Cultivation: Starting from a Fighting Cock

Chapter 18 Mountain Temple

For the next few days, the masked fox did not come to the Zhao residence again.

One night, Ji Cheng was standing on the old persimmon tree when he saw several masked raccoons crossing the fields and sneaking into farmhouses to steal chickens.

He counted them carefully and found that there were about eight or nine of them.

There are some we haven't seen yet, and the number is likely much higher.

They came from the dark, rugged forest to the west, stole a few chickens, and then quickly disappeared into the forest.

Ji Cheng had some guesses in his mind.

From then on, he kept a closer eye on the movements of these masked civets at night.

Once he discovered that a big yellow dog and a masked palm civet had sneaked into a farmhouse at the same time. The two of them each stole a chicken and kept to themselves, completely ignoring each other.

Ji Cheng was observant and felt that it was unreasonable for the big yellow dog to be so friendly and tolerant towards these masked civets; something was definitely amiss.

That night, he deliberately provoked the big yellow dog with his words.

"Big Yellow, I think your successful transformation into a demon is a waste. A dignified demon beast, you're not even as good as an ordinary guard dog. At least a guard dog knows how to chase away those chicken-stealing foxes, but you, you don't even have the guts to bark!"

"They killed your rooster right in front of you. How is that any different from committing adultery? And you didn't even dare to fart. Don't you have any dignity as a dog?"

"And I saw it last night, you were even keeping watch for those chicken-stealing masked palm civets. What, are you one of their dogs? Master Zhao is truly blind to have rescued you and then kept you to guard the house. You have completely betrayed Master Zhao's trust. I think Master Zhao has let a wolf into the house!"

Ji Cheng didn't care how much the big yellow dog could understand; he just kept talking, provoking the dog from all angles.

The big yellow dog bared its teeth and revealed its true form as a monster, half a zhang tall, to Ji Cheng.

Ji Cheng flapped his wings and flew high into the sky, continuing to hurl insults at the enraged big yellow dog, calling it an "ungrateful wretch" and a "traitorous lackey," and expressing his deep sorrow for Master Zhao.

The big yellow dog was furious and leaped high into the air, but it couldn't touch Ji Cheng, who could fly.

After a long period of impotent rage, the big yellow dog became aggrieved and even let out a puppy-like howl.

"Hey, are you feeling wronged? Did I say anything wrong?"

Ji Cheng lowered his flight altitude to continue provoking the big yellow dog.

"Wang!"

The big yellow dog barked at Ji Cheng and walked to the dog hole at the foot of the wall.

Before crawling into the dog hole, it glanced back at Ji Cheng and barked again.

Ji Cheng understood its meaning; it seemed to be saying to him, "Come with me."

The big yellow dog crawled out through the dog hole, looked around, and then walked westward along the bluestone path.

It walked more than ten meters, then turned around and saw Ji Cheng standing on the wall. It barked, signaling Ji Cheng to hurry up and follow.

Ji Cheng flew in mid-air, following the big yellow dog for more than ten feet.

He remained wary of the big yellow dog, fearing that this level-one demonic beast might suddenly launch a sneak attack on him.

Two miles outside of Zhao's residence, the big yellow dog began to speed up, running quickly through the countryside.

Despite having a limp in one leg, this big yellow dog is surprisingly fast, leaping several meters in a single bound.

Ji Cheng discovered that the dog was heading towards the dark, rugged forest to the west.

Ji Cheng followed the big yellow dog for a while and arrived at the riverbank of Wuzhen. It was a desolate place with no farmers living there.

Cross the bridge, and you'll find the road into the mountains.

During the day, some villagers who go into the mountains to cut firewood and collect herbs take this route.

Ji Cheng rarely came here when he patrolled the night sky. Now, following the big yellow dog to the wooden bridge, he felt as if the air had turned a few degrees colder.

"Big Yellow, where are you taking me?"

Ji Cheng stopped in front of the wooden bridge, feeling uncertain and intuition telling him that this dark, rugged forest was not to be underestimated.

"Wang!"

The big yellow dog turned around and barked at Ji Cheng before walking straight across the wooden bridge.

