Chapter 13: Young Hero Young Hero

The rain today was much shorter than yesterday's. It stopped after a short while, but the temperature felt a bit cool because of it.

Feeling the chill, Ji Yuan fumbled for and put on a piece of clothing left by the peddler, then draped the coir raincoat over himself.

From the peddler's conversation yesterday, Ji Yuan learned it was early spring, so the cold weather was normal. However, neither of the two rains he encountered had the characteristic feel of continuous spring showers.

He had woken up quite late today, and with the rain stopped, it was probably nearing dusk. Night falls quickly in the mountains, and the paths were now slippery. Even if Ji Yuan had the courage to descend, conditions wouldn't permit it.

Tonight, there were no peddlers, which meant no campfire for warmth.

Ji Yuan sighed, feeling pessimistic about his future. For now, he could only hope for clear skies tomorrow, which might provide some advantage for his pitiful visibility.

Just as Ji Yuan expected, darkness fell quickly in the mountains. Before long, it became dim. As evening approached, he felt a bit timid and, unlike during the day, didn't dare sit in front of the altar. Instead, he retreated behind the old statue.

The red fox that had been sheltering from the rain in the temple had left at some point.

Ji Yuan's mood was more anxious than the day before. After all, he was alone now. He had only tricked the tiger demon away last night; surely it wouldn't realize so soon, just one day later.

Ji Yuan had just dozed off when a new clamor disturbed his light sleep. It wasn't dark yet, but human voices echoed from the distant mountain path.

Ji Yuan immediately became alert, sitting up on the tattered straw mat behind the mountain god statue and tilting his head to listen to the sounds.

'No way, what a coincidence? This dilapidated temple isn't a transportation hub; how could people come every day? Could it be changgui? No, no, no, there are footsteps, don't scare yourself!'

A short distance away on the mountain path, a group of nine people was walking, most with light steps.

The group consisted of both men and women, mostly appearing young. Several carried weapons, mainly swords, while others had long staffs with iron-reinforced tips. Two people in the middle were carrying a large burlap sack, its contents unknown.

Despite their weapons, they all looked somewhat disheveled. Because they hadn't brought rain gear, they had gotten soaked by the rain, even after finding shelter in time.

The one leading the group was Yan Fei, a young man with a tasseled sword. He was about 1.8 meters tall, with a well-proportioned and slender build, and a pair of keen phoenix eyes.

He looked ahead, pointed into the distance, and spoke to his companions.

"The Mountain God Temple is up ahead. Let's hurry there to rest, dry off by a fire, and regain our strength!"

"Alright, everyone, let's pick up the pace. Walking on these rain-soaked mountain paths is truly arduous!"

One woman, who wore a close-fitting suit with her wrists and ankles bound, also had a short jacket draped over it. Now, it clung to her body, wet and heavy. Every few steps, she furiously shook off the mud sticking to her boots.

"It's ridiculous that none of us thought to bring rain gear."

The woman quickened her pace, muttering a frustrated, self-deprecating remark.

The brawny man carrying the iron-tipped staff chuckled.

"Heh heh, Junior Sister Luo, the weather in these mountains changes in an instant. The sun was high and bright before we ascended; who could have known?"

"What's so funny? You're soaked to the bone too!"

"Alright, stop bickering. We're not here for fun. Everyone, let's get into the temple and get ourselves together!"

Although the ground was muddy and their steps were a bit awkward, Ji Yuan had to admit they moved quickly. In no time, they reached the front of the Mountain God Temple.

The dilapidated little temple in the wilderness, surrounded by trees mixed with dead ones, and obscured by rocks and shadows, combined with the approaching evening, made the area look eerie.

"Caw~ Caw~"

Two caws of a crow from a dead tree behind the temple made the scene even more fitting.

The nine people, whose steps had originally been light, instinctively slowed down. Even their voices became much quieter.

