For those villagers, Xishan was already deep within Mangcang Mountain, but for martial artists, Xishan was merely the edge of Mangcang Mountain. In such a place, aside from anomalies like Old Owen, it was impossible for any other monsters to exist. From this, it could be seen that this Old Owen must have only recently cultivated into a demon; otherwise, it wouldn’t so easily expose itself to others, nor would it live in a place like Xishan. But it was believed that before long, once this Old Owen’s intelligence fully matured, it would definitely leave Xishan and enter the depths of Mangcang Mountain. By then, even if they wanted to catch it, they wouldn’t be able to.

“Well, that’s settled then. Look at the weather—it’s going to snow soon. We need to hurry into the mountains before the snow falls. As long as we get that Old Owen’s inner core, everyone will have made a great contribution!”

“We await your orders, Elder!” the group responded in unison.

……

“Hmm, looks like it’s going to snow. Damn this Yunzhou—once winter comes, it always snows. What a hassle!”

An exceptionally handsome young man stood at the entrance of a small inn in Qingyangji, frowning as he looked at the gloomy sky and felt the cold wind blowing from the north. He seemed to be thinking of something unpleasant, and his seemingly delicate body couldn’t help but shiver a few times. “Seriously, my blood is almost frozen stiff. How am I supposed to have the strength to go into the mountains to gather herbs?”

This young man looked about seventeen or eighteen, with extremely handsome features, skin as fair and rosy as tofu—so tender that if you pinched it, water would come out. His large eyes were even misted with a layer of moisture. He wore a long cyan robe, a white silk belt around his waist, and a piece of green jade hanging from the belt. His long, jet-black hair was casually tied into a ponytail behind his head, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile played at the corners of his mouth, as if everything in the world was a joke to him.

“Sigh, looks like I really can’t slack off. I’d better hurry into the mountains. It’d be best to gather the herbs before the winter snow arrives, or else I’ll have to freeze in the mountains. Why do those two get to enjoy themselves on the mountain, while I have to come to this godforsaken place in the dead of winter? What a hard life!”

The muscles on his face twitched twice, and he turned to walk back into the inn.

Chapter 10: Life and Death Realm—Danny Opens His Eyes, The Astonished Xiang King Snake Is Moved

“Big sister, it’s almost New Year!”

In the small mountain village on the edge of Mangcang Mountain, a festive atmosphere filled the air, because the New Year was approaching.

This year was different from previous years. Ever since Tyler Walker returned, for more than half a year, the whole village had been energized by him. Not only did they catch several times more game than in previous years, but there were hardly any casualties. More game meant more income, and more income naturally meant a better life. Even the village’s Old Trickster, who had been roped in by Tyler Walker to teach people to read, could now eat meat a few times during the New Year. The young women and wives in every household could buy a few pieces of floral cloth to make one or two new padded jackets, and even Danny Goodwin got a new set of clothes. With the standard of living rising and the annual festive season upon them, the whole village was naturally filled with joy.

Hannah Johnson’s belly was even bigger than a month ago, and her face had grown rounder too. She was now the top priority in Tyler Walker’s household. The two elders wouldn’t let her do any work at all—she just ate and slept, slept and ate, waiting for the time to come to give them a big, healthy baby boy.

This was driving Hannah crazy.

In mountain families, little girls started helping with chores as soon as they could run at four or five years old. After working for more than ten years, suddenly being told to rest was something she really wasn’t used to.

But there was nothing to be done—after all, the old couple considered her precious.

So these days, Hannah Johnson couldn’t do anything. With nothing to do, she just sat behind the wall at home, rubbing her big belly, squinting her eyes, and basking in the sun. But the weather had been bad lately—gloomy skies and fierce north winds, as if it was about to snow—so she sat inside, with the stove burning, a thick cotton curtain hanging over the door, and the charcoal in the stove glowing bright red. The room was as warm as spring, not a bit worse than the air conditioning in Danny Goodwin’s previous life.

As for Danny Goodwin, he often came over to chat with her. In fact, he was using the opportunity to sneak a few more glances at the “Lihuo Heart Method,” afraid that his memory might fail and he’d make a mistake with an acupoint—which would be a big problem.

When Hannah Johnson saw Danny Goodwin bouncing over, she smiled. “Yes, it’s almost New Year. Want some lucky money? Don’t worry, you won’t miss out!”

“Heh heh, now that big sister is married, you have to give me some too!” Danny Goodwin chuckled. In this mountain village, even if the kids’ lucky money was just a couple of copper coins, it was just for the gesture. Danny Goodwin didn’t really care about it.