Chapter 1

A horse-drawn carriage burst forth from the winding and rugged mountain road. Mo Long stood at the yoke, his features handsome, dressed in a dark robe and a plain crown. One hand firmly grasped the reins while the other held a short blade. Despite the jolting of the carriage, his dark robe billowed fiercely, and a slight smile played at the corners of his lips, his expression calm and composed

Old Otter Road: "No, that's not enough trouble for me!"

Few people disembarked from the ferry, with a stout rhinoceros spirit leading the way, burdened with numerous clanging items, resembling a walking general store. Due to the rhinoceros spirit's size, which was equivalent to three men, it was not until he passed the carriage that Mo Long noticed a young lady in a snow-blue robe following behind.

There is something else... The slender fingers spread the leaves, and Mo Long glanced around before raising his head and saying: "We need to take a detour to Xuanyuan Hill; a batch of pearls from the Lu family pearl shop has been robbed"

The last drop of fresh blood dripped down the tip of the dagger, and the short dagger twirled lightly in his hand. Mo Long reversed his hand and inserted it into the backpack, leaped onto the yoke, and continued to ride forward. Xiahou Feng and Mo Ji followed closely behind.

Within the Futi Mountain, Mo Ji had absorbed quite a bit of the essence of various beasts, appearing radiant and in high spirits: "Did the old man not say that Ji Yuanzai might return to Changliu in the future? By helping him out now, we can expect a reward later; it is akin to placing a bet."

Mo Long urgently pulled the reins, narrowly stopping the carriage, and furrowed his brow in confusion

Mo Long signaled for Xiahou Feng to take good care of the horse-drawn carriage, while at the same time, he threw the short dagger from his hand, slicing a wound in the soft belly of the roe owl.

The animal known as the Pao Owl is exceedingly greedy; it consumes everything that flies in the sky, runs on the ground, or swims in the water, leaving nothing untouched. Moreover, it possesses a ferocious nature, as it is known to eat humans, and even if it cannot finish its meal, it will bite the human body into pieces. In folklore, it is also referred to as the Glutton. All of this is already quite alarming, but what is particularly strange is that this creature has long resided in the confines of Mount Juwu, so how could it possibly appear here today

Xiahou Feng felt that this woman was different from others, yet he could not quite articulate what exactly was different. Upon hearing Mo Ji's words, he suddenly realized: "She is a mermaid?! It is said that male mermaids are fierce and ugly, while the females are delicate and beautiful; it turns out to be true! How did you discern that?"

I would like to ask you something. A batch of Donghai pearls was robbed in the past two days. Which company was responsible for this?

Xiahou Feng expressed his dissatisfaction, saying: "The old master is increasingly treating us like livestock, making us run this errand without any reward, and I have wasted so many arrows."

The owl, in pain, shook its head wildly and lunged at Mo Long with its claws extended.

Where is it

I have arrived

Return to the city!

Beside him, Xiahou Feng shot three arrows in quick succession, but the thick skin of the roe owl was as tough as armor, and the arrows could not penetrate its vital points, merely scraping off a bit of its hide.

Right by the stone wall spring of Xishan... be kind, remember that!

The owl fixed its gaze on the carriage, its head slowly bowing down, directly approaching Mo Long. Suddenly, it opened its gaping maw, revealing sharp teeth, and let out a fierce roar, with foul, murky air rushing towards her. Mo Long had no choice but to cover her mouth and nose with her sleeve, looking at it helplessly: "Big guy, I have no interest in what you ate last night."

Mo Long stretched lazily

Xiahou Feng hurriedly explained: "In fact, I don't really like to eat it either, truly."

A large, fluffy object at the mouth of the stove stirred, and two eyes emerged from the dark fur, glancing at Mo Long before stretching lazily and greeting, "You have arrived!" The old fellow that Mo Long referred to was an aged water otter spirit, who had been selling porridge at the Leize ferry for hundreds of years, and only offered one type of barley porridge, unchanged over the years, resulting in the porridge shop's long-standing dismal business. He did not care, as he would say, eat if you want, if not, then don't eat, it's your own fault, get lost!

Mo Ji retracted her hand, took a deep breath, and a hint of a smile appeared on her face. Clearly, this roe owl pleased her more than those mountain demons before.

The heavy curtain of the carriage was lifted, and Mo Long gestured for Mo Ji to assist the pale yet unharmed Gu Yu out, returning her to the side of Ji Yuanzai. Ji Yuanzai, grateful for the assistance received during his time of distress, expressed his heartfelt thanks to Mo Long repeatedly before departing

With the sound of her voice, a slender, emerald-green vine swayed over. Mo Ji wrapped one leg around the vine, her delicate brows and beautiful eyes captivating, her waist slender enough to be grasped with one hand, her garments fluttering, and her body enveloped in a gentle fragrance of flowers

A few mountain demons lurked a short distance away, deterred from approaching due to their previous hardships. Xiahou Feng drew his bow and nocked an arrow, frightening them all back into the mist, where they no longer dared to show themselves.

