Seeing how certain Zhou was, the village chief assumed he had seen it with his own eyes, believed him, and decided to go with him. Lingzhi was worth a lot of money, and it would be foolish not to make money.
Meanwhile, the Song family still hadn't found the medicinal ingredient, so they sent more people this time—ten armed guards, making a total of thirty people—to go into the deep mountains with the villagers. The villagers didn't object; more people meant more safety, and since the Song family's guards all knew martial arts, their safety was even more guaranteed.
Two hundred people hurried along and finally entered the deep mountains two hours later. At this time, they had only reached the outer edge of the deep mountains and had not yet reached the core. Apart from killing a few venomous snakes in the first two times, they did not encounter any large beasts.
But everyone remained cautious, keeping their tools close at hand and constantly alert to their surroundings.
"How far is that place you mentioned? Are we almost there?" The village chief, who had been walking with Zhou Laoda, asked in a low voice as they sat down to rest.
"It's not far, but this place is a bit winding. I don't know if we'll pass by that place again this time." Old Zhou said casually. He had no idea how far that place was from here. He was just taking his chances. He was a little guilty for luring the village chief here.
However, he meant well, believing that good things should be shared. Of course, the most important thing was that the village chief was quick-witted. If they really found something good, having the village chief as a cover would make it easier to avoid being seen by others.
Okay, he had ulterior motives and took advantage of the village chief.
The village chief frowned, his eyes filled with suspicion. "You haven't forgotten how to get there, have you? Well, the forest is so big, it always goes around in circles. It would be a miracle if you could find it. I was so greedy for money that I believed you without thinking much about it."
"Don't worry, we won't be back so soon. There will be opportunities," Boss Zhou reassured in a low voice, but he felt even more uneasy.
The paths in the deep forest are difficult to navigate. This place is somewhat eerie. Despite having so many people, they always make marks on the path to avoid getting lost in the forest, but they still often get confused. The terrain here is like a maze, and even with marks, people still get disoriented.
Fortunately, there were many capable people in the team. Among the guards of the Song family, there were those who could find a way out of difficulties, and several hunters among the villagers in the herb-gathering team were also good at finding their way in the forest. So although they often got lost, they were always able to find the right way home in the end.
The first day passed safely. The herb-gathering team collected some herbs needed for the epidemic, and also gathered some mushrooms and wild vegetables. They also hunted a few small prey to stew together.
Spending the night in the mountains, there were always bonfires burning, and people had to take turns keeping watch. Zhou Laoda and the village chief would keep watch for the first half of the night, and then it would be their turn to sleep for the second half.
As dawn broke, Zhou Laoda was half asleep when he heard a roar that echoed throughout the forest, startling everyone awake.
You can't stay asleep; that's the roar of a tiger. Unless you're suicidal, no one can sleep peacefully.
Old Zhou instinctively gripped the axe in his hand. He never let go of his axe once he entered the deep mountains, even when he slept. However, everyone was on edge in the deep mountains, and no one dared to sleep too soundly. They were alert even with their eyes closed, and were very light sleepers.
“Let’s not wander off. Stay together so we can deal with any emergencies together. In this deep forest, it’s easy to die if you get separated from your group. There are too many wild beasts. We don’t have time to protect ourselves, so we have to be extra careful,” Boss Zhou said, standing up with a serious expression.
There were eight of them, all of whom got along well and formed a small group that trusted each other. Every time they went into the mountains, they carried axes and hoes, with axes being the best weapon for farmers.
“The boss is right. We must not panic, especially in times of crisis. We can’t lose our composure. The guards and officials from the Song family are still holding the line. If things get too difficult, we’ll all go together,” the village chief said in a low voice.
“The guards of the Song family seem to be quite skilled, but those government officials don’t look much better than us. I’m afraid we can’t count on them. We’d better be careful,” Zhou Fagen said in a voice that only a few of them could hear.
"Let's play it by ear." The village chief stared solemnly ahead, in the direction from which the tiger's roar came.
As the roar grew closer, everyone's hearts pounded. Some even considered turning to run away, but the officers stopped them with their swords.
"Take your machetes, axes, and other tools. Don't run around. Are we, a group of over two hundred men, afraid of a mere tiger?" The leading officer was a constable, a burly man with a somewhat fierce face and a hoarse voice.
"Anyone who wanders off and gets separated from the group will surely die. Don't think I'm exaggerating. Anyone with a brain knows that the mountains and forests are dangerous and would never dare to leave the group. If anyone ignores this advice and insists on running off on their own, the authorities will not care if they die."
The implication is that those who disobey the officials' orders will die in vain, while those who obey the orders will receive some compensation from the government if they are unlucky enough to have an accident, including funeral expenses and resettlement allowance.
These words indeed calmed everyone down considerably. Even though they were terrified and desperately wanted to escape, they dared not leave the group easily.
"Now everyone listen to my instructions. Twenty of you will lie in ambush over there, and thirty of you will be on the side... Listen carefully, everyone. Pay attention to coordination. If we coordinate well, there's no reason why more than two hundred people shouldn't be able to defeat a beast," the fierce-faced constable said sternly.
The officials and thirty guards from the Song family were responsible for the direct confrontation, while the others provided assistance.
Zhou Laoda and the village chief and others lay in ambush in a ditch. At this time, the entire village formed a circle around them, and everyone was on high alert, not daring to breathe, for fear of attracting the attention of the giant insect, which would then rush over and bite them to death.
"Ah, kill."
As the tiger's roar drew closer, the guards and officials of the Song family charged forward with shouts, engaging the tiger in a fierce battle. In an instant, the shouts of men, the roars of tigers, and the sounds of weapons clashing echoed throughout the entire forest.
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