Chapter 386

"Are everyone here?"

"Wang Er, forgot the rules of entering the mountain? Where did the red cloth and five grains go? Go find them quickly..."

"Why are you crying? It will take at most two days!"

Early in the morning, Village Head Zhou was shouting outside the courtyard.

At this moment, he had changed into a hunting suit made of coarse hemp and animal fur. Although it looked tattered, it was excellent for concealment.

He carried a bow on his back, a knife on his waist, and tools such as ropes. At a glance, he was an experienced old hunter.

Unlike other places, in this remote place of Longtan Village, if you want to be the village head, martial arts are more important. Village Head Zhou is the most powerful hunter in recent years.

He originally only planned to bring two people, but what happened yesterday made him change his mind and directly organize a team.

If this matter is not resolved, the entire Longtan Village will have to move.

Adding manpower temporarily was naturally a mess. The hunters who often entered the mountains in Longtan Village were almost all called out.

In the small courtyard, Wang Daoxuan and the others were also preparing.

Although they had prepared their luggage and packed various magic tools and daily necessities, they still needed to prepare a lot to enter the Shennongjia.

As for Li Yan, he sat on the steps, looking at the dragon-patterned jade gui.

"Little Brother Yan, did you see anything strange?"

Seeing this, Sha Lifei hurriedly stepped forward to ask.

Li Yan rubbed the dragon-shaped jade gui and frowned, "This thing has the energy of the earth vein, but it is as stable as Mount Tai, and it is difficult to draw it out. Looking at the shape, it is even before the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Judging from the color, it is not an object from a tomb, but has been soaked in water for many years..."

Sha Lifei's eyes lit up, "It wouldn't be from the Dragon Palace Water Mansion, would it?"

When Wang Daoxuan heard this, he laughed dumbly, "A flood dragon has a shape, but a dragon can be big or small, hiding its shape, and it is not something ordinary people can see. How could it need a water mansion?"

"Then the Dragon Girl gave the jade, does it have any other meaning?"

Li Yan shook his head, "I don't know. The Dragon Girl was sealed, and the God-Controlling Method couldn't communicate, and the dream was also blurry."

"Brother Lu San, how is it on your side?"

Lu San said in a muffled voice, "I wandered around the lake this morning. The animals here don't know, they are all ordinary things and can't feel the existence of the Dragon Girl."

Li Yan shook his head helplessly and put away the jade gui, "Let's go first. If we find that Daoist Yun on the road, maybe we can know the reason."

After some preparations, everyone finally set off.

The villagers of Longtan Village all came out to see them off, men, women, old and young, all with solemn expressions. Although Village Head Zhou didn't say it, some things that happened last night had spread by word of mouth and were known to everyone.

Plus Village Head Zhou suddenly summoned all the hunters.

Everyone knew that something must have happened...

"Go back, do what you should do!"

Village Head Zhou waved his hand impatiently. He looked careless, but in fact, he was stabilizing people's hearts. When he left, he didn't change his expression and gave a look to several old men.

His entry into the mountain this time was also a risk.

Some things had already been explained. If they couldn't come out this time, the clan elders in the village would make the decision and prepare to leave their hometown.

Except for Li Yan and his group, Village Head Zhou also brought more than a dozen hunters, all of whom were good hands who often entered the mountains.

Under everyone's worried gaze, the group left quickly, headed towards the back mountain, and disappeared into the thick fog...

…………

"Here, it's that cave ahead."

Not long after entering the back mountain, Village Head Zhou pointed forward.

Li Yan raised his head and looked. I saw that the mountains ahead were blocked, and at the end of the rugged mountain path, there was a cave. It looked like a karst cave, but there were obvious traces of axe and chisel at the entrance, which were ancient and covered with moss.

Gong Xun said, "Little Hero Li, it's right here."

"Many years ago, I was ordered to disguise myself and mix into the mountain village. The Zhushan side of Yunyang was checking tightly, so I thought about entering from the Shennongjia side, and then I knew about this place."

Wang Daoxuan became interested, stepped forward to observe those traces carefully, stroked his beard and said, "It really hasn't been a short time, maybe it was really opened up by the ancestors of Chu."

Sha Lifei smiled, "The ancestors of ancient Chu can really find it. Why open up a mountain path in such a remote place?"

Wang Daoxuan shook his head, "The ancestors of ancient Chu, through hardships, from King Wuding of Shang to King Cheng of Zhou, repeatedly attacked Chu. Presumably, they also wanted to find a retreat in this Shennongjia."

"The Daoist is really knowledgeable."

The leading Village Head Zhou hurriedly flattered, "This mountain path, the ancestors don't know who built it. It was only when the Medicine Saint entered the mountain from this place and found ancient Chu ruins on the opposite side that it was confirmed."

"Hey, settling in the Shennongjia is asking for trouble, isn't it?"

Li Yan thought thoughtfully and asked, "This Shennongjia is indeed extraordinary. Has Village Head Zhou heard of any strange things?"

"There are many."

Village Head Zhou said in a deep voice, "Exactly, before entering the mountain, some taboos should be made clear to everyone first."

"In the Shennongjia, it is mostly shrouded in clouds and mist, it is extremely easy to get lost, and there are various strange beasts, which is very dangerous."

"Just the ones passed down from generation to generation in the village, there are several kinds."

"One is called the Donkey-Headed Wolf, we call it the 'Donkey-Headed Hunzi'. It has a huge body, a head like a donkey, and often comes out of the mountain to cause trouble. There is a village nearby where children and women were eaten..."

"The water pools in the Shennongjia are also best not to be approached. I have seen a large toad with my own eyes, its skin is gray and white like a dead person, and it can spray water and mist..."

"Old people say there are Coffin Beasts, Over-the-Mountain Yellows, one more fierce than the other, but unfortunately we haven't seen them."

Saying that, he carefully looked at Wu Ba, "In addition, the most terrifying thing is the wild man. I heard that they came out of the Shennongjia in groups many years ago and abducted women."

"Go to your mother!"

Wu Ba split his big mouth and giggled foolishly.

Village Head Zhou: "..."

Sha Lifei hurriedly changed the subject, "Don't blame Lu Laoge Zhou, this silly boy only knows this sentence. What taboos do we have when entering the mountain?"

Village Head Zhou replied, "It's similar to other places."

"First, you can't speak loudly. After entering the mountain, you can't call some wild beasts by their names. Don't say they are dead when you hit prey, but say they are asleep..."

"Second, don't talk about dreams in the morning, don't talk about killing at noon, and don't talk about ghosts and gods in the evening. When you hit something, worship the mountain god first..."

"Third, you can't run around, deviate from the hunting path, be careful of getting lost or stepping on traps set by previous hunters..."

Village Head Zhou was explaining here, while the hunters in the village were holding a ceremony for entering the mountain, rubbing soil into an altar, burning ingots and incense, and killing a chicken, sprinkling chicken blood at the entrance of the cave.

Not only that, they also tore a red cloth strip from their bodies and tied it to an old tree next to them.

The tree was densely packed with red ribbons, but some were ancient, faded by wind, sun, and rain.

Village Head Zhou then explained, "This is a ceremony for entering the mountain. One is to worship the mountain god and tell them we are entering the mountain, and the other is to tie a red rope, so that even if something happens in the mountain, the soul can return to its hometown. Everyone..."

"The rules must naturally be followed."

Li Yan didn't talk nonsense, took a red cloth bag, and tied it to the tree.

Wang Daoxuan and the others followed suit without the slightest impatience.

Although they are practitioners, they don't have that unnecessary arrogance. The customs and taboos of various places have been passed down for thousands of years, and naturally there is a reason for them.

Even if it is just a ceremony, if it is not followed, it is inevitable that the hunters who follow will have doubts in their hearts, creating hidden dangers.

Seeing them like this, Village Head Zhou also breathed a sigh of relief. After burning incense and kowtowing, he took out a small suona from his arms and played it.

The sound of this suona was not high-pitched, but dark and strange, making a woo-woo sound when playing, like crying and complaining.

Sha Lifei felt a bit creepy and was about to speak, but was waved away by Wang Daoxuan, who whispered, "This is the sound of the Ju River, the ancient Chu legacy, played by the Chu people to sacrifice to their distant ancestor Zhu Rong, don't disturb..."

When everyone heard this, they stood honestly on the side.

The wind whistled, the clouds and mist swirled, and the sound of ancient Chu drifted. Looking at the mottled stone walls of the mountain cave, Li Yan also seemed to feel the difficulty of the ancient Chu ancestors breaking through thorns and thorns in the wilderness...

After the ceremony, everyone entered the mountain cave immediately.

The mountain cave was dark and deep. They walked forward with torches and could vaguely hear the sound of water dripping. Not long after walking, they knew the reason. It turned out to be a karst cave with complex roads and many branches. The ancient Chu ancestors only needed to chisel the stone walls to penetrate the mountain range.

On some stalactites, there were still extinguished torches, and a lot of lime was swept in the areas leading to other mountain caves.

Seeing Li Yan's suspicion, Village Head Zhou explained, "Old legends say that there is a strange insect in the mountain cave, called the Brittle Snake, which can reach a hundred meters in length. After touching a person, it will disperse and become many insects rushing up, which is extremely poisonous, so lime is often sprinkled to block it."

Li Yan pinched the Dharma formula, took a deep breath, his face was calm, and he didn't say much.

There was no strange smell in the cave, so he was too lazy to pay attention.

Along the way, they didn't encounter any danger. In less than the time it takes to burn three sticks of incense, everyone left the mountain cave and arrived at the other end of the mountain range.

I saw mountains and ridges ahead, clouds and mist swirling, countless giant trees towering, blocking the sky and the sun, and I couldn't see the end from afar.

The mountain wind whistled, as if an invisible giant hand was pushing the clouds and mist to move forward, but the sky was never seen.

"Is this the Shennongjia?"

When Sha Lifei saw this, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

!.

Just standing here, he inexplicably felt a bit cold in his heart.

And Li Yan was also solemn.

He had been to the Shennongjia in his previous life, but there was no such scene, and the energy of the gang and evil was swirling, not losing to the blessed land of the cave at all, but it was scattered and formless, without forming a spiritual aperture.

No wonder it can become one of the forbidden areas of the Divine Land.

"Let's go, everyone, be careful."

Village Head Zhou greeted, and took the lead in front.

Li Yan followed behind him without changing his expression.

Compared to the hunter's experience, he still trusted his own supernatural powers more. If something happened, he could handle it in the first time.

Of course, Lu San was their real confidence in entering the mountain!

I saw Lu San pinching the Dharma formula, listening intently while walking.

In the dense fog and forest, there were occasional howls of unknown wild beasts, and birds flying through the mottled forest trees.

These sounds were just adding to the terrifying atmosphere of the Shennongjia for ordinary people, but in Lu San's ears, they were animals in the forest chatting.

This information was extremely chaotic, and Lu San had to distinguish it carefully.

And in front, Village Head Zhou also explained while walking, "The Shennongjia is not small. The hunters of Longtan Village only dare to walk a few hunting paths from ancient times, and no one dares to go deeper."

"Those who leave the hunting path have never survived. Daoist Yun also often enters the mountain with us to collect herbs. Clues should be found on these hunting paths."

Gong Xun on the side asked in a deep voice, "Lu Laoge Zhou, you also know why I came this time, do you have any clues?"

"Of course."

When Village Head Zhou heard this, he hurriedly took out a leather map from his arms, "Although we dare not go deep, sometimes when the weather gets better, standing in special areas of the hunting path, we can still see some large lakes."

"I have marked them all, but whether there are any in those places, we can only know after we go..."

