Chapter 265

Chapter 265

Two weeks later, the group stopped in front of a collapsed mountainside.

The leader raised an arm to signal, and those behind gradually stopped, unsure of what was happening. They craned their necks to see and asked repeatedly, "What's wrong? Why aren't we moving?"

"It's a landslide! Can't go through!" a man shouted loudly. "Grandpa Dagen is having people climb over to check it out. Don't rush—I reckon we won't be moving for a while. Unload the carts and stretch your legs, just wait for the word to come!"

Hearing it was a landslide, those in the back calmed down.

It wasn't that they were used to big scenes, but ever since entering the mountains, the journey had been anything but smooth.

The first few days were tough with heavy snow blinding their path, causing falls that took out whole chains of people. The elderly and children, with their brittle bones, broke with a sharp crack when they fell. The kids recovered quickly after a couple of days' rest, but the old folks were different—one fall left them unable to walk. Now, even with crutches, they couldn't move, and the injured lay on carts their kids pulled or were tied up with ropes and carried on people's backs.

Later, the snow stopped, but they found themselves on ground as slippery as moss. Every step slid and made them slip, leaving everyone, young and old, scraped up and bruised. Some were badly banged up, even losing their teeth.

After a tense few days, they finally made it past that stretch. But that very night, the watchman's yelling woke everyone up—wolves had come.

Three or four wolves, their eyes glowing green from hunger.

They had crept in unnoticed, lurking in the thickets for who knows how long. Even Xiao Heizi hadn't sensed them. It was only when the watchman, needing to relieve himself, headed into the woods and caught a glimpse of a fierce pair of eyes fixed on him that he froze.

He didn't get scared enough to piss himself, but his legs went weak on him. In that blank moment, his body's survival instinct made him run, shouting to wake everyone.

The bows and arrows they'd brought into the mountains proved their worth. The starving wolves, lunging hard at the crowd, were driven back by Qing Xuan's dead-on aim, the men's desperate courage, and the bold hacking of Zhao Dashan and his two brothers with their knives.

They managed to protect their weak families, and the raid ended with a few mangy wolf pelts as trophies.

This victory boosted everyone's morale, who'd been on edge since they entered the mountains, constantly wary of beast attacks!

Fear needs a total victory to get rid of it. After this fight, they got bold, feeling like "I've killed a wolf, so what's there to be scared of?"

With that confidence, when they ran into dangerous terrain, got lost in deep mountain valleys, or felt lost and scared in ancient forests where they couldn't tell direction, even when they heard a distant, mighty tiger's roar from somewhere, their first thought was, "Holy crap, there really is a tiger!"

Curious, but not too scared.

After going through all kinds of twists and hardships, hearing about a landslide now didn't bother anyone. Even the kids calmly started untying their ropes, ready to rest.

"Rest here!" Er Lai's dad shouted from a high spot, waving a rag around. "The road's blocked—we gotta move the rocks to get through. Any strong men, come up front to help. The rest, don't wander off!"

At his call, many responded, and those who felt they had strength pushed forward.

Old Man Zhao stood in front of the debris blocking the path. They were on a cliff, with a deep drop-off to the right and the collapsed slope to the left. Since it wasn't raining, he figured that over time, the rocks on the cliff face had loosened up, causing the dirt to slide.

The debris was mostly dirt, not many rocks, so a little clearing would make it passable.

But...

Old Man Zhao frowned, feeling worried. Ever since they got lost and then somehow found their way back to the mountain path, he'd been uneasy, always thinking they might've taken a wrong turn.

Every step now might've strayed from the route the merchant caravans used.

And the piled-up dirt and rocks looked like they'd been there for a while. If this was the usual route, even if merchants were lazy or in a hurry, they'd clear a narrow path for their carts. This untouched state didn't make sense.

Unless this mountain path connecting the two prefectures hadn't been used in almost a year.

Had they really gone off course?

Despite a thousand thoughts running through his mind, his old face stayed still. He didn't dare reveal this suspicion, afraid it would dampen everyone's spirits.

This journey had been like a blind man crossing a river—feeling their way through. They'd followed Guixiang's mother's directions, detouring when there was no path, then finding their way back. The day before, they'd gotten lost in a dense forest, unable to tell direction, and after much effort, emerged onto what looked like a proper mountain road, leading them here.

His heart was uneasy. If this road still led to Yanlin Prefecture, it would just mean a longer detour. What he feared was that it might lead to a dangerous place—like the border or straight into foreign territory. That would be disastrous!

It wasn't paranoia. His strongest impression of Yanlin Prefecture was of the long-haired, green-eyed foreigners and the constant border battles.

