Chapter 116: The Cause

The old man stumbled back a few steps, then collapsed onto the deck with a heavy thud.

My pupils contracted as I stepped directly between Zhang Chang and the old man. "You cannot kill him. He is an innocent person from Mount Yalong. Besides, he just saved Li Yue’s life and mine; without this boat, you wouldn't have been able to reach the shore."

Zhang Chang’s expression remained utterly cold. He looked deeply at the old man, a strange, twisted smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Do you think I want to kill him? You can ask him yourself what I said to him back then."

My heart skipped a beat as I turned to look at the old man involuntarily. Sure enough, there was no terror of death in his eyes, but rather a look of profound disbelief. Before I could speak, the old man rasped, "How is that possible? How could I become the Grand Elder? I am just a boatman, and besides..."

Astonishment flooded through me.

Zhang Chang’s expression softened significantly. He stooped slightly and said, "Take us away from here first. Once we return, take this object, and you shall be the Grand Elder." He drew a slender flute from his robes.

The old man looked lost. "The token of the Grand Elder is still in your hands. Then the current Grand Elder..."

Zhang Chang’s tone was as still as stagnant water. "You are the Grand Elder now."

The old man took the flute with trembling hands, his gaze complex. He turned around and began to row. The landslide and falling rocks from moments ago had finally settled. Those who had been hiding on the shore had long since fled home; no one noticed Zhang Chang. In other words, thirty-five years had passed, and the only people who could possibly remember Zhang Chang were the very elderly. The children of that time would have no clear impression of him, and it was only the teenagers and young adults of our generation who would view him with such deep-seated dread. Those on the shore were mostly in their twenties and thirties; they were too young to recognize him even if they saw him.

"You had better eat something. The Yin-Monkey on your ear hasn't been removed yet; I will help you with that later. If you stay in this state, you will lose consciousness soon." As he spoke to me, Zhang Chang picked up the two bundles, opened them, and spread the contents out on the boat to air. He tossed me something wrapped in leaves. Upon opening it, I found dark, grain-like food that emitted an indescribable medicinal scent.

My stomach was empty, so I didn't hesitate and gulped it down. The taste was indescribable, even more bitter than the small bitter melons grown at home.

After consuming it, the strength returned to my body rapidly. I was stunned. "What is this?"

"Millet," Zhang Chang replied without looking up, holding the rusted dagger in his hand.

I frowned slightly. "Isn't millet yellow? And the grains aren't this large."

"Many people have died in Changyuan Village. They were all buried in the soil beneath the stilt houses. In such a place, where the earth’s belly gathers and vents Yin energy, everything becomes saturated with it. Have you ever seen a green leaf in there?"

My heart sank.

Zhang Chang smiled. "I only have one last pack of this left. Every year, wild millet grows on the vacant land against the mountain wall. They absorb the essence of the mountain’s belly and the lingering resentment of the corpses. They turn pitch black. For ghosts, it is a nourishing delicacy; for the living, if one can withstand its resentment and Yin, it is an excellent way to replenish one's vitality."

I nearly vomited. Millet grown on a bed of corpses—how was this any different from the soup made of graveyard weeds that Granny Hui used to drink?

"Xie Yuan, you are special. A special person should not be constrained by such trivialities. Under the heavens, countless people would kill for such a treasure. If you throw it up, it would be a terrible waste. Besides, you couldn't vomit it up even if you wanted to."

My face went pale. It was true; even if I wanted to retch, I couldn't. I had been far too hungry. Moreover, my strength had almost fully returned, and my mind felt much clearer. Thinking of what Li Yue had been eating, it was likely similar fare. Changyuan Village was isolated from the world; in such a tiny, cramped place, where else could there be untainted land?

The boat slowly pulled away from Mount Yalong. Zhang Chang’s gaze was vacant, the emotions in his eyes shifting rapidly, as if he were lost in memories. I did not speak to interrupt him.

