Chapter 39: Welcoming the New Year

The gates of Huaigu Village were thrown wide open. Led by Liu Shan, nearly all the villagers gathered at the entrance to welcome Wu Chang.

Wu Chang dismounted, and the moment his feet touched the ground, the palace lantern in his hand flickered out. Without drawing attention, he tucked the remaining lamp oil into his personal storage space and approached Liu Shan, lantern in hand.

"I have fulfilled my mission."

Liu Shan took the lantern and exclaimed in admiration, "Hero Wu is truly a man of extraordinary ability! A journey that takes a week was completed in less than two days."

Liu Jinfu placed the lantern upon the altar in the center of the valley. Nourished by the "Year-End Exorcism" formation, the four-sided lamp ignited with a crimson glow, requiring no further oil. As the flames rose, the damp chill brought by the malevolent spirits in the valley instantly dissipated.

Because of Wu Chang’s early return, the meeting originally intended for discussing the Year-End Exorcism ritual turned into a celebratory feast. At the banquet, the villagers were curious as to how Wu Chang had traveled so swiftly and whether he had encountered the lamp-bearer from the Chen family village along the way.

When they learned that he had not encountered anyone from the Chen family village, but instead had traversed several treacherous mountain ranges, the villagers gasped in astonishment, praising his immense courage and skill. Those more cautious among them turned to advise their own kin, warning them never to imitate such dangerous feats; good children must never learn from Wu Chang. Walking mountain paths in such a manner was a surefire way to lose one's life ten times over.

Since Wu Chang had traversed the mountains via a direct route, it naturally led to the next question. Liu Wei could not help but ask: "Hero, did the Chen family village encounter any trouble? Why were they so late in returning the lamp?"

Wu Chang sighed, his heart still heavy as he recounted what he had witnessed at the Chen family village. When the villagers heard that monsters had joined forces to attack the village, slaughtering everyone, and then displayed the corpses to store them as winter food, their faces turned deathly pale. Some of the more timid ones were even moved to tears by the description. Although the Chen family village had turned into a den of bandits, the two villages had been old acquaintances with frequent ties, and some even shared distant kin. The news that the Chen family village was gone cast a sudden, icy gloom over the festive atmosphere of Huaigu Village.

The villagers had to confirm the news multiple times before they could bring themselves to believe it. However, they had no time to mourn; the threat of the monsters now loomed over them. Once the meal was finished, the villagers did not even sleep, instead gathering the whole village to prepare for the Year-End Exorcism. The sounds of labor continued throughout the night.

Early the next morning, when Wu Chang opened his eyes, a giant bonfire and a wooden altar had already been erected in the center of the village.

He had just requested a basin of hot water from the villagers at his door to wash up when Liu Shan arrived, inviting him to tour the village and explaining the details of the Year-End Exorcism. The term had been spoken countless times, but he had no true understanding of how the ritual was conducted. He only knew that many of its terms overlapped with the New Year celebrations of the real world, but the steps were far more cumbersome and the details unknown. Seeing that Liu Shan was offering information voluntarily, he had no reason to refuse.

Liu Wu had previously mentioned that once he saw the core of the ritual, he would understand what the malevolent spirits truly were. Wu Chang had been worrying about how to trick Liu Shan into showing him the core, yet to his surprise, Liu Shan showed no intention of hiding anything.

The first stop of the tour was the forbidden ground of Huaigu Village, the very core of the Year-End Exorcism. The ritual’s formation was set up in the "Hollow Mountain" at the deepest part of the village. The mountain earned its name from a natural cavern within that occupied nearly thirty percent of its mass, as if someone had hollowed out the mountain's heart when it was formed. There was only one narrow path into the cave, just wide enough for three people to walk abreast—a strategic point easy to defend and hard to attack, which kept monsters out. It was the perfect place for a forbidden site.

In the center of the cavern sat a massive stone. It was smooth and rounded, shaped like an elongated trapezoid with a full, protruding belly. Though uncarved, it possessed a faint, human-like quality, resembling a Great Buddha or a woman in late pregnancy.

"What is this?" Wu Chang asked, puzzled.

Liu Shan explained, "This is the Stone Buddha. When Huaigu Village was first established, someone discovered this Stone Buddha underground while searching for a spring. When they moved it, water gushed from the pit, forming the stream that now runs through the valley. The Stone Buddha naturally possesses a certain power and is highly effective. The sorcerer who laid out the formation used it as the cornerstone to suppress the malevolent spirits and maintain the core of the Year-End Exorcism."

Wu Chang walked around the Stone Buddha twice, observing it with great care. It wasn't that he believed Liu Shan’s story, but rather that the statue was strange. As he neared it, the "Poison of the Mortal" in his storage space stirred, indicating that the source of the corruption in this dungeon was nearby. Yet, what triggered the reaction was not the Stone Buddha itself, but something beneath it. He could not yet sense exactly how deep it was, but it was certainly not shallow.

He tapped the ground and said, "The mountain floor feels hollow. Is there something else arranged beneath it?"

"There is a bottomless abyss under the mountain, which was sealed when the ritual formation was set up. Rest assured, Hero, as long as the ritual formation holds, there is no need to worry about the ground collapsing," Liu Shan replied.

Wu Chang nodded impassively, though he found the situation tricky. His side quest required him to find the source of the demonic aura in Huaigu Village. Since the source of the corruption was formed within the abyss, it was clear that the source of the aura was inextricably linked to it. However, entering the abyss would mean destroying the ritual formation, which conflicted with the main quest. For now, he would have to find a way to complete the main quest first, and only after that, during the remaining time in the dungeon, would he attempt to complete the side quest.

Unaware of Wu Chang's thoughts, Liu Shan led him to a small cave next to the Stone Buddha. Upon entering, Wu Chang was startled by the sight before him: a group of exotic beasts were being kept in captivity.

There were seven in total—two large and five small. The large ones were about 1.6 to 1.7 meters long, with lithe, tiger-like or leopard-like bodies covered in scales, looking impressively majestic. The small ones were only seventy or eighty centimeters long, still in their infancy, and very timid. As soon as they saw people approaching, the young ones hid behind the larger beasts, while the eyes of the adults filled with sorrow and rage. Wu Chang had never seen beasts with such complex emotions and human-like nature.

Seeing Wu Chang’s surprised expression, Liu Shan looked slightly smug and began to introduce them with pride. "These are Mountain-Guarding Beasts. Legend says they are of dragon lineage and only roam the deepest parts of the Hundred-Mile Huai Mountains; they are rarely seen. Coincidentally, a child we took in by chance was born with the ability to communicate with beasts. Liu Wei took that child into the mountains and managed to capture this litter."

It had to be said that the villagers of Huaigu Village certainly knew how to make use of the boy who guarded the mountains. But what Wu Chang couldn't understand was why, when faced with such a useful tool, the prosperous villagers were so stingy with a simple cotton coat or a bowl of warm food. Even the toughest beast of burden would die if worked like this.

"Why capture these Mountain-Guarding Beasts?"

Only then did they reach the main point of today's tour. "Hero Wu, the Year-End Exorcism consists of four steps. The first step—'Welcoming the Year'—requires the use of these beasts."