Didn't they say that what you fear most is what you'll encounter?

"Dad, something's off," Zhao Sandi, the second smartest in the family, sidled over while the men were grunting and moving rocks. "This rock and dirt don't look like they fell recently. Have we taken the wrong path..."

"Keep your voice down!" Old Man Zhao cut him off, glancing around and lowering his voice. "Do you want to alarm everyone?"

He snorted, glaring. "What's off? It looks fine to me! Did you notice those trees in the forest earlier? I saw old marks on several—cuts from knives or something. This path is definitely used; it's not a dead end."

"..." Looking at his father's stubborn face, what could Zhao Sandi say? They couldn't turn back anyway. "Right, nothing's off. We haven't gone wrong. This is the path we need to take."

He hadn't noticed any marks on the trees. After all the exhausting effort, he barely had energy to think about anything else. He wasn't his father.

Father and son had little to say to each other. After a brief exchange, they parted ways.

The fact that the rocks weren't recent was somewhat reassuring—at least they didn't have to worry about another landslide. Still, for safety, everyone moved back a bit to a wider spot to rest.

They'd lost a lot of belongings along the way, using their strength to care for the elderly and children who couldn't walk. Besides a few carts of grain and bedding, and two donkey carts they'd refused to abandon—even dismantling them to carry when the path got narrow—they'd discarded most of their precious firewood, leaving only enough for two days.

When they first fled home, they'd wanted to bring everything, even small stools, unwilling to part with anything, thinking that carrying their home on their backs meant they hadn't lost it.

Now, they'd lost their home too, left with only their families, trudging bare on the road to survival.

...

Many hands made light work. In less than half an hour, the men cleared a path wide enough for the donkey carts.

It was still early, and this wasn't a good place to linger. Er Lai's dad stood on a high spot again, waving his rag and shouting for everyone to tie their ropes and prepare to move on.

"Don't complain! Adults and kids, tie your rope to the person in front. There are too many of us to watch everyone. Tying up is safer—even if a wolf or snake tries to snatch someone from the grass, someone can pull you back!"

"Got it? If you don't want to die, be sensible! You're not kids anymore—don't make me watch you with a stick!"

Every time they set off, he tirelessly waved his rag and gave these reminders. No one had fallen off a cliff, no child had been taken by beasts, and no one had been left behind, all thanks to the ropes around their waists.

Someone joked that it was like a mother's umbilical cord, protecting them through danger after danger.

But some people were ungrateful and never held their tongues.

"My ears are sick of it!" old lady Zhou said, pushing herself up from her knees. She felt like they'd barely rested before it was time to go again. "Er Lai's dad, next time don't wave that rag of yours. We're exhausted and want to rest longer. The moment you open your mouth, we know it's time to move."

"You're like the opposite of a magpie—magpies bring good news, but you never say anything good!"

"If your ears are sick, break off a twig and clean them!" Er Lai's dad, sharp-eared, rolled his eyes. He'd always found old lady Zhou annoying back in the village, and now that he didn't fear her throwing a tantrum at his door, he didn't hold back. "I don't have wings, so why compare me to a magpie? Tie up or don't—if you slip and fall off the cliff, no one's saving you. When you're gone, your old man will find a new wife, and your precious magpie will come calling at dawn!"

"You, you..." Old lady Zhou's chest heaved with rage, her finger trembling. "I never knew you had such a sharp tongue! That ugly, gourd-faced old man of mine could find a new wife? Dream on! He won't! Even if I fall, I'm dragging him with me!"

"Why drag me?" Old man Zhou, unhappy, quickly untied his rope and squeezed behind old lady Wu's family, forcing his rope onto old man Wu's waist. "Brother, save me! That shrew of mine wants to harm me!"

"Hey, don't pull my pants!" Old man Wu tugged at his waistband. "I don't want to get involved in your marital squabbles. Go behind someone else, not me."

"No way! My wife can't beat yours. I feel safe behind you!"

"You feel safe, but I don't!"

The two old men were yanking at each other and almost blew a fuse.

Old Lady Wu rolled her eyes. That family of theirs was the most troublesome; they could make a whole production out of tying a rope.

Er Lai's father couldn't be bothered with those two. Let them make a fuss as long as they didn't hold up the group. He shook the cloth strip and gave another reminder. Seeing that the others were obediently tying the ropes, he nodded in satisfaction. Hearing Da Shan calling him from ahead, he quickly jumped off the rock.

"Let's go!"

With a loud chant, the team set off again, heading down a winding, unknown road.