253: Heading to the back mountain

The boy gave an "aye" in response and skipped away once more.

Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing stepped aside, away from the others. "'Immortal'..." Wei Ziqing repeated in a low voice, his eyes grave. "Is it the same person? Or... is there a similar belief in these mountains?"

"Unsure." Lu Jianchuan looked at the deeper, mist-shrouded mountain peaks in the distance. "But regardless, this 'Immortal', along with the village chief and the few elders who know the path, are the ones we most need to 'visit' right now."

Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing then decided to split up to increase their efficiency.

Lu Jianchuan went to visit several elders who seemed highly respected in the village, hoping to gather news from them regarding the 'Immortal' or any visits from strangers.

He found several elders sunning themselves or doing handicrafts at the village entrance. Showing his ID, he sincerely inquired about news regarding the 'Immortal', outside vehicles, or strange visitors.

Most of the elders were kind, but their answers were either "didn't notice" or "not sure," or they would enthusiastically introduce the village's history and scenery, praising how peaceful life was now, while remaining vague on specific questions.

On the other side, while Wei Ziqing was wandering through the village, he encountered that lively boy again.

This time, he learned The boy's name—Little Stone.

During their chat, Little Stone mentioned that only he and his mother lived at home, as his father had "gone to work in a very far place and never came back."

A young woman, her face showing signs of hard work but her eyes firm, stepped out from a simple house. She was Little Stone's mother, who had raised the child alone until he was eight or nine years old.

At that moment, an elderly man wearing a clean Zhongshan suit, with a lean face and an air of great authority in the village, walked over slowly. He first nodded to Wei Ziqing, and then his gaze fell upon Little Stone's mother.

"Reiko, I was just looking for you," the old man said.

Little Stone's mother—Reiko—hastily replied, "Third Grand-Uncle, do you have business with me?"

The old man glanced at Little Stone and gave Reiko a look. "I have some words I want to say to you in private." He then turned to Wei Ziqing and said politely, "Young man, please help me look after Little Stone for a moment."

Wei Ziqing immediately nodded. "Oh, oh, okay." He took Little Stone's hand and walked to a large tree nearby, where he could just happen to vaguely hear the conversation not far away.

Reiko followed the old man to the eaves a few steps away. While Wei Ziqing played with Little Stone, he concentrated on listening.

The old man's voice was lowered, drifting over in snatches:

"...Reiko, about that matter I mentioned last time, how have you considered it? ...Word came from the 'Immortal's' side again, saying... they've looked, and this child Little Stone has rare potential; he has a Path to the Immortals!"

Reiko's voice was somewhat hesitant: "Third Grand-Uncle, I... I just want him to grow up safe and sound..."

The old man's tone became even more earnest:

"Foolish! Grow up safe and sound? What great future can he have in this mountain gully? The 'Immortal' said that as long as the child is willing to go and follow the cultivation path, his future will be limitless!

When that time comes, your status as his mother will naturally rise. Food, clothing, expenses—what would you ever have to worry about? Haven't you always wanted the child to live a good life and leave these mountains? Now... this is the best Opportunity!"

Reiko's face was filled with struggle. She felt an instinctive unease and a natural resistance to sending her child away, no matter how wonderful the other party made it sound.

But she knew even better that in this mountain village with tight-knit clan relations, her personal opposition might not be useful against the pressure of the high-ranking and prestigious 'Third Grand-Uncle'.

She bit her lower lip and finally found a temporary excuse, her voice carrying a plea:

"Third Grand-Uncle... about this... why don't we ask the child himself? If... if Little Stone is willing to go himself, then I... I will send him. Is that okay?"

The old man glanced at her, his gaze deep as if seeing through her stalling tactic, but he did not press too hard immediately. He nodded, his tone calm yet carrying an unquestionable weight:

"Very well. Then you go back and discuss it properly with the child. However, Reiko, I must say this beforehand: this concerns the child's future, and it also concerns a major matter for our village. When the time comes and it's settled, if he should go, he ultimately must go."

Having said that, the old man spoke no more, put his hands behind his back, and turned to walk away slowly.

Wei Ziqing heard everything clearly under the tree, his heart tightening, but he understood that now was not the time to reveal himself.

He quickly pulled Little Stone along, chatted casually for a few more moments, then found an excuse to leave in a hurry. He returned to the main village road to avoid being noticed by the returning Reiko or the old man.

Not long after, he encountered Lu Jianchuan, who had also finished his inquiries and was slightly frowning.

