The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang

Chapter 13

Just as Huang Hua was lost in thought, the villagers handed each of them a hunting rifle used by mountain people in the forest. The barrel was very long and had a bandage attached. When it was leaned against the ground, it was almost as tall as a person, which made Huang Hua both amused and exasperated. Even so, knowing that it was the villagers' good intention, he was about to refuse when the villagers spoke first: "There are only six hunting rifles in the village. Take five with you for safety. Go early and come back early!"

Seeing the villagers' reluctant expressions, as if it were a farewell to life or death, everyone was deeply moved. Lu Xiangxiang stepped forward and said, "Fellow villagers, we appreciate your kindness. As for the weapons, we have already brought them." After saying that, she winked at Village Chief Zhang, who understood and stepped forward to say something. Then, she organized the villagers to follow Lu Xiangxiang's horse team and escort them all the way into the deep forest in the mountains before reluctantly saying goodbye.

Five large wolfhounds led the way, directed by Mei Hua, while Second Uncle guided the way and gave directions. Six horses walked in the middle, flanked by Lin Xiang, Lu Xiangxiang, and six others. Third Young Master and Zhang Kui brought up the rear. As for Yuan Zi, he stayed by Liu Qingfang's side, chatting and laughing, indicating that they had become quite familiar with each other.

The primeval forest was truly extraordinary. Towering trees, tall grasses, undulating terrain, and endless mountain ranges and canyons made one feel incredibly small. One wondered just how big and deep this Devil's Forest was, and what terrifying beasts roamed within. Thinking of this, Fang Yetong and Huang Hua couldn't help but touch the pistols and Swiss Army knives tucked into their waistbands.

Six horses were carrying a load of nearly a thousand pounds. Lin Xiang was really worried that the horses wouldn't be up to the task, so he couldn't help but take a look. Yuan Zi laughed and said, "Brother Lin Xiang, don't worry! These horses are special wild horses with extremely strong load-bearing capacity and endurance. Even if the weight is doubled, they can still walk steadily and freely."

"Really?" Huang Hua exclaimed in surprise, then said with some regret, "If I had known this would happen, I would have simply brought all the weapons and ammunition with me."

"Come on, Huang Hua, don't think I don't know. You brought up all those boxes of bullets from the back of the car, and that's still not enough!" Fang Yetong joked as she wrote.

Huang Hua felt embarrassed and sighed, "The All-Knowing Scholar truly lives up to his name! Even this matter couldn't escape your discerning eyes. I am truly impressed!" Huang Hua deliberately dragged out the last few words, but Fang Yetong didn't respond. Huang Hua was puzzled and leaned over to ask, "What are you writing, sir?"

Fang Yetong turned her head and tapped Huang Hua's head with her pen, saying, "I'm writing an adventure log of the Devil's Forest. Only someone like you is good for nothing and does nothing all day!"

Upon hearing that Fang Yetong was going to write a book, everyone couldn't help but curiously crane their necks to take a look. Fang Yetong quickly closed his notebook and said, "What? What? The book hasn't been published yet? I'll give everyone a copy when it's published, and I'll even sign it."

Seeing Fang Yetong's smug look, Liu Qingfang interrupted him, saying, "Fang Yetong, you're just being vain! Although you call yourself an all-knowing scholar, it's fine to ask you for information, but as for writing a book! Nobody would believe you!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Yetong panicked and quickly retorted, "Hey! Hey! Hey! I'm telling you, Liu Qingfang, are you in cahoots with Huang Hua? Do you know which class's all-knowing scholar can't read books? Hey... just wait and see!"

"Come on! With your level of skill..." Before Liu Qingfang and Huang Hua could continue to fool Fang Yetong, Yuan Zi interrupted, "Brother Yetong, remember to send me a copy when you finish writing!"

Fang Yetong said happily to Liu Qingfang and Huang Hua, "Look! Look! Yuanzi is so good! Unlike you two." Then, ignoring Liu Qingfang and Huang Hua's expressions, she said to Yuanzi with great confidence, "Yuanzi, don't worry! When my book is published, I will definitely send you the first hardcover edition, and it will definitely have my signature on it."

