Chapter 22: The Cat Mountain God
Xing Chang had long expected that Ying Kongtu would definitely buy Bibai Mountain and Gongshen Mountain back.
The moment Ying Kongtu nodded, he immediately took out his phone. “I’ve talked to the mountain owner and asked for some information. Take a look.”
“Let’s talk about the price first.” Xing Chang opened the information he had received and enlarged the pictures for Ying Kongtu and Wen Zhongshan to see. “Bibai Mountain has water, roads, and electricity connected, so the price is a bit higher—thirty yuan per mu per year. I specifically checked. This mountain really does have water, road access, and electricity, and they can still be used now.”
Ying Kongtu nodded, and Wen Zhongshan also nodded along.
Seeing that they accepted it well, Xing Chang continued, “Both mountains still have thirty-seven years left on the contract period. Bibai Mountain has a total of 2,300 mu, so the total contract price is 2.553 million…”
“Wait!” Ying Kongtu’s face showed confusion. “How could Bibai Mountain’s area only be 2,300 mu? Converted to the current unit of measurement, the mountain area should be at least 3,000 mu.”
“Huh? Let me check.” Xing Chang hurriedly looked at his phone.
“It should be 2,300 mu,” Wen Zhongshan said from beside them. “When contracting mountain forest nowadays, they calculate the flat projected area of the mountain forest, not the height.”
Ying Kongtu was startled. “They don’t count it?”
Wen Zhongshan nodded.
Xing Chang had also found the specific entry. “Right, they really don’t count the mountain’s elevation. Elevation affects the unit price per mu. For example, Gongshen Mountain next door has a higher elevation and steeper terrain, so the contract price is lower—only twenty yuan per mu.”
Meeting Ying Kongtu’s gaze, Xing Chang added, “I specifically asked. Gongshen Mountain’s contract unit price is twenty yuan per mu per year, but that side doesn’t have water or electricity.”
Ying Kongtu asked, “How large is Gongshen Mountain’s contracted area?”
“Let me see.” Xing Chang said, “A total of 2,730 mu.”
The three of them stood where they were, looking at the mountain owner’s quoted price.
Bibai Mountain had a total area of 2,300 mu, priced at thirty yuan per mu per year. The total contract price for thirty-seven years was 2.553 million.
Gongshen Mountain had a total area of 2,730 mu, priced at twenty yuan per mu per year. The total contract price for thirty-seven years was 2.02 million.
If both mountains were contracted, then for the remaining thirty-seven years, the mountain owner only wanted 4.2 million in total.
Ying Kongtu looked at the long string of numbers and felt his head begin to ache.
His current fixed income was only five thousand yuan a month, and his only fixed income came from the subsidy issued by the Abnormality Management Bureau.
In recent months, there had been more mountain goods in the forest, and he had been selling them quite frequently. But all the income from selling mountain goods added together was only a little over eighty thousand yuan, far from enough.
After looking for a long while, Ying Kongtu sighed faintly. “I’ve realized that the Abnormality Management Bureau is truly good to me.”
After he awakened and produced the land deeds, the Abnormality Management Bureau had returned Wuchuan Mountain, Qingfang Mountain, Baogu Mountain, and Xiwu Mountain to him.
Not only had the Abnormality Management Bureau returned the mountains to him, but the usage period for all four mountains was seventy years, and it could be renewed once it expired.
Recently, after dealing with Pei Lejiu and the others more often, Ying Kongtu knew that no matter how capable the Abnormality Management Bureau was, returning the mountains to him still required an application to the local authorities.
Furthermore, although Wuchuan Mountain, Qingfang Mountain, Baogu Mountain, and Xiwu Mountain were state-owned forest land, they were managed by Changchuan County and were local property of Changchuan County.
Now that they had been placed under his name, the Abnormality Management Bureau definitely had to give Changchuan County a certain amount of compensation.
Changchuan County had normally spent so much manpower and material resources managing these four mountains. Directly returning them to him would be unreasonable no matter which responsible leader it fell upon.
So, on the surface, the state had merely returned the mountains to him in an ordinary way, but in reality, there must have been many people behind the scenes communicating, coordinating, and making great efforts. It was just that no one had claimed credit before him.
Xing Chang thought he was worrying about money and said, “If you really go negotiate the price, you should still be able to cut it down a bit. Bringing it down to four million shouldn’t be a big problem.”
Wen Zhongshan said, “I can help negotiate and see whether we can cut it down to a little over 3.8 million.”
