Chapter 1 Arriving at the Twilight Boundary

They chatted and laughed along the way. Together with a donkey and a horse, the journey wasn't too monotonous. They watched the sun set and the stars rise and fall, and after several changes, they finally arrived at Huozi Ridge in Tong County, Gunzhou.

Hu Ma had previously traveled to Anzhou, a long journey that took a month. But he hadn't expected that the trip to this blood-food mine would take a full seven or eight days due to the rugged roads, mountains, and ridges.

By now, they had already ventured deep into Gunzhou. The surrounding area was mostly nameless wilderness, with deep forests and bizarre rocks everywhere.

No wonder Manager Xu had been able to overcome all objections and assign this good job of managing the blood-food mine to him, a newcomer who had only been a shopkeeper for two years.

Just looking at this place, one could tell it wasn't easy to deal with. So the other shopkeepers probably didn't have much desire to compete for it. He had simply gone along with the situation.

But Hu Ma didn't mind. It was good to be far away. As long as there was enough blood-food here, that was all that mattered.

"We're finally here."

Old Suanpan took out the map and identified the surrounding mountain ranges. He then pounded his old back: "According to the map, we should reach the mine after crossing this ridge. Everyone, be alert! We're going there to snatch food, and they might not be so willing to give it to us!"

Zhou Datong said aggressively, "What, they dare to attack?"

"The guards of the blood-food mine mostly have families and careers, so they wouldn't dare to go too far. After all, if they run away, they're afraid our association will reason with their families, right?"

Old Suanpan said, "But the greatest hatred in the world is taking away someone's livelihood. We're here to take away their livelihood, so don't expect them to speak nicely. Even if they don't dare to kill people openly, they'll definitely resort to all sorts of petty tricks."

"In short, it would be best if we could take over this blood-food mine smoothly. There are plenty of opportunities to make a fortune, so there's no need to rush."

"Understood!"

Hu Ma understood that Old Suanpan was deliberately reminding them, so he smiled and said, "If they speak nicely, we naturally won't be rude."

"But if it really comes to a fight, then blood will inevitably be shed."

These words were already quite explicit. Old Suanpan was afraid that they were young and easily provoked, while Hu Ma needed to remind Zhou Datong and the others not to think they were just here for a stroll.

It was possible not to break with the other side, but the preparation for a falling out had to be done in advance.

Continuing forward, they ventured deeper into the mountains. Looking from afar, the peaks stretched endlessly. They only knew they were in the mountains, but not where. They could only follow the almost unrecognizable mountain path on the map, groping forward little by little.

This blood-food mine transported blood-food out every year, so there were roads, but the forest here seemed unusually lush. The roadside was full of weeds, and the road under their feet was barely visible, exuding an aura of deep forest eeriness.

Gradually, they didn't even know if they were still on the original mountain road. They just kept waving their knives to chop away the vines blocking the way, to prevent them from tripping the donkey's hooves or the wheels.

The journey was naturally arduous. In addition, knowing that the blood-food mine was near, the laughter and jokes decreased, and the atmosphere became slightly depressing.

Logically, they should have arrived after crossing a ridge, but they had been walking quickly through this forest since noon until dusk. Everywhere they looked, there were still towering ancient trees, and the road under their feet was completely invisible.

"Could it be"

Hu Ma couldn't help but frown, glancing at Old Suanpan, who was also holding the map, flipping it back and forth.

Just as he was hesitating, he suddenly heard a "woof" sound from the roadside.

The sudden noise startled everyone. They quickly looked to the side and saw a large yellow dog. It was hiding behind a tree, sticking out half its head. Its eyes were dark red, and it stared at them menacingly. After barking once, it quietly retreated into the forest.

Everyone stopped, feeling a chill run down their spines. Looking in the direction where the yellow dog disappeared, they felt a strange feeling they couldn't explain.

"This"

After a long while, Zhou Datong led the way with an awkward laugh: "Whose dog is that? It scared us half to death."

"Where would a dog come from in this wilderness?"

Zhou Liang next to him spoke in a dull voice: "I think we should be careful."

Zhou Datong immediately retorted, "It's just a wild dog. What's so strange about a dog running out in the wilderness?"

Zhou Liang said, "A dog is in a place where there are people. A wild dog in the mountains is called a wolf."

Zhou Datong was immediately choked. He looked at Hu Ma and Old Suanpan, but saw that neither of them said anything, just silently continuing forward. The atmosphere, which had been filled with laughter and jokes when they first entered the mountain, seemed even more silent.

They had thought that they would arrive after crossing a single ridge, but now they felt that they had been walking for several hours, and the surroundings were still the same deep forest and giant trees. A faint mist floated out from the forest, and dusk was even deeper. Only the monotonous sound of the wheels crushing the vines on the ground could be heard.

