Chapter 24: The Spirit in the Mountains

The figure that came charging was immense, so large that the ground seemed to tremble beneath its pounding steps. The wind howled as the massive creature barreled straight toward Xu Yuan!

To be precise, it seemed less intent on colliding with him than on running into his embrace...

"Reckless," Xu Yuan muttered, his brows knitting. Though a collision would cause him little harm, he was holding other things in his hands. So, as the creature drew near, Xu Yuan raised his leg and delivered a swift kick.

A dull boom resounded; the giant beast was sent tumbling back even faster, and Xu Yuan's other foot left cracks in the earth. One could only imagine the terror of such a blow. Had it struck an ordinary person, death would have been certain.

"Oo, oo!" The beast whimpered pitifully, rocks tumbling from the mountain where it had crashed, yet its whimpers were tinged with grievance.

"Enough. Look at how big you've grown... charging at people like that, are you trying to kill someone?" Xu Yuan shot it an annoyed glare.

It was indeed the creature he expected.

A black bear.

But not an ordinary black bear.

Standing upright, it was more than ten feet tall, a living mountain before men. Even Xu Yuan, whose height was eight feet, was dwarfed by it. Its forepaws were as thick as a grown man's thighs, its body jet-black, eyes so dark that not a speck of color could be found anywhere.

The bear of utmost perfection.

Whimpering, the black bear clambered upright once more, this time approaching Xu Yuan on all fours, slowly and with caution, sidling up to him with care.

Then... it extended its tongue, aiming to lick Xu Yuan's face, but he blocked it with his hand, so it settled for licking his hand instead.

As it licked, it whimpered, but the sound, which ought to be pitiful and soft, thundered like muffled drums thanks to its enormous frame, making it hardly seem pitiable at all.

Xu Yuan realized he'd been mistaken—the bear was indeed black all over, even its eyes, but its tongue was red; it simply wasn't visible unless it opened its mouth.

"Stop that—your whimpering hurts my ears," Xu Yuan said, pushing the bear aside and untying the bundle from his back, revealing it to be stuffed with pastries and sweets.

A deep delight flashed in the bear's eyes; it opened its mouth and tried to bite directly at the bundle, only to be slapped aside by Xu Yuan.

"Go on, go on! These won't last you two bites. Don't waste them like that!"

Xu Yuan glared at it, then casually picked up a pastry and tossed it into the bear's mouth.

The bear swallowed it in a single sweep of its tongue, barely a movement visible, and the palm-sized pastry vanished without a trace.

Its craving gaze remained fixed on the rest of the pastries, and the massive creature lay obediently on the ground, resembling nothing so much as a black dog ten times its normal size.

"You greedy thing!" Xu Yuan laughed, amused by its antics, and rubbed its head with mock annoyance.

He had brought a generous bundle of pastries—enough for a mountain traveler to last three or four days. They were expensive, costing months of an ordinary person's wages, and most only indulged in them during festivals.

Xu Yuan himself had no money—not a single coin. Fortunately, thanks to Wang Hongbo's generous support, even the bear's treats were improved. Otherwise, he'd have only managed to pick some wild fruit along the way as a token gesture.

No wonder the bear was so excited when he arrived—the bounty was plentiful, and a bear's nose keen. For the black bear, it was as if New Year's had come.

Such delicacies were unknown in the wild.

Still, he couldn't let it gorge itself; two bites and the whole bag would be gone.

"This one’s for you, too," Xu Yuan said, handing the bear a pottery jar filled with honey, while he took up his wine gourd.

The bear carefully grasped the jar, its massive paw surprisingly dexterous as it untied the cord, ready to feast—until Xu Yuan said, "If you finish the honey before I finish my wine, I’ll never bring you any again."

"Roar," the bear replied, and instead of upending the jar into its mouth, it gently licked the rim, scraping off a layer of honey, its expression satisfied and joyful.

"You glutton," Xu Yuan shook his head, laughing, then uncorked the wine gourd and took a sip, clicking his tongue. "This lousy wine is nothing compared to Immortal's Drunk!"

Immortal's Drunk was, in truth, nothing more than distilled spirits. With his body—refined after descending to the mortal world—only such strong liquor could give him a faint sense of intoxication.

Others might find Immortal's Drunk to have additional effects, but he only desired the solace of drunkenness.

Unfortunately, there was none left in Qingshan County...

Someone still held the recipe, but the county magistrate's son-in-law had died after offending the wrong people over it; who would dare profit from it now?

Money is precious, but life is dearer.

Thus, Xu Yuan contented himself with lesser wines, savoring their flavors.

"Speaking of which, every time I descend, it's never good news—enough to sour one's heart," Xu Yuan mused aloud beside the bear, chatting about anything and everything, whether or not the bear understood.

The bear cared only for food, occasionally giving a low howl between Xu Yuan’s pauses, as if to show it was listening, then returning its gaze to the treats.

Xu Yuan paid it no mind and kept speaking.

Some things weren’t fit to say to people.

Take Guo Hongming, for instance; if Xu Yuan told him, the man wouldn't believe it, and even if he did, he'd interpret it differently.

For the sorrows of men are not shared.

What each seeks is never quite the same.

As for himself, this time ascending, he cherished this mundane world most.

Yet, how many yearned to ascend?

Summer insects cannot discuss ice—one is only a passing guest in the world.

Arriving here, one pauses for a while.

The sky grew dark, sunset sinking to the horizon, the evening clouds ablaze.

The wine in Xu Yuan’s gourd was nearly gone.

Another day in the human realm was ending; birds flew through the forest, swallows returned to their nests.

The sun would rise again after it set—work with the dawn, rest with the dusk. People still lived in harmony with nature’s rhythm, day after day.

The traveler who witnessed all this, his gaze was full of deep longing and reluctance.

But in the end, he must depart.

Xu Yuan stood, patted the bear’s head, and admonished, "Remember—not to descend the mountain, not to harm people, and never to rob anyone... not even for syrup or honey."

"Roar, roar, roar," the bear whimpered as if understanding, its massive paws pressed to the earth, seemingly wanting to clutch his sleeve.

Xu Yuan’s body dissolved like drifting fireflies, a single peach blossom petal falling with his vanishing form.

The bear caught the petal in its paws, its eyes filled with a joy and reverence a thousand times greater than when it saw honey.

Xu Yuan’s figure faded and was gone.