Ying Kongtu raised his head and looked at the two of them. Warmth rose in his heart, but he waved his hand and said, “I’ll negotiate it myself. Thank you, but no one understands these mountain forests better than I do.”
Ying Kongtu was certain he wanted to handle this matter himself, so Wen Zhongshan and Xing Chang did not interfere.
The next day, Ying Kongtu contacted Jiang Hanhai, the current mountain owner of the two mountains, saying that he wanted to go up the mountains and take a look.
It was not easy to have someone willing to look at the mountains. Jiang Hanhai agreed at once. “Look all you want. Just be careful. There are quite a few snakes and insects on the mountain. Do you need me to accompany you?”
“Not for now. I’ll go take a look and come down after.”
“Then just go up the mountain directly. Let me know after you finish looking.”
Both Bibai Mountain and Gongshen Mountain had owners.
After Ying Kongtu awakened, he had not come to see them.
This was the first time in several hundred years that he had truly stepped onto these two mountains again.
Bibai Mountain was just outside Changchuan County. Jiang Hanhai had built a small road, so one could ride a motorcycle directly to the summit.
Ying Kongtu rode his motorcycle over. From far away, he saw workers cutting trees halfway up the mountain. The buzzing sound carried over, and in the blink of an eye, a small patch of the green hillside was shaved bare.
They were cutting the fast-growing eucalyptus trees planted on Bibai Mountain.
Fast-growing trees could also conserve water sources, preserve soil, and absorb carbon dioxide, so the local area did not prohibit planting fast-growing trees.
But as a mountain god, when Ying Kongtu looked from afar at the mountain covered neatly in rows of straight trees of the same species, like rows of sticks stabbed into the mountain, he still felt very uncomfortable.
Looking at such a hillside, he even felt as if his spirit had been polluted.
Therefore, after he awakened and checked his territory, he had only looked at Bibai Mountain from a distance and had not come over.
He himself could not say clearly whether it was because he was unwilling to step onto a mountain forest that no longer belonged to him, or because of the helplessness in his heart, making him unwilling to face a mountain forest that had completely changed beyond recognition.
Patches of fast-growing eucalyptus fell, and the air was filled with the distinctive scent of eucalyptus sap.
Ying Kongtu parked his motorcycle by the roadside and walked into the mountain.
The workers saw him from afar but did not pay him any attention.
Soon, Ying Kongtu discovered that most places in the mountain had once been planted with fast-growing eucalyptus, only in rotating cycles.
In many places where fast-growing eucalyptus had been planted, there were still stumps that had not fully rotted away.
In addition, the places where fast-growing eucalyptus had been planted had many weeds, few shrubs, relatively poor soil, and fairly severe hardening.
Perhaps when the fast-growing eucalyptus had been planted, they had been planted too densely. The eucalyptus consumed large amounts of fertility, seized most of the sunlight, and basically left no growing space for other plants.
That was why the soil here was poor, the plants sparse, and leftover wooden stumps were everywhere.
Ying Kongtu crouched down and touched the muddy ground with his hand, lowering his eyelashes.
At this moment, for the first time, he regretted having taken the initiative to fall into sleep back then, causing the mountain forest to fall into other people’s hands and not be properly treated.
Bibai Mountain was in relatively poor condition, and Gongshen Mountain next door was not much better.
Gongshen Mountain had an elevation of 1,756 meters, making it one of the higher nearby mountains, and it was also closer to the deep mountains.
Several hundred years ago, there had been many ancient trees on this mountain as thick as millstones.
Now, most of the ancient trees on the mountain had disappeared. The forest had thinned considerably. Perhaps not long after he fell asleep, they had been cut down.
Worse still, this mountain was relatively steep. Without ancient trees protecting it, over several hundred years, the mountain soil had been heavily washed away.
When Ying Kongtu went over to examine it, he could clearly feel that the soil beneath his hand was barren and coarse, completely lacking the soft, fertile feel it had once had.
Step by step, Ying Kongtu walked through the mountain forest that had once been incomparably familiar, and his heart felt extremely heavy.
It was at this time that he received a call from Jiang Hanhai.
Jiang Hanhai’s loud voice came through. “Hello, Boss Ying, how’s your mountain inspection going?”
“I just finished looking at Gongshen Mountain and haven’t come down from the mountain yet.”
Unlike Jiang Hanhai’s warm and enthusiastic voice, Ying Kongtu’s voice was so low it sounded as though water could be wrung from it. Jiang Hanhai’s heart thudded, and he immediately lowered his volume.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen on the mountain? Are you interested or not?”
