Chapter 334: A Chance Encounter
Chu Guifeng led the team onward. They had to avoid the dangerous areas of the Jiuli Mountain Range, so they couldn't travel in a straight line, constantly twisting, turning, and taking detours.
Chu Guifeng led the group to a river. Its water was clear and the current was slow. This was one of the few relatively safe rivers within the Jiuli Mountain Range.
Chu Guifeng glanced down at the map in his hands and led them upstream along the river. Although this was a relatively safe route, they had now reached the central region of the Jiuli Mountain Range and couldn't afford to let their guard down.
White clouds drifted across a clear, bright sky. Within the serene Jiuli Mountain Range, a Merchant caravan of a dozen or so people trudged upstream along a river.
The group traveled for a long time.
In stark contrast to the previous day's many hardships, the team hadn't encountered a single demonic beast on their journey—not even a weak one at the Grotto Heaven realm.
This came as a great surprise to Chu Guifeng. He knew that in the past, traversing this region was never so effortless.
Qian Gui turned to look toward the southwest. "That Chi Yi seems to have quieted down."
Chu Guifeng nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as that Chi Yi doesn't go on a rampage, the Jiuli Mountain Range will remain stable. If the status quo isn't disrupted, we can follow the usual route and pass through the mountains safely."
Ma Wan, who was walking with the group, saw no immediate danger. He lightly leaped onto a towering ancient tree and scanned the surroundings for a moment. Seeing nothing amiss, his tense nerves, frayed from the journey, finally began to ease.
But Shen Daoxing, walking in the middle of the group, grew more alert instead.
He could sense that while Chi Yi had fallen silent, the stench of blood lingering in the air hadn't diminished in the slightest.
'And within that bloody stench,' Shen Daoxing thought, 'I can smell something else... a dark, murderous aura.'
The Merchant caravan of a dozen or so people continued upstream along the river. They gradually reached a low hill, where the steepness of the path forced them to slow their pace.
Just then, Luo Xi, who was in the middle of the group, seemed to spot something. She suddenly pointed ahead. "Look, there are people up front!"
The group looked up, following her finger.
Not far off, beneath a giant tree, five or six people were sitting together.
"Hey! Which fellow travelers are you?"
Qian Gui immediately walked forward to greet them warmly.
Chu Guifeng and Qian Gui's party wasn't the only one that traveled between the East Continent and Cangzhou through the Jiuli Mountain Range, so encountering others was normal.
And having traveled between the East Continent and Cangzhou for many years, Qian Gui knew most of the regulars.
However, just as Qian Gui was about to reach the giant tree, he suddenly froze.
The others found this strange and walked closer, only to see that the people under the tree were all pale-faced, their eyes wide and pupils dilated. They were all dead.
"A demonic beast!"
Luo An froze for a second, then his hand shot to the hilt of the longsword at his waist as he went on high alert.
But Chu Guifeng, at his side, pressed down on his hand and shook his head. "This wasn't the work of a demonic beast. Look at their necks."
The group looked and saw a clean Sword Mark across the neck of each person under the tree.
"It's Da Yao's caravan."
Qian Gui sighed. He walked over to a middle-aged man beneath the tree, slowly reached out, and brushed a hand over his face, closing his eyes for him.
A closer look revealed that their clothes were in disarray, and their bodies had been looted clean.
Shen Daoxing shook his head at the sight. 'The demonic beasts in the Jiuli Mountain Range are fearsome, to be sure,' he thought, 'but sometimes, people are far more terrifying.'
Chu Guifeng scanned the surroundings, then waved his hand. "We keep moving!"
He had no intention of lingering.
The caravan continued onward, hauling their large cargo. After some time, they finally reached the summit of the hill. Before them spread a vast lake with clear water, its surface veiled in a hazy mist.
The area was open, and with the lake nearby, it was a perfect spot to rest. But Chu Guifeng took only one glance before waving for everyone to keep moving.
Chu Guifeng was vastly experienced in traversing the Jiuli Mountain Range. If he chose not to rest here, he certainly had his reasons.
Although the group was tired from the long journey, they pushed themselves to continue onward.
The group followed the edge of the lake and soon arrived at the other side.
Just as they were about to descend the hill...
Shen Daoxing suddenly turned his head to look back at the lake.
At that exact moment, a child's voice cried out from the lake. "Help! Help! Somebody save me!"
"Someone's calling for help!"
The siblings, Luo An and Luo Xi, were the first to stop. They turned toward the lake and saw, not far from the shore, a child of about eleven or twelve who had somehow fallen in. He was now flailing in the water in a panic.
"Help! Please, help me! Help me!"
Seeing the group looking his way, the child seemed to find a glimmer of hope and yelled even more frantically.
SWISH!
Luo An spun around, about to dash off and save him.
But unexpectedly, Chu Guifeng, who had been at the head of the group, suddenly appeared in front of him, grabbing his shoulder and stopping him cold.
"We keep moving."
Then, Chu Guifeng gave a dismissive wave of his hand, signaling for the group to continue on as if he hadn't seen the child at all.
"Why? That child is in danger!"
Luo An looked up at Chu Guifeng, his voice filled with confusion.
Chu Guifeng didn't answer his question. Instead, he said calmly, "Do you remember those people we found at the foot of the hill? They weren't killed by demonic beasts. They were murdered by men."
"And what of it?"
Luo An asked, taken aback.
Chu Guifeng shook his head and sighed. "In the Jiuli Mountain Range, we must be wary of demonic beasts, but we must be even warier of the strangers we meet on the road! Don't you find it strange that a child of eleven or twelve would suddenly appear here?
Think carefully. How many threats have we faced just to get this far? How could a child possibly have made it here on his own?"
Luo An was stunned into silence.
Chu Guifeng returned to the head of the group.
"Remember this: in the Jiuli Mountain Range, besides caravans like ours heading to Cangzhou, there are also those who specialize in preying on travelers. They are far more terrifying than any demonic beast."
"You're saying that child is…"
Luo An froze as understanding dawned. He quickly hurried to catch up with the caravan.
Soon, Chu Guifeng had led the team down the hill, all of them acting as if they couldn't hear the continuous cries for help coming from the lake behind them.
After the entire caravan had departed, the struggling child in the lake instantly stopped moving. A thick white mist billowed from his body, and in the next moment, he had transformed into a scrawny, middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man stared in the direction the group had vanished, his expression incomparably grim.