Of Mountains and Rivers 51

Chu Huan: "When you jumped down from the big stone on the mountaintop, didn't you see a dazzling white light?"

Yuan Ping looked at him with a bewildered expression. "Dazzling? Wasn't that just the sun?"

They stared at each other for a moment.

That white light couldn't possibly be sunlight. Chu Huan was convinced that even if he was mentally disturbed, he could still distinguish sunlight from other sources. Either Yuan Ping had seen it wrong, or that strange light and the whispered voices were something only he could perceive.

But why?

Chu Huan had lived to this age and had never discovered anything out of the ordinary about himself. Maybe he had been a bit depressed for a while, but he believed it wasn't severe, and recently, he had mostly returned to normal.

So, what were those white lights and those hallucinatory sounds?

Could it be that he really had some connection to the legendary Sacred Book of the Mountain Guardians?

While contemplating, Chu Huan absentmindedly picked up a small stone from the side and held it in his hand, lost in thought, motioning to Yuan Ping to leave him alone.

Since entering the territory of the Lishi Clan with two holes in his head, Chu Huan hadn't found the time to trim his hair. Although his hair grew slower than most people's, it had accumulated over time, and now, when he lowered his head, it almost covered half of his face. After days of fleeing for their lives, Chu Huan's once meticulous clothes and accessories were now tattered, returning him to a more primitive state.

His ghost-like appearance, thoughtful expression, and the inexplicable questions from earlier made Yuan Ping feel both frightened and anxious. Yuan Ping was observant and good at reading people, and he felt that Chu Huan seemed to exude a madness that started from the inside out. Coupled with the fact that he had just experienced heartbreak, Yuan Ping couldn't help but think the worst.

"Hey, are you really okay?" Yuan Ping couldn't help but walk back to Chu Huan's side, stopping a few steps away and hesitantly asking.

Soon, the mountain called for them, and they were about to start their journey.

The sound of water in the mountain stream grew louder as they approached, melodic and rhythmic. The place was surrounded by three sides of mountains, and the other side was covered in dense woods.

Suddenly, Nan Shan waved his hand and blocked the path of the group. "Wait."

He crouched down, pushing aside the grass in front of him, revealing a row of hidden and messy footprints in the damp soil.

"These are Mutai's footprints," Little Fang said as he looked at them, his face changing. "This doesn't make sense. Why would Mutai be here?"

Little Fang had promised to lead the way, and he had confidently declared that no Mutai would appear in a mountain stream like this, which required wading. Now, his statement had backfired, and he stood behind Nan Shan, turning around in circles, anxiously explaining, "Chief, could it be that a few of them got separated?"

Nan Shan's face turned grave as he shook his head and stood up, walking into the woods.

The wilderness of the woods easily puts people on edge. Everyone unconsciously walked silently, lightly searching for clues in their surroundings.

Soon, they found a set of very fine marks on the muddy ground as if drawn by a whip, accompanied by a half-chopped wooden stick left behind, and Chu Huan even picked up an unknown fish scale.

"What's this?" Chu Huan asked, pinching the scale and looking at Yuan Ping.

Yuan Ping was a braggart who never passed up an opportunity to show off the superiority of the mountain guardians. So whenever Chu Huan had any questions, he avoided asking him directly unless it was absolutely necessary.

When he heard Chu Huan's voice, Nan Shan instinctively turned around to answer. But as the words reached his lips, his eyes darkened, and he realized that Chu Huan wasn't asking him. He swallowed the words back, feeling heavy and cold, leaving him uncomfortable.

"Silverfin fish scale," Yuan Ping said. "Silverfin is a particularly long fish on this side. Its skin is very tough—those blowing horns of the flat people don't produce anything, only knowing how to fight and plunder. They don't have the time to stop and weave clothing, so they use the skin of this fish as their fabric."

"Wood, fine vines, and large fish skin… So, this group of flat people who can't swim, they made some kind of makeshift stretcher to have their mad dogs carry them over?" Chu Huan said this, realizing that he had underestimated the enemy's intelligence. He couldn't help but ask, "How intelligent are these things?"

Yuan Ping thought for a moment and replied cautiously, "They are getting closer to us, and they are determined and fierce in nature."

Chu Huan said, "That's troublesome."

In terms of combat power, both the Sound Beasts and the Eye-Eating Beasts were clearly stronger than the Flat People and the Mutai they raised. However, the Eye-Eating Beasts were already brainless, and the intelligence of the Sound Beasts was not much higher than that of reptiles, with their stomachs seemingly bigger than their brains. Even if they were fighting for territory, it was merely driven by instinctive migration.

None of them had the long-planned ambition of the Flat People.

