"Years later, I still kept this matter in mind. One day, I suddenly remembered something and thought that General Li Ru's disappearance might be related to rabbits," the veteran said.
"It's related to rabbits." Everyone was stunned.
"Yes, this is just my personal guess, and there is no basis for it. I can't find any other reason besides the rabbit."
"Then tell me the reason," Li Guang said.
The veteran paused for a moment, then began to explain the reasons.
"At that time, there were many large rabbits in the southwestern border region. Wherever there was grass, there were rabbits. If a horse passed by the grass, it might startle the rabbits."
Sometimes dozens of rabbits are grazing in a patch of grass. When they are startled, they run around wildly, and if they bump into a horse, it is very likely to frighten the horse.
When horses are startled, they will run wildly through the grass, which will lead to them encountering even more rabbits.
If a horse goes out of control and can't stop, it's hard to say whether an accident will happen.
The veteran's words stunned everyone; they made a lot of sense.
Everyone knows how terrifying a frightened horse can be. Back then, Di Nu's horse was frightened and carried Li Guang thousands of miles away. Li Guang rode on its back and experienced a near-death experience.
Everyone remained silent for a long time before Li Guang finally looked at the veteran and spoke:
"More than a hundred miles away from Guangling Town, there is a valley called Devil's Valley. I wonder if you have heard of it."
"Devil's Valley? I really don't know this place?"
"I've heard that Devil's Valley is a terrifying valley where people or large livestock that accidentally wander in may die."
Next, Li Guang began to recount the situation in Devil's Valley, which astonished everyone who heard it.
If what the veteran said is true, Li Ru's warhorse was startled by a rabbit and ran wildly for hundreds of miles before accidentally entering Devil's Valley. Since Devil's Valley is so dangerous, Li Ru's chances of survival are slim.
Ten years have passed since this incident, and even if Li Ru were found, he would only be a pile of bones.
Li Xue stood aside, silently shedding tears. If Li Ru's warhorse was startled by the rabbit, it would stop running when it got tired, and eventually it would be able to return to the camp safely.
However, Li Ru did not return in the end, suggesting that he may have mistakenly entered Devil's Valley.
At this moment, the veteran looked at Li Guang and said:
"General Li means that General Li Ru may have mistakenly entered Devil's Valley back then. At that time, our search area had not yet reached more than a hundred miles away, and we had not come to Devil's Valley."
Li Guang nodded and said:
"I'm going to Lishui City later to find Prefect Duan and ask him to help me find a guide so we can go to Devil's Valley tomorrow and find out what's going on."
In the afternoon, Li Guang arrived at the Lishui Prefectural Government Office, found Prefect Duan, and explained his purpose.
Prefect Duan said, "I have heard the rumors about Devil's Valley. It is currently the height of summer, which is also the most dangerous time in Devil's Valley. Finding a guide for General Li should not be a problem, but General Li must be extra careful."
"Prefect Duan, please rest assured, once we arrive there, we will not rush into the valley. We will first find the locals, understand the situation, and see if we can find a way to enter Devil's Valley before deciding whether to enter."
"That would be best. Shall I arrange for some yamen runners to accompany General Li?"
"No need for that, a guide will take us there."
"Then it's settled. Tomorrow morning I'll arrange for two guides to go to the military camp and have them take General Li to Devil's Valley."
While Li Guang was heading to Lishui City, Zhao Xian was also busy. He bought several books in the system and carefully read them, hoping to find the secret of Devil's Valley.
There are indeed some similar records in the book. In ancient Southwest China, there were large areas of mountains and dense primeval forests. The unique landform structure created different geographical environments.
In dense, untouched primeval forests, the death of plants and animals over the years produces a toxic gas that hangs in the low atmosphere. If humans or animals inhale this gas, it will be fatal.
This toxic gas, known as miasma, was very common in the ancient southern and southwestern regions.
In Devil's Valley, because the primeval forest is so dense that when the miasma in the forest reaches a certain concentration, it begins to drift and eventually settles in the nearby valleys.
Perhaps due to the unique topography of Devil's Valley, the miasma that drifts in floats in the air, close to the surface.
Since there is no miasma within two or three feet above the ground, animals in this area can breathe air normally and are not in any danger.
However, for humans and tall animals, when they stand upright or raise their heads, they can breathe in the miasma above.
This miasma is colorless and odorless; it cannot be seen or smelled. Inhaling too much miasma will gradually lead to poisoning.
After being poisoned, one begins to feel dizzy, lightheaded, and even hallucinates, seeing a chaotic scene of demons dancing before one's eyes.
At this point, the poisoned person began to panic and tried to escape. Unable to distinguish east from west, north from south, he could only stumble around and eventually collapsed to the ground.
Since there was no miasma on the surface, the people who had fallen to the ground gradually regained consciousness, and the first thing they did after waking up was to flee the valley.
But once he stood up, he breathed in the miasma again and quickly fainted from poisoning.
This process is repeated, and the amount of miasma inhaled increases, eventually leading to death from poisoning.
A few were lucky enough to escape the valley, but they died from inhaling too much miasma. Even those who survived were left mentally impaired due to severe brain poisoning.
This is just a conclusion Zhao Xian reached through analysis, but the truth can only be known through on-site investigation.
After Li Guang returned, he discussed with Zhao Xian and Li Xue the idea of forming an investigation team to go to Devil's Valley to investigate the disappearance of Li Ru.
The survey team consisted of several dozen people, including a few veterans and two guides, as well as twenty bombardiers.
To enter Devil's Valley, we must dispel the miasma within, and these bombardiers will be of great use.
Since Wang Ling is going along, this man is very dangerous. He may look for an opportunity to attack Li Guang and Zhao Xian, so we must be on high alert against him.
Zhao Xian pulled Zhao Cheng aside and told him to be on guard against Wang Ling at all times, to keep an eye on his every move, and to subdue him immediately if he was about to make a move.
Zhao Cheng nodded. He would carry out Zhao Xian's instructions without fail and vowed to protect Li Guang and Zhao Xian's safety with his life.
Zhao Xian still carried his large wooden box. He needed some equipment along the way, which he could purchase from the system. The large wooden box would serve as cover.
Early the next morning, two guides arranged by Prefect Duan arrived at the military camp. They were very familiar with the area around Devil Valley.
Li Guang nodded and led his group to the area where Devil's Valley was located to conduct an investigation and search for clues about Li Ru's disappearance.
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