Zhongshan Shenzhu Chi

In the early morning, the mountains were shrouded in mist.

The two climbed the mountain on the bluestone steps, the fallen leaves crunching under their feet with a crisp, short sound.

"Boss Wen, I'm only responsible for taking you up the mountain." Zhong Yan carried a wood-chopping knife on his back, with Wen Shuyan following behind him. "As for whether the mountain god will see you..."

"I understand, I understand, it's all about fate." Wen Shuyan nodded, his hand tucked into his sleeve as he gripped the red serpent statue his father had carved.

Since the closure of the Wenshu Shanhaige branch, the managers of each shop have been leading their people out of the city to do business.

Wen Shuyan slipped in, carrying three days' worth of dry rations in his pocket. He only selected two servants who had been raised by the Wen family since childhood as his guards.

After a long and winding journey, changing vehicles and routes, changing clothes and hats, and traveling by day and night, they finally shook off their tail.

After many twists and turns, we finally arrived at the new village.

After about two weeks of hard work, the pot-bellied businessman felt he had lost more than a few pounds.

"It's not easy, it's really not easy..." Wen Shuyan took out a handkerchief and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead.

"Boss Wen, what brings you to Zhongshan this time?" Zhong Yan asked.

He walked ahead, carrying not only a machete but also a gong on his back.

The villagers of Xincun are all ordinary people, and he only possesses some martial arts skills. If they encounter a demonic beast, their only chance of survival is to bang a gong as a warning and shout the name of the Zhongshan Serpent God.

Fortunately, this trick has always worked.

As long as the villagers of Xincun live normal lives, they may never encounter the Tongbei Golden Ape King on that day in their lifetime, and...

The son of the snake god.

I never imagined that the Zhongshan Black Serpent God could have offspring, and that they would grow so big.

We don't even know who the child's father is.

The thought suddenly popped into Zhong Yan's mind, and without hesitation, he raised his hand and slapped himself.

The sound was crisp and clear.

The echo reverberated in the desolate mountain forest.

"Zhong... Village Chief Zhong?" Wen Shuyan was about to answer when he was startled by the old village chief's sudden unusual movement. He immediately approached, "Who were you just now...?"

"It's nothing." Red handprints appeared on Zhong Yan's sallow face, indicating that the slap he had just delivered was quite forceful.

"Old village chief, don't scare me!" The slap seemed to have flipped a switch; the clerk spoke rapidly, cold sweat pouring down his body. "How come only that slap sounded on this mountain?"

Why is there no sound at all?

"Birds? Squirrels? Small animals?"

"City people just can't stand anything strange," Zhong Yan muttered to himself.

If this were anywhere else, Zhong Yan would have turned and fled for his life long ago, given the excessively quiet and eerily strange environment he encountered.

But this is Zhongshan.

There is a snake god on the mountain, and his son to keep it in check. There are also fierce monsters like the Golden Ape King on the ground. How could any evil spirits or ghosts cause trouble?

Even if there are unclean things, he now has a knife, courage, and a gong.

If even the name of the Snake God is useless, where can the two mortals escape to?

"Boss Wen, don't be afraid. Although I haven't seen it myself, according to the stories passed down from our ancestors in the village, similar things have happened many times in Zhongshan."

"Most likely, some treasure has appeared in the mountains, attracting all the creatures in the surrounding area away."

"Treasure?" Wen Shuyan's eyes, which had been filled with fear, lit up instantly upon hearing this.

"Boss Wen, you still haven't answered me. What are you planning to do by insisting on coming up the mountain with me this time?" Zhong Yan's voice was like ice water, poured directly over the fat businessman's head.

"Actually, it can be considered as being entrusted by my father." Wen Shuyan turned around and looked at the narrow, winding bluestone path behind him, which resembled a fish intestine.

The mountain mist surged and obscured the path we had taken.

Having already found themselves deep in the mountains, there was naturally no need to hide it.

Wen Shuyan took out a red serpent statue from his sleeve: "Village Chief Zhong, take a look at this."

"This..." Zhong Yan put away the wood-chopping knife and respectfully accepted it with both hands.

