Chapter Forty-Six: Three Days to Live

Advisor?

I never expected that Niu Dahuang would be the advisor of the Mountain God’s Residence; this surprised me a little. But thinking carefully, it made sense, and it was no wonder his relationship with my grandfather was so close.

At this moment, the thick mist ahead gradually dispersed, and a red-painted door creaked open. Only then did I see Niu Dahuang's figure clearly. He paused for a moment, and when he recognized Master Li, he exclaimed in surprise, "So it's Master Li! An honored guest—please, come inside!"

Master Li smiled calmly, saying, "Advisor Niu, you’re too courteous."

Now, at last, I had the chance to examine what this Mountain God’s Residence was really like.

It was an enormous courtyard nestled in the mountains; the walls and surroundings appeared naturally formed from the rocky landscape. Vines and twisted branches entwined everywhere, and from time to time, small animals darted about within.

Ahead stood the Mountain God’s Residence, imposing and magnificent. Built against the mountains, with pavilions and towers, its signboard hung high under the eaves, over ten meters above. The characters for "Mountain God’s Residence" were bold and vigorous, radiating authority in all directions.

Just now, Master Li had torn down a pair of couplets; now, on either side of the entrance, there was another set, carved from redwood, exuding a sense of grandeur and even greater intimidation.

Following Niu Dahuang, Master Li and I entered the Mountain God’s Residence, but my grandfather was nowhere to be seen. When I asked Niu Dahuang where my grandfather was, he confessed he didn’t know.

Yesterday, when the ghost soldiers came to the village to take someone, Niu Dahuang sensed trouble and went to call my grandfather into the mountains. But when he arrived at my home, there was no one there, so he entered the mountains alone, waiting for my grandfather at the Mountain God’s Residence. Yet, even now, my grandfather had not appeared.

He wasn’t in the village, nor in the Mountain God’s Residence—where could he possibly be?

I asked Master Li if my grandfather might have been taken away by the underworld.

Master Li shook his head, saying that even if my grandfather had encountered ghost soldiers, since he was the Mountain God, those soldiers couldn’t possibly take him.

"What if they used the Black Death Order?" I asked, having witnessed its power.

Master Li waved his hand, saying they could not use the Black Death Order to kill my grandfather. My grandfather knew too many secrets; if he were truly killed, neither the underworld nor the Daoist sects of the living world would let the perpetrator go unpunished. As long as he could not be killed, and with the Mountain God’s Token in his hand, they had no way to harm him.

After these words, Niu Dahuang sighed slightly and said, "To be honest, Master Li, Yiwa’s grandfather lost his Mountain God’s Token long ago; this matter simply hasn’t spread."

"What? He lost his Mountain God’s Token long ago?" Master Li was startled, finding this hard to believe.

"It was lost more than twenty years ago," Niu Dahuang replied.

Master Li rose to his feet. "The Mountain God’s Token is the Mountain God’s divine status. If it’s lost, wouldn’t he become an ordinary mortal? So, he borrowed two cycles of lifespan precisely because he had lost the token and his natural lifespan was running out?"

"That’s right. After he lost his Mountain God’s Token, his lifespan was only a few years. So, he borrowed eighteen years, just so he could raise Yiwa to adulthood." Here, Niu Dahuang paused, looking at me, and said, "Sigh… Yiwa, don’t blame your grandfather for hiding the truth. Everything he did was for your sake. He never wanted you to know he was the Mountain God, precisely because he didn’t want you to realize his life was nearly at its end."

My heart gave a jolt; the words felt unreal. I hadn’t expected that after just awakening, my grandfather’s life would be so close to its end. I thought the key lay with the Mountain God’s Token, so I immediately asked Niu Dahuang, "Grandpa Niu, if we find the Mountain God’s Token, will my grandfather be alright?"

"In theory, yes. But all these years, he and I have searched for it with no success," Niu Dahuang said, shaking his head gently.

At this point, Master Li interjected, "Mr. Lin’s Mountain God’s Token—how exactly was it lost? Is there no clue at all?"

"I don’t know. It happened more than twenty years ago. Yiwa’s grandfather went out on some business, and when he returned, he was injured. That’s when the token was lost," Niu Dahuang answered.

