White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 53 Floating Life on the Mountain
On the green platform, You Junzi silently watched the wedding procession receding into the distance below, and could only sigh softly.

Turning around, I suddenly noticed a figure standing next to the table.

"Lord Wuxiang!"

You Junzi was startled for a moment, then realized what was happening and bowed respectfully.

"Hehe, are you reluctant to see so many people leave the village now, since there were just a few more?" Bai Wuxiang sat at the table, holding a smooth white chess piece between two fingers, and asked with a light laugh.

"That's not it." You Junzi had gradually gotten used to this man's elusive nature and quickly recovered, saying, "It's just that I'm struck by how the world changes and how fickle people's hearts are."

"The human heart is the most fickle thing." Bai Wuxiang said with a smile that was not quite a smile, "It is a thousand times more fickle than the transformations of demons and monsters."

Hence the saying, "Heaven's will is like a knife, and the human heart is unfathomable."

“What you say is true, sir.” You Junzi sighed, “My elder brother’s health is getting worse and worse, and he is already showing signs of becoming bedridden.”

"Life and death are the most common things in the world. It's a pity I don't know how to treat patients and save lives."

"But when it comes to harming or killing people, I'm quite adept at it." Bai Wuxiang smiled as he casually placed a piece on the chessboard and looked up at him.

"My lord is joking."

You Junzi's eyelids twitched.

"If you really want to prolong his life, why not have him marry into Hundred Flowers Village? They might be able to cure your brother's illness there, and he could live for another three to five years without any problem," Bai Wuxiang suggested.

"This... let's forget about it." You Junzi sighed, "If that's really the case, I'm afraid my elder brother would rather die than go."

“Your elder brother is no ordinary man. His life and death are determined by fate, so there’s no need to worry about him.” Bai Wuxiang comforted him with a smile. “Your health is better than it was a few months ago. You should try to avoid going into the mountains during the cold winter months, since the entire Black Stone Village is counting on you.”

"This... thank you for your concern, Lord Wuxiang."

You Junzi paused, realizing that he hadn't kept his trip during the first month of the lunar year a secret from the other party.

He could only sigh and laugh it off, though he was deeply moved.

Unexpectedly, the spirit he had welcomed into the village would care about his health. Knowing his hidden identity, the spirit didn't expose him but instead smiled and let it go, which made You Junzi truly respect this "Formless One."

"Life in the mountains is lonely, unlike in the human world where there are places to play music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Brother You, why don't you play a game of chess with me?" Bai Wuxiang picked up a white chess piece that was as smooth as jade between his two fingers and looked at it.

"This... I never imagined that Lord Wuxiang would also know human chess." You Junzi was very surprised to hear this, and actually sat down to pick up the black and white chess pieces again and started playing against him.

Clouds and mist rose and fell in the mountains. On the stone table, black and white pieces clashed. Bai Wuxiang played black, and You Junzi played white. The black and white pieces gradually spread out on the chessboard.

The two sat facing each other at a stone table in the mountains, focusing only on the chess game and ignoring all other matters. You Junzi made each move extremely slowly, while Bai Wuxiang made each move extremely quickly.

Until a birch leaf fell in the wind and covered the very center of the chessboard, the center position.

This also brought You Junzi back to his senses. He looked up and couldn't help but laugh, "It's already sunset! Brother Wuxiang's chess skills are truly admirable! I'm ashamed!"

Bai Wuxiang smiled and picked up the leaf covering the chessboard. "Brother You's chess skills are unfathomable; it is I who should admire you."

The reason I never paused after each move was because I could sense that you, Brother You, were afraid that I wouldn't make a certain move.

Today's game, seemingly a contest between you and me, is in reality a battle where you use your own mindset to attack your own fears.

"So that's how it is. No wonder Brother Wuxiang could always find my weaknesses," You Junzi said with sudden realization.

"Hehe, in this game of chess, the only one trapping you is yourself." Bai Wuxiang stood up, gently patted his shoulder, and said, "Don't make things too difficult for yourself."

Having said that, Bai Wuxiang waved his clothes, a leaf fell, and his figure disappeared.

You Junzi was left speechless, looking at the green leaf falling into the afterglow. He gave a bitter smile, "I was actually bewitched by a demon spirit."

Family feuds, national affairs, and the entrustment of his comrades on the battlefield all weighed heavily on his shoulders. Despite his seemingly refined and easygoing nature, You Junzi harbored a great deal of thoughts in his heart.

Worries and anxieties have caused this descendant of the You family to have gray hair at an early age.

The mountains are once again lush and green, and it's the season when all things flourish.

The area at the foot of Skull Mountain was overgrown with wild grass, much denser than in ordinary mountain areas, which also obscured the path leading into the mountain.

The children in the village had been sternly warned by their parents many times not to approach the mountain, because they were not to disturb the inhabitant, the Great Master Wuxiang.