Atom was overjoyed and chatted and laughed all the way. He didn't feel lonely in the desolate forest. Time passed quickly, and the setting sun was about to disappear. The group had been hiking in the mountains for a whole afternoon. They didn't feel tired from the first day's journey. Instead, they felt excited and excited about the new things.

The oldest in the group was Second Uncle, a middle-aged man in his forties. He had the seniority and forest experience of the others. His father had already explained the direction and destination to him last night, and the route and experience his father had taken back then were deeply imprinted in his mind.

The youngest was Yuanzi, eighteen years old, who was overjoyed to be able to join the group on this trip into the mountains. San Shao, Zhang Kui, and Da Wa were all slightly older than Lu Xiangxiang and the others, around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, while Mei Hua was the same age as Lin Xiang.

Just then, my second uncle shouted from ahead, "Stop! Set up camp here tonight and continue tomorrow morning!"

The towering trees had already blocked out the last rays of the setting sun, and it looked like it was about to get dark. Everyone quickly marked out a spot to set up camp, and set up tents. There was a flurry of activity, but everything was in good order. Lin Xiang looked into the distance and sighed, "The sun sets so quickly in the mountains!" As the sun dipped below the horizon, everything became dark.

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang, Volume Two: The Devil's Forest, Surrounded by Enemies, Chapter Thirty-Six: The Night Meeting (Part One)

Chapter word count: 2325 Update time: 08-02-29 17:58

The campfire was brightly lit, and twelve people sat around it. Although the summer night was very hot, that was only relative to the city. It was still somewhat cool in the deep mountains and forests. If you weren't careful at night, you could easily catch a cold. There was dew in the mountains, which was constant all year round, regardless of spring, summer, autumn or winter.

On the campfire was a wild boar, pierced from head to tail by a large stick, its internal organs emptied out. It was being propped open with branches and sprinkled with fine salt, the aroma wafting through the air. After traveling all afternoon, everyone seemed to be starving, their mouths watering at the sight of the delicious food.

Uncle smiled. He had just hunted it in the forest with his big wolfhound. He had gotten it in less than fifteen minutes. This was a trophy, which was equivalent to an honor for a hunter.

Lu Xiangxiang looked at the dark night in the forest and asked her second uncle, "Second Uncle, aren't we going to send someone to stand guard?"

Uncle tilted his head to listen to the wind, then laughed and said, "Don't worry! This is the outer edge of the forest. At most, we'll only see big bears and Shar-Peis. There are big wolfhounds guarding the area, so there's nothing to be afraid of. This is a safe zone." As he spoke, he reached out and took a hunting knife to cut the roasted pig into pieces. Now that they heard this was a safe zone, no one was afraid at all. They quickly picked up the roasted wild boar and began to eat it.

This wild boar was big enough; even after processing, it would still weigh seventy or eighty pounds, enough for a meal and enough for tomorrow's breakfast. Seeing that everyone was already stuffed, Second Uncle cut off a few large pieces of meat and whistled to call the big wolfhound back to feed it. Unexpectedly, the wolfhound had a truly amazing appetite, eating almost all the meat, leaving not even bones. After being fed, the wolfhound automatically returned to its post, arousing everyone's curiosity: "This dog, oh no, this wolfhound, how come it's so obedient?"

Meihua explained that these were large wild wolves from the mountains. They were brought back to be raised and trained shortly after birth. Although there were many large wolves, only about ten large wolfhounds were truly capable of accompanying hunters into the mountains. They were extremely ferocious when attacking prey, but they were also very intelligent, knowing how to cooperate as a pack and find an opening to bite their prey to death.

The words sounded rather gory, and Liu Qingfang felt a pang in her heart. Fortunately, they were friends; if they were enemies, she wondered what it would feel like to be bitten. Despite her thoughts, she hoped that such a thing would not happen. Although Liu Qingfang did not believe in Buddhism, she could not help but chant the Buddhist mantra "Amitabha."

