Chapter 1 The Architecture of Chaoge City

The architecture of Chaoge City remained unchanged, with a heavy bronze influence. Huge bronze mechanical beasts lined the streets, creating a crude, primitive, yet mysterious atmosphere. Wei Yuan had always wanted to figure out how these massive mechanical beasts worked.

As the elite of Chaoge City's warriors and shamans of this generation,

Feiyu and Wuyu were already waiting for Wei Yuan.

Previously, Wei Yuan had relied on Wu Yi's will and the power of the Buddhist relics to build a similar talisman array in Chaoge City, modeled after the Zhengyi Daoist talisman Heavenly Court. Although it was still very primitive, a nascent form, even only a body protection spell could take effect.

However, obviously, with the help of this body protection spell and the Shanhai Jing records left by Wei Yuan,

Chaoge City had been doing much better lately than before.

At least they knew where to hunt safely, and when encountering the occasional beast attacking Chaoge City, they could use the body protection spell to protect themselves.

Wei Yuan used the aura of Wu Yi on the talisman array to assist in completing the sacrificial process.

After most of the Chaoge City residents participating in the sacrifice left, Wuyu, Feiyu, and the old Taishi (Grand Tutor) of Chaoge City walked to the mountain of the ancestral veins. Although the expressions on their faces were very calm, Wei Yuan could see the eagerness in their eyes.

When he left before, he had promised them that this time he would bring them to Mount Chongwu to bring back the unique fruits of this mountain. This kind of fruit was extremely special, and eating it could improve the aptitude of the children about to be born.

This characteristic was undoubtedly like sending charcoal in the snow for the people of Chaoge City, who were suffering from the declining talent of their clansmen from generation to generation.

Wei Yuan had already put the bronze lamp into his sleeve. Looking at Feiyu and Wuyu, he nodded slightly and asked, "Are you ready? This journey will be very long, and you may encounter various dangers."

"Uh... ready."

"Yeah."

Feiyu and Wuyu answered at the same time.

However, their faces seemed to blush slightly with embarrassment. Feiyu raised his hand and tapped his chest, and said solemnly, "When we come back, we will be able to see the effect immediately."

Wei Yuan was stunned for a moment. Immediately, he remembered the effect of this fruit, 'Its fruit is like a trifoliate orange, eating it is good for descendants'. Looking at Feiyu and Wuyu with their thick eyebrows and big eyes, the corners of Wei Yuan's mouth twitched. He seemed to understand something and silently withdrew his gaze.

What kind of preparations have you been making this month?

Wei Yuan maintained the calmness on his face, not collapsing the solemn temperament of the mountain god on the spot. He pretended to nod nonchalantly, nodded to the two, and said, "Then, let's set off now." Then he took out something from his sleeve and handed it to the Taishi of Chaoge City next to him.

"These are some seeds I collected."

Wei Yuan said, "You can try them in Chaoge City and see if you can grow them."

These were all seeds developed by the research institutes of Shenzhou. Wei Yuan ran to several agricultural product institutes to collect them. There were a large number of high-quality seeds, from wheat and rice to some common vegetables. Wei Yuan also packed them in transparent plastic bags and classified them.

The approximate planting key was recorded on it in ancient language.

Chaoge City had been next to the Shanhai Realm for thousands of years.

Relying on the strength of one city, it was almost a miracle that they had not been destroyed.

They also didn't have much time to develop agriculture.

Wei Yuan thought, although there may be various factors such as acclimatization, these crops of human Shenzhou should also be able to help Chaoge City solve some difficulties. After all, these cultivated crops, whether in terms of yield or quality, were better than the original version.

The old Taishi respectfully took the fruit handed over by Wei Yuan.

He would try it after preparation.

Wei Yuan also quickly chose to set off. This time the apparent purpose was just to pick fruits.

There was no need for too many people. Only Feiyu and Wuyu accompanied him. The *bo* beast, which already had a tendency to transform into a *bo* dragon, restrained its vision and pretended to be an ordinary *bo* beast, following Wei Yuan to set off together.

Mount Chongwu was the first of the Xici Sanjing (Classic of Western Mountains, Book Three).

It was a long distance from here.

However, distance was not a big problem.

The real problem was that along the way they would successively encounter Mount Yu, Kunlun Hill, Mount Zhong, and Mount Buzhou. Except for Mount Yu, which was recorded as the residence of the Queen Mother of the West and was not a dangerous place even in ancient times, the remaining three places were all dangerous places in the Shanhai era.

