Chapter 89 The Mystery of the Mineral Exploration: Where is my sister? Where is my sister?!
At dawn, the village was still shrouded in mountain mist, and all was quiet. Deng Zhao gently closed the wooden gate and, together with Guo Jia, tiptoed to the door of Deng Jie's thatched hut to listen for any sounds inside. Only after confirming that she was still fast asleep did they leave with peace of mind.
The two men led their horses out of the village. When they passed the hermitage, they found a light on inside, and Yu Ji was sitting cross-legged on a reed mat with his eyes closed, deep in thought.
Deng Zhao stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Immortal Master, you've gotten up very early."
Yu Ji opened his eyes, saw that it was them, and nodded slightly: "You two can go without worry, I will naturally take good care of Jie'er."
Deng Zhao hesitated for a moment, then took out a heavy money bag from his sleeve and handed it to Yu Ji: "My younger sister is not used to the coarse food of the countryside, so please take good care of her, Immortal Master."
Yu Ji took it, weighed it in his hand, and ultimately did not refuse, putting it into his sleeve and nodding.
Without further delay, the two mounted their horses and headed straight for the foot of the mountain.
As they reached the edge of the forest, the branches and thorns became increasingly menacing, and the mountain path gradually narrowed, making it difficult for the horses to move forward.
The two men dismounted, gently patted their horses' rumps, and let them return to the village on their own. Deng Jie's horses were still in the village; they were unlikely to get lost.
Guo Jia unfolded the map he had drawn the night before and, in the dim morning light, used the mountain terrain and strange rocks to determine his direction.
The two climbed up the path and found themselves on a platform that connected the paths to the east and west.
To the east was a wide road, but according to Yu Ji, they should continue along the narrow path to the west.
Out of curiosity, Guo Jia went east to explore where such a large road would lead.
“This road doesn’t look like it was used by villagers.” Guo Jia’s feet stepped on the tracks on the ground. Although the tracks were a bit blurry, they were clearly tire tracks.
Deng Zhao followed Guo Jia and squatted down to examine it closely. Guo Jia brushed away the soil and saw some gold powder on the edge of the wheel tracks. Both of them frowned, realizing it was the powder of ghost gold.
But for now, they need to find the sulfur mine. As for the source, they'll ask Lord Lu to bring people here to investigate after Xu Hong has settled things.
After Guo Jia got up, he added a few strokes to the map and added annotations.
The two turned back to the west, where the terrain became increasingly steep. They came to a mountain stream that matched the markings on the map. Guo Jia took the opportunity to revise the route drawing, while Deng Zhao used the opportunity of Guo Jia drawing the map to examine the soil layers.
"The soil layer here is shallow, and there are exposed rock layers further on, so we might be getting close to a mineral vein," Deng Zhao pointed to the north.
As they were talking, a viper darted out of a crevice in the rock, its head raised and its tongue flicking. Deng Zhao reacted swiftly, immediately raising his hand and shooting a hidden arrow, pinning the snake to the rock face. Guo Jia, passing by, glanced at it and remarked, "Snakes are attracted to sulfur; it seems we're heading in the right direction."
As the two continued on their way, they suddenly smelled a pungent odor of sulfurous smoke in the air.
"People are burning mines in places like this?" Deng Zhao's expression turned serious. "Could it be a sulfur mine?"
Guo Jia quickened his pace: "The smell is coming from over there, let's go check it out."
But when they crossed this rocky area, the sulfurous smoke disappeared.
The two wandered around for a long time, with sulfurous smoke appearing and disappearing intermittently, but they still couldn't find the source. As the sun began to set, Guo Jia unfolded the map again and compared it with the map: "We can't delay any longer. Let's find the mine first."
Deng Zhao nodded, and the two quickened their pace, searching downwards along the contours of the rock strata.
However, the further they went, the greater the difference between the terrain and Yu Ji's description became, and they gradually lost sight of the landmarks he had mentioned.
Guo Jia frowned, constantly adding routes to the map while muttering directions under his breath.
They finally discovered the mine in a secluded mountain hollow when the setting sun was obscured by the mountains and the sky and forests were tinged with a deep blue.
The cave entrance was small, and the rock walls were covered with yellowish-green crystals characteristic of sulfur, while a pungent odor filled the air.
"This is it!" Deng Zhao strode forward and used a knife to pry off a few pieces of ore from the gaps in the ore. Guo Jia wrapped them in cloth, packed them up, and tied them around his waist.
Deng Zhao was a little reluctant; he had finally made it here, but could only bring so many fragments. "Here, pack some for me too!" He chiseled out a few more pieces, and Guo Jia wrapped and tied them up for him.
After collecting the ore, the two washed the sulfur powder off their hands with alcohol and then turned back in the direction they had come from.
However, the night was deep and the mountain path was rugged, and they quickly lost their way. The torchlight had a limited range, and they could no longer find the landmarks they had come from. Guo Jia looked up at the sky and breathed a sigh of relief, "Fortunately, the starry sky is clear."
Deng Zhao held a torch for him, while Guo Jia held the astrolabe in one hand, looking up to check the positions of the stars, and continued to find his way by referring to the revised map with the other.
“Go that way.” He pointed in the corrected direction, his tone more confident. “That’s the ridge. Go down from there, and you should be able to get back to the fork in the road platform.”
"It's alright, at least we're not far from the foot of the mountain now." Deng Zhao breathed a sigh of relief; he still remembered the path ahead.