The three young masters and Zhang Kui rarely spoke, suggesting they were rather introverted. They hadn't taken any hunting rifles with them on this trip into the mountains, so Huang Hua gave each of the other six men a long gun and taught them how to use it. Now everyone was equipped with a long gun. Originally, there weren't any extra long guns besides the one each of the six men had brought. Unexpectedly, when loading the vehicle, Huang Hua had a whimsical idea to show off his skills, and now it came in handy.

The Third Young Master and Zhang Kui found it fascinating, not only because of the gun's design but also because they had never seen its bullets before, let alone its power. They held it in their hands as if it were a treasure, constantly examining it along the way, even while eating. They were genuinely afraid that Young Master Huang would suddenly take the gun back. They were overjoyed. During a break from their meal, the two were exchanging ideas and then went to Huang Hua's side to ask for his advice.

Uncle Er glanced at the two boys and shook his head. These two lads were only interested in guns. If you were to ask who owned the most old hunting rifles in the village, it would undoubtedly be these two. It was understandable that they were interested in guns, after all, they were the village's sharpshooters! Unexpectedly, Meihua and Yuanzi were also curious about guns, and were each taking Liu Qingfang and Lu Xiangxiang as their teachers, studying how to use guns.

Uncle Er was itching to use it too! He couldn't help but touch the gun in his pocket. In terms of accuracy, Uncle Er was the best when it came to the old hunting rifle. He had personally trained the two lads, Third Young Master and Zhang Kui. As the saying goes, "The student surpasses the master," but it seems Uncle Er is no longer up to the task.

Da Wa inspected the horses. He wasn't carrying a gun; it was hanging on the horse's back. He thought a gun wasn't as flexible as a knife, so he was carrying a wood-chopping knife about eighty centimeters long. It was said to be a family heirloom passed down from his ancestors during the Taiping Rebellion. It had even been used to behead Japanese soldiers before being used for chopping wood in the mountains. Despite the many years that had passed, the knife showed no signs of rust and remained as sharp as ever, proving it to be a truly fine knife.

The red glow of the fire illuminated everyone's faces. Suddenly, Uncle Er proposed a meeting to clarify all the work, the travel arrangements, and all the things to pay attention to. Everyone sat around the campfire, listening carefully to Uncle Er's assignment of tasks.

Second Uncle served as the guide on the outskirts of the Devil's Forest, with Lu Xiangxiang as the team leader, responsible for allocating manpower and supplies. Da Wa was in charge of watching the horses while camping, Yuan Zi was responsible for starting the fire, cooking, cleaning up after meals, and extinguishing the fire in the morning, Mei Hua was in charge of directing the five large wolfhounds to scout ahead and keep watch at night, Third Young Master and Zhang Kui were responsible for bringing up the rear, and Lu Xiangxiang, Lin Xiang, and the other six were responsible for watching the horses during the day.

The work was assigned in this way. When the arrangement of the night watch was mentioned, the second uncle reminded that we were still on the edge. There was no need to arrange anyone to keep watch for the first three days. Everyone should try to rest well and be in good spirits to deal with the many difficulties in the depths of the devil. On the fourth night, someone would be needed to keep watch. The initial plan was for two people to be on duty at a time, two shifts per night, with each shift lasting three hours. The specific arrangements would be discussed later depending on the situation.

When asked about the destination, the second uncle hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "We are heading north, passing through many rivers and canyons, Dead Man's Peak, and finally reaching Phoenix Mountain."

Phoenix Mountain!

Atom, Plum Blossom, and the others were taken aback, their expressions frozen as if by ice.

"Phoenix Mountain surprised them so much, could there be some ferocious beast? Or something even more terrifying?" Lin Xiang thought flashed through his mind. Seeing that Lu Xiangxiang and the others also looked blank, what exactly was going on? Could it be... that even Lu Xiangxiang didn't know? A terrible thought flashed through Lin Xiang's mind.

