How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 125 The Tomb in the Mountains (2)

This was Ruika's second time entering these mountains. The first time was to hunt down Qingru. His failure last time had humiliated him and even cost him his job. In this foreign land, without a source of income, he was like a stray dog.

If it weren't for Li Daguo and others occasionally providing them with a few bites of food, they would probably have starved to death long ago.

Last time in the cave, he was bitten on the thigh. To prevent the venom from spreading, he had a piece of flesh cut off. Even now, if you look closely, you can still see the mark when he walks, which looks a bit unnatural.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ruika snapped out of her daze and realized that she had been daydreaming and had strayed from the group's route.

“If you’re trying to hog everything, don’t blame me for abandoning you right now,” Li Daguo said. Ruika used to be their leader, but now that the textile factory is gone, this foreigner Ruika is no longer as respected as him, so naturally he no longer respects him.

"No, I was just thinking it might be more convenient from here."

"So you figured it out?"

"No, let's just follow the same route we took before."

"Hmph, pretending." Li Daguo didn't care about all that. He was the one who took on this operation and found these people, so naturally he considered himself the boss.

Seeing this, Ruika didn't say anything more and just followed behind the others.

The wind rustled the trees, and Ruika's ears twitched. He clearly heard movement behind his group, but seeing that Li Daguo seemed oblivious, he chose to say nothing.

Qingru frowned, somewhat worried, and whispered, "This Ruika is very alert; he seems to have discovered us."

Sergeant Zhang, who had been carefully observing the situation, said upon hearing this, "It's not just a possibility, he has definitely discovered us. Let's hide first and then go forward later."

After hearing this, everyone lowered themselves even more carefully, and let a short and agile brother go ahead to follow and leave marks along the way.

Qingru noticed that the person looked somewhat familiar. "Who is this?"

"Hehe, this is the guy who robbed you that day. He's reformed now. He has excellent hearing and is very agile, making him perfect as a striker."

Qingru didn't say anything, making the best use of everything.

Guo Zixing, seeing that the forward brother had already left for a while, stopped them from talking and said, "Let's go."

Qingru and the others followed Li Daguo's group through the mountains and forests, becoming more and more familiar with the area. However, Qingru wasn't entirely sure, since the last time it was nighttime and they were in a hurry to escape, so she didn't have much of an impression of the scenery along the way.

Upon arriving at the foot of Qingdai Mountain, Qingru couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "We've been here before."

Guo Zixing also realized, "This is the vicinity of the cave you mentioned."

“Yes,” Qingru affirmed. “Look, that little stream not far away, that’s where I got my foot cut by a shard of porcelain. I know it very well.”

Guo Zixing thought to himself, "Let's stop here. Zhang Gong, have your men surround this place and trap it like a turtle in a jar. The key person hasn't arrived yet, so don't let these small fry ruin things."

Guo Zixing selected nearly fifty people in total. Twenty arrived first, and the rest waited near the Huang family's residence, ready to follow them as soon as they made their move.

The temperature in the forest was even lower than outside. The group hid in the bushes, enduring the dampness and cold. As the temperature gradually rose, it seemed that the heat could not penetrate the layers of leaves and did not bring much warmth.

"It's been almost two hours, and we still haven't heard a sound."

Qingru thought, "This cave has more than one exit, but there's only one from the stream. Last time we came out, that passage was blocked, and we came out following that little black snake. But since Ruika and the others were able to come out alive, they must have another way out."

"Could that little snake also lead the way for them?" Zhang Xun asked.

"No, that little snake bit two people, one of them died, and Ruika's leg was also injured. They won't believe the snake."

"What do you mean by 'blocked'?" Guo Zixing asked.

"Just as we were heading out, a stone door suddenly appeared and blocked the entrance to the cave."

"Could it be that you triggered some kind of mechanism?"

Qingru didn't know that. "We were tied up at the time..." Qingru felt a little guilty; she knew too little.

"It's alright," Guo Zixing reassured her. In fact, although it would be more convenient for Qingru to know more, it wouldn't be a big deal if she didn't know. Guo Zixing was confident that his arrangements were appropriate and there would be no losses.

Qingru couldn't help but suggest, "Why don't we go check out the situation first?"

After thinking it over, Guo Zixing realized that simply waiting wasn't a solution. What if they had gone through another passage?

"Okay, you wait here, we'll go scout ahead."

"No, I have to go too. First, I've been there before and have more experience than you. Second, that snake is deadly. But I feel like I know it somewhat, so it's better if I go with you."

What she said made sense. After a moment's thought, Guo Zixing, Qingru, and Zhang Xun went first, while Chief Zhang stayed behind to give orders.

Having made up their minds, the three of them quickly headed towards the cave entrance.

Pushing aside the vines to reveal the cave entrance, Qingru then discovered that the stone door from last time had mysteriously disappeared, leaving no trace on the ground.

Apart from the messy footsteps and dried bloodstains, there were almost no signs of heavy objects hitting the victim.

Qingru was confused; she couldn't possibly have misremembered.

Seeing Qingru's bewildered expression, Guo Zixing knew she didn't understand what was going on either, so he took the lead and walked towards the cave entrance.

"Walk."

Qingru and Zhang Xun quickly followed. This time was different from the last time. The sunlight shone into the cave during the day, unlike the pitch black cave last time.

You can vaguely see that the winding paths inside the cave are like a maze. Near the entrance, there are vines and moss growing, which are slippery and sticky to the touch, and you could easily slip and fall if you are not careful.

Qingru warned, "Be careful, the road here is difficult to walk on."

Last time, Ruika and her group were unprepared and had to grope their way into the cave by lighting matches. This time, with Qingru's experience, Guo Zixing carried a flashlight, but it was too bright, and turning it on rashly might alert the people ahead.

Zhang Xun lit the flint, and using the faint light, he led the way, following the footprints.

Once inside the cave, Qingru dared not speak easily, as the cave was small and her voice would be very clear. It was best to observe the situation first.

The cave became more and more spacious as you walked, and the path under your feet was no longer slippery, but rather made of gravel and mud.

Qingru whispered in Guo Zixing's ear, "Ahead we'll pass a bright light; it's light shining obliquely from the cave entrance on the mountaintop. The cemetery is at the end of the tunnel."

A warm breath brushed against his face, making Guo Zixing's heart pound. He composed himself and nodded in agreement. Then, he took the flint from Zhang Xun and led the way.

After walking through the narrow tunnel, a completely different world appeared, with caves inside. There was a huge stone tablet that read "Tomb of the Late Mother, Madam Lü," with the words "Those who open the coffin will die" written in smaller characters on the right, just like when Qing Rulai last time.

"What's going on? Isn't this their target?" Qingru asked in confusion, as there were no footprints on the ground around them.

The tombstone still bears the marks of the last chiseling, but the person is nowhere to be found. If you listen carefully, there is no sound at all. Where did the person go?

Qingru felt a chill run down her spine. Either they had made a mistake, or there was some scheming behind it all.

A tremendous roar followed, accompanied by shaking.

Qingru looked over in horror, and at the same time felt an indescribable anger in her heart: Those who offend the Lü family shall die.