“I looked around. The problems with these two mountains are greater than I imagined. Especially in several places—if slope-protection retaining walls aren’t built immediately, once the autumn rains come, landslides may occur.”
Ying Kongtu asked, “Boss Jiang, did you know your mountains might experience landslides?”
Jiang Hanhai’s face turned green. “No way?”
“Based on my judgment, the probability of landslides occurring within the next two months is as high as ninety percent. The western side of Bibai Mountain near the road is the most dangerous. Even if it doesn’t rain, a landslide may occur.”
“I know about the western side of Bibai Mountain. I wanted to fix it before, but didn’t have time. I’ll go take a look later. Besides that area, where else?”
Ying Kongtu listed the places he had observed, and at the end said, “You can hire experts to take a look and verify it. Whether the mountains are transferred or not, these problems probably need to be dealt with immediately.”
Jiang Hanhai remembered all of those places. At this moment, he could not sit still and immediately said, “I’ll come over and take a look first.”
Ying Kongtu did not leave and waited for him at the foot of the mountain.
When Jiang Hanhai arrived, Ying Kongtu took him around the mountain and told him the hidden danger points he had found.
After Jiang Hanhai inspected them one by one, he said admiringly, “Boss Ying, you’re very familiar with these two mountains. Have you come to see them before?”
Ying Kongtu shook his head. “I haven’t come in a very long time.”
“Then you’re really impressive.” Jiang Hanhai sighed. “Actually, I also knew there were some small problems on the mountain, but I’ve been too busy lately and didn’t want to keep contracting the mountains, so I didn’t manage them. It seems these two mountains still have to be handed to the right person before they can develop well.”
Ying Kongtu looked at him, not expecting him to seize the opportunity to make a sales pitch.
Sure enough, Jiang Hanhai said, “Thanks to you today. If you contract them, I’ll give you another discount.”
Ying Kongtu shook his head. “Let’s not talk about the price first. Aside from the several hidden danger points on the mountain, there are also several ecological areas that need restoration. I’m afraid it will cost quite a lot of money.”
Jiang Hanhai laughed dryly. “Surely it’s not that bad? I haven’t really managed the mountains these years, but I haven’t really damaged them either.”
“Not managing them is also a kind of damage. Boss Jiang, if these two mountains of yours were submitted to the Forestry Bureau for acceptance inspection, they definitely would not pass. I privately asked Deputy Chief Forest Officer Pei of the Forestry Bureau, and he said ecological restoration has to be done first.”
Jiang Hanhai muttered, “I’m not planning to return these two mountains to the Forestry Bureau immediately anyway.”
Ying Kongtu glanced at him. “Even if you don’t return them, when they inspect next spring, they’ll still require rectification.”
The two slowly descended the mountain.
When they parted, Jiang Hanhai sighed and said, “I can tell now. Among all these people, Boss Ying, you’re the one who drives the price down the hardest.”
“Since I intend to contract them, I naturally have to ask clearly first.”
“Then how much do you plan to offer? Tell me, so I have some idea.”
“What’s the lowest you’ll take if you package both mountains together?”
“4.06 million. That’s my bottom line.”
“Other than me, I don’t think anyone will contract these two mountains with no real prospects. For both mountains together, 3.6 million.”
“That won’t do!” Jiang Hanhai immediately said. “3.6 million is far too low. I’d rather keep them myself.”
“You wanted to sublease them out two years ago, and no one has shown interest all this time. If you waste another two years of the contract period, the package price will be down to just over three million.”
“That’s still too low. If you add three hundred thousand, I can still consider it. 3.6 million really won’t work.”
Ying Kongtu nodded. “Let’s each go back and think it over.”
After saying this, Ying Kongtu rode his motorcycle away.
Jiang Hanhai watched his back, somewhat unable to tell whether this young man truly wanted to contract the mountains or only pretended to. However, he was the only person in the past two years who had made an offer.
If he let this one go, perhaps no one would really be interested in the two mountains.
Jiang Hanhai opened the car door and sat in the driver’s seat, deciding to return to the county town and ask around.
After asking around, Jiang Hanhai learned that this young man probably truly did have the intention of contracting the mountains.
The young man had four mountains under his name, even more than Jiang Hanhai had.
Jiang Hanhai went home and discussed it with his family.
His family’s mountains had been inherited from his parents. Originally, they had a seventy-year term, but now only thirty-seven years remained.
