The night passed without incident, and as the sun rose high in the sky the next day, I met up with Zhang Jinya and the others as planned. Except for me and Zhou Jing, everyone was carrying heavy packs on their backs as we left Guangyuan Village and ventured into the vast Qinling Mountains.
This was my first time trekking through such wilderness. At most, I had only gone hiking with a few friends before, and those were not particularly high mountains. Given my slight build, I knew I couldn't handle mountains over 1500 meters - I'd probably give up halfway. But stepping into the dense forests of the Qinling Mountains, I quickly learned what real hardship was!!!
There were no signs of human development in the mountains. The grass in the forest almost reached our knees, and with every step, we had to probe the ground with sticks to avoid snakes or wildcats lurking in the underbrush. We hadn't walked ten miles before encountering over a dozen snakes, including one that Zhang Jinya identified as a unique species to the mountains of the northwest, the Black Witch Snake, which is extremely venomous. A bite without immediate antivenom could be fatal within an hour, which made me even more cautious. A bite in these wilds meant no help was coming - I'd just have to wait for death. This made me slow down even more, and slowing down made me tired, especially as the sun climbed higher. Soon, I was sweating profusely, soaking my camouflage uniform and sticking uncomfortably to my skin, not to mention the smell, which was like a month-old jar of pickled cabbage from the northeast - utterly soul-crushing.
But that wasn't the worst of it!!
The most infuriating thing was actually the mosquitoes in the mountains, which were nothing like the city mosquitoes. They were almost as long as half a finger and attacked relentlessly. No amount of repellent seemed to work, and it was said they could even make a bull howl in pain. Throughout the journey, I suffered terribly. The worst was when two horseflies bit me, leaving bites so painful they felt like needle pricks, instantly swelling to the size of an A-cup bra and taking days to go down. Compared to Zhang Jinya, though, I was lucky. He got bitten in the groin by a horsefly hiding in the grass while relieving himself, causing him to howl throughout the forest and almost incapacitating him. After that, he had to walk with his buttocks puckered.
In just one day, I was nearly at my breaking point, cursing myself for not just living a simple life instead of greedily taking on this job. Now, I had lost even the comfort of my previous life, a classic case of getting what I deserved!!
Despite my complaints, the day's journey eventually ended, and we set up camp on the top of a small mountain known to the locals as "Wild Man Slope." Wu Pangzi said the high location made it easier to detect any movements.
Dinner was basically dry food and water. After consuming half a pound of beef jerky and two compressed biscuits, I crawled back into my tent with Heizi and fell asleep, utterly exhausted from my first long-distance trek in the wilderness.
I slept deeply, losing track of time, until Zhang Jinya woke me up around four in the morning.
"Are you a pig, sleeping so soundly?" he complained, "Hurry up, it's your turn to keep watch. I'm still injured, you know."
I then remembered that during dinner, Rosa had scheduled Zhou Jing and me for the four o'clock watch shift, considering it the best time for me since it was almost dawn, and any "unclean" beings would likely be hurrying back to their lairs, posing less of a threat.
Though I was the weakest in the team, aside from the young Zhou Jing, I was still capable of handling this task. Without delay, I got up, teasing Zhang Jinya about his injury, "Still an injured man? What, your balls hurting again?"
"Go away, just leave me alone!" he snapped, pushing me out of the tent, "Why bring that up? Now it hurts even more, as if I've got three balls now."
I couldn't help but laugh, waking up Heizi and, just to be safe, also taking the Faqiu Yin and the Hundred-Pi Knife with me. After all, I had heard enough about the dangers of the Ten Deadly Tombs and the Qinling Mountains to be a bit spooked. It seemed safer to bring these items along.
When I stepped out of the tent with Heizi, Zhou Jing was already sitting by the campfire. Despite it being summer, the nights in the deep mountains were still cold, and staying near the fire was necessary to avoid catching a cold.
I patted Zhou Jing on the shoulder, "What's on your mind?"
Zhou Jing twisted uncomfortably and didn't answer. The mountaintop was silent except for the crackling of the campfire. After almost ten minutes, Zhou Jing suddenly asked, "How do you think my grandfather is doing now?"
His question caught me off guard.
Logically, I feared the worst for Old Master Zhou. His urgency in entrusting Zhou Jing to me, urging us to leave, suggested he believed his time was near. We had been away from Shanxi for a while now, and it was likely that whatever was meant to happen had already happened.
But how could I convey this to Zhou Jing?
Seeing me silent, Zhou Jing spoke up, "I know, my grandfather must have encountered trouble by now. It's okay, I don't blame you anymore."
I turned to look at him, his head buried in his knees, his slender frame looking so fragile. I felt a pang of sympathy for the boy.
Perhaps, he was even more pitiable than me?
We were both alone in the world, but at least I was in my twenties with the ability to survive, whereas he was just a child.
Impulsively, I reached out and patted Zhou Jing's head, saying, "Regardless, what happened to Old Master Zhou was because of me. From now on, you're my brother. As long as I have something to eat, you won't go hungry."
"I don't need it," Zhou Jing shook his head, softly saying, "I did a divination for you secretly the other day. Since entering the Qinling Mountains, your fate has become clearer. You'll likely rely on dealings with spirits for your livelihood. Our family has its methods in this regard. I've decided to help you out, so I can stand on my own two feet without dishonoring what my grandfather taught me."
Heh, the kid has plans!
I couldn't help but smile. This kid was interesting, certainly more spirited than I was at his age. A real man!
At that moment, Zhou Jing also looked up, but upon seeing me, he visibly flinched, then asked, "Since entering the Qinling Mountains, have you encountered something unclean again? The black energy in your disaster palace has intensified, indicating illness, and not a minor one. That black energy clearly suggests the illness will be caused by unclean forces!"
"Damn, really?" I was taken aback by Zhou Jing's words. I had no doubt about his divination skills, which had always been spot-on. His words made me uneasy.
"Really, the black energy has intensified..." Zhou Jing's voice trailed off as he suddenly sat up straight, his eyes wide with fear, staring behind me.
At the same moment, Heizi, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly sprang up, his fur bristling, and began to growl deeply.
Startled by their reactions, I felt a chill down my spine and asked Zhou Jing, "What's wrong?"
Zhou Jing forced a smile more painful than crying and pointed behind me!
Damn, not something behind me again?
I was nearly in tears, almost ready to run, but I managed to hold back. Whatever Zhou Jing's expression indicated, it was surely no good sign. Since it hadn't attacked me yet, it was probably still deciding whether to do so. Running would only provoke it to chase me, and then I'd truly be doomed!!
Having faced danger before, I forced myself to calm down, quietly grabbed the Hundred-Pi Knife beside me, ready to draw it at any moment, and slowly turned around. Then, when I saw what was behind me, I gasped in shock!!
It was a pair of blood-red eyes!!
Without pupils, just a glowing red, nestled not far behind me in a bush. Due to the dim light, I couldn't make out the owner of the eyes, only a vague outline that seemed humanoid, standing about 1.9 meters tall in the dark bushes!
Clang!
Instinctively, I drew the Hundred-Pi Knife, and at that moment, the thing in the bushes lunged at me!