Chapter 110

Chapter 110

Third Brother felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

Their line of work, while not outright criminal, was certainly not legitimate. Running into someone from the lawful side right after entering the mountains was definitely not a good omen.

To be honest, if the boss hadn't offered so much money for this job, he wouldn't have taken it. The videos clearly showed—whether it was the red fox, the weasel, or the many-banded krait—they all seemed unnaturally intelligent, almost frighteningly so. Although Chen Ji hadn't explicitly said it in the video… who would openly claim in a video that these animals were mountain spirits?

Those who made a living in the mountains all had a certain degree of reverence. Normally, when encountering such creatures, they'd quietly leave without disturbing them… Part of the reason he didn't want to mess with Chen Ji was also because he was the successor of the Mountain Lord temple keeper. They were all just trying to make a living in the mountains. If they targeted the Mountain Lord's temple keeper, even if he was a latecomer to the role, his ancestors had held it! Who knew if the Mountain Lord might not punish them out of respect for his lineage?

Suppressing his unease, Third Brother tucked the business card into his pocket and signaled the others to leave the main path. Second Brother, following behind him, said, “With tourists in the mountains, we need to be even more careful.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Second Brother had shown them the video earlier; the boss had sent them precisely because of it. So it made sense that these tourists were also drawn here by the video. There was no point complaining.

Fifth Brother said, “Doesn’t matter. They’re heading to the Mountain Lord temple, which isn’t on our route. That girl is just a village official; she doesn’t know the mountains well. They won’t dare stray from the main path.”

What they called the “main path” was actually the route Chen Ji used daily to go up and down the mountain—a path barely wide enough for a motorcycle. Since Chen Ji moved back, with all the construction and repairs, the weeds had been trampled away, making the path clearer. Following it upward led to Chen Ji’s Mountain Lord temple; going down led to Shangyang Village.

Second Brother nodded. That made sense. Those young people seemed like ordinary, well-behaved tourists—unlikely to wander off recklessly like some hikers. They just needed to be careful to avoid the main path.

Third Brother gestured, and the other three entered the raspberry thickets with poles, searching for any signs of snakes while picking some berries.

Second Brother suddenly used his pole to flick aside a green bamboo viper hiding among the raspberry branches, casually tossing it into a burlap sack. Third Brother asked, “Found anything else?”

Everyone shook their heads—this was normal. Even when actively searching, it was rare to find something so quickly. Third Brother glanced at the sack in Second Brother’s hand, hesitating.

The weather was good, so the snake wouldn’t suffocate inside, but the green bamboo viper was still a venomous snake. They had just entered the mountains, and carrying it around was somewhat troublesome.

Second Brother said, “We’ll roast it tonight.”

Fourth Brother joked, “Second Brother, are you sure you can cook it properly? Don’t poison us.”

Second Brother replied calmly, “Then don’t eat it.”

Everyone laughed and continued deeper into the mountains. They kept some of the raspberries they’d picked and ate the rest as they went. Their supplies were limited, so they needed to supplement their food along the way. Fresh fruit was a welcome addition, and no one refused it.

Unbeknownst to them, a many-banded krait lay coiled atop a tall locust tree, lazily watching the people below. They carried a scent of blood, completely different from the group of young tourists.

What were they here for?

The four of them ventured deeper, soon entering a dense forest. From there, climbing a steep slope would allow them to bypass the Mountain Lord temple and reach the woods behind the mountain.

Once inside the forest, the sunlight was completely blocked by the thick canopy, and the light dimmed abruptly. Everyone perked up, growing more alert—it wasn’t an overreaction. With their experience in the mountains, they knew such sunless spots were far more dangerous than open areas.

For one, venomous insects and snakes favored these dark, damp places. Combined with the poor visibility, it was easy to fall victim.

Second Brother and Third Brother swapped positions. Second Brother took the lead, using a stick to sweep the path ahead in a fan-shaped motion. Though it might alert any snakes, their main target was the large tiger—snakes were secondary.

Fifth Brother, bringing up the rear, suddenly heard a faint rustling sound in the grass. He raised a hand, and everyone halted, warily scanning their surroundings. Fifth Brother listened intently, hearing the continuous rustling again. He slowed his breathing, set down his gun, and picked up a sickle and stick instead. He moved slowly toward the source, while Fourth Brother covered him with his gun, ready in case a large animal burst out.

Danger wasn’t limited to the white tiger—Xiaoqing Mountain had wolves, wild dogs, and boars, all fierce creatures. If a three- or four-hundred-pound boar charged out, a sickle wouldn’t be enough to stop it.

Fifth Brother followed the sound, crouching low after just a few steps. Suddenly, a gray shadow darted through the grass not far away. Without blinking, Fifth Brother threw his sickle the moment he saw it. The sickle flew like lightning into the grass, and something thudded to the ground. Everyone relaxed slightly.