Wei Yuan himself was just a spirit entering the Shanhai Realm, a body condensed by merging with the mountains.

Even if he was killed here, he would only lose a wisp of his spirit, and at most he would be weakened for a few months. However, Wuyu and Feiyu were different. They were just flesh and blood bodies. If they died, they would really die. He could not risk the lives of others.

Wei Yuan considered it and decided to go to Mount Yu first to see the situation.

To see if, with his current strength and the things he had mastered, he could see anything.

Then, he would go around a large circle to the southeast from Mount Yu, directly avoiding those three dangerous mountains, and arrive at Mount Chongwu, the first of the Xici Sanjing, to pick those fruits from above. Finally, he would let the *bo* beast take Feiyu and Wuyu back to Mount Chongwu along a safe place.

He himself would risk going to Mount Kunlun to take a look.

…………………

Mount Yu was considered the real starting point of this outing.

Feiyu and Wuyu also had their own means of traveling. In this Shanhai era, the spiritual energy was abundant, and the effect of the same spells was better than in the human world. Considering that if he exhausted his divine power too early, he might disappear directly, Wei Yuan just sat on the back of the *bo* beast and pointed the way.

It took a day to reach the vicinity of Mount Yu.

This was also because Wei Yuan still remembered the approximate route and avoided dangerous places, avoiding many fights. As dusk fell, the sky in the Shanhai Realm dimmed, and there were also various stars. Wei Yuan looked up at the stars, recalled the distance from Mount Yu, and decided to let the two of them stay here while he went to Mount Yu himself. So, he said in a normal tone,

"Let's rest here for a while."

Feiyu and Wuyu nodded.

They took out simple contraptions from their backpacks and made them into tents that could shield them from the wind and rain. Then they built a fire with three stones, took out a bag from their backpacks, and used a pottery pot hanging on their waist to cook something.

Wei Yuan was a little curious and looked over there.

Feiyu noticed Wei Yuan's gaze and said politely, "Lord Mountain God, would you like to try some?"

Although Wei Yuan claimed to be just the spirit of a mountain, not a mountain god, they still chose to address Wei Yuan with the identity of a god. Wei Yuan nodded and said, "Are you cooking? Let me see..."

Seeming because there was a god watching, Feiyu and Wuyu seemed to be more careful.

They carried a crop similar to soybeans with them, and then poured it into the pottery pot.

Adding water, they also chopped up the pieces of meat they carried and threw them in. Finally, Feiyu found something similar to flour from a small bag, estimated the amount, poured it in, cooked these things with fire, stirred them with wooden sticks, and a complex smell rose with the gurgling sound.

Wei Yuan saw Feiyu about to put this thing into his mouth without changing his expression.

He subconsciously raised his hand and pressed Feiyu's wrist.

Feiyu was stunned and looked at Wei Yuan, only thinking it was the curiosity of the god, so he politely said, "Lord Mountain God, you may not know much about cooking, but that's normal. After it's cooked, it tastes very good and can fill your stomach."

No, not only do I know, but I'm the only professional in this area.

Wei Yuan took the pottery pot and looked at it, sighed, and said:

"I once spent a long time with a person before, and your cooking level is completely comparable to his."

Wei Yuan saw that Feiyu was still holding the pottery pot and not letting go.

He knew that people from Chaoge City could not waste food.

So he gave the *bo* beast a wink.

Go hunting.

However, he didn't know if the *bo* beast could understand this wink. After thinking about it, just as he was about to speak, this ferocious beast, which had almost transformed into a *bo* dragon, apparently understood Wei Yuan's meaning, and made a low sound like a war drum. Turning around, it disappeared into the bushes. After a while, the *bo* beast brought back prey, a creature similar to a deer, but also somewhat like a sheep.

Wei Yuan skillfully used Feiyu's dagger to cut off the tenderest and strongest part of this demon beast's meat.

Then he found another pottery pot, started a fire to blanch it in water to remove the fishy smell.

First, he used the fatty part of the demon beast to replace the oil, melted it into oil, and first fried the meat. After both sides were golden brown, he added clear water to stew it. He also went to the surrounding bushes and found some fragrant leaves, which he threw into the pot as spices to stew with the meat. He also found fruits with spicy and salty aromas, and squeezed out the juice to use as seasoning.

Soon the aroma came out.

Feiyu and Wuyu widened their eyes.