Guo Jia's feet stomped heavily over the ruts. "Something's not right..." Guo Jia put away the astrolabe and map, his expression grave. He took the torch from Deng Zhao's hand, squatted down, and examined it closely: "These ruts are new. A cart passed through here today."
Deng Zhao's expression changed slightly, and Yu Ji's warning from last night echoed in his mind: there have been Yue people appearing in this area recently.
The two exchanged a glance, a sense of foreboding rising in their hearts, and quickened their pace in unison.
The doors of the hermitage were smashed to pieces, the incense burner was overturned on the ground, and the incense ash mixed with a viscous liquid solidified into an ominous mud.
Guo Jia accidentally kicked something hard. He raised his foot to hold up a torch and felt a chill run down his spine.
Several corpses lay scattered on the ground, all of them young and strong men from the village. Some of them had hoes and sickles lying around them, indicating that they had resisted.
The thatched hut was overturned, the granary doors were flung open, and all the stored grain inside was looted.
Guo Jia searched the village and found fresh vomit on the ground in addition to bloodstains.
The food scraps were quite different from those in the village yesterday; they looked more like tree bark and grass stems gnawed on by starving people…
Guo Jia was looking down closely when he heard faint sobs coming from the haystack.
He quickly parted the dry grass, and there was Old Zhang huddled up, shivering.
Old Zhang was covered in injuries, and when he saw them, tears welled up in his cloudy eyes.
"The mountains are coming..." he stammered. "They stormed into the village in the afternoon, grabbing anyone they saw... The village chief and the sorcerer were taken away... Any able-bodied men who dared to resist were killed, and the rest were tied up..."
Deng Zhao grabbed Old Zhang's shoulder and roared, "Where's my sister? Where's my sister!"
"They were taken away too, they were all arrested..." Old Zhang's tears flowed uncontrollably, his words slurred with sobs, "The immortal master tried to protect her, and they were all arrested together..."
Deng Zhao suddenly stood up, his eyes bloodshot, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
Guo Jia felt dizzy and disoriented, but he had to stay calm. The most important thing now was to find the person.
The fresh puddles of vomit, the smell of sulfur he had caught in the mountains during the day, Yu Ji, the ruts, the gold dust... all these clues overlapped in his mind.
“Brother Yuanming,” he said in a low voice, “the stronghold of the Shanyue is very likely at the end of that main road.”
Without saying a word, Deng Zhao turned and walked out of the village, but Guo Jia grabbed him: "Wait! There are only two of us! We need to be fully prepared."
Deng Zhao blew his whistle to check if the horses were still there.
Soon the sound of hooves came from afar, and three fine horses came bathed in moonlight. Hope rekindled in Deng Zhao's eyes.
Fortunately, the mountain tribes didn't notice them, and Deng Zhao touched their heads with emotion.
Guo Jia returned to Deng Jie's hut to search for her last information, hoping to ascertain her condition before she was abducted. He found a medicine pouch embroidered with an orange cat under the reed mat, containing newly prepared herbs.
His heart tightened suddenly. He remembered the noise Deng Jie made in his room the night before and guessed that it was something she had refused to give away... He couldn't help but clench his medicine pouch tightly, determined to keep her safe!
Guo Jia gritted his teeth, put away his medicine bag, and rushed out of the thatched hut.
When they found the empty granary, they discovered a hidden cellar. Inside, there were small jars of wine. He called Deng Zhao over, and they carried all the wine jars into bamboo baskets.
Before leaving, Guo Jia noticed the bamboo sections piled up at the door of every household and narrowed his eyes.
"Go!" Deng Zhao mounted his horse, his eyes cold and sharp as knives.
Guo Jia followed closely behind, and the two men and three horses sped away along the ruts.
The sound of horses' hooves was exceptionally clear in the silent mountain forest. The tracks of carts stretched out, leading them to a village halfway up the mountain. In the distance, a few torches flickered at the village gate, and only a single mountain guard could be vaguely seen, seemingly looking into the village.
The two extinguished their torches, dismounted, and approached. They disappeared into the roadside woods, and Deng Zhao handed his horse to Guo Jia before going to scout ahead.
Guo Jia stroked the horse's neck and whispered, "Good buddy, don't make a sound." The horse snorted, shook its head, and then quieted down.
Before long, Deng Zhao returned from the shadows on the side of the village, his eyes flashing coldly: "There are three metallurgical furnaces behind, the fences have been burned down, and no one is guarding them."
The two men calmed the horses and went around to the back of the village. Sure enough, they saw three huge earthen furnaces connected together, with dark red embers still inside. The pungent smell of sulfur in the air had not yet dissipated, so it seemed that the smoke from the daytime had indeed come from here.
The two inspected the earthen furnace, where cartloads of ghost gold were piled up, and the casting templates for the gold vouchers were also prominently displayed.
Deng Zhao found a wooden box under the haystack, opened it, and found it filled with finished gold vouchers.
“It really was them…” Deng Zhao gritted his teeth.
Guo Jia's gaze turned cold as he surveyed the surroundings: "Brother Yuanming, while no one is around, we should make preparations."
The two returned to where the horses were tied, and carefully moved the kerosene and wine jars that were being carried on the horses' backs, placing them near the metallurgical furnace.
Guo Jia tied the jars together with ropes. Deng Zhao came to help, glanced at the jars on the ground and the huge village, and looked up at Guo Jia to ask, "Is this enough...?"
