Chapter 48 Dusk

Zhang Hao said that the files of Zhang Daoling sealing the mountain god from the Dragon Tiger Mountain library had been brought down the mountain to Quanzhou and were to be sent to the museum. But Wei Yuan waited a long time and did not see the arrival of the second group of action team members.

The sky outside gradually darkened.

The setting sun was like fire, reflecting on this old street.

Then the sky gradually darkened, and the originally fiery sunset light carried a hint of darkness until the last piece of darkness, leaving only a trace of afterglow on the earth. Day and night began to alternate, and monsters and apparitions gradually awakened, starting their activities in places unknown to people.

In Sakura Island, this is called the Hour of Meeting Demons.

And in Shenzhou, there are also various legends after nightfall.

In the West, there are legends of werewolves, vampires, and demons transforming after nightfall.

When yin and yang alternate, strange things naturally happen.

However, Wei Yuan didn't think that those evil ghosts and monsters would dare to come to this old street. Not to mention other things, the Overlord Spear had the remaining baleful aura of the number one military strategist in Shenzhou. Which fierce ghost would dare to approach without opening their eyes?

Wei Yuan looked at the time and estimated that they wouldn't be coming today.

He stood up to prepare to tidy up and cook.

But just as he stood up, Wei Yuan paused slightly, hearing footsteps. Then the door of the museum was pushed open, and Wei Yuan saw an old gentleman with white hair walking in, with a kind face and wrinkles left by the years. He looked like a common old man.

However, he was wearing a gray, simple long robe, with a jade pendant hanging from his waist, and wearing a round crown. Wei Yuan recognized that it was a Han Dynasty sorcerer's crown. The old man politely asked, "Is the young gentleman the owner of this shop?"

Owner?

Wei Yuan was surprised, nodded and replied, "I am the owner of this shop now."

"Old sir, you are..."

The old man bowed slightly and smiled, "Just a traveler who got lost on a long journey. I wanted to ask you for a cup of water to moisten my throat and rest my feet. I hope I'm not disturbing you..."

Wei Yuan looked at him deeply and smiled, "Of course not."

"Since I opened the shop, I naturally have to welcome guests from all directions. Please sit down, old sir."

Wei Yuan invited the old man in.

The old man sat on the sofa for guests, and Wei Yuan also sat opposite the old man. The water ghost concealed his deathly appearance and served normal water obediently. The old man looked around at the things in the museum and asked with a smile, "Young gentleman, what kind of business do you do here?"

Wei Yuan didn't know what the old man was planning. He felt something and replied:

"I collect some antiques, listen to some stories, and preserve traces of people's lives."

The old man smiled and said, "So that's the case. That's quite an elegant occupation."

He paused and said:

"I'm taking the liberty of visiting. I have a story here that I'll offer as a reward."

"I wonder if young gentleman will find it of interest."

Wei Yuan gestured with his hand and said, "Please tell me."

The old man seemed to organize his thoughts, and then slowly said, "Young gentleman, since you collect antiques and stories, then you should know many things. The saying that tigers are the king of the mountains, the mountain god, I suppose you also know. But do you know how this saying came about?"

Wei Yuan replied, "Because there is a character '王' (wang, king) on the tiger's forehead."

The old man nodded and sighed, "Not bad."

"But does the young gentleman know that the tiger's forehead did not have '王' at first, but '三' (san, three). Later, by chance, someone added a stroke, and it became '王'. What I want to tell you is this story."

He stretched out his hand, his palm exuding a faint, illusory energy, and said, "Young gentleman has supernatural powers."

"I'll tell the story, and you can watch, how about that?"

Wei Yuan glanced at the old man, letting the water ghost and the sword-drawing weapon spirit, who had quietly gone around to the back, retreat and behave themselves. Then he stretched out his fingers and pressed them on the old man's wrist as if taking a pulse. The supernatural power operated at will, but could still be controlled and could be released at any time. The old man drank some water from his cup with his other hand and said:

"The story begins at the end of the Western Han Dynasty."

