flstandardbreds Chapter 114 Danger 2
Chapter 114 Danger 2
Wei Chaoyan and his companions walked through the strangely slippery pile of fallen leaves, each step sinking into a muddy puddle. The air was thick with the stench of decaying branches and leaves accumulated over centuries in the forest, along with the pungent, earthy smell. The rustling of the north wind through the branches and leaves echoed in their ears, sounding like the whispers of demons in the silent, dark, and desolate forest, sending chills down their spines.
Wei Chaoyan touched the goosebumps that had sprung up all over her body and leaned somewhat fearfully toward Aunt Yan. Looking around at the increasingly dark and less visible environment, she swallowed hard and asked with a bitter face, "Aunt Yan, is there anything that can provide light? It's so dark here, I can hardly see where I'm going!"
The extremely low visibility made it impossible for Wei Chaoyan, who was very close to Lady Yan, to see her expression. She only heard Lady Yan's gentle voice, which carried a reassuring quality, say, "Don't worry, I brought something to light it."
As the sound rang out, Wei Chaoyan only heard a slight rustling sound of fabric coming from Yan Niangzi's side, as if she were taking something out of her sleeve.
As Wei Chaoyan was secretly speculating, she saw a soft, bright white light enter her eyes. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the light was emanating from a fluorescent stone the size of an egg that Lady Yan was holding.
"Aunt Yan, what's this?"
"Ah, this is a local specialty of a tribe in the northwest—fluorescent stone. It doesn't have much use except for glowing in the dark. It's traditionally used for nighttime lighting in the area. I brought some back when I went there on a mission. I figured it wouldn't be convenient to use torches for lighting when we're going into the dense forest this time, so I brought it with me. Well, Yang Xin (the person at the back of the group), you take one too. That way, the light will be enough."
As she spoke, Lady Yan tossed the fluorescent stone in her hand into Yang Xin's hand, and then took out a new fluorescent stone from her sleeve and held it in her hand.
"Hmm, Yan girl, don't rush. Auntie will give you a new one to play with after we return home!"
As if sensing Wei Chaoyan's burgeoning curiosity, Lady Yan smiled faintly and made a promise.
Having received Yan Niangzi's promise, Wei Chaoyan had no complaints and continued to guide Yan Qing with ease in the much brighter environment.
In the darkness, Yan Niangzi hadn't been able to see very clearly how Wei Chaoyan gave directions, but now, under the light of the fluorescent stone, she could clearly see Wei Chaoyan's confident demeanor.
It felt like, yes! It felt like she had walked this road a thousand times, and she knew every bump and pothole on it by heart. To exaggerate, she could navigate around all the obstacles on the road to her destination with her eyes closed without making a single mistake!
However, as far as Lady Yan knew, before Wei Zhu died, the people sent by the court to monitor him had never seen him bring Wei Chaoyan with him!
Yes, every time Wei Zhu entered this place, he was accompanied by people sent by the imperial court, either openly or secretly. If it weren't for the irrefutable facts that without Wei Zhu's guidance, the imperial court personnel would easily wander off to another place or forget the route they had taken. Even if the resentment-repelling grass was right in front of them, they would ignore it as if they were blindfolded if Wei Zhu didn't reach out and hand it to them. Otherwise, the imperial court wouldn't have so easily entrusted the initiative in this matter to Wei Zhu.
When Wei Chaoyan came to her door, Lady Yan was being punished by her superiors for cutting off her access to the resentment-repelling herb due to the unexpected deaths of Wei Zhu and his wife. Facing demotion, neglect, and ostracism, Lady Yan, who had been punished, agreed to Wei Chaoyan's deal with a gamble.
It seems that Lady Yan has won her gamble, but... Lady Yan is very surprised and puzzled. If the person who was monitoring Wei Zhu's actions did not make a mistake, then how can she explain Wei Chaoyan's familiarity with this path?
Just as Lady Yan was about to delve deeper into this matter, her expression suddenly became dazed. The analytical lines that were clearly laid out in her mind vanished instantly, as if cleanly erased by some force. Along with this, the doubts that had arisen in her heart about Wei Chaoyan evaporated quickly like morning dew under the rising sun.
Lady Yan clearly didn't remember the astonishment and confusion that had surged in her heart just now. Instead, she gently instructed Wei Chaoyan, "Walk slowly. We're just here to scout out the way today. There's no rush."
Yes, the main purpose of their trip was to test whether Wei Chaoyan truly knew the route to the place where the Resentment-Expelling Grass grew. They only needed to walk a short distance to figure it out, and there was no need to risk going deeper, so they had plenty of time.
Unaware of Yan Niangzi's mindset, Wei Chaoyan, who thought she was admonishing her to give careful directions and not to rush and carelessly give the wrong directions, blinked, patted her chest, and answered seriously, "Yes, I know, I will be slower and more steady, and I won't give the wrong directions."
The two, who had given irrelevant answers and were talking at cross purposes, shut their mouths in satisfaction and then quietly continued their journey through the dense forest toward their intended destination.
After walking for about two and a half cups of tea's time, with each step a little uneven, they came to a dense thicket of bushes covering an area of about half a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters).
After glancing at the area of the bushes blocking her way, and then at its dense, tall shrubs and the vines covered with dark blue-black thorns that twined around it, Wei Chaoyan, not wanting to test its power, decided to walk around its edge.
Yan Qing had already rounded the bend in the bushes, and Wei Chaoyan, whose view was obscured and who could not see Yan Qing's back, quickly quickened her pace and turned the corner, just missing Yan Niangzi who was only a step away.
Just then, a massive figure, reeking of rotting flesh and filled with cold resentment, silently and swiftly pounced from the shadows on the right side of the bend in the bushes towards Wei Chaoyan, who was completely unaware and focused solely on chasing Yan Qing! At that moment, Yan Niangzi and the others, who had just missed Wei Chaoyan, were still at the bend and their view was blocked by the dense bushes, so they did not notice the sudden attack.