Lu Xiangxiang was completely baffled by her second uncle's words. Phoenix Mountain? There was no such mountain marked on the map or geography book, and her father hadn't said that the tomb was on Phoenix Mountain. He had only drawn a circle around a mountain that was as tall as a chicken or a sparrow. Could that be Phoenix Mountain? Now that she thought about it carefully, the shape really did look a bit like a phoenix taking flight. She just didn't know how they knew about Phoenix Mountain.

After Lu Xiangxiang asked this question, everyone pricked up their ears to listen carefully. How could such a beautiful name cause such surprise and fear? There must be some secret behind it.

The Third Young Master trembled as he said, "That's a terrible legend in the village. It's said that Phoenix Mountain is a hell for the dead. Anyone who goes to Phoenix Mountain will experience the methods of death and eventually be reduced to nothing."

"hell?"

"grim Reaper?"

Even Lu Xiangxiang and the others couldn't help but get goosebumps all over their bodies, as if they could see the eighteen levels of hell in front of them, climbing mountains of knives, being thrown into boiling oil, having their tongues cut off and eyes glared at, being torn in two by knives and saws, with Ox-Head and Horse-Face laughing coldly at the miserable state of the corpses and souls. Waves of painful groans and tormenting sounds came, making people shudder.

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang, Volume Two: The Devil's Forest, Surrounded by Enemies, Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Night Meeting (Part Two)

Chapter word count: 2391 Update time: 08-02-29 17:59

As if something terrifying had frightened the Third Young Master, he didn't continue. Everyone waited for what would happen next. The Second Uncle coughed twice, breaking the tense atmosphere, and then said, "According to ancient legends, Phoenix Mountain is just like the Spirit Mountain that Sun Wukong escorted Tang Sanzang and others to the Western Paradise to obtain Buddhist scriptures. The journey was fraught with danger and extremely dangerous. As for how your parents got into Phoenix Mountain more than ten years ago, that remains unknown."

As they spoke, everyone's eyes followed Second Uncle to look at Lu Xiangxiang. Lu Xiangxiang was just bewildered. In fact, she didn't know what was going on either. She only knew that this matter was related to the survival of mankind and to all the mysteries of death. That's why she had a sense of responsibility to find out the truth. If she had any selfish motives, it could only be to avenge her parents and to unravel the mystery of the fifth scroll on her body.

Thinking of all this, Lu Xiangxiang didn't say it out loud. Her second uncle sighed, "Back then, Meihua's father died in this devil's forest."

When Meihua's father was mentioned, Meihua lowered her head and remained silent, recalling her painful past. Her second uncle looked at her and, although he understood Meihua's feelings at that moment, he had to say something because it concerned everyone's safety. He had seen everyone chatting and laughing all afternoon, without any tension or vigilance. To be honest, his second uncle was worried.

"According to my father, Plum Blossom's father was bitten to death by a vine."

"A vine tree?" everyone exclaimed. "What is that?" Lu Xiangxiang had heard of vine trees before. They grow mostly in the Amazon rainforest, forming shrublands due to the unique climate and geography. In these areas, decaying leaves and mud create shallow pools that are as deep as swamps. If someone steps on them, well, they'll sink in and be unable to escape, suffocating to death in the mud.

Even more terrifying are the trees growing beside decaying leaves and mud. These trees are no different from ordinary trees, except that they are covered with countless vines. The vines grow longer and longer, possessing extremely strong pulling power. They can wrap around their prey when it is completely unprepared, strangling it to death. Only then can the prey be dismembered and the body secured to the ground. It is said that such a thing happened in the jungle during the Sino-Vietnamese War. It seems that Meihua's father's death was related to this. Although I can't be sure, it is probably seven or eight out of ten.

Sure enough, what her second uncle said next confirmed Lu Xiangxiang's idea. Liu Qingfang was already pale with fright at the thought of such a terrifying vine in the forest. Moreover, she had to search for Meihua's father's horrifying bones on the way. Wouldn't that be like walking into a trap?

