Chapter Twenty: Intervention

The young man was in the middle of a heated rant when, failing to watch his step, he took a stride forward.

"Thud!" The rant came to an abrupt halt as the young man fell hard onto the ground.

The onlookers around him wore complex expressions, a mixture of astonishment and amusement. Yet, for the most part, they found this tumble quite gratifying. Zhang Bo and the others, who had witnessed the man trip on level ground, couldn't help but wince; it looked painful, to say the least.

"Tsk, tsk," Zhuge Yun said, his face full of curiosity. "How on earth did he fall? There was absolutely nothing there."

Zhang Bo folded his arms across his chest with a profound look. "He brought it upon himself; there's no escaping one's own folly."

"This young man is right," someone nearby chimed in, slapping their thigh. "Who told him to act like a fool earlier? He must have angered the Mountain God, hasn't he?"

Although Zhang Bo and his friends, being university students, felt little resonance with such a statement, they weren't naive enough to argue back. Zhao Luzheng opened and closed his mouth, finally managing to stammer, "This is just too magical!" His eyes gleamed with an eerie, surging enthusiasm as he scrutinized the young man from head to toe, as if studying a mythical creature.

Xiao Xiao’s expression was somewhat peculiar, though fortunately, everyone else’s attention was fixed on the man who was struggling to climb back up, so no one noticed his unusual demeanor. Xiao Xiao fought to control his facial muscles to keep from laughing at such an inappropriate moment, his features twisting slightly in the effort.

While others were unaware of what had caused the man's fall, Xiao Xiao had seen it clearly. Looking at the familiar figure on the maple tree diagonally ahead, Xiao Xiao raised an eyebrow. It was none other than the yokai he had encountered earlier and subsequently lost track of. It turned out this yokai was performing the duties of a Mountain God, punishing the culprit who had been damaging the maple trees.

Unlike before, when it had hidden behind layers of maple leaves, the yokai was now standing brazenly on an angled branch of the tree. Its long tail hung down lazily, exuding an air of nonchalance and innocence, as if it weren't the one who had just tripped the young man.

The young man kept his head bowed, his expression obscured, yet the bulging veins in his tightly clenched fists betrayed the inner turmoil he was experiencing. He must have been absolutely furious. Xiao Xiao felt a twinge of sympathy. Although the man was at fault, he was in a wretched state now. Publicly, inexplicably falling so many times, yet unable to even leave, forced to remain there under the gaze of the crowd. People often say that if you can't afford to offend someone, you should at least avoid them, but against a yokai, the average person could neither offend nor avoid it.

It was a torment both mental and physical. Xiao Xiao was certain that the young man would never damage a tree again.

Initially, the young man had indeed been livid, but as time passed, a sense of fear and panic—like a cold, slimy, boneless creature—began to snake up his spine and seep into his limbs. The sensation was terrifying, like watching a water level slowly rise to consume him entirely, and he couldn't stop his teeth from chattering.

He couldn't take it anymore! Trembling, the young man pulled out his phone to call his friends, demanding they come immediately to pick him up. He had to get out of here!

Hearing the young man’s voice, which was thick with palpable terror, the onlookers began to feel a sense of pity. At first, seeing such an arrogant and overbearing person suffer for his actions had felt like a satisfying form of justice, or perhaps just a thrill for those who enjoyed the spectacle. But now, seeing him in such a pathetic state, they began to feel a sense of shared unease. In truth, many people didn't consider damaging trees to be a grave offense. It wasn't as if he were chopping them down. Many of those present had snapped a branch or kicked a tree when in a bad mood. Consequently, seeing the young man’s plight left them feeling somewhat guilty.

The mood of the crowd shifted, and a strange silence fell over the scene. Yet, few left; they were all curious to see how it would end.

More than ten minutes later, the young man’s friends arrived. They were shocked by his disheveled and miserable appearance. The young man, however, had no desire to talk and lacked the strength to explain, simply urging them to take him away while remaining completely motionless, waiting for their support.

Though confused, his friends sensed the unusual atmosphere and didn't press for details. They brought out the wheelchair he had asked for, and each took a side to help him sit down. The onlookers who had heard his phone call weren't surprised by the wheelchair and even mentally commended his foresight. Since he couldn't walk, he wouldn't. He couldn't possibly keep falling like this, could he?

However, Xiao Xiao, who had kept his eyes on the yokai, noticed that the tail—which had been still while the man was motionless—began to stir. What was it planning? A shallow furrow appeared between Xiao Xiao's brows.

Then, he saw the tip of the tail, slightly raised, pointing toward... the wheelchair! Was it planning to flip the chair over? This was no longer a joke. If that happened, the injuries the young man would sustain would be far worse than a few scrapes; he could potentially suffer bone fractures. This was going too far!

Xiao Xiao strode quickly toward the maple tree where the yokai was perched. His sudden movement went unnoticed by the others, who were still entirely focused on the young man. The moment the tail began to lash out, Xiao Xiao reached up and gripped it tightly.

The immense force behind the tail made Xiao Xiao stagger, but he pressed his lips together and grabbed hold with his other hand as well, clamping down hard on the struggling tail. He no longer cared what kind of attention his strange behavior might attract. He looked up, peering directly into the yokai’s eyes. His voice was quiet, but he was certain the yokai in the tree could hear him.

"That's enough. He has already been punished enough."

The yokai, suddenly having its tail grabbed, gave a start and tried to shake off the foreign object, but to its surprise, it couldn't break free! The yokai looked down and saw the human—a human!—holding its tail.

Stunned, the yokai stopped struggling, allowing Xiao Xiao to breathe a massive sigh of relief. The yokai’s strength was incredible; he had truly been worried that he would be flung aside by a single flick of its tail. He didn't even notice the fact that he had somehow managed to restrain a yokai.