Ye Qiu and Master Longbrow headed west.
After walking for over an hour,
Ye Qiu looked up, seeing endless mountains stretching ahead.
Boundless.
“Old man, where exactly are we going?” Ye Qiu couldn’t help but ask.
Master Longbrow chuckled, “Don’t rush. You’ll know when we get there.”
“How much farther?” Ye Qiu asked again.
“Almost there, almost there,” Master Longbrow said, leading the way.
A while later,
Master Longbrow suddenly noticed Ye Qiu was gone and shouted, “Little brat, where are you?”
No response.
“Little brat? Where’d you go?” Master Longbrow raised his voice again.
Still no answer.
“Could Ye Qiu be in trouble?”
Master Longbrow’s face grew serious. He turned back to find Ye Qiu, staying cautious.
This was the deep restricted area of Changbai Mountain, where anything strange could happen.
After backtracking two hundred metres, he saw Ye Qiu crouched beside a rock.
“Damn it, I was calling you! Are you deaf?”
Master Longbrow, fuming, yelled at Ye Qiu.
But Ye Qiu ignored him, staying still.
“What are you doing?” Master Longbrow, curious, approached.
As he reached Ye Qiu’s side, Ye Qiu stood up, turned, and grinned, “Old man, I found another treasure.”
Master Longbrow then noticed Ye Qiu holding a lingzhi mushroom larger than a washbasin.
“A hundred-year-old lingzhi!”
Master Longbrow’s eyes turned red with envy. “How’d you find this lingzhi? Why didn’t I see it?”
Ye Qiu said, “I was following you and just spotted it while walking.”
This luck…
Unbelievable!
Master Longbrow cursed, “I thought you were in danger, but you were picking lingzhi, making me worry for nothing.”
Ye Qiu tied the lingzhi with a dry vine, strapped it to his back, and smiled, “Old man, thanks to you this time.”
“If you hadn’t brought me here, I wouldn’t have known this place had so many treasures.”
“First, I dug up a five-hundred-year-old ginseng, now a hundred-year-old lingzhi. A thousand-year-old spiritual herb can’t be far off.”
“When we find it, I’ll treat you to a drink.”
Master Longbrow, feeling glum, said, “Stop talking, let’s move.”
They continued on.
Gradually, the sky darkened.
The sun set.
Ye Qiu asked, “Old man, how far is this place you’re heading to? Can we make it before dark?”
Master Longbrow said, “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Ye Qiu snapped. “Don’t tell me you don’t even know where we’re going?”
Master Longbrow reassured, “Little brat, don’t worry. I think we’re close.”
Ye Qiu said, “Old man, we need to reach the destination before dark. This is Changbai Mountain’s restricted area, with complex terrain and plenty of ferocious beasts. If we get surrounded, it’ll be trouble.”
Master Longbrow laughed, “No need to worry. With our skills, no beast can touch us.”
Ye Qiu cautioned, “Better safe than sorry. Let’s be careful.”
Master Longbrow checked his compass and said, “Keep going west.”
They raced forward,
Crossing several ridges, covering a hundred li.
Suddenly, Master Longbrow’s lower body sank into the ground.
“Damn, it’s a swamp…”
Ye Qiu, quick as lightning, grabbed Master Longbrow’s shoulder and pulled him out.
“Little brat, you were right. We need to be careful.”
Master Longbrow pointed ahead, “There’s a swamp up there. Let’s go around.”
They detoured,
Encountering plenty of venomous creatures along the way.
Pythons twenty to thirty metres long, half-metre-long centipedes, foot-long scorpions…
Countless.
This was a primal forest, a restricted zone, untouched by humans for years, with thick layers of leaves on the ground.
As they walked,
“Crack!”
A faint sound.
Ye Qiu stopped, saying, “Old man, I think I stepped on something.”
“Check it out,” Master Longbrow said, using a dry branch to clear the leaves under Ye Qiu’s foot.
Soon, a skeleton appeared in their view.
“Why’s there a skeleton here?” Ye Qiu wondered, activating his heavenly eye, his gaze piercing through the thick layer of leaves.
His face paled slightly.
“There’s more than one skeleton.” Ye Qiu gathered true qi in his palm and struck out.
Whoosh—
A powerful gust scattered the leaves, revealing over a dozen skeletons.
Master Longbrow said gravely, “This is a restricted area. Why are there so many dead people?”
Ye Qiu crouched, examined the bones, and said, “These people have been dead for decades.”
“Cause of death?” Master Longbrow asked.
“I found sharp teeth marks on the bones. They were likely bitten to death by some beast… Huh?” Ye Qiu stopped mid-sentence, letting out a surprised sound.
Master Longbrow asked urgently, “What’d you find?”
Ye Qiu didn’t answer, brushing aside leaves to pick up a handgun.
The gun was heavily corroded, covered in rust.
Nearby, Ye Qiu found more handguns and an old radio.
The radio was rusted, but a few words were faintly visible.
“Archaeological team, Northeast…”
Ye Qiu instantly knew who they were. “They were from an archaeological team.”
“Uncle Mountain Guard mentioned an archaeological team entered Changbai Mountain’s restricted area, searching for the legendary Golden City. None of them made it out.”
“Looks like they all died here.”
Master Longbrow sighed, “What a pity.”
Ye Qiu approached Master Longbrow and asked, “Old man, be honest. Is your trip to the Northeast also to find that Golden City?”
Master Longbrow looked away, “I’m a man of the Dao. What would I want with a Golden City?”
Ye Qiu saw through his evasiveness but didn’t press, saying, “If a national archaeological team came here, it means the Golden City likely exists.”
“I want to see what this Golden City looks like.”
Master Longbrow said, “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s hurry!”
They pressed on.
After an unknown time, night fell, the moon hung high, and the quiet forest echoed with occasional beast cries.
“Old man, how much longer?” Ye Qiu asked.
“Almost there, almost there,” Master Longbrow said, pulling out his compass. He noticed the needle spinning wildly, unable to stop.
What’s going on?
Master Longbrow’s heart sank.
Just then, Ye Qiu’s low voice sounded in his ear, “Old man, don’t make a sound. Look ahead.”
