As the sky gradually darkened, night was about to fall.
The three had known each other for a while. Old Hu and Fatty had been staying at Yanzi's house, occasionally staying at Xu Lang's house. However, Xu Lang generally didn't allow them to stay to avoid exposing their secret.
Only when Yanzi's father was away would Xu Lang agree to let Old Hu and Fatty stay. After all, they were all young men and women, and it would be gossip if two men and one woman lived together.
The three knew each other's personalities quite well. Old Hu and Fatty knew Xu Lang was precocious and would unconsciously ignore his age at times. However, because of his age, they would take care of him, often helping him with chores like chopping wood and fetching water. They would also occasionally mooch some wild game to satisfy their cravings.
Not long after, Yanzi came to call them for dinner.
As expected, Old Hu and Fatty were criticized again, by Yanzi.
When Yanzi asked about the origin of something, Xu Lang took the initiative to explain the situation, leaving Old Hu and Fatty no time to make up lies.
Yanzi was a straightforward girl, and her reprimands were much harsher than Xu Lang's. She scolded the two of them with a barrage of words.
Yanzi's father and the old Party secretary had both gone to the forestry farm. Not only them, but most people in the village had gone as well. It had rained heavily a few days ago, causing a flood that soaked the wood in the forestry farm. The old Party secretary immediately organized people to help with the disaster relief.
Before leaving, he instructed Old Hu and Fatty not to wander around, fearing they might get into trouble. Young people were impulsive and restless, and if something happened, it would be too late to save them. After all, this place was full of dangers, and it wasn't a scare tactic.
Fatty looked at the bowl of roast roe deer meat with honeycomb, his mouth watering. He laughed and asked, "When will Wang Juan and Tian Xiaomei come back? Should we eat first and leave half for them?"
Upon hearing this, Yanzi and Old Hu were somewhat conflicted. After all, the temperature was low in this place, and food would easily get cold. These two were not late for the first time. They were too playful and often forgot the time. Wang Juan and Tian Xiaomei were fellow educated youths who had come to the countryside together.
Xu Lang served himself a portion and began to eat without saying anything. He didn't want to waste time waiting. As for how Wang Juan and Tian Xiaomei felt, it wasn't something he considered.
Xu Lang didn't care what irrelevant people thought. In life, you couldn't please everyone. This had nothing to do with being polite.
Wasn't it better to save time for cultivation? Why waste time waiting for others?
Moreover, he was young. No one would deliberately pick on him.
This was a benefit of being young. Although Xu Lang was nearly 1.6 meters tall, his actual body was only about eleven years old.
Xu Lang ate quickly and was full in a few minutes. Just then, Wang Juan arrived, panting and running back, her expression anxious.
Yanzi quickly got up and asked, "What's wrong? What happened? Where's Tian Xiaomei?"
Wang Juan caught her breath and hurriedly replied, "Tian Xiaomei received a letter from home, saying her mother was hospitalized with asthma. It seems the illness is quite serious. Tian Xiaomei heard from somewhere that the Bodhisattva fruit growing in the Lama Gorge is effective in treating asthma, so she went to the Lama Gorge alone to search for it. She left early this morning and hasn't returned yet."
Upon hearing Wang Juan's response, Xu Lang's expression immediately turned serious. He had heard of the Lama Gorge, but had never been there once.
Xu Lang immediately said, "That place is very dangerous. Even some old hunters won't go there. If you want to go to the Lama Gorge to find someone, quickly eat something and then take Xiong Da and Li Zi Huang into the forest. Sister Yanzi, take your family's hunting rifle. It's easy to get into trouble after dark."
Old Hu said urgently, "We'll go. You're just a kid. Don't go. What if something happens? How will we explain to the old Party secretary?"
Xu Lang said, "I know more about the forest than you. Besides, there's strength in numbers. Xiong Da has a bad temper. Sometimes, even Sister Yanzi's words don't work. It's important to have another dog with us in the forest."
"Don't waste time. After dark, the forest is full of strange things, and it's very easy to get lost. Time is of the essence. Sister Wang Juan, go to the forestry farm and ask for help. The four of us will hurry to find her. Do you think I want to go into the old forest at this time?"
"If you educated youths get into trouble, how will the old Party secretary explain to the organization? You're always messing around. The old Party secretary will deal with you later."
There were several rivers in the village, and the source of the rivers was near the Niu Xin Mountain in the Lama Gorge. The old people in the village said that there was a certain empress dowager's tomb there. They didn't know if it was the Liao dynasty empress dowager or the Jin dynasty empress dowager. The tomb was filled with treasures, and many people wanted to find it.
But those who went either didn't find it or entered the Lama Gorge and never came out.
Some people said that there were wild people in the Lama Gorge, and others said it was haunted. People in the village had all sorts of stories to tell. As for whether anyone had entered the Lama Gorge and never came out, that was unverifiable.
Because some hunters were proud and bragged, it was impossible to tell whether their stories were true or false. And there were indeed cases of hunters going missing.
If it was true, some things didn't add up. If it was false, the stories were still somewhat realistic.
Anyway, Xu Lang had heard it from Yanzi. He had only been in Ganziying for over two years, and he hadn't been in the forest many times. He mainly hunted on the edge of the forest. He wouldn't dare go deep into the primeval forest alone.
The old forest not only had predatory creatures but also various snakes, insects, rodents, and even swamps, commonly known as "big smoke bubbles." It was unwise to go deep into the old forest alone.
Especially at night, Xu Lang had never spent a night alone in the forest. As for the legendary ghosts, he hadn't seen them, so he couldn't determine their truth. But there were indeed strange things happening in the forest at night.
The proverb "Children should not speak of the supernatural" meant not mentioning ghosts and spirits, and staying away from such talk.
But not speaking didn't mean there weren't any, or that ghosts and spirits didn't exist. As the saying goes, "Life, destiny, and feng shui," this saying has its own meaning.
To give a simple example, Xu Lang's cultivation progress was simply miserable. But he had never cursed or complained about the heavens. As the saying goes, "The gods are above, watching over us." Even reincarnation and cultivation had happened. Materialism might not be the answer!
Soon, the four of them, with two dogs and two hunting rifles, set off.
Yanzi said helplessly, "Tian Xiaomei is so reckless. The Lama Gorge is a primeval forest. That area is too dense. Even the old hunters in the village dare not easily go there. She went in alone and didn't even bring anything with her. What if something happens?"
With dogs in the mountains, they wouldn't get lost. Xu Lang and Yanzi each led a hunting dog into the mountains. There were no paths in the deep mountains. Tian Xiaomei, a woman, actually dared to go into the old forest alone. She must have been in a panic or simply ignorant.
Moreover, Tian Xiaomei didn't even have a gun, a horse, or even a hunting knife!
Night fell. They could only rely on the dogs to track the scent. But neither Li Zi Huang nor Xiong Da had received professional tracking training. If they took a wrong turn, they would have to turn back and find their way again, so the four of them moved slowly.
It was a necessary precaution. Having dogs was better than humans searching blindly. The four of them didn't dare to disperse and search, for fear that they wouldn't find Tian Xiaomei, and someone else would get lost, making matters worse.
What usually took a few hours took them the whole night.
It was a grueling night. The temperature in the forest at night was very low. They could only rely on torches for light and had to constantly be aware of the environment in the forest. The four of them were tired, hungry, and worried. If they hadn't eaten some roast roe deer meat beforehand, the night would have been even more agonizing.
As the night passed, dawn began to break in the east.
The morning breeze in the forest made Xu Lang's skin crawl. The fresh, cool air also invigorated him, and his spirit instantly lifted.
Yanzi said at this time, "Look at that mountain to the west. That's Niu Xin Mountain. It's the heart of the Lama Gorge."
Xu Lang was instantly energized. He looked at the mountain range covered by a vast expanse of forest. A strange-looking, enormous peak stood in the mountain range. The whole mountain looked like a cow's heart, perhaps that's why Niu Xin Mountain was named so.
Xu Lang vaguely remembered that in the future, Old Hu's first tomb exploration seemed to have taken place near Niu Xin Mountain, so he looked very carefully.
But Xu Lang vaguely remembered that when Old Hu and the others went to find the Kwantung Army fortress, it seemed to have taken them several days.
Looking into the distance, nine waterfalls flowed down the mountain like the Milky Way. It reminded Xu Lang that people had once picked up porcelain from the river. Although there were few complete pieces of porcelain, fragments could be found every now and then.
Maybe those porcelain pieces were washed down from the waterfalls on Niu Xin Mountain. The legendary empress dowager's tomb was likely inside this mountain. It's just that over the years, no one has ever found the tomb entrance.
Moreover, there seemed to be more than one tomb near Niu Xin Mountain. As for how many ancient dignitaries were buried there, it was unknown.