Since his family did not plan to stay local and develop, it really was more cost-effective to sublease them out.
Jiang Hanhai hesitated. “From Boss Ying’s tone, those hidden danger points on the mountains will probably all have to be repaired at our family’s expense.”
His daughter said, “They do need to be repaired. Even if they can’t be subleased, they still have to be repaired. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, this bit of profit won’t even be enough to pay compensation.”
His wife also said, “If they can be subleased, then sublease them. Worrying about them every day doesn’t make much money anyway. It’s better to take a lump-sum sublease fee.”
Jiang Hanhai understood this in his heart as well. “It’s just that he pressed the price down too hard. This kind of industry veteran drives prices down harder than ordinary people.”
“No matter how hard he presses the price, it can still sell for more than three million, right?” his wife said. “The mountains sitting there will only depreciate more and more. It’s better to collect some cash and invest in something else.”
“That’s true too. Let’s think about it more?”
While Jiang Hanhai’s family was talking, Ying Kongtu also returned home.
From far away, he saw Wen Zhongshan waiting outside the courtyard, worry on his face.
Only when he met Wen Zhongshan’s eyes did Ying Kongtu realize that his complexion must look terrible.
“What happened?” Wen Zhongshan asked him softly. “Did the negotiations not go smoothly?”
“They were all right.” After his good friend took the motorcycle and pushed it inside for him, Ying Kongtu walked into the courtyard, sat in the reclining chair, and stared blankly at the distant mountains. “The condition of the mountains just isn’t very good.”
Wen Zhongshan parked the motorcycle, poured him a cup of tea, and brought it out. “A very serious problem?”
“It can’t exactly be called very serious.” Ying Kongtu took a deep breath and paused for two seconds before exhaling. In a low voice, he said, “I was just thinking—if I hadn’t fallen asleep back then, would the mountain forest have always been well cared for?”
“Perhaps not necessarily,” Wen Zhongshan said. “Divine powers cannot defy the tides of time. Even beings like us cannot go against the objective laws of the human world.”
Wen Zhongshan’s voice was very gentle. “When human civilization developed to this extent, the population was bound to explode. Humans and nature were bound to fall out of balance at a certain stage. Even gods could not reverse that.”
Ying Kongtu held the cup. “If I had been awake, at least I could have made the mountain forest develop a little better.”
“No. If you had been awake, you would also have temporarily sacrificed the mountain forest to save more humans.”
Ying Kongtu tugged at the corner of his mouth. “That’s not certain.”
“It is certain. You are that kind of mountain god.”
Wen Zhongshan looked into his eyes and said gently, “If you had stayed awake the whole time, then in the nineteenth century, when the population exploded and humans had no food to eat or clothes to wear, you would still have allowed people to enter the mountains to gather food and cut wood for warmth. Once the mountain forest was damaged to a certain extent, you still would have fallen asleep.”
“Such was the mandate of the times. Don’t be too harsh on yourself. You already did everything you could. Now, after all these twists and turns, the mountain forest is about to return to your hands. We can work hard again and make it better.”
Ying Kongtu drank the tea in one breath, placed the cup on the table, and let out a light exhale. “You’re right. The mountain forest’s ability to recover is very strong. I can make them better.”
The atmosphere in the courtyard finally eased.
Dart, who had snuck back at some unknown time, finally dared to meow.
It circled around Ying Kongtu’s feet twice, then lightly leapt onto Ying Kongtu’s thigh. “Meow.”
Ying Kongtu smoothly held it and gently stroked its back.
Wen Zhongshan refilled Ying Kongtu’s tea and asked, “Did you discuss the sublease price today?”
“We discussed it roughly. I estimate there won’t be much problem settling at 3.6 million. Boss Jiang really does seem quite eager to get rid of them.”
“Do you have the money? Why don’t I lend it to you first?”
“No.” This time, Ying Kongtu refused firmly. “Friends shouldn’t talk money between themselves.”
“What’s the matter with that? You know, for non-humans like us, money isn’t that important anymore.”
“No. If I borrow money from you, we may no longer be able to be friends openly and confidently. If I owe you that much money, I’ll easily lose my confidence.”
His tone was too firm, so Wen Zhongshan no longer tried to persuade him. “Have you thought about how to handle the contract payment?”
“I’ll probably need to take out a loan? I asked Xing Chang. For a situation like mine, I can mortgage any one of Wuchuan Mountain, Baogu Mountain, Qingfang Mountain, or Xiwu Mountain, and the loan amount will be enough.”
Not only did Wen Zhongshan want to help, Xing Chang was also helping.
The next day, Xing Chang ran over excitedly and said to Ying Kongtu, “I submitted the materials and applied. The higher-ups said that in your situation, you can apply for a special loan, with interest as low as 0.25%!”
Ying Kongtu, who had already gone to the bank to inquire about interest rates, was pleasantly surprised. “That low?!”
“Of course. We’re still an official institution, after all. We have to give some preferential treatment to the ability users under us.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. When you sign the contract, send me a photocopy of it, and I’ll handle the procedures.”
Xing Chang excitedly lowered his voice. “I went to check. Jiang Hanhai’s two mountains are both mountain forests managed by a state-owned forest farm. After the thirty-seven-year contract period expires, they can be renewed. If our Abnormality Management Bureau helps a little, the contracting will definitely succeed.”
Ying Kongtu had also found this out.
When contracting mountain forests, most people contracted collectively owned village forests. Forest land from state-owned farms was rarely released for people to contract.
Being able to contract state-owned farm land was indeed a little easier to negotiate than contracting village collective forest land.
Ying Kongtu said, “You’ve worked hard.”
“It’s not hard. This is my job.” Xing Chang asked excitedly from the other side, “Is there anything else you need help with? I’ll take care of it together.”
“Nothing for now. You should rest first.”
Ying Kongtu was still negotiating the price with Jiang Hanhai.
Pei Lejiu had also heard that he wanted to contract Bibai Mountain and Gongshen Mountain.
Pei Lejiu told Ying Kongtu, “Our bureau just issued a document on the subsidy policy for the ‘Forest Quality Precision Improvement Project.’ I looked through it. You can apply for young and middle-aged forest tending subsidies.”
“Young and middle-aged forest tending?”
“In plain language, it’s a subsidy for growing excellent trees. Haven’t you been cultivating forests all along? I checked. Your forestry cultivation standards fully meet the requirements of this policy. Applying for a subsidy for a few hundred mu won’t be a problem. Wait a moment, I’ll send you the document.”
As Pei Lejiu spoke, he sent a document to Ying Kongtu.
After Ying Kongtu received it, he discovered that all four of his mountains had forests that met the requirements of this document.
Pei Lejiu said, “Among all the mountains in our county, I think the trees on your mountains are planted best. Apply and see how much subsidy you can get.”
“I’ll study it tonight. Thank you.”
“No problem. This year’s subsidy is four hundred per mu. Once acceptance inspection passes, you can receive sixty percent of the total contract amount. The remaining twenty percent each will be issued in the second and third years, respectively, after passing acceptance inspection again. I can’t say for others, but you’ll definitely have no problem.”
“Mm. I will always preserve the forest.”
“I guessed as much, haha. I hope this subsidy can help you, allowing you to contract more mountain forests and plant more excellent trees.”
“It will. It helps a lot.”
When they heard Ying Kongtu wanted to contract new mountains, his friends all came to help.
Even the aunties and uncles who often bought his wild vegetables and mushrooms at the vegetable market provided quite a bit of information, telling him the specific situation of the two mountains so he could bargain.
Ying Kongtu was moved and thanked the aunties and uncles one by one, promising that he would bring more good mountain goods down to sell.
In a small county town like Changchuan, very few people were interested in contracting mountains, and even fewer could take out several million yuan to do so.
Otherwise, Jiang Hanhai would not have repeatedly released word that he wanted to sublease the mountain forests to others, only to fail to sublease them out for so many years.
After several rounds of negotiation, Jiang Hanhai finally agreed to transfer the remaining thirty-seven years of the contract terms for Bibai Mountain and Gongshen Mountain to Ying Kongtu as a package for 3.6 million.
Before handover, Jiang Hanhai would repair and organize the mountain forest and eliminate hidden dangers.
The two signed the contract under the witness of Forestry Bureau staff and friends, and filed it with the Forestry Bureau.
Finally, after the contract was signed, Ying Kongtu and Jiang Hanhai each held a thick stack.
For the next thirty-seven years, Bibai Mountain and Gongshen Mountain would legally belong to Ying Kongtu for use.
Jiang Hanhai wiped the red ink from his fingers with a tissue. His expression was very complicated—joy, loss, reluctance, relief, and more were all hanging on his plump face.
Ying Kongtu’s expression was also very complicated—joy, nostalgia, comfort, excitement… In the end, even he himself could not say exactly what he was feeling.
