"But on the other hand, if I can obtain the decree of the Lady, it means I have seen her face-to-face, and thus there's no need to look for you, sir."
"..."
Xu Qing was surprised. He truly didn't know that mountain spirits have such restrictions.
Recalling his time in the Incense Hall, when he granted Qi Shan the decree to bind Qi Shan and Purple Cloud Mountain together, Xu Qing finally realized the situation.
Unintentionally, he had tied Qi Shan to Purple Cloud Mountain, and without his permission, Qi Shan could not leave the domain of Purple Cloud Mountain.
Xu Qing had never understood the cultivation methods of mountain spirits before. He curiously asked, "If the Lady allows you to leave this mountain, wouldn't you have to find someone to possess to leave? If so, would the person being possessed be negatively affected?"
Qi Shan shook her head and said, "No, as long as the person being possessed can bear my weight, they can go anywhere within a thousand miles."
"Or perhaps one day, when I can completely refine Purple Cloud Mountain, I can move freely without being affected by the mountain's energy."
Does the person being possessed have to carry her? What does this mean?
Xu Qing originally thought the possession Qi Shan mentioned was similar to a ghost taking over a body, but clearly, that wasn't the case.
"When you say possession, do you mean having someone literally carry you on their back?"
Qi Shan nodded very seriously.
Having received a definitive answer, Xu Qing hesitated for a moment and finally asked the key question.
"How much do you weigh?"
"I don't know. I've never measured myself."
Qi Shan first furrowed her brows and shook her head, then smiled, "However, at the moment, I don't weigh much. Only by borrowing the mountain's energy and continuing to cultivate will my corporeal weight gradually increase."
Xu Qing assessed Qi Shan from top to bottom. Her figure and appearance were not unlike those of a young lady.
With fine shoulders, a graceful neck, a slender waist, she stood motionless with elegance, more graceful than a frail willow swaying in the wind.
How much could such a delicate-looking woman weigh?
Xu Qing had no improper thoughts; his gaze was filled entirely with curiosity and interest. He said eagerly, "Miss Qi Shan, may I feel the weight of a mountain spirit?"
Qi Shan's eyes lit up upon hearing his words and she immediately agreed, "Sure! If you, sir, can carry me, then in the future when I feel bored on the mountain and wish to go out and relax, I can possess you and ask for your help."
Xu Qing felt something was off. For his own safety, he dismissed the idea of crouching down so Qi Shan could weigh down on his back.
If this seemingly weak woman truly weighed tons, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't become the first zombie in the world to be squashed by a mountain spirit.
"Miss, stay still. Let me try holding you to feel your weight." Xu Qing moved behind Qi Shan.
"Hold?"
Before Qi Shan could react, she felt a pair of strong hands encircle her waist.
Soon after came the unfamiliar sensation of being pressed closely from behind, and before Qi Shan could collect herself, her bare feet had already lifted off the ground.
"Hmm? This isn't heavy. I was wondering how much it would weigh..."
Just as Xu Qing released his hold, Qi Shan turned her head and complained slightly, "I wasn't ready yet. When I'm on the mountain, of course I'm not heavy. But if I apply the refined weight to myself, it would be different."
As she spoke, bright yellow energy gathered from all around the mountain path, emanating from Qi Shan, distinct from any demonic or ghostly presence.
"You can try again, sir."
Xu Qing, unaware of the intricacies, exerted all his strength, but even when he lifted Qi Shan, he didn't find her as heavy as he imagined.
Lift, lower, lift again, and lower again.
This routine continued three times before Xu Qing released his grip on Qi Shan's waist.
After contemplating the experience, he nodded, "Fairly light, at most around a thousand pounds."
Qi Shan sighed and said, "When I was the mountain spirit of Qi Shan, I had refined the entire Qi Shan. At that time, my weight was that of Qi Shan."
"Later Taodu Mountain and Qingqiu Mountain were similar, but unfortunately, in a troubled world, even though I possess many prestigious mountain seals, I can't linger for long."
"Yet, fortunes and disasters are intertwined. Were it not for the ages of calamity and the indifference of the Gods and Buddhas to the mortal world, I wouldn't have been able to stealthily acquire numerous blessed seals under true divine supervision."
