Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

"That's right, capture the Nian beast." Great-Grandpa smiled calmly.

"You are truly amazing!" Liu Xingmo complimented.

"No, you're in charge of making the arrest. That thing has a very keen sense of instinct; it disappears at the slightest hint of trouble. I can't show myself."

"What? Me!" Liu Xingmo grinned, showing his white teeth. "That's not appropriate! There are so many capable people in the village, someone like me, a junior, should just give up..."

"Don't be nervous. Although the Nian beast can read people's minds, it's not very smart. Basically, it believes whatever other people think."

Liu Xingmo suddenly realized: "So, as long as we believe that firecrackers can drive away the Nian beast, it will be scared away!"

"That's about right."

My great-grandfather took out an old brass pipe, skillfully filled the bowl with tobacco, lit it, and leisurely puffed out smoke.

The corridor was dimly lit, with only the red embers from the pipe flickering intermittently. Great-Grandpa exhaled a long cloud of smoke and said:

"Do you know where this Nian beast we encountered came from?"

"All I know is that there is no Nian beast in the world..."

"Hehe, you're very clever." Great-grandfather smiled kindly at the slightly embarrassed Liu Xingmo, then pointed to the office, "Perfect, the culprit is here too, come out."

A few seconds later, Liu San Niang slowly walked out, covering her face with her hands, on the verge of tears: "Elder! The matter of the Nian beast has nothing to do with me, I am truly innocent..."

Great-Grandpa's face was hidden in the smoke, his voice calm and still: "Then let me ask you, did you submit a report claiming that you could fully transform into beast form?"

"Yes, I want to find a good job," Liu San Niang replied softly.

"Did you receive a notice to dress up as the Nian monster? You not only agreed but also received payment, only to break your promise. Is that true?"

"Well..." Liu San Niang stammered, "I need to make some preparations before I can fully transform into my beast form..."

"That's it. The Nian beast that was supposed to be there was missing yours. So a real one came out to fill in." Great-Grandpa's voice was indifferent.

Hearing this, Liu San Niang was struck dumb: "Elder! I really didn't know it would turn out like this! Waaah... Ignorance is no excuse, please forgive me..."

"Of course you wouldn't know. Very few people in the entire Black Dragon Stronghold know, which is why this kind of blunder happened." Great-Grandpa, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, took a deep drag. "Liu San Niang, I'm not blaming you. I'm just here to remind you, that Nian beast wants to replace you!"

"Replace me! What do you mean?" Liu San Niang was truly desperate, her voice trembling with tears. "Elder, please save me..."

Great-grandfather stopped talking and just kept puffing on his cigarette.

Liu Xingmo stepped forward and asked, "How should we hunt the Nian beast?"

Great-grandfather stretched out his arm, the glowing tobacco pipe pointing towards the end of the corridor.

At that moment, the dimly lit corridor suddenly became brightly lit, as if a huge light source was illuminating the entire library.

Liu Xingmo returned to his office and opened the window.

A bright red sun hung in the sky above the city, releasing boundless light and heat, and even began to melt the ice and snow.

On the other side, on the eastern horizon, a sea of ​​clouds sets off the golden sunrise, casting a magnificent glow.

What's overhead isn't the sun! It's a fireball! It's probably a divine-level secret technique!

Liu Xingmo squinted, feeling the hot wind brushing against his face.

At this moment, countless residents were awakened by the strange phenomenon. They either went outside or opened their windows, gazing in awe at the pure white world where the ice and snow had melted.

Beneath the light, several swift shadows swept across the earth; those were birds of prey soaring through the sky.

These large birds proclaimed to the awakening central city in a loud, clear voice:

"Alert! A large horde of Nian beasts will attack tonight. All personnel, please prepare!"

"The rules are as follows: Once the Nian beast roars, everyone within a ten-zhang radius will be defeated and fall to the ground. Once a firecracker explodes on the Nian beast's body, the Nian beast will be severely injured and fall to the ground."

"For each Nian beast defeated, you will receive a reward: five Azure Maple Balls or one Evergreen Persimmon.

"The mountain goddess, who was in meditation, has awakened and is clearing away the snow and ice for us so that we can fight with all our might."

"May all the disciples of Heilongzhai join hands to overcome this difficult time."

"Furthermore, those who break the rules will be detained for one year and forced to perform arduous labor. We will be watching closely from the sky and cracking down on all transgressors. Please remember the rules and do your best to abide by them."

"Repeat it again..."

As soon as the announcement was made, the entire village erupted in excitement.

People who had been lazily hibernating during the winter were all invigorated and ready to participate in activities.

This year's Nian Beast Siege program is really going on such a big scale!

The prize is a top-grade spiritual medicine! The very kind of heavenly treasure! They're actually giving away something like that? Are you kidding me?!

And what's more, the Mountain Goddess has actually appeared in the world! She's always been aloof and otherworldly, untouched by worldly concerns. Yet today, she might be hiding among the people, testing all the descendants of this city!

Why is the punishment for breaking the rules so severe?

……

When Liu Xingmo returned to the corridor, his great-grandfather had already disappeared.

Liu San Niang sat down against the corner of the wall, her face full of loneliness and helplessness.

Liu Xingmo said irritably, "Stop standing there, Third Sister! Get up and get ready to work. Tonight we need to find a way to take down that monster."

Liu San Niang rubbed her disheveled hair and said dejectedly, "How am I supposed to take it down...?"

"That thing is incredibly stupid; it might not even be able to tell if the Nian beast the instructor is imitating is one of its own kind. It'll just blindly copy others' foolish actions, so let's seize the opportunity and catch it!"

Liu San Niang turned her head and looked up at the standing young man: "Is it that easy?"

"Then why do you think firecrackers would drive this monster away? We saw it last time; it was like a ghost, its body was ethereal. How could firecrackers hurt it?"

"Firecrackers...yes! Let's use firecrackers to mess with it!" Liu Sanniang patted her cheeks, suddenly stood up, and said, "Let's go, I'm going to kill that stupid black-haired rabbit!"

……

The daytime flew by, and night fell in the blink of an eye.

The snow and ice that covered the city had long since melted into flowing water, disappearing into the rivers and never to return.

The treehouses stood out in the north wind, revealing their original appearance, while the cobblestone streets were brightly lit and bustling with traffic.

Bright red lanterns hung in every corner of the view, forming a long, orange-red river that meandered through the town.

Vendors and tourists thronged the streets, enjoying snacks, drinks, dramas, and storytelling performances. The crowds were bustling and lively, celebrating the hard-won festival.

The residents of the mountain city, who had been cooped up for most of the winter, can finally have some fun.

Others were fully armed, eager to try their luck, and waiting for the epic battle that night.

Most people don't know that among the Nian beasts that attack at night, there is a real ghost beast hidden.

Everything was planned and schemed, all for the sake of that monster.

Liu Xingmo was conducting a final inspection in the warehouse outside the city, in the old house he had bought.