Xuanqing Guard
Chapter 172: Entering the Mountains
"Sir, why don’t you let me lead the team inside instead?" Wang Yiming couldn’t help but suggest.
"No need, I want to handle this personally. You stay at Wan River and keep a close eye on them as they clear the towns. Under no circumstances should there be any negligence. Especially regarding those who suddenly fall ill—you must follow the procedure we discussed, not a single mistake is permitted. Do you understand?"
"Understood."
Shen Hao harbored doubts in his heart. He was extremely curious about the encrypted map hidden by the Xu Family and its secrets, so he had to see it with his own eyes. Moreover, personally investigating on the front lines and commanding from behind were two very different things. Since he was involved, he wanted to do it with utmost perfection.
Shen Hao led the team himself, accompanied by two local Xuanqing Guard guides, fifty Fengri City Black Banner Battalion soldiers, fifty Thousand Households Guard, and two physicians.
After leaving the official road, they traveled for an hour before arriving at the starting point marked on the map, a mountain hollow. Its most obvious feature was the crescent shape of the hollow. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
This place was actually not far from Xiushan Village—by reckoning from the village’s entrance, it was just a little over twenty li away.
"Remember to mark the route as you go, so you don’t lose your direction." Even though there were guides who guaranteed, "We could find our way out with our eyes closed," Shen Hao was still uneasy and gave the order.
The Black Banner Battalion soldiers from Fengri City responded at once. Many of them had served in the military and were familiar with routines for traveling in the wild.
For example, stripping bark to carve marks on trees.
The journey was quite smooth; with so many people entering the mountains, not even wild beasts dared to appear. Instinctively, they avoided danger.
However, there was no real path in the mountains, and the vegetation was dense, so they had to hack a way forward, moving very slowly. For safety, Shen Hao divided them into three teams: one in the rear, one scouting ahead, and one in the middle for coordination. This caution made their progress even slower.
They traveled for two hours, and the sky was beginning to darken.
"Sir, we should be here now." The guide pointed to a short section on the stamped map and addressed Shen Hao. The entire afternoon’s journey had covered less than a third of the marked path.
"Pick up the pace tomorrow, but don’t let down your guard. Go rest."
Shen Hao didn’t have to worry about security—he had a small tent, the others camped in the open.
The next day, they continued along the mountain path, moving somewhat faster than before, and by afternoon reached the spot where previous scouts had become confused by the map.
"Ahead is the area the scouts hadn’t reached before. There might be traps—everyone, stay alert. If you notice anything, report it immediately."
Shen Hao surmised that the basket of Ghost Head Pears the Xu Family had brought back was picked somewhere just ahead. The pears grew not in ordinary places—there was no telling what dangers lurked here, and the source of the outbreak might also be nearby. He dared not be careless.
Indeed, after they crossed the folded line on the map, the atmosphere on the mountain path became noticeably abnormal. The lush forest gave way to strangely shaped Ghost Wood. Sharply angled rocks poked out from the ground, like they’d been sliced with a blade, and even the soil had turned pitch-black and sticky, as if it were mud?
"Hiss!"
"Swoosh!"
The advance soldier slashed aside a black snake that suddenly shot out from the brush. Its head was triangular, poison fangs an inch long. A single bite wouldn’t kill you outright, but you’d wish you were dead.
"Black Swamp Viper. How could such a snake be here?"
When the scout brought back the snake’s body, nearly a zhang long, one of the physicians was very surprised. The Black Swamp Viper was also an alchemy material—its venom was the catalyst for a top-grade Poison Pill.
"This kind of snake is usually only found in lands of the Barbarian Race; it’s rarely seen in territory of the Jingjiu Dynasty. I can’t believe it grows here."
"This place is strange. Where the forest once thrived with vitality, now it’s suffused with chill and shadow, Ghost Wood everywhere, earth thick and black as slurry—this terrain shouldn’t even exist here. It’s not natural..."
Any cultivator skilled in Earth Phase would be baffled by the land before them. Clearly it should have been picturesque terrain, but abruptly it had transformed from "verdant hills and clear waters" to "gloomy and bizarre," with no transition in between—sudden and eerie.
Shen Hao heightened the alert level and informed everyone that they had entered a region of high danger; all were to remain vigilant at the slightest disturbance.
After another half-hour, Shen Hao sensed the oppressive aura thickening, and the surrounding vegetation pressed in with inexplicable tension. He felt as if unseen eyes were watching them.
"Halt! Expand the front and rear by two li, sweep the area. Destroy any threats encountered!" Shen Hao decided against hastily forging ahead, choosing instead to get a sense of the terrain—the oppressive changes unsettled him.
No one thought Shen Hao’s caution was unwarranted; they all felt the same. Even those on the outer edges of the formation didn’t need prompting—they drew their weapons and stood watchfully.
Soon, the strangeness of the place showed itself to Shen Hao once more.
"Report: three Ghost Head Pear trees found—all bearing fruit!"
"Report: one strange, moving tree found—it’s attacking us!"
"Report: a strange beast encountered..."
During the sweep, within just two li, warning calls came in one after another. Fortunately, the dangers weren’t too severe, and the large group handled them without much trouble.
Shen Hao went first to see the three Ghost Head Pear trees. They stood five or six meters tall, with lush foliage. Coming closer, there was a tantalizing aroma of fruit. Scattered among the leaves hung golden, fist-sized pears that made one’s mouth water.
"Sir, there are climbing marks on this tree," a soldier reported.
At his words, Shen Hao walked over. Indeed, there were obvious scuff marks on the trunk—not caused by an animal’s claws, but rather by boots, and some of the higher branches had been broken as well.
Did the Xu Family pick the Ghost Head Pears here?
They had a map, which meant the Xu Family knew about the strangeness of this place—they didn’t stumble here by accident but came with purpose. Were the Ghost Head Pears the reason?
Earlier, Shen Hao had asked the accompanying physicians—Ghost Head Pears were rare in Jingxi, hard to buy on the market, and very expensive. Could the Xu Family have come just for profit?
"Stay alert, keep moving forward."
Frowning, Shen Hao gave the order to continue deeper. Checking the map, he saw they had only covered two-thirds of the full route; at their current pace, they wouldn’t reach the red mark—the final destination—before nightfall.
This was much slower than Shen Hao had expected, and with nightfall in such a place, who knew what further dangers might emerge? Inside here and outside really seemed like two different worlds.