Chapter 5: She Comes from the Mountains
My dear grandson,
You always thought this old woman was nothing but a charlatan, a fraud who tricked people with mystic nonsense. But now—now you must believe, don’t you? Pity I can’t see the look on your face as you eat your words.
Back then, you refused to learn my craft. But now, I reckon you’re finally willing?
There’s something I must tell you. It’s about money.
That’s right. This old woman? She’s rich—richer than you ever imagined.
You thought I helped that fool Little Ma of West Lake for free? What nonsense. My skills do not come cheap.
But our lineage has its rules. The wealth earned by the Sect cannot be spent by outsiders, not even by blood kin. To break this rule invites a terrible curse.
So while I had silver to spare, you had to scrimp and save for even the cheapest comic book. You thought I didn’t notice? Oh, I saw it all. And truth be told… I found it rather amusing.
(Chen Yan, upon reading the letter: “@#……%?&……%”)
But now, my dear grandson, I wonder if you regret it?
Listen well. Join the Sect, take up my mantle, and all the wealth I’ve hoarded shall be yours. Spend it however you wish. Use it as you see fit. What do you say?
There’s a chest. Inside, you will find three things.
First—The Sect’s Secret Manual. Every technique, every art I possess, is recorded within. Fortunately, I had already trained you in the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Arts when you were a child. Your foundation is solid. Study it at your own pace, never in greed, and the knowledge will come to you in time.
Second—money. A bank account. Find it. Everything of value I’ve left behind is stored within.
Third—and this is most important—a Half White Candle. Only half remains.
Remember this: should you ever find yourself facing insurmountable danger, an obstacle that you cannot overcome—light this candle. It will turn misfortune into fortune, calamity into safety.
This is a life-saving talisman. Guard it well. Do not use it unless there is no other choice.
And that is all, my dear grandson. My final words, and here I am, rambling on and on.
Don’t cry.
No—perhaps by now, you can’t even shed tears anymore.
That was the end of the letter.
Cry?
Chen Yan could not cry. He had no more grief left in him.
The Old Madam—was she truly dead?
But tell me, what kind of death is greeted by the Black and White Lords, received with bows and solemn rites?
And what was that phrase? Returning to the Previous Post?
This wasn’t a passing. It was a promotion!
What is this? A tragic tale turned power fantasy?
If this is how it is, dear Old Madam, then why did you not just tell me you were crossing tribulation and ascending?
He found the Half White Candle first.
It looked ordinary. Just a simple, half-burnt wax candle. Turning it over in his hand, he found nothing unusual.
But he remembered her words. It was a last resort, a charm against doom. He tucked it away, close to his person.
Then—the Sect’s Secret Manual.
The pages were filled with twisted, eerie glyphs. To any ordinary soul, it was unreadable nonsense. But for Chen Yan, who had been hoodwinked into learning the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Arts since he was ten, it was decipherable.
And lastly—the fortune she had left behind.
It was a single slip of paper.
A bank account number. Long. Written in English and numbers.
Problem was—he didn’t recognize it.
Chen Yan was familiar with the banks of the Dragon Nation—the major ones, at least. But their account numbers did not look like this.
Wait—
Old Madam, you didn’t just leave me some online game account, did you?
Except—along with the slip of paper was a peculiar six-faceted key, metallic and weighty.
He glanced up at the Old Madam’s portrait.
No. She loved her mischief, but she wouldn’t stoop that low.
He grabbed his phone, fired up a search engine, and began his hunt.
Minutes turned into nearly an hour.
Finally, through patterns in the account number and images of similar keys, he reached a conclusion.
This was real.
A genuine bank account.
And not just any bank.
A historical, private institution.
Its location?
Harbor City.
Chen Yan rubbed his forehead.
Well, well. Seems the Old Madam had once made her way to Hong Kong.
…
To the northeast of the Dragon Nation, near the border between Lu Prefecture and Bei Prefecture, lay a majestic peak known as Golden Summit Mountain.
Or at least, that was its official name.
Among the locals, however, it bore a different title—Mount Naitouzi.
Beneath the towering ridges, a winding valley path wove through the dense forest, its presence concealed by the emerald sea of trees. A sudden gust of wind howled through the valley, carrying with it a lone figure emerging from the depths of the ravine.
Slender and graceful, yet clad in the plainest of garments—a short jacket over tightly bound cloth trousers, a style long lost to time. In her hand, she carried a woven snakeskin sack, an item as out of place as her attire.
Her features were fair and delicate, a visage naturally imbued with a charming allure. Yet a faint chill lingered in her expression, her finely arched brows giving her countenance an edge of sharpness. What might have been an enchanting, peach-blossom face was instead laced with a subtle, ominous air.
Her thick, lustrous black hair was enough to inspire envy in any young maiden, yet she had chosen to bind it into a single, unseemly thick braid.
The girl walked forward for a distance of twenty paces before halting abruptly. Slowly, she turned back toward the depths of the valley, her gaze sharp as a blade.
“Come out.”
Her voice was meant to be soft and sweet, the kind that would make men’s hearts tremble. But in contrast, her tone was as cold as winter frost.
From the thickets along the mountain path, two small heads cautiously peeked out.
One was a sturdy young boy with thick brows and bright eyes, the other a tiny girl with twin buns atop her head.
The two exchanged mischievous glances before the boy finally muttered, “Fourth Sister, don’t forget to bring us something good from the outside this time.”
At his words, the girl’s delicate face darkened. “Back inside! If you tarry too long and fail to return before the boundary closes, do you plan to become wandering ghosts in the mountains?”
The boy shrank back in fear, but the little girl with the twin buns remained unbothered, clapping her hands as she laughed. “Fourth Sister will claim victory with ease! That dog from the Chen family is bound to be captured and dragged back for judgment!”
The one called Fourth Sister Gu shot her a glare, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. After a moment’s hesitation, she muttered under her breath, “Stop spouting nonsense.”
The little girl was undeterred, puffing up her chest as she declared, “Third Uncle said you shouldn’t be too fierce out there! You must restrain your temper and not go breaking people’s bones. Smile more, be friendly!”
Fourth Sister Gu regarded them both before letting out a sigh. “Watch the house while I’m gone. Tell our uncles—I will return before the next Blood Tide.”
With that, she slung the woven sack over her shoulder and waved her hand. Instantly, the surrounding greenery surged like a living tide, swallowing the two children back into the depths of the valley.
Within mere breaths, the once-faint mountain path had vanished entirely.
With everything settled, Fourth Sister Gu finally lifted her head to the sky, her expression frosty.
Chen family, you had best surrender without resistance.
An hour later, the girl stepped out from the mountains, arriving at a small county train station.
Her attire—outdated, almost anachronistic—was enough to draw looks. Even in the rural outskirts of Su Province, who still dressed in coarse cloth jackets and tight-legged pants in this era?
And then there was the woven snakeskin sack—a relic of the past, now so absurdly out of place in the year 2024.
Yet despite all this, her captivating beauty lent her an odd, striking charm.
That alone might have been manageable.
But what truly baffled her was—
[Why are their identification cards not made of plastic? They’re nothing like the one Third Uncle crafted for me!]
[That small iron box they hold against their faces to talk—could that be the legendary Elder Brother device Third Uncle spoke of? But he never mentioned it being so small!]
[And that person over there… Is that a television in his hands? How is he watching it without plugging it into a power source?!]
[And that woman by the entrance—how is she stepping out in the middle of winter wearing a skirt that barely covers her thighs? Where is her shame?!]
Dumbfounded, the girl could only stare.
“The outside world… it’s nothing like what Third Uncle described!”
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation