The Four Major Families of Cangzhou set out from the four cardinal directions—east, south, west, and north—all heading toward the Holy Mountain situated at the very center.
Legend has it that the Holy Mountain of Cangzhou is the eternal resting place of an ancient deity.
Her body transformed into the mountain, her blood became the rushing rivers, and all living things in Cangzhou were born from the divine power she nurtured.
For hundreds of years, whether they were believers in the Mountain God or skeptics of the supernatural, no one had ever entered the Holy Mountain.
This was because everyone seemed to share a common feeling: without an invitation from the “Master” of the Holy Mountain, one simply could not enter.
The Holy Mountain was like a forbidden land; it could only be viewed from a distance and never approached, remaining mysterious and awe-inspiring.
The first time people entered the Holy Mountain was when that great plague broke out years ago.
Grandma Yao and her close friend, That Person, entered the Holy Mountain and called out the name of the Mountain God.
“The Mountain God felt the sincere prayers of her people and decided to resolve the suffering of her children. Thus, she descended her divine power and quelled that plague.”
The Cloud Family, who had been the first to arrive at the Holy Mountain via the Fengshen Litter, had set up tents and lit a campfire.
Everyone sat around the fire as the Family Head, Yun Yi, recounted the past stories of Cangzhou to Yu Yi and Su Cheng.
“So, Master Yun actually believes in the existence of the Mountain God?”
Yu Yi asked.
“Mhm… I heard about the horrors of that plague from my ancestors when I was a child. But ever since Grandma Yao and That Person, her mysterious close friend, went into the Holy Mountain once, the plague vanished. Aside from the manifestation of the Mountain God, I truly cannot think of any other reason.”
Yun Yi scratched his head and replied,
“You must find it quite funny, don’t you? As a mere merchant, I’m actually superstitious about these things.”
Yu Yi shook her head.
“Some merchants look down on those who worship the God of Wealth, while other merchants often pray to the God of Wealth for blessings. It’s just that everyone’s perspective is different; it has nothing to do with their profession.”
“I saw that Grandma Yao before when I was hunting on Shan Shang,”
Yun Qianxue said at this moment.
“She was always acting crazy, with both her eyes wide open, yet she seemed unable to see anything. However, she suddenly returned to normal a few days ago, and her sight was restored. Perhaps she truly received instructions from the Mountain God to come and catch the sinner? But what Elder Sister said before also makes a lot of sense…”
Based on what Yu Yi had said earlier, Yun Qianxue inferred that a great demon might be hiding in Cangzhou, secretly practicing a Demonic Art and polluting the land, causing the wild beasts on the mountain to be eroded.
Such an inference could explain why those beasts were tainted by Demonic Qi, but it still could not explain why the plague was suddenly quelled back then, nor why Grandma Yao suddenly went mad and then just as suddenly regained her sanity now.
After a moment of contemplation, Yu Yi said indifferently,
“These might be two separate matters.”
The others were stunned and looked at Yu Yi in unison, asking,
“How so?”
“A demonic cultivator coming to Cangzhou ten years ago to practice a Demonic Art, resulting in the mountain beasts being eroded, is one matter. The ten years of harsh winter in Cangzhou, the plague that was suddenly quelled many years ago, and the changes in that grandma’s madness and sanity are another matter,” Su Cheng explained to the others on Yu Yi’s behalf.
Hearing this, Yun Qianxue realized something and murmured in a low voice, “That means…”
“That means the culprit behind the erosion of the mountain beasts might indeed be some demon, while the ten years of winter and the sudden quelling of the plague are events indicating that the Mountain God might actually exist,” Yu Yi said calmly.
“As for whether there is a connection between these two matters, that remains unknown.”
The others showed expressions of sudden realization.
Having clarified this point, Yu Yi also felt a slight sense of relief.
If the Original Host had come to Cangzhou ten years ago to practice some kind of technique and caused the mountain beasts to be eroded, I am willing to take the blame for that.
But those other things should have nothing to do with me, right?
However… if the Mountain God really exists, what would it look like when she manifests?
Yu Yi gazed at the surroundings with a calm expression, but her heart could not settle for a long time.