"Wang! Wang!"

Seeing that Ji Cheng didn't move, the big yellow dog barked twice more, urging Ji Cheng to hurry up and follow.

Ji Cheng hesitated for a moment, but ultimately followed. Fortunately, he had been overthinking it.

The big yellow dog didn't lead him into the deep mountains and forests, but instead brought him to an old temple on the road leading into the mountains.

"Wang! Wang!"

The big yellow dog stopped, glanced at Ji Cheng, and barked twice at the old temple.

Ji Cheng squinted and observed for a while. If he wasn't mistaken, this was a mountain god temple that had existed for a very long time.

Roughly estimated, it has a construction history of at least five or six hundred years.

The statue had long since decayed naturally over time, leaving only the outline of its face and features. One arm was missing, and many parts of its body were missing, giving it a very eerie feel.

By all accounts, this looks like a mountain god temple that has long been abandoned.

However, unusually, fresh peaches, pears, plums and other fruits were offered in front of the statue.

Incense, red candles, paper money, and talismans are all readily available.

There were also bones and chicken feathers scattered all over the ground.

Ji Cheng smelled the scent of his own kind here. He flapped his wings, causing a breeze to blow away the chicken feathers, revealing sections of hemp rope.

"Did someone tie the legs and wings of a live chicken and offer it as a sacrifice to the mountain god?"

It's easy to see that these fresh fruits and live chickens are offerings to the mountain god.

Ji Cheng felt a surge of emotion. Could there really be such a thing as a mountain god in this world?

What is the big yellow dog's purpose in bringing me here? Are those masked civets protected by the mountain god?
With this thought in mind, Ji Cheng looked around and immediately flew away from the place at top speed. No matter what, he did not want to stay here any longer.

"Wang!"

The big yellow dog chased after him, barking loudly, not understanding why Ji Cheng was running.

"Let's talk about it when we get back!"

Ji Cheng said to the big yellow dog, and only after flying back to the backyard of the Zhao residence did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Soon, the big yellow dog returned, looking at Ji Cheng with a puzzled expression, unsure if he understood what it meant.

Ji Cheng gathered his thoughts and said, "Dahuang, are you trying to tell me that those masked civets are connected to this mountain god, which is why you dare not touch them?"

"Yes, you bark once; no, you bark twice."

"Wang!"

The big yellow dog gave an affirmative answer.

Ji Cheng understood immediately. It turned out that Wuzhen was protected by a mountain god, and the fact that the villagers made offerings from time to time indicated that this mountain god was not an inanimate object, but a living, breathing entity.

"No, no..."

Ji Cheng shook his head, then suddenly felt something was amiss. "If the mountain god has a spirit, why is the statue so dilapidated, yet no villagers have taken the lead in repairing it?"

There is only one answer: the villagers are not worshipping a mountain god, but a demon.

Ji Cheng's thoughts suddenly became clear: the demon should be in that dark mountain forest, and the group of masked raccoons were protected by the demon.

Ji Cheng asked the big yellow dog for confirmation: "Big Yellow, let me ask you, is the mountain god of Wuzhen actually a demon beast that has achieved cultivation?"

"Wang!"

The big yellow dog's face lit up with joy; the silly chicken finally understood what it meant.

"Let me think... what kind of monster is this...? Is it a masked fox?"

"Wang!"

Ji Cheng's intuition was very accurate; he guessed everything correctly.

According to the big yellow dog, there was a powerful raccoon demon in that mountain forest. The villagers offered live chickens and fresh fruit as sacrifices so that the raccoon demon and its offspring would not harass or harm people.

However, sometimes when there aren't enough offerings, these masked civets will come down from the mountain and sneak into farmers' homes to steal a few chickens to eat.

This situation is tacitly approved by the villagers of Wuzhen. Generally, if a chicken is lost from a household, they will not make a fuss and will quietly offer more offerings to the mountain god temple the next day.

Those who frequently go into the mountains to cut firewood and collect herbs should be especially diligent in offering tributes and always maintain a sense of awe, so as not to encounter accidents in the mountains.

(End of this chapter)