Silence fell over the cave.
Xu Xinghe looked at the gradually thinning mist at the cave entrance and suddenly asked, "You said before that Black Wind Ridge was not peaceful. What exactly did you mean? Did you encounter any unusual people here?"
Jiang Linchuan's note mentioned Black Wind Ridge, and Yi An, who had been hunting there for many years, also mentioned that things were not peaceful, so it was highly likely that she had seen some people come in.
Yi An looked up at her, her deep eyes scrutinizing her. "You came here for those people?"
Although this was not a direct answer, it was tantamount to admitting that he had indeed encountered some people.
Xu Xinghe shook her head. "I didn't come here for them. I don't want to run into those people right now, to avoid any unnecessary trouble. I just wanted to ask if you could take me to the places where those people have been? I want to take a look."
Yi An remained silent for a moment, then did not ask any further questions.
The reward of five hundred yuan was enough to keep him from meddling in other people's business, as long as the other party didn't cause him any trouble.
He nodded. "Okay."
The two waited for about fifteen minutes, and the fog at the cave entrance finally dissipated, allowing sunlight to filter through the leaves and into the forest, significantly improving visibility.
Yi An stood up, extinguished the embers in the stone stove, slung her bag over her shoulder, and said, "Let's go."
He was the first to emerge from the cave, picked up a thick branch from the roadside, trimmed off the excess branches with a machete, and made a simple probing stick. "Follow me, step in my footprints."
After giving her instructions, Yi'an took the scout stick and led the way.
His movements were very skillful; he kept poking at the weeds and bushes in front of him with a stick, partly to clear a path, and partly to drive away any poisonous insects or snakes that might be hiding in the grass.
The twigs rustled through the grass, startling a few flying insects that buzzed away in the sunlight.
Xu Xinghe followed closely behind him, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily.
The forest at Black Wind Ridge was much denser than she had imagined. Towering trees blocked out the sun, vines entwined, and waist-high weeds grew everywhere. If Yi An hadn't led the way, she probably wouldn't have been able to find her way.
She finally understood why no one dared to come in except for the hunter.
Everywhere here looks pretty much the same; without professional jungle experience, it's easy to get lost or even fall into a hidden trap.
The two walked through the woods. Yi'an walked quickly, stopping every now and then to listen to the sounds around her, making sure there was nothing unusual before continuing.
After walking for about half an hour, Yi'an stopped in front of a relatively open woodland.
“This is it.” He pointed to a patch of trampled grass ahead and said to Xu Xinghe, “This is where I first met those people.”
Xu Xinghe stepped forward and carefully looked around.
This woodland looked no different from other places, with dense trees and tangled grass. If Yi An hadn't pointed it out, she wouldn't have noticed anything unusual.
“I think this place is just like any other place,” Xu Xinghe couldn’t help but say.
“You don’t understand.” Yi An pointed to the ground with her walking stick. “Look at this grass. There are traces of it being trampled. Although it has recovered somewhat, the roots are not facing the right direction. And over there, the tree trunk has fresh scratches on the bark. It was scraped with a knife or some hard object.”
Xu Xinghe looked in the direction he pointed and indeed found subtle traces.
The grass blades were lying in a somewhat disorderly direction, unlike their natural growth. The scratches on the tree trunk, though not deep, showed obvious signs of human intervention, and the edges were still fresh, indicating that they were made recently.
“Those people weren’t from our village, nor were they hunters from any of the nearby villages,” Yi’an recalled. “They were wearing clothes different from ours, the fabric looked finer than coarse cloth, and their accents were unfamiliar, they didn’t sound like locals. They stayed there for a while, I don’t know what they were doing, I didn’t dare get close, I just took a look from afar and left.”
After listening, Xu Xinghe immediately squatted down and began to carefully examine the surroundings, trying not to miss any details.
"Yi'an, could you please help me look for any remaining marks or discarded items, even just a small piece of cloth or a cigarette butt?"
Those people are very likely spies, and any trace they leave behind could be the key to finding Jiang Linchuan.
Yi An didn't say much, just nodded and carefully parted the grass with her probe to help with the search.
He hunted for many years and his sensitivity to traces far exceeded that of ordinary people. No abnormality could escape his eyes.
A moment later, his probing stick stopped on a tree trunk. "Here."
Xu Xinghe immediately walked over quickly.
Yi An gently parted the drooping leaves with her probing stick, revealing the trunk of a large tree, where a shallow carving was clearly visible.
It was a triangular mark with the apex pointing upwards and a short horizontal line on each side of the base. The lines were not deeply engraved, but they were clean and neat, clearly intentional.
Because of the angle, it is actually very difficult to spot.
The person who engraved this mark was very professional and knew how to conceal it.
Upon seeing the mark, Xu Xinghe's breath hitched, her heart raced, and her blood rushed to her head.
She knows this mark all too well!
These are concealed road signs commonly used by the military, specifically designed to guide directions in unfamiliar terrain or leave path clues for teammates to avoid getting lost in complex environments.
Jiang Linchuan!
It must have been left by Jiang Linchuan!
He really did come here, and even left a marker to indicate the way!
If we follow these markers, we might just find Jiang Linchuan's trail!
"Here!" Xu Xinghe pointed in the direction indicated by the top corner of the marker, her voice trembling slightly. "Slow down along the way and carefully examine the surrounding tree trunks to see if there are any similar markers!"
Yi An looked at her suddenly bright eyes, frowned slightly, but didn't ask any further questions.
He glanced in the direction Xu Xinghe pointed, then looked down at the strange engraving, nodded, and gripped the probing stick tightly again. "Follow me, and keep your feet firmly on the ground."
After saying that, he took the lead and walked in the direction indicated by the mark. His pace was slower than before, and he used his probe stick to carefully move through the grass. At the same time, he kept scanning the tree trunks along the way to help find similar marks.
Xu Xinghe followed closely behind him, her eyes almost glued to the surrounding environment, not missing any place that might have markings.
Her heart was pounding uncontrollably.
The road signs left by Jiang Linchuan were like lighthouses in the darkness, guiding her to keep getting closer!
The woods remain lush, entwined with vines and overgrown with weeds.
After walking for about ten minutes, Yi An stopped again, pointing her walking stick to the trunk of an old tree, "There are some here too."
Xu Xinghe immediately stepped forward and saw that about half a meter above the ground on the tree trunk, there was an identical triangular mark, with the apex still pointing in the same direction as before.
She couldn't help but take a deep breath, and a hint of moisture welled up in her eyes.
It really is a continuous series of road signs!
Jiang Linchuan must have gone somewhere along this road, leaving a trail for those who follow!
Or perhaps, he's leaving himself a way out!
"Keep going!"
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