I heard that the group that arrived first had been searching here for a day, so I laughed and said, "Since you haven't found your target here, what are you going to do next?"

"What else can we do but keep searching? However, we've already searched this area and are planning to try our luck in other parts of the mountains. If you trust us, move to another location sooner rather than later and don't waste any more time. If you don't trust us, then explore on your own."

The man left a message and then led his men away into the woods.

The monkey lit a cigarette and sat cross-legged on the ground: "Young Master Duan, do you think what these people are saying is credible?"

"It might be believable. The fact that we were able to meet other teams at the coordinates means that everyone has come to the right place. And the fact that this place is completely empty does seem a bit suspicious."

I glanced at the map in my hand, stood up and said, "Wait here, I'm going to use the restroom and also to check out the surrounding terrain."

I said I was observing the terrain, but actually I just wanted to make a phone call to avoid them.

This news was originally released by Fengmen Village, and given my close relationship with the beautiful snake, why should I bother to think about this?

I avoided the crowd, stood in a slightly elevated spot, and used a satellite phone to dial the number of the serpent beauty.

The serpentine voice came quickly from the other end of the phone: "What's wrong, son?"

I cut to the chase and asked, "Godmother, I've arrived at the location marked on the map of Fengmen Village, but after checking, there's nothing there, not even the Ping'an Village mentioned in the Fengmen Village intelligence. Is there something wrong with your intelligence source this time?"

The serpentine woman smiled and said, "The intelligence is certainly not a problem, but the map you have is fake."

"Fake?"

I didn't quite understand what the snake woman meant: "Why did you give me a fake map?"

“I need to correct you. It’s not that the map you have is fake, but that everyone has the same map! Miao Jiang Immortal Palace is a legendary holy land. How could it allow everyone to rush there like a swarm of bees? You can consider this map as a test. Only those who can see the problems in it are qualified to come into contact with Miao Jiang Immortal Palace.”

The beautiful snake continued calmly, "Since this news was released at the Heroes' Gathering, only the most outstanding individuals are qualified to take this step forward."

"Godmother, it's fine if you test others, but you don't have to include me in that, do you?"

I said with a grin, "Could you let me get some inside information or something through a back door?"

"Normally, I wouldn't have a problem getting you into Fengmen Village's team just because of a rumor, but this time it's really not possible!"

The beautiful snake woman flatly refused my request: "I'm doing this for your own good. You're still young and need to gain experience. You can't always think about taking shortcuts, or you'll ruin yourself! If you don't even have the ability to find the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace, how can you fight against an old fox like Duan Jinyan?"

Undeterred, I pressed on, "Isn't there even the slightest hint?"

"I'm willing to tell you about the black robe without reservation because it's a way to protect you! The reason I'm not letting you take shortcuts today is for the same reason!"

I sensed the determination in the snake-like woman's words. Although somewhat disappointed, I didn't press the matter further: "Alright, since you've put it that way, I can't let your efforts go to waste! I'll figure something out myself!"

The serpentine beauty changed the subject: "I'm quite surprised you arrived at your destination so early."

“Last night we were attacked by unidentified people. They made quite a commotion, so we had no choice but to leave early in order to protect ourselves.”

When I brought this up, I said gratefully, "Fortunately, we took precautions last night, otherwise we would not have suffered too much loss. In fact, I have to thank you for reminding us, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable."

“We are mother and son, it is only natural for me to protect my son. Saying thank you for this would be too formal.”

The serpentine woman didn't seem to care: "If you really can't find anything, just keep heading west. At the foot of the highest peak on the west side, there's a campsite for Fengmen Village. Just reveal your identity, and they'll help you leave."

I replied without hesitation, "No need. I am determined to find the Miao Immortal Palace this time! If I don't even have this much ability, how can I be your adopted son, beautiful snake?"

"Haha, don't be so blunt. It's good for young people to have confidence, but blind self-confidence can be your downfall."

The snake-woman chatted with me for a few minutes, then hung up the phone.

I had hoped to call the beautiful snake to find a shortcut and get some clues about the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace, but I got nothing and was ridiculed instead.

Since this path was blocked, I turned my attention back to the blueprint in my hand.

The map provided by Fengmen Village is similar to what I saw on satellite maps before. It shows the outline of a village in a large forest.

The snake-woman told me that everyone who came to search for the Miao Jiang Fairy Palace this time received a fake map.

Although she didn't tell me anything, this map, being the only useful thing we have, must contain clues.

But besides the photo on the paper, all that's left is a coordinate point.

I looked at it for a long time, but I still don't understand where the clues are.

After ending my call with the beautiful snake, I returned to where everyone was resting. Monkey threw away his cigarette butt and asked me, "Young Master Duan, did you notice anything amiss?"

“We’re here to find a village, not a burial site, so feng shui knowledge is useless here. I just tried to look from a higher vantage point, but the woods are too dense and there’s no open view.”

He waved his hand and said, "The people who attacked us last night were likely from the Black Robe Organization. The fact that they were able to get here means that Duan Jinyan also knows about the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace. Since there's nothing here, let's all evacuate first to avoid those people tracking us down or causing any unnecessary trouble with other teams."

Jiang Man sighed: "But where should we go if we evacuate? It has now been confirmed that Fengmen Village provided false information, and we no longer have a destination for our next operation."

I picked up my travel bag and pointed into the depths of the woods, saying, "Let's head in the opposite direction from where we came. This way we can avoid other groups. Let's find a place to camp first, and then we can discuss the next steps."