CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 31 MOUNTAIN GOD

Zhou Li hadn’t given up on handing out flyers. After all, he only had to continue until five-thirty, and that was just for a short while longer. This job could last several days.

After five-thirty, he took a taxi to Hengda City and dialed Liu Cheng’s phone. Liu Cheng came downstairs to meet him, accompanied by his son, Liu Jiaxun, who had just graduated from college. His son was even more timid than he was.

"Master Zhou, the moment we entered, something strange happened again!" Liu Cheng was somewhat nervous. Even though he had initially felt that Master Zhou was very capable, he was still a little uneasy.

"What strange thing?"

"The lights! They started flickering as soon as we entered!"

"I see."

"Such a boring trick. Only a weak demon could pull off something like this!" Huai Xu’s eye twitched. "It’s like a prank..."

"Master Zhou, that thing is very fierce! It dares to cause trouble even in broad daylight, unafraid of light or talismans. I’ve brought statues of Guanyin Bodhisattva and Lord Guan, but they can’t suppress it!" Liu Cheng continued.

"No results, no charge."

"That is really kind of you!"

"Mm-hmm."

Zhou Li rode the elevator all the way up.

After Liu Cheng fished out his keys and opened the door, both father and son stood at the doorway, watching Zhou Li.

Zhou Li entered with composure, following behind Huai Xu.

He immediately saw the demon napping on the fridge. It was very small, even smaller than Xiao Yuan, with an odd appearance and a frail-looking body.

Zhou Li turned to the Liu father and son, who were about to follow him inside. "Please stop here," he said.

They both halted.

Zhou Li closed the door. Noticing a master switch embedded in the adjacent wall, he thought for a moment before flipping it off, cutting the power. He then went inside and checked the living room’s smart security camera.

He didn’t want to be watched.

By then, the demon on the fridge had awakened, its eyes wide, staring intently at Huai Xu.

Zhou Li saw fear in its eyes.

Huai Xu also scrutinized it carefully for a moment, then glanced back at Zhou Li before speaking, "Old fellow, what are you doing at your age, sneaking into people’s houses and stirring up trouble? I thought it was some ignorant little demon causing mischief!"

This fellow actually respected the elderly?

The old demon on the refrigerator stood up. Its movements were slow and feeble, its body trembling slightly, like an old man in his twilight years.

Perhaps realizing that Huai Xu wasn’t what he had imagined, the fear in his eyes gradually faded. The old demon bent down to look closely at Huai Xu, then squinted at Zhou Li.

"You two..."

"We’ve been asked by others to investigate the situation," Zhou Li said gently. "Does this family have some connection with you?"

"That’s great!" The old demon seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then a look of shame crossed his face. "I didn’t want to scare them. It’s quite embarrassing; this happened many years ago..."

Zhou Li sat down on the couch.

The old fellow was long-winded; sometimes, only two minutes after saying something, he would repeat it.

According to him, he used to live on the back side of Mingjiu Mountain, near a Taoist temple. Long ago, he had stopped a mountain flood from causing disaster, so the local people built a small shrine for him, treating him as an immortal.

Back then, he was quite young.

About seven or eight years ago, a family of three came to Mingjiu Mountain for an outing and accidentally wandered to the back mountain. After visiting the Taoist temple, a teenager, passing by his small shrine, took an ornament from its roof. Although it was a gift from an old friend from long ago, the old demon didn’t pursue the matter at the time. He consoled himself that perhaps it was a kind of fate; since the boy took it, he should let him have it.

But as he grew older and his remaining days dwindled, the old demon became increasingly nostalgic. He often thought of his old friend and felt extremely guilty about having lost the gift.

So, after one restless night, he followed a faint aura for a long time and finally found this place.

The old demon said, "That Taoist temple was built by my old friend. Although the current temple master is a mortal, he has kept me company for many years. He repairs my small shrine and often cleans it, for which I am very grateful. I thought that when I die, I would bequeath this jade bead to him... My old friend was also the first temple master of the Taoist temple, originally."

"Does he know of your existence?"

"Perhaps he does," the old demon squinted. "He often prepares offerings for me. At first, I didn’t eat them, but later I did. However, he is just a mortal, and we have never communicated."

"Perhaps he just thinks the birds and beasts on the mountain ate those offerings!" Huai Xu interjected.

"That makes sense," the old demon nodded.