"This has nothing to do with history books, and there were no so-called kings and generals. At first, it was just a young man being chased in a sorry state and a tiger that was enshrined as a mountain god during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han."

..................

Land gods are born in accordance with the national fortune and exist with the country.

Likewise, they will lose their magic power as the national fortune declines.

The tiger no longer remembers what its earliest experiences were like, only that it was once revered and worshiped by the people at the foot of the mountain. It benefited from them, so it no longer harmed people, and even cherished that affection, occasionally helping the residents who worshiped it by killing the wild beasts that endangered their lives.

Thus, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, it was officially named a mountain god by the country.

On that day, the people at the foot of the mountain built a temple for it, carrying a stone statue of a tiger all the way from the foot of the mountain to the top, and held a grand sacrificial ceremony. It was very happy to see it, and this time it had two subordinates, one was the young Bo Qi and the other was the Brocade Feather Bird that became spiritually aware when Overlord Xiang Yu died at the end of the Qin Dynasty.

The tiger, which had always been alone, suddenly felt that this was not bad.

Then, as the years passed, the people's sacrifices and incense to it never ceased, and it also protected the peace of one place, slaying demons and eliminating evil.

On weekdays, it would drink with the Brocade Feather Bird, discuss dreams with Bo Qi, and visit friends in other mountains and rivers.

As for meat, the wild animals in the mountains were delicious enough, and their qi and blood were strong enough.

Such a life was almost no less than that of an immortal.

But land gods are ultimately different from gods. As time passed, the Han Dynasty began to decline, and the tiger's own magic power also began to weaken. However, it was originally an old wild beast and great demon, and it could still maintain its existence and not perish because of this.

But other friends who were originally mortals, but were conferred as mountain gods and land gods by the country because of their merits, continued to perish, just like people dying when their lifespan was exhausted. Land gods would also have a day of death. The tiger did not care about this kind of thing, until one day, the dragon vein of the Han Dynasty changed drastically, the national fortune shifted, and the world changed drastically.

The land gods ushered in their end.

..................

Again, because a friend died, the tiger got drunk for a night, but was awakened by the noisy sounds. When it went out to take a look, it saw a group of elite soldiers chasing a young man, and that young man actually had the Yan Han fortune that it was familiar with.

As a mountain god and martial god who had been supported by the Han Dynasty, the tiger did not hesitate to appear.

It easily dispersed the elites who caused the changes in the world's fortune and saved the young man.

Everyone was shocked by the tiger's power and collapsed on the ground.

The tiger abided by the land god's creed and never killed anyone.

It just used its tail to roll up the youth, threw him on its back, and then, in an angry roar, carried the youth over mountains and ridges to a safe place. The youth was pale, but he still had a big tone, thanking the tiger and vowing that he would definitely repay it in the future and make it the king of all beasts.

The tiger sneered, but for the sake of the fortune on this young man.

It took care of the young man for a period of time, and even taught him the art of war and martial arts.

The dragon vein of the Han Dynasty shifted. When the nest was overturned, there would be no intact eggs. Many land gods were either panicked all day long, or were bold and unrestrained, still singing and drinking all day long. The tiger and many land gods protected this young man, so that the latter was never discovered by the pursuers.

Although that young man had a very feminine name, his personality was extremely bold and unrestrained.

He treated many land gods as brothers, calling the tiger his elder brother.

The young man's name was Liu Xiu.

He left after recovering from his injuries.

After that, the tiger and other land gods were still in the mountains and rivers where they were originally enshrined, but no matter how open-minded their personalities were, they could only take their own life and death lightly. When they saw their friends and old acquaintances becoming weak and almost dissipating, the tiger was also upset and often roared at the sky.

After that, the person who caused the shift in the Yan Han fortune found him.

That man was called Wang Jvjun, known as Wang Mang.

Wang Jvjun and the tiger, who had transformed into a black-armored man, talked for seven days and seven nights, elaborating on what kind of world he hoped for. Although the tiger was a wild beast, it also vaguely felt that if such a world could be achieved, it seemed much better than the previous rotten state. At least those people who worshiped him would live better.

