The seemingly ordinary words surprised the old gatekeeper.
He stared at the stunningly beautiful girl before him, and suddenly realized: even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman, no wonder even an iron tree can bloom.
Xie Yuyao allowed him to look her over without any hesitation, but all she got in return was, "He didn't come to work today."
These words momentarily stunned her, and she asked again, "Is Hui Zi there? It's the same if I look for him."
"Hui Zi isn't here either."
Xie Yuyao's heart sank. It seemed they were all involved in some secret affair. Hopefully, they wouldn't be in danger.
She thanked the old man and turned to leave.
On the way back to Qingshan Village, she was somewhat absent-minded, unable to understand what she had done to be targeted by unknown individuals. She also didn't know where Zhao Honghui was or whether he was safe.
Seeing the fork in the road leading up the mountain, she remembered the herb-gathering task assigned by Director Tian.
When she followed the man searching for treasure last time, she saw several kinds of medicinal herbs along the way. Since there's nothing else to do back in Qingshan Village, she might as well finish the mission first and then investigate together when Zhao Honghui returns.
By sheer coincidence, she unwittingly stumbled into a trap set by fate.
As her figure entered the scout's binoculars, Ye Xingchang, who was in the mountains, quickly received the news. At that time, Zhao Honghui had already gone to scout the location and was not with them.
After a moment's thought, Ye Xingchang made a decision: "Organize manpower immediately. The enemy agents may take action today. Hei Zi, you disguise yourself as an enemy agent and make sure Xie Yuyao leaves as soon as possible."
Kuroko, who had been hiding in the shadows, nodded and vanished in a flash.
Completely unaware of the approaching storm, Xie Yuyao walked halfway up the mountain and said, "It's right here."
She began to leave the mountain path, and after taking precautions against insects, she ventured into the dense forest to search for medicinal herbs.
As the saying goes, perseverance pays off, and she did indeed find houttuynia cordata, bitter chrysanthemum, and angelica seedlings.
To make it easier to carry, she looked around and, after confirming that no one was there, took out a small basket from her spatial storage and put the herbs inside.
She wandered alone in the mountains, focused on gathering herbs, until she heard footsteps nearby, which suddenly jolted her awake.
With a wary, deer-like gaze fixed on the source of the sound, Xie Yuyao saw a cold-looking man dressed in black.
Hei Zi said coldly, "The boss has ordered you to return to Qingshan Village immediately."
This was indeed the message Zhao Honghui was supposed to deliver, but something went wrong and the message wasn't conveyed.
Xie Yuyao narrowed her eyes, "Who is your boss?"
Hei Zi answered irrelevantly, revealing the internal code he had learned from A Tian's interrogation: "The moon rises above the willow branches."
"A rendezvous after dusk?" Xie Yuyao unconsciously matched the contents of the note with the words, and as soon as she finished speaking, both of their expressions changed.
Hei Zi coldly ordered, "Go!"
Xie Yuyao turned around, picked up the basket, and went down the mountain without saying a word. She used her spatial vision to make sure that the man in black hadn't followed her before she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But she hadn't gone far when she bumped into a group of people.
Let's rewind to half an hour earlier, to the enemy's hidden courtyard.
The bespectacled man suggested, "Boss, we've figured out the map and route. I'll lead the way first, and you can come to the cave after we've confirmed the treasure is there."
Ge Dong said, "No need. To prevent a repeat of A Tian's incident, I will go there in person. The investigation here is getting tighter and tighter; we can't hide for more than a few days."
He straightened up and said resolutely, "Move the men from the county town here as well. If we get the treasure, we'll leave immediately. If A-Tian is captured and the enemy has already set up an ambush, we'll fight to the death!"
Ge Dong mobilized all his men, ready to fight to the death.
On the mountain, Xie Yuyao saw twenty or thirty people coming towards her and calmly stepped aside.
The group consisted entirely of men, many of whom wore lewd and lustful expressions. One of the men, a lewd fellow, taunted, "Little sister, are you alone? There are snakes up here!"
Xie Yuyao remained silent, her face cold.
The man in the lead stared at Xie Yuyao for a few seconds and noticed that there were plants in her basket, so she must have gone up the mountain to collect herbs or wild vegetables.
To avoid any further complications, the man waved his hand, telling everyone to continue on their way.
Watching the departing group, Xie Yuyao, thinking of the treasure, quickened her pace.
But as she approached the foot of the mountain, she ran into Ge Dong and his group.
The group of about ten people didn't just pass by; they all stopped in their tracks. Among them was a familiar face—the woman.
When she saw Xie Yuyao, she exchanged a glance with Ge Dong, and then warmly greeted her, "Miss Xie, have you been waiting here for a long time?"
Xie Yuyao sensed that this group of people was unusual, but pretended not to understand: "Wait? I came here to gather herbs."
"Why bother gathering herbs? You know our operation is all-inclusive, let's go together!" The woman tried to grab her arm, but Xie Yuyao dodged away.
She insisted, "I'm just a herb gatherer, I'll go down the mountain now."
After observing for a while, Ge Dong asked with great interest, "Miss Xie, how long have you been on this mountain?"
"In less than an hour."
Ge Dong then asked, "Did you see anyone else going up the mountain?"
Seeing that the man clearly looked like the leader of the group, Xie Yuyao hesitated for a second before answering, "Yes, about ten minutes ago, a group of twenty or thirty men walked in that direction." Xie Yuyao turned to the side and pointed in that direction.
It was obvious that the pedestrians were with the group in front of them, because the people were not surprised at all.
"Think again, is there anyone else?" Ge Dong stared intently at her, not missing any expression on her face.
Xie Yuyao said indifferently, "No."
The man who gave her the coded message told her to hurry down the mountain, as he didn't seem to be with the people in front of her.
However, since they share a common code, they are likely different branches under the same major power.
There are countless factions entangled on this mountain, and she doesn't want to get involved in their conflicts; she just wants to escape as soon as possible.
But this group clearly didn't want to let her go, and the leader seemed to regard her as someone else entirely.
Ge Dong: "Miss Xie, let's not beat around the bush. Come with me and witness the treasure's reappearance."
The treasure has already been revealed...
"Alright." Xie Yuyao suppressed her emotions. Since there was no way to escape, she might as well play it by ear.
"Let's go then."
Ge Dong didn't care whether Xie Yuyao really had a relationship with Bai Lan. If it did, it would be great if she could help them through their difficulties. But if it didn't, she wouldn't leave the mountains alive.
Xie Yuyao put down her basket and followed the crowd up the mountain.
As he walked, he discovered that the group had taken a different path, instead of heading directly to the cave.
It's unclear whether they took the wrong path or did it on purpose.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the back halfway up the mountain of Treasure Mountain and stopped beside a steep rock.
The woman explained, "Miss Xie, let's wait for news here."
Xie Yuyao nodded, leaning against the large rock, her mind racing as she pondered how to escape, and waited quietly.
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