Chapter 40: The Treasure-Spitting Mouse, Divine Beast of Fortune

Seeing Li Chengfeng suddenly stand up and stare blankly at the mountain peak in the distance, Wang Bin asked, feeling quite puzzled, "Chengfeng, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Li Chengfeng replied casually. He did not tell Wang Bin that he had discovered a superior feng shui formation known as the "Child Lying on Gold." Such auspicious locations were rare, and if Wang Bin knew about it, it might bring him unnecessary trouble.

After resting for a while, the two continued their search for a "starved" bat in the woods. They checked several tree hollows but found nothing. Wang Bin, who had grown up in Mount Tianmu, was familiar with the terrain and led Li Chengfeng to a mountain cave. The entrance was overgrown with vegetation and shaded by a few pine trees, making it difficult to spot unless one looked closely.

After clearing away the vines covering the entrance, they discovered a stone tablet on the right side engraved with three large characters: "Treasure-Spitting Cave." Judging by the weathering and the style of the characters, the tablet was at least a thousand years old. Curious, Li Chengfeng asked, "Bin, why is this cave called the Treasure-Spitting Cave?"

"Because this is where the Treasure-Spitting Mouse cultivates," Wang Bin replied. "I heard from my grandfather when I was a child that there is a Treasure-Spitting Mouse in this cave."

Hearing the name, Li Chengfeng was shocked. "Are you talking about the auspicious treasure-gathering beast, the Treasure-Spitting Mouse?"

"Yes! How do you know about it?" Wang Bin was surprised. Most people only knew of the Pixiu for gathering wealth, and very few were aware of the Treasure-Spitting Mouse. It was considered an ancient divine beast, the sacred oath-beast of the Yellow God of Wealth in Tibetan Buddhist culture, and held a very high status. Li Chengfeng had only learned about it from an ancient text. The fact that Wang Bin knew about it made him suspicious; his classmate usually only cared about his studies. Li Chengfeng didn't press the matter, unaware that his old classmate’s ancestors were not ordinary people.

Standing outside the cave, Wang Bin said confidently, "There must be bats inside."

Li Chengfeng stood at the entrance, peering into the pitch-black void. For a fleeting moment, he thought he saw a white shadow zip through the cave at the speed of lightning. He felt a sense of inexplicable panic. Was there some monster in there? Would it be dangerous to enter? Just as he was hesitating, Wang Bin had already walked in. "Let's go, find the starved bat quickly so we can go home."

Li Chengfeng followed Wang Bin into the cave. Fortunately, they had brought flashlights. Under the beam of light, they ventured deeper. There were indeed many bats; the ground was covered in droppings. When they shone their lights toward the ceiling, they saw rows of bats hanging upside down. Both men were startled. Wang Bin shone his light around and exclaimed, "There are so many bats here!"

"With so many, how are we supposed to find a 'starved' one?"

"Keep your voice down, don't disturb them," Li Chengfeng whispered. Even though they spoke softly, their voices echoed loudly in the confined space. The bats were startled, emitting shrill squeaks as they took flight toward the exit. The two men ducked and covered their heads to avoid being bitten. Within moments, the cave was empty.

Once silence returned, they stood up. Wang Bin sighed, "That was terrifying. Bats carry so many germs; if one bit us, we’d be goners."

"Don't worry, bats generally don't attack humans," Li Chengfeng reassured him. Since this was a bat nest, there had to be a starved one. They searched with their flashlights. As they did, Li Chengfeng felt as if something in the deep darkness was watching him. Wang Bin felt the same, scanning the shadows, but they found nothing.

Soon, they spotted a fist-sized bat hanging motionless on a side wall. Li Chengfeng examined it with his flashlight; the bat was skin and bones, having clearly died of starvation long ago—it was already a mummified corpse.

"Chengfeng, will this one work?" Wang Bin asked.

"It should. It looks like it was too old to hunt and could only survive on the droppings of other bats. Lacking proper nutrition, it starved to death." Li Chengfeng took out a plastic bag and placed the bat carcass inside with the crow's. Now that he had the carcasses of the sick cat, the crow, and the bat, he was ready to use the "Three Corpses Blocking Wealth" technique to teach the Sheng-Hai Gold Shop a lesson.

He weighed the bag and said, "Alright, everything is found. Let’s head back."

"Yeah!" Having finished their task, they wanted to leave quickly, as the cave felt strange, as if something in the darkness was watching them. As they turned to head out, a sound echoed from behind, like something falling from the ceiling.

Wang Bin shivered and asked with a trembling voice, "Chengfeng, did you hear that? It sounds like something is following us."

"I heard it. Keep moving forward, don't look back." Li Chengfeng was relatively composed, having experienced many strange things since reopening the Suiyuan Hall. They walked on, but with every step, a soft *tap-tap* sound followed behind them.

"We're being followed, what should we do?" Wang Bin whispered, terrified.

Li Chengfeng didn't answer. He wanted to know what was causing the mischief. He slowed his pace, then suddenly spun around and shone his light behind them. Nothing. Wang Bin turned as well, scanning the area, but found nothing.

"I clearly felt something behind us! Are we dealing with something unclean?"

"I don't think so." Li Chengfeng had opened his "Heavenly Eye"; if there were any malevolent spirits, he would have seen them. Although he saw nothing, he was certain something was following them. Summoning his courage, he shouted into the depths of the cave, "I am Li Chengfeng, a successor of the Qimen school. I do not know which divine being resides here, but please forgive our intrusion. If we have caused any offense, I apologize on behalf of us both, and I hope you will not hold it against us."

As soon as he finished speaking, a squeaking sound came from the cave. From behind a rock, a small, round head peeked out. Two large, cute ears twitched as it stared at the strangers with beady eyes. Seeing there was no danger, the little creature hopped out. It had white fur, short legs, a chubby body, and a long tail, looking much like a squirrel.

Li Chengfeng shone his light on it, curious. "What is this thing? It looks like a mouse." Although it resembled a mouse, it was quite different, with a much shorter snout.

Wang Bin squinted, observing the animal closely, and said seriously, "This... this must be the auspicious treasure-gathering beast, the Treasure-Spitting Mouse!"