The innocent children did not yet know what danger was; they only knew that there was a deity in the mountain whom their elders revered.

Most children would listen to their parents and dare not approach the mountain that was shrouded in clouds and mist all year round.

Of course, some hot-blooded young men have been brave enough to venture inside.

But as soon as they ventured into the mountain, they would be trapped in the mist, and only after half a day, when they were filled with fear, thirst, and hunger, would they cry out in despair, startling a black crow in the mountain that would lead them out of the misty mountain.

As time went on, the children became filled with curiosity and awe for that mysterious mountain, and few dared to venture into it anymore.

Days passed by, and the spring season of blooming flowers was over in the blink of an eye, followed by the scorching heat of summer.

This year's solar terms are quite different from previous years. Springtime, which is usually rainy, has seen very little rain, and since the beginning of summer, there has been no cloud cover for more than a month.

The rice grown on the newly reclaimed hundred-plus acres of land, along with the original hundred-plus acres, had all turned yellowish from the scorching sun.

The villagers kept drawing water to irrigate, but the day was anything but peaceful, with the water in the wells and streams running low.

So the villagers were worried. Under the scorching sun, the old farmers' skin was tanned and sweaty. They bent over in the fields, feeling the mud and measuring the water. No matter how good their farming skills were, they were powerless without rain.

Having exhausted all human effort, they could only pray to Heaven. When their prayers were in vain, they went to the Temple of No Form to seek help.

Bai Wuxiang in the White Bone Cave was also powerless. He was not a demon spirit with the ability to control water. There was no moisture in this area for hundreds of miles. No matter how heavy the yin energy of his Skull Mountain was, he could only sprinkle some dew to see what would happen.

When it comes to summoning wind and rain, only demons with specialized skills can do it.

In the sweltering heat of the evening, the Wuxiang Temple was filled with worried mountain people kneeling under the statue of the god, praying fervently that the Wuxiang God would appear and bring wind and rain to protect their crops from drying up and dying.

But Bai Wuxiang, inside the cave, watched helplessly as the water level in the underground river beneath the stone platform plummeted and was about to reach its bottom.

You Junzi also came to beg him, and Bai Wuxiang frankly told him that he was a ghost and could only protect the village from mountain spirits and monsters. As for praying for good weather, he had no business with that.

Seeing You Junzi's worried expression, Bai Wuxiang revealed his speculation.

"You disturbed the earth's veins at the beginning of the year, and with the recent expulsion of a dragon from the north side of the mountain, it's inevitable that Yunze Mountain has experienced little rain in recent years. Dragons bring rain and clouds, and whether they are evil dragons or old dragons, they bring disaster wherever they go."

After listening, You Junzi thanked him and turned to leave.

The next day, everyone in the village, young and old, set out with their farm tools.

You Junzi actually led the villagers to dig a canal in the deep mountains of the wilderness to bring in water!

The frail mountain people, not even as strong as wild beasts, wielded wooden and stone shovels, digging their way through the desolate mountains.

When the villagers' tattered gray clothes formed a line through the towering mountains, Bai Wuxiang was deeply moved by the sight. Even though they were all weak and thin, a wild wolf in the mountains could easily overpower them.

But when the hearts of hundreds of villagers are united, even natural disasters must create a way for them to survive.

Bai Wuxiang was deeply moved as he watched the villagers toiling day and night in the mountains, sweating profusely with heavy wooden and stone tools.

When the river, more than ten miles away, first carried muddy soil into the fields of Heishizhai, he saw that the faces of those exhausted people were filled with joy.

Bai Wuxiang caught a glimpse of a faint aura emanating from them, which vanished in an instant.

This was also the first time he had ever witnessed the continuation of such a primitive and ancient civilization.

Bai Wuxiang had never felt this way before. For the first time, he stood atop a mountain piled high with bones and looked intently at the villagers.

A vague feeling arose in his heart, as if he could see the feeling of death descending.

Bai Wuxiang sighed inwardly, "The Dao is truly profound and mysterious, beyond words. One cannot understand its meaning without personally witnessing it."

While other mountain villages were still desperately praying for divine intervention, the rice paddies of Black Stone Village had already been irrigated with water they had personally requested.

Bai Wuxiang held the white fox in his arms and said to her with a sigh, "This is the meaning of natural disasters being merciless, but man can overcome nature."

Human wisdom is vast; there's much for you to learn.

The little white fox blinked her bright eyes, not quite understanding any of this. She only knew that it would be cooler to get closer to Bai Wuxiang's embrace.

That summer, there was no rain for two months, making it another year of disaster for the people living at the foot of the mountain.

Standing atop the mountain, Bai Wuxiang observed that the mixed energies of the human world had been tinged with blood.

