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墨書 Inktalez
After some conversation, we realized that we had arrived at the territory of Miao Village, and this was the place we were looking for, Mang Mountain.
However, the villagers did not call it Mang Mountain; they referred to it as Dulong Mountain. That was why the older brother I asked earlier responded that he didn't know.
The villagers here were quite hospitable. Once the older brother learned that we were two couples here for an adventure, he took us back to his home.
The woman who had been attacked earlier was his neighbor. The older brother's name was Wang Kun, and the woman's name was Fang Ting.
I initially thought that Wang Kun had gone through a lot of trouble to drag the wild boar back to slaughter and eat it, considering that wild boar meat is a rare delicacy in the mountains.
To my surprise, he picked up some firewood, doused it with gasoline, and set the wild boar on fire.
Confused, I asked him, "Brother, what are you doing? The wild boar is edible; why are you burning it?"
Wang Kun seemed like a decent guy and even blushed while talking to me. "Sister, this wild boar is poisonous and cannot be eaten."
I recalled that he had used a poisoned dart to take down the wild boar earlier. It made sense that a poisoned boar shouldn't be consumed; I hadn't expected the poison to be so potent.
"Brother, are you a doctor? How do you know about such powerful poison?"
"I don't have that kind of skill; these are just some tricks my mother taught me," he replied.
I wanted to ask him more questions, but Wang Kun got busy with other tasks, leaving us in his yard.
The Wang family's yard was small, consisting of two wooden houses that looked like they had been built by themselves.
There were only two people in his family; Wang Kun's father had passed away long ago, leaving him with his blind mother who had lost half of her eyesight to rely on each other for companionship.
I sat back down next to Mu Xuanche and briefly explained the situation to him.
He gazed thoughtfully ahead, lost in his thoughts.
Our group had settled into Wang Kun's home, and Mingyue and I were arranged to stay in the same room as Wang Kun's mother.
The old lady appeared quite kind-hearted, constantly engaging me in conversation.
"Young lady, what brings you to this remote corner of the world where not even a bird would want to live?" she asked.
"We're here for a vacation," I replied.
This was the excuse we had agreed upon earlier, pretending to be adventurous travelers. Unfortunately, it seemed we couldn't fool Grandma.
"Young lady, do you think my old age makes me easy to deceive? Though I don't know what exactly you're up to here, I won't interfere since you all seem to have good hearts. Otherwise, I certainly wouldn't let Kunzi bring you back here to stay," she said.
With that, Grandma turned and went to bed, ignoring us completely.
Mingyue glanced at me and typed a message on her phone for me to read.
"I didn't expect this Grandma to look so old, but her eyesight is surprisingly sharp."
Two types of people are the hardest to deceive: the elderly and children.
Dujing was old and spicy, don’t underestimate the youth.
At two in the morning, a message came through, and Shangguan Mingyue and I quietly slipped out of Grandma's room to the gate of the courtyard.
“What do you want us out here for in the middle of the night?” I asked, looking at their ready-to-go appearance.
“To the cemetery,” Mu Xuanche turned to look at me.
Going to the cemetery at this hour felt like we were grave robbers.
Before we came, we had agreed to follow Mu Xuanche's lead, so since he spoke up, we would do as he said.
Mu Xuanche took the lead, Bai Qiling was responsible for using Qimen Dunjia Five Elements and Eight Trigrams techniques to find our way, and Jin Ping was in charge of keeping watch.
It was just Shangguan Mingyue and me walking in the middle, seemingly unaffected, being protected by everyone else.
The paths in the mountains were particularly difficult to navigate. The route Bai Qiling found was one that had never been walked before, requiring us to step carefully with each footfall.
The three of them didn’t mind; they were ghosts after all, completely unfazed.
But it was tough for Shangguan Mingyue and me. Even wearing thick pants, we were still scratched badly by the sharp wild grasses along the way.
We nearly twisted our ankles several times, but thankfully we supported each other just enough to keep up with the pace of the group.
The team came to a temporary halt as they encountered a fork in the path, requiring Bai Qiling to once again analyze the situation and clarify their destination.
