Chapter 96: Evened Out (Fourth Update)

After leaving the village, the old mountain runner shifted the firewood knife from his lower back to his side, ready to draw it at any moment.

He strode ahead and said to Xu Yuan and the other three behind him: "Keep your distance, more than five zhang away. If you stay with us two for too long, yin energy will enter your bodies."

Fu Jingyu's eyes showed something unusual; his experience was not as great as Yan Lao's or Lu Lao's. He had felt something was wrong upon first meeting the old mountain runner, and now he was even less composed.

Xu Yuan fell back five zhang.

With the old mountain runner leading the way, progress was naturally faster.

Previously, Xu Yuan and the other three had to obediently detour around territories of headless monsters, but the route planned by the old mountain runner passed through no such territories.

The deeper they drilled into the deep mountains, the more various bizarre evil spirits there were.

Even without headless monsters, gradually even the old mountain runner found it somewhat strenuous.

In the mid-afternoon, Bai Laoyan stopped to catch his breath: "Eat something; I'm too hungry to walk."

Xu Yuan and the other three were also exhausted. Fu Jingyu sat on a stone nearby. Just as he was about to take out his dried rations, he heard the stone beneath his bottom speak: "You squat down, let me sit on your head for a bit, and we'll be even."

Fu Jingyu was so startled he jumped up, but the old mountain runner darted over, grabbed his shoulder, and forced him to squat on the ground.

"Dare not run!"

Many people entering the mountains, upon hearing stones speak, would be so frightened they would run away immediately.

But the stone was stubborn; whether it was a living person or an evil spirit, whoever took advantage of it would not be forgiven until they were even.

Thus, within no more than three li, it would surely catch up, sit down heavily with a high butt, and surely crush the head right into the neck cavity!

Fu Jingyu also knew this was no small matter; he obediently squatted there, closed his eyes, and toughened his scalp.

The stone wobbled as it floated up, estimated Fu Jingyu's weight, and sat down on his head with equal force.

Thud!

Fu Jingyu immediately saw stars, and a large lump visibly swelled rapidly on the top of his head.

The butt was soft, but the stone was hard.

"This time, on Bai Laoyan's account, let it go." The stone rolled away.

Everyone quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"How are you?" Xu Yuan came over to ask.

Fu Jingyu was still a bit dizzy; he answered while his head spun in circles: "It's fine..."

Bai Laoyan hadn't noticed a strange stone squatting nearby, which made him somewhat embarrassed.

But there were too many evil spirits in the mountains, and their types were varied; there were always a few kinds that no one could detect as abnormal.

Xu Yuan took some dried meat and handed it to Bai Laoyan, but the latter waved his hand to reject it, accepting none of this so-called "kindness."

Xu Yuan had used the old fox to pressure Bai Laoyan, who had been forced to agree to join the group, so naturally his temper was not smooth.

He took his own black bun and bit into it; Xu Yuan went to the side to eat.

As they were nearly finished, Xu Yuan said to Fu Jingyu: "After we finish this matter, we might as well set up an office at Seven Grain Terrace, responsible for buying various good materials from the mountains.

Wangxiang Village is closest to the town; we might as well give them a good price, or have Wangxiang Village collect from all the villages first, then trade uniformly with the office."

Speaking of this, Bai Laoyan could no longer pretend not to hear.

Life in the mountains was hard, and villagers could not leave the mountains; every time they traded with merchants, they were actually exploited once.

If they could truly trade with the Evil-Dispelling Bureau, especially gaining the power to act on behalf of the Evil-Dispelling Bureau to buy mountain goods in the mountains, it would absolutely be great news for Wangxiang Village.

Bai Laoyan sneered: "Who can't speak pretty words? Such a big matter, can you two children decide it?"

Xu Yuan only smiled and did not refute.

Yan Lao stepped forward in time, pointing at Fu Jingyu: "His teacher is High Commissioner Ma Tianshou of the Southern Office. Setting up an office for his teacher is just a matter of a single sentence."

Bai Laoyan snorted and said nothing more.

Everyone ate their dried rations, rested for a moment, and continued on their way.

Bai Laoyan's attitude, though not very obvious, had indeed softened.

"Rush to Five Camps Fork before dark; there is a hut belonging to Gao Guanzi of Gao Family Village over there. We will spend the night there."

Gao Guanzi was a mountain runner from Gao Family Village. Among these mountain villages, some were friendly and some hostile; Gao Family Village and Wangxiang Village had a good relationship.

If they entered a hut belonging to a mountain runner from a hostile relationship, the owner would surely track them down by scent sooner or later, and a fight would be inevitable.

Xu Yuan and the others carried a hidden worry in their hearts all along the way: Could they make it in time?

The side with the surname Qin was protected by the Locust Woman, so they might travel all night.

Our side cannot; even with Bai Laoyan leading, we dare not wander around in the mountains at night.

But no one said anything, because saying it would be meaningless.

In the deep mountains flowed a black-brown river of locusts.

Countless locusts gathered together, crossing over the great mountains and crawling through the valleys.

The Locust Woman lay comfortably on the backs of her descendants, needing to move herself not at all.

But Qin my lord and his party could only obediently travel on their own.

They also wanted to be carried by the locusts, but as soon as Qin my lord mentioned it, the Locust Woman cracked open her sharp mandibles and smiled sinisterly.

Qin my lord dared not; he feared that as they walked, his people would grow fewer and fewer, eaten secretly by these locusts.

Qin my lord's face was pale; his injuries from that battle had not yet fully healed.

One hand was wrapped in Bai Bu; a layer of skin and flesh had been eaten away by that blade, leaving that hand almost nothing but bone.

The column passed three old walnut trees that two people could embrace around, the trees laden with white brain matter.

Ceng Si felt his scalp itch terribly; he scratched hard a few times, and the more he scratched, the itchier it became...

The Locust Woman snorted coldly: "If you scratch through the skull, your brains will have to hang up too!"

Ceng Si was startled; only then did he notice that his previous few scratches had already made his scalp bleed profusely, exposing the skull!

The group quickly moved away from the three walnut trees. The Locust Woman glanced at the sky and said, "We will not rest tonight; we can reach Guanghuo Street by dawn."

Lord Qin nodded, but suddenly remembered something and asked, "Senior, will you block the dangers for us at night?"

The Locust Woman glanced at Ceng Si and the others, a hint of greed flashing in her eyes, imperceptible to most: "That is natural."

The group continued moving. As the sky gradually darkened, in the cold spots all around, various unspeakable evil things, unable to restrain their thirst for flesh, tentatively reached out their demonic claws toward this group...

"Chak-chak-chak—"

The Locust Woman merely glanced once; a large swarm of her descendants rushed in, dragged that evil spirit out, tore it apart, and devoured it.

Silence immediately fell over the surroundings.

Ceng Si and the others quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Yuan and his party hurried as fast as they could, finally entering Gao Guanzi's hut before nightfall.

This place was originally a pit; Gao Guanzi had built a roof of branches over it, covered it with withered leaves, and added some camouflage.

Just as narrow and small as Bai Laoyan's hut, a smell of chicken manure greeted them upon entering.

Bai Laoyan muttered, "That old rascal is still so sloppy."

Everyone found a place to sit.

Xu Yuan handed some dried meat to Bai Laoyan again; this time, the old mountain runner did not refuse.

After eating for a while, Xu Yuan spoke to ask, "How many heads does the Locust Woman have? Can she all of them perform strange techniques? Are there any weaknesses on her body?"

(End of this chapter)