My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 749 - 475: The Ushioni Bird (Two-in-One)

"Gu Huo Bird."

As those three words fell, the atmosphere among the gathered demons visibly sank.

Yin Tingxue's face showed curiosity. She had heard of the Gu Huo Bird—that wasn't it the bird from myths that specifically snatched children? It was said to be the spirit of a mother who died in childbirth, and, mourning the loss of her child, it liked to take human children to raise as its own. Books even noted that this ghostly bird became more common the further south one went.

The few larks hung their heads, silently saying nothing, their expressions marked by sorrow and melancholy. The old Mountain God still bore a dazed look, when suddenly the mountain mouse climbed onto his shoulder and whispered in an almost inaudible voice:

"Old man, you may not know this, but a Great Demon arrived in the southern part of Fengqing Mountain. It's wreaking havoc there, either killing or driving away all the demons in that area."

"Is this really true? Where did it come from?"

"From even farther south."

The old Mountain God couldn't help but click his tongue in shock. What was going on farther south that had driven someone to come here and act so domineering?

He hesitated briefly before asking, "And what happened to Xiao Qi?"

"Xiao Qi was playing around and got carried away, competing with his siblings to see who could fly the furthest. He flew too far and—snap!—got caught." The mountain mouse recounted vividly, "After that, he vanished. You were muddled at the time, and no one dared to go out."

The old Mountain God tightened his brows, pondering for a long while before sighing deeply and saying, "No one burns incense in the temple anymore, so my mind has become clouded. But don't be afraid—with me here, even that Great Demon would be wary and wouldn't dare step into Fengqing Mountain. Everyone stay safe within the mountain."

The mountain mouse nodded vehemently, though a sense of unease lingered. Sure, the old Mountain God might be lucid for now—but would that last?

If a deity goes without worship for too long, they gradually lose their divine consciousness, descending into confusion and disarray, unable to live properly. Just as mortals without a soul become wandering ghosts, deities bereft of worship become wild gods. And even that isn't their final fate. Without offerings, a deity's divine status cannot be sustained. Once the divine status is lost, they naturally cease to be a deity. Wild gods then degenerate further—if they were once human before ascending, they revert to wandering ghosts; if they were mountain sovereigns like bears or tigers, they devolve into demonic beasts. What's more, wild gods who fall from their divine status tend to become even more cruel and vicious than they were before ascending.

From as far back as the mountain mouse could remember, the old Mountain God had been intermittently lucid and muddled. At first, the mountain mouse had been puzzled, but eventually it understood: fewer and fewer people came to worship at the Mountain God Temple. And tracing the root cause? The mouse had sneaked out of Fengqing Mountain to investigate—the bustling town below, once thriving, had decayed and fallen to ruin. During festivals, only sparse smoke rose from cooking fires. The townsfolk didn't even have time to worship their town gods properly, let alone the ones in the mountains.

With this thought, the mountain mouse couldn't help but glance toward the two Taoists.

The old Mountain God noticed and promptly smacked the mouse on the head, saying, "Don't go targeting others."

The mountain mouse sulked and said, "I was just coming up with ideas!"

"People passing by may burn some incense out of goodwill—that's their kindness, nothing more. Their kindness is their own, and you shouldn't deceive them," the old Mountain God said. Still feeling it wasn't enough, he warned further, "Reel in your thoughts; don't harm anyone."

After this string of admonitions, the mountain mouse reluctantly shrank back from the old Mountain God's shoulder and returned to its original spot.

Yin Tingxue's ears twitched slightly, though her expression betrayed no hint of change.

"It's New Year's Eve; let's not discuss such matters."

The old Mountain God rose to his feet, retrieved a wine jar from the black bear, and said:

"Let's drink, let's drink—let's liven things up!"

These words lightened the heavy mood among the gathered demons. The old Mountain God fetched wine cups from the temple, each varying in size. For the black bear, it was the size of a hollowed-out watermelon; for the larks, it was the small sacrificial cups meant for offerings to the gods. For Chen Yi and Yin Tingxue, the wine bowls were filled to the brim and pushed toward them.

The old Mountain God raised his wine bowl high and said in a hearty voice:

"Tonight is New Year's Eve; tomorrow brings a fresh year—here's to a thousand years!"

The black bear held the bowl single-handedly, while the larks, with their beaks gripping the cups, formed a circle. The mountain mouse, unable to reach, held its bowl above its head with both hands, even standing on tiptoes. The martens, with their long bodies, didn't face such troubles... Yin Tingxue found this amusing. Turning her head, she saw Chen Yi also raising his bowl toward her with a cheeky grin, so she hurriedly extended her bowl as well.

Clink.

Thus, the beings in the temple raised their cups and clinked them together.

With a sharp, crisp sound, the wine rippled gently. As Yin Tingxue curiously watched, the gathered beings gulped their drinks down in one shot, while she lowered her head and sipped hers delicately, letting it trickle into her stomach.

A rich fragrance unfolded on her tongue—the wine, top-quality Fenjiu, lingered pleasantly. Yin Tingxue wasn't fond of drinking, but having seen Fenjiu often sent to the Prince Mansion as tribute, she immediately recognized it. Though she began to wonder how the big black bear had come across such fine wine, her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the old Mountain God suddenly leaping to his feet.

"Such good wine—Blackie, did you rob some wealthy household again?!"

The old Mountain God's beard bristled as he glared, grabbing a broom and advancing on the big black bear.

"I didn't—I didn't! Someone passing by offered it to me as tribute!" The big black bear cried out in protest.

"Oh, tribute? More like extorting toll fees!"

The old Mountain God was relentless, raising the broom to strike. But before he could, the black bear dodged and fled. As one chased and the other escaped, the entire Mountain God Temple seemed to shake like an earthquake, with dust drifting downward—and everyone burst into laughter.

After a while, the black bear was finally caught by the Mountain God and received several swift whacks with the broom, ending up thoroughly disheveled and covered in dust.

Having vented his anger, the old Mountain God drank heartily, even more enthusiastically than before, as if each broomstrike had dispelled a bit of his inner guilt.

"You drink even more diligently than I do!" The black bear gasped loudly.

The temple immediately erupted with laughter.

The old Mountain God flushed red in embarrassment and scolded the black bear, "Want me to hit you again?"

Whoosh!

Just as the old Mountain God and the black bear were quarreling, a sudden streak of light cut across the night sky, bursting open as it reached the heavens.

A cascade of fireworks exploded in the sky, prompting everyone in the temple to stop what they were doing and turn to look. One after another, sharp whistling sounds filled the night, followed by brilliant bursts of fire stitching through the darkness, spilling sparks like a dazzling bead curtain.