CHAPTER 364: CHAPTER 361: MYSTERIOUS DOG IN THE DEEP MOUNTAINS

Along the way, they talked and laughed, accompanied by a donkey and a horse, making the journey less monotonous. As the sun set and stars emerged repeatedly, they finally reached Huozi Ridge in Tong County of Gunzhou.

Previously, when Hu Ma traveled to Anzhou, it took a month due to the great distance. Unexpectedly, the road to the blood food mine, with its rugged paths, mountain climbs, and ridge crossings, also took a full seven or eight days.

By this time, they had already entered Gunzhou territory, surrounded by nameless wild mountains, dense forests, and strange, rugged rocks.

No wonder Incense Master Xu overcame all opposition to assign this profitable task at the blood food mine to him, a newcomer who had only been a Shopkeeper for two years.

Just by looking at this place, one could tell it wasn’t going to be easy to deal with, so the other Shopkeepers probably weren’t too eager to fight for it. He had simply gone along with the current.

However, Hu Ma didn’t mind. Being distant was fine, as long as there was enough Blood Food here.

Calculation took out a map to identify the surrounding mountains. Pounding his old waist, he said, "Finally, we’re here... According to this map, once we cross this ridge, we should reach the mine. Stay alert, everyone; we’re here to seize their livelihood, and they might not willingly hand it over!"

Zhou Datong said skeptically, "What? They dare to fight?"

"Most of those guarding the blood food mine have families and businesses. They’re unlikely to go to extremes," Calculation said. "After all, if they fled, they’d also fear our organization might seek out their families to reason with them, wouldn’t they? But there’s no greater enmity in the world than snatching someone’s livelihood, and that’s exactly what we’re here to do. So don’t expect them to be friendly. Even if they don’t dare to kill openly, there will undoubtedly be all sorts of petty tricks."

He continued, "In any case, if we can smoothly take over this blood food mine, many opportunities for wealth will present themselves, so this one isn’t that urgent."

"Understood!"

Hu Ma realized that Calculation was deliberately reminding them. He smiled and said, "If they speak to us respectfully, we naturally won’t be rude."

"But if it truly comes to blows, then seeing some blood will be unavoidable."

His words were quite blunt. Calculation was worried that the young ones, in a fit of youthful exuberance, might impulsively clash with the other party. Hu Ma, however, needed to remind Zhou Datong and the others not to mistake this for a leisurely outing.

They could avoid a complete fallout with the other party, but the preparations for such a fallout absolutely had to be made in advance.

As they continued forward, they delved deeper into the mountains. From a distance, they were surrounded by overlapping peaks. Lost within the mountains, they couldn’t tell exactly where they were, only following the almost indistinguishable paths marked on the map, advancing bit by bit.

The blood food mine required annual transportation of Blood Food, so a road did exist. However, this forest was abnormally dense, overgrown with weeds along the roadside. The path underfoot was barely visible, exuding a hint of the forest’s sinister quality.

Gradually, they began to doubt if they were still on the original mountain path, continuously using their blades to hack away obstructing vines to prevent them from tripping the donkey or catching the cartwheels.

The journey was indeed exhausting. Moreover, knowing they were close to the blood food mine, their laughter dwindled, and the atmosphere grew somewhat oppressive.

They should have arrived simply by crossing a ridge. However, they had been walking quickly through this forest from around noon until dusk. Yet, as far as the eye could see, there were still only towering ancient trees, and the mountain trail underfoot had become completely obscured.

Hu Ma couldn’t help but frown. Could it be... He glanced at Calculation, who was also studying the map, flipping it back and forth.

As they hesitated, they suddenly heard a single WOOF! from the roadside.

The unexpected noise startled everyone. They looked aside, only to see a large yellow dog hiding behind a tree, peeking out with half its head. Its eyes were dark red, staring at them ominously. After just that one bark, it retreated silently into the forest.

The group stopped in unison, the atmosphere turning chilling. Watching the direction where the yellow dog had vanished, an inexplicably strange sensation crept into everyone’s heart.

"This..."

After a long silence, Zhou Datong was the first to break it with an awkward laugh: "Whose dog is that? It gave us quite a scare..."

"In these desolate mountains and wild ridges, where would a dog come from?"

Zhou Liang, beside him, muttered darkly, "I think we should be cautious."

Zhou Datong immediately retorted, "It’s just a stray dog. What’s so strange about a dog showing up in the wilderness?"

Zhou Liang replied, "Where there are people, they’re called dogs. Wild dogs in the mountains are called wolves."

Zhou Datong was momentarily choked speechless. He looked at Hu Ma and Calculation, but saw the two said nothing, only proceeding silently. The group, who had been talking and laughing merrily when they first entered the mountains, now seemed to have fallen into an even deeper silence.

Originally, it had seemed that crossing one ridge would bring them to their destination. But now, after what felt like several two-hour periods of walking, they were still surrounded by the same deep forest and giant trees. A faint mist drifted out from between the trees, and the dusk deepened. Only the monotonous sound of the cartwheels crushing the vines on the ground broke the silence.