Wen Zhongshan stood beside him and gently patted his shoulder.
Ying Kongtu turned back and smiled at Wen Zhongshan.
The group walked out of the Forestry Bureau entrance.
Xing Chang could no longer hold back. He lowered his voice and said excitedly to Ying Kongtu, “Congratulations! Kongtu, you now have six mountains!”
Ying Kongtu also patted Xing Chang’s shoulder. “Thank you.”
There were still thirty-three mountains left. Sooner or later, he would take them all back.
Ying Kongtu silently thought this in his heart.
“No problem! Hehe!” Xing Chang lowered his voice even more. “Just now, I felt it. The instant the contract was signed, you became stronger!”
“I recovered part of my territory, so my divine power increased.” Ying Kongtu invited them, “Do you want to go to my home?”
“Yes.” Xing Chang was the first to agree. “Kongtu, are you taking my car or Brother Wen’s car?”
“His. It’s more convenient.”
And so, the three split into two cars and drove toward Ying Kongtu’s home.
After returning home, Ying Kongtu closed the courtyard gate and no longer concealed his divine power.
At this moment, not only Wen Zhongshan, a non-human, but even Xing Chang, an ordinary person, could sense that a faint white light had lit up around Ying Kongtu.
At the same time, the nearby mountain forests seemed to brighten all at once.
It was like a cloudy day, when the clouds covering the hillside were suddenly blown aside by the wind, and sunlight shone onto the mountain.
Xing Chang held his breath and looked into the distance.
The mountain forest that had brightened for a brief instant quickly dimmed again. Among the many peaks, only the six mountains belonging to Ying Kongtu still carried a faint glow.
Although the glow of these six mountains was actually very dim too, compared with the other mountain forests, they were a little brighter.
The light around Ying Kongtu was still faintly shining.
He closed his eyes.
At that moment, the light on his body transformed into points of light that slowly scattered and dimmed, while the distant mountains brightened slightly.
Wen Zhongshan, quick-eyed and quick-handed, supported him.
Ying Kongtu opened his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his face.
“My connection with the mountains has deepened,” Ying Kongtu said.
“Congratulations,” Wen Zhongshan’s steady voice rang out.
“Congratulations!” Xing Chang’s excited voice rang out at the same time.
Ying Kongtu sat on the chair. “That truly wasn’t easy.”
Xing Chang nodded hard. “Yes. This time really was hard work. Things will get better and better!”
Ying Kongtu was too tired and soon went back inside to rest.
Wen Zhongshan was worried about him and stayed overnight at his house to avoid any accidents.
Xing Chang said goodbye and went back.
Ying Kongtu’s condition had changed. As the Abnormality Management Bureau liaison specifically responsible for Ying Kongtu, Xing Chang had to report to the bureau in time.
In these two days, he would need to submit the updated situation report.
If he could help Ying Kongtu ask the Abnormality Management Bureau for some rewards, that would be even better.
Ying Kongtu had just taken out a large loan. Although it was a low-interest loan, the pressure of repayment was still not small.
Anything he could get counted. Even a mosquito’s leg was still meat, no matter how small.
Xing Chang returned excitedly to work.
Ying Kongtu slept straight through until past nine at night.
When he got up, Wen Zhongshan was still at his house.
“Awake?” Wen Zhongshan’s voice came from the living room. “How do you feel?”
“Very good.” Ying Kongtu opened the door. “Thank you for staying to take care of me.”
“What’s there to be polite about? Are you hungry? Eat dinner first?”
“A little. What did you make?”
“Steamed chicken with pumpkin, oil-seared prawns, and stir-fried autumn eggplant. See if you can get used to it.”
The two went to the kitchen to eat.
To Ying Kongtu’s surprise, Wen Zhongshan’s cooking skills were quite good—better than most restaurants.
Meeting Ying Kongtu’s surprised gaze, Wen Zhongshan explained, “Only when the ingredients are good and the stove is good can the taste come out well.”
“The skill has to be good too.” Ying Kongtu ate two large bowls of rice in one breath and said with satisfaction, “Delicious!”
After eating and washing the dishes together, Ying Kongtu sat in the courtyard and looked at the starry sky.
Wen Zhongshan only thought he had eaten too much and was digesting.
“The stars are so bright tonight.” Sensing Wen Zhongshan sitting beside him, Ying Kongtu sighed softly. “Look, the distant river of stars.”
“The stars have been especially brilliant these two days.”
“Interested in a night climb?” Ying Kongtu turned to look at him, his eyes sparkling.