Huang Hua comforted Liu Qingfang, saying, "Don't worry! I thought it was some kind of thousand-year-old monster, but it turns out it's just a phenomenon of the natural law of survival. Next time I encounter a vine tree, hehe... this young master will definitely burn it to the ground!"

Fang Yetong chimed in from the side, "That's right! Burn this menace! Didn't we bring incendiary bombs and solid fuel? What's there to be afraid of? Second Uncle, tell me about the truly terrifying things. What's even more terrifying in this Devil's Forest?"

Upon hearing this question, Third Young Master, Zhang Kui, and the others exchanged bewildered glances. They never expected there to be someone so fearless. Second Uncle continued, "There are wild beasts in the forest, but those can be dealt with with guns. But do you know that the village has horses? Why can't we go to the county town to sell our goods?"

“Yes! I also find it strange. Why can’t the village, which has horses and can hunt so much game, go to the county town to exchange for some better things?” Lin Xiang said, expressing his thoughts.

Before her second uncle could answer, Liu Tao blurted out, "It must be because those who went out never came back!"

"How did you know?" Lin Xiang and the others asked, puzzled.

"Hehe... Based on my years of experience as an assassin! Just guess! Why take it so seriously?" Liu Tao quickly changed his tune when he saw the strange looks on everyone's faces.

"Yes! This young man is right. It's because everyone who wanted to leave the village died on the way. They were already lying dead by the roadside before they even left the mountains. Their deaths were extremely gruesome, with their flesh and blood all over their bodies."

"Oh! What's going on? Does this mean we're only allowed to come in but not leave?" Everyone thought for a moment, then heard the eldest child say, "This is a curse on the village by the devil!"

"Stop talking nonsense! There are no ghosts in this world! This is clearly just psychological! Or someone is playing tricks behind the scenes. Lu Xiangxiang, what do you say? You're an archaeologist, you're the most qualified to speak on this matter. You don't also believe that there really are ghosts in this world, do you?" Huang Hua turned the question to Lu Xiangxiang. If his second uncle continued to talk nonsense, this person would be scared to death before even encountering a ghost.

Lu Xiangxiang thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say. There are still many strange and wonderful things that science has not yet been able to explain. For example, how did our country's Great Wall move such huge rocks to the top of the mountain? Or how were the Egyptian pyramids built? Although all of these seem to have traces, our current scientific understanding is still insufficient. It will take many years of research by historians to make a conclusion."

These words made everyone shake their heads. Although Lu Xiangxiang's considerations were thorough and cautious, wasn't this just saying the middle ground? Helpless, everyone had to move on to the next topic, which led to snakes! Snakes are most active and venomous in the height of summer. There are countless kinds of venomous snakes in this devilish forest, ranging in size from as small as a finger to as thick as a bucket. One must be careful when walking in this forest.

So my second uncle took out some sulfur and sprinkled some outside the tent, then gave some to everyone and reminded them: "Starting tomorrow morning, wrap the sulfur around your ankles to minimize the risk of snakes attacking your legs from the grass." Although everyone had brought medicine to treat snake and insect venom, they couldn't be careless. They didn't want to be bitten by those slippery snakes; just looking at them made them feel disgusted.

The task assigned for tomorrow morning was to wear hats and not wear shorts or t-shirts. Even if it was hot, long shirts and trousers were required. Since there were many mosquitoes in the forest, everyone had to be careful and take care of themselves. Then, Uncle looked at the sky. It was late at night, so he said to everyone, "Go to sleep! We still have a long journey ahead tomorrow."

After they finished speaking, everyone dispersed, returned to their tents, lay down in their sleeping bags, pondered for a while, and then fell asleep.

As Lin Xiang entered the tent, he looked at the sky and felt a bit strange. The towering trees made it impossible to see the stars in the night sky, so how did he know the time? Lin Xiang checked his watch; it was already 10:30 p.m. It seemed that the mountain people had their own unique way of life, and perhaps the concept of "experience" originated from this!

