On the road ahead, I constantly felt a sense of being watched, much like when I was tracked in Moru Village. To investigate, I deliberately found an excuse to stop, hoping to see what was following me.
However, all around were just trees, not even a bird's chirp, which was very strange. I quickened my pace. "Brother Zhang, do you feel like we're being watched?"
Zhang Dabiao glanced around, then rolled his eyes at me. "Are you seeing things or are you tired? What's watching you? Do you think you're a young maiden that someone would peep at? Hurry up and get on with it!"
Zhang Dabiao's words left me speechless. For the first time, I realized he had the potential of a sharp-tongued woman. But in this group, he was the only one I could ask, so I could only lower my head and continue on.
The path Fang Huixin chose was much easier to navigate than Li Jian's, with fewer trees. However, the further we went up the mountain, the stronger the feeling of being watched became. Finally, after rounding a bend, the team stopped, and I managed to catch a glimpse of the watcher.
Although it moved very fast, just a fleeting glimpse, I still recognized its identity – it was a Golden Mountain Ape.
These mountain apes are quite small. If you don't look closely, it's easy to mistake them for golden monkeys. If I hadn't seen these particular mountain apes, which specialize in scouting, with Fatty Kang on the mountaintop, I would have definitely mistaken it for a golden monkey. Su Dan Novel Network.
The appearance of the mountain ape also made my brow furrow. The memory of being trapped in a cave by mountain apes was too vivid. It was the first time in my life I had suffered such a significant loss. If it weren't for my good fortune and the protection of my ancestors, I would have been suffocated by the fire I set in that cave.
"What are you looking at?" Zhang Dabiao nudged me and said, "Fang Huixin wants us to go over there. We're almost at the camp where Li Zuoquan and the others were."
"En!"
Seeing others nearby, I didn't tell Zhang Dabiao about seeing the mountain ape. Besides, I was afraid I had misidentified it. After all, I had felt something watching me all along the way. If I had been mistaken and spoken out, it wouldn't have been good.
Although Fang Huixin is an ordinary person, her planning for the route and the mountain path was incredibly perfect. We hardly took any detours. According to the markers she drew on the map, we were about two kilometers away from where Li Jian and his group had camped.
Seeing Fang Huixin frowning, I couldn't help but ask, "Boss Fang, why have we stopped? Why aren't we going directly there? There's a cave there that can serve as our temporary camp, and it's only half a day's journey to the valley."
Fang Huixin looked back at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of idiocy and foolishness. "Do you think I'm as stupid as that old geezer Li Zuoquan? That's where they disappeared last. Do you want my people to follow them to their deaths? What are your intentions?"
As soon as she said that, everyone following her looked at me with strange expressions. Even the paper effigy maker glanced at me, then turned his head away with a look of pity.
At that moment, my face felt as hot as if I had been slapped several times. I wanted to retort, but I couldn't find any grounds for it, because she was right.
After all, quite a few people had died at that camp, and no one knew the exact circumstances. If our roles were reversed, I might have said even harsher words. It was my own fault for being distracted and not thinking, so being scolded was normal.
"Cough cough..." Zhang Dabiao coughed twice, drawing everyone's attention to him. He then said, "Boss Fang, are we stopping here to bypass it, or are we going in to explore?"
I was secretly grateful to Zhang Dabiao. If he hadn't used this question to divert the conversation, I wouldn't have known how to save face.
However, it was clear that Fang Huixin wouldn't bypass it. If they went around, it would take at least another five or six days of travel, and there was no guarantee the path would be clear.
Another thing was Li Rui. If he found out that after chasing me to the county town, he had only been chasing a subordinate of Fang Huixin, he would definitely realize that Fang Huixin was behind all of this and might even bring people to follow us.
At that point, even if Fang Huixin had heavenly abilities, they would be useless. Although that paper effigy maker looked very formidable, I didn't believe he wasn't afraid of guns.
"Mr. Zhang, which of these two options do you think is better?" Fang Huixin asked, instead of answering.
Zhang Dabiao was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily. "Boss Fang is a heroic woman. I'm sure you already have a plan in mind. I, Zhang Dabiao, am just a rough man and don't have such clever ideas. As for how to decide, we brothers will just listen."
When it came to offering advice, not only was Zhang Dabiao unwilling, but I also avoided it. If the advice was good, it was yours. If the advice was bad, all the trouble would find you. Only a fool would be willing to offer advice.
Facing Zhang Dabiao kicking the ball back, Fang Huixin showed no dissatisfaction. Instead, she directly ordered her subordinates to set up camp and rest for a while.
Then, Fang Huixin looked at me. "Master Xiao Song, is it alright to perform yin divination during the day?"
I frowned, unsure of what she was up to, but I answered truthfully, "Divining about yin people and yin matters needs to be done at night, as they belong to the underworld and cannot be exposed to sunlight."
"Oh!" Fang Huixin showed a look of sudden realization, then continued, "In that case, we'll rest here for a while until I figure out a proper method."
Seeing Fang Huixin enter the erected tent, I pulled Zhang Dabiao to a spot not far away. Only when we were almost out of sight of the others did I quietly say, "Brother Zhang, I saw what was spying on us."
"Isn't it a mountain ape? Why are you making such a fuss?"
"So you knew all along? Then why didn't you tell me? You made me worry the whole way and search for them." I looked at him with some surprise and a hint of complaint. "Brother, are you serious? Don't you remember how those hairy beasts chased us when we first entered the mountain? Are you planning to watch them make fools of themselves?"
Zhang Dabiao shook his head, his brow furrowed. "You underestimate that paper effigy maker next to Fang Huixin. I think he must have also noticed that mountain ape spying on us. It's just that I don't know his intentions for not saying anything. I suspect he'll go to the camp to check things out shortly."
"Should we follow him then?"
"If we follow him now, won't you be curious about whether they're alive or dead? Even if we don't want to go, they'll have to call us. Just watch."
Then we walked back towards the camp. Before we could get there, we were met by people looking for us.
"So you two are here! We've been looking for you."
Did Zhang Dabiao guess correctly? I mused to myself. "What does Boss Fang want with us?"
"I don't know. You'll have to ask our boss."