Temple of the ancient ferry city, Lu Zhang's status was second only to the City God. If other mountain gods and local deities saw him, they would also be quite respectful.

But after being reminded by the City God and then seeing such a paradise in the Ten Thousand Mountains, he couldn't help but feel admiration and lowered his posture to the utmost.

Furthermore, the mountain was filled with a majestic and righteous divine aura, with golden light rising from it, clearly indicating that it belonged to a virtuous and benevolent deity.

This mountain god deserves Lu Zhang's respect.

Yang Sheng looked at the middle-aged man in white robes with a scholarly air in front of him with surprise.

He naturally knew what kind of beings the legendary City God and his judges were.

But the ancient ferry city the other person mentioned seemed strangely familiar to him, as if he had seen it somewhere before...

Yang Sheng pondered for a moment, but still quickly returned the greeting with clasped hands:

"My name is Yang Sheng, the village chief of Xiahe Village. I am honored by the favor of the Mountain God and will temporarily serve as the temple keeper of the Mountain God Temple."

"We wonder what brings Judge Lu to see the Mountain God? We two can convey his message."

Lu Zhang nodded with a smile and recounted the story of the City God's birthday celebration.

He felt quite friendly towards the village chief, who was also dressed in a scholar's robe. Yang Sheng also had a scholarly air about him, and was not the kind of person who was just putting on airs in a scholar's robe.

Upon entering Qingfeng Mountain, he was already pleasantly surprised by many things.

Upon hearing this, Yang Sheng instructed Qiu'er to go to the Mountain God Temple as soon as possible to see the Mountain God, while he himself stayed here to wait with Lu Zhang.

As Qiu'er left, the two people outside the village gate were clearly preoccupied and remained silent for a while.

"Ancient Ferry City... Ancient Ferry City..."

"I remember now... Isn't this the last city our ancestors passed through on their journey to the Ten Thousand Mountains, as recorded in their books!"

Yang Sheng felt a bit conflicted. The villagers in the mountains were actually quite resistant to the outside world.

Back then, their ancestors were unable to survive outside the mountains, so they resolutely ventured into the mountains infested with monsters, just to escape natural disasters and man-made calamities.

This tradition has been passed down through generations, and the villagers have never spoken of anything about the outside world, as if they have completely forgotten about it...

"I wonder why the City God would host a banquet for the Mountain God. Could it be that he and the Mountain God have a past relationship..."

On the other side, Lu Zhang looked around the village and suddenly realized what was happening.

He seemed to remember...

Two hundred years ago, when Qingxuan Daoist was escorting some refugees to the Ten Thousand Mountains, he had met with him and the City God.

However, at that time, the ancient ferry city was already overwhelmed with its own problems. The mortal realm was filled with wails of agony, and the underworld was overflowing with people, most of whom were to be sent to the City of the Unjustly Dead. Their divine power was also waning...

Deities are not allowed to interfere in worldly affairs; this is a heavenly rule that must not be violated.

That calamity was not caused by demons, but by human intervention; they were powerless to stop it...

He had long forgotten about the matter of Qingxuan Daoist, and only recalled it today.

Fortunately, those people who were sent into the mountains by Daoist Qingxuan back then seem to be living well under the protection of the Qingfeng Mountain God...

Lu Zhang stared blankly at the smoke rising into the sky until Qiu'er returned to the village entrance.

"Mr. Lu Zhang, the Mountain God requests your presence."