But it was very difficult to achieve what he said, almost going against the heavens.

At this time, Wang Jvjun threw out a solicitation that the tiger could not refuse.

He was willing to re-establish land god sacrifices, so that the tiger would not have to watch his hundreds of years of old friends dissipate. The man in black stretched out his hand to him and smiled calmly:

"How about it? Would you like to come with me to create a new world? Let's call it the Xin Dynasty."

The tiger agreed.

So Wang Jvjun kept his word and re-sacrificed the land gods, allowing many of the tiger's friends to survive. The tiger also told Wang Jvjun all the military strategies and martial arts it knew. The two sides regarded each other as confidants, and even in order to repay the kindness of meeting him, he personally trained soldiers for him and accepted nine disciples, all of whom were brave for a time, and Wang Mang worshiped them as the Nine Tiger Generals.

The tiger stabilized the world for him.

But it never expected that the one standing in the opposing camp of Wang Mang would actually be his brother Liu Xiu from back then.

Wang Mang was devoted to the tiger, had the grace of saving his life, and even saved many of his friends.

And that young man once regarded the tiger as his elder brother, and they treated each other as brothers.

The tiger did not want to see the two of them fighting each other, so he went to find the young man, hoping that the latter could stop. The tiger was willing to give him his life as a guarantee to ensure his safety...

………………

The old man took a sip of water, and his voice paused slightly. Wei Yuan already knew the direction of the story, so he didn't speak. The water ghost listened with some fascination and subconsciously asked, "Did that young man agree?"

The old man sighed:

"How could he agree?"

He paused and said, "But not long after the tiger went back, Liu Xiu found the Brocade Feather Bird and promised the Brocade Feather Bird all kinds of rewards, asking the Brocade Feather Bird to bring the tiger alone, saying that after thinking about it, he decided to agree to his elder brother's proposal."

The water ghost was stunned, and then said firmly, "This must be a trap!"

"Did that tiger go?"

A trace of complexity appeared on the old man's face, and said, "He went, why wouldn't he go?"

"At the banquet, Liu Xiu toasted and they exchanged cups of wine, endlessly happy."

"The tiger drank several jars of good wine that day."

"He was a thousand-cup immortal, but this time, he was drunk."

"When he was drunk, Wang Mang's army was defeated, and the disciples and generals he had taught all died in battle. The Nine Tiger Generals, who were once famous generals, did not even leave their names in history, and Wang Mang eventually died. The Xin Dynasty died in an instant, and then Liu Xiu also died. He completed his promise, adding a stroke to the tiger's forehead, thus turning him into the Mountain God."

The water ghost couldn't help but click his tongue and said:

"How long did it take to get drunk?"

"What kind of wine is this, so strong?!"

Wei Yuan was thoughtful and said:

"Di Xi, from Zhongshan, can make thousand-day wine. If you drink it, you will be drunk for a thousand days. The one Liu Xiu gave him to drink was Zhongshan wine?"

The old man said, "Young gentleman is knowledgeable."

"That is indeed Thousand-Day Drunk. Ordinary people can get drunk for a full thousand days with just a cup of that wine, let alone drinking several jars. Even the Mountain God was drunk for decades before waking up."

The old man took a sip of wine and said, "He went to sleep with the intention of no longer fighting, so in those decades of dreams, the scene he saw should be Wang Mang opening up a new dynasty, and he and Liu Xiu, as well as his land god friends, singing and drinking together, and the world was stable and peaceful."

"Unfortunately, even Thousand-Day Drunk will have a day of sobering up, let alone a dream..."/

He sighed and continued to tell the story unhurriedly.

..................

The tiger woke up slowly.

The alcohol was too strong, and he didn't seem to have recovered yet.

But for some reason, he vaguely remembered that Liu Xiu seemed to have become old all of a sudden.

The originally energetic young man turned into a gloomy, majestic, and domineering appearance, which was not like him.

He felt that he was drunk to death, and this dream was too long.

But no matter what, the matter had been resolved, and he no longer had to be caught between his brothers.

