Zhao Jian and Jiang Qiao, of course, noticed their unusual behavior. "What's wrong?"
The expressions on the faces of the three people who walked over were simply indescribable.
"This is fucking bizarre, it's all snakes—"
Upon hearing the word "snake," the three men couldn't help but shudder.
Jiang Qiao didn't believe that a few snakes could have turned her father into this state, and eagerly asked, "What exactly happened? Tell me slowly. Didn't I bring you realgar?"
Song Zhi said with lingering fear, "Don't even mention it, it was really a curse. It was a perfectly sunny day, how could there be fog? But there really was thick fog ahead, we couldn't see the road at all."
And suddenly, swarms of snakes appeared all around us—not just a few, but hundreds, even thousands! My God, it was terrifying!
Chen Fang wiped his sweat and patted his chest, "Perhaps this is where snakes often mate, so it's not too unusual for them to appear this season."
As for this thick fog, I really can't explain it. If it's due to altitude differences, there should be fog here too, but not here, only over there. I just don't understand what geographical conditions could create such a large fog.
Gu Zhengfeng gave a wry smile. "I really didn't expect to encounter something like this. Let's not think about it anymore. Let's prepare dinner first, and then we'll go check on it later."
While roasting some dry rations, Jiang Qiao asked, "Could it be that there's a hot spring or something over there, which is why there's fog?"
The group looked at each other, puzzled. "We've never heard of a hot spring here, Lao Gu, do you know about it?"
Gu Zhengfeng shook his head, his face full of confusion. "I didn't come here back then either. I came down from the mountain to this pool. I really can't say for sure."
Jiang Qiao handed the roasted rations to everyone. "Don't think about it anymore, hurry up and eat. Everyone is hungry. Eat as much as you can. There is meat, but it will be difficult to carry it back. You will have the strength to carry it when you are full. We will go back and take a look later."
During the meal, no one wanted to talk about the snake; it was disgusting. With meat to eat, they decided to treat themselves first and deal with the rest later.
"My goodness, this meat tastes so good—"
Zhao Jian grilled the meat himself, but he was too shy to eat it first. He waited until everyone else had started eating before he began to savor the fruits of his labor. Before anyone else could even praise him, he was the one who started giving his own compliments.
"It's delicious, the meat is tender and fragrant. I think living here is pretty good, at least I don't have to worry about eating meat."
Song Zhi ate and sighed, while Gu Zhengfeng swallowed the food in his mouth, not forgetting to dampen the enthusiasm of the third brother.
"You're kidding me. Living here, you're always on edge, and there's no food. What's so good about it? I still prefer the outside world. Unless there's plenty of supplies, I wouldn't want to stay here. I'd be on edge even sleeping at night, constantly watching out for wild animals."
Chen Fang nodded with a smile, "That's right, this place is perfect for outdoor barbecues. If you're craving meat, this is a good place to come, but don't even think about staying here. Just thinking about that pile of stuff in front of me gives me goosebumps. Let's eat, eat as much as we can—"
Everyone ate meat very quickly; as soon as one side finished eating, the other side was already grilling, and then they would continue eating.
"Uncle, why don't we just roast them all and keep some fresh to take home and eat? Otherwise, it's not easy to carry them like this."
Jiang Qiao's suggestion was unanimously approved by everyone. "That's a great idea! It'll save us from being embarrassed to eat because of the smell of meat around us. Let's all get started!"
Some were cutting meat, others were grilling it. Since there weren't enough tools, they simply started another fire and grilled the meat on a stone slab.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the meat was still not fully cooked. This time, Song Zhi took over watching over it while the others followed him inside again.
Along the way, Jiang Qiao discovered many high-quality medicinal herbs that had been around for a long time. As she gathered the herbs, she wondered why this place was so rarely visited. She noticed that she had found ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms, and that these things would not last long if people came here often.
The closer Jiang Qiao got to that place, the more she could feel the overwhelming vitality. To be honest, she started to have some kind of idea. Before, she thought the thick fog was just a coincidence, but now it seemed that there was something there. As for what it was, she couldn't say for sure.
She now wonders if what that unofficial history says is true, if there really is a deity living in these mountains, or if there are some rare and precious treasures here, or some kind of mythical beast guarding them.
As Zhao Jian walked, he muttered to himself, "Could some immortals be cultivating here? Is this some kind of divine energy?"
As they walked, Chen Fang asked Jiang Qiao, "Jiang Qiao, what do you think it is that could bring those people here and make them so interested?"
Jiang Qiao gave a wry smile. "Who knows? Immortals or elixirs of immortality—everyone has wanted to live forever since ancient times. Perhaps they came here for these things? Or perhaps they are searching for them as well?"
Chen Fang didn't believe in any of that either. "There are no gods or immortals here. I think there might be volcanoes or some kind of mineral vein. Gold mine?"
That was the only thing he could think of; he really couldn't think of anything else.
Jiang Qiao looked around as they walked, "But the problem is, have you seen any ore?"
Chen Fang shook his head. "I've looked at a lot of stones and haven't found anything. But I'm really not a professional in this area. If you want to find something, you'll have to ask a professional."
When they arrived, Jiang Qiao saw that the valley was shrouded in thick fog, especially the snakes that were constantly surging and intertwining in front of them, which made Jiang Qiao gag.
Not only her, but even Zhao Jian was shaken, his voice trembling as he exclaimed, "My God, how can there be so many? Snake Valley—"
Gu Zhengfeng took out a kettle and rinsed his daughter's mouth while asking, "Are you alright? Should we go back?"
Jiang Qiao waved her hand and looked at Chen Fang, "Section Chief Chen, can you tell what species these snakes are, and whether they are poisonous?"
Chen Fang carefully examined the area for a while, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. "There are quite a few venomous snakes. There are so many outside. I don't know if there are any more inside this thick fog. If we attack forcibly, I'm afraid we'll be attacked by the snakes."
Zhao Jian asked, "Then what should we do? Should we leave? Or wait for these snakes to finish mating and leave on their own?"
Chen Fang's expression was somewhat solemn. He had a feeling that there must be something strange behind this thick fog, but he couldn't get in and there was nothing he could do.
He sighed, "Let's go. There's no point in staying. I need to report back to my superiors and see what they think. If the Japanese are on our radar, they're probably not a good person."
Everyone turned and left, but Jiang Qiao just stared fixedly inside, motionless.
Seeing the child like this, Gu Zhengfeng was so frightened that he quickly called out, "Qiao'er, my daughter—"
Jiang Qiao didn't respond, which made the three of them tense up. "Oh no, my daughter's scared. She's terrified of snakes—"
Zhao Jian was also anxious. He remembered the last time Jiang Qiao had been unconscious, and he worriedly said, "What should we do? Quickly, help us call her back to her senses!"
"Jiang Qiao, let's go—"
When Jiang Qiao came to her senses, she found herself unable to move.
"Dad, look over there—"
Following the direction Jiang Qiao pointed, everyone looked over, and the hairs on their heads stood on end.
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