The fabric of her clothing is made of fish silk, also known as dragon silk, worth a hundred gold pieces per foot; the pearls adorning her hair are round and lustrous, and quite expensive... Mo Long looked at the back of the snow-blue shirt and said, "Just this outfit alone, if she traveled from the East Sea to here, do you really believe that no one would have robbed her? Yet she is still perfectly fine now"

Moments later, the frenzied owl, as if intoxicated, moved slowly, its eyelids drooping, and its head swaying unconsciously. Only then did Mo Ling leap down from the beast's back. Satisfied, Mo Ji floated down in front of the owl, and after it lay down softly, she placed one hand on its spiritual center, focusing her mind and holding her breath—gradually, the once shiny fur of the owl began to fade and dry; its strong and powerful legs slowly withered. In just half a column of incense, the owl's essence had been completely drained by her.

When Mo Long and others arrived at Leize Town, the sky was just beginning to brighten. The stalls selling steamed date paste yam cakes, pine nut peach blossom cakes, and honey melon radish cakes by the ferry had just opened, and the shopkeeper was a rabbit spirit, busily frying red bean paste glutinous rice cakes in the oil pot with its two long ears perked up.

After finishing the porridge, Mo Long casually took out an object from his bosom and placed it on the stove: "If you dare to use it to feed the chickens, the next time I come, I will dismantle the porridge shop. I'm leaving now." With that, he lifted his foot and walked away

"Alright, I'll catch a young monkey to help you gather firewood later." Mo Long looked at the old otter's fur, which had been charred and split from years of smoke and fire, with disdain.

It will take some effort to get to Xuanyuan Hill from here, so I will rest for a while. Xiaofeng, you drive the carriage and pay attention to the road, don't jolt it around and make people uneasy. Mo Ji stretched lazily, entered the carriage on her own, lowered the curtain, and there was no further movement.

The exhausted snipe owl barely clung to life, weakly calling out, no longer possessing the majesty it once had; its voice resembled that of a crying infant. Upon hearing the sound, Mo Long's wrist slightly sank, and the short dagger pierced its brow, ending its life.

Xuanyuan Hill, according to legend, is the place where the Xuanyuan clan resided in ancient times. This area is barren, with no grass growing, and only a river flows through it, named Xun Water. Due to the riverbed being covered with fine red sand, Xun Water appears red at first glance. Along Xun Water, several small towns are scattered, among which Leize Town has the most visitors.

Mo Ji disdainfully remarked: "It's so sweet and cloying, only children like you would enjoy it"

Mo Ji's gaze did not waver as she coldly remarked, "I would like to give it a try and see what abilities she truly possesses"

Xiahou Feng sniffed vigorously with his nose, but apart from the sweet aroma of the pastries, he truly did not detect any other scents. He then turned to Mo Long and asked, "Did you smell anything?"

"There is also yam and jujube paste cake, do you want to eat it?" asked Xiahou Feng

He casually took a clay bowl, and Mo Long did not stand on ceremony, serving himself a bowl of porridge.

The hand did not loosen its grip on the reins, as Mo Long spun and soared into the air, delivering a heavy kick to the jaw of the mountain demon. The mountain demon tumbled to the ground, and the short blade in hand fell, piercing the neck of another mountain demon. Withdrawing it, blood splattered everywhere

Mo Long originally intended to stab the short dagger into the celestial pool where the roe owl resided, swiftly resolving the matter. Upon hearing Mo Ji's words, he seized a handful of the roe owl's fur at its neck to use as reins, still controlling it while standing on the beast's back, waiting.

An old otter scratches its armpit: "A big-tailed sheep has come from the east, along with a bear, and the monkey cubs from the western mountain gather together, coming down the mountain every now and then, specifically targeting the easy prey.

Xiahou Feng, upon encountering the merman for the first time, was filled with curiosity and genuinely intended to make an acquaintance. Hearing Mo Long's words, he became even more perplexed: "She is just a little girl, what is there to be wary of?"

It felt as if someone was on its back, and the roe deer owl became increasingly frenzied, kicking and thrashing, causing the entire ground to rumble ominously. ... Mo Ji was half suspended in the air, and a wisp of dark fragrance escaped from her fingertips, which divided into several strands upon reaching the roe deer owl, seeping into its senses through its facial features

"Merfolk!" Moji said in surprise, for merfolk dwell in the sea year-round, rarely coming ashore, let alone being here now

As he was speaking, a small green bird swooped down from the sky towards Mo Long, crashing directly into his embrace and transforming into a cluster of leaves shaped like a bird

Mo Long did not respond, leaning against the carriage and said lightly: "It is not the smell of fish, but the scent of purple algae from the East China Sea. She should be from the East China Sea, and she is not someone to be trifled with, so do not provoke her for fun."

