Watching the problematic girl sleeping soundly on my shoulder, her hair brushing against her nose, I reached out to scratch it. I found it hard to reconcile her with the violent, future-warrior-like person she was just moments ago.
Before getting into the car, I secretly asked Zhang Dabiao if he could kick the Saheihua chair to pieces. The answer I received was a big eye-roll and a cold snort, suggesting this problematic girl's strength might be even more terrifying than Zhang Dabiao's.
No wonder Li Zuoquan and Fang Niuzi were wary of her. It turned out she truly possessed such strength. But could her raw power truly contend with Feng Shui masters?
Li Zuoquan had prepared three SUVs for transport, along with two unfamiliar pickup trucks. All five vehicles were packed to the brim.
However, when it came time to arrange seating, a problem arose. No one wanted to ride in the same car as the problematic girl, especially Kang Pangzi. Upon hearing he was to be paired with her, he declared he wouldn't go if they were in the same vehicle.
Li Jian, in his helplessness, arranged for me, Zhang Dabiao, and the problematic girl to be in one car. Besides the three of us and the driver, no one else would join our car, preferring to squeeze together in the others.
As we boarded, Zhang Dabiao wanted to sit with me, but a glare from the problematic girl sent him to the co-pilot's seat. She then plopped down beside me. She opened her travel bag and took out an eye mask and a pair of earplugs.
Seeing me looking at her strangely, she bared her small fangs and glared at me.
"This young lady needs her beauty sleep. I warn you, don't even think about taking advantage of me, or you'll regret it."
I 'feigned' fear and leaned towards the car door, spreading my hands to indicate it was all her territory. Then, I looked out the window.
At first, she sat steadily, but soon her head began to lean towards me involuntarily. I tried to push her upright twice, to prevent her from waking up and beating me for taking liberties, but after a short while, she leaned over again. Finally, I resigned myself to letting her be.
Zhang Dabiao, sitting in the front, was already snoring, appearing to be fast asleep.
The first half of the journey to find the treasure was smooth, with stable road conditions and little jolting. However, as we progressed, the car began to sway left and right. Fearing the problematic girl might hit her head, I carefully supported her with my hand, lest she wake up and accuse me of not being considerate.
The thought of the problematic girl challenging Li Zuoquan to a duel made me want to laugh. I had actually seen a look of utter despair and helpless resignation on Li Zuoquan's face. I never imagined anyone could push Li Zuoquan to such a point.
He hadn't been this disheveled even when fighting the Fifth Prince. Now, he was being made to look so pathetic by a problematic girl.
I adjusted her head again and then asked the driver.
"Driver, we've been driving for almost two hours. When will we arrive?"
"It's uncertain. If things go smoothly, it should be about another hour. If we encounter rain, we might not reach the designated location even by dawn."
When we set off, Li Zuoquan had solemnly handed the map to Li Jian. The two of them whispered for a long time, and I didn't know what they discussed, but in any case, Li Jian's expression after receiving the map was rather grim, as if he had lost his father.
The car's swaying was like my mother's gentle rocking cradle from my childhood, making me feel sleepy. As I drifted in and out of sleep, I suddenly felt myself lurch forward, followed by a jolt.
CRASH—
"Ouch!"
"Mmm!"
The sudden stop sent both the problematic girl and me surging forward, our heads colliding.
The problematic girl, jolted awake by the pain, rubbed her bumped forehead and immediately kicked the back of the driver's seat.
"Hey, how are you driving? You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
The driver, perhaps aware of this young lady's temper, quickly explained, "It's not my fault. The car in front suddenly stopped. You can't blame me."
I looked through the windshield and indeed, the SUV ahead had stopped, and someone had gotten out and was walking towards us.
*Clang—*
The person knocked on the car window. Zhang Dabiao rolled down the front window.
"What's wrong? Why did we stop?"
The person was a young fellow who followed Li Jian. He was a bit dark-skinned, hence his nickname, Hei Zi (Blacky).
"The road ahead has been washed out by a flash flood. The cars can't pass. We'll have to walk the rest of the way."
Zhang Dabiao didn't get out and retorted, "Didn't you scout the route beforehand? How could it be washed out by a flash flood?"
"We did scout it, and this is the easiest path. But this Qingfeng Mountain is a bit strange. It starts raining without any warning."
As Hei Zi finished speaking, a warm, humid breeze blew in through the window.
Seeing this, Hei Zi bolted, covering the distance in a few quick strides, his speed comparable to a world-class sprinter.
"What's with this kid?"
"Idiot, what else could it be? It's going to rain, obviously."
As the problematic girl's disdainful voice faded, a torrential downpour began outside. The raindrops hitting the car roof sounded like rocks being thrown from above, clattering noisily. The windshield instantly turned a milky white, and even the red taillights of the car not far away became two pinpricks of red, barely visible if one didn't look closely.
"Is this even rain? It looks like the Dragon King is urinating!"
"Don't act so surprised. Doesn't it rain where you're from?" The problematic girl, her eyes fixed on the downpour outside, seemed to contemplate going out, but she spoke with a mocking tone.
"It does rain where I'm from, but this kind of downpour is uncommon."
The rain came as quickly as it left. In about half an hour, the rain had completely stopped.
Stepping out of the car, the fresh scent of post-rain air filled my nostrils, sweeping away the oppressive atmosphere of the mountains.
I checked the position of the foremost vehicle and discovered that due to the heavy rain, a channel half a meter deep and over two meters wide had been carved out. Gurgling rainwater was flowing before us.
"This is going to be fun. How about we just turn back?"
Li Jian, who had gotten out to inspect from a short distance, had a dark expression, seemingly speechless at the unfortunate turn of events.
Li Jian directly shook his head and refused, "No, we must reach the designated location before dawn."
"No? If not, you carry the equipment up the mountain. Let me tell you, I can't carry any equipment. I'm still growing."
I mentally calculated that with five vehicles' worth of equipment, averaging it out per person, each would have to carry at least fifty catties of gear. If I had to carry it all the way, I'd be utterly exhausted.
Li Jian gritted his teeth, glared at me, and snorted at Hei Zi, "I'll lead the people into the mountain first. You arrange for the rest of the personnel to bring the equipment. Make sure to reach the designated location before dark tomorrow."
"Understood."