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"The raiders have no Wings; that's a misconception." Xiao Qiang nodded seriously, addressing the anxious gazes of Saint Mother and all the Waji Mountain People.
Before they set off, Saint Mother had chanted ancient incantations over the Stick to bless their bodies, seeking their safety. She insisted that Wildfire and Old Dada Mishu must bring Jill back safely; Waji Mountain could not be without this child who bore a mysterious mission.
Amayi had not yet come of age, and he pleaded to join Xiao Qiang and the others in searching for Jill and the abducted Waji Mountain People, but was met with refusal from both Saint Mother and Old Dada Mishu.
Xiao Qiang and his companions traversed mountains and valleys, following the trail left by the raiders through their fire tools and horse droppings. When they reached the junction of Waji Mountain and another towering peak, they were confronted by a rugged mountain, its cliffs steep and sheer.
Young Xiao Qiang climbed the rocky precipice with such agility that it left Old Dada Mishu sweating in embarrassment. He steeled himself, using the White Reed Staff as a reliable support, relying on it to brace against the cliff as he slowly ascended.
Halfway up the mountain, Dada Mishu kicked a loose stone, which tumbled down dangerously close to someone below. Xiao Qiang turned to see Amayi had followed them.
Dada Mishu scolded angrily, "Go back! You need to return home."
"I... I can carry your water flask..." Amayi gazed at Xiao Qiang with pleading eyes, hoping he would speak up for him.
"Chief, he's alone now; why not let him stay?"
Xiao Qiang spoke up, leaving Dada Mishu with little room to argue. Turning back to continue climbing, Amayi shouted joyfully, "Wildfire, I'm so thirsty!"
Xiao Qiang laughed and handed Amayi the water flask. "You shouldn't have come."
"I want to find my father; he also walked this path out."
"Mm."
Climbing to the peak, they found themselves on an open mountain path. Xiao Qiang reached out to touch the cooking utensils left behind by the raiders—some stones hastily assembled, still warm to the touch. It seemed they were very close to these marauders.
"What is this?" Amayi picked up a white tooth from the ground. It was a tooth from a Mammoth, one that belonged to Jill's necklace. "Jill is still alive."
"Yeah." Although Xiao Qiang hadn't developed feelings for Jill like Lin Yu had, after spending so much time on Waji Mountain, he felt some affection for her. Moreover, after receiving the White Reed Staff, he had repeatedly refused to marry her under various pretenses, which had indirectly hurt her pride and left him feeling uneasy.
He had to bring her back unharmed and hand her over to the Saint Mother before he could leave and go to 2050 to settle accounts with that bastard Matt.
Truly, life is unpredictable; just as they tracked down a ridge, heavy snow began to fall like goose feathers. The white snow covered any clues that could be found on the ground. The three of them walked through the vast whiteness, relying solely on the stars above to determine their direction.
The raiders had headed south, so they used the rising sun as a reference point and moved steadily to the right.
After Amayi found Jill's discarded Mammoth Ivory Tooth for the second time, they saw no more valuable clues due to the snowstorm; even horse manure was thoroughly covered by the snow.
With no other choice, they sought refuge under a rocky outcrop to escape the wind and snow while taking a break.
Old Dada Mishu and Amayi were accustomed to walking and sleeping in such harsh weather, but Xiao Qiang was not. He had a fever, his body burning hot.
The Waji Mountain people feared nothing—neither illness nor cold—but they were afraid of the Four-Legged Demon. Dada Mishu had ways to help Xiao Qiang with his high fever; he stripped him of his clothes and covered him with fresh snow.
At night, the bright white snow illuminated their surroundings clearly. Amayi was worried about Xiao Qiang and stayed by his side, reluctant to leave.
This stubborn child curled up next to Xiao Qiang and fell asleep just like that.
Dada Mishu nestled under the rocks, sleeping soundly.
Xiao Qiang's fever had subsided, and he got up to brush the snow off his body. As he bent down to pick up Amayi and carry her under the rocks, he suddenly felt as if someone was standing behind him.
Instinctively, he turned to look, and indeed, there was a humanoid figure standing less than five meters away, quietly staring at him.
Xiao Qiang held Amayi tightly and stepped toward the figure, wanting to see if it was Old Dada Mishu. Just as he was about to get closer, the seemingly human-shaped creature suddenly spread its wings and soared into the air.
The flying monster startled Amayi awake.
"Oh my God… a Mothman," she exclaimed.
"..." Xiao Qiang was suspicious and wanted to approach again. The Mothman had already flown away, and Amayi inexplicably began to cry.
"Seeing a Mothman is an omen of misfortune."
"Nonsense, it's just a flying creature," Xiao Qiang reassured Amayi as they returned to the rocks together.
After experiencing the high fever and with the snow melting away, Xiao Qiang felt he had developed some immunity to the cold; even sleeping by the rocks didn’t seem frightening anymore!
He dreamed of Jill. Jill was bound with her hands tied, clutching a handful of scattered Mammoth Ivory Teeth. She walked a short distance, dropping one piece at a time, hoping that the Waji Mountain People would come to rescue her and her companions who had been abducted alongside her.
As Jill dropped the Mammoth Ivory Teeth as markers along her path, she caught the attention of a ruthless raider named Hagu. He picked up one of the dropped teeth from the ground and marched over, grabbing Jill by her hair and shouting to another raider, "Lime, she's leaving markers!"
Among the raiders were two leaders: Lime and Hagu. Lime immediately took a liking to Jill and secretly decided to claim her for himself, while Hagu was the fierce brute who had noticed Jill leaving markers.
In short, these raiders were all bad news, drawn together by their shared wickedness.
"Let go of my hand." Lime's face was grim, his hawk-like gaze fixed on Jill, demanding that she release her tightly clenched fingers.
Jill stubbornly held on, turning her face away and ignoring the detestable intruder before her.
With a swift crack, the whip sliced through the oppressive silence, striking Jill's tightly clenched knuckles with a fierce whoosh.
Amayi informed Dada Mishu that Wildfire had seen Mothman.
Dada Mishu suddenly felt a wave of regret; he shouldn't have agreed to follow Xiao Qiang in search of Jill and the abducted Waji Mountain People. Yet, as the leader of the Hunters, he couldn't show his inner fear. Regardless of his feelings, he had to steel himself and continue onward.
Xiao Qiang was speechless. If the two of them hadn't come along, would he have needed to chase after this so desperately on his own using his Ability?
Beneath the towering boulders, Amayi found the token that Jill had dropped for the third time. This time, however, it bore a troubling sign—there were bloodstains on it. Could something have happened to Jill? The three of them stared at the reappearing clues with unease, silently speculating but too afraid to voice their thoughts.
Jill was their motivation for searching for the abducted Waji Mountain People; if they confirmed that something had happened to her, they would lose the courage to continue their quest.
They had no idea how far they had traveled, having crossed one mountain after another. Strangely, the temperature outside when they left was vastly different from what it was now. It felt as if they had walked to the edge of the sun—the heat intensified, and the air became stifling and oppressive. As they crested the final mountain, a bright vista opened up before them.
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