“Which mountain?”
“Tiaozhu Mountain.”
Wen Zhongshan was surprised. He had thought Ying Kongtu would climb one of the mountains under his name, but unexpectedly, it was Tiaozhu Mountain.
Wen Zhongshan asked, “The mountain where we gathered deer-ear chives before?”
“Yes, that one. I’ll show you something.” Ying Kongtu said mysteriously.
Wen Zhongshan agreed at once. “Let’s climb.”
Ying Kongtu immediately pulled him up. “Then go change clothes. We’ll leave now.”
It had been quite a long time since the two had gone night climbing, let alone night climbing on Tiaozhu Mountain, whose terrain was rather rugged.
Tonight, there were stars but no moon, so the lighting conditions were not particularly good.
Yet Ying Kongtu climbed very quickly, moving through the mountain like a nimble little deer. Occasionally, he would turn back and pull Wen Zhongshan along.
From his light steps, Wen Zhongshan could clearly sense that he was in a very good mood.
They started from Wuchuan Mountain and climbed two mountains in one breath, finally reaching Tiaozhu Mountain.
In this season, bittercress still grew by the roadside, but it was no longer tender.
Ying Kongtu’s gaze did not stop on these wild vegetables. Instead, he kept looking ahead.
Looking at Ying Kongtu like this, Wen Zhongshan suddenly realized what Ying Kongtu’s current state resembled.
He was a bit like someone hurrying to meet an old friend.
After climbing for a long time, Ying Kongtu led Wen Zhongshan toward the side of the mountain.
Wen Zhongshan remembered that the last time, they had gathered deer-ear chives over there, and there was also a small waterfall there.
The waterfall’s water was extremely clear and icy.
“We’re here,” Ying Kongtu said happily.
Wen Zhongshan followed his gaze and looked toward the small shrine built from stones beside the waterfall. “You wanted to bring me here to see the shrine?”
“Not to see the shrine—”
Ying Kongtu said this mysteriously, then walked to the shrine, bent two fingers, and gently knocked on the blank stone stele inside the shrine.
Just like knocking on a door.
In an instant, the blank stone stele lit with a soft white glow.
The tiny shrine trembled once, as though something had awakened.
Immediately afterward, a dark shadow ran out from within the stone stele and landed lightly on the ground.
It was a tabby cat.
No.
Wen Zhongshan’s gaze fell on its thick, sturdy paws. It should be some kind of wild feline.
“Tiaozhu!”
Ying Kongtu shouted excitedly.
“Meow-ow!” The feline that greatly resembled a tabby cat looked at Ying Kongtu and quickly ran to his feet, also seeming very excited.
Ying Kongtu crouched down. “Long time no see!”
“Meow-ow!” The little fellow bumped its head against Ying Kongtu’s leg and called several times in succession. “Aowu! Aowu! Aowu!”
Ying Kongtu stroked its head and scratched its chin, excitedly rubbing it until it purred.
Only after he had rubbed it enough did Ying Kongtu raise his head and say to Wen Zhongshan, “Its name is Tiaozhu, the Tiaozhu of Tiaozhu Mountain. It used to be a spotted golden cat. Now it’s the little mountain god of Tiaozhu Mountain, and also my attendant.”
“I heard mountain gods usually have subordinates helping them work. It’s one of them?”
“Yes!”
“You recovered a little divine power, so it was able to awaken?”
“More or less.” Ying Kongtu rubbed the spotted golden cat. “I still have eight attendants. They should awaken one after another.”
“Nine in total?”
“Yes. That’s why I have to recover my territory. Once all my territory returns, they should all awaken.”
Wen Zhongshan crouched down, wanting to stroke this imposing spotted golden cat mountain god.
It raised its head and looked at Wen Zhongshan, its gaze majestic, clearly refusing him.
Ying Kongtu smiled. “In the past, Tiaozhu didn’t let me touch it either. At most, it would come and rub against my leg. This is the first time it has ever been willing to let me stroke it.”
Wen Zhongshan looked at the firm, smooth muscles on its body and sincerely said, “Understandable.”
Tiaozhu had only just awakened and was relatively weak. After playing with Ying Kongtu for a while, its figure became a little faint.
Ying Kongtu gently stroked its back and let it return to the shrine.
By the time the two descended the mountain, it was already the latter half of the night.
Dew had fallen in the mountains. The grass leaves and shrubs were wet.
As they walked down from the mountain, their trouser cuffs were a little damp.