"Yeah," Yuan Ping looked at Chu Huan with pity, "In terms of intelligence, they might be even slightly stronger than you."

Chu Huan ignored him, acting as if he hadn't heard anything.

He wasn't a particularly lively person in the first place. He would only banter with Yuan Ping when he was in an exceptionally good mood. But with the current worries and dangers, he didn't have the energy for such interactions. Thus, Chu Huan simply stated, "By coming this way, they are taking a shortcut, and they seem so determined… So they are still eyeing the mountain gate?"

Yuan Ping's expression changed drastically. Guarding the mountain gate was the gatekeeper's purpose in life, and it was an instinct deeply rooted within him. The moment he heard someone planning to attack the mountain gate, he felt as if he had been humiliated, and his anger surged uncontrollably, rubbing him the wrong way.

Yuan Ping immediately stood up, saying, "Mountain gate? Damn it, I'll slaughter them all!"

Instincts truly couldn't be suppressed. Yuan Ping's mind was set, and without looking back, he passed Nan Shan and went straight to the front to urge everyone to hurry up. Fortunately, Nan Shan wasn't much different in this regard.

The group of people couldn't spare time for caution anymore, and they quickly took their weapons and entered the chilling cave.

At first, there was still enough space on the shore to walk, but as they ventured deeper into the mountains, the space on the shore became narrower and narrower, quickly reaching a height that adults couldn't pass through.

Little Fang, who was leading the way, said, "There's no way ahead; everyone, get into the water."

The water felt as if it had been naturally chilled, causing people to shiver when they touched it. Several people jumped in one after another, and Nan Shan turned back to Chu Huan, saying, "Come to the middle. You can't see, but I'll guide you."

This was the first time Nan Shan had spoken to Chu Huan since they woke up.

After waking up from a nap, Chu Huan's anger had already dissipated. However, he didn't want to provoke Nan Shan, who had a sour and stubborn temperament, into an unnecessary direct conflict, so he pretended to ignore him.

But Nan Shan was a man of few words, and he had reached a certain level of mastery in conveying emotions. His fire-starting skills were nearly godlike, and he could accurately pinpoint Chu Huan's anger with just one sentence.

That casual remark reminded Chu Huan of Yuan Ping's comment about being a "fragile dog" and the slight bruising of his male dignity.

Chu Huan thought, "When I was risking my life, you couldn't even speak properly."

He genuinely didn't want to engage with Nan Shan, so he ignored him.

However, Yuan Ping, with even worse emotional intelligence than Nan Shan, couldn't help but turn back at an inappropriate time and reassure Nan Shan, "Chief, don't worry. Even if he can't see, as long as his ears are not deaf, it's enough. Rest assured."

This guy's emotional intelligence was even lower than Nan Shan's, always demonstrating what it meant to "seek trouble." If Yuan Ping didn't speak, it would be better, but his explanation was like he was intentionally provoking more enmity.

In the eyes of outsiders, Chu Huan and Yuan Ping were far from being intimate. Most of the time, they ignored each other, and sometimes they argued. A good day would involve ten sentences of meaningful communication between them.

But Nan Shan couldn't stand to see them talking to each other privately.

The feeling of jealousy was hard to describe, and Nan Shan felt hideous, making him even more tormented. Yet, since he had made his decision, there was no turning back, no matter how uncomfortable he felt—even if his whole body was submerged in vinegar, he had no say in the matter.

He was in utter agony.

Nan Shan involuntarily pinched his belt, which had an inner pocket. Inside the pocket, he could clearly feel the metal ring through the soft leather belt. The small ring was secretly taken from the ashes and withstood a whole night of burning flames without a trace, shining with unyielding strength.

In the dark underground river, Chu Huan followed Nan Shan silently, maintaining a stubborn protective distance of two steps. As it grew darker, Chu Huan could only see the vague silhouette of Nan Shan. He finally let go of his temper.

The icy water of the pool washed away their irritability, and Chu Huan gradually calmed down. He realized that Nan Shan's attitude toward him had nothing to do with his true self. Even if he were a Transformer, Nan Shan would probably still protect him meticulously.

Nan Shan had taken on the responsibility of safeguarding his entire tribe from a young age in this perilous world. He had become accustomed to the role of an all-powerful and meticulous protector.

While part of Chu Huan's attention was on Nan Shan, he didn't neglect his surroundings. The less visible it was, the more sensitive his senses became. Whenever the water around them changed direction, Chu Huan remained vigilant.

They passed through the narrowest part between the pool and the rocky mountainside, forcing them to crouch under the pressure of the overhead rock. This stretch was hundreds of meters long, and there was only a small gap between the cliff and the water's surface, barely enough for a person's nose to stick out. It was a difficult path for them to traverse.

