No wonder the people in Baling Village hated the old madman so much, and would often beat him up at the slightest provocation.
Lu Fei and Duan Lingyue exchanged a glance and shook their heads.
Is this the case of there being something hateful about every pitiful person?
"Then why does he go around begging for water?" Duan Lingyue asked again.
"Who knows? A dozen people from our village died in that flood. If it weren't for the fact that he is a human life, we would have beaten him to death long ago!"
Old Man Qin looked back at everyone.
"I advise you not to feel too sorry for him. If you offend the Dragon God, you'll suffer as well!"
Duan Lingyue wanted to ask more questions but was pulled back by her grandfather.
"Enough, Lingyue, we are here to help Grandpa He find his things. Don't ask about matters that don't concern us."
Duan Lingyue responded with an 'oh'.
Lu Fei still found the old madman strange, but seeing that He Yunsong was focused on finding the dragon's breath elderberry, he decided not to waste more time on other matters and stopped asking questions.
"Got it, Uncle. We will be careful,"
After responding, he followed the group, concentrating on the journey.
"If we want to get back before dark, we need to hurry. The Dragon King doesn't like being disturbed at night, and people from our village never spