Out of fear of death, Invest Everything into Health-Chapter 280 - 146: Eaten by Me

End of January. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Fan Wubing turned sixteen, and according to the consensus of most people in this world, he had come of age.

Most things the second time around are far less enchanting, less haunting than the first.

This was his second coming of age, so he felt nothing special in his heart.

However, as a "young man," Fan Wubing felt he still had a bit of sentimentality. So, he celebrated his birthday alone, with no one to accompany him, by having a bowl of plain noodles.

In the abandoned mountain temple, with every crackle of the firewood, a burst of sparks shot out, flaring up high before swiftly extinguishing.

Fan Wubing sat by the firewood, slurping his noodles.

This was merely an ordinary bowl of plain noodles, not an immortal's meal. However, to him, the nature of the food didn't matter. It was just about the ritual. If a birthday was celebrated like any other day, it would seem rather dull.

A gust of wind blew in, causing the weeds in the temple to rustle and the shaky window panes to knock against the window frames again and again. Soon after, it began to drizzle outside. The rain gradually intensified, quickly stirring up a misty fog, spreading across the slopes, valleys, and forests outside the mountain temple like an immortal kneading it.

The temple leaked rain everywhere, rhythmically dripping from the roof and hitting the ground. The statue worshipped here had long been smashed to pieces, leaving only a pedestal. A bird seeking shelter from the rain flew in, stood on the broken pedestal, shook its feathers, glanced at Fan Wubing, and then began to preen. It showed no fear of strangers.

The rain grew heavier.

A thunderclap burst from the surging clouds, momentarily illuminating the wild mountain forest, followed by rumbling thunder.

Outside the temple, there were two columns, each carved with different designs. The left depicted a bizarrely shaped beast, while the right portrayed a mighty divine general.

Perhaps due to years of neglect, a bolt of lightning left a visible crack on the left column, which continued to spread and enlarge.

Creak—creak—

The friction and compression of the wood fibers made one's teeth ache.

Raindrops splashed on the left column, bleeding out two streaks of red, right from the eyes of the carved beast. It seemed the paint had washed off, turning the water red. This gave the beast a menacing look.

"You should leave. This is not a place for someone of your kind," a voice suddenly echoed in the temple.

Fan Wubing turned his head, his gaze locking onto a bird entirely cyan except for a bright red around its neck.

The Cyan Bird's round eyes fixed on Fan Wubing, "Since you've come this far, you can't be too surprised to hear a bird speaking, can you?"

Fan Wubing's eyelids lowered slightly. He chuckled, "Your voice is different from what I imagined. Seeing how beautiful you are, I expected a captivating girl's voice, not the voice of a toothless old man."

The Cyan Bird let out a mocking laugh, "You're quite the brash youth. Ignorant of the world, yet heedless, you barged in here." Its eyes flashed with a brilliant light, "What—aren't you leaving? Are you waiting for that diseased beast to wake up?"

Fan Wubing looked at the two columns outside the temple and said with a smile, "The two columns outside should both be carved with divine generals. The left column is Divine General Shen Tu, and the right is Divine General Yu Lei."

The Cyan Bird was astonished that such a young boy could name the two divine generals.

Its eyelids slid over its eyes, "They used to be, but not anymore."

"That's called… swapping heaven and earth," Fan Wubing laughed.

The Cyan Bird's eyelids suddenly lifted. It stretched its neck, staring at Fan Wubing for a long time before saying, "I don't know where you heard those Jianghu tales… if you don't leave now, you won't get another chance. That thing has eaten more people than you probably even know."

"Won't the Mountain God protect me?"

The Cyan Bird scoffed, "Mountain God? What nonsense is that? Young man, I warned you because you have potential. If you're bent on seeking death, I won't stop you." After saying this, it flapped its wings and flew to the top beam to watch indifferently.

"No wonder this mountain temple is in ruins, having gone without offerings for centuries, with smashed statues. It's because you, the Mountain God, are doing nothing." Fan Wubing exclaimed in a peculiar voice.

The Cyan Bird's round eyes showed a flash of anger, "The people of the temple don't do their job and blame it on me?"

"You're admitting you're the Mountain God?"

"Admit? Heh! What difference does it make if I admit it or not?" The Cyan Bird nonchalantly stretched its wings. "The Great Li has long forgotten about me, this sickly mountain, and that sickly little town. Young man, you know nothing, yet act indignant like those pedantic scholars. I advise you to think about how to escape. That thing is coming out soon."

A ferocious beast, entirely red and black, slowly crawled out from the left column's engraving outside the temple. It resembled a hairless ox split in half and reassembled front to back. Its four legs aligned in a row, and its narrow body's surface was marked with protruding blood vessels, tangled like the roots of an ancient tree.

It suddenly jerked, leaping entirely out of the column, its fierce gaze locked on Fan Wubing.

Even though it wasn't being stared at itself, the Cyan Bird's feathers involuntarily stood on end. Its heart trembled with fear, "This diseased beast becomes more terrifying the more you look at it. Alas, even in my prime, with abundant offerings and a radiant golden body, I am not its match. Young man, you're in trouble."