Three tents were set up, with four people per tent for the twelve people. Since only one extra sleeping bag was brought with the trip, it was given to Yuanmei, and the other five people had to sleep on the haystacks. Mountain people are used to haystacks, so they felt uncomfortable lying in sleeping bags! Yuanmei was very curious and asked how to use them. The older sisters demonstrated for her, and then they quietly drifted off to sleep.

The night passed by by the campfire. What would tomorrow bring? Lin Xiang pondered, reaching out to touch the gun beside him. Was this Devil's Forest really as terrifying as his second uncle had described? At this moment, he truly missed home, wondering how his mother was doing.

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang, Volume Two: The Devil's Forest, Surrounded by Enemies, Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Appearance of the Night Demon: Ghost Mist

Chapter word count: 3025 Update time: 08-02-29 17:59

After breakfast, we formed a planned and orderly combat team and continued into the forest according to the tasks assigned the night before. The forest was full of towering trees and overgrown weeds. The scorching sun could hardly reach us. The sounds of birds and insects filled the air, creating a series of beautiful melodies.

The weeds were multiplying, and the path was becoming increasingly difficult to traverse. The undulating terrain left them drenched in sweat and parched. In the mountains, they could only stop briefly to drink a few sips of water before continuing on their way. Such strenuous climbing, traversing slopes, and crossing streams was a significant test of their endurance, even for these children from wealthy families. Lin Xiang was already panting heavily. He had endured all sorts of hardships when he went out to work, and after a few years of relatively comfortable high school life, he never imagined that even this level of exertion would leave him so exhausted.

Uncle looked back and saw that everyone was exhausted. He glanced at the sun in the sky and told them to rest for a while and continue when they had the strength. He thought that the current pace was indeed too slow. They couldn't possibly walk through this devil's forest for a month! So, once they had rested, he told Lin Xiang, Lu Xiangxiang, and the others to get on their horses and continue their journey. They wanted to take advantage of the fact that the road was relatively easy to travel and there were traces of small paths, and cross the outer edge of the devil's forest as soon as possible to avoid the dangers of the vines.

As soon as she sat down, she collapsed to the ground, her legs numb and weak. She grabbed her water bag and gulped down several mouthfuls. Fortunately, this was not a desert; there was plenty of water in the primeval forest, so it was okay to waste some. There were springs and streams to replenish her water along this stretch of the journey. Lu Xiangxiang also repeatedly emphasized that in the forest, they would eat wild animals and vegetables, and that their dry rations should be kept intact for any eventuality.

Lin Xiang and Lu Xiangxiang collapsed to the ground with a thud. Even Liu Tao, who called himself an assassin, couldn't withstand such torment. Although he insisted on physical training every day in high school, it wasn't like conducting combat exercises in the mountains. However, he was much stronger than Lin Xiang and the others.

Huang Hua, panting, said, "I say, Third Young Master and Zhang Kui... don't you feel tired?"

The Third Young Master and Zhang Kui were only slightly out of breath, unlike Huang Hua, whose face was flushed and whose chest was heaving like an old man about to die.

Hearing his master ask, the Third Young Master replied first: "Young Master Huang, this mountain road is nothing to us brothers. You didn't see what happened a few years ago when we brothers were running all over the mountains with hunting rifles. That was really tough. We didn't rest for three days in a row. Do you know why?"

"Bullshit! Three days and three nights without sleep? I don't believe it! So tell me why?" Huang Hua asked, and everyone turned their attention to the Third Young Master and Zhang Kui.

“Bragging? We mountain folk don’t lie!” Zhang Kui continued, “Back then, when Third Young Master and I went into the mountains, we encountered a huge herd of wild boars and giant bears. We couldn’t kill them all in three days and three nights. Instead, we were chased by these wild beasts. We ran for our lives for days and almost lost our lives. If you don’t believe me, ask Second Uncle. He wouldn’t lie to you, would he?” He pointed to Second Uncle as he spoke.

The second uncle nodded and walked over, saying, "These two lads disappeared for three days and three nights after entering the mountains. The villagers were so worried that they thought they had been eaten by wild beasts. As a result, the whole village went into the mountains to search for them during the day. Luckily, these two lads were lucky. Otherwise, we would have been collecting their bodies, and they would have been reporting to the King of Hell long ago."