The two found a quiet corner, and Wei Ziqing immediately told Lu Jianchuan, quickly and in a low voice, about the "Path to the Immortals," the child, and the old man's implied coercion.

After Lu Jianchuan finished listening, his expression grew even more solemn. He nodded and said in a low voice:

"I managed to find out some things on my side too. Although those elders didn't directly say where the 'Immortal' is, I managed to get a general direction by subtly questioning two less-guarded young people.

They said there is a very old ancestral hall in the back mountain that outsiders aren't usually allowed to approach. Whenever there's a major event in the village or matters regarding 'seeking the Immortals,' the village chief leads people there. I suspect that even if that 'Immortal' doesn't live in the ancestral hall, they should be nearby."

He looked at the sky, then swept a wary gaze around, saying to Wei Ziqing:

"It seems now that The Blind Man's disappearance and the village's attempt to send children to 'Cultivate' very likely point to the same place. We need to go check out that ancestral hall."

The two did not call the other officers. They quietly left the village and headed toward the depths of the back mountain in the direction they had learned.

The mountain path became increasingly rugged and hidden. Finally, in a relatively level clearing among the trees, they saw a large, ancient ancestral hall.

With blue bricks and black tiles, and upturned eaves, although the plaster was peeling in some places, the overall structure was intact, exuding a solemn and lonely aura.

The door of the ancestral hall was slightly ajar. The two exchanged a look and carefully pushed the door open to enter.

The interior space was even more spacious and lofty than it appeared from the outside, with a typical ancestral hall architecture and thick pillars, yet it was exceptionally empty.

On the altar facing the main door, there was no shrine, no spirit tablets, and no statues or portraits of any gods or Buddhas.

There was only a heavy, ancient bronze incense burner piled with thick incense ash.

And on the wall behind the incense burner, there was no image enshrined; instead, there was a large yellow paper Talisman drawn with complex, twisted patterns in bright red cinnabar.

Those patterns were neither words nor pictures and were difficult to identify, exuding an uncomfortable sense of eeriness in the dim light.

The entire interior of the ancestral hall was silent; aside from the two of them, there was no one.

Wei Ziqing and Lu Jianchuan exchanged a glance. Wei Ziqing cleared his throat and raised his voice to shout, "Hey! Is anyone here? Excuse me, is anyone here?"

At the same time he spoke, Lu Jianchuan's figure flashed as he nimbly hid in the shadows behind a thick pillar, concealing his form.

Wei Ziqing shouted twice more.

A moment later, the curtain of a side room moved, and two young men wearing green ancient-style Daoist robes with their hair in buns stepped out. They looked to be in their early twenties, their faces somewhat pale, but their eyes were bright, and their movements carried a bit of an otherworldly air.

One of them made a hand gesture of greeting and asked in a peaceful tone, "Infinite blessings. This believer, have you come to pay respects to the Immortal Master?"

The other added, "If there is an Immortal affinity and one receives the Immortal Master's favor, whether it be a severe illness like being unable to see, or missing limbs, there is an Opportunity to be made whole again. I wonder why this believer has come?"

Wei Ziqing immediately put on the appearance of a curious and somewhat awestruck tourist, waving his hands hastily:

"Oh no, no, the two Daoist masters have misunderstood. I'm just a tourist in the mountains. I heard from the people in the village below that this place is particularly effective, so I thought I'd come up and take a look. I saw no one was here just now and the door was open, so I shouted a couple of times. I'm truly sorry."

As he spoke, he clumsily pulled several bills from his pocket and handed them over with a sincere face. "I'm someone who really believes in these things. A small token of my heart, consider it incense money to add some light for the Immortal Master."

Seeing the money, the two disciples showed a hint of a smile, and their attitude became even more amiable as they took the money. "The believer is thoughtful. Since you have come due to our reputation, why not follow us to look around? However, the Immortal Master's place of quiet cultivation is not to be disturbed."

Wei Ziqing nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes, I'll just look around casually. I definitely won't wander off or disturb the Immortal Master's quiet cultivation!" He acted exactly like a fully curious tourist.

The two disciples then accompanied Wei Ziqing on either side, heading toward a corridor on one side of the ancestral hall and beginning their introduction as their voices gradually faded away.

In the vast main hall of the ancestral hall, silence returned with their departure.

The red Talisman behind the incense burner became even more prominent and strange in the faint light slanting in from the high windows.

Now, Lu Jianchuan was the only one left, hidden in the shadows behind the pillar.