Chapter 381: Let’s Search Separately

Chapter 381: Let's Search Separately

Seeing that his younger brother's identity was not questioned by the eldest brother, Mo Jiuye explained.

"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, back when you were betrayed on the battlefield by the people of Nanzhong..."

Mo Jiuye summarized the events briefly.

Second Brother also listened intently. Upon hearing about the misfortunes that befell the Mo family and their subsequent exile ordered by Emperor Shunwu, he was so enraged that veins bulged on his forehead.

With a fierce punch, he smashed the stone bed in the cave.

A dull thud echoed within the cave as the stone bed shattered.

Second Brother, who had been lying on the bed, leaped up nimbly and landed steadily on the ground, his face contorted with anger.

"These bastards! The Mo family has been loyal to Great Shun, yet this is how we end up."

As he spoke, he looked down at himself; it was barely decent to call it clothing.

If not for being controlled here and not washing his face for years, making it dark and shiny, others would have noticed his face was as red as a monkey's butt.

Mo Jiuye had seen such outbursts from Second Brother many times before.

Each time an elder brother woke up, they would vent their frustrations to varying degrees.

In comparison, Eldest Brother remained much calmer.

"Sixth Brother, Ninth Brother, just now you said Father suffered the same fate as us and we haven't found him yet?"

"Yes, let's go out and search for him. If everything goes well, Father should be nearby."

Mo Jiuye started walking towards the cave entrance.

He had already observed that although Eldest Brother and Second Brother were under the control of the puppet gu, Mr. Si Meng did not starve them, so their bodies seemed fine.

Especially Second Brother, whose internal strength was as strong as ever, able to shatter thick stone slabs with one blow.

Second Brother quickly regained his composure after his emotional outburst.

"Let's search separately."

From what Ninth Brother said, he and Eldest Brother must have been here for a long time, but he felt completely unfamiliar with the environment, having no memory of it.

It made sense; under the influence of the puppet gu, one had no awareness, so how could he remember anything?

When passing by Yun Feng and Liang Hao, Eldest Brother and Second Brother merely greeted them, prioritizing the search for Father.

Yun Feng, seeing his brothers leave to search, grew increasingly anxious.

"Ninth Brother, is there really no way for me to stand up?"

He had just tried moving his legs, which were no longer as weak, but standing up still posed a challenge.

Mo Jiuye understood Third Brother's anxiety and reassured him, "Third Brother, stay here and rest. We'll come back immediately once we find Father."

Third Brother knew that even if he was anxious, it wouldn't help, so he nodded reluctantly, "Alright, we'll wait here."

No one knew what they might encounter on this trip, and whether Father was truly on the sixth hill remained uncertain.

The group's belongings were scattered near the lake where they had fainted. Mo Jiuye knew there might be food inside, so before leaving, he collected all the bags and gave them to Third Brother, filling a water skin as well.

Fortunately, the bags contained spare clothes, allowing Eldest Brother and Second Brother to change without embarrassment.

They quickly changed into fresh clothes and left the cave with Mo Jiuye and Mo Jinnian to search.

The sixth hill was vast, and the open area by the lake was sizable, surrounded by dense forests. The vegetation was lush, and without clearing the obstructing branches and thorns, one couldn't see far.

Having experienced entering this place, Mo Jiuye didn't dare let his brothers venture too far away.

How could Mr. Si Meng's territory be free of toxins?

He worried that if his brothers separated, encountering poisonous creatures might lead to a situation where he couldn't rescue them in time.

Such a scenario would be counterproductive, rescuing one only to lose another.

Thus, when his brothers suggested splitting up, he firmly refused, explaining clearly that it was to prevent everyone from getting poisoned.

As expected, they encountered the same toxic barrier in another direction.

After passing through the barrier, they again faced the rainbow frogs and then the venomous scorpions.

This confirmed that this was likely the passage leading to the seventh hill.

Mr. Si Meng had set these traps to prevent intruders from entering from the seventh hill.

Mo Jiuye decisively abandoned this direction.

"Brothers, let's turn back and search in other directions."

Mo Jiuye's judgment wasn't immediately clear to the others.

"Ninth Brother, this place is clearly different. Why should we go in other directions?"

Mo Jiuye pointed in the direction they came from and said, "This obstacle is the same as when we entered the center of the sixth hill. It's likely set up by the old fox to prevent outsiders from intruding."

If everything goes as expected, once we leave here, we won't be far from the Seventh Hill.

He is a top-notch poison expert and must be very confident in his poisoning skills. In his mind, it's impossible for anyone to intrude into the Sixth Hill's open ground and leave alive.

Therefore, there's no need for him to set up two layers of poison barriers. The areas we just passed through must have been set up by him to prevent anyone from entering from this direction."

Sixth Brother has interacted more with Mo Jiuye. He knows that his ninth brother is much smarter than he is, so he shows the most trust when Mo Jiuye speaks.

"Ninth Brother makes sense. Eldest Brother, Second Brother, let's listen to Ninth Brother and go back now."

Eldest Brother and Second Brother still think of Mo Jiuye as he was when he was sixteen or seventeen years old. Facing such an intelligent and wise younger brother, they feel somewhat unfamiliar.

However, thinking about what Ninth Brother said, it indeed makes sense.

"Alright, let's listen to Ninth Brother and go back now."

Returning to the open ground, the sky had gradually darkened.

Even so, the brothers did not give up their search.

Eldest Brother and Second Brother found several thick wooden sticks, while Sixth Brother took out a fire starter and lit them, using them as their lighting tools.

Each brother held a torch and continued searching around.

Just as the moon rose, a tiger's roar suddenly came from behind the brothers.

Everyone stopped in their tracks, and Mo Jiuye and Sixth Brother already had their daggers drawn.

In the blink of an eye, a fierce tiger with a colorful coat charged towards the brothers.

Eldest Brother and Second Brother were accustomed to taking care of their younger brothers at home. Therefore, seeing the tiger coming, they instinctively stepped in front of Mo Jiuye and Mo Jinnian.