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Upon hearing this, everyone went to look at the two paths. As Cong Yue had said, everyone hesitated for a moment, but deep down they all acknowledged that Cong Yue's words made sense.
"Let's hurry up and go," Cong Fei urged after a pause, waving for everyone to move quickly.
A few people didn't hesitate and quickly followed suit.
Mei Shuang gasped, "That Creature must have been disturbed by the fight with the Bear-like Creature in the evening and is too scared to come out, which is why the Pangolin and Scorpion King dared to appear. In fact, thinking back now, the Scorpion King must have also been startled by the Creature, so it took a risk to come out and hide, only to run into us..."
Mei Shuang's analysis was logical, and the Coach Brothers nodded frequently. Anriyan asked, "Can you guess what that thing is?"
"Based on the diameter of the path, this thing must be quite large. As for what exactly it is, I don't know."
The six of them sprinted down the overgrown path, occasionally glancing back in fear that the "Creature" might be chasing them.
Seeing Mei Shuang running desperately ahead, Anriyan laughed, "This thing only comes out at night; it won't show itself during the bright day."
As they ran, they encountered no danger.
The sunlight grew brighter ahead, and the sound of the waterfall seemed to be drawing closer. However, unexpectedly, someone disturbed a nest of Wasps in a tree, and suddenly a swarm of Wasps flew toward them.
The group took off running. Despite Kato and the Coach Brothers waving their clothes behind them, they still got stung a few times by the Wasps. Not daring to slow down, they dashed out of the forest when they heard Shijieyu say, "Quickly, there's water over there."
They immediately ran toward a pool at the edge of the dense forest, shedding their gear as they ran before jumping into the water.
The water was clear and pleasantly warm, resembling a natural swimming pool surrounded by natural rocks. The water from upstream seeped through the edges of the rocks, accumulating over many years to create such a large body of water.
After the Wasp retreated, several people emerged from the water.
In the summer, the clothing was already thin, and after coming out of the water, the curves of the two women were fully revealed. Mei Shuang then instructed a few men to turn their backs after they got out of the water.
Looking around, there was dense forest in front and a cliff behind, leaving no suitable place to change clothes.
She and Shijieyu did not dare to walk far and could only find a large tree nearby to change out of their wet clothes. By the time they returned in their dry clothes, several men had already taken off their outer garments and were laying them on the rocks to dry.
Coach Brothers and Kato were shirtless. Coach Brothers had several long scars on his bronze skin, while Kato, aside from his impressive muscles, had a thick mat of chest hair that was quite intimidating.
Anriyan had only removed his outer robe, revealing a white silk shirt underneath that faintly showed the contours of his muscles.
When Shijieyu and Mei Shuang returned, they had already started building a fire to cook.
Kato and Cong Yue had gone hunting, while Shijieyu and Cong Fei were searching for firewood. Mei Shuang initially planned to join them but was called back by Anriyan.
"What’s wrong?" Mei Shuang said somewhat displeased; everyone was busy, yet he seemed to be acting like a lord.
Anriyan glanced around, seeing that everyone had walked far away, then approached Mei Shuang and said quietly, "You need to be careful of the Empress of the Great Qin Empire's consorts."
Mei Shuang dropped her bundle in surprise and quickly picked it up while feeling annoyed. "You've been saying there’s a traitor along the way. First, you suspected Coach Brothers, now you suspect Shijieyu. Am I next on your list?"
Anriyan's gaze deepened as he suddenly reached out his hand. A coin-sized object resembling a gear appeared in his palm, intricately carved with indistinguishable patterns and about half an inch thick.
"What is this?" Mei Shuang asked in confusion.
"This is a mark that Cong Fei and Cong Yue brothers leave everywhere we go, so that those who follow us can keep track; and it also helps us return the same way."
"Then..." Mei Shuang still didn't understand.
"This was dropped by Shijieyu," Anriyan said.
Mei Shuang was speechless, "Since it's used to leave a mark, what strange thing could Shijieyu be carrying?"
Anriyan put away the mark and sneered, "Only the Coach Brothers have this. And as you can see, this is not ordinary; this is a Secret Lock. Each Secret Lock we leave behind has a corresponding key, and only when they match perfectly is it the correct route. Don't underestimate this Secret Lock, it can also hold notes inside. Once matched, you can take out the note to know the whereabouts of the previous person and any dangers to watch out for in this area."
Mei Shuang was astonished, not expecting such a small gear-like object to be so useful. However, she still didn't understand what this had to do with Shijieyu.
"Perhaps Coach Brothers accidentally dropped it and Shijieyu happened to pick it up?"
"This lock is interlinked before use; how could only one be picked up?"
"Damn!"
Mei Shuang felt a sinking feeling in her heart. Even with her simple mind, she could think of the possibility that Shijieyu had taken out the already placed Secret Lock.
"The only purpose of taking away the Secret Lock mark is to make it impossible for those behind us to find our traces. If there are enemies tracking us now, we are in even greater danger," Anriyan said with a darkened gaze.
Mei Shuang sat down in panic, "Could it be that Historical Consort Shi is the Spy you mentioned?"
"It's too early to say that now. Perhaps we are mistaken; of course, it's also possible that there is more than one Spy," Anriyan replied.