"Bai Qiling, how could you lead us through this dense forest? It’s obvious there’s no way to get through here," Shangguan Mingyue complained, leaning against a tree. Her face bore several cuts from the leaves, making her look somewhat disheveled.
I had managed to stay relatively unscathed because I had been closely following Mu Xuanche, who would clear away any obstructive branches before I could even notice them.
Before us stood a thicket of trees so tall that the sky was completely obscured. This place felt more like a tomb than a path, and I couldn't help but doubt Bai Qiling's judgment.
He usually let Mingyue act recklessly without concern, but when it came to serious matters, he was incredibly stern. Just moments ago, when Mingyue had interrupted him, he shot her a glare that silenced her mid-sentence.
I leaned in to observe his analysis. Each person had their own method of deduction and different schools of thought, yet anyone could discern something from the situation at hand. Although Bai Qiling pointed towards the southeast, there was an unsettling feeling about it.
I believed he sensed it too, which explained his hesitation.
"Three heads to the east, five tails to the west; while the southeast seems feasible, it’s not as reliable as heading southwest," I remarked.
At my words, Bai Qiling glanced up at me and then pointed towards the southwest direction where Mu Xuanche stood, indicating his agreement with my assessment.
The group proceeded toward the southwest. The density of trees here was even greater than before.
But the organization wouldn't deceive us, nor could it manipulate things, so I still trusted my judgment.
"Whoosh."
A clear sound echoed in the darkness as a green arrow shot toward us.
It was about to hit me when Mu Xuanche reached out and pulled me out of danger.
The bamboo arrow struck a large tree behind me, and in the moonlight, the bluish arrowhead revealed that it had likely been coated with a significant amount of poison.
"Yan Xi, I'm so sorry! It was my fault for accidentally triggering the trap that almost got you into trouble," Mingyue said apologetically as she looked at me. I smiled and shook my head.
"It's fine."
Although I had narrowly avoided being hit, it confirmed my judgment; at least this place wasn't deserted. The traps here were clearly man-made, and where there were people, there was a possibility of existence.
We continued forward, but it wasn't long before something felt off again.
"Oh no!"
Shangguan Mingyue let out a sharp scream, and Bai Qiling rushed over immediately.
When we arrived, Shangguan Mingyue had her eyes closed, pointing at her leg with both hands, her face contorted in pain as she screamed continuously.
I looked down and saw that Shangguan Mingyue's legs were covered with a type of black insect.
I had never seen this insect before; it was small, about the size of an ordinary fly, with a shiny black exoskeleton and a green head. The number of them kept increasing, spreading across Shangguan Mingyue's body.
Bai Qiling kept swatting at them, but the insects showed no fear of him.
They were too close to her skin, and there was no way to burn them off, which made the situation quite difficult.
Remembering what I had in my backpack, I recalled that I had brought several bottles of mosquito repellent from Thailand, fearing bites when entering the forest.
Unsure if it would work, I grabbed one of the bottles, removed the cap, and poured it all over Shangguan Mingyue's legs.
The insects began to fall off her leg bit by bit. "Mingyue, try shaking your legs," I instructed her.
Following my command, she trembled her legs a few times.
After the insects fell off, we pulled her out of the circle.
I threw a lit lighter onto the ground, and flames erupted in the grass; the insects crackled as they were burned.
Bai Qiling crouched down to check Shangguan Mingyue's wounds. Fortunately, she was wearing thick pants that were tightly secured at the ankles; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Only her arms had been bitten twice. Bai Qiling applied some herbs to treat it, and it seemed to be fine.
Was this considered an inauspicious start? In any case, Mu Xuanche's face darkened significantly.
The woman wore a smug expression, clearly hoping we would endure more torment.
"Let's go back," Mu Xuanche suddenly issued this command, leaving everyone particularly surprised. It was strange to call everyone back halfway through the journey.
I couldn't help but ask him, "Back?"
He said nothing and simply pulled me along.
After we had walked a bit further, he finally spoke to me.
"Something's not right. We need to go back."
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