There was no conversation that night. At noon the next day, Zhang Jinya and I met up as scheduled. Except for Zhou Jing and I, everyone carried heavy bags and left Guangyuan Village and went into the vast Qinling Mountains.
This was my first time to travel long distances in such a wilderness. In the past, I only went to climb mountains with a few friends, and they were not the kind of mountains with particularly high altitudes. After all, I know my small body well. I probably can't climb a mountain with an altitude of more than 1,500 meters. Now that I have entered the old forest of the Qinling Mountains, I suddenly know what suffering is! ! !
There is absolutely no trace of artificial development in this mountain. The grass in the forest is almost knee-high. Every step I take requires me to use a stick to probe ahead to prevent snakes and cats from biting me in the grass when I'm not paying attention. I've picked out more than a dozen snakes before I've walked ten miles. One of them, according to Zhang Jinya, is a kind of snake unique to the mountains in the northwest, called the black witch snake. It is very poisonous. If it bites a person and the serum is not given within an hour, the toxin will penetrate into the internal organs. By then, no one can save the person. I was so scared that I walked more carefully. Otherwise, if I was bitten in this wilderness, I would be helpless and could only wait to die! As a result, I walked even slower. People who walk slowly get tired easily. In addition, it was already high in the sun, and I started sweating after walking for a while. The sweat soaked my camouflage uniform, and the feeling of it sticking to my body was unimaginable. The most disgusting thing was the smell, which was like the pickled cabbage that women in Northeast China had kept in a jar for a month. It was so horrible.
This was not the most important thing!!
The most annoying thing is the mosquitoes in the mountains. The mosquitoes in the mountains are different from those in the city. They are almost half the length of a person's finger. They will pounce on people without hesitation. No matter how much mosquito repellent you put on your body, it is useless. It is said that the thing can bite an old ox and make it scream. I suffered a lot along the way. The worst time was when two gadflies bit me twice. People who have been bitten by gadflies know that it hurts a lot when the thing bites people. It feels like a needle prick, and you can feel it instantly. Afterwards, the bitten place is swollen and can hang on the A cup bra. The swelling can't go down for several days. Of course, compared to Zhang Jinya, I am relatively lucky. When that guy was relieving himself, a gadfly hiding in the bushes drilled into his crotch and bit him. The bitten guy covered his balls and howled in the forest. He was almost killed. After that, he had to stick his butt out when walking.
In short, I was tortured to the point of collapse after just one day. I wanted to slap myself twice. You said you should just live a good life, why did you want to be greedy for money and collect the 100-blade knife? Now it's good, even the comfortable life before is gone, this is the end of being a slut! !
But no matter how much I complained, the day's journey was over. We set up a tent on the top of a small hill called "Wild Man Slope" by the locals. Fatty Wu said that the terrain here is high and it is easy to detect any disturbance.
Dinner was basically eaten with dry food and water. I chewed half a pound of beef jerky and ate two compressed biscuits and went back to the tent with Heizi to sleep. I was really too tired. It was my first time to travel long distances in the wild. It was a miracle that I could hold on until now.
I slept so drowsily that I forgot the time. Finally, Zhang Jinya woke me up. When I opened my eyes, I found that it was about four o'clock in the morning.
"You are born in the Year of the Pig, why are you sleeping so soundly!"
Zhang Jinya complained to me with a grin: "Hurry up, it's your turn to keep watch, I'm still a wounded soldier."
I just remembered that when we were having dinner last night, Rosa arranged for Zhou Jing and I to keep watch at 4 a.m., which was the best time everyone arranged for me to take care of me, because it was almost dawn at this time, and even if there were any dirty things, they would rush back to their nests and would not come out to harm others.
Although I am the weakest in this team except for Zhou Jing, I can still do this. I didn't hesitate and got up immediately. Seeing Zhang Jinya sticking his butt out, I couldn't help but joked: "You are still injured? What's wrong? Are you in pain again?"
"Go away, stay away!"
Zhang Jinya glared at me fiercely and pushed me out of the tent: "Why are you such a bastard? It would be fine if you didn't say anything. Once you said it, my balls are even more painful. I don't know who I provoke. I bit you and now my balls are swollen."
