The southern region is covered with dense forests and has a cold, damp climate. The terrain along the way is high, steep, rugged, and difficult to traverse.
The South and Da Gan had long lost contact, so they had to find their way to the South on their own.
While traveling through the mountains and forests, we encountered many snakes, insects, rodents, and ants that we had never seen before. Even those that we could identify were many times larger than those we had seen before.
The spider, in particular, was not only brightly colored, but also surprisingly large.
Once, Wang Xiuxiu had just stepped out of the carriage when she saw a venomous snake coiled on a twisted tree trunk, its tongue flicking out. Her legs went weak and she immediately knelt on the ground.
Seeing this, Lu Jingze stayed close to Wang Xiuxiu the whole way.
"Several groups of people who went ahead to clear the way have already been bitten, and we've almost run out of mosquito repellent powder we brought with us."
Wang Xiuxiu sighed, her brows furrowed tightly.
"Don't be afraid, I'll take some people to nearby villages and towns to buy supplies first. You all wait for me here."
Wang Xiuxiu couldn't think of a better way, so she nodded, "Okay, then be careful!"
Lu Jingze patted her head. "Yes, I will. Don't worry."
Lu Jingze has been gone for almost three days and hasn't returned yet, so Wang Xiuxiu is getting a little anxious.
Not only was she worried about the safety of Lu Jingze and his group, but also because the powder was almost exhausted and snakes, insects, and rodents near their encampment had recently become active.
Wang Xiuxiu needed to make a decision quickly in this critical moment: whether to stay put or to go along the road to find Lu Jingze and the others.
Before Wang Xiuxiu could make a decision, one thing after another came to her aid.
People in the group started vomiting and having diarrhea. After examination by the doctor in the group, it was found that the cause was drinking unclean water.
"Haven't we been warned repeatedly to drink boiled water?"
Doctor Xiaolin bowed and said, "Sir, we have used up all the medicinal herbs we brought with us. Even if I could write a prescription, I would not be able to find the medicine to use."
Wang Xiuxiu closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she had made up her mind.
"Take stock of the remaining deworming powder. Leave some people and the powder to take care of the sick ones. The rest of you come with me into the mountains!"
"Sir, this...this is too dangerous!"
"They haven't returned yet, and we're running out of ammunition and food. If we don't find a way out ourselves, do you have any other good ideas?"
"I...I..."
"It's settled then. Tomorrow morning we'll take the medicine powder and set off from the camp. If they return after we leave, tell them to look for us along the way."
Looking at the vast, dense forest, Wang Xiuxiu suppressed her fear and followed the others into the mountains.
She wasn't supposed to lead the team herself this time, but Lu Jingze's prolonged absence had already caused widespread anxiety and fear within the group.
As the team leader, she had to make this trip to reassure everyone.
The deeper you go into the forest, the more difficult the path becomes.
The group continued on, stumbling along the path, until they reached a pavilion.
The presence of such a pavilion in this location is utterly eerie.
Wang Xiuxiu reached out and stopped the line.
“Sir, I’ll go take a look,” Zisu said.
Before Wang Xiuxiu could respond, Wu Lin stepped forward and said, "Sir, I will go with Zisu."
"Okay, everyone be careful."
"Yes!" "Yes!"
A moment later, Zisu and the other person returned and said, "Sir, it's just a pavilion without a sign or plaque, overgrown with weeds, and looks quite old."
"Have some water, and you should rest for a while. We'll set off after Dr. Lin has finished examining this area."
"Sir, sir, Dr. Lin found some useful herbs not far away and sent me to tell you."
Since arriving at Nanxiang Mountain, Dr. Kobayashi has been the happiest person in the group.
This is a primeval forest that has been untouched for a long time, meaning that everything in these mountains is naturally grown and nurtured by nature.
Wang Xiuxiu had seen Dr. Xiaolin searching around the campsite more than once.
"Alright, let everyone go to Dr. Lin's place to help, and let's find the herbs as soon as possible to go back."
"yes!"
The herbs that Dr. Kobayashi found were mostly precious and needed to be carefully uprooted, which took up a lot of time.
By the time they finished processing the herbs, it was much later than Wang Xiuxiu and the others had expected to return.
"Sir, we are still missing a few herbs."
Does it matter?
"Without it, the medicine's effectiveness will be greatly reduced."
Seeing the longing in Dr. Lin's eyes, Wang Xiuxiu said, "Let's go forward for another hour. No matter what the outcome, we must return the way we came after one hour."
"good!"
They traveled for less than half an hour when a strong miasma arose in the forest.
"stop!"
Wang Xiuxiu immediately called a halt to the team's movements.
"Sir, is this miasma from the south?"
Seeing the miasma drifting rapidly towards them, everyone was a little worried, but they still stood still and waited for Wang Xiuxiu's instructions.
"Dr. Kobayashi, please distribute the masks to everyone. Let's go back the way we came!"
