Chapter 66: Mountain Village
Cultivation should be a lonely pursuit.
At least, that’s what Su Huanhuan thought.
Immortals were people of the mountains.
Choosing the heavens and earth naturally meant not choosing the mortal world.
Cultivation was the pursuit of eternal life.
And eternal life—how could it accommodate anyone else?
In fact, perhaps it truly was so.
Su Huanhuan had originally thought she would continue in solitude.
Continue cultivating this way.
But now, she felt her thinking might have changed a little.
Even if there truly was such a thing as a solitary path through the ages…
It would be, perhaps, too lonely.
“…”
Luohe scratched his head.
Was this child having a late-night emotional crisis?
He sensed Su Huanhuan’s emotions fluctuating in waves, yet she said nothing.
So he poked his head out from Su Huanhuan’s chest.
“What are you thinking about? It’s noisy and affecting my cultivation.”
“…”
Her inner thoughts immediately went quiet. Much better.
“Luohe… I suddenly feel like the version of you that couldn’t speak was more adorable.”
“That won’t do. I’ll do whatever I want.”
“Then could you stop emerging from my chest?!”
“Oh.”
Luohe withdrew, leaving Su Huanhuan, whose heart had just begun to feel touched, grinding her teeth in frustration.
“Your mental state is unstable. That’s not good for you right now.”
“It’s better not to think about certain things yet.”
“It’s all because you said something about not forever…”
Hearing Luohe’s words, Su Huanhuan gradually realized something.
“Wait, you did that on purpose?”
“Did what on purpose?”
“You definitely sensed my thoughts and deliberately…”
“No, it was really noisy. I was just giving you some advice.”
“…If you want to be nice to me, you can just say it outright.”
“There’s nothing nice about it. It’s all fair and equal business.”
Luohe’s voice remained infuriatingly calm.
Indeed, even though he had been reborn as a ghost… he remained fundamentally the same as before.
Including this unwavering steadiness…
“I just think your primary goal right now should be to stay alive.”
“Of course, even just staying alive isn’t simple at all.”
“And after I’m alive?”
“After…”
Luohe fell silent for a moment, then answered:
“Just staying alive is difficult enough. I’m not that greedy.”
“Heh…”
That was true.
…
Morning.
She had slept well.
After extinguishing the fire and putting her things in order, Su Huanhuan tidied up her appearance and walked out of the hunter’s cabin.
“Slow down, there are people.”
“Hmm?”
Luohe whispered beside her. Following his direction, Su Huanhuan saw an elderly man and woman walking along the forest path.
Though their hair had turned completely white, the elderly couple didn’t need walking sticks. Even on this mountain path, they walked steadily, appearing vigorous—showing considerable strength despite their age.
They seemed surprised to see Su Huanhuan in her gray robe, looking travel-worn.
The old man conversed briefly with his companion, then approached and gave a slight bow.
“It’s rare to see a young lady like you in these deep mountains… Did you spend the night in that cabin?”
“Yes, I saw it was long abandoned and thought no one was using it… If it belongs to you, I’m willing to pay for lodging. I apologize for the intrusion.”
“It’s no trouble, no trouble at all.”
The old man quickly waved his hand dismissively, then continued:
“Ahead is a mountain village under Ye City’s jurisdiction, called Deer Terrace Village. I am the village head. Someone in the village reported seeing firelight here last night, so we came to check during daylight.”
“The elder’s physical condition must be excellent to walk such steep mountain paths.”
Su Huanhuan glanced at the path behind the old man.
“I’ve walked these mountains my whole life, so naturally I’m used to it.”
“Miss, staying here one night is fine, but recently these mountains have been quite dangerous.”
“Oh? Dangerous?”
“Indeed. Miss, last night… did you hear any strange noises?”
“Strange noises?”
Su Huanhuan exchanged a glance with Luohe, who nodded.
There had been noises, but nothing threatening, so he hadn’t mentioned it last night.
“These past years, some monster has appeared in the mountains—a tiger that has gained spiritual powers and often comes down to eat people.”
“Many travelers passing through here have been completely devoured. Look…”
As he spoke, the old man took a hoe from inside the cabin.
He cleared away a patch of dense weeds, revealing a large pile of crude grave markers.
“We are helpless against the tiger demon. We can only collect the remains of these poor people and bury them here…”
“Last night, you slept on top of a pile of dead bodies!”
“Oh my! How dreadful!”
Su Huanhuan’s face paled with fright, and she stepped back.
“It’s absolutely true… If it hadn’t been so late, I would have come up to warn you.”
“You’re truly fortunate, miss, not to have encountered that monster tiger last night.”
“With such a creature in the mountains, why does your village remain here?”
“Ah, the villagers are attached to their homes and unwilling to move, for one thing.”
The old man looked at Su Huanhuan and continued:
“Judging by the path you’re taking, you’re heading to Ye City, right?”
“That’s right.”
“That’s it then.”
The old man slapped his thigh.
“You see, our Deer Terrace Village belongs to Ye City. Some time ago, an immortal cultivator from Ye City came to investigate this matter.”
“Though he didn’t eliminate the demon tiger, he taught us a technique to avoid the monster and left us a protective formation to use as shelter.”
“Though you were safe last night, the road to Ye City is still long. Tomorrow or the day after, who knows what might happen.”
“Why not rest in our village for a night? I can teach you that technique… hopefully it will keep you safe for the rest of your journey.”
“Then I must trouble you, elder.”
Su Huanhuan patted her chest in relief and respectfully bowed to the old man.
…
Inside Deer Terrace Village, everything looked like an ordinary mountain village.
Women washed clothes by the stream, men worked in the fields, children chased each other across the embankments, and even the yellow dogs lying by the doorways seemed more spirited.
If anything stood out, it was that the villagers lacked the thinness that comes from long-term labor.
They gave the impression of self-sufficiency and carefree living, like a hidden utopia.
Seeing the village head return with an outsider, the villagers didn’t seem surprised but rather waved friendlily at Su Huanhuan.
Su Huanhuan smiled and waved back.
“What do you plan to do?”
Luohe remained inside Su Huanhuan’s body, quietly asking.
“These mountain folk’s tactics aren’t original, but what they’re raising is rather interesting…”
Su Huanhuan silently communicated with Luohe.
“Wait, stupid fox. I’ll get you a meal soon.”
“We’re here.”
As the old man stopped, they arrived before a stone-built ancestral hall.
It was a spacious clearing with no villagers in sight.
The old man pushed open the door of the hall. Inside, candles blazed brightly, with offerings placed everywhere.
In the center of the hall sat a figure wrapped in red cloth.
“Inside is one of our village elders. Go in and greet him, and he will teach you.”
“Go ahead.”
Under the old man’s kindly gaze, Su Huanhuan walked straight in.
As she had expected, the moment she entered, the door closed tightly behind her.
The draft from the closing door made the candles flicker. With an eerie sound unlike anything a human could make, the red cloth fell from the figure.
Su Huanhuan didn’t bother with words. She immediately conjured a blood spear and thrust it forward.
Hissssss!
A sharp, piercing hiss instantly filled the entire hall. The figure rapidly expanded and twisted.
The blood it left behind was viscous like oil and carried a deep stench.
Then, a ferocious tiger appeared—emaciated and sinister, covered in pustules and wounds.