"Sister, be careful, don't walk too far forward, be careful not to get bitten by poisonous creatures." A-Jiang grabbed Xu Nian's arm and pulled her behind her.
"I just wanted to help A-Jiang share some of the danger," Xu Nian muttered softly, but still obediently hid behind A-Jiang.
Looking around, the roadside was lined with dead trees and weeds, and everywhere you could see, there were all sorts of poisonous creatures spreading in dense swarms.
As for how many unseen places there are, Xu Nian really couldn't estimate it; just thinking about it made her scalp tingle.
Is burying one's ancestors in such a poisonous mountain a form of burial or feeding these poisonous creatures?
Xu Nian felt the latter was more likely.
"Sister, don't get distracted. It's dangerous to get distracted here." A-Jiang used the wooden stick in her hand to sweep away the poisonous creatures that were getting close to Xu Nian.
"I'm sorry, I won't do it again," Xu Nian apologized awkwardly.
Thinking about other things at this time is definitely wrong. Not only will she harm herself, but she will also drag down Ah Jiang, who came with her to find the antidote.
"Sister, take this with you." A-Jiang stuffed a bamboo tube about the size of a thumb into Xu Nian's hand.
"What is this?" Xu Nian asked curiously, examining the bamboo tube in her hand.
“This is a Gu King. With it around, ordinary poisonous creatures won’t bite you, sister.” A-Jiang grinned, and Xu Nian almost threw the bamboo tube away.
A Gu King? This is a Gu worm.
"Ah Jiang, it's better if you keep this. It wouldn't be good if I accidentally let it out." Xu Nian smiled stiffly and returned the bamboo tube to Ah Jiang.
“If you don’t want it, then you’d better stick close to A-Jiang.” A-Jiang saw Xu Nian’s fear and disgust towards the Gu worm and regretfully took the bamboo tube back.
The two cleared away the poisonous creatures along the way before finally reaching the halfway point of the mountain.
Seeing the thatched hut halfway up the mountain, Xu Nian asked in surprise, "Are people still living here?"
“There is a mountain guardian living here.” A-Jiang entered the thatched hut but did not see the mountain guardian.
Guessing that the mountain guardian had gone out on business, they had no choice but to continue walking forward with Xu Nian.
After walking for a while, we saw four cows grazing on weeds by the roadside.
The four cows seemed very afraid of people; as soon as they saw Xu Nian and A Jiang, they practically took off running. The nose ropes on their noses dragged on the ground, cleaning up the poisonous creatures scattered around.
Seeing that the road where the cows had run had been cleared of all the poisonous creatures, Xu Nian's eyes lit up, and she immediately grabbed A Jiang's hand and chased after the cows.
"Sister, why are we chasing these cows?" A-Jiang asked, puzzled.
"You'll see soon enough. Hurry up and catch up with them." Xu Nian didn't have time to explain much. The most important thing now was to catch up with these cows and not let them get away.
The mountain road was rugged, and after a short chase, the cows disappeared around a bend.
Xu Nian had no choice but to give up regretfully. There were so many forks in the road on this sacred mountain, and the place where those cows had run over was now buried by new poisonous creatures.
The two of them couldn't find those cows in a short time.
"Sister, you still haven't said what you want those cows for?" A-Jiang asked while clearing the road ahead.
Those cattle were all raised by the mountain guardians. The guardians put in a lot of effort to ensure that these cattle could survive on the sacred mountain.
He couldn't let his sister do whatever she wanted unless she explained things clearly.
“Ah Jiang, didn’t you notice that the poisonous creatures on the road that those cows ran through just now were trampled and swept away by their hooves?” As soon as Xu Nian said this, Ah Jiang understood.
Indeed, it would be much easier for the two of them if the cow helped clear the way.
And he no longer needs to worry about the two of them being exhausted.
"Sister, let's go find those cows to clear the way now." Ah Jiang's eyes couldn't hide his excitement.
"Do you know where they went?" Xu Nian asked, pointing to the forks in the road.
"Ah Jiang doesn't know." Ah Jiang shook his head honestly.
"Then how do we find it? One by one? There are so many roads, it will be dark by the time we finish them all. Let's hurry up and find the antidote." Xu Nian explained the pros and cons, shook his head, and asked A Jiang to lead the way to continue climbing the sacred mountain.
The two walked for a while longer, clearing away poisonous creatures along the way as they climbed the mountain. Gradually, they both felt their strength waning.
"Sister, let's rest for a bit before we go." A-Jiang sprinkled a circle of medicinal powder on the ground to keep out the poison before taking out water and dry food for Xu Nian to eat.
Despite the fact that the things around her made her scalp tingle just by looking at them, Xu Nian had no choice but to eat the food in her hand.
If I don't eat, the worst thing will be that I won't have the strength to climb up later.
Eat now, climb up sooner, find the antidote sooner, and leave sooner.
Xu Nian knew which of these two options to choose.
After eating and resting for a while, the two continued climbing.
"Ah Jiang, are those antidotes only found on the mountaintop?" Xu Nian suddenly asked, puzzled.
“Sister, to tell you the truth, those things grow where our ancestors were buried. We have to climb to the top of the mountain to find them.” A-Jiang’s eyes were clear, and she spoke with exceptional sincerity, so Xu Nian had no doubts.
"How much longer until we arrive?" Xu Nian looked at the sky, wondering if they would have to spend the night in the mountains.
A-Jiang understood what Xu Nian was worried about, so she comforted her, "Sister, don't be afraid. A-Jiang will take you away from the Holy Mountain before dark."
Upon hearing this, Xu Nian was actually moved at that moment.
"Ah Jiang, I believe you."
Those few words made A-Jiang blush instantly, and he stammered, "Sister...you...never...need...to say thank you to A-Jiang."
What an innocent boy! If it weren't for the bad first impression, Xu Nian would have been quite attracted to him.
"Ah Jiang, look ahead!" Xu Nian pointed to the cows by the roadside ahead, overjoyed.
"Sister, wait for me here, I'll go and bring them over." A-Jiang used medicinal powder to mark out an open space for Xu Nian to wait.
He walked toward the cows, and strangely enough, the cows did not run away when they saw Ah Jiang, but instead stood still and ate grass.
After being pulled by Ajahn's nose rope, it will follow Ajahn.
When Xu Nian saw A Jiang leading the cows back to pick her up, she curiously looked at the cows, which were as tall as a person.
"Sister, we can ride the ox now!" A-Jiang excitedly stretched out her hand to Xu Nian.
Xu Nian, however, was not as optimistic as A Jiang. Pointing to the increasingly agitated cows, she said, "They seem to dislike me. Are you sure I won't be thrown off?"
"Sister, you have to believe me." A-Jiang climbed onto the cow's back and reached out her hand to Xu Nian.
The meaning was clear: he wanted Xu Nian to ride on the same ox as him.
After glancing at Ah Jiang and then at the poisonous creatures lurking on the road ahead, Xu Nian decided to reach out and climb onto the cow's back.
As she climbed onto the cow's back, the cow became agitated and tried to throw her off.
Seeing this, A Jiang pulled the ox into her arms, and the ox calmed down.
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