Though the temple was old and missing its main door, it still offered shelter from wind and rain. Yan Fei walked to the edge of the eaves, scanned the interior, and saw the charcoal pile and unburnt firewood left by the previous peddlers. He let out a slight sigh of relief.

"The people from Shuixian Town were right; this place does seem to be a frequent stopover. Still, everyone, please be extra careful."

Inside the temple, Ji Yuan found their reaction somewhat inexplicable. They had been quite loud complaining on the road, but now they were cautious.

Yet, he couldn't laugh. When he was alone, he longed for people to arrive, but now that they were here, he worried they might be vicious criminals, as he currently had no means of self-defense.

After circling the Mountain God Temple once, a few of them finally entered.

Yan Fei entered the temple first, with the others following closely.

After glancing at the campfire remains and dry firewood several times, they cautiously approached the mountain god statue with light steps, frequently looking up at the temple's ceiling and into various corners. Their main attention was naturally focused behind the statue.

It was Yan Fei who spotted Ji Yuan first. Being at the front, he walked to the old campfire site, pretending to check it, then looked up behind the mountain god statue and saw Ji Yuan leaning there.

"A beggar?"

The others also came closer, getting a clear view of Ji Yuan.

"Hey, beggar, are you the only one here?"

The man with the long staff bellowed at Ji Yuan, his loud voice making Ji Yuan's ears itch. He instinctively reached up with his pinky finger and scratched his left ear.

The group's breathing was generally more powerful and sustained than that of the peddlers. Ji Yuan's intuition told him these people were not ordinary. He didn't dare to talk back or be difficult in front of them, deciding it was best to answer honestly whatever they asked.

"Yes, I was alone before you arrived."

Ji Yuan had initially wanted to quip, "Are you not people?", but then remembered this wasn't typing behind a keyboard online, nor was it his familiar world. A careless remark could lead to a beating.

The woman, referred to as Junior Sister Luo among the group, looked at Ji Yuan's ragged and disheveled appearance and exclaimed in surprise.

"There are man-eating tigers in these mountains. How dare you come up here alone?"

Although her question was likely driven by curiosity, Ji Yuan still hoped they might take him down the mountain, or at least he had to try. So, he gave a half-truthful, disheartened reply.

"There's nothing I can do. My eyes don't work well, and the person who brought me here left. Even if I know there are tigers on the mountain, it's hard to descend alone without help."

Sympathy! He absolutely had to win their sympathy!

At that moment, the young man with phoenix eyes gestured to everyone, pointed at Ji Yuan, then at his own eyes. Everyone instinctively scrutinized the beggar's eyes, realizing that though they were slightly open and clear, their pupils were grayish-white.

Someone lowered their voice and whispered, "He's blind..."

That hushed voice naturally didn't escape Ji Yuan's ears. Ji Yuan optimistically thought that speaking softly meant they were considerate of his feelings. From this, it seemed at least that person wasn't too ill-intentioned.

Consequently, Ji Yuan's hope of being able to leave increased.

The robust man with the long staff in the group glanced at Junior Sister Luo and the others, then addressed Ji Yuan:

"Consider yourself lucky to have met us. Once we deal with that man-eating beast, we'll take you down the mountain with us!"

Ji Yuan, who had just felt a surge of joy, heard the latter part of the sentence and his heart suddenly leaped.

They want to kill a great beast? Which great beast? It couldn't be Lord Lu, could it?

"Uh, what are you here on the mountain for?"

Ji Yuan asked them, feeling a bit anxious.

The answer came from the same loud-voiced man with the staff.

"Hahahahaha... We heard that man-eating tigers have been plaguing these mountains for quite some time, and the local authorities haven't been able to eliminate them. Driven by our chivalrous spirit, we accepted the bounty from Ning'an County Magistrate and came to Shuixian Town to rid the people of this menace!"

"That's right!" "Exactly!"

The men and women around nodded in agreement, confidently showcasing their chivalry to Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan froze for a moment, the immediate thought that popped into his head was: 'These people are looking for death!'