Guo Jia merely curled the corners of his lips, still maintaining his composed demeanor as if he had a plan in mind.
After making the necessary arrangements, the two continued their stealthy advance deeper into the village. The wooden houses along the way were all empty until they approached the square near the village gate, where the sounds of people gradually became clearer.
The two men approached and hid under the bushes to take a closer look. In the center of the square, a bonfire was burning fiercely. In the firelight, dozens of villagers were bound with ropes and kneeling on the ground. Around them stood a hundred or so mountain bandits holding knives.
Deng Zhao knew that the Yue tribes were numerous and widespread, and he had even crossed paths with them when he was a merchant. This place should be one of their small settlements.
He was calculating in his mind how many he could kill, but when Guo Jia put his hand on his shoulder, he regained his confidence.
Just as the two were trying to figure out where Deng Jie was, they discovered a burly man who looked like a leader grabbing Yu Ji's collar and asking him something sternly in front of the campfire.
Deng Jie, pale-faced, stared at Yu Ji while being held by two mountain bandits.
Deng Zhao's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he wished he could rush forward immediately, but Guo Jia stopped him: "Listen to what they have to say first."
Suppressing his anger, Deng Zhao slowly approached under the cover of shadows. Guo Jia looked around and, after confirming that there were no other Yue tribes missing except at the village gate, whispered a few words to Deng Zhao, took the sulfur ore from Deng Zhao, and quietly retreated, disappearing into the darkness.
Taking advantage of the favorable wind, Deng Zhao overheard the Yue chieftain's sinister laugh: "Old man, don't think you can fool us with your tricks! Aren't you supposed to be the Way of Peace? Aren't you supposed to be able to summon wind and rain? How come you can't even dodge my knife? We're still alive and well!" As he spoke, a burst of laughter erupted around him.
Yu Ji, his hair and beard disheveled, his outer robe stained with blood, still stood upright and said calmly, "I only save people, I don't kill. If you are willing to release these innocent people, I will naturally cure the illnesses and ward off disasters for these heroes."
"Bullshit!" The bandit leader kicked Yu Ji to the ground. "You couldn't even save one of my brothers, and you're talking about exorcising evil spirits!"
He pointed his knife at Deng Jie and said, "I think you're just a traveling swindler. How did you manage to trick such a beautiful young woman into becoming your apprentice? Why don't you take me as your apprentice and let me go and seduce a few more women!"
Laughter erupted again from those around him, who all clamored that they should learn this skill too.
Deng Jie struggled and shouted, "You are the ones who harmed people with poisonous gold, so you have only yourself to blame and are reaping what you sowed! Besides, only if you release us can the Immortal Master save you!"
The bandit leader glanced coldly at Deng Jie, slapped her across the face, and pointed at the corpse of a mountain bandit lying on the ground: "Bah! You think you can save us? The one you saved before is already dead, what are you going to use to save him!"
Deng Jie, his neck stiff, shouted, "We don't even have medicine, how can we save him! Besides, he's been poisoned for too long..."
The bandit leader grabbed her face and yelled, "Enough nonsense! If you can't save us, you'll all die!"
Yu Ji struggled to his feet, gritted his teeth, and shouted, "If you continue to force me, I will burn you alive right here, and I will make sure your golden demons are pierced through your lungs and your bodies, and none of you will live!"
Unexpectedly, the leader nodded in agreement: "That's fine too! Since we're all going to die anyway, why don't we all have some fun!"
He grabbed Deng Jie and said, "It's so late, boys, throw this old man into the fire and burn him, kill all the men and divide them among the women!"
The bandits cheered and were about to attack.
Yu Ji, still unwilling to give up, said, "Let us go find medicine; there's still a glimmer of hope..."
The bandit leader, too lazy to listen to Yu Ji anymore, simply cut the rope binding Deng Jie and dragged her aside.
Seeing Deng Jie draw a short blade from her sleeve and stab, she didn't have time to recall the moves Deng Zhao had taught her before the leader snatched her weapon and threw it on the ground. Bloodstains remained on the short blade. The leader noticed a shallow cut on his arm, slapped her hard to the ground, and cursed, "You filthy woman, you dare to resist?"
Deng Jie fought back tears: "This dagger... I poisoned it, only the immortal master can cure it!"
The leader laughed loudly: "Don't try to fool me. Whether it's poisonous or not, you're not going to live much longer anyway, so don't bother resisting!"
Just as he was about to reach out and grab her again, Yu Ji shouted from behind, "How dare you touch her!" The old Taoist priest broke free of the ropes on his own, and threw a handful of powder from his sleeve into the campfire. With a "boom," blue flames burst forth, and pungent white smoke immediately filled the air. The smoke startled the bandits, who all let go of the fire. The villagers cried out, "Master, save us!"
The leader steadied himself and, as the blue flames subsided, roared, "A hoax!" He grabbed Deng Jie by the collar. "Nobody's escaping tonight! I'm going to make my move! Men, get to it!"
Guo Jia emerged from the darkness, holding a torch, trailing a string of wine jars and oil jugs that stretched into the darkness behind him.
Blue fireworks and red torches shone on his left and right profiles, his cold expression unable to suppress the burning rage within him. He raised the long string in his hand: "The fire here is enough to burn down the entire village. If you dare to make another move, I'll burn you to death right here!"
The leader threw Deng Jie aside, drew his knife, and charged at Guo Jia: "Let's see if your fire is faster or my knife is faster!"
An arrow grazed the head's right arm.