Be careful!" Xiahou Feng called out a superfluous remark to Mo Ji, who ignored him

Four massive mountain monkeys suddenly burst out from the side, with two of them pouncing on the side of the carriage, their howls shaking the thick curtains. The other two charged directly at Mo Long and the horses

As Mo Long just emerged from the porridge shop, he heard the loud clanging sound of iron striking not far away at the ferry terminal. It was a block of iron hanging at the ferry, being struck by a small hammer, signaling the arrival of the first boat of the morning

Mo Long leapt lightly, evading the sharp claws, and mounted the back of the owl. With a swift motion of his left hand, he retrieved the short blade back into his palm, preparing to strike down with it...

"Wait, leave it to me!" a clear female voice called out.

Upon hearing this, Mo Long glanced at her and said, "Are you just trying to see her capabilities?"

The voice was very faint, yet Xue Qingshan heard it. She slightly tilted her head and cast a disdainful glance towards the carriage, her steps unhalted, seemingly too indifferent to pay any attention to such idle people.

Two silver arrows shot out from the mist, chasing the stars and the moon, striking down the mountain demon that was climbing on the carriage. At the same time, Xiahou Feng, with a longbow in hand, rushed over. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, exuding vitality; although he was on foot, he ran much faster than the horses, effortlessly catching up to the carriage.

The old otter advised him: "Just give him a lesson, don't make it seem like a house raid"

"Do you not smell the fishy odor?" Moji gazed at the back of the merman, lost in thought

"It's just talk," Moji turned her gaze and said gloomily, "Even talking is not allowed..."

"Is this what you call being on the way?" Xiahou Feng raised an eyebrow, "Is the business of the Lu family's pearl shop enough to fill the gaps in our teeth? He is getting better at playing us."

This idea is excellent!" Xiahou Feng chuckled heartily

The old otter picked up the item he had set down, which was a small gourd. He removed the wooden stopper, and a fragrant aroma wafted out—this was the water from the Imperial Terrace Spring. Drinking this water not only has remarkable effects on heart ailments but also promotes longevity. He chuckled softly, tucked the small gourd away, and muttered, "Little rascal, just can't learn to speak."

Regarding Mo Ji's instructions, Xiahou Feng has always complied without question, taking the reins. The group hurriedly made their way towards Xuanyuan Hill.

The piercing and sharp cries tore through the mist, creating several gashes, rising and falling in a fierce and eerie manner, penetrating the ears and sending chills down the spine, as if countless malevolent spirits were crawling along the trunks and vines, transforming the entire forest into their slaughterhouse

Mo Long took a sip of porridge and casually asked, "Where is the nest?"

Mo Ji casually accepted the peach blossom cake, eating while surveying her surroundings

Mo Long was also not very satisfied: "Once we return, we will deal with him; putting him in the pot to stew would also make a nourishing soup."

No longer disturbed by strange beasts, the carriage sped along, arriving at the junction of Futi Mountain and Sanwei Mountain, which was also the agreed delivery location for this business transaction. Seven or eight servants had long been gathered around Ji Yuanzai, who was waiting. Sitting in the carriage was Ji Yuanzai's most favored concubine, Gu Yu. Ji Yuanzai was the youngest son of the Lord of Changliu City, Yue Gong. Due to family disputes, he was regarded as a thorn in the side by his elder brother and had to flee to a distant land. When he escaped, he did not have time to take Gu Yu with him, so he entrusted Mo Long and others to secretly send his concubine out of Changliu City.

What is it again

Xiahou Feng first bought some pastries, and as soon as he woke Mo Ji, he eagerly handed her the pastries, saying: "I know you love peach blossom cakes, look, they are still warm..."

Ignoring the two of them, Mo Long casually picked up a piece of cake and tossed it into his mouth, chewing as he walked into an old porridge shop nearby, heading straight to the large stove: "Old man, wake up, your hair is all disheveled."

The mountain road took a sharp turn when a roe owl suddenly appeared, its body resembling that of a sheep but with the teeth of a tiger, measuring as large as three or four horse-drawn carriages, blocking the road, dark and imposing like a small mountain

Let us go to the stone wall spring on the western mountain

In the depths of the Futi Mountain, dense and profound, ancient trees stand for a thousand years, their roots intertwined and gnarled. Surrounding mist permeates the air, gray and hazy, concealing hidden dangers.