Suddenly, Zhang Chang said, "Li Yue knows the arts of Feng Shui. She should know that the flood dragon in the mountain is the manifestation of this Yin-Dragon River beneath our boat. This is a grand Feng Shui formation born of natural forces: the Yin-Dragon traverses the mountains, but its head and tail are suppressed by two great peaks."

"It’s just that where the tail lies, the Yin-Dragon has transformed into a flood dragon, burrowing into Mount Yalong and absorbing the mountain's essence year after year."

"If one day the essence of Mount Yalong is drained dry, the mountain will collapse, and the Feng Shui fortune of the Yin-Dragon River will surpass that of the two dragon-severing mountains."

"Mount Yalong also gave birth to a spirit creature due to this fortune. It burrowed into a human body to attain a human form, and by leveraging the mountain's power and its own strength, it extracted the essence of the flood dragon, trapping it within Changyuan Village."

My pupils tightened. What Zhang Chang said aligned perfectly with what Li Yue had told me earlier. But I had never imagined that the essence was extracted by a person. Furthermore, a name was already forming in my mind...

Zhang Chang narrowed his eyes. "The mountain spirit, being a shapeshifter, should have shared the mountain's longevity—immortal and indestructible. Yet, it grew greedy for a human form. Since human life has an end, it researched a method to extend its lifespan indefinitely."

"It also grew greedy for the human world; it married and had children, and its descendants have passed this down, generation after generation. Each generation serves as the Grand Elder of Mount Yalong."

"It no longer guards the Yin-Dragon essence, but instead pursues a higher level of ascension."

"The duty of guarding was passed to its offspring. It rarely teaches the secret of life-stealing."

"Over the millennia, it has happened a few times, but never completely."

"I am its most prized descendant." There was a note of arrogance in Zhang Chang’s tone.

I clenched my fists tightly, the shock in my heart impossible to suppress.

"The life-stealing technique originates from the lifespan of an infant. It perfected the method using that infant. The technique is inscribed on skin. When extracting life, if the amount is controlled, one can take years without ending a life. Only by wearing that human skin can one control oneself; otherwise, one becomes greedy due to the added years and would kill incessantly to steal more life."

"Beyond being morally reprehensible, it would eventually be discovered by the Yin Messengers."

"It researched a method for potential ascension, setting up arrays in the mountain and using the spirits and ghosts it raised as guardians, constantly taking lives to prepare."

"Back then, that degenerate son of mine stole the skin and vanished without a trace."

"It regained its senses, flew into a rage, and punished me to stay in Changyuan Village for eternity. I must guard the flood dragon’s essence at all times, preventing it from waking, or it will surely break out of the mountain."

"My time is running out. I cannot live as it does. Without that skin, even if I could endure for another century, I would surely lose my sanity."

"Li Cangshui is a friend I encountered by chance. I set the condition that he save his female disciple in exchange for bringing my rebellious son back—or at least the son's bloodline. The mistakes he committed, he must bear himself; the responsibilities he carries, he should be the one to shoulder."

"We were born on Mount Yalong; therefore, we cannot let the people of this mountain fall into crisis, nor can we allow Mount Yalong to be endangered."

"Are your doubts resolved?" Zhang Chang asked me suddenly.

My face was devoid of color. I had never imagined the situation was so convoluted; what Li Yue and I had guessed was merely the tip of the iceberg. The old man rowing the boat kept his head down, silent. Zhang Chang spoke without reservation, as if revealing these secrets had no impact on him at all.

"After you become the Grand Elder, you must continue to send one person up the mountain each month. The lives the Ancestor takes must be those detrimental to Mount Yalong. Do you understand?" This command was clearly directed at the old man.

The old man’s body trembled, and he nodded.

Just then, Zhang Chang added, "Xie Yuan, do you wish to learn the Yin arrays used by 'White Affair' Liu, or the methods for summoning ghosts? Or perhaps the secret art of life-stealing—I could teach you the true way to perform it."

"What you’ve memorized is merely superficial. Without the human skin, you will never be able to control the greed."

"Do you want to learn?"