Seeing that he had missed and had revealed his position, Deng Zhao was quickly met with shouts of "There's more support!" from his henchmen who rushed towards him. He fired several arrows, then discarded his bow, drew his sword, and plunged into the crowd.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Guo Jia smashed the wine jars and oil cans into the campfire, then ran to Deng Jie, tackled her, and covered her ears.
Behind the oil can was a long string of bamboo sections. The campfire immediately burst into flames, blasting the wooden stakes surrounding the camp into pieces that scattered everywhere with a deafening "crackling" sound. Hard bamboo pieces and scalding flames flew out from the fire, injuring many of the nearby henchmen. The continuous sound of firecrackers was mixed with the roars of the bandits.
The bandit leader, whose arms and calves were also burned, growled and ran away.
The henchmen were so frightened by the sudden burst of fire, the loud noise, and the intense heat that they dropped their weapons and fled in panic, shouting as they ran toward the gate of the stronghold.
The leader, regaining his senses, stood up and saw clearly. After the flames subsided, he grabbed one of the men and roared, "Big Eyes! These are firecrackers! Quickly, hold the line!"
Taking this opportunity, Deng Zhao charged towards the leader. The flash of his blade reflected the firelight, and the two immediately engaged in a fierce battle.
Guo Jia helped Deng Jie up, ignoring the scorched cloth and scattered wood chips behind him, and took off his outer robe. Together with Yu Ji, they quickly untied the villagers and organized the men to pick up the weapons scattered on the ground, protecting the women and children in the middle.
Worried that he would catch a cold, Deng Jie quietly pressed against his back and held his hand to warm him.
The man with the big eyes quickly regrouped his men and grinned maliciously, "It's just firecrackers! Let's see what other tricks you have up your sleeve!"
In the center of the square, Deng Zhao and the leader exchanged blows for dozens of rounds.
Seeing the mountains reunite, the leader fought with increasing ferocity, his swordsmanship becoming more and more frenzied.
Upon hearing this, Deng Zhao dodged the attack and abandoned his sword to catch his spear.
With the spear in hand, Deng Zhao's momentum surged. His spear moved like a silver snake dancing in the air, and in an instant, he was in front of the leader. He unleashed a series of three attacks—slashing, thrusting, and parrying—without any gaps in his movements. The leader was overwhelmed and unable to keep up, and was finally knocked to the ground by a counter-attack spear.
"Who dares to come up here!" He pointed the gun at the leader's neck and shouted to the crowd.
Seeing the situation was dire, Big Eyes steadied himself and shouted, "He's alone! Let's all attack together!"
But then Guo Jia raised his hand and shouted, "Do you really think I have no backup plan?"
He held the rope he was holding high, but in the darkness, it was impossible to see clearly where the rope led from a distance.
Guo Jia pointed towards the furnace behind the village and said with a sigh, "Your furnaces are all burning brightly!"
As everyone looked over, the flames had already begun to ignite and were growing stronger.
As the flames grew brighter and brighter, and the smell of sulfur seemed to fill the air, the bandits finally broke down and knelt down, begging for mercy: "Spare us! Spare us! We surrender!"
Seeing the Yue people lay down their weapons and beg for mercy, Deng Zhao grabbed the leader, pressed the tip of his gun against his throat, and said with a murderous glint in his eyes, "Well? Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?"
"Kill me or torture me, it's up to you! I don't have many days left to live anyway!" the leader roared, his neck stiff.
Deng Zhao's eyes widened in anger, and he raised his spear to stab, but Yu Ji stopped him: "Wait!"
Yu Ji explained to the two that these Yue people were also forced into this situation, and since they were willing to surrender and repent, he was still willing to help them.
Although Guo Jia wished he could kill these bandits on the spot, he knew that if he forced them to rebel again, they would all die once the ghost gold was put into the furnace. So he advised Deng Zhao to calm down and listen to the reasons.
The origin of this matter is that Hui Qu, the governor of Yangzhou, sent Xu Hong to find them to cooperate, transport the mined ghost gold to this place, and promised to exchange grain for them to refine gold vouchers.
These people had been exposed to the poisonous smoke for a long time and were deeply poisoned. After going down the mountain to inquire, they learned that Yu Ji had the ability to cure the Jin Sha (a type of poison). So they wandered around the area, searching everywhere and plundering villages along the way.
The leader was still trying to be stubborn, but Big Eyes had already stepped forward, knelt down, and begged.
Guo Jia sneered and exposed, "You've not only been poisoned, but you've also run out of food, haven't you?"
He recalled the tire tracks from that morning, which seemed to have been left untouched for a long time, and the vomit. It was probably because Lu Kang had banned the sale of new coupons, and Xu Hong had simply stopped coming here. The mountain tribes had been forced to the point of eating tree bark and grass stems.
"The Wu family has cut off the supply of food and fodder. You are nothing but pawns to be used and discarded. No one cares about your life or death anymore!" These words shattered the psychological defenses of the Yue people.
The man with big eyes kowtowed and pleaded, "Please, sir, save our lives! We are truly desperate!"
Guo Jia glanced sideways at the man, then suddenly grabbed his collar: "Do you want to live? Immortal Master has a prescription, and I have an antidote. Send men, please?"
Deng Zhao was taken aback for a moment, then realized that they were planning to use them to mine the sulfur ore discovered that day.
Deng Zhao couldn't help but admire him for still having the energy to scheme even in such a predicament.
