Jin Dahu didn't pay attention to his footing and stepped on it. His facial features twitched instantly. He lifted his foot and saw the soapberry thorn stuck in the sole of his shoe. He reached out and pulled it out, only to feel another sharp pain.
"Brother Tiger, this whole road is full of these things."
One of his men pointed to the ground ahead. Jin Dahu endured the pain and looked in that direction. Sure enough, the ground was covered with the same kind of soapberry tree thorns. He waved his hand and ordered his men to clear them away. This time, Jin Dahu followed his superiors' orders and had several of his men lead the way.
After leaving the area covered with soapberry thorns, Jin Dahu encountered another crisis. He barely managed to dodge the large tree that was being thrown at him from the front, but his men behind him were not so lucky or skilled. They were knocked several meters away, struggled for a moment, and then fell silent.
Along the way, various traps appeared in front of them, each taking away a few of their men. Seeing that his men were dwindling, Jin Dahu raised his hand and stopped. This was the first time he had felt so defeated. He had led dozens of men and couldn't even capture two. If word got out, wouldn't he lose face for Master Qing?
Meanwhile, Xu Qingqing took out some medicinal powder and poured it on the ground, doing so as she walked. This stuff could attract wild animals, the fiercer the animal, the more it would attract them. She had found it in the warehouse, and now it would come in handy. Later…
After pouring out the last bit, Xu Qingqing threw the empty bottle into her spatial storage and ran off as fast as she could. She had no choice; this stuff evaporated quickly and would soon attract all the wild beasts, who would then be the ones getting entangled.
After running a few steps, she remembered something, took out the last bit of soapberry thorns and put them in here, gave a wicked smile, and caught up with the people in front of her.
Soon, a series of whistling sounds came from afar. Jin Dahu's expression changed. Now, some of his men were injured and others were dead. Even if he was stupid, he could tell that the information coming from the other side was wrong. There were other people with the other side. Otherwise, it would be impossible for just two people to set up so many traps.
As expected, he underestimated the Situ brothers.
Xu Qingqing caught up with the group ahead and, seeing them stop, asked in confusion, "Why are you all running away?"
Situ Kong stepped aside, revealing the scene ahead. A steep cliff blocked their way. Xu Qingqing looked up and then back at the three people beside her. Situ Kong was alright, but the other two were almost exhausted and probably didn't have the strength to climb the mountain.
Factory Director Li lay sprawled on the ground, panting heavily. Facing Xu Qingqing's gaze, he waved his hand and said, "I can't. How about we take another route? I really can't climb this mountain."
Situ Xing also shook his head. Putting aside whether he had the strength to climb, the steep mountain wall had no landing point, making it as difficult as ascending to heaven.
With a deep sigh, I realized that I could neither move forward nor backward; all paths were blocked.
Situ Kong walked to the side of the mountain and looked at the old mountain vines that hung vertically down from the top of the mountain. They were as thick as an adult's wrist, winding and twisting. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. He walked over to the group and said, "I have a way!"
Pointing to the other side, he continued, "There are many old mountain vines over there; we can climb up from there."
Xu Qingqing looked in the direction he pointed and indeed found, just as Situ Kong had said, many old mountain vines growing there. She walked into a thicker old mountain vine, tried to climb it a few times, shook it vigorously, and found it to be very good and sturdy.
So he turned to Situ Kong and the others and shouted, "Come here quickly! It's sturdy, you can climb up here!"
Hearing Xu Qingqing's words, the Situ brothers headed towards her, leaving Factory Director Li sitting on the ground. Finally, he had no choice but to stand up and follow behind the brothers, muttering to himself, "With my size and weight, if I broke halfway up, wouldn't I be smashed into a pulp? Would that woman still recognize me? I really shouldn't have tried to take the easy way out..."
When they got there, Xu Qingqing had already climbed halfway up. She didn't seem to be struggling at all. On the contrary, she climbed very fast, like a monkey. Situ Kong told his younger brother Situ Xing to climb first, so that he could be more convenient at the bottom and respond to any emergencies. He then turned his gaze to Director Li beside him, his meaning was self-evident.
Factory Director Li gritted his teeth, spat into his hand, rubbed his hands together rapidly, then gripped the vine leg of Laoshan Mountain and struggled to climb upwards, with Situ Kong following closely behind.
Xu Qingqing was the first to climb up. Standing on the hilltop, she looked down and saw that the others were climbing too slowly, not even halfway up. In the distance, she heard several tiger roars, accompanied by the howls of a pack of wolves and other unknown beasts, followed by a burst of gunfire.
Upon hearing the sound, Situ Xing's hand gripping the old mountain vine trembled, his expression changed, and he slid down. Fortunately, Director Li reacted quickly and grabbed his collar in time. Situ Xing's already strained body, coupled with his weight, caused the veins on his forehead to bulge, and he clenched his teeth tightly.
Situ Kongxin jumped suddenly, immediately moved to the old mountain vine next to him, climbed to Situ Xing's side, grabbed his right arm, and steadied him: "Grab him!"
Situ Xing was still in shock when he heard his brother's voice, and he finally reacted, his voice trembling with sobs: "Waaah, brother, I almost died just now."
Situ Kong frowned and comforted him, "No, just focus on climbing up and don't think about anything else."
“That’s right, young comrade Situ, don’t think about anything else right now, just focus on climbing up the ladder. Your brother and I are here to support you, we’ll make sure nothing happens to you, don’t worry,” Director Li continued Situ Kong’s words.
It's fortunate he reacted quickly enough; otherwise, it could have been dangerous.
Situ Xing glanced gratefully at Factory Director Li, then continued climbing, not daring to be distracted for a moment. Later, Situ Kong thanked Factory Director Li: "Factory Director Li, thank you for your timely help to your brother."
"No, no."
After expressing his gratitude, Situ Kong decided to sign an order with Factory Director Li as soon as he returned, so that Li could produce the goods. As for Xu Qingqing, he had other plans.
After struggling to climb to the top, the three of them collapsed onto the mountaintop, completely exhausted.
"Ahhh, I can't go on anymore, I don't have any strength left to walk."
Factory Director Li lay on the ground, weakly shouting. He relaxed his tense nerves, his whole body aching terribly. Heaven knows how he managed to hold his breath and climb up there. Thinking about it now, it still seems unbelievable.
Xu Qingqing took out a small shovel, removed the protective cover, and said irritably, "Not running? Are you going to wait for those people to come up and give you a peanut to eat, or maybe torture you before you die?"
She set so many traps; if she were in that situation, she would go crazy too, let alone those people with such a violent temper. It would be strange if they didn't go insane.
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