I couldn't help laughing and woke up Heizi. To be on the safe side, I also took the Fa Qiu Seal and Bai Pi Dao. I had no choice. I heard them talk a lot about the dangers of the Ten Deadly Tombs and the Qinling Mountains along the way. I was a little scared. It would be safer to take these two things.
When I took Heizi out of the tent, Zhou Jing, the brat, was already sitting in front of the campfire. Although it was summer, it was still quite cold in the deep mountains at night. It was easy to catch a cold if you didn't lean on the fire.
I went up and patted Zhou Jing on the shoulder: "What are you thinking about?"
Zhou Jing twisted his body unnaturally and didn't say anything. The top of the mountain was quiet, with only the crackling sound of the campfire. After nearly ten minutes, Zhou Jing suddenly asked: "Tell me, how is my grandfather now?"
His question stumped me.
Rationally speaking, I think that Mr. Zhou is probably not well now. At the beginning, Mr. Zhou was impatient to give Zhou Jing to me and asked me to take Zhou Jing away, which means that the old man's calculation of his own deadline was probably very close at that time. Now we have been away from Shanxi for a while, and I am afraid that everything that should have happened has already happened.
But how can I tell Zhou Jing about these things?
Seeing that I didn't say anything, Zhou Jing started talking to himself: "Actually, I know that grandpa must have been in trouble. It's okay. I don't blame you now."
I couldn't help but turn my head to look at Zhou Jing. The child's head was buried between his legs. His thin body looked very frail. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
Perhaps, he is more pitiful than me?
We are both alone, but I am at least in my twenties and have the ability to survive, while he is just a child.
For some reason, I reached out and touched Zhou Jing's head, and said, "No matter what, Grandpa Zhou got into trouble because of me. You will be my brother in the future. As long as I have something to eat, you will definitely not starve."
"No need."
Zhou Jing shook his head and said softly, "I secretly told you another fortune the other day. Since entering the Qinling Mountains, your fate has become clearer. In the future, you will probably have to rely on ghosts and gods to make a living. In this regard, we Xiangmen also have our own ways. I have thought about it. I will follow you to help you in the future. In this way, I can be self-reliant and not disgrace what my grandfather taught me."
Hey, good boy, you have an idea!
I laughed immediately. This guy is interesting. Anyway, he is better than me when I was a child. I didn't have this kind of backbone when I was a child. He is a man!
At this time, Zhou Jing also raised his head, but when he saw me, he was obviously stunned, and then asked me: "Did you encounter any dirty things again after entering Qinling? Why is the black air in your disease palace heavier? This is a sign of illness, and it is not a good disease. The black air clearly means that your illness this time is caused by dirty things!"
"Damn, is it?"
My heart sank when Zhou Jing said that. I have no doubt about this kid's ability to read faces. It is absolutely awesome. He has read it several times and it has never been wrong. After hearing what he said, I was a little confused.
"Really, the black air is heavier..."
Zhou Jing stopped talking here. His originally thin body suddenly collapsed straight, his eyes widened, and he looked behind me with fear.
And Heizi, who was lying on the ground just now, jumped up all of a sudden. His originally soft fur suddenly exploded, and finally he let out a heavy breath of "whoosh".
I was shocked by their posture, and felt a chill on my back, so I asked Zhou Jing: "What's wrong?"
Zhou Jing forced a smile that was more embarrassing than crying, and raised his hand to point behind me!
Damn it, is there something behind me again?
I almost cried, and almost ran away in fear, but I held back in the end. The one who could make Zhou Jing show such an expression was definitely not a good person. No matter what it was, since the cat didn't move behind me, it meant that it was still hesitating whether to attack me. In this case, I must not move rashly. As long as I run away, the other party will definitely catch up immediately, and then I will really be finished! !
Anyway, I have experienced several dangerous times, and soon forced myself to calm down, and then quietly picked up the Baipi knife beside me, holding the handle and ready to draw the knife at any time, then slowly turned around, and then, when I saw the scene behind me clearly, I took a breath of cold air! !
It was a pair of blood-red eyes!!
There were no pupils, and they were bright red. They were in a bush not far behind me. Because of the dim light, I couldn't see who the owner of the eyes was. I could only see a rough outline. It seemed to be a human-shaped thing, about 1.9 meters tall, standing in the dark bushes!
Clang!
I subconsciously pulled out the Baipi Knife in my hand, and at this moment, the thing in the bushes also rushed towards me!