The leader looked at him in disbelief, trembling as he asked, "Do we really still have a chance to survive?"
"If you don't believe me, then die right here!" Guo Jia pushed him aside and helped Da Yan up: "You take your men and come with us."
Those big eyes widened instantly, and he hurriedly nodded to Guo Jia.
Seeing that Big Eyes was directing everyone to follow Guo Jia's orders, the leader begged for mercy, asking for another chance.
Guo Jia invited the village chief out, "The village is shrouded in poisonous smoke; would you be willing to take us in, sir?"
The village chief was shocked and looked around at the reactions of the villagers in fear. The villagers were also startled by these words and started shouting.
Deng Zhao pulled the bandit leader and Big Eyes aside and explained the plan to them: the village reconstruction was a huge project, and these people would be a good source of manpower. The village could take them in, allocate some wasteland if available, and send some people to mine in the mountains long-term, while their own caravan could buy from them regularly, providing the village with a stable source of income. The village was near a large river, and besides the mountain bandits, there were also river bandits in the area, who could also serve as guards.
The leader nodded vigorously upon hearing this, "I have good relations with the other Yue people in this area. If I were in the village, they would definitely not attack again!"
After some consideration, everyone agreed that it was a good arrangement and the village chief finally agreed to a reconciliation.
When the Yue people nervously ran to extinguish the furnace, they discovered that the carts filled with ghost gold were still in place. There were no ropes connecting them, and they could be poured into the furnace with a gentle pull. Only then did they realize that they had been deceived by Guo Jia's bluff.
Guo Jia chuckled, "I don't have Brother Yuanming's superhuman strength to push so many mine carts to the furnace. Besides..."
He weighed the broken rope in his hand. "The rope I brought was only enough to string those wine jars together with bamboo sections."
Big Eyes followed Guo Jia closely, serving him with great respect.
The group packed their belongings, taking all usable supplies with them, leaving only the poisoned gold to be discarded.
Guo Jia and Deng Zhao exchanged glances, and Deng Zhao understood that they would bring a caravan to reclaim the assets later.
Deng Zhao went to fetch the horse, leaving Guo Jia to stay by Deng Jie's side. Deng Jie originally wanted to take his hand to warm him up, but when he met Guo Jia's eyes, he immediately lost his courage.
"I'm sorry to have startled you." Guo Jia saw the scars and dust on her face by the firelight. He was completely unaware of her previous covert protection. Instead, he suppressed the urge to touch her, losing all the imposing manner he had shown in front of the Yue tribes. Instead, he became somewhat flustered.
Deng Jie's face showed exhaustion mixed with embarrassment as he slowly shook his head: "Thanks to Mr. Fengxiao for arriving in time."
Guo Jia couldn't help but feel a little discouraged: "If only I had taken you up the mountain this morning..." He couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
Deng Jie sighed softly, feeling both helpless and relieved that he had been abandoned that morning. He smiled and said, "We'll come to rescue them when we get back to the village anyway. Bringing me along might have slowed things down."
Looking into her pure and innocent eyes, Guo Jia didn't dare tell her that if he took her away, he would definitely no longer want to get involved in this matter.
But he knew that if he said those words, she would surely blame him, so he pursed his lips and nodded.
He thought to himself that even with his and his sister's temperaments, they would probably still have to go on this trip, but at least it would spare her from that kind of humiliation.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glare fiercely at the way the bandit leader was directing the mountain tribes.
The leader seemed to sense Guo Jia's gaze as well. When he looked back at him, he felt a little guilty from the sharp look in Guo Jia's eyes, and turned back to continue his work.
"Oh, right..." Guo Jia took out the orange cat medicine pouch from his pocket and held it up in front of her. "Is this a gift from you, Miss?"
Deng Jie was taken aback. Wasn't this the very thing he had hidden under the reed mat last night? How had Guo Jia found it? His cheeks flushed, and he reached out to snatch it, but Guo Jia dodged and took it from his hand. "Why hide? Now that I've found you..."
Guo Jia was about to hang it on his waist when Deng Jie reached out and stopped him. "Wait, wait, this...this is not appropriate. This ugly cat is not worthy of you, sir. When we get back, I will definitely embroider another one properly!"
A smile spread across Guo Jia's eyes as he let the warmth from her fingers flow. "How can you say I'm not good enough? Jia is like this wildcat, wandering around everywhere, clinging to the Deng family and refusing to leave. Aren't we kindred spirits? If you ask me, we're a perfect match."
He gently hooked his finger around Deng Jie's, suppressed the smile on his lips, met Deng Jie's eyes, and whispered, "I... like it very much."
Deng Jie's face flushed red instantly. He pulled his hand back and put it in his sleeve, his heart pounding wildly.
What, what do you mean by "like"? Is he implying something in his words...?
He was so arrogant just now, but now he's saying these things to her in such a disheveled state, and even... he's hooking her finger...
Deng Jie stumbled back two steps, too ashamed to look at him any longer, and withdrew her hands.
Just as Deng Jie was at a loss, Deng Zhao returned with his horse and beckoned the two of them over.
The oxcarts in the village were mostly used to carry supplies. The women rode on the oxcarts again, encouraging and comforting each other, while the men followed on foot.
Deng Zhao gave the horse to Yu Ji and his boy to ride together, and Guo Jia also gave his horse to another woman, while he himself led the horse for Deng Jie.
