Yan Shouyi and Long Feicheng's conversation was so infuriating that even the child mountain spirit couldn't help but get upset.
As he grew angry, a fierce wind swept through the area, and the ground shook, frightening the few people into silence.
Despite his childlike appearance, the spirit possessed formidable power.
Seeing them fall silent, the child's expression improved slightly. He said nonchalantly,
"I am the mountain spirit of Yanqian Mountain, named Yanzawa. This is my mount, called Qing Niu."
Upon hearing that the child was a mountain spirit, Yan Shouyi's demeanor became serious.
He was a cultivator with faith. If asked whether gods existed in this world, Yan Shouyi would say yes.
But if asked where gods were or what they looked like, Yan Shouyi could only answer that he didn't know.
In his understanding, gods were formless. They could be in any corner of the world, looking no different from ordinary people, perhaps even a stone by the roadside, a bird, or a gust of wind.
However, they were undoubtedly immensely powerful beings incomprehensible to mortals.
Yan Shouyi did, however, have some knowledge about the origin of mountain spirits. When a sentient being in the mountains cultivated into a spirit or a demon and accumulated enough merit, it could be appointed by heaven to become a mountain spirit.
After becoming a mountain spirit, their life became intertwined with the mountain. When the mountain spirit was angry, the mountain was angry; when the mountain spirit was happy, the mountain was happy. When the mountain spirit died, all vegetation in the mountain would wither, and all living beings would suffer.
Yan Shouyi stepped forward, cupped his fists, and bowed deeply to the child, "I didn't expect you to be a mountain spirit, esteemed sir. I apologize for my earlier offense."
Lin Zitong and Long Feicheng also apologized.
Yanzawa waved his hand and said with an air of maturity, "Ignorance is no crime."
Long Feicheng, gathering his courage, asked, "Mountain Spirit, why do you look exactly like Brother Yan did when he was a child?"
Yan Shouyi wanted to stop Long Feicheng from asking such questions, but it was too late. He cautiously looked at Yanzawa, wanting to ascertain if the mountain spirit was angered.
However, Yanzawa was not angry. He dismounted Qing Niu, walked up to Yan Shouyi and the others, and explained,
"Mountain spirits are formless. As I have spent many years in this mountain and only know Yan Shouyi, I have borrowed his likeness."
So, the mountain spirit's appearance was not due to someone making a mistake?
Upon receiving this answer, Yan Shouyi breathed a sigh of relief.
But he immediately felt puzzled. He didn't know this mountain spirit at all, so why did the spirit claim to know him?
This question was voiced by Lin Zitong.
Yanzawa explained again, "When you were young, you were brought to the mountain. I saw your destiny was extraordinary, and thus I took notice. Later, your grandmother was kind to me and begged me to protect you for five years. From then on, I secretly guarded you for five years. Only after fulfilling my vow did I return to the mountain."
Yan Shouyi was stunned.
He clearly had no memory of what happened when he was five. Yanzawa had likely never revealed his true form while protecting him.
What surprised him even more was how his grandmother had been kind to Yanzawa. When had that happened?
"Wait!" Lin Zitong suddenly said with a frown, "Esteemed Mountain Spirit, since Grandmother was kind to you, why did you send the sorcerer to attack us?"
Long Feicheng added, "Yes, isn't that a betrayal of kindness?!"
In fact, the person most eager to know the answer among those present was the sorcerer himself.
So, you all made peace, and I became the sinner?
Am I to bear all the blame myself???
Yanzawa explained, "It has been restless here recently. I didn't want anything to happen to you, so I sent him to drive you away."
However, Yanzawa had underestimated Yan Shouyi and his companions. The sorcerer he sent not only failed but also lost his life.
The sorcerer, finally knowing the truth, shed tears.
He hadn't expected to become cannon fodder in the end.
Yan Shouyi frowned and asked, "Why has it been restless? Is it because of Boss Zhou and his group?"
Boss Zhou alone was not difficult to deal with; the mountain spirit could have easily handled him.
Clearly, Yanzawa's concerns were not about Boss Zhou.
As expected, Yanzawa shook his head and said, "Those outsiders are not very capable. The real threat comes from underground, from what they call the Jian King's tomb."
"The Jian King's tomb contains the corpse of King Jian. This person was incredibly evil. He had cultivated evil arts even in life and awaited his rebirth after death! Recently, he has been stirring. If anyone intrudes into the Jian King's tomb, he might awaken, leading to widespread destruction and bloodshed in the vicinity."
Yan Shouyi had never imagined such danger within the Jian King's tomb.
Not only him, but likely even Yan Chou was unaware of these matters.
Yanzawa continued,
"Actually, this matter is also related to your grandmother."
"What do you mean?"
Yanzawa said gravely, "Your family escorted you into the Jian King's tomb to retrieve the Meat Ganoderma, accidentally releasing thirteen tomb-guarding snake spirits, and simultaneously awakening King Jian's consciousness. King Jian dragged your grandmother into his coffin, while the thirteen snake spirits helped him absorb power from outside. Once he recovered his strength, he would fully awaken."
"However, at that time, King Jian was already on the verge of waking. Your intrusion merely accelerated his awakening slightly."
"You may not know this, but after your grandmother was dragged into the coffin, she was not killed. Instead, she struggled and escaped. However, the Jian King's tomb collapsed later, and no one could save her!"
Upon hearing that his grandmother was not dead, Yan Shouyi's pupils contracted, and his breathing became rapid.
But he then considered how much time had passed. Even if his grandmother wasn't dead, she had been trapped in the Jian King's tomb for twenty years, enduring suffering that a normal person couldn't bear!
"You're saying my grandmother is still alive?!"
"She was alive at that time, but now... she is dead," Yanzawa replied.
The hope that had just ignited in Yan Shouyi was instantly extinguished.
He gave a wry smile and muttered to himself, "I was thinking too much. How could Grandmother still be alive... Fortunately, Grandfather is already dead. If he knew that Grandmother was alive back then, he would probably regret it his entire life."
Unexpectedly, Yanzawa added, "Although your grandmother is dead, she agreed to my request and became a tomb guardian in the Jian King's tomb. Her soul has been suppressing King Jian for a full twenty years, until now! Otherwise, with King Jian's abilities, he would have awakened long ago!"
"Mountain Spirit, can you speak without pausing between sentences? Can you finish it all at once?" Yan Shouyi complained helplessly, then grabbed him and asked, "So, according to you, even though my grandmother is dead, her soul is still in the Jian King's tomb. As long as I enter the Jian King's tomb, there's a chance I can bring her back?!"
Yan Shouyi had never met his grandmother. Now that he had the opportunity, even if it was just to see her soul, he was determined to venture into the Jian King's tomb.
Furthermore, his father must miss his grandmother dearly.
However, Yanzawa said very seriously, "You are not allowed to go down into the Jian King's tomb!"