The group of teenagers from Da Yang Village had grown up in the forest, but now they felt a strange depression in their hearts. They were always subconsciously looking into the depths of the forest, but they couldn't see anything.

"Brother Datong, don't be afraid. Stop looking into the forest all the time."

Zhao Zhu, who was next to the donkey cart, couldn't help but remind him: "Second Master used to say that when walking in the old forest, you can't look around randomly. If you suddenly see something in the forest waving at you, you'll be lured away."

"Who's afraid?"

Zhou Datong stubbornly said, "I'm just scouting the way for us."

As he spoke, he moved closer to the donkey cart. His voice wasn't very confident. Old Suanpan on the donkey also raised his head, chuckled softly, and said, "It's good to be careful. We're going to the blood-food mine."

"There are many evil spirits where there are mountains of meat. That's well-known. Maybe this forest is haunted too!"

Hearing this, Zhou Datong immediately shuddered. If he had a tail, he would definitely tuck it between his legs at this moment. He just walked closer and closer to Hu Ma.

Now that dusk was growing heavier, they were eager to reach the blood-food mine as soon as possible and drink a bowl of hot soup. Their footsteps made rustling sounds in the dry grass.

Just as these sounds seemed about to be swallowed by the forest, they suddenly heard a fierce sound from the roadside:

"Woof!"

The sound wasn't very loud, but the surroundings were too quiet, which startled everyone and made their hairs stand on end.

For a moment, their souls seemed to fly out of their bodies.

For a full one or two breaths, everyone stood on the spot without speaking. Then they slightly regained their senses, turned their heads, and saw a dog.

It was slowly retreating into the forest, its eyes fixed on them.

This time, everyone saw clearly. The dog was yellow all over, with a white spot between its eyebrows. It was the same one that had barked at them earlier.

A strange feeling arose in their hearts. For no reason, they felt uneasy. The swirling mountain wind around them became much colder.

Hu Ma exchanged a look with Old Suanpan on the cart, but the other only shook his head slightly.

So Hu Ma didn't move. Zhou Datong next to him couldn't help it. He suddenly gritted his teeth, picked up a knife, and rushed over, slashing a few times at the vines where the dog had appeared. But it was empty. Where was the dog's shadow?

It was as if the dog's bark they had just heard was just an illusion.

"It's gone far away. Let's keep going!"

Seeing that everyone was restless, Hu Ma reminded them in a low voice, then turned and patted the donkey's butt, signaling it to continue moving forward.

Whether it was Zhou Datong, Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, the donkey pulling the cart, or the horse slowly following beside the cart, they all continued walking, but an invisible shadow seemed to hang over their hearts.

What exactly was that strange dog? It had come twice and barked, and even though there was nothing else, it had scared them and made them restless.

Moreover, it was the same one twice in a row. Could it be that it had been following them all along?

Thinking of this, they couldn't help but turn back to look, but the branches behind them had blocked their path, making it impossible to see anything clearly. The more they looked, the more they felt an ominous atmosphere in their hearts.

As they continued forward, they kept their minds on alert. They no longer spoke, and their eyes were focused on the rugged road and vines under their feet, while their minds were paying attention to the surroundings.

Unexpectedly, just after passing through a large cluster of tangled thorns, everyone suddenly stopped at the same time.

Hu Ma was the first to see it, so he stopped. Then Zhou Datong and the others also noticed it, curiously raised their heads, and stared blankly.

When they looked, their eyes lit up.

It was now close to dusk, and the forest seemed to be approaching night, but now that they had reached an open space, there was still a faint yellow light falling from the sky, shining on several towering trees around them.

On a large tree in front of them, a girl wearing a blue dress and silver ornaments on her head was climbing.

Her skin was eerily white in the twilight of the forest. She looked about ten years old and was quite pretty. She had a bamboo basket on her back and looked like a medicine gatherer.

At this moment, she was barefoot, and her sleeves and trouser legs were rolled up to her elbows. Her white and tender hands and feet were wrapped around the tree trunk, and her posture was a bit funny. She was also sticking her head out and looking down at the tree.

Both sides saw each other and were curious. A pair of big eyes met several pairs of eyes.

"Isn't this little girl dressed like a Xia person? Is she a witch?"

Hu Ma didn't expect to encounter such a little girl. He looked her up and down with curiosity, then suddenly felt a slight shock and reminded, "Be careful."

After refining his seven apertures, his eyesight was excellent. He had seen at a glance that above the girl's head, hidden among the branches and leaves, there was a strange snake with a green body, slowly extending its triangular head. The snake's body rubbed against the tree trunk, slowly turning.

It looked like it was only inches away from the girl's head.

End of chapter