I never thought that even I would start to believe in the actual existence of a deity.
If I could witness a divine manifestation with my own eyes, it would be a stroke of luck.
Just then, Yu Yi noticed that the figures of the other families finally began to appear from the other three directions.
They seemed to have spent quite a bit of effort to climb up to this massive platform.
The massive platform where Yu Yi and the others were currently located was a masterfully crafted Tiankeng within the Holy Mountain.
Entering the Holy Mountain from the four cardinal directions and traversing complex mountain paths would bring one here.
The reason the Tiankeng was called such was because, aside from the four paths leading down the mountain, the surroundings were all cliff walls thousands of meters high.
If one wanted to reach the summit of the Holy Mountain, they had to climb up along these cliff walls.
Therefore, for ordinary people, this was the furthest point they could reach.
When the other three families saw the Cloud Family already in position, their faces were filled with immense astonishment.
“Yun Yi, did you people set off in the middle of the night just to arrive this early today?”
Luo Xuanjiang, the Family Head of the Luo Clan, stepped forward and asked Yun Yi with a strange expression.
“Naturally not. My Cloud Family set out this morning, just like everyone else.”
After answering, Yun Yi produced the letter he had received from the Ouyang Clan that morning.
“This item is proof. I presume everyone else received one as well?”
Luo Xuanjiang snorted coldly and said no more, but Leng Meng from the other side walked over and said,
“Hehe, it’s not surprising the Cloud Family arrived first. After all, their household isn’t very bustling—it’s quite cold and lonely.”
“That makes sense. Since there are fewer people, there’s less time needed for preparation and fewer things to bring, so their movement is exceptionally fast. I almost thought your Cloud Family flew here, hehe.”
After hearing Leng Meng’s words, Luo Xuanjiang smiled with relief and then ignored Yun Yi to go chat with Leng Meng.
Fortunately, the Four Major Families had entered the Holy Mountain from four different directions.
If they had seen that there were no Cloud Family horses or carriages parked at the foot of the mountain, they would probably be questioning their very existence by now.
“Master Yun is still quite calm despite being mocked by them like that,”
Yu Yi said indifferently.
She saw that Yun Yi’s face remained unperturbed, not caring about the cold mockery from the other two Family Heads.
Clearly, he was already used to such things.
“Sigh, those people just love looking for any opportunity to provoke us,”
Yun Qianxue sighed helplessly.
“I really didn’t expect that just because we got here before them this time, they’d have to come over and take a jab at us.”
“Did the other three families often bully your Cloud Family in the past?”
Yu Yi asked.
“Before the Ouyang Clan’s heirloom was lost five years ago, they bullied us quite severely. But after that day, all of the Ouyang Clan’s attention shifted elsewhere. Because the Ouyang Clan stopped suppressing us at will, the Leng Clan and Luo Clan gradually followed suit. Now, they can only spit some words like they just did,” Yun Qianxue explained, her words filled with heavy implication.
Yu Yi nodded thoughtfully.
She naturally knew where the Ouyang Clan’s attention had shifted at that time—weren’t they thinking about finding her to take revenge and reclaim the Heart of the Firm Rock Jade?
The Original Host’s participation in that Martial Arts Marriage Tournament five years ago had actually caused so many chain reactions; in a sense, it had even changed the fate of the Cloud Family.
“But why do the other three families target your Cloud Family at every turn?”
Yu Yi asked Yun Qianxue curiously.
From what she knew, the one primarily targeting the Cloud Family was the Ouyang Clan.
The Leng Clan and Luo Clan were likely just following the trend to curry favor with the Ouyang Clan.
However, since the Ouyang Clan had started targeting the Cloud Family even before the Martial Arts Marriage Tournament, it meant the reason for their grudge was not that tournament.
In that case, what exactly was the reason the Ouyang Clan targeted the Cloud Family so relentlessly?
Yun Qianxue’s subsequent answer was incredibly realistic.
“There’s no special reason, really. It’s just because our family has slightly more money than them.”
Yun Qianxue spread her hands helplessly and replied, “The Cloud Family is clearly the ‘junior’ among the Four Major Families, yet our financial power tramples over all of theirs. Tell me, how could they not be angry?”