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The other three immediately understood the meaning of Shen Tong's words. Xiaoshuang exclaimed softly, "Chrysalis?"
Fang Zigui, shocked, put down his teacup. "Did Officer Zheng not say that Chrysalis belongs to the Gu Masters of Miao Village? This girl looks no more than seventeen or eighteen; how could she have a Chrysalis tattoo..."
Lin Mingchang set down the piece of Thousand Layer Cake he had bitten into and wiped his hands. "No matter her identity... we are newcomers here, so we should be cautious. When we go with her tomorrow, we must stay alert at all times."
"Do we really have to go?" Ruan Xiaoshuang asked. "If she really is a Gu Master, wouldn't that be dangerous?"
Lin Mingchang pushed the bamboo tray of snacks toward Xiaoshuang. "Don't worry, the three of us will protect you. I think precisely because she might be a Gu Master, we should go. After all, all evidence points to Gu Poison..."
Shen Tong took Xiaoshuang's hand and smiled. "I don't think we need to be so nervous; Miao Qing's aura is very pure, without any malevolent energy."
The four briefly discussed their itinerary and what they needed to prepare for the next day before returning to their rooms to rest.
That night, it indeed started to rain outside. The sound of cicadas was gradually replaced by the croaking of frogs, and distant dog barks echoed before everything returned to silence.
The next morning, the air was particularly fresh after the rain.
Just past eight o'clock, Miao Qing was already waiting at the inn's entrance. She was pushing an old bicycle with several oil-paper packages and a bamboo water bottle in the basket.
When she saw the four coming out, she smiled brightly and asked, "Did you all sleep well, brothers and sisters?"
They greeted the lovely Miao girl with good mornings and checked the condition of the bicycle before setting off with Miao Qing.
Leaving Guiyang City, Miao Qing led them along a winding path on their bicycles. The scenery in the mountainous region of Guizhou during early autumn was stunning, with dense bamboo groves and shrubs lining both sides of the road, occasionally revealing layers of terraced fields in the distance.
"There’s an old saying in Guizhou: 'No sky stays clear for three days, no land is flat for three feet,'" Miao Qing said as she rode at the front and turned back to smile at them. "Here, we have many mountains and little flat land; it's almost all mountainous."
"That’s why there are so many terraces?" Ruan Xiaoshuang asked from Fang Zigui's rear seat, curiously looking around.
Miao Qing nodded. "Our Miao family has lived in the mountains for generations; our ancestors taught us how to grow food on hilly terrain."
She pointed to the high and low terraces in the distance. "Look, those are our 'Tian Ti,' step by step, from the foot of the mountain all the way up to the peak."
As they entered the mountainous area, the dirt road became increasingly rugged; puddles formed in muddy spots, forcing them to get off their bikes and push them along.
Fang Zigui stopped frequently along the way, fascinated by wild herbs that occasionally appeared by the roadside. He would pause to collect them and place them into a small cloth bag he carried with him.
A few people rode for a while and then walked for a bit, crossing over two small hills. They stopped in between to share the snacks prepared by Miao Qing, and after that, they rode for more than an hour.
By the afternoon, they finally saw wisps of smoke rising from a valley in the distance. Miao Qing's eyes sparkled with joy as she pointed ahead and said, "Look! That's our village, Wu Chao Village!"
Wu Chao Village is nestled on a gentle slope in the valley, surrounded by lush green forests. From afar, dozens of wooden stilt houses are built against the mountainside, arranged in an orderly manner.
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