The renowned mountains and rivers of the world, and even its lakes and seas, are mostly governed by deities sealed by the higher realms. They wield the mountain-river seals and can leverage them to harness the mountain, lake, and sea's power to perform various divine techniques.
After countless years, the number of unclaimed great mountains and rivers dwindled, but Qi Shan seized the opportunity when the Heaven-Reaching Road was severed, and all gods returned to the higher realm, to occupy and refine Qi Shan, Zhaoyao Mountain, Taodu Mountain, those mountains yet to be sealed.
And those mountains lack spirits to manage the mountain energies and oversee the seasons, so when Qi Shan appeared, these mountains naturally rejoiced.
When Qi Shan spoke of her past and her relationships with the renowned mountains, her eyes curved with joy, indicating her genuine fondness for befriending the mountains.
But to Xu Qing, it sounded entirely different.
Qi Shan privately governing mountain seals seemed even more serious than illicit worship!
If one day the Heaven-Reaching Road reopens, the balance between the higher and lower realms restores, the gods look down, and the few mountains awaiting sealing have their seals hijacked by an unknown wild mountain spirit...
Qi Shan's outcome would be one: a fate with no burial!
Once Qi Shan perishes, these mountain seals will naturally return to their rightful place.
In Xu Qing's mind, a certain Silver Horn King already wielded three mountain seals.
That king even utilized the possession method Qi Shan mentioned, using the mountain seals to transfer the weight of three large mountains to others.
Now, Qi Shan possesses the five mountains of Qingqiu, Taodu, Zhaoyao, Danxue, and Qi Shan.
Once she refines the Purple Cloud Mountain seal, she'll be a mountain god ruling over six mountains.
Xu Qing dared not imagine, when the realms connect, how this unknowing mountain lass will be dealt with.
"Can you return those seals?"
Qi Shan shook her head, "The seals and my life are one; unless I perish, they cannot be detached."
"..."
Xu Qing helplessly shook his head, knowing that without the tranquility of Purple Cloud Mountain, Qi Shan's life force might have long been exhausted.
Hence, as long as the age of calamity extends, Qi Shan effectively lives another day for each delay.
"Your courage is truly exceptional!"
Xu Qing admired her from the bottom of his heart.
Qi Shan understood what Xu Qing meant. She laughed, "It's not that I'm brave, even in peaceful times, I would choose to sacrifice to refine the mountain seals."
"Don't forget, sir, I was born as a spirit of the mountains; if I couldn't coexist with the mountains, I wouldn't have survived to this day."
Xu Qing smiled with understanding and asked, "How long do you need to refine the Purple Cloud Mountain seal?"
Qi Shan thought for a moment, surveyed the area, picked up a blue brick from beside the shrine, weighed it, and said, "Currently, I weigh only a thousand pounds. In the future, perhaps I can increase by the weight of ten bricks per day, and maybe even more on the second day, even more on the third day..."
Xu Qing clicked his tongue and asked, "So when will you be able to refine the entire mountain?"
The Mountain Lady blinked and said, "A thousand years, five thousand years, or maybe ten thousand years. You, as a mere human, certainly can't live that long."
"..."
"And if I did live that long?"
"Then surely I'd seek you out, asking you to carry me for some fun."
"How heavy would you be by then?"
"Probably as heavy as a Purple Cloud Mountain."
"..."
----
Qi Shan thought for a moment, surveyed the area, picked up a blue brick from beside the shrine, weighed it, and said, "Currently, I weigh only a thousand pounds. In the future, perhaps I can increase by the weight of ten bricks per day, and maybe even more on the second day, even more on the third day..."
Xu Qing clicked his tongue and asked, "So when will you be able to refine the entire mountain?"
The Mountain Lady blinked and said, "A thousand years, five thousand years, or maybe ten thousand years. You, as a mere human, certainly can't live that long."
"..."
"And if I did live that long?"
"Then surely I'd seek you out, asking you to carry me for some fun."
"How heavy would you be by then?"
"Probably as heavy as a Purple Cloud Mountain."
"..."