White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 46 The Hermit of the Mountains
"Tick-tock~"

"Tick-tock~"

Raindrops trickled down the cracks in the cave walls and dripped onto the stone path in front of the cave. The little white fox sat squatting in front of the cave with its paws together, its round fox eyes staring at the moss on the stone.

Its furry ears twitched, and it turned its head to look behind it.

Bai Wuxiang emerged from the deep, cold cave, wisps of mist dissipating with him outside. Looking at the spring rain that had been falling for half a month, he shook his head and said, "The rain still won't stop; the cave entrance is already damp."

Through the rain, the sound of gongs and drums could be heard, and yet another new grave was erected.

This is the third time in half a month. Even if they survive and come back with You Junzi, the remaining thirty-odd people will not survive.

Perhaps it was a careless fall into the water, or a cold, and the person was gone.

Even though those men knew they would die, they still did not regret following You Junzi.

New graves have been erected at the foot of Skull Mountain, and rows of earthen graves surround the foot of the mountain, making these old graves that stand in the wilderness no longer lonely.

Wisps of death energy gathered around Bai Wuxiang, and the black crows repeatedly heralded death, calming the hearts of the villagers.

In the eyes of the ignorant mountain people, the arrival of black crows meant that the messengers of the formless god had come to guide the soul to the afterlife.

In March, during the Qingming Festival, the rain falls incessantly, and the mountains are covered in new greenery.

Grandma Liu, carrying a bamboo basket, walked along the muddy mountain path. Her straw sandals were covered in mud, making them slippery as she walked.

But she walked very slowly. Granny Liu had walked this road for ten years. Since she came to the mountains with the others to build the village, she had walked it no less than a thousand times.

So she walks very steadily, and can remember the way even with her eyes closed.

Arriving at the grave, she parted the weeds, took out paper money, wine, and meat, arranged them carefully, and then blew hard on the tinderbox. A small flame lit up, igniting the paper money.

Wisps of smoke rose from the grave, and Granny Liu smiled gently, "Sanmaozi, another year has passed in the underworld. Recently, many of your brothers have gone down to keep you company, so you can all get together down there and won't be all alone anymore."

"What are you saying? Is it something to be happy about when those people die?"

A puzzled voice came from behind.

Grandma Liu slowly turned her head and saw the white-clad man in front of her dressed in fine clothes. After thinking for a moment, she remembered that this man had come last year.

"Oh, it's you."

I can hardly remember anymore; I'm getting old, and my memory is failing.

You asked me if I should be happy? I think it's a relief and a sense of peace.

These people are dead. But they live on in the hearts of us villagers and our loved ones.

They've simply gone down to join their brothers who shared life and death with them.

"Grandma is quite open-minded." Bai Wuxiang walked to the grave, glanced at the pieces of meat on the plate on the ground, and said, "This meat looks delicious. Grandma's cooking skills must be quite good, right?"

Grandma Liu smiled and said, "If you don't mind, why don't you try some?"

She picked up the bamboo chopsticks from the grave and handed them over with her calloused hands. "This wild boar meat was deep-fried over a high flame, then simmered with ginger, fennel, and star anise for almost half an hour."

My youngest son used to love eating this.

Bai Wuxiang shook his head, "Unfortunately, I can't eat it. I can't taste any of the flavors, whether it's sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, fatty, lean, or savory."

"That's a great pity," Granny Liu sighed softly. "It's better to be alive and happy."

"Being a human being? I've been one before, but it doesn't seem to have been very good." Bai Wuxiang recalled, "Birth, old age, sickness, death, sorrow, fear, and pain, that's all there is to it."

"Hehe, there's no need for such profound principles." Granny Liu waved her hand. "Having a home is enough."

Without overthinking, there are fewer worries. In another three to five years, I, this old woman, can finally rest in peace and stay with my husband, and see my children again. I'll cherish their memory while they're alive, and I'll remember them after they're gone.

Bai Wuxiang glanced at the old man, "But what if you discover that the afterlife doesn't exist?"

These past few days, Bai Wuxiang has witnessed the deaths of many people. None of them had any souls; they simply turned into spiritual dust in the world and scattered with the wind.

"Hehe, how could they not be here?" Granny Liu pointed to her head. "They're all right here."

"In your head?" Bai Wuxiang laughed upon hearing this, "But it's all fake, just a thought."

“Oh, that’s not right.” Granny Liu turned to look at him. “Perhaps it’s fake to this world, to you people.”

But my old man, my eldest daughter, and my second and third children live on underground, and also on in my mind.

What you see after death is of no importance to this old woman.