Sitting on her horse, Deng Jie watched Guo Jia's back and mentally recounted his sudden and powerful entrance, as if he had descended from the heavens. She also savored the words "I like you" that, though spoken softly, struck her heart deeply. She felt she had so much to say to him, yet she didn't know how to begin. She wanted to call out to him, but she was afraid of being seen by others. In the end, she simply gripped the reins tightly.
When she turned around, she met Deng Zhao's comforting gaze. Deng Zhao reached out and tugged at her hand, which brought her some solace.
Upon returning to the village, the village chief directed the villagers to bury the body and build thatched huts to temporarily shelter from the wind and cold.
Night had fallen, and the group, disregarding formalities, huddled together for shelter from the wind. The village chief arranged for Guo Jia and the others to return to Deng Jie's well-preserved thatched hut, but Guo Jia, Yu Ji, and the boy would have to squeeze in with them.
Initially, the group managed to spread out: Deng Jie curled up against the wall next to Deng Zhao, Guo Jia lay close to Deng Zhao, the boy next to Guo Jia, and Yu Ji slept against the wall on the other side. They insisted that Deng Jie use the only quilt, while the others wrapped themselves in straw and made do with sleeping.
In the latter half of the night, Guo Jia was so uncomfortable from being squeezed that he quietly moved to lie down next to Deng Jie's feet.
The night was exceptionally long, so long that even as dawn broke and roosters crowed and dogs barked, the villagers remained silent.
When Deng Jie woke up, nestled against Deng Zhao's warmth, the image of Guo Jia standing by the fire from the previous night still lingered in her mind. Now, all she remembered was how the firelight had gilded his handsome features, a memory she savored repeatedly. Coupled with the subsequent words, "I like him,"... she blushed again.
She turned around and her toes seemed to touch something soft. Instinctively, she exerted force, and when she got up, she realized that it was Guo Jia lying at her and Deng Zhao's feet.
Looking around the thatched hut, Yu Ji and the boy were nowhere to be seen; they were fast asleep, completely unaware of what was happening. They must have been exhausted from a long day yesterday, and then made such a commotion last night.
She covered Deng Zhao with the blanket, and then tried to move Guo Jia to a more comfortable position. She climbed over to Guo Jia and called to him, but Guo Jia did not respond. She tried to move him, but he did not budge.
She looked back at Deng Zhao, who was still kneeling on her body, and simply placed herself between the two of them, slowly lay down, and moved Deng Zhao's feet further towards the wall.
Sure enough, Deng Zhao rolled over in his sleep and kicked her hard in the side. "Ugh!" The kick still transmitted some shock through her body to Guo Jia, which finally woke Guo Jia up. When he opened his eyes, he saw Deng Jie standing right in front of him, covering his mouth and staring at him with wide eyes.
He sat bolt upright with a start, "Miss Deng Deng Deng Deng?"
But then he saw the girl get up, rubbing her waist, and smile at him: "It's okay, it doesn't hurt."
He then realized that Deng Jie had just taken a kick for him.
But... but the distance just now...
Guo Jia emerged from the latrine, relieved.
He sat by the well, drawing water to wash his face. The icy well water finally calmed him down. He could still feel the dampness in his undergarments, and he sighed heavily again. How could there be such a foolish girl, using her body to shield someone's legs?
As he thought this, his cheeks felt hot again, so he quickly splashed some cool water on them.
"Sir!" Guo Jia heard someone call him from behind. He turned around and saw that it was Big Eyes.
He was carrying a steaming earthenware pot and walking towards him happily, the aroma of turnips and bean flour wafting towards him. "Come, sir, try my vegetable soup!" He handed him a wooden spoon, "Everyone in the village loves it."
Seeing the proud look on his face, Guo Jia took a bite and couldn't help but hum in agreement that it was indeed much tastier than pickled vegetables.
Big Eyes beamed with delight upon hearing Guo Jia's praise. He greatly envied Guo Jia's quick wit, feeling that he, the supposed strategist, had become nothing more than a culinary mastermind. He told Guo Jia that it was precisely because of this skill that the villagers obeyed his commands.
Guo Jia chuckled, "It seems everyone has their own tricks."
"Would you like something else, sir?" Big Eyes asked, bringing Guo Jia a pot of food.
"Could you please deliver this to Brother Yuanming and Miss Deng? Miss Deng doesn't like the pickled vegetables here." Guo Jia picked up the wooden spoon and scooped up a ladle of well water to rinse it.
Big Eyes laughed and said, "Since you care about the young lady, you should let her know that you should deliver it yourself!" As he spoke, he stuffed the cauldron into Guo Jia's arms.
"No, you did this..."
Before Guo Jia could finish speaking, the bandit leader peeked closer, grabbed the cauldron, and said, "If you won't deliver it, I will!"
Guo Jia rushed forward and pulled him away, saying, "Mind your own business!"
In the end, he carried the earthenware pot back to the thatched hut himself.
Before entering the house, he was still wondering how to explain his awkward and abrupt escape, when he saw Deng Jie standing up and meeting his eyes.
Deng Jie pointed to Deng Zhao, who was still fast asleep, and held up his finger to silence him. The two then sat down outside the thatched hut.
“Miss Deng, have a taste. This was made by Da Yan. It’s much better than pickled vegetables.” He handed her a wooden spoon. “It’s warm now, so you can warm yourself up.”
Deng Jie gladly accepted the spoon and softly replied, "Thank you, sir."
But her eyes were still restlessly glancing at him, and the moment their eyes met, they both immediately looked away.
