Meanwhile, inside the abandoned Mountain God Temple.
The young girl who had fainted on the ground slowly woke up. She looked at the dying campfire and her surroundings, and suddenly understood something. She reached up to her head and felt a stinging, burning sensation, as if scalded by boiling water! When she pulled her hand back, she saw a wisp of smoke rising from her palm and smelled the foul odor of urine. "Good, good, good! So it was virgin boy's urine from a Pure Yang virgin body. No wonder you could knock me out. Excellent!" Boundless rage surged within the young girl, veins bulging on her face, her eyes instantly turning blood red. The next moment, she grabbed her hair. With a rip, her entire hair, along with the scalp, was torn off and thrown directly into the campfire. Boom! The nearly extinguished flames instantly turned into oily green will-o'-the-wisps, then erupted into a blaze, the flames shooting up to half a person's height, casting a very eerie glow on the Mountain God Temple. Illumined by the firelight, the young girl's own bared skull was exposed to the air, appearing exceptionally terrifying! A few seconds later, the flames gradually returned to their normal color and then completely died out. A cold wind stirred the dark red embers, but in the pitch-black Mountain God Temple, the young girl was long gone! ...
Over the next few days, Xiè Xún and Xiàotiān encountered no further incidents. On the fourth day, they successfully returned to Xun'an County. The county town was filled with peace and joy, and the pedestrians on the road wore smiles. From a distance, the sound of lively gongs and drums could be heard. It was said that the county magistrate had specially invited a lion dance troupe to parade through the town for three days to welcome the New Year. As soon as the three-day parade ended, the owner of Yingjie Tower also contributed money and resources to have the lion dance troupe continue parading for another three days! Xiè Xún and Xiàotiān returned home, hid their money, quickly changed into fresh clothes, and then hurried off to join the excitement of the lion dance. "Great!! Wonderful!!!" Ordinary folks rarely got to see such excitement. Upon hearing that the lion dance would continue for three more days, they immediately surrounded the two lions so tightly that not a drop of water could pass through, and the scene erupted in thunderous applause. Xiè Xún, arriving late, stood at the back of the crowd. Like those around him, he craned his neck, his face full of curiosity. Although the distance was considerable, his taller stature allowed him to see some of the performance. "Woof woof!" Xiàotiān frantically nudged Xiè Xún's pant leg, it also wanted to watch the lion dance. "Here, up you go!" Xiè Xún remembered. He looked down at it, suddenly smiled, and directly grabbed Xiàotiān, lifting it up. "Woof woof!" Xiàotiān wagged its tail happily, flying! "Daddy! Daddy! I want some too, I want to be held high like the big doggy!" A child nearby, eyes wide open, looked at the lifted Xiàotiān with immense envy, crying and tugging at his father's clothes. "Alright, our little girl will be held high too!" The man looked at his daughter, a happy smile on his face. He then picked her up and placed her on his shoulders. "Hooray~ Hooray~ Big doggy, I'm as tall as you now!" The little girl shouted happily, then reached out to touch Xiàotiān. "Woof~" Xiàotiān did not shy away. Instead, it looked at the little girl beside it, letting her pet it, sticking out its tongue and smiling very happily. However, it quickly closed its mouth, as the cold weather made its tongue freeze uncomfortably! Time passed day by day. Soon, the three-day parade came to an end. However, the lion dance did not stop there. After another day, the wealthy merchant Zhou Cai also paid for the lion dance troupe to continue parading through the entire city for three days! The notable figures in the city seemed to have coordinated, passing the baton like a drum, keeping the lion dance parade going all the way until the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival. On this day, the lion dance finally got a rest, as the performance switched to dragon dancing! This was not Xiè Xún's first Lantern Festival, but it was his first time celebrating it in the city. The scale was incomparable to Xià Hé Village. The previous curfew had been lifted for these days, and countless citizens flooded the streets. The exquisite lanterns all over the city were like scattered stars, dazzling and mesmerizing them! The lights illuminated the entire Xun'an County, making the city as bright as day, a city that never slept! Small stalls and vendors lined the streets like a long dragon. Seeing their goods sell out, smiles were ever-present on their faces. A lively lantern riddle guessing event was held at the county yamen. Many of the riddles were personally written by the county magistrate, and prizes were given for correct answers, greatly boosting the enthusiasm of the citizens! Xiè Xún, with Xiàotiān, managed to squeeze into the lantern riddle event. Looking at the riddles on the wooden plaques before him, he suddenly felt a bit dizzy. "Truly, you regret not having studied when you need to. These riddles are brain-burning!" He continuously sifted through the riddles. After failing to guess several riddles, he finally got lucky, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse, and guessed one correctly. Excitedly, Xiè Xún took the riddle plaque and followed a yamen runner to the county yamen, where he received his prize: a pair of pig ears! "Let's go, Xiàotiān, let's go spend some money!" Amidst envious and jealous glances from the crowd, Xiè Xún swaggered away, carrying the pig ears. On the bustling street, Xiè Xún was contemplating whether to get some snacks when a familiar voice sounded from behind him. "Yo~ Brother Xiè Xún, you're here at the lantern festival too!" Xiè Xún turned around and saw it was Brother Zhang from Taiping Warehouse. "Oh, Brother Zhang, how did you know I guessed a lantern riddle and was rewarded a pair of pig ears by the county magistrate!?" He immediately held up the pig ears in his hand and said loudly, deliberately. "...." The smile on Brother Zhang's face froze instantly. Who the heck asked you that!? "Oh my, that's amazing, a great scholar! To be able to guess the county magistrate's riddle!" The surrounding passersby cast admiring glances at him, and not one of them failed to give him a thumbs-up. Xiàotiān nestled against Xiè Xún's leg, its tail wagging furiously, as if this pair of pig ears was also partly its achievement! After nearly being praised to the sky by the onlookers, Xiè Xún grinned, his face red, and scurried away with the pig ears. On the road, many acquaintances greeted Xiè Xún, and he responded with a smile. Then, he inadvertently revealed the pig ears in his hand and nonchalantly mentioned that they were a reward for guessing the riddle. Praises erupted from the surroundings, and Xiè Xún's heart bloomed with joy. By the time he returned home late at night, his face was so stiff from smiling that it almost felt cramped! As for Xiàotiān, it felt like its tail was also a bit cramped! On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the city's festive atmosphere gradually faded, and the daily lives of the citizens slowly returned to normal. Early that morning, Xiè Xún happily went to work at the warehouse. He happened to encounter Brother Zhang, who was just arriving. "Yo~ Isn't this our great scholar Xiè, who guessed the county magistrate's riddle and was rewarded a pair of pig ears!!" Brother Zhang shouted exaggeratedly, startlingly loud. "...." The smile on Xiè Xún's face instantly froze. He lowered his head, searching for a crack in the ground, his face an embodiment of awkwardness! If he wasn't wearing shoes, he would have definitely dug three rooms and a living room out of the ground.