"Injured—over twenty years ago—could it have been that time?" Master Li seemed to recall something and asked. Neither Niu Dahuang nor I knew which incident he meant, so we asked him. He explained, "Twenty-three summers ago, I visited Old Jieling Village. At the time, Wang the Spirit Woman from Dongwa Village sent word through a young apprentice from White Clear Temple, telling me Mr. Lin was seriously injured. I rushed over that very night."

Hearing this, Niu Dahuang immediately nodded. "Yes, that was it. If not for that, we wouldn’t have troubled you to come, Master Li."

"I still remember his injuries clearly. If he hadn’t been the Mountain God, he would have lost his life then. The art that wounded him—I remember it well—it belonged to the Maoshan Sect. Because of this, I visited Maoshan myself, but all the old Daoists denied it, claiming their sect had never harmed anyone. As an outsider, I violated the rules by visiting Maoshan on my own. With no evidence in hand, my accusations came to nothing, and I had to leave."

"So, my grandfather’s Mountain God’s Token is most likely in the hands of the Maoshan Sect?" I asked.

Master Li and Niu Dahuang nodded almost simultaneously.

That meant, to save my grandfather, we could only retrieve the token from Maoshan; otherwise, he would not have much life left.

Just then, movement was heard outside the Mountain God’s Residence.

Niu Dahuang immediately stood up, and Master Li and I prepared ourselves. Niu Dahuang whispered, "Don’t move. Stay here. I’ll go check it out. If ghost soldiers are pursuing us, as long as we don’t open the main gate, they can’t force their way in!"

I wondered myself if ghost soldiers had followed us.

Niu Dahuang walked to the entrance and called out sternly, "Who are you, daring to trespass upon the Mountain God’s Residence?"

"The Mountain God of Old Jieling is here. How is it trespassing?" came the reply.

Hearing this, Niu Dahuang was visibly moved and quickly opened the door. I recognized the voice—it was my grandfather.

Seeing him unharmed, I was relieved. But when he saw Master Li and me, his brow furrowed.

He glanced at Niu Dahuang, then asked me, "You know everything now?"

I nodded.

He glared at Niu Dahuang again. "Didn’t I say this matter shouldn’t be spread around? The authority of the Mountain God is not something to be spoken of lightly..."

"Grandfather, how much time do you have left?" I asked.

He stood there stunned, realizing at last that he could no longer hide things from me. He sighed deeply and answered, "Three days."

It was far less than I’d imagined. Three days—that was all the time left for my grandfather. I asked, "Didn’t Weiyang already help?"

My grandfather patted my shoulder, beckoning everyone to sit before he spoke. "Child, don’t blame Weiyang. She’s done everything she could. To live, one needs fate, soul, body, and lifespan—all are indispensable. I thought only my lifespan was ending, but I didn’t realize my fate was as well. Weiyang borrowed me years, but couldn’t borrow a new fate. And if she did, it would be someone else’s fate—I’d no longer be myself. What meaning would there be?"

"Well, child, you’re grown now. I have nothing left to worry about. Losing the Mountain God’s Token was my own fault; it’s Heaven’s punishment. Even after fleeing for twenty years, this day was bound to come."

As he spoke, my nose stung with emotion. That in three days my grandfather’s life would end—I couldn’t accept it.

Now, I finally understood why my grandfather refused Wang the Spirit Woman.

He must have foreseen this outcome.

"Three days remain. Why not go to Maoshan and demand the Mountain God’s Token?" I said. It was the only way to keep my grandfather alive.

"Child, you mustn’t! Not only have you not awakened yet, even if you had, you’re no match for those old Maoshan Daoists. If the Mountain God’s Token could truly be reclaimed, I wouldn’t have been so badly wounded by those Daoists back then."

When he said this, I could see the anger and resentment in his eyes.

At that moment, Master Li suddenly spoke, "Recently, the Daoist sects have begun to act. Longhu Mountain was the first to convene a grand meeting of temple masters and experts to select their elites. Masters from Quanzhen Sect, Maoshan Sect, Lüshan Sect, and others have gathered. It’s said they’ve received word that the Thirteen Streams of Yunmeng have reappeared in the mortal world."

My grandfather and Niu Dahuang exchanged glances. Finally, my grandfather said, "They’re moving rather slowly."

"So this was your arrangement?" Master Li grasped the deeper meaning behind my grandfather’s words.

If you enjoy "The Calamity of Yin and Yang," please bookmark: () for the fastest updates.