She smiled as she propped herself up, looked at the extinguished paper money, collected the offerings, and muttered to herself, "Alright, your mother will come to see you again during the New Year. The boy at home is still hungry."

Bai Wuxiang stood there thoughtfully, watching Granny Liu wave goodbye to him, and then her frail body slowly disappeared into the distance.

He muttered to himself, "This seems to make some sense. It doesn't matter how the world is; what matters is how I see this world. That's how the world is to me personally."

Bai Wuxiang stood there in deep thought for a long time. A light rain fell, and the ashes of the paper money in front of the grave were soaked and mixed with the soil.

His mind was constantly pondering, as he traversed the world of the Bone Spirits and the world of humans, where life and death were not truly defined.

Bai Wuxiang's lips curled up slightly. The combined memories of his two lifetimes amounted to only twenty or thirty years, which was indeed far from enough compared to these old people who had survived countless hardships in hell and on earth.

Beasts grow old and become monsters; humans grow old and become spirits.

For elderly people like Granny Liu, who have transcended the mundane world and have their own world, they have already gained wisdom. Unlike the learned and sophisticated celebrities, their wisdom is more simple and closer to a primitive and pure spirit.

Bai Wuxiang stayed by the Black Stone Village, which was to understand "human beings", learn from "human beings", and observe all things, so that he could have endless forms.

He returned to the Cave of Bones and pondered deeply, merging his spiritual perceptions with the illusory world. Amidst the blurring of truth and falsehood, everything seemed poised to become real.

Long days passed in the mountains, and Bai Wuxiang quietly cultivated his spiritual practice above the secluded pool.

Half a month later, in the dead of night, a thunderstorm suddenly broke out, interrupting Bai Wuxiang's peaceful cultivation.

A pitiful plea reached his ears.

Bai Wuxiang frowned, his mind focused on the statue a hundred miles away.

In a village, the wooden door of a farmhouse was forcibly broken down. On the altar in the main hall, there was a clay statue of a faceless deity, and lightning flashed, illuminating the face of the statue.

Everything in the village was quiet, except for the oppressive feeling of an impending storm. A white light emanated from the statue, and it opened its eyes, grew a nose and a mouth, and its facial features became apparent.

Unfortunately, it seemed he was too late. There wasn't a single person left in the village!
It can be said that there was no living creature left, including chickens, ducks, dogs, and poultry; the place was deathly still.

Only a thick fog lingered in the village, gradually dissipating.

Regaining his composure, Bai Wuxiang in the cave felt a chill in his heart—it was that black dragon!

That black dragon did not leave the Yunze Mountains; it was still consuming blood essence to replenish its cultivation!
A vague feeling crept into his mind: deep in the shadows of the mountains, a giant dragon was staring intently at him with its terrifying eyes.

Bai Wuxiang knew in his heart that his karmic connection with this black dragon was unbreakable.

I am no match for this monstrous dragon that has devoured hundreds of people.

He can't just sit here and wait to die!
"Boom~"

Outside the cave, spring thunder rumbled, signaling the approach of summer heat!

The next day, Bai Wuxiang left his cave and personally went to the foot of the northern slope of Yunze Mountain.

In front of Yuanjue Ancient Temple, Bai Wuxiang held up a red silk umbrella, hesitated for a moment before standing in front of the temple gate, but still did not go in.

He turned and left, heading towards the house that the monk Dinghe had once told him about.

On the way, two butchers carrying meat poles were hurrying towards the town. As they crossed the main road, they saw the figure in white with a red umbrella walking by, and they were so frightened that they ran away as fast as they could.

Bai Wuxiang frowned. The world is a mixture of all kinds of energy. It's alright at night, but during the day, the sun's righteous energy settles the sky, and all evil spirits avoid the bright sun's energy.

It's not very convenient for him to use his magic to hide anymore, as he might accidentally attract the sun's energy. So he has to stick to walking.

Around noon, Bai Wuxiang encountered three women again. Looking at them from afar, he blew a breath, and several black raven feathers covered the women's eyes. Bai Wuxiang, holding a red silk umbrella, passed by them without them noticing, only feeling a cool breeze.

At noon, Bai Wuxiang recalled the scene in his mind and looked at the house located in the wilderness.

It was the same family that had come to ask for the divination and to perform the rituals.

In Dinghe's memory, this family was strange, as if they could foresee the future and knew in advance that the black dragon was coming to Yuanjue Temple. It seemed like they saved Dinghe's life by accident, but it was too much of a coincidence.

Bai Wuxiang stood in front of the house, holding a red umbrella. He knocked a few times, and after a moment, the old wooden door creaked open.

A boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old walked out of the door. He gave Bai Wuxiang a few mischievous glances with a sly smile before asking, "Who are you? Do you need anything?"

Bai Wuxiang narrowed his eyes slightly, cupped his hands and said, "Bai Wuxiang from Black Stone Village of Yunze Mountain has come to pay a visit to the esteemed master!"

"Oh! You've come from the mountains!" The boy grinned and grabbed Bai Wuxiang's hand. "Please come in! Please come in!"

Bai Wuxiang did not resist and let him pull him into the courtyard. The boy's palm was warm, not inanimate.

The boy closed the door and then shouted loudly in the yard, "Grandpa! Grandpa! We have guests! They've come from the mountains!"

"crunch~"

The door to the main hall slowly opened, and a hunched old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a gray robe, walked out leaning on a cane.

"Ahem, you rascal, you dare bring anything home!" the old man scolded before politely saying, "My surname is Kong. May I ask what brings you here from afar?"

"Master Kong, I have come here today to ask you a question. I hope you can enlighten me."

Bai Wuxiang bowed respectfully and asked, "Does Master Kong know the whereabouts of that black dragon?"

"Oh? Black dragon?" The old man narrowed his cloudy eyes and chuckled, "What black dragon? I don't know much about these strange and mysterious things."

"I hope you can enlighten me, sir. I have a great karmic connection with this black dragon." Although Bai Wuxiang could not see through the true nature of the grandfather and grandson in front of him, he could see that normal people had human qualities.

But these two people showed no anger whatsoever. In his eyes, that was rather strange.

Furthermore, he could sense that the two were indeed living beings, and when the boy touched him earlier, he sensed that there were bones inside his body.

This means that the other party is most likely a demon, or even a powerful demon!
For a demon that has become a spirit from a wild beast, to be able to hide its demonic characteristics so deeply, its cultivation must be at least a hundred years or more, and it may even be a being in the realm of innocence!
Bai Wuxiang dared to visit because he was just a lifeless spirit, which was indeed of little use to demons.

Secondly, if the other party chooses to save Dinghe, then they are most likely not some ferocious and tyrannical demon.

The old man surnamed Kong hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "The world is full of complicated karma, and it's hard to find a quiet place."

"Very well, seeing the aura of incense emanating from you, you're probably not some demonic or evil spirit. I'll lend you a hand; that would be an act of merit."

The old man surnamed Kong stroked his long beard, sat on a chair in the courtyard, and slowly said, "This evil dragon is most likely guided by a master who knows the evil and unorthodox method of transforming blood and qi into a dragon."

It has already transformed into a dragon, and naturally it also possesses the legendary true dragon god.

Dragons can be large or small, can rise or fall, and their traces are hard to find; even a demon king at the Yuanzhen realm would find them difficult to locate.

However, I can sense some of their movements.

It should be located in the northeast of the mountain, living by the river. The place where the river water is murky and muddy is where it hides.

As for its exact location, I cannot say more, otherwise the abominations of this monstrous dragon will sense my presence.

Bai Wuxiang nodded upon hearing this and said, "Thank you for your guidance, sir!"

The young man asked curiously, "Sir, can you defeat that giant dragon? Can I come with you to watch the battle?"

Bai Wuxiang shook his head and laughed, "My magical power is shallow, I cannot fight against such evil things."

"Such evil beings cannot be destroyed by any amount of magical power." The old man surnamed Kong shook his head and sighed, "It's a pity that this human world will have to suffer even more hardships."

Alright, I've said what I needed to say. You'd better watch yourself.

Bai Wuxiang knew that the other party was about to see the guest out.

He didn't press the matter further, but simply cupped his hands and said, "I don't know your esteemed name, sir. I will remember your guidance today and repay you if I have the opportunity in the future."

"Hehe, that's not necessary." The old man surnamed Kong shook his head and laughed, "The mortal world can hide immortals, but it can also conceal demons."

I'm just wandering around this world; I don't want to get involved in any messy things.

If it weren't for my grandson's mischievousness, which led to him being rescued by the monks of Yuanjue Temple and thus owing them a debt of gratitude, why would I have stayed here for several years to repay this karmic debt?
Now that you have found your way here, my karmic connection with this place is complete, and it is time for me to leave.

Just pretend you've never seen this house before.

Upon hearing this, Bai Wuxiang could only bow and take his leave. He stepped out of the wooden door, turned back to see the boy making a funny face at him, and then, as he stepped out, all the farmhouses, courtyards and houses disappeared.

Bai Wuxiang stood amidst a patch of wild grass, enveloped in a thick white mist.

(End of this chapter)