The Story of a Destitute Noblewoman Farming

There is a military camp near Qianlang Mountain, and there are a few mountain villas scattered around. People here make a living by hunting and farming.

Lu Linlang and others went straight to a village and said that they were businessmen who were going to Fengchi State to do business. They passed by here and could not find an inn to stay in, so they stayed at the villagers' homes and took out some silver and money.

Seeing that they gave a lot of money and did not look like bad people, the villagers let them stay.

"Girl, how did you get here? If you want to go to Fengchi Country, you can take the official road from the county town." The old woman came in with food. Lu Linlang and her group had just given her generous money, so she killed the chicken at home and made chicken soup for them.

"Mother-in-law, we heard that there is a small road from here to Fengchi Country, which passes through Qianlang Mountain. Are there still wolves in Qianlang Mountain now? Is it dangerous? If it is dangerous, we should consider taking the official road."

"The wolves on the mountain have already run away. It's not the wolves' fault. You are not locals and don't know about Thousand Wolf Mountain. We only dare to wander around the periphery and hunt for game, but we dare not go inside.

In the past, everyone said there were things in the mountains. If someone went there, their soul would be lost when they returned, and they would have to ask a witch to call their soul back. So, gradually, no one dared to go in. We have also heard the roar of tigers, so there must be a tiger in there. If you want to go to Fengchi Country, I will have someone take you there another day. Don't take the wrong road."

When the old woman heard them mention this, she looked mysterious and said:

"Oh, could there be some legends about Thousand Wolf Mountain? We love hearing these stories about gods and ghosts. Grandma, why don't you tell us some?"

"Look at you young people, you just can't keep your cool. You are almost the same age as my grandchildren. The government doesn't allow you to talk nonsense, but our ancestors have lived here for generations, and no one knows the legends of Thousand Wolf Mountain better than us.

I heard that hundreds of years ago, a lot of rocks fell from the sky, making a deafening sound. In the middle of the night, it woke everyone up, so everyone got up to check and found that there was a fire on the mountain. At first, everyone was afraid that the fire would spread over, so they quickly rolled up their bedding and ran away.

But that fire burned for three days and three nights, and many people's houses were burned down. Many animals in the mountains were burned to death. People said that during those days, the entire Thousand Wolf Mountain was filled with black smoke and black ash flying everywhere. After the fire was over, some people became curious and went to see the stones that had fallen.

It is said that those stones are as big as houses and as small as water tanks. They are all pitch black and do not look like ordinary stones. Some people are curious and want to chisel some to take home and look at them, but no matter what chisel or hammer they use, they cannot knock them down.

Some people wanted to move smaller stones back home, but even a dozen people couldn't move a stone as big as a water tank. It turned out that the stones on the mountain were also smashed into the ground by these stones from outer space.

Those who had come into contact with the stone, within a few days, some began foaming at the mouth, some went crazy, and some later became ill and could not be cured. Within a few years, they died.

From then on, everyone felt that those stones were unlucky and too weird, so they slowly moved out of the mountains and came to live outside Qianlang Mountain. They also did not allow the children to see those stones, and every year they would burn incense at a huge rock at the foot of the mountain to bless us with peace and safety.

By the way, this mountain didn’t have a name before, it was called Tianxing Mountain because of the stones. Later, one time, a curious child in the village wanted to see the stones. As soon as he got there, he was reported by other children and was taken back. Everyone decided to burn incense to the stones from a distance, saying that the child had offended the immortal and asked the immortal to forgive him.

But the next morning, when people went to that area, they found that the stones had disappeared. Everyone said that the stones had returned to the sky because no one could move them overnight. Some people said that they were stolen, but no one saw who stole them.

In the following years, no grass grew where the stone had fallen from the sky. People felt that even though the stone was gone, the immortal was still there. After several years, grass began to grow, and then wolves gradually appeared.

In order to change the unlucky name, people gradually started saying it was Qianlang Mountain, and that’s how the name of the mountain was passed down.”

The old woman hadn't seen a stranger passing by for many years. Seeing that Lu Linlang and the others were young people and generous, she knew that they would not hurt her, so she talked incessantly about the stories that had been passed down in the village for hundreds of years.

"So that's how it is, mother-in-law. Then do you know where those stones first fell?" Yunxi asked.

"Yes, of course I don't know. Let me tell you, that place is still a little weird. There's only grass and no trees. Hundreds of years have passed, and it's still the same. But no one dares to go there. It's deep in the mountains, and wild animals are rampant. If you go there, you might not come back alive."

"Then do you know who took those stones away?"

"I don't know, but we heard it from the older generation. They said that after someone in the village fell ill with a strange disease, they invited several Taoist priests and monks to perform rituals. Those people said that the stones came from outer space and were a bit weird, so ordinary people shouldn't go there. They also warned us not to get close. Later, a group of masked men came to the village in broad daylight. Everyone thought they were robbers, but those people gave a lot of gold and silver and asked the villagers to lead the way to see the stones.

In less than two weeks, the stones disappeared. Later, everyone said that it must have been done by the masked men. They were wearing masks in broad daylight, so they were definitely not good people. Those stones might be valuable, but I don't know how they took them away.

"Did those masked men appear again afterwards?"

"That shouldn't happen. Not much big has happened in our villages in hundreds of years. People can gossip about a small thing for a long time, let alone such a big one." The old woman said this, and the old man next to her couldn't stand it anymore. He coughed a few times to tell her not to say anything more.

"Grandma, since there are no more stones or wolves in that place, we want to go and see what kind of miracle it is that so many people can't carry away a stone as big as a water tank."

Lu Linlang showed curiosity about that place.

"Oh my, you are still children. There must be many wolves, tigers and leopards in that kind of place. Don't go there."

"It's okay. We've heard that things are valuable because they are rare. We are businessmen. Even if this kind of stone is gone now, if we can find something else to bring back, there will definitely be people willing to spend money to buy it."

"Don't take the things there. It's too dangerous and scary. Don't go there." The old woman waved her hands repeatedly, fearing that they would really go there out of curiosity.

"It's okay. If there were still rocks there after so many years, the animals in the mountains would be affected. But not only animals, but even grass has grown, proving there's no danger. Can we ask someone to take us to see it?"

You see, we've traveled extensively since we were young, learned a lot of martial arts, and we have so many companions who have also learned some skills. Ordinary beasts can't defeat us, as long as they're not wolves living in a pack."

Lu Zhan and Yun Can were young, and they were acting coquettishly around the old lady. The old lady thought about it and realized that these people were not ordinary people, so they should be fine. After all, these children were the same age as her grandchildren.

"If you are not afraid, I will take you in. I have been hunting in the mountains for many years and I know where that place is." The old grandfather saw that they were so curious and generous. Thinking that his grandson was of marriageable age and working in the county town, they also wanted to make plans for his grandson.