Lin Ce led his caravan into the mountain stronghold.
However, the situation was not as he had originally thought.
From a distance, this did not appear to be a place for ordinary mountain people to rest and recuperate, but rather the stronghold of mountain bandits.
However, Li Qingshan came out of the mountain stronghold to greet them and shook his head at everyone.
"Nobody's here."
He seemed somewhat unwilling to have entered the mountain stronghold first.
When he saw this mountain stronghold, he had the same thoughts as Lin Ce.
He believed this was the stronghold of the bandits from Black Mountain last time, and they were thinking of getting back at him for the humiliation they had suffered.
I came here in high spirits, but I didn't see a single person.
In the end, the caravan settled down in this village.
The traces left in the village indicate that there were indeed some thieves here.
But for some reason, there isn't a single person in sight now.
"Could it be that he's just gone out to do business?"
It goes without saying what the thieves' business is.
But Lin Ce still shook his head at this question.
"Judging from the traces left in this mountain stronghold, they have probably been gone for several days."
Several days have passed and he hasn't returned, so it's highly likely he's no longer coming back.
"We can't be so unlucky as to run into a tough opponent and be wiped out, can we?"
Li Qingshan was somewhat conflicted, "I've already mastered my martial arts skills but haven't even had a chance to use them yet, how come they're already finished?"
Lin Ce ignored him, only telling everyone to be careful and not to let their guard down.
For some reason, after realizing that the bandits in the mountain stronghold had vanished without a trace, a shadow inexplicably fell over his heart.
At that moment, the black wind from that time flashed through his mind again.
Could the thieves' disappearance be related to that black wind?
This escort mission is unlikely to be easy.
Nothing happened that night, and everyone arrived safely at dawn, where they continued on their journey.
As Lin Ce walked along the road, he looked in another direction and saw a Taoist temple hidden in the mountains and forests.
That was the Black Mountain Temple I visited last time.
However, the route they are taking this time is clearly different from the last one.
This time, we're going deeper into the Black Mountain, into an area that was once shrouded in mist.
The many herbalists in the caravan were heading to that area to collect herbs.
It was already afternoon, but the forest was extremely dark, and a chill ran through one's body.
Logically speaking, the depths of the Black Mountain should be teeming with ferocious beasts, but this time, the caravan, which had been prepared to face attacks from wild animals, found that not a single beast had appeared in the forest.
Forget about wild beasts, you can't even hear the chirping of birds.
"There's something strange about this mountain forest."
The manager of Baicao Sect spoke to Lin Ce with a solemn expression.
He often followed the medicine apprentices into the mountains and had a thorough understanding of the conditions there.
But this mountain forest was so eerie that it made him shudder.
"Don't worry, we're here."
Lin Ce glanced at Li Qingshan indifferently and gave the order:
"Go ahead and scout the way."
"Hmph, in the end, they still have to rely on me."
With a cold snort, Li Qingshan lightly touched the ground with his toes and floated forward.
He initially wanted to refuse outright, but after thinking about it, he realized that Lin Ce might beat him up first and then force him to act, which would be undesirable. It would be better for him to take the initiative.
Lin Ce remained expressionless, and the young men in the caravan were already used to it, continuing to move forward in silence.
Although the situation in the mountains and forests was strange, everything remained peaceful afterward.
When a herbalist discovers a rare medicinal plant in the mountains and forests and exclaims in surprise, the destination has been reached.
By this time, we had reached the very depths of the Black Mountain.
After looking around, the manager of Baicao Sect excitedly approached Lin Ce.
"Chief镖师 Lin, we'll be staying here temporarily to gather herbs. We'll leave the security to you all."
There was a reason why the manager was so excited.
Just now, he discovered that the area they had arrived in was remarkably well-preserved, like an untouched virgin land.
They had only just arrived, and in a short time, several herbalists had already discovered the medicinal plant.
This time, the final outcome may very well be beyond expectations.
"good."
The escort team was only responsible for protection; it was up to the members of the Hundred Herbs Sect to decide where to stop and gather herbs.
What's the situation in the surrounding area?
Lin Ce looked at Li Qingshan, who had returned from the survey.
"There is no danger, at least not in this area."
Li Qingshan's gaze fell in a certain direction, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "There seems to be something unusual over there in the distance."
Lin Ce knew the other person was quite curious, but he stopped him at this moment.
"This mountain is not as simple as we think. As long as it doesn't affect our shipment, there's no need to bother with it."
"Boring."
Li Qingshan shook his head, then leaped up, stood with his sword in his arms on a protruding old rock, letting the mountain wind blow fiercely.
After Lin Ce had made arrangements for the caravan, he leaped up and landed on the tallest tree in the area.
His gaze swept across the entire caravan, including the medicine apprentices, taking in their entirety.
In this situation, no matter where a problem occurs, he can detect it immediately and rush to the scene.
As the herbalists continued to collect medicinal plants, the area they needed to care for also kept expanding.
But at least for now, there are no problems.
By nightfall, the herbalists had reaped a bountiful harvest, having ventured even deeper into the Black Mountain.
At this point, there were no villages left for them to stay in.
However, Lin Ce and his group had anticipated this situation and quickly felled trees in the mountains to build a simple temporary shelter for the night.
The drug users were filled with unease, but in fact, nothing happened that night.
As the new day began, the team continued their journey deeper into the territory.
The deeper one goes, the rarer and more numerous the medicinal plants appearing far surpass those found before.
The apprentices' eyes turned red, and they gradually forgot the fact that they were in the Black Mountain.
The day was still calm and peaceful.
Many herbalists were in a state of excitement, hoping that the dark night would pass quickly so they could get back to gathering herbs as soon as possible.
However, this night was destined to be anything but as peaceful as the previous one.
Just as the campfire was starting to burn, a scream came from deep within.
Immediately afterwards, as if it were contagious, a series of screams followed.
"Help--"
Several figures rushed toward the fire, screaming shrilly.
In the darkness, something terrifying seemed to be chasing those figures.
"ah--"
Another scream rang out, and one of the figures rushing towards them disappeared.
In the end, only three figures approached the makeshift camp set up by the caravan.
In the firelight, the three figures turned pale, their expressions filled with extreme horror.
"Help us..."
Three figures trembled and sent out a plea for help towards the firelight.
Behind the three figures, where the firelight couldn't reach, was an intense, impenetrable darkness.
The young members of the escort team had already stood with their sticks in hand, forming a circle to protect the herbalists of the Hundred Herbs Sect in the middle.
"Halt!"
Lin Ce came out.
"Who are you people, why are you here, and what is chasing you?"
He looked at the three figures opposite him and spoke calmly.
“If you can’t answer any of these three questions correctly, then you’ll have to go back to where you started.”
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