As Huang Jiu entered the room, I couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Oh wow, Ninth Master! It's only been one night, and what happened to you?"
Huang Jiu gave me a resentful glance. "It was dark last night, and I accidentally fell off the ridge."
What an excuse.A weasel tripping over itself? I almost believed it.
I had heard of fierce tigresses among women, but I never expected there to be a tigress among weasels too.It seemed that all henpecked husbands shared the same fate.
I bent down to support him and pulled out a chair for him.
As Huang Jiu sat down, his movements tugged at his injured muscles, making him grimace in pain. Only after adjusting his posture did he let out a long sigh of relief.
"Hey, Ninth Master, your head's got some fresh scratches—who clawed you?" I teased, parting the fur on his head to inspect the bleeding wound.
Huang Jiu shot me a sideways glance, instantly realizing that I was feigning ignorance. His anger flared, and he leaped up, but the sudden movement strained his hip, causing him to suck in a breath of pain before he limped back into his seat. "Don't gloat too much, kid. Let's see if you're any better off than me in five days."
Hearing this, I pulled up a stool beside him and asked, "Ninth Master, tell me, what's going to happen in five days? Will she wake up or...?"
Huang Jiu hesitated, sneaking a glance at the woman on the bed before muttering, "She doesn't want me to say, and I don't dare to. But the secrets hidden in the Ten Thousand Mountains are enough to scare anyone."
Not allowed to speak?I recalled how he was about to say something the other day, but the woman suddenly sat up.Was that a warning?
If so, then she could hear everything happening around her.
That thought made my scalp tingle.After all, I had been checking her heartbeat every day.
Looking at Huang Jiu's pitiful state, I started considering whether I should make an early escape.
Huang Jiu leaned back in his chair, grunting in pain. "Kid, I helped you big time last night. Shouldn't you at least make me a meal to replenish my strength?"
Establishing merit really changed his attitude—he even started calling me "kid" instead of "brat."
But I needed someone to keep me company, so I let it slide.
After chatting for a bit, I confirmed that Huang Jiu had indeed been beaten up by his wife. He had run away from home and planned to stay with me for a few days.
That was exactly what I wanted. I immediately got up, saying I'd go home to catch a chicken for him.
The moment I mentioned chicken, Huang Jiu's eyes lit up like a predator's, and he smacked his lips impatiently, urging me to hurry.
I chuckled and left, feeling a sense of relief.
Huang Jiu carried a Buddhist relic, making him impervious to evil.More importantly, his wife was back. If she could beat him up like this, she must be formidable.
Keeping him here meant that if anything happened, she wouldn't just stand by and watch.After all, as the saying goes—beating is affection, scolding is love.
In the afternoon, I returned home while my parents were out.
I grabbed a large rooster from the coop and filled a sack with ashes from the stove before heading back up the mountain.
When Huang Jiu saw the chicken, he limped eagerly to the yard, directing me on how to slaughter it.
Knowing that weasels loved fresh chicken blood, I filled a bowl and handed it to him.
After drinking, Huang Jiu looked completely satisfied.
While the chicken was cooking, I spread another layer of ashes around the house.
Huang Jiu, watching from his chair, remarked, "Kid, you might be able to keep the creatures from the mountains away, but you can't stop humans."
His words carried meaning.After shaking out the last of the ashes, I sat down beside him.
Huang Jiu continued, now in a talkative mood.
He told me that the Taoist world was real, filled with different sects beyond just Maoshan.
I had never heard of any of this before.
Huang Jiu also revealed that every year, Taoist priests ventured into the Ten Thousand Mountains in search of something.
But over the years, he had only seen them enter—never leave.
In other words, they all perished in the mountains.
That gave me chills. I asked why I had never encountered any of these people.
Huang Jiu rolled his eyes at me, as if I were an ignorant fool. "Those people are big shots, moving like ghosts. You're just an ordinary person—of course you wouldn't see them."
Taoist magic was vast and profound—I believed that.But moving like ghosts?
I wasn't convinced.
They were probably just sneaking into the mountains secretly.
Huang Jiu's warning about humans made more sense now—he was referring to these people.
Just as I started feeling anxious again, Huang Jiu sniffed the air and nudged me with his uninjured paw. "The meat smells good. Go check if it's done."
Seeing that Huang Jiu truly knew a lot, I quickly brought over the chicken.
Satisfied with his meal, he shared even more stories about the mountains.But whenever I asked about the woman's origins, he avoided answering.
All he said was, "Since you two have already married, maybe you'll have a good fate together. If you handle it well, your future might be extraordinary."
That was exactly what my grandfather had told me.
But this marriage had been forced—practically a case of seizing an opportunity.When she woke up, things might not turn out so well.
Still, after hearing all this, I was even more determined to protect her.
Not for any fortune or destiny.Not even just to fulfill my grandfather's wishes.
But because we had bowed before heaven and earth.
I simply wanted to do what I should, what I must.
After stuffing himself, Huang Jiu came up with a rotten idea—telling me to "take" the woman while she was still asleep.
"One night as husband and wife, a hundred days of kindness," he reasoned. "She'll be easier to talk to that way."
I shot him a huge glare.
Not that I was some kind of saint.I just didn't know how to do that kind of thing.
By the time we finished eating, the sun was setting.
Another night was approaching.
I tidied up the pots and bowls and gathered the scattered items from last night.
Just then, a small weasel darted in, chattering at Huang Jiu before glancing at me and scurrying away.
The moment it left, Huang Jiu's expression turned serious. "Kid, you'd better move your wife somewhere else. My son just told me that two Taoist priests have entered the mountains."
I frowned.This guy was getting cocky—calling me "kid" now?
But since he had just given me crucial information, I let it slide.
I'd settle the score later.
Still, I was confused. "Aren't Taoists supposed to be righteous? Shouldn't they be helping me?"
Huang Jiu didn't answer. He just glanced at the woman on the bed.
I immediately understood.
He added, "Good or bad, it depends on the person, not the profession. Some Taoists can be more dangerous than ordinary men."
That made sense.But in this wilderness, where could I even move her?
If I took her to the village, I might endanger my parents.
Seeing my hesitation, Huang Jiu suggested, "There's a cave not far from here. You could hide in there for now—it's enclosed and can help conceal the scent of the elixir."
I hesitated.But a cave was still better than being out in the open.