In their lives, they had never smelled such an enticing aroma.

Wuyu swallowed and said, "This smell, Lord Mountain God, you even know this?"

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "I've just experienced a lot."

He paused and said, "I used to go out with two people for a long time, walked a long way, and ate a lot of things. Later, I haven't seen them for a long time, but I still remember this cooking skill."

The *bo* beast next to him suddenly spoke human words: "I just heard a dangerous message."

"There is a very fierce beast acting here."

Hearing the word "fierce beast," Wuyu and Feiyu instantly became alert, holding weapons in their hands.

Wei Yuan frowned and asked, "Fierce beast?"

The *bo* beast nodded and said, "Yes."

It seemed a little apprehensive and said, "That fierce beast has never appeared before. As soon as it came out, it killed many beasts. It is said that it only eats heads, and the rest of the body is not eaten. It has extremely sharp claws that can easily crush steel and rocks, and even the earth veins will be controlled by its influence."

Wei Yuan felt a little familiar, and after a moment of silence, asked, "What is the name of this fierce beast?"

The *bo* beast said solemnly, "It is said to be called Wohu (Crouching Tiger)."

"It is a huge, tiger-like beast."

"It is as big as a mountain, with sharp claws. It is a distant relative of Lu Wu, the mountain god of Kunlun Hill, and the Kaiming beast. It likes to eat sheep heads the most, so it killed all the branches of the Tu Lou clan."

Feiyu and Wuyu looked solemn: "Such a fierce beast."

"I've never heard of it before..."

Wei Yuan: "…………"

The Tu Lou are so goaty, who wants to eat that stuff?

His heart moved, his expression calm and peaceful, and he said, "Since this beast is so fierce, then it is likely to threaten our route. You stay here, I will go and see. I just happened to have never seen this Wohu beast before."

He stretched out his hand and suppressed the actions of Feiyu and Wuyu.

Signaling the two to stay where they were, he stepped out, and after walking away, he slightly raised his eyes, judged the direction according to the Shanhai constellations, and slightly induced a wisp of flowing wind, and swept towards Mount Yu, which belonged to the Queen Mother of the West.

When he arrived at Mount Yu, the originally handsome and upright Mount Yu was just a piece of mist as far as the eye could see. Wei Yuan thought that there was indeed a change, turned his palm, and the bronze lamp had already appeared in his hand. The golden flame in the lamp core slowly burned, illuminating the left and right.

Wei Yuan stepped forward slowly.

The bronze lamp illuminates the left and right.

Dispelling the mist.

He didn't know how long it had passed, suddenly, Wei Yuan heard a series of clear sounds of jade rings and jade pendants colliding with each other, his expression moved slightly, he raised his vigilance, and raised the bronze lamp slightly forward. In this thick fog, he vaguely saw figures moving.

One hand pressed on his sword, and the other hand held the lamp.

Stepping forward.

Among the shadows, Wei Yuan saw the figure come out, first his spirit was tense, and then he exhaled a long breath.

With his cultivation, he could recognize that these Kunlun maids were all phantoms, existing within the range covered by the light of the bronze lamp. Once they walked out, they would disappear in an instant. Most of the illusions had their limitations, either sluggish or illusory, but these illusions seemed real. Whether it was clothing or jade pendant decorations, they were the same as the pictures he had seen in his memory.

Was it the remaining aura of the true spirit unintentionally left on Mount Yu?

Or was it a clue deliberately left behind?

Just as Wei Yuan was thinking about what these illusions represented, suddenly, he felt a burning sensation on his neck.

Reaching out to touch it, there was nothing on his neck. Wei Yuan was slightly stunned, and then he immediately realized that this was not the feeling of his mountain god body, but the Kunlun jade of Jue (珏) that his main body felt.

Wei Yuan looked up.

The mist dissipated, and the illusion of the Queen Mother of the West appeared.

Her hand was holding a little girl who looked about ten years old, both of them illusions, passing in front of Wei Yuan.

Is it Jue (珏)?

Wei Yuan frowned, seeing the two of them about to walk out of the light range of the bronze lamp, hearing the faint voice from the Queen Mother of the West.

"You take away... immortal flower... must..."

Wei Yuan raised his eyes, no longer hesitating, holding the bronze lamp in one hand, and stepping to follow.

ps: Today's first update... not easy to write, stuck... four thousand words.

Thanks to the alliance leader who snatched your lollipop, thank you~

There will be a second update, a little later.