Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

"Put up a 'Fu' character. It's a custom from the south, I'm doing it to share in the good fortune." Liu Xingmo flattened the paper.

A beautiful "福" (good fortune) character, written in black on red paper, hangs on the door.

"Want to share in the good fortune?" Liu San Niang looked around for a while and said, "Do you have any extra? Give me one too. I've had a lot of bad luck this year, and I need some good fortune to wash it away."

"I still have a few practice 'Fu' characters left, I can give them to you."

Liu Xingmo went into the house, took out a piece of paper, along with the glue, and handed it to Liu San Niang.

The woman followed suit and put up the character "福" (fortune) on her door.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, she wore a crimson cheongsam with a fitted waist, two buttons at the collar undone, revealing half of her fair neck. The cheongsam had a slit at the bottom, revealing glimpses of her jade-colored thighs. She wore a pair of embroidered shoes.

After the "Fu" character was pasted up, Liu San Niang swayed back and returned a bowl of paste to Liu Xingmo.

She finished with a smile, her voice slightly hoarse: "Thanks, young man. I'll soak up your good fortune; may I have good luck with love next year too."

Seizing the key point, Su Mali asked, "Why is it 'romantic luck'? What does it have to do with Xingmo?"

"This kid is obviously charming, he's bound to have a lot of female admirers." Liu San Niang covered her face and chuckled, but her eyes were not honest, glancing sideways at Liu Xingmo, sliding from his eyebrows to his clothes.

The woman's gaze finally fell on Su Mali: "Hey girl, you'd better keep a close eye on him, or your man will be snatched away by some wild woman."

"I think the person we should stay away from the most is you," Su Mali said coldly.

Liu San Niang smiled and went back into the house.

Liu Xingmo watched her slender figure disappear into the darkness, and couldn't help but furrow his brow.

Liu San Niang's luck remained as strange as ever; her current fortune was extremely strong, but her overall luck was quite weak. It was like the red light that spread across the earth at sunset.

This is unreasonable, extremely unreasonable. A person's fortune shouldn't be like this unless it's interfered with by external forces.

A master cultivator of the Dao of Fortune specifically targets her? Surely not?

Could it be a rare and extraordinary beast or seedling brought about by fate? Could it be this situation?

Liu Xingmo was unsure and didn't want to ask directly. He planned to spend some time carefully probing.

But that's for later. Today, the focus is on celebrating the Lunar New Year.

Liu Xingmo and Su Mali took out the New Year's goods they had prepared and cooked a large table of dishes by steaming, boiling, frying, stir-frying, and grilling.

Although I've been short of money this year and haven't saved any, I've still managed to provide for good food and drink.

I enjoyed a delicious lunch, then ate some pine nuts, read a book, and went to bed for a nap when I got sleepy.

Peaceful days are something to cherish.

In the afternoon, firecrackers went off and drums blared outside, interspersed with the roars and howls of wild beasts.

Liu Xingmo, who was still in bed, suddenly sat up: "It's time to drive away the Nian beast!"

Sumali rubbed her eyes and said, "How old are you... still playing games?"

"What are you talking about! This is culture, this is tradition!" Liu Xingmo pulled out an old and tattered piece of clothing from the bottom of the box and quickly put it on. "Besides, those old folks have lived for hundreds of years. Compared to them, I'm still a child."

"Yes, yes, my boy. The firecrackers are in that cabinet over there. Be careful when you play with them." Sumali turned over, pulled the covers over herself, and went back to sleep.

Liu Xingmo grabbed the small rocket and lighter, and as soon as he stepped outside, he quickly ran down to the main road.

Driving away the Nian beast is a unique activity of Heilongzhai, and it has been practiced for hundreds of years.

In short, they are stewards and instructors who transform into beasts, disguise themselves as the "Nian Beast," and attack ordinary people.

At this time, firecrackers should be lit to scare away the Nian beast. According to tradition, the defeated Nian beast must leave behind New Year's gifts.

New Year's gifts come in many varieties and vary from person to person. They are usually packaged candies or nuts, but some people also scatter a few iron coins.

In short, this is a good time to play pranks on those old guys who used to be high and mighty, and you can also get some benefits along the way.

The entire village, adults and children alike, are enthusiastic about this activity.

As soon as Liu Xingmo entered the street below, he saw several enormous figures.

Their entire bodies were covered in a jet-black skin, leaving only two large, bloodshot eyes that emitted a chilling red light.

This is the "Nian Beast".

The Nian monsters are exceptionally agile, running and leaping nimbly through the crowd, occasionally opening their blood-red mouths to bar their teeth at passersby. Children, in particular, are their primary targets.

This is when willpower will be tested.

The timid ones cried loudly in fear, while the bold ones quickly lit firecrackers and threw them at the Nian beast.

With a crackling sound, the Nian beast let out a mournful howl, scattered a handful of money to buy its life, and then turned and fled in panic.

Those who survived the disaster scrambled to grab the New Year's gifts on the ground.

The accompanying music troupe played the suona, the erhu, and gongs and drums, performing a folk song appropriate to the occasion.

Liu Xingmo had made preparations for this trip well in advance.

His lighter was much more convenient than other people's matches. His little rocket was much more powerful than other people's firecrackers.

Today, he will transform into a Nian beast hunter to protect the warm human streets amidst the snowstorm.

Just as Liu Xingmo squeezed into the crowd, a huge creature clung to the stone house and climbed up from the bottom of the cliff.

Its body was shrouded in darkness, obscuring its original form. Its swirling red and black eyes stared intently at the tiny humans on the ground.

Liu Xingmo lit the ignition, aimed, and fired the cannon in one swift motion.

Sparks flew from the Nian beast's body as it screamed and fell to the ground. Before leaving, it waved its paw and scattered a red paper packet.

Liu Xingmo quickly collected his spoils, and upon opening them, he found a beautiful silver-plated iron spoon.

Very good, excellent. This instructor is quite magnanimous; no wonder he's a miner from Yinqian Mountain.

There are many rules and customs associated with driving away the Nian beast. If you're not careful, you might encounter the "ghost beast" and bring gloom to the festive New Year.

The ghost beast is no different from other Nian beasts, but their New Year's gifts are quite deadly.

Liu Xingmo's immediate superior, the library director Liu Linghou, is the most feared monster among all the students in the entire city—his New Year's gift is a homework assignment...

In short, be wary of the more agile of the Nian beasts, as they might be monkeys in disguise. If you encounter such a monster, escape is the priority; do not fire firecrackers.

If you happily open the red envelope only to find a cold, heavy workbook, you'll have to grit your teeth and finish it. Because the monster has already memorized this unfortunate person's appearance, and at the end of the holiday, the teacher will confiscate this death warrant.

Liu Xingmo carefully put away the silver spoon.

At that moment, several pairs of eyes swept over him.

Liu Xingmo looked back.

A resolute gaze, a robust physique; a fire starter readily at hand, and thick firecrackers hanging from his belt. He's clearly one of the best Nian beast hunters.

I ran into a fellow professional!

Liu Xingmo raised the small rocket in his hand, revealing a provocative smile.

The beast hunters responded with fierce smiles and then disappeared into the crowd.

……

The joyous Chinese New Year celebrations have only just begun.