Deng Jie then focused on tasting the soup. The sweet and smooth flavor of the soup melted in her mouth, and she smiled with satisfaction. "Mmm! It's really delicious! Would you like some more, sir?"
As she spoke, she naturally turned the spoon she had used towards Guo Jia. Both of them were taken aback. Deng Jie suddenly remembered Guo Jia's action of snatching the pancake, blushed, and quickly withdrew it. "Uh, I'll wash it and give it to you later, sir!"
Guo Jia chuckled, leaned close to her ear, lowered his voice, and slowly said, "Actually... I've eaten from this spoon before."
Deng Jie almost choked. Looking back at Guo Jia's teasing gaze, she showed an incredulous expression. Seeing her like this, Guo Jia couldn't help but laugh and still explained, "Of course it was washed too."
Deng Jie blushed and glared at him, then gave him a light shove and pushed him away. Guo Jia smiled mischievously and moved closer to her.
"This soup smells delicious."
The sound of Deng Zhao's voice came from behind, startling the two of them. Deng Jie immediately jumped up, shoved the wooden spoon into Deng Zhao's hand, and said, "I'm going to find the Immortal Master!" He didn't dare to look at Deng Zhao and fled in panic.
Guo Jia turned to greet Deng Zhao and offered him the earthenware pot, saying, "Brother Yuanming, would you like to try some?"
Deng Zhao sat down, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in his mouth. "Mmm, really good. It's amazing to be able to taste such craftsmanship in a mountain village."
The vegetable soup whetted his appetite, and he drank it in large gulps. When the earthenware pot was empty, he wiped his mouth with satisfaction, glanced casually at the new medicine pouch at Guo Jia's waist, and laughed, "Only you would dare to wear such a 'masterpiece'."
Guo Jia understood the implication in his eyes, picked up the medicine bag and replied with a smile, "Such fine medicine is hard to find in the world, it is my good fortune."
Deng Zhao put down the pottery cauldron and patted him on the shoulder: "When will you be betrothed?"
These words startled Guo Jia, who was caught off guard and speechless for a moment. Deng Zhao stood up and dusted off his clothes. "In a few days, after the New Year, Ajie will be twenty. Even a boy should have his coming-of-age ceremony and get married by now. In other families, children are already running around everywhere..."
He turned to look at Guo Jia's solemn expression and smiled slightly, "Let's set off once we've made our plans."
Guo Jia understood that he meant more than just today's mining; he also needed to find a proper reason to explain to the Deng family before bringing up anything else, so he slowly nodded in response.
As the sun reached its zenith, the entire village finally awoke.
The villagers and the Yue people who had returned to the area were busy with their own tasks: the women set up earthenware pots to cook millet, and the men repaired the damaged thatched huts.
Yu Ji sat in the ruins of the hermitage, and together with Deng Jie, they applied medicine and bandaged the wounded. Meanwhile, the boy held a ceramic bowl and distributed the licorice and bean soup he had prepared to the mountain tribesmen who were more seriously poisoned.
After everyone shared the millet porridge, Deng Zhao and Guo Jia led a group of Shan Yue people into the mountains to mine. Before leaving, Deng Jie handed the prepared insect repellent powder to Guo Jia, saying, "You left in a hurry yesterday and didn't even bring this with you."
Guo Jia casually put the medicine pouch away, patted the orange cat's medicine bag, and laughed, "I've got one today! And it's different!"
Deng Jie gave him a shy push, saying, "I'm glad you don't mind, sir." She ran off in a hurry before he could reply.
They went into the mountains, and the chieftain of the Yue tribes went with them.
This leader was named Fu Xiao, and he had some prestige among the nearby Yue tribes.
He admitted that he initially cooperated with Huizhou because he was greedy for the stable supply of food and provisions promised by the other party. However, by the time he discovered that the job was toxic, it was too late, and several batches of his brothers who worked by the stove all day long had died.
After listening, Deng Zhao said coldly, "You should live well from now on. Besides sulfur ore, you can also exchange other crops and medicinal herbs for money. I will send caravans to buy them regularly."
Fu Xiao was overjoyed and patted Deng Zhao on the shoulder, saying, "Brother Deng is truly a man of honor!"
Deng Zhao dodged his hand and glanced away: "I don't like you, and I will never forgive you. Yesterday you harmed my sister, and even killing you ten times wouldn't be enough to quell my hatred."
Upon hearing this, Fu Xiao shamelessly chimed in, "Brother, I genuinely like Miss Deng! Why don't you acknowledge me as your brother-in-law? I'll definitely protect her!"
Upon hearing this, Guo Jia felt a surge of anger rise in his throat. Just as he was about to retort, Deng Zhao grabbed his shoulder and pulled him close.
But then Deng Zhao patted Guo Jia on the shoulder and said to Fu Xiao, "My brother-in-law has already been chosen."
Guo Jia raised his head and glared at Fu Xiao.
After half a day of repairs, the village has returned to some order.
During a break, Yu Ji used the little sulfur left in his bamboo cane to explain to Deng Jie how to prepare poison. This was something he and Hua Tuo had studied together years ago, but he also admitted that his medical skills were not as refined as Hua Tuo's. More than ten years had passed, and Hua Tuo had long been a famous physician, while he was still just a wandering sorcerer.
He then told Deng Jie, "The effects of this medicine are ultimately limited. If the poison takes hold, it will be useless." He paused, then subtly pointed to a few people with his finger, saying to Deng Jie, "Look at these few... and that one too." Then he shook his head.