This statue, judging from its appearance, should be the son of the serpent god, but the details of the carving far surpass those of my own.

However, the son of the snake god hid in Zhongshan Mountain and, apart from saving him and his group of seven in the heavy rain a month ago, never appeared in front of the world.

There is no such thing as a snake god giving birth in Xia'an City...

Where did the Wen family learn about the appearance of the serpent god's son? And why is the statue red?

"Boss Wen..."

"Old village chief, my father received a dream from the snake god and made this statue by hand according to the details in the dream."

The clerk interrupted Zhong Yan's question by speaking, and at the same time handed over a note hidden in his sleeve: "And he instructed me to take the statue of the god with you to Zhongshan Mountain and place it in the mountain god temple for worship."

Zhong Yan took the note; the handwriting was small, but each character was clear.

"God descends, and the mirror shines brightly... The morning clouds are lush and the rain falls in abundance... The candle dragon shines brightly, and the ancestors are honored with sacrifices... Hearing the poem, we learn its teachings, and the national customs begin here."

After reading it word by word, Zhong Yan realized something was wrong. His thick eyebrows furrowed, and he asked solemnly, "Boss Wen, are you sure it was the two of us who took this memorial text to the mountain god temple... to pray for rain?"

"What my father said is true," Wenshuyan said softly.

"But this eulogy shouldn't be recited by people like us, it should be..." Zhong Yan stopped there, raising his hand to point to the sky.

"That's not our concern." Wen Shuyan raised his hand, shook his sleeves, and bowed towards the depths of Zhongshan. "If Wen Shushan Haige wants to do business peacefully in Yongningzhou and pass on its name, it can't avoid worshipping the Snake God."

"Whether or not there is this sacrificial text, I still have to go up the mountain to make offerings. Now let's make this clear: if you don't go, I'll go myself."

Having said that, Wen Shuyan gritted his teeth and continued walking upwards.

He didn't know where the mountain god's temple was, and if he went there on his own, he would be like a headless fly in the mountains. This was just to put some pressure on Zhong Yan and get him to make a decision quickly.

After all, that memorial text wasn't about common people offering sacrifices to heaven.

Zhong Yan stood there, his heart churning with a huge wave of astonishment and horror.

Everyone has ambition.

Back when he was the gatekeeper in Xia'an City, he thought every night about how he could rely on his bravery to carve out a smooth and upward path for himself.

The opportunity did indeed arrive.

Since it was inconvenient for Shangguan to appear in person that day, he arranged for himself to stop a group of cultivators from entering the city.

They had hoped that the group of cultivators would give the gatekeepers of Xia'an City of the Great Zhou Dynasty some face.

Unexpectedly, with just a wave of their hand, the city gate guard's legs exploded on the spot.

Although the monks later reattached the city gate guard's leg, he could no longer serve as the city gate guard.

He could only be discharged "due to injury".

Zhong Yan looked back on the past, recalling his more than 30 years as the village chief after he returned to Xincun from the army.

He looked down at the sacrificial text he was clutching in his hand... and the statue of the serpent god.

The bright red color was dazzling, like a burning fire.

It doesn't jump, it doesn't disperse, it just burns smoldering... the more it burns, the stronger it gets.

"Walk!"

The fire burned into his heart, burning away countless dark emotions that had turned into sediment. Zhong Yan quickly stepped forward and returned the statue to Wen Shuyan.

"I'll take you to the mountain god's temple!"

"Village Chief Zhong, you've made the best decision you've ever made in your life." Wen Shuyan heard the powerful, angry voice behind him, and his heart finally settled down.

According to my father, the snake god clearly stated in the dream that two people must go together for the sacrificial ceremony.

If he were to go to the mountain temple alone to recite the sacrificial text, then he would be knowingly committing a crime and disobeying the snake god's command.

Now that there was no need to try to persuade the village chief, Wen Shuyan breathed a sigh of relief once again.

"Mr. Zhong, please—" The businessman smiled and stepped aside.

Zhong Yan nodded and stepped forward with a stern face.

The two fell silent and continued up the steps with serious expressions.