Gu Yuan was unaware that Dong Gui and Sun Er were plotting against him. At this moment, he was heading deep into the mountains.
Strictly speaking, the Yunmeng Mountain should be called the Yunmeng Mountain Range.
This is a vast mountain range that stretches for an unknown number of miles, its depths unfathomable, extending to the Southern Border's six states: Feng, Qin, Liu, Yun, Ze, and Yan.
The deep mountains where Gu Yuan was heading should not be considered the core area; at most, they were the very outskirts of this mountain range.
The village elders once said that immortals riding clouds and mist would occasionally appear in the mountains and even claimed to have witnessed this with their own eyes.
As for whether it was true or false, no one knows.
Gu Yuan did not know the origin of these stories and legends, nor did he care whether the "immortal appearances" were true or false, as these were too remote from him.
In whatever place, do whatever is appropriate!
This is an unbreakable truth!
He was just an ordinary villager, and only someone with too much free time would bother to investigate the truth of these legends.
Right now, Gu Yuan just wanted to make money!
With money, he could gradually improve his situation!
It was the only way to solve the troubles he faced!
Gu Yuan has not forgotten the threat posed by the Qian Mansion in the county town.
Even though he was at a disadvantage, it was precisely because of this that the opponents sent Sun Er and Dong Gui to monitor him. This matter was clearly unresolved!
Even a small malicious act by the opponents could be a disastrous calamity for a family of three!
Furthermore, even if the opponents were willing to let it go, Gu Yuan was not!
The deeper he ventured into the mountains, the denser the surrounding trees became.
Though it was already early winter and the chill permeated the air, the forest was not bleak; rather, it was still full of vitality, with lush green vegetation stretching as far as the eye could see.
The intermittent sounds of birds and beasts came from time to time, pleasing to the ear and making one feel genuinely cheerful and lively!
At least, at this moment, Gu Yuan felt relaxed breathing in the cool air tinged with a hint of earthly scent, surrounded by the harmonious atmosphere of nature.
Ahuang was walking ahead, scouting the path for him.
Whenever there was any commotion, it would alert him!
The mountains were home to many wild animals, and in recent years, there were reports of demons from the mountains attacking people, so Gu Yuan had to be cautious.
Setting traps with hemp rope and food at spots frequented by wild rabbits and pheasants, Gu Yuan planned to find a hideout and wait quietly for the prey to enter the traps.
He was just about to call back Ahuang, who was tracking animal traces nearby, when he noticed an unusual emotional fluctuation from Ahuang. It seemed to have encountered something strange.
Although Ahuang was not very intelligent, Gu Yuan could infer its situation through its emotional fluctuations of fear, joy, and anger.
At this moment, Ahuang was sending out waves of joy.
Confirming there was no danger, Gu Yuan hurried over to a hillside.
This stretch of hillside was somewhat remote, with sparse vegetation.
The mountain rat, Ahuang, was standing on a protruding stone on the hillside. Upon seeing Gu Yuan arrive, it squealed and then scampered to a somewhat withered plant, vigorously digging at its roots with its paws.
"Hmm?"
Gu Yuan examined the plant, and a spark flickered in his eyes: "Is this... Yellow Spirit?"
Yellow Spirit, known as "immortal surplus grain," is both medicinal and edible, used to treat diseases and also to stave off hunger. The county pharmacy purchases it year-round.
Gu Yuan had heard of this, both in his past and present lives.
"There's so much Yellow Spirit here..."
Gu Yuan looked at the Yellow Spirit before him and then glanced around at other Yellow Spirits nearby, feeling both astonished and delighted:
"Great, with these Yellow Spirits, even if I don't hunt, I can dig them up and take them to the county town to exchange for money."
The Yellow Spirit before him was undoubtedly a surprise!
Without hesitation, Gu Yuan began to dig them up.
He unearthed several Yellow Spirits in succession, each quite large, obviously aged.
Gu Yuan cleaned one, took a small bite; its taste was soft, slightly sweet with a hint of bitterness, not unpleasant to eat.
However, it's not easy to eat raw.
But after eating a small piece, Gu Yuan distinctly felt his slightly fatigued body begin to recover after a short while.
"Good stuff!"
Gu Yuan's eyes brightened, confirming the Yellow Spirit's effectiveness, while also growing curious about how much Yellow Spirit this area contained.
He stood and looked around, discovering that this place essentially served as a growing area for wild Yellow Spirit.
Large and small Yellow Spirit plants were nearly everywhere. As he continued up the hillside, he even discovered a flat area.
There, several Yellow Spirit plants stood out, their leaves larger, the plants sturdier, and stems and leaves exuding a verdant luster, clearly extraordinary!
Among the other Yellow Spirit plants, these stood out like a crane among chickens.
Who knows how many years they had been growing!
"Could these Yellow Spirits be the legendary Spirit Medicines?"
Gu Yuan was skeptical.
The village elders often said that once medicinal herbs had absorbed enough solar and lunar essence and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi over many years, they would transform into Spirit Medicines with incredible properties!
However, what shocked Gu Yuan even more than these suspected "Spirit Medicine" Yellow Spirits were the few corpses lying beside them!
There were both human and animal bones, all weathered and decayed, with even the bone material tinged with black.
Strangely enough, this area was eerily quiet, no calls of beasts or birds to be heard.
"Wait, something's off..."
Gu Yuan sensed something was wrong and became alert.
Especially after noticing the rust-covered long knife beside one skeleton, the faint scent of blood in the air, and the blackened bones, he formed a suspicion, intensifying his wariness.
"Ahuang, let's go!"
With chills running down his spine, Gu Yuan decided to retreat.
Surprisingly, Ahuang was unresponsive. When he turned, he saw Ahuang huddled on the ground, shivering as if frightened by something.
No matter how he called, it remained unresponsive.
"You coward, you're such a scaredy-cat! Now I understand why the phrase 'timid as a mouse' exists!"
Cursing Ahuang under his breath, Gu Yuan scooped it up and began to retreat.
Sssss—
But as Gu Yuan backed away, he heard a faint sound, like something scraping against the ground.
He focused and realized the sound came from a one-meter-long, iron-blue centipede emerging from under a corpse.
This giant centipede had a hard shell, gleaming with a metallic sheen. Its fangs were sharp as knives, glinting with a ghostly blue hue. Its dual rows of furious hooks, like sharp iron hooks, gleamed coldly, carving streaks into the hard, stony ground!
Wherever the giant centipede passed, the gray mist emanating from its body would corrode the weeds black, emitting a sizzling sound.