The tiger was overjoyed and planned to tell Wang Mang about this, and also guarantee Liu Xiu's safety with his life. But when he entered the mortal world, he found that everything had changed. He found that his familiar things and familiar people had disappeared. He learned that Wang Mang had died tragically, and that he himself had died drunk when his friends and his monarch needed him most.

The tiger almost went crazy, looking for Liu Xiu with red eyes to ask for an explanation.

But then he learned that Liu Xiu was also dead.

The full of hatred suddenly did not know where to vent, the tiger walked aimlessly, and unconsciously went to the village at the foot of the mountain that he protected. The alcohol woke up, and he finally recalled the only picture he saw when he was drunk, and saw the emperor who was so old that he did not look like his brother, with a gloomy expression, stretching out his hand, and his expression and eyebrows vaguely showed his former spirit, and his fingers slowly slid down his forehead.

"I'm sorry, big brother..."

"Even if you wake up and hate me, A-Xiu will accept it."

He used the national fortune of the Eastern Han Dynasty to confer him as a land god, no longer a mountain god, but a mountain monarch.

Children ran past singing a song,

"Three horizontal beams on the tiger's head, Liu Xiu added a vertical in the center. This year, save my Han Liu Xiu, next year, I will make you the king of beasts."

"Big head, small ears, wagging tail, brocade hair all over the body. Teeth like steel saws, claws like knives, often showing off heroism in the mountains. Travelers are frightened when they see it, woodcutters are terrified when they see it. It does not bite loyal ministers and filial sons, but traitors and villains cannot escape."

When the tiger heard the last sentence, "Traitors and villains cannot escape," a sudden unspeakable feeling appeared in his heart. He saw his familiar Wang Mang again, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, suddenly stood up, and strode away.

This was also the first time he opened his mouth to drink blood.

The old man sighed and looked at Wei Yuan and said:

"If it were young gentleman, knowing that your monarch died because you were drunk, and the one who did all this was your brother. The one who saved your life died tragically because of the one you saved, and most importantly, whether it is your benefactor, your enemy, or your monarch, your brother, are no longer in this world, what would you do?"

Wei Yuan did not answer.

The old man sighed, "In the end, he was alone, wearing Wang Mang's army armor, with Wang Mang's Xin Dynasty flag tied on his back, rushing into the army that annihilated the Nine Tigers as if seeking death, not knowing whether to live or die, fighting until exhausted."

"Not dodging attacks, nor running away, and finally being captured, this is seeking death."

"Charging into the military camp was originally bound to die, but because of his relationship with Emperor Guangwu, and the character '王' on his brow was closely related to the national fortune of the Han Dynasty, in the end, the general and celestial master who captured him only sealed him, imitating King Yu, and exiled him and that mountain to the human world..."

"He is the beginning of all stories and legends, the original source."

"From then on, all tigers can call themselves Mountain Monarchs."

"The title of Mountain Monarch, there were still other explanations in ancient times, but since Guangwu, it has referred to him, and only him."

"I wonder what the young gentleman feels about this story?"

Wei Yuan did not ask the old man's true identity. After thinking for a while, he replied, "It is difficult to have both loyalty and righteousness. One cannot destroy the prosperous world created by his brother because of loyalty, nor does one have the face to live in vain. Wearing armor, raising the flag, and fighting to the death, this is the style of the Qin and Han Dynasties. If it were me, I might also make such a choice. On this point, I can understand him."

The old man stared at him and said, "Then the Mountain Monarch..."

Wei Yuan said, "I am not qualified to interfere in past grievances, and I can understand his choice."

"But in this era, he is no longer restrained, and he has tasted blood and killed many people."

He paused and said calmly:

"He should be killed!"

ps: Today's second update... 4,800 words, a little late~

Just a fantasy story, not official history, just enjoy the story.

The saying that the Mountain Monarch is a tiger first appeared in the "Shuowen Jiezi" in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Zhongshan wine is recorded in Volume 19 of "Soushen Ji" and Volume 10 of "Bowu Zhi".