Chapter 24: A Mystery—When Spirits Appear, Something Must Be Amiss!

In the mountains.

A walking stick tapped against the damp, muddy, and weed-choked dirt path. Zhang Hao, carrying a Spirit-Fixing Basket and a rucksack, wove through the forest and trekked through the tall grass. As he walked, he used his stick to casually push aside the weeds, searching for any valuable mountain treasures hidden within.

Beyond the rare, mystical treasures, a "Mountain Walker" also relied on finding common but valuable wild medicinal herbs to make a living. After all, a Mountain Walker has to eat. Besides, true mystical treasures of the mountains were not so easily obtained. That "Teasel Root" he had found earlier was, for Zhang Hao, a perfect auspicious start; he didn't dare hope to encounter such a treasure again so soon.

Just as he reached a hillside densely packed with weeds, a terminal, cone-shaped inflorescence caught his eye. Zhang Hao frowned slightly and bent down to examine the plant more closely. Its bracts were triangular-ovate with small protrusions and pointed tips. The stem and leaves were lush, with spreading branches extending for several meters.

Is this... Polygonum multiflorum?

Judging by the stems and leaves, it was a specimen with quite a few years behind it. As a perennial plant like the Teasel Root, Polygonum multiflorum requires many years of growth to reach maturity. Its medicinal value is high; it calms the spirit, nourishes the blood, darkens the hair, and tonifies the liver and kidneys. The older the plant, the more expensive it is, and wild ones are even more precious and potent. Generally speaking, if this plant was at least five years old, a complete specimen would likely fetch... He didn't actually know the price, but he knew it was definitely worth a good sum.

Squatting on the ground, he hesitated for a long time before pulling out the small blade at his waist, ready to dig it up. If he left it here, a mountain spirit might dig it up and eat it one day; it was better to take it himself and sell it for money. Before long, thanks to his still-unrefined digging techniques, he unearthed a Polygonum multiflorum with a thick, long-oval tuber, dark brown in color, and notably larger than those usually seen. Just by looking at it, he knew it had significant age, though he would need to confirm the exact years once he returned home.

With this in mind, he unslung his rucksack and stowed the plant away. He did not put it into his Spirit-Fixing Basket, as that was reserved solely for true mountain treasures. Placing common herbs inside would inevitably taint the spiritual energy of the treasures, significantly diminishing their effectiveness.

***

Zhang Hao continued to wander through the forest, occasionally using his stick to part the undergrowth or recalling the "Mountain Observation Manual" taught to him by a senior predecessor, using those formulas to hunt for herbs.

Time slipped away, and three short hours passed. In that time, Zhang Hao’s haul was quite good. Besides the Polygonum multiflorum, he had found a patch of wild Gastrodia elata—though young, only about two years old—harvesting eight sturdy tubers. This was also a rare and valuable herb, primarily used to treat liver wind, tremors, dizziness, and headaches. As for the exact market price, Zhang Hao remained ignorant; he had the knowledge of a Mountain Walker, but he was truly clueless about the commercial value of these medicines. He would have to find a way to inquire about it.

Thinking this, he walked over to a large boulder and sat down to rest. The sky was darkening, and once the sun dipped below the horizon, the forest was completely swallowed by shadow, leaving him almost unable to see his own hand in front of his face. Fortunately, having spent the day wandering, his eyes had adjusted, and navigating the dark forest was, in itself, a primary method of practicing the "Observation" technique—the first of the four core tenets of the Mountain Walker. He didn't rush to head down, choosing instead to stay and adapt to the gloom.

As the silence of the forest pressed in, his thoughts drifted, and his brow furrowed. Ever since he had separated from the funeral procession, he had felt a lingering sense of unease. Why, for no apparent reason, would something like a "Mountain Illusion Spirit" appear? From his childhood until now, although he had heard countless versions of wilderness legends and tales passed down through the mountains, he had never actually heard of anyone encountering mountain spirits or demons, let alone dying because of one. Yet, why had that funeral procession run into one? Was it because of the funeral itself? That couldn't be; he had never heard of such things happening at previous funerals. It was truly bizarre.

During his break, Zhang Hao took the "Mountain Walker’s Travelogue" from his rucksack and flipped through it casually. After a while, a passage caught his attention:

*“When spirits and demons appear in the mountains, it is a sign of great calamity and may indicate that something strange is about to occur...”*

Seeing this, he frowned and snapped the book shut.

***

If spirits were appearing in the mountains, it meant something significant was about to happen. However, the "Mountain Walker’s Travelogue" did not record the details of what that event might be, only noting that such phenomena were a symptom of an impending occurrence. It did, however, list a few possibilities.

Zhang Hao glanced over them; most were similar to folklore, shrouded in mystery. Examples included a weasel seeking a blessing, a fox wedding, the appearance of a millennium-old spiritual entity, or even a medicinal herb gaining sentience. These were merely recorded, and the ancient texts contained little detail. Furthermore, the books advised that if a Mountain Walker encountered such things, an experienced one might observe from afar, but those with insufficient experience should hide and leave immediately, never approaching, lest they fall into danger.

Adhering to the principle of "better safe than sorry," Zhang Hao closed the book firmly. After all, this was his first day as a Mountain Walker; he could hardly claim to be experienced. At best, he was rich in theoretical knowledge. Moreover, his fortune today had been excellent; surely he wouldn't run into such things so easily—and if he did, he could always run.

He looked up, scanning the dark surroundings where danger seemed to lurk at every moment. Zhang Hao brushed the dust from his pants, stood up from the boulder, and leaning on his stick, prepared to head home. It was getting late, and it was time to return; Li Siyu would surely have dinner ready and be waiting for him.

Before leaving, he took one last look at his spoils, and the corners of his mouth curled upward uncontrollably. It was a bountiful harvest. The Polygonum multiflorum and Gastrodia elata alone should fetch a high price, not to mention the Teasel Root. Unable to hide his joy, Zhang Hao strode forward, carefully identifying his path while leaning on his staff.

Walking through the pitch-black forest was difficult, so he moved slowly, making almost no sound. But, not long after he had started, a series of "rustling" sounds suddenly reached his ears.

Zhang Hao crouched down with instinctive alertness and followed the sound. Just behind him, to the side, a beam of firelight appeared out of thin air, darting through the dark, dense forest.