Uncle's words impressed Lin Xiang and the others greatly; they really wanted to witness such a great storm.

Huang Hua couldn't help but say from the side, "Impressive! Amazing! I really want to see such a thrilling scene. No matter how many beasts come, I'll kill them all and show them my skills! Hehe... this gun isn't just for show." He then shook the gun in his hand.

Huang Hua's words were so righteous and awe-inspiring that everyone was stunned. They all wished they wouldn't encounter any terrifying beasts, but he insisted on creating a life-or-death situation. Sigh... people are just that strange. Everyone was speechless, except for Yuanzi Mei who was secretly laughing. As for Second Uncle, he felt they had rested enough, so he called everyone to set off. And so, Lin Xiang, Lu Xiangxiang, and the other six people mounted their horses and continued on their journey, swaying and rocking.

They camped at night and traveled during the day, and continued on their journey for two more days. The journey was peaceful and not as terrible as they had been told. My second uncle found it strange. Normally, they would have encountered attacks from wild beasts by now, so why was it so peaceful? Suddenly, he realized something was wrong. It was too peaceful, so peaceful that it was illogical and made him feel a little scared.

So Uncle Er shouted to the back, "Everyone, be careful, there might be danger!" After saying that, Uncle Er went to the front and said to Meihua, "Meihua, don't you feel something's wrong? We've been here for several days, why haven't we seen any wild beasts?"

Mei Hua pondered for a moment and said, "Hmm! I've also found it strange these past few days. Apart from wild boars, I haven't seen any other large wild animals, not even gorilla bears. Could it be that they've all moved away?"

"Impossible! Something must have gone wrong. We'd better be careful! We'd better hurry on our way. This place gives off a very ominous feeling." He then shouted to everyone to hurry through the woods, because there was a fairly wide meadow not far ahead, and it would be safer if they could see further ahead.

They had just emerged from the woods and reached the center of the meadow, before they could even rest, when suddenly a bolt of lightning flashed, followed by a deafening clap of thunder in clear weather. Everyone looked up in surprise. Strange? Thunder in clear weather? It didn't seem like it was going to rain at all. Just as they were racking their brains trying to figure it out, a cool breeze suddenly swept across their faces, startling them: Why was it so chilly? This feeling was somewhat terrifying. Then they heard their large wolfhound barking wildly. Had some ferocious beast arrived? Huang Hua, already holding his powerful Desert Eagle, jumped off his horse.

The wolfhound's barking grew louder and more urgent. If it weren't for Mei Hua whistling beside him, the wolfhound would probably have already pounced. Following the direction of the wolfhound's barking, could there be some powerful beast in the woods opposite? Before Lin Xiang could figure it out, suddenly there was a sound of horses neighing in alarm. He stamped his feet frantically, already losing control. His second uncle shouted, "Quickly dismount and stop the horses! Don't let them get away!"

Then they realized that all the supplies were on the horses. If the horses got lost, everyone would be doomed. What kind of ferocious beast could make the horses and the large wolfhound so uneasy? Without thinking further, Lin Xiang and the others jumped off the horses and grabbed the reins. The Third Young Master and Zhang Kui comforted the horses, while Huang Hua had already aimed his gun at the woods ahead and asked, "Second Uncle, what kind of powerful beast is it? Come out quickly! Let me riddle you with bullets."

Uncle Er didn't know what kind of ferocious beast could make the large wolfhound so agitated and uneasy. This was the first time he had seen such a situation. He was about to ask Meihua when he saw that Meihua was also shocked. Suddenly, the wolfhound, barking fiercely, began to back away on all fours. The horses were neighing even louder than before. Uncle Er suddenly sensed something was wrong. He looked up at the sky and saw that it had become dark. A gust of wind blew by, and he saw a white mist rising from the woods opposite, drifting lightly and growing thicker as it moved toward them.

"Poisonous miasma?" Lu Xiangxiang exclaimed in surprise.