"Alright, I understand the situation now," Zhou Li said. "Can you sense where that item is now?"

"It’s in this house, but I’m not sure exactly where. I originally thought they might remember and return it to me, but it seems they’ve forgotten all about it."

Zhou Li nodded. "I see." He stood up and went to open the door. The Liu father and son, standing outside, promptly straightened up.

"Come in."

"Is it done?"

"Not yet, but it will be soon. I have a few questions for you. Please come in."

"Okay, please ask anything."

"Do you remember going on an outing to Mingjiu Mountain with your family about seven or eight years ago?"

"Seven or eight years ago... I think so."

"Could this be related to something from seven or eight years ago?" Liu Jiaxun’s memory was better. "That seems unlikely, right? It’s been so long!"

"You went to Zhihong Guan back then and prayed to the deities."

"Yes."

"When you were leaving, there was a small shrine outside the temple. You," Zhou Li looked at Liu Jiaxun; the expressions of both father and son were gradually turning fearful, "took a jade bead from the top of that small shrine."

"Is it related to this?" Liu Cheng was surprised.

"I was quite mischievous back then, and I did take it, but we’ve already discarded that jade bead," Liu Jiaxun said, somewhat unnaturally. "Is there a problem with that jade bead? Is there any other way to solve this? We can pay more money."

"Don’t lie."

Zhou Li looked at the father and son.

Liu Cheng glanced at his son, then said to Zhou Li in a softer, honest tone, "Jiaxun really did take it out of mischievousness back then. However, we later discovered that the jade bead was quite extraordinary and probably worth a fortune, so we kept it. Master Zhou, what exactly is going on?"

"Its original owner has come looking for it. You just need to return it, and there will be no further trouble."

"This..."

BANG!

A loud noise erupted as the glass coffee table cracked and splintered.

Not only were Liu Cheng and his son startled, but Zhou Li was also shocked. He turned his head and saw Huai Xu slowly retracting his leg.

"These humans are so greedy! Honestly, why are you wasting your breath talking so much nonsense with them?"

"Bring it out, Mr. Liu."

"Right away!!"

A minute later, Liu Cheng took a cloudy, egg-sized jade bead from his safe and respectfully handed it to Zhou Li. However, to Zhou Li, it looked like a very ordinary jade bead, probably worth a few hundred yuan at most.

Liu Cheng quickly bowed. "Mountain God, please forgive us! We were momentarily greedy. We will definitely visit you with generous gifts in a few days to apologize!"

Zhou Li relayed the old demon’s message: "That won’t be necessary. He said he scared you and is very sorry for that."

He put away the jade bead and said, "Let’s add each other on WeChat. I won’t stay long. If nothing unusual happens within three days, you can transfer the money to me then."

Liu Cheng readily agreed.

After leaving the Liu family’s home, Zhou Li returned the jade bead to the old demon.

Tears welled up in the old demon’s eyes as he thanked Zhou Li repeatedly.

DING! His phone chimed. Zhou Li had already received the transfer and a message of thanks from Liu Cheng.

"Ten thousand yuan."

"How much?" Huai Xu asked, somewhat incredulous.

"Ten thousand."

"My heavens, that’s worth... several years of working all-nighters!" Huai Xu’s eyes widened. "These people are so rich! Right, I need to explore the city more and drum up some business!"

This money came so easily.

Zhou Li escorted the old demon all the way to the bus station and helped him find a direct bus to Mingjiu Mountain, sparing the old man a difficult journey.

Just as they were about to part, Huai Xu suddenly remembered, "By the way, old man, you’ve lived for so many years. Do you know where we can find a Heavenly Master?"

"A Heavenly Master?"

"Yes!"

The old demon squinted, looked at Zhou Li, and seemed to understand.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "I have seen a Young Heavenly Master once, but I don’t know where she lives. If you just want to learn about Heavenly Masters, Zhihong Guan has some records that have been stored there for many years. The current Temple Master is a very kind person; if you ask to borrow them, he will certainly agree."

Zhou Li was stunned.

Huai Xu, overjoyed, muttered, "What’s that saying? ’After wearing out iron shoes in a fruitless search, one finds it without any effort at all!’"

The human and the demon looked at each other.

With a ROAR, the bus started and drove off, the old demon waving at them from the bus roof.

Zhou Li hesitated for a moment, then also raised his hand and waved.