The summer heat that year did not last long. After the scorching heat of the Dragon Boat Festival in May, it scorched for another twenty days until the cicadas in the forest dried up on the tree bark, and finally a clap of thunder rang out in the sky.

This torrential rain swept away the intense heat of summer, allowing everything in the mountains to regain some vitality.

Inside the cave, Bai Wuxiang was also quietly cultivating as before.

Until this day, a fox came to the cave to say goodbye.

The fox spirit Qingyin, whose fur was even more vibrant green, squatted down in front of the White Bone Cave and respectfully bowed, saying, "This little demon Qingyin thanks Lord Wuxiang for taking me in."

"Today, this humble demon wishes to depart from this place and has come to bid farewell to you, sir!"

Mist billowed out of the cave, and a little white fox eagerly rushed out, reluctantly nestling under the green fox.

Bai Wuxiang curiously stepped out of the cave and asked with a smile, "Where are you going?"

"Please forgive my foolishness, sir. This little demon still has worldly desires and must go to the human world for a visit." Qingyin rubbed the little white fox's head. "It is my destiny that you accepted me as your child. I am but a shallow cultivator and have nothing to repay you with. The only thing I can offer you is this piece of black iron that I obtained from the human world, which can be considered a precious material. I hope you will not find it offensive."

Bai Wuxiang's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked with a smile, "I'm afraid you still need me to look after those little foxes under your old peach tree, don't you?"

"I can't hide it from your discerning eyes, sir. I still need to go to the mortal world to undergo my tribulations. If I take them with me, I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of them at all."

They thought of staying at the foot of the mountain, since they were just a few wild foxes. If they could gain spirituality and become Taoist, they might be of good fortune to the master.

"If one lacks spirituality, one is merely a wild fox in the mountains, whose life and death are left to fate." Qing Yin said with a smile, offering his flattery.

"Oh? Is this the case for most of your fox clan?" Bai Wuxiang asked curiously.

The blue fox lowered its head and said, "Our ancestors in the Great Qiu Yun Kingdom have always done this. They only raise their children until they can hunt and live on their own, and then they stop teaching and disciplining them."

Otherwise, if everyone cared for their offspring until their death like humans, where would there be wild foxes to hunt for food or hunters to catch foxes in the forests?

Moreover, our fox clan's youth is fleeting. If we don't overcome the tribulations of the mortal world while we're young, it will be even harder to do so when we're old. The mortal world is full of wonders, and we, as demons, have already awakened our intelligence and are no longer wild beasts. How can we waste our fox years on the matter of reproduction?

"Your Great Qiu Yun Kingdom is quite interesting," Bai Wuxiang said with a smile.

"If you are interested, my lord, you can visit the Great Qiu Cloud Kingdom every ten years when the peach blossoms are in full bloom and the myriad demons are welcomed into the country," Qing Yin said, raising his fox head and smiling obsequiously with his slender fox eyes.

"If fate allows, I must go and see it properly. You should go now; the path of the mortal world is long and arduous, so be careful." Bai Wuxiang called to the reluctant white fox on the ground and said with a smile.

"Thank you for taking me in, Lord Wuxiang. This humble demon will take my leave now!"

After Qing Yin finished speaking, his fluffy fox tail flicked, and he transformed into a faint streak of light, disappearing into the afterglow of the setting sun.

Inside the cave, Bai Wuxiang held the little white fox and lifted her head, saying, "No wonder people say that fox women are both passionate and cold-hearted; it turns out that's true."

This little white fox has now gained sentience, but it still needs decades of cultivation to transform into a demon and take human form. Staying in the White Bone Cave can add a touch of life to the place.

Bai Wuxiang abandoned the fox, letting it run to the side. He picked up a piece of white bone and used the Xuanxue Needle to carve a crooked mark on it.

It's something I didn't know that fox demon cultivators often need to enter the mortal world to undergo tribulations.

He casually jotted it down and imprinted it on the white bones, which could be considered Bai Wuxiang's accumulated cultivation manual. Some common knowledge and what he had seen and heard were engraved on the bones on the mountain by Bai Wuxiang.

With his strange writing style, it's likely that only a demon spirit, also a skeleton, could understand it.

With nothing to do in the mountains, he gradually memorized these accumulated memories. Who knows, one day his memory might fail him, and perhaps he could find the answer by searching through the bones on the mountain.

He picked up the black iron that Qingyin had placed on the ground. It was only the size of his palm. He played with it for a while, then decided it was useless for the time being, and casually tossed it to the bottom of the cold pool.

The fox spirit Qingyin didn't care about the lives of her fox cubs, so he wouldn't care about the foxes under the old peach tree either. Raising a litter of foxes at the foot of the mountain was better than having a bunch of skeletons all over the place.

Bai Wuxiang glanced at the fox den under the old peach tree and saw three grayish-blue wild foxes squatting in the afterglow, munching on peaches.

(End of this chapter)