"Then, where did this Secret Lock come from?"
"I don't know yet," Anriyan replied.
"Then you should quickly let Coach Brothers take a look. Since they put this here, they must know how to open it. Hurry up and check," Mei Shuang urged anxiously.
Anriyan shook his head. "The situation is unclear right now, and I still don't know the background of Coach Brothers. It's better to keep it safe for now."
Mei Shuang saw a few people returning from a distance, some carrying firewood, while Cong Fei held a wild rabbit in one hand and Kato had a wild chicken in his grasp.
Mei Shuang felt a bit dazed; "Damn it," she thought, "this isn't even over yet, how did so many things happen?"
Goodness, is the emperor reliable or not? The people he found turned out to be Spy?
After the group sat down, they began cooking while checking the injuries caused by Wasp. Kato had several welts on his shoulder from stings, and Cong Fei had also been stung a few times on his face. Fortunately, their skin was tough enough; they squeezed out the venom and sprinkled some medicinal powder on it to reduce the swelling.
After running around all morning, everyone was starving. The aroma of roasted rabbit and chicken made their appetites soar.
Despite being hungry, Mei Shuang couldn't focus on eating because of Anriyan's words. She kept glancing at Coach Brothers and Shijieyu, but everyone seemed unfazed and wondered why Mei Shuang wasn't eating.
Sighing, Mei Shuang thought to herself that she wasn't all-seeing; it was quite difficult to discern demons and monsters.
She said, "Earlier when we were running on the road, I thought I saw something fall. Did any of you lose something?"
Everyone looked puzzled and checked their belongings, shaking their heads. Shijieyu looked at her pack as well and also shook her head.
Mei Shuang specifically "reminded" Shijieyu, "Isn't it something you dropped? I remember you were running ahead of me at that time."
Shijieyu still shook his head.
This was strange.
The group was eating while observing their surroundings.
They were at the top of the Qishan side, like a solitary peak rising from a vast plain, surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides.
Opposite them was a waterfall about a thousand feet wide, cascading down like white silk ribbons, creating countless splashes at the bottom, making for a spectacular scene. Surrounding the waterfall were dense green vines, with occasional patches of blue pines emerging from the rock walls.
The current problem was how to get across.
After finishing their meal, the group surveyed the terrain and decided to have Coach Brothers lead them as they walked along the edge of the solitary peak.
The terrain was uneven, and after walking towards the sun for a while, they finally reached the summit.
Standing at the top, they looked down at the Sheer Cliff below, steep and perilous. The entire mountaintop resembled a deep-bottomed cup, and they were standing on the rim while the surrounding waterfall seemed to be pouring wine into the cup.
"As long as we cross over the mountain before sunset, our mission for today will be considered complete. Moreover, we must cross over for our safety."
Mountain paths are usually like this; they seem close but feel far when walking.
As the sun began to set in the west, they finally reached what appeared to be the nearby Giant Rock. As long as they could get past Giant Rock, they would reach the other side.
Giant Rock Towering above, flanked by two cliffs that formed a narrow passage barely wide enough for a single person to pass through.
A few people walked inside, marveling at the wonders of nature. Surrounded by such grandeur, they could only gaze upward and see a sliver of the sky, feeling a sense of insignificance.
As Mei Shuang walked through the cramped space, she felt a wave of anxiety wash over her, fearing that if the two massive rocks shifted even slightly, she would be crushed like a sandwich.
The passage was not short. Just as Mei Shuang was closely following Shijieyu and nearing the end, Shijieyu suddenly stopped and turned back with a helpless expression, saying, "There's no way forward."
What a letdown!
Mei Shuang immediately felt deflated, her legs turning weak as she nearly collapsed. After walking for so long, they had reached a dead end.
"Let's head back and find some wood to try building a bridge," someone in front relayed.
The group had no choice but to retrace their steps. As they neared the end again, Mei Shuang suddenly looked up and saw a white shadow flash past from the side crevice.
Thinking she might be imagining things, she rubbed her eyes and looked closely, but saw nothing.
Behind her, Shijieyu urged her to hurry.
As they exited the narrow passage, Mei Shuang glanced around the spot where she had seen the shadow but found nothing.
Not wanting to take any chances, she quickly asked Anriyan, "Did you see anything just now?"
Following her gaze, Anriyan looked in that direction but saw nothing—not even a bird in sight.
"Strange, strange," Mei Shuang muttered to herself.
While she was lost in thought, Kato and the Coach Brothers had already moved to a distance, finding a tree as thick as a water barrel to chop down.
The group worked together to fell the tree, which was about ten meters long. They used machetes to clear away the obstructive branches and even trimmed the top to create a flat surface.
Naturally, the task of carrying the tree fell to Strongman Kato. He lifted the several hundred-pound tree as if it were a bag of flour. Mei Shuang sighed, realizing that talents like Kato were indispensable when venturing into the mountains.
After successfully reaching the front, Mei Shuang followed along and discovered that Giant Rock and its opposite side were once one piece. Now, due to a weak spot in the middle, it had collapsed, leaving a gap that was about seven or eight meters wide.
Though the gap was not large, looking down revealed an abyss with no bottom. The water from the waterfall churned below like a stampede of horses, instilling fear in anyone who gazed into it.
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