Even so, Ying Kongtu was in a very cheerful mood.
When they returned home and were parting, Ying Kongtu even held the doorframe, leaned out, and invited Wen Zhongshan, “Come to my place for dinner tomorrow evening. I’ll make a feast.”
“All right. I’ll come early to help.” Wen Zhongshan gently urged him, “It’s almost dawn. Hurry back and sleep.”
The two parted and each returned home.
Ying Kongtu was not tired at all. He went into the bathroom, washed up simply, slept for a few hours, then got up full of energy to inspect the mountains.
He had to carefully inspect the two mountains newly returned under his name. Once Jiang Hanhai finished repairing and organizing the mountain forests, he would immediately begin maintaining the two mountains.
Ying Kongtu patrolled until evening before gathering half a basket of wild fruits and returning home.
Sure enough, Wen Zhongshan was already waiting at his gate.
Ying Kongtu waved in a very good mood. “You’re here?”
“I’m here. What’s in your back basket?”
“Kousa dogwood fruits, rose myrtle berries, akebia fruits, and Chinese blueberry fruits.” Ying Kongtu took down the back basket and showed him. “They’re all fully ripe wild fruits. They should taste pretty good.”
Wen Zhongshan looked at the fresh, watery red, yellow, purple, and black wild fruits in the basket and took the back basket from Ying Kongtu’s shoulder. “I’ll wash them.”
Not long after they returned, Dart came back too.
As usual, Dart rubbed against Ying Kongtu, meowed a few times in a sweet voice, and skillfully jumped onto Ying Kongtu’s thigh to curl up.
Ying Kongtu’s legs were long and warm. Even though Dart was already a large cat weighing more than sixteen jin, it could easily lie down.
It especially liked lying in this spot.
Ying Kongtu also very skillfully reached out and stroked the smooth, soft cat fur under his hand.
Especially since Dart had a body full of soft fat and a soft primordial pouch on its belly, the feeling was excellent.
Ying Kongtu skillfully rubbed it from head to tail, occasionally stroking its chest.
Just as Ying Kongtu was stroking the cat, drinking tea, and waiting for Wen Zhongshan to finish washing the wild fruits, a black shadow leapt in from outside the wall.
The black shadow landed with a thud, startling both Ying Kongtu and Dart.
Ying Kongtu looked closely and only then discovered that it was his family’s little mountain god—the spotted golden cat, Tiaozhu.
Tiaozhu’s movements were light and agile, and it jumped very high.
The nearly two-meter courtyard wall required no running start at all. It had leapt over easily.
Then, it excitedly wanted to walk toward Ying Kongtu. Before it even came close, it saw the fat orange tabby lying skillfully on Ying Kongtu’s thigh.
“Meow-ow!” The spotted golden cat widened its eyes, and even its voice became rough and hoarse.
Ying Kongtu’s body stiffened. The orange tabby on his lap also stiffened.
The spotted golden cat flattened its ears backward and began to hiss.
“Aowu! Aowu!” The spotted golden cat yelled at Ying Kongtu.
Ying Kongtu did not understand, but he felt it must be cursing rather foully.
It had probably not expected that, after running down the mountain from so far away to find Ying Kongtu, it would just happen to catch him holding another cat. It was now extremely angry.
Dart did not dare move at all.
Wen Zhongshan came over carrying the wild fruits. “Kongtu.”
“Meow!” The moment Dart heard its owner’s voice, it let out a miserable cry. With lightning speed, it jumped down from Ying Kongtu’s lap and scrambled up Wen Zhongshan’s trousers in utter panic, rushing swiftly onto his shoulder.
It had never been that fast before!
The big fat orange tabby gripped Wen Zhongshan’s clothes with its two front paws, while its hind paws crouched firmly on his shoulder. Its plump, soft body pressed tightly against him, not daring to move.
Dart weighed sixteen jin and had long fur, making it look huge.
The spotted golden cat on the ground was probably only around twenty jin, but its body was all firm muscle, so it looked a little slimmer instead.
The two “cats” looked about the same size, but judging from the spotted golden cat’s thick, sturdy paws, it could probably beat up the orange tabby with one paw.
Wen Zhongshan looked at the two cats and could only support Dart’s fat bottom with one hand while greeting the spotted golden cat on the ground. “Tiaozhu came back?”
The spotted golden cat said, “Meow-ow!”
Ying Kongtu sat where he was, looking bitterly at Wen Zhongshan.
The look meant: Don’t just focus on saving Dart. Save me too.
