I Refused To Be Reincarnated
Chapter 548: The Night the Mountains Trembled

Chapter 548: The Night the Mountains Trembled

The peaceful Lóngshān valley rumbled this night, the tremors spreading in every direction.

At its foot, the Yǒngcháng’s village’s citizens jumped out of bed, their faces flushed red and their breathing ragged in terror.

Unlike them, a middle-aged couple held their hands inside the Lin mansion.

The man bit his quivering lips, tears rolling down his face.

"Even if I knew this day would come, I can’t Meixiang." He shook his head, his teeth piercing his lips. "I can’t let the valley guardians kill my father because our son disappeared. He’s the only one who always believed in him. Even to this day, he still hopes for his return." His knuckles whitened, bursts of water Qi billowing around them. "No! I won’t lose another family member! Even if I’m weaker, I’ll fight them!"

Meixiang hugged her husband tightly, her voice a soft whisper echoing in his ears.

"We’ve been together for a hundred and twenty years, Weijun. No matter what happens, we’ll face it together."

Without thinking and his heart drumming in his chest like it did the first day they met, Weijun kissed her tenderly.

"Thank you. If we reincarnate, I hope we’ll meet and fall in love again."

As a blush crept onto Meixiang’s cheeks, his eyes narrowed into determined slits.

"Today, I’ll repay you for everything you did for me and our family, father! I’ll show the world what true filial piety is and free you from your guilt. You’re not to blame for what happened to our son!"

A raging inferno ignited in his heart as he resolved himself to die with this declaration.

Without looking at the mansion that saw his birth and held so many tender memories, he lept to the mountains to confront the four valley’s guardians.

He felt his wife’s hot hand in his as the scenery flashed by in his eyes. As always, her warm presence brought him peace. Even in the face of death, his heart knew no fear when she stood by him. And even when he saw the towering cow, serpent, spider, and crane lashing out before his eyes, he remained firm.

"Cultivators only fear laziness and stagnation. We’re fighting heaven and earth to improve endlessly."

He repeated the Qingming sect’s creed as his ring brightened to let his trusted blade materialise.

With a defiant roar, he charged towards the towering beasts, his blade glinting under the moonlight.

"Begone, beasts! I won’t let you kill my father!"

However, as defiant as it might have been to him, no beast heard nor reacted to it.

Instead, the cow’s horns sparkled a brown hue as its hooves dug deep pits in its charge towards the serpent.

"Stubborn fools! I’ll make you bend today, or only one valley guardian will remain!"

Before her fierce roar could linger, she collided with the serpent’s long body.

BAM

Its scales cracked under the blow before the wind whistled angrily.

"Argh!"

With its pained grunt, its body flew back powerlessly before it dug into a mountain’s wall.

Meanwhile, Weijun stopped in his tracks, his jaws dropping in disbelief as he watched the serpent’s body slide to the ground like a stringless puppet. He felt his wife’s hand tremble in his, or was it his trembling in hers? He didn’t know anymore. The situation just made too little sense!

"Is the cow defending father, or was I wrong from the beginning?" He shook his head to clear it. "The guardians never fought each other and always had kept a good relationship since before my birth. What is happening?"

Meixiang tapped on his shoulder, breaking his confusion.

"We’d better check on your father. He must know what prompted them to fight each other."

However, before he could decide what to do, a colossal shadow blotted the sky and engulfed them in darkness.

His fingers tightened around his blade’s pommel as he gazed up, only for his eyes to enlarge in shock.

Like the snake, the spider’s body drew an arc above them before it collapsed into the forest behind them.

Furious gales carrying the scent of dust and wood forced him to stumble back as his heart pounded in his chest.

Meanwhile, the cow’s voice overwhelmed the cacophony of splintering trees and rocks.

"Give up! Even if you’re the swiftest, you have no chance!"

The crane’s eyes narrowed into slits from the sky. Its beak opened and closed a few times, yet the retort it wanted to hurl at the cow never came out.

After a silent face-off, it landed on the ground before blinding light engulfed its shrinking figure.

From a colossal beast, it became a slender woman wearing an immaculate dress. A neatly tied red ribbon came to break her mono-color style as her silky white hair fluttered in the wind.

She narrowed her grey eyes at the cow, snickering in suppressed anger.

"You and your annoying temper! I can’t believe you’re forcing my hand after millennia of friendship!"

Meanwhile, the cow shifted to her human form, too, and went to slap her back painfully.

"Hey! It’s not my fault if you’re all filled with prejudices." She winked and continued. "Anyway, let’s wake those grumpy old men and go to Zhongguo’s house. I’m sure you’ll all change your mind after seeing the baby!"

Weijun and Meixiang heard her from their position. Eyes bulging in trepidation, they rushed to the cow lady.

They offered her a respectful bow before Weijun urgently asked.

"What’s happening, and why are you all going to my father’s house?"

The cow smirked and patted his shoulder.

"Oh, isn’t it Lin Yao’s parents? Well, come with us. I have news about your son." She pointed at the serpent and spider. "I’ll explain everything when these two finally decide to take their human forms." Her voice tone shifted to one icier than a tundra. "Or do I need to beat you a little more? I won’t mind doing it, really."

The couple’s heart drummed in their ears as their hands trembled in unison.

Unlike Zhongguo, they had already mourned Lin Yao and stopped expecting his return after half a century. Even if they still loved him with all their hearts, they couldn’t continue to suffer from false hopes. Still, the prospect of finally learning what happened to him reignited a sliver of longing.

As their lips rose into subtle smiles, a purple-haired man stepped out from the mountainous area. Holding his head and groaning in pain, he pointed an accusing finger at the cow.

"Don’t think you’re the strongest, you brute!" His tight purple robes fluttered as he stomped the ground. "I’m just too kind to use my poison to shut you up once and for all."

Simultaneously, an aged man emerged from the forest, his silvery hair glinting under the moon like thick threads. His eyes, darker than the night, narrowed at the cow as his voice dripped with annoyance.

"I just want to spend the few remaining centuries I have in peace. Why are you always so overbearing with your demands?!" He clicked his tongue. "I’ll see that baby, but I won’t stay even a second if I’m unconvinced."

The cow twirled a lock of hair around her finger and shrugged. Yet her tone remained commanding, the kind that wouldn’t accept any refusal.

"If I say he’s worth our time, he is. Now, sit. I’ll recount what I learned before sunrise. We’ll see him then."