The sky was blue, the sea was salty, and one couldn't go out to do business without money. After ten years of my master's tutelage, I had an immense love for money, mainly due to my father's medical expenses. The more I could earn, the better, especially since they were wealthy and didn't seem to have good intentions.
After Fang Niubizi agreed, Li Jian said he'd pay later. But I disagreed, insisting on payment now or I wouldn't take a step. In the end, he reluctantly took the satellite phone and walked out of the cave. A moment later, he tossed it back to me, asking me to check if the money had arrived.
I generously returned the satellite phone to him. "I still have this bit of trust in Elder Li. Otherwise, how could we go on from here? Don't you think so?"
Li Jian nodded with a forced smile, took the satellite phone, and walked over to Kang Pangzi. "I've inconvenienced you this time. When we get back, I'll definitely give you a satisfactory explanation."
Kang Pangzi nodded without speaking. Then, Li Jian began arranging for people to check the remaining supplies and organize manpower to go down the mountain to meet the reinforcements carrying supplies. If they hadn't warned the people below about the mountain ghouls, who knew how many would have been injured.
Therefore, the manpower was a bit insufficient. Zhang Dabiao and Yue'er were naturally assigned to go down the mountain with Hei Zi and others to meet those coming up with supplies. I, along with Kang Pangzi, would go to drug the mountain ghouls. Li Jian and Fang Niubizi, being the oldest, were left to guard the supplies.
Regarding Li Jian's arrangements, Yue'er directly declared she needed her beauty sleep and anyone else could go. This made Li Jian's face turn ashen.
Before we set off, I pulled Yue'er aside. For this, I paid a heavy price; my entire arm was pinched black and blue. I didn't know how she managed it, but it only felt painful without leaving any visible marks. Su Dan Novel Network
Only when I felt the flesh on my arm was no longer mine did she release her grip, baring her two small canine teeth and glaring at me, "If you have something to say, spit it out."
Gritting my teeth and rubbing my bruised arm, I asked with a fawning smile, "What did you sprinkle at the cave entrance last night that made those mountain ghouls afraid to come in?"
This wasn't a wild guess. I had pondered it for half the night to figure it out. Mountain ghouls had excellent eyesight and a good sense of smell. Even if Yue'er disguised the cave entrance perfectly, it could only fool humans, not creatures like mountain ghouls with their relatively keen sense of smell.
Upon hearing this, Yue'er's expression turned serious. "Why are you asking this?"
Seeing her reaction, I felt a surge of joy. I had guessed correctly; she had a way to deal with mountain ghouls.
The reason I agreed to accompany Kang Pangzi to the mountain ghouls' lair was because of Yue'er. When Zhang Dabiao and I entered last night, she said she would make some arrangements at the cave entrance. Therefore, I was certain Yue'er had placed something there.
Otherwise, no matter how well you disguised it, you couldn't escape the pursuit of mountain ghouls, as they not only relied on sight to identify prey but also on scent to track them.
Last night, after being kicked by Yue'er and sleeping near the cave entrance, I barely slept and heard the mountain ghouls' calls all night. I was very sure they hadn't failed to find us, but for some reason, they were afraid to enter. Otherwise, all of us would have become their meals.
"Aren't I going on an adventure? I don't think you want to see me fed to the mountain ghouls, do you? So, give me some of what you put at the cave entrance, just enough to make the mountain ghouls not attack me."
Yue'er scrutinized me from head to toe and then smiled, pursing her lips. "So that's why your courage suddenly increased. You were after my secret medicine. She then rolled her eyes, "It was all used up last night. There's nothing left."
I was stunned. What should I do now? Without Yue'er's secret medicine, I couldn't outrun that fatso. Was I going to die young at such a tender age?
Just as I was feeling utterly dejected, I noticed Yue'er secretly looking at me, her eyes full of amusement. If I couldn't figure out by then that she was lying to me, I deserved to die.
"Oh, Yue'er, I know you still have some. How about this: I'll give you all the money Li Jian gave me just now, without keeping a single cent, if you just give me some secret medicine to deal with the mountain ghouls. What do you say?"
Seeing that I had figured out her little trick, Yue'er showed no embarrassment. Instead, she drew out her words, "Not very good."
At this moment, Kang Pangzi was already urging me to set off quickly, or we wouldn't be back by nightfall.
Ignoring the fatso's urging, I looked at Yue'er earnestly and said, "Name your price, and I'll agree to anything I can do."
"Really?"
"More real than diamonds."
Yue'er tilted her head and thought carefully. "Deal. But I haven't thought of the conditions yet. I'll tell you when I do." After saying that, she threw me a jade bottle as thick as a little finger and said, "This is all that's left. Just pour it on yourself, and the mountain ghouls won't dare to attack you. But don't get too close to them. If you get surrounded by mountain ghouls, this stuff won't be useful."
I tightly clutched the jade bottle containing the secret medicine, so excited I wanted to kiss Yue'er twice, but remembering her violent tendencies, I refrained.
Seeing that our conversation was over, Zhang Dabiao still looked worried and said to me, "Brother, why don't I go with you? I'm still a bit uneasy."
I shook my head firmly. "Brother Zhang, just trust me this once. I can't live under your protection forever; otherwise, I'll never grow up. Besides, Li Jian and the others wouldn't agree to you going. Just wait for me here. With Yue'er's secret medicine and my Heavenly Skill Seal, I don't believe I can't handle that fatso."
Seeing my firm stance, Zhang Dabiao said nothing more, but his slightly furrowed brow indicated he was still worried. Finally, he patted my shoulder helplessly. "Be careful with everything. If things go south, don't worry about anything else; protecting yourself is the most important thing. Do you understand?"
I grinned. "Of course. My life is the most important thing in the world. I definitely won't gamble with my own life."
Zhang Dabiao nodded, then followed Hei Zi and the others down the mountain to meet the reinforcements bringing supplies.
As for me, I followed Kang Pangzi, each with a map, towards the mountain ghouls' lair. He walked ahead with the map, and I followed him at a leisurely pace, taking out the secret medicine Yue'er gave me and carefully pouring a little on myself.
Before leaving, Yue'er told me that this stuff not only protected against mountain ghouls but also rendered Kang Pangzi's蛊虫 (gu worms) ineffective. This was why Yue'er didn't take Kang Pangzi seriously at all.
According to the map, we were only a few centimeters away from the mountain ghouls' lair; a single step would take us there. But in reality, the journey was much longer.
This was not only due to the height of the mountains but also because some areas were so densely overgrown with trees that we had to detour, or there were ravines that made passage impossible.
After walking for a whole morning, we had covered less than two-thirds of the distance. Looking at Kang Pangzi, who was as exhausted as a dead dog, I couldn't help but feel curious. How could this fatso have such good stamina?
All the way, he had barely stopped, always walking at the front, either looking at the map or identifying directions. We had hardly spoken a word.
Kang Pangzi, who had sat down to rest, saw me looking at him and beckoned me closer.
All along the way, I had been wary of him making a move against me, but in reality, he hadn't made any strange moves. However, I still hadn't let down my guard. Li Zuquan had also placed his蛊虫 without any warning.
I stopped about a meter away from him.
"Something wrong?"
He threw the snakeskin bag he had been carrying on his back at my feet, panting, "I've been carrying this thing all morning. The rest of the way, it's your turn to carry it. Huff... huff..."