To tell the truth, Gong Xun said they were looking for a flood dragon, Village Head Zhou didn't believe it at all, but after what happened last night, he didn't dare to be careless.

"Hmm."

Gong Xun took the map and handed it to Li Yan.

Li Yan took it and looked at it carefully. This map was very rough, drawn by hunters, but he could roughly see the terrain nearby.

He took out the Ezhou map from his arms again, and after comparing the two, he frowned.

The map provided by Village Head Zhou only drew a small part. Even if he wanted to search through the area bordering Shennongjia and Baokang County, he had to go deeper along those lakes.

The news of their arrival had leaked, and in the Shennongjia, there must be Heavenly Saint Sect and Ghost Sect experts lurking.

This errand was really not easy to do...

Li Yan shook his head slightly and carefully put away the map.

In the Shennongjia, clouds and mist were everywhere. They only vaguely knew they were shuttling between two high mountains according to the direction of the mountain road.

"Village Head, look!"

Soon, the hunters of Longtan Village made a discovery.

I saw a few deep footprints on a muddy ground covered with fallen leaves, the surrounding thorns and shrubs were broken, and a small piece of broken cloth was hanging.

Village Head Zhou picked up the broken cloth, his face solemn, "It's Daoist Yun's Daoist robe. He must have encountered some danger. Look for the footprints next to it."

With an order, the hunters scattered.

"There are some here!"

On the hillside nearby, a hunter made a discovery.

Everyone went up to see, only to see a few strings of footprints on the ground, each as thick as a bowl, looking like they were looking down at Daoist Yun on the hillside.

Sha Lifei tutted, "Goodness, so big, it wouldn't be a bear, would it?"

"No!"

Village Head Zhou's face was solemn: "Bear footprints are similar to human feet, with claw marks in front, and bears are clumsy, and their footprints are messy."

"These footprints are five-clawed plum blossom type, symmetrical and neat, and so big... mostly Donkey-Headed Hunzi!"

Li Yan was stunned, "Didn't they say they are rarely seen?"

"They are rarely seen."

Village Head Zhou looked into the distance and gritted his teeth: "There are rules in the mountain, wild beasts usually don't cross the boundary at will, and Donkey-Headed Hunzi have never approached our hunting path here."

"Unless something happened over there, they were driven over!"

Sha Lifei swallowed his saliva, "They?"

Village Head Zhou's face was also a bit bitter, "The footprints are of different sizes, there are at least four or five, Daoist Yun is afraid..."

"Let's find him first."

Li Yan interrupted his words, took the cloth piece, took a deep breath, and then pointed to the right front, "Went that way."

"Go!"

Everyone followed the direction of the broken branches and continued to move forward.

When leaving, Li Yan turned his head and glanced again.

Driven away by something...

It wouldn't be the trapped dragon they were looking for.

It hadn't rained in the mountains for several days, and the smell still hadn't dissipated, so Li Yan's supernatural powers could still work, leading everyone to track.

Not long after, they left the hunting path.

The hunters of Longtan Village were a bit afraid, but knowing that Li Yan and these people were all possessed of strange arts, they could only bite the bullet and follow closely.

Passing through a dense forest, a steep cliff suddenly appeared in front of them, with clouds and mist below, and the sound of flowing water could be heard vaguely.

"It went down from here."

Li Yan led everyone to take a detour, came behind a bush, and looked down. I saw vines and wooden branches winding and twisting, green as jade, as if forming a heavenly ladder, leading directly to the bottom.

Wang Daoxuan was startled, "This place is a bit strange, it wouldn't be the wooden ladder of Shennongjia back then, would it?"

"How is that possible!"

Sha Lifei shook his head, "Even spiritual wood can't withstand thousands of years of wind, frost, rain, and snow, how could traces be left?"

"It really might be!"

Li Yan also flashed a trace of surprise in his eyes, stepped forward and pulled away the vines, impressively revealing the pits chiseled by man...

(End of chapter)