CHAPTER 235: CHAPTER 235 ORIGINAL SIN 44

Yun Shuangshuang followed the scent left by Wan Yan up the mountain. Initially, the route Wan Yan took led into the depths of the mountain, passing two mountain streams. Wan Yan might have crossed the streams, as there were many paw prints from police dogs nearby. It’s evident that the moisture had broken the trail of Wan Yan’s scent, causing the police dogs to wander aimlessly by the streams.

Yun Shuangshuang stepped over the stream, and sure enough, amidst the strong, pungent aroma of peppercorns and star anise, Wan Yan’s scent faintly reemerged. Yun Shuangshuang continued forward, still seeing traces of people and more paw prints from police dogs. Apparently, the dog handlers also deduced that Wan Yan must have crossed the stream, so they brought the police dogs along.

Unfortunately, the dog footprints were mostly pacing back and forth at the same spot. The place was surrounded by peppercorns and star anise, and this was the peak season for their strong aroma, even more overpowering than at the foot of the mountain. The police dogs were severely distracted and couldn’t function effectively.

Yun Shuangshuang, however, adeptly distinguished Wan Yan’s scent amid these pungent spices and continued onward. From the remnants of Wan Yan’s scent, it was clear he kept moving inward, occasionally circling in place, apparently searching for someone.

However, Wan Yan’s path then took a turn, rather than circling in place, he turned back as if trying to exit the mountain but lost his way. The path grew increasingly skewed, leading him deeper into Da Shan. Yun Shuangshuang tracked the scent up to a mountain top where the terrain undulated. From there, all around lay a ring of vast and misty peaks stretching out.

Wan Yan paused here briefly, seemingly identifying the correct direction, before continuing towards the mountain’s exit; yet again, he strayed far off course.

As Yun Shuangshuang advanced, she examined the traces Wan Yan left behind. His footprints were somewhat chaotic, accompanied by impressions from a stick pressed into the ground. Wan Yan must have been tired and was using a thick tree branch as a walking stick.

The further ahead, the more chaotic Wan Yan’s footsteps became. Yun Shuangshuang realized he had veered significantly off course, circumventing as many as three mountains. There were no signs of searches by armed police or villagers nearby, evidently, no one anticipated Wan Yan’s stamina to be so robust, allowing him to penetrate this far!

Yun Shuangshuang frowned. The better Wan Yan’s stamina, the more troublesome it became. Judging by the markings on the ground, Wan Yan had realized he was lost and becoming anxious. His footprints grew increasingly scattered, but the distance expanded, indicating he had been rushing to leave the mountain quickly.

But Wan Yan’s path was incorrect. The faster he moved, the deeper he entered Da Shan, making rescue increasingly difficult. Particularly in a place like this where phones received no signal, and no one expected him to reach such depths, even if he called for help, no one would hear!

The footprints on the ground grew more chaotic. The area where he advanced saw many broken branches alongside, and the supporting walking stick marks deepened in the ground, signaling Wan Yan’s struggle to progress. Judging by the force of the footprints, he didn’t seem to be conserving stamina but was accelerating forward!

After another stretch, Yun Shuangshuang saw scattered food wrappers on the ground, yet no water bottles. Inspecting the surroundings, she noticed many footprints and moss scraped off a nearby large rock. Wan Yan likely rested here a while and ate something, suggesting he possibly spent a night at this spot.

Yun Shuangshuang quickened her pace. In the mountain, she moved almost as light as a feather, nearly running all the way. At this point, Wan Yan had proceeded for an unknown duration, yet Yun Shuangshuang had only taken about three hours, feeling barely fatigued. This fitness was from the martial arts training she underwent, originally envied by everyone at her martial arts school. Practically a legendary martial arts prodigy!

Though not exhausted, Yun Shuangshuang sat on the large rock, drank some water, and ate food before continuing along the scent and traces left by Wan Yan.

It was evident that after eating and resting, Wan Yan regained considerable stamina. His footprints appeared more orderly, progressing even more urgently. By now, he had circumvented four mountains; the previous three were relatively small and not overly difficult to navigate.

Yet the fourth mountain posed a different challenge; it was a larger peak. Wan Yan traversed along its side, indicating remarkable stamina. Yun Shuangshuang suspected Wan Yan must have trained before, otherwise, he wouldn’t possess such endurance to venture so far.

The further Yun Shuangshuang trekked, the more her expression darkened, as she pondered whether Wan Yan faced this hardship in his past life. How could anyone have located him and rescued him so deep in the Da Shan?

Then Yun Shuangshuang recalled something she hadn’t considered before—In the previous life, the CEO of Quanwei Company didn’t seem to be surnamed Wan, but Feng!

Yun Shuangshuang knew this because she was also involved in the food business, making her a peer to Quanwei, a company specializing in fast foods. Thus, she paid some attention. Eventually, due to various external factors, Yun Shuangshuang lost interest in business, naturally ceasing to follow industry trends.

This lifetime, Yun Shuangshuang hadn’t initially pondered the issue of Quanwei’s CEO. Earlier knowing Wan Yan was Quanwei’s CEO, she hadn’t paid much mind until this moment, her recollection dawned.

Her pace quickened, harboring a frightening speculation—Could Wan Yan have gotten lost in Da Shan in his past life, awaiting rescue that never came, resulting in his demise within the mountains? Perhaps this was why Quanwei’s CEO changed!

If truly so, Wan Yan surely encountered trouble. Yun Shuangshuang didn’t believe Wan Yan perished simply because no one found him. The armed police might not have searched this area due to psychological blind spots, assuming Wan Yan couldn’t have ventured this far.

But this psychological blind spot wouldn’t last long. Soon, someone would realize and start searching here. Moreover, this mountain differed from the preceding small ones, absent of peppercorns and star anise that disrupted police dogs’ scent detection. If the dogs arrive, locating Wan Yan should be straightforward.

The mountain had water. Even absent food, with water, a person could survive three to four days, sufficient for a large-scale search to locate Wan Yan.

Under such conditions, if Wan Yan still encountered mishaps, only unexpected incidents could explain it. The mountain harbored numerous potential perils, from consuming toxic substances, bites from venomous insects or snakes—the cliffs here were abundant, a small slip from them could be fatal. And given the area’s isolation, encounters with wild beasts weren’t impossible! In Da Shan, countless accidents could prove fatal!

Yun Shuangshuang felt restless, fearing by the time she found Wan Yan, he had already met with danger!