Deng Jie glanced at him and said nothing more.
Just then, a man he had just pointed to came over and knelt down before Yu Ji, saying, "Immortal Master!" He then solemnly kowtowed and bowed, "Immortal Master, I've drunk the soup and taken the medicine, but it seems... it seems it's still different from theirs..."
Yu Ji beckoned to him, stroked his head, and gently pressed his forehead with his finger. With his other hand, he made a hand seal and chanted a spell. Then, he took out a wooden slip from his pouch, dipped his finger in cinnabar, drew a talisman, and gently held it in his hand: "Besides the metal evil, you also have karmic obstacles, which cannot be cured by medicine alone. I give you this wooden talisman to dispel the evil. Every day, face east at dawn and dusk, recite the scriptures behind the talisman, work hard, and grow new crops on that wasteland. This will remove the obstacles. You are different from them; your poisonous evil is deeper, so your heart must be more sincere."
The man clasped his hands together, protecting the wooden slip in his palms, and knelt down repeatedly, pressing it against his forehead.
Yu Ji waved his hand, telling him to go.
Deng Jie was no stranger to life and death, but for some reason, seeing this scene always made her feel a sour and bitter taste in her mouth.
Yu Ji turned to look at Deng Jie, who was staring blankly, and asked in a hoarse voice, "How much longer do you think he can live?"
Deng Jie snapped out of his daze, shook his head, and remained silent.
“He will live on.” Yu Ji gave a withered smile.
Deng Jie nodded gently, but for some reason, a tear fell onto his clothes.
Seeing her like this, Yu Ji's heart softened. He pointed to the Taiping Qingling Mirror at her waist and said, "Life and death are predestined... However, this item may save Jie'er's life and protect you through this calamity."
Deng Jie took it as a consolation and didn't say much, just nodded in response.
The next day, Guo Jia and Deng Zhao were making their final preparations before leaving, while Fu Xiao made personnel arrangements at the mine.
Their extraction volume yesterday was limited, and the mountain tribes were also short of supplies, so they could only keep half of what they had extracted and take the other half with them.
As soon as Da Yan saw that Guo Jia was free, he circled around him, pulling him aside to ask him all sorts of questions, hoping that Guo Jia could take him along.
Fu Xiao overheard this and slapped him on the head: "Didn't you realize that the one who speaks the truth here is my older brother!"
Deng Zhao snorted coldly: "Who's your older brother? Don't try to get close to me."
Guo Jia smiled and shook his head helplessly, then casually whittled a piece of wood for Big Eyes: "I myself have no fixed abode, so I can't take you with me."
Big Eyes took the wooden block and saw that there was a character engraved on it, but unfortunately he couldn't understand it, so he asked Guo Jia, "Sir, what is this?"
"This is for you. It has your name engraved on it."
Deng Zhao glanced at it; Guo Jia was acting as his seal.
He took the wooden block from Big Eyes and covered it with the sand on the ground, leaving a clear imprint of the character "垕".
Deng Jie seized the last moments to learn moxibustion techniques from Yu Ji that could help detoxify.
Seeing Deng Jie sitting there studying the acupoints in front of the scarecrow, Fu Xiao ran over to talk to her: "Miss Deng, do you think there's any hope for my poison?"
Deng Jie glanced at him and said coldly, "He won't die."
Seeing that she was paying attention to him, Fu Xiao became more enthusiastic: "But I have an illness that only you can cure. If you can't cure it, I will die."
Deng Jie didn't even bother to turn his head at this moment, gesturing with his fingers across the scarecrow, "What illness?"
But then I heard him chuckle and say, "Lovesickness."
Deng Jie jumped back in disgust: "Then you should die!"
Guo Jia happened to pass by behind him. Watching Deng Jie leave, he leaned over and whispered in Fu Xiao's ear, "Then you should die!"
Deng Zhao followed closely behind, pausing briefly in front of Fu Xiao. Just as he was about to leave, Fu Xiao looked up and said with delight, "Brother?"
"You should just die."
Guo Jia suddenly stopped, and Deng Zhao bumped into his back. Guo Jia's head was pressed against Deng Zhao's chest as he stared at Fu Xiao's back, his eyebrows twitching and a sly smile playing on his lips: "Brother Yuanming, Miss Deng just happens to need a living person to study acupoints..."
"What are you doing? What are you doing!" Fu Xiao was lifted up by Deng Zhao, and Guo Jia reached out to pull off his clothes. Fu Xiao was no match for Deng Zhao's strength, and the cold air against his skin made his whole body stiff.
"Miss Deng!" Guo Jia shouted happily, "Miss Deng, come and examine the acupoints! There's a living one here! One that knows pain!"
Deng Jie turned around, saw the three of them, and broke into a bright smile. He happily took out his needle pouch and ran over, scaring Fu Xiao so much that his legs went weak and he begged for mercy.
After everything was prepared, Fu Xiao drove them back to the city with minerals and herbs.
Before leaving, Deng Jie felt a pang of reluctance.
Although she only spent three days with Yu Ji and the amount of knowledge he imparted was extremely limited, Deng Jie truly regarded him as her master.
While she was still hesitating with her head down, Guo Jia took the reins from her hand and gave her a "go away" look.
Her eyes welled up with tears, her lips trembled, and she turned and ran to Yu Ji, kneeling down and kowtowing three times. Yu Ji's white beard trembled as he waved to her.
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