Hearing this word of thanks, Madam Wang couldn't hold back her tears, which streamed down her face. She threw herself into Wang Erwa's arms and sobbed.
"You scared me to death!" she cried.
Wang Erwa, unusually gentle, stroked her hair and said, "Go comfort the baby first. After we make our vow, we'll talk more tonight."
Wang's wife composed herself and, glancing back repeatedly, went to the Meng family's home.
The Meng family was abuzz with activity, centered around their newborn.
The baby was too young to be outside at night, so he slept on Aunt Meng's bed.
The infant woke up once in the middle of the night. No matter who tried to soothe him, nothing worked. In the end, Aunt Meng took him to a neighbor's house to borrow some breast milk.
Now, he lay in bed, quiet and content, with Ning Wei and Li Ye keeping watch beside him.
The others, of course, were in the kitchen, helping to prepare dinner.
As Madam Wang approached the room, she saw a couple, their eyes full of tender affection for each other, with a tiny baby nestled between them.
Aunt Meng came over and told her, "The baby woke up once this afternoon, probably hungry. I took it upon myself to borrow some milk from a neighbor. I hope you don't mind."
Madam Wang was too grateful to be upset.
"We still need to go to the Mountain God Temple to make our offering. We'll pick him up later. I hope it's not too much trouble for you," Madam Wang said hesitantly, feeling embarrassed about burdening them for so long.
Aunt Meng patted her chest. "Don't worry about it. These are good children, very kind-hearted. We'll all watch the baby together; there'll be no problem."
Madam Wang felt relieved. She took a deep look at her child and quietly left the Mengs'.
Fortunately, they had prepared plenty of chickens for her postpartum confinement, so they wouldn't need to trouble the neighbors.
Wang Erwa quickly gathered the chickens and placed them on a handcart. He then waited for his wife, holding a flashlight.
With Madam Wang holding the flashlight and Wang Erwa pushing the cart, and thinking of their little infant at the Mengs', they quickened their pace.
Upon arriving at the Mountain God Temple, they lit candles and incense and arranged the offerings.
The five sheep from before were nowhere to be seen, only a pile of ropes remained.
A chill ran down the couple's spines. They exchanged a look, their movements becoming even faster.
Once everything was ready, Madam Wang pulled Wang Erwa to his knees. They kowtowed deeply and then, with great sincerity, addressed the Mountain God: "Thank you, Great Mountain God, for sparing my husband. Ten chickens have been delivered. We implore you to overlook our past transgressions and continue to bless us."
Wang Erwa echoed, "We are truly sorry, Great Mountain God. It was all my fault for not fulfilling our vow in time due to my excessive joy. I have been punished today and will certainly remember this lesson."
After speaking, the couple kowtowed again, inhaling the scent of incense, and remained bowed for a long time.
Eventually, their legs and backs ached from kneeling, and they could no longer endure it. They slowly raised their heads.
Wang Erwa was quicker. He glanced at the incense burner and, seeing that the incense ash was unbroken, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wife, the Mountain God has forgiven us. Let's go home."
Madam Wang looked up, and the tension in her heart finally eased.
The couple walked shoulder to shoulder along the road. Madam Wang couldn't help but shed silent tears.
Today's events had truly terrified her. If not for the help of Uncle Meng and the others, Wang Erwa might have perished.
By the time they finished, it was already ten o'clock at night.
The baby had long fallen asleep. When Madam Wang came to pick him up, she couldn't resist nuzzling his tiny cheek with her own.
"Hurry home. Be good from now on," Aunt Meng wanted to say much more, but time was late, and her words were reduced to this one plea.
Madam Wang nodded, carefully cradling the child, and quickly returned home with Wang Erwa.
Upon reaching home, Wang Erwa, without taking the time to tidy up, immediately asked about the day's events.
Madam Wang recounted everything in detail.
Wang Erwa listened, silent for a long time. His face twitched slightly; he too was clearly shaken.
"Fortunately, Master Ning Wei was here today, otherwise you might have…" Madam Wang's voice trembled with tears at the thought.
Wang Erwa quickly wiped her tears. "We must go and thank Master Ning Wei first thing tomorrow. You haven't finished your confinement yet; don't cry anymore. Today, not only do we thank everyone who helped, but I also want to express my sincere gratitude to one person."
"Who?"
Wang Erwa's face softened with tenderness. "It's you."
Wang family's affairs here came to a close, but the ripples they caused in town continued.
Everyone was secretly discussing the Mountain God's punishment.
Such a thing had never happened before. Because everyone always fulfilled their vows immediately, no one had considered the life-threatening danger of making the Mountain God wait too long.
The Mountain God, once revered as sacred, now had an added layer of mystique.
Those who already respected the Mountain God now felt an inexplicable sense of fear.
At the Meng family's home, after the baby was taken, everyone quickly tidied up and went to bed, leaving only Ning Wei and Li Ye in the courtyard.
"What do you think of the Mountain God punishing Wang Erwa today?" Ning Wei asked first.
"Such actions no longer qualify as divine. However, it has enough devout followers, so it should not be provoked lightly."
"So, if its followers are no longer devout, it will lose its power, is that right?" Ning Wei's insight was sharp.
Li Ye looked at Ning Wei, his eyes as deep as a swirling vortex. Ning Wei dared not meet his gaze, fearing he would see through her thoughts.
"It has been in this town for a hundred years. How easy do you think it is to make people stop believing in it?"
Ning Wei, however, had a different idea. She had learned more about the Mountain God from Uncle Meng today.
The reason everyone believed in it was that no matter what request they made, as long as the Mountain God agreed, it would always be fulfilled.
Human desires are infinite, so the Mountain God would exist forever.
However, before Wang Erwa's incident, no one had known that the Mountain God also had a punitive side.
The benevolent image it held in people's hearts was now smudged with a thin layer of dust, though it wasn't yet obvious.
A Mountain God that punishes its followers, a Mountain God that makes deals with its believers—is it truly a god?
Shouldn't gods be selfless, offering their blessings without expecting anything in return?
Ning Wei planned to approach it from these angles, subtly planting seeds of doubt in the townspeople's minds.
As long as the faith was not devout enough, the Mountain God could be defeated.
"If it were a true god, I would naturally be powerless against it. But its actions are not those of a benevolent protector of a region. Therefore, its flaws are very obvious."
"But, didn't we agree not to provoke it?" Li Ye looked straight at Ning Wei.