Chapter 1783 - 2085: Qiu Nanshan (3)
Ling Gengqiu said, "Mr. He, shouldn’t you tell us everything you know? We don’t want to die in confusion. I don’t want what happened just now to happen again."
He Honggang nodded and said, "Qiu Nanshan is not an ordinary mountain; it’s actually a large burial site. The duty of these Guardians is to protect this burial ground. Although the exact time cannot be verified, I estimate the existence of these Guardians has been passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years. They have been inherited through generations and continue today."
"Who are buried in this large burial site you’re talking about?" Chen Younian asked.
"People like us."
After hearing He Honggang’s answer, the expressions of everyone changed. They had many speculations before coming, but the truth far exceeded their imagination. Ling Chen looked shocked, with He Honggang’s words echoing in his mind. All were people like Ling Gengqiu... Were there many such people in the past?
For a moment, everyone’s interest was piqued.
"Everyone, our destination is always protected by the Guardians. To enter there, we must get through those Guardians, so you must be careful," He Honggang instructed, "I have fought with them before. These people are ruthless and among them, some are very strong. If you fall into their hands, you will surely die."
Everyone nodded without saying much. At this moment, they all hoped for daybreak as soon as possible so they could go up the mountain to investigate.
To prevent any more sneak attacks, they arranged to take turns keeping watch.
Unconsciously, the sky outside the cave slowly brightened. By a little past five in the morning, everyone woke up. Driven by the secret mentioned by He Honggang, everyone was incredibly eager. They snacked on some biscuits to fill their stomachs, and under the lead of He Honggang, continued to head towards the mountain top.
This time, they wasted no time resting. After several hours of continuous trekking, by noon, they finally reached the top of Qiu Nanshan. From the peak, all they could see was a stretch of white snow and a chilling wind.
Ling Chen wrapped the clothes tighter around his body, stepping on the thick snow, and roamed the mountaintop. The temperature at the peak was extremely low, covered with thick ice everywhere, very slippery, and if not careful, one could easily fall. Ling Chen was cautious as he walked by the edge of the mountaintop, afraid of slipping down. Such a high peak, a fall would be catastrophic.
On top of Qiu Nanshan, Ling Chen also saw the remains of cableway support structures, but these were damaged, likely done by the Guardians. Since hearing about the Guardians, he understood the strange incidents the hotel owner mentioned during their conversation last night. It must have been the Guardians’ actions, intending to hinder the government’s tourism development at Qiu Nanshan.
After wandering around Qiu Nanshan’s peak, they did not find any trace of the Guardians. Just then, hearing He Honggang’s call, everyone rushed over to gather.
"Mr. He, when are we heading to the burial site you mentioned?" asked Chen Younian, already a bit impatient.
He Honggang replied with a slight smile, "No rush, we’ll go sooner or later. But before that, we set up camp here because, if I’m not mistaken, the Guardians won’t let us in easily, so we have to deal with them first."
"Where are these Guardians? With our strength, can’t we just take them out directly?"
He Honggang shook his head and said, "Don’t underestimate those people. They’ve lived in Qiu Nanshan for so many years and know every stone here like the back of their hand. They might be watching us from some hidden position right now." After a pause, he continued, "Frankly, last time I was here, I suffered quite a loss and lost many Disciples of the Dark Pavilion, so we must be cautious this time. I don’t want to lose people before even getting in there."
At that, everyone followed He Honggang’s arrangement and set up tents on the mountain top. Once the tents were set up, Ling Chen took a stove out of his backpack and cooked a few bowls of noodles. After a whole day of compressed biscuits yesterday, he had no appetite. Having a bowl of hot noodles in such a ghostly place was a good enjoyment.
After eating, Ling Chen, Chen Junfeng, and Ling Gengqiu sat in the tent, chatting and resting.
"Big brother, what do you think about the burial site He Honggang mentioned?"
Ling Gengqiu smiled and replied, "As he said, the people buried there are like us, which indicates one thing: after a certain time, we will die as well."
"That’s not necessarily true." Ling Chen shook his head and said, "Perhaps those people didn’t die naturally, but perished due to other reasons."
"It’s too early to say now; instead of guessing here, we might as well go in and see for ourselves." Speaking of this, Ling Gengqiu looked at Ling Chen and said, "What I’m thinking now is, do you two want to quit?"
"You want us to quit?"
Ling Gengqiu nodded and said, "Yes! This operation will definitely be dangerous. Otherwise, He Honggang wouldn’t have asked us to accompany him. I don’t care if I die; I’ve lived long enough. You are different; you’re still young, and I don’t want you to lose your life here."
"Big brother, we’re already here, how can we just quit? Besides, even if we wanted to quit now, He Honggang probably wouldn’t allow it. You noticed how cautious he’s been, afraid of exposing himself."
As they spoke, there was suddenly a loud ’bang’ outside the tent.
Hearing the sound, the three of them immediately rushed out of the tent without thinking. Outside, one of the tents not far away was already on fire, with Chen Younian and his team standing nearby, brushing off sparks from themselves, looking angry.
"What’s going on?" Ling Gengqiu walked up and asked.
"Someone attacked us," Chen Younian said coldly, "Fortunately, I reacted quickly and wasn’t hit." Glancing around, he said, "That person should be nearby, but unfortunately, they fled too fast, and I couldn’t spot them."
So formidable?
Ling Chen was secretly alarmed. He knew Chen Younian’s strength, and if Chen Younian couldn’t catch them, it meant the Guardians of Qiu Nanshan were not simple, coming and going without a trace. Caution was necessary.
...
Night fell.
The cold wind howled across the mountaintop, cutting the face like a knife. Ling Chen hid in the tent, listening to the howling outside, yawning.
"You sleep first, I’ll keep watch, don’t worry," Ling Gengqiu said.