If it could be knocked down by a sickle, it couldn’t be anything too large—or they’d gotten lucky and killed it instantly.

Fifth Brother used his stick to part the grass, revealing a pool of bright red blood. A dusty gray wild rabbit lay twitching in the blood, the sickle half-buried in the ground and half-embedded in its flesh. Fifth Brother chuckled, stepping forward to retrieve both the sickle and the rabbit. “Lucky us! Rabbit—we’ll have something to eat tonight!”

Wild rabbit meat was tough, but it was great for roasting. The other three smiled, relieved. Just then, Fourth Brother suddenly gasped. They turned to see him frantically shaking his clothes. Their hearts leapt again, and they moved to help, but Fourth Brother slapped his clothes hard, and a thumb-sized insect fell out from his hem.

Everyone looked closely—it was a wasp.

Third Brother stepped forward. “Did it sting you?”

“Damn it!” Fourth Brother cursed. They often worked in the mountains and knew better than to wear shorts and short sleeves like those young tourists. Their clothes were tightly fastened to prevent insects from biting or crawling inside. But just now, when he bent down to scratch an itch on his leg, the wasp had flown right into his collar!

Fourth Brother took off his shirt, revealing a red patch on his stomach with a fine wasp sting embedded. The skin was already swelling visibly. Second Brother pulled out a lighter, heated the tip of his dagger, and bent down to carefully remove the sting.

“Venomous,” Second Brother remarked, raising an eyebrow. “Bear with it.”

“Go ahead,” Fourth Brother said. Second Brother pricked the wound with the dagger tip, and blood welled up immediately. Fourth Brother squeezed out the venomous blood, grimacing in pain, while Second Brother fetched medicine from his pack to stop the bleeding and disinfect the wound.

The whole process took less than three minutes. Fourth Brother put his shirt back on as if nothing had happened, and they continued onward.

After about another hour, they finally reached the steep slope. None of them needed specialized climbing gear; they were agile, using sickles and ropes to scale the slope easily. Halfway up, they paused—was someone calling for help above?

“Help! Help!”

The four exchanged glances. The voice belonged to a woman, a young woman. Third Brother cursed inwardly—could it be one of the students brought by that village official?

What awful luck.

As they wondered, they looked up and saw the woman. She wore a sexy halter top and shorts—from their angle, they could see her fair-skinned legs dangling in the air. Hanging mid-air, she cried and screamed, clutching a life-saving branch while shouting, “Help! Is anyone there? Save me!”

Second Brother looked at Third Brother, the leader of their group. Third Brother gritted his teeth and said, “We have to save her.”

They needed to go up anyway—rescuing her was incidental. Not saving her would seem suspicious.

Third Brother shouted, “Miss up there, don’t panic! Hold on tight! We’re coming to save you!”

The girl above cried, “Someone’s here! Hurry! Save me!”

They quickened their climb and soon got a clear view of the girl. Fourth Brother chuckled, reaching out to grab her by the waist. “Don’t move—I’ll get you up!”

The girl looked up, revealing a face more beautiful than any celebrity on TV. Fourth Brother felt a stir in his heart and mustered extra strength. The girl wasn’t far from solid ground—only about two or three meters. With practiced ease, he hauled her up, taking the opportunity to brush his hand against her leg.

Fourth Brother couldn’t help but smirk.

The other three climbed up as well. Fourth Brother softened his voice. “Are you hurt?”

Third Brother gave him an disapproving look but said nothing.

The girl appeared delicate and timid, blushing slightly as she looked at Fourth Brother. “N-No… Thank you, big brother!”

Fourth Brother was bubbling with joy at being called “big brother.” The girl added, “My leg… my leg hurts… Sob… I don’t think I can stand…”

Third Brother frowned, but before he could intervene, Fourth Brother reached out and touched the girl’s leg. “Where does it hurt? Here?”

Second Brother watched quietly and whispered, “Let Fourth Brother take her back. We’ll regroup later.”

They couldn’t just leave the girl there—if she later reported encountering four men with equipment in the mountains who abandoned her after she was injured, it would look highly suspicious. But calling forest rescue wasn’t an option. Fortunately, they were close to the Mountain Lord temple. Having Fourth Brother take her back was the most reasonable solution.

Third Brother nodded. “Fourth Brother, take the girl to the Mountain Lord temple.”

Fourth Brother had been thinking the same thing and agreed immediately. He said to the girl, “Come on, I’ll carry you on my back.”

“Third Brother, I’ll take her back first. See you at the next point!”

The girl thanked Third Brother and the others profusely before climbing onto Fourth Brother’s back. Fourth Brother, delighted by the feel of her smooth legs, chatted happily with her as they went.

A strange glint flashed in the girl’s eyes, her voice dripping with sweetness. “Thank you, big brother… I just slipped…”