The group of youths from Dayang Village, though they had grown up in forests, now also felt a peculiar heaviness in their hearts. They instinctively glanced into the depths of the forest, but could see nothing.

"Datong, don’t be scared, always looking into the forest..." Zhao Zhu, walking beside the donkey cart, couldn’t help but remind him, "Second Master once said, when walking in these old forests, don’t look around aimlessly. If you suddenly see something waving at you from the woods, you’ll be lured away."

"Who’s scared?" Zhou Datong blustered defensively. "I’m just scouting the path for us..."

As he spoke, he moved closer to the donkey cart, his voice lacking its usual confidence. As it happened, Calculation, on the donkey, also raised his head, chuckled softly, and said, "Being careful is the right approach. We are, after all, heading to the blood food mine."

"Where there’s a meat mountain, evil spirits are also more numerous; that’s a known fact. Maybe this forest also has a sinister nature!"

His words made Zhou Datong flinch. If he had a tail, it would certainly be tucked between his legs by now. He edged closer to Hu Ma as he walked.

With the dusk growing heavier, they were anxious to reach the blood food mine quickly and have a bowl of hot soup. Their footsteps rustled through the dry grass.

Just as even these sounds seemed about to be swallowed by the forest, they suddenly heard a fierce sound erupt from the roadside:

"WOOF!"

The sound wasn’t very loud, but the surrounding silence was so profound that it made everyone jump, the hairs on their bodies standing on end.

For an instant, it felt as if their very souls were about to fly out of their bodies.

For a breath or two, they stood rooted to the spot, speechless. Then, slowly regaining their composure, they turned to look and saw a dog.

It was retreating step by step into the forest, its eyes still fixed on them with an eerie glow.

This time, everyone saw it clearly: a yellow-furred dog with a white patch between its brows. It was undoubtedly the same one that had barked at them just moments before.

A strange, inexplicable unease welled up in their hearts. They felt restless for no apparent reason, and even the swirling mountain wind around them seemed to have turned much more chilling and sinister.

Hu Ma shot a look at Calculation on the cart, but the latter merely shook his head slightly, signaling him to do nothing.

So, Hu Ma held his ground. Zhou Datong, however, couldn’t restrain himself. He suddenly gritted his teeth, grabbed his knife, and rushed towards the vines where the dog had just appeared, slashing a few times. But the spot was empty; there was no sign of any dog.

It was as if the barks they had just heard were merely an illusion.

"It’s run off. Let’s keep moving!" Seeing everyone was uneasy, Hu Ma reminded them softly, then turned and patted the donkey’s rear, signaling it to continue forward.

Whether it was Zhou Datong, Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, the donkey pulling the cart, or the horse languidly following beside it, all continued moving. However, an invisible shadow seemed to have fallen over their hearts.

What exactly was that strange dog? It had approached and barked twice. It hadn’t done anything else, yet it had managed to startle them and leave their minds uneasy.

Moreover, since it was the same dog both times, could it be that it had been following them all along?

The very thought made them unable to resist looking back. However, the intertwined branches behind had already obscured their path, making it impossible to see anything clearly. The more they looked, the more a sense of foreboding pervaded their hearts.

As they continued forward, they remained highly alert. All conversation ceased. While their eyes watched the rugged path and vines underfoot, their minds were keenly aware of their surroundings.

They hadn’t expected it, but just after passing through a large, dense patch of tangled thorns, the entire group suddenly halted once more.

Hu Ma was the first to see it and stopped. Immediately, Zhou Datong and the others also became aware, curiously lifting their heads and staring blankly ahead.

As they looked, their eyes all lit up.

By now, it was nearing dusk. Inside the forest, it already seemed like night had fallen. However, having reached an open space, a dim, yellow twilight still cascaded from the sky, illuminating several towering ancient trees around them.

On a large tree ahead of them, a girl was perched. She was dressed in a blue skirt, her hair adorned with numerous silver ornaments.

In the forest’s twilight, her skin appeared almost unnaturally white. She looked to be in her early teens and was strikingly beautiful. She carried a bamboo basket on her back, looking like a herb gatherer.

She was barefoot, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows and her trouser cuffs rolled high. Her fair hands and feet clung to the tree trunk in a somewhat amusing posture as she craned her neck to look down at them.

Both parties, upon seeing each other, were somewhat curious. Her large eyes met their several pairs of eyes.

This little girl’s attire... it’s not that of the Xia people, is it? Is she a Witch?

Hu Ma hadn’t expected to encounter such a girl here. After observing her curiously for a moment, a flicker of alarm went through him, and he warned softly, "Careful."

It was because after refining life through the Seven Apertures, his eyesight had become exceptional. He had instantly spotted it: above the girl’s head, concealed among the dense leaves and branches, a bizarre, entirely green snake was slowly extending its triangular head. Its body rubbed against the tree trunk as it gradually turned.

It looked to be merely inches away from the girl’s head.