The group quickly retreated, returning to the location of the nameless pavilion in less than half the time it had taken to arrive.
Strangely enough, the miasma seemed to have stopped spreading.
"Sir, the miasma seems to have dissipated."
Wang Xiuxiu looked at it for a while, then shook her head. "It didn't scatter; it stopped on the other side of the pavilion."
Zisu was completely confused, but Wang Xiuxiu didn't have time to explain anything to her anymore.
"Hang in there, everyone! We'll rest once we get back to camp!"
When everyone finally made it back to the camp, they discovered that the team members who had been waiting there due to health reasons, as well as the people who had stayed behind to take care of them, had all disappeared.
Wu Lin looked around and returned to report to Wang Xiuxiu, "Sir, there are no animal tracks in the camp, so it shouldn't be an attack by a wild animal."
Wang Xiuxiu nodded, unsure of what to do next.
After a long while, she gazed at the empty tent and said softly, "There are probably other people in this forest."
"The others? Why aren't we..."
At this point, Zisu couldn't help but shudder.
Having been in Nanxiang Mountain for so many days, they have been secretly watched by a group of people deep in the forest, but they have not noticed. It is truly terrifying to think about!
"Sir, what should we do?"
"Let me think about it, let me think about it."
After a moment of contemplation, Wang Xiuxiu said, "Let's look for clues around the camp first."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately dispersed to search carefully.
Before long, Dr. Kobayashi ran over with a peculiar round box made of rattan. "Sir, this was found in the grass behind the tent. It looks like some kind of marking."
Wang Xiuxiu took it; it was engraved with some symbols she couldn't understand.
Just then, Wulin shouted, "Sir, there are footprints over here, heading east."
Wang Xiuxiu made a quick decision, "Let's follow the footprints, but everyone must be careful." The group followed the footprints cautiously.
As I walked, a melodious flute tune drifted from ahead.
And from the grass around them, there seemed to be sounds of animals rubbing against the blades of grass.
As the sound of the flute drew closer, a group of people dressed in strange attire appeared before them.
One of the men, who seemed to be the leader, spoke at length in a string of gibberish.
Wang Xiuxiu couldn't understand, and was afraid that she might do something that would anger them, so she could only stand there and stare at him.
Unexpectedly, this move seemed to anger them.
The chief waved his hand, and the tribesmen around him all began to play their short flutes.
As the flute sounded, dozens of brightly colored snakes darted out of the grass.
The caravan members were immediately surrounded.
Everyone gripped their weapons, ready to retaliate, but Wang Xiuxiu instead ordered them to lay down their weapons.
Seeing that they had all thrown their weapons to the ground, the person controlling the snake also ordered a halt to the operation.
With a whistle, the venomous snake vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Wang Xiuxiu took a step forward, bowed respectfully, pointed to her ear, and then pointed to her mouth.
The person opposite seemed to understand Wang Xiuxiu's actions. He told his clansmen to guard the place, while he quickly ran towards the dense forest behind him.
Wang Xiuxiu dared not make any rash moves, and led the caravan to stare at these strangely dressed foreigners.
Knowing that they could command venomous snakes for their own use, Wang Xiuxiu couldn't help but think of the witch tribe she had only read about in books.
In novels, the Wu tribe people are often endowed with a mysterious and unique aura.
Upon closer inspection, these people were all covered with large, dark robes.
The edges and cuffs of the robe were embroidered with intricate patterns in silver thread, delicate and mysterious, which Wang Xiuxiu thought resembled totems.
After an unknown amount of time, a sudden tinkling of silver bells broke the silence.
The bell rang clearly and melodiously, yet it carried an eerie quality.
Wang Xiuxiu's heart tightened, and a sense of terror welled up inside her.
Subconsciously, I tried to find the source of the silvery sound, but the sound seemed to echo in the forest, making it impossible to determine the direction.
The surrounding trees seemed to grow eerie, their branches swaying in the wind and rustling as if whispering something.
Wang Xiuxiu suddenly felt a chill rise up her spine and unconsciously moved closer to the perilla beside her.
Upon seeing this, Zisu immediately stepped in front of her, cautiously looking around.
As the bell drew closer, everyone's heart raced and their breathing became rapid.
In this terrifying atmosphere, they seemed to have become the prey.
The sound of those silver bells was like a call from hell, easily stirring up the deepest fears hidden in people's hearts.
Just as everyone was filled with terror, a figure slowly emerged from the forest.
She wore the same purplish-black robe, but this time it was adorned with tiny pearls.
The pearls, white and round, shimmered softly in the sunlight, like stars fallen to earth, adding a touch of liveliness and playfulness to the witch's robe.
She also wore a black belt around her waist, which, in addition to the totem-like patterns, was adorned with a string of silver bells that swayed slightly with her movements.
The shamans crossed their arms and bowed their heads in respect.
The caravan members looked at him in horror, wondering what his purpose was.
However, when Wang Xiuxiu looked up, she saw a familiar feeling on him...
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