Chapter Forty-Six: Granny Violet

Mo Li gently blew the dust off the roasted snake meat and took small bites. After finishing the meat, she sprinkled some insect-repellent powder around the large rock, added more firewood to the fire, then sat down by the rock and closed her eyes to cultivate.

As she began her practice, a dense fog appeared ahead. The thick mist rolled like cotton balls toward the lake, and in an instant, it felt as if only Mo Li remained amidst the fog. She furrowed her brow but kept her eyes closed.

Several shadowy figures emerged from the mist, seemingly carrying a bright red sedan chair. The figure in front held a lantern, but its faint light was not yellow—it was cyan. It appeared Mo Li had encountered a ghostly wedding procession.

As the procession neared Mo Li, it gradually came to a halt. A handsome man wearing white robes stepped down from the sedan chair, holding a folding fan. He looked refined and scholarly, though his complexion was unnaturally pale.

"Young lady—" the man began.

“Get lost!” Mo Li cut him off sharply.

“Alright then,” the white-robed man said, startled. Without hesitation, he abandoned the sedan chair and quickly fled with it.

Originally, the man had intended to take advantage of Mo Li. But as he spoke, he noticed ash on the ground and surveyed the surroundings. This was the territory of the tree spirits. While he could handle a lone tree spirit, facing a group was another matter. Now, the area was reduced to ashes. Even without thinking, he knew this young woman was not someone to provoke.

Thus, Mo Li cultivated through the entire night. As dawn broke, the fog gradually thinned and drifted away, vanishing without a trace.

Mo Li rose to wash up, then continued her journey. After passing through dense woods and crossing a vast canyon, she was not far from Shengmiao Village. Towering green mountains lined both sides of the gorge, with a small river flowing gently below. Following the river for a short while, Mo Li soon saw a beautiful mountain village—Shengmiao Village.

Perched halfway up the mountainside, Shengmiao Village was built along the slopes, surrounded by towering green peaks. The lingering mist cloaked half the village in clouds, blending it seamlessly with the mountains.

At the village gate, the Miao villagers watched Mo Li with curious eyes but did not approach. After a moment, a robust man emerged.

He wore a black and yellow vest, had his hair tied with a strip of cloth, donned riding pants, and black cloth shoes, embodying the look of a rugged hero from the martial world.

The man first spoke rapidly in the Miao language, but Mo Li shook her head slightly, indicating she did not understand. Then he switched to halting Mandarin.

“Miss, do you have business in our Miao village?”

“Please, can you call the shamaness ‘Liuli’ and tell her Mo Li has arrived?” Mo Li requested. Liuli was the successor to the village’s grand shaman and held considerable status in Shengmiao.

“Wait here a moment,” the sturdy man said, running into the village. Shortly, he returned with a Miao girl following him. The girl’s face was bright with a radiant smile; a fresh flower adorned her hair, and she wore numerous exquisite silver ornaments that jingled with each step.

“Mo Li! Mo Li, you finally remembered to come find me! Heehee,” the Miao girl chimed with laughter like silver bells. This was the shamaness Liuli.

“Come on, come on, let’s go inside. I’ve got a new pet—she’s so pretty! You have to see her,” Liuli tugged Mo Li’s hand and hurried into the village before Mo Li could reply.

“Is this the pretty little pet you mentioned?” Mo Li asked, being dragged along. They soon came upon the pet—a colorful, roughly one-meter-long venomous snake resting quietly.

“Yes! Look at her beautiful colors! I named her Little Cai,” Liuli said excitedly, shaking Mo Li’s arm.

“Alright, alright, Little Cai is lovely. Now let go of my arm, you’re almost pulling it off,” Mo Li said helplessly. Despite being a shamaness, Liuli’s personality was that of an eternal child.

“Oh, Mo Li, sister, did you come on business? Ever since you came with that old man a year ago, you haven’t come to see me or play,” Liuli said with a plaintive look, clearly feeling neglected.

“Alright, alright, I have things to do today. Next time I’ll definitely come to play, maybe even take you to my place,” Mo Li said casually, though she knew the shamaness couldn’t just wander off anywhere.

“Okay, okay! When you’re done, bring me along. Ah Niang agreed to let me go out for a while to gain experience,” Liuli said excitedly. ‘Ah Niang’ means grandmother in the Miao language. Liuli’s grandmother was the grand shaman of Shengmiao—Grandma Zi. The Miao people had two grand shamans left: Grandma Bai of Shumiao and Grandma Zi of Shengmiao.

“You’re allowed to leave? Has something happened in the village?” Mo Li asked, surprised.

“It’s nothing much. The Tusi wants to expel Ah Niang again. Ah Niang fears he’ll use me as leverage, so she’s letting me out to gain experience for a while,” Liuli said nonchalantly. She didn’t take the Tusi—the tribal chief of this Miao village—seriously. The Shumiao village had no Tusi at all.

“Alright, I’ll find you when I’m done and take you to my place. I actually came to ask if you saw that old man who brought me here last time,” Mo Li asked.

“Yes, I saw him. That old man seemed to borrow something from the Tusi, then beat the Tusi up and left for somewhere else. Ah Niang should know where he went. I’ll take you to see Ah Niang,” Liuli said. Mo Li was still processing what Liuli had just said—how did the Daoist Li borrow something and end up beating someone? Before she could think it through, Liuli, full of energy, was already pulling Mo Li toward the grand shaman’s residence.

The grand shaman’s house was a simple wooden cabin, a stark contrast to the Tusi’s palace at the village’s highest point. In front of the cabin were several shelves filled with jars.

“Ah Niang! Ah Niang!” Liuli called out before reaching the door.

“You brat, when will you learn to stop being so restless?” an elderly woman leaning on a cane came out, scolding Liuli.

The old woman held a black wooden staff intricately carved with a lifelike snake. She wore a purple robe that, rather than seeming eerie, lent her an air of dignified nobility. Though advanced in years, her steps were steady, and her eyes were clear and sharp as they fixed on Mo Li.

“Little girl, you’ve come looking for that big trickster Li, haven’t you?” the old woman said. Mo Li took a moment to realize that “Li” referred to Uncle Li. Her mind was flooded with questions about what exactly Uncle Li had been doing in the Miao region.

“Grandma, do you know where Uncle Li went? And why did he beat up the Tusi?” Mo Li asked respectfully, voicing her doubts.

“That big trickster Li! Last time, he tricked the one from Shumiao into giving him a century-old golden silkworm to save your life. This time, he tried to trick the Tusi for a chicken bug, claiming it was to locate a corpse. The Tusi refused, so that big trickster didn’t bother with tricks—he just robbed him, beat him up, and took the chicken bug. He’s probably headed southwest to a corpse-breeding site now,” Grandma Zi said with a smile. It was clear she was quite pleased that the Tusi had been beaten by Daoist Li.

Hearing about the golden silkworm reminded Mo Li of when she had been gravely injured by a corpse demon. Uncle Li had saved her, stabilized her condition, and then traveled a great distance to Shengmiao to procure the century-old golden silkworm to save her life. For that silkworm, he had offended Grandma Bai. Now, Daoist Li even avoided the Shumiao village, not because he was outmatched but because he had lost face.

“Thank you, Grandma, for letting me know. I’ll come see you again another day,” Mo Li said, bowing politely before setting off to search for Daoist Li at the southwest corpse-breeding ground.