After finally passing through this area, Chu Huan had yet to stretch his sore neck when he felt the water behind him moving strangely. He immediately alerted everyone, "Watch out at five o'clock!"

Almost at the same time, Chu Huan's short knife collided with something. Following that, he heard a light splashing sound as something lightly stepped into the water. Without hesitation, Chu Huan swiftly turned his wrist, guiding the knife toward the source of the sound. There was a soft "thud," and the knife punctured something's body, and it died without even making a sound.

Suddenly, a longhorn sounded from the narrow and deep mountain gorge.

More than one Flat Person was guarding this spot; they were waiting to ambush them!

Big Mountain fired an arrow and killed the one blowing the horn, but it was too late—the warning had already been sent out.

The Flat People were particularly adept at choosing their watchtowers. Once Chu Huan's group reached this point, there was no way back. However, staying here or going forward could result in being sandwiched between the frenzied dogs and the Flat People in the narrow cave.

Nan Shan urged, "Keep going! Don't stop!"

The familiar roar of Mutai came from the front. Nan Shan grabbed Yuan Ping's shoulder, unceremoniously pushing him back, and said, "Stay close to me; don't get separated. Big Mountain, do we still have blood medicine?"

Big Mountain patted his chest, indicating that he had fulfilled his duties properly and hadn't lost any provisions or medicine.

Nan Shan's first strike was already executed. The Wind Blades of the Mutai became even more ferocious in the narrow passage. Everyone could feel the overwhelming killing intent. Nan Shan swung his knife horizontally, clashing with the Wind Blades.

The sounds of metal striking echoed back and forth. Nan Shan shouted, "Arrows?"

Before his words even settled, three arrows had already been shot out in unison. It was clear whose handiwork it was—Yuan Ping and Nan Shan didn't have such synchronized teamwork, and Little Fang and Big Mountain lacked the skill to shoot multiple arrows accurately in rapid succession.

In this environment, Chu Huan's vision could only make out the rough outlines of enemies, but as Yuan Ping had said, this didn't hinder his precise shots. After shooting three arrows, Chu Huan pulled out three new ones from his quiver and stood firmly in place.

His half-blindness automatically assigned him the role of a long-range attacker. His voice and senses were his weapons. Chu Huan focused on clearing the distant threats while a Mutai leaped toward him from above, nearly biting his neck. However, Chu Huan didn't even flinch under the jaws of the menacing creature.

At the same time, Big Mountain had already pounced and pierced through the Mutai's brain, pushing it aside.

The entire cave reverberated with roars.

As the cliff overhead grew taller, they were about to leave the cave. Just then, a distant horn sounded from outside the cave.

This sound caused the flow of the entire underwater cave to become chaotic as if countless mad dogs had jumped into the water. Little Fang shouted to Nan Shan, "Chief! There are a large number of Mutai coming back and entering the cave. No, they're already here! Chief, Chief!"

Nan Shan swayed for a moment, and the venom on his arm quickly spread, paralyzing half of his body.

At this moment, a cold hand with water droplets grabbed his shoulder, and Chu Huan's lips were on his wound. Nan Shan was startled. "No, don't…"

Chu Huan firmly sealed his wound, trying to suck out the venom. He quickly said, "Can you find a way to drive them away?"

Nan Shan clenched his teeth and held Chu Huan's shoulder. "Support me, and everyone retreats!"

A powerful airflow suddenly surged, and the narrow passage between the rocks turned into a natural air compressor. The entire cold pool was stirred up, and a huge whirlpool rose into the sky, creating a clear path through the water.

With this action, they created turbulence in the water, causing the Flat People riding the frenzied dogs to be knocked into the water. The dim-witted dogs panicked, scattering everywhere in the water. A few even rushed toward Chu Huan's group but were swiftly and cleanly killed by Yuan Ping and the others.

The powerful surge of water swept Chu Huan and Nan Shan out of the cave. On both sides were rows of Flat People riding the frenzied dogs, howling and clamoring towards them.

Chu Huan stabbed his knife into the shore, using his arm to hoist himself and Nan Shan up. "Big Mountain, medicine!"

Big Mountain tossed a small bottle over, and Chu Huan caught it, simultaneously holding Nan Shan tightly and rolling away from the whistling arrows.

Yuan Ping and Little Fang quickly followed, providing cover as they retreated. Chu Huan held Nan Shan's chin, forcibly feeding him a mouthful of detoxifying blood medicine.

Yuan Ping, panting and struggling, said, "This is just too much! Why are these ugly bastards so eager to squeeze in here?"

Before he could finish speaking, a shrill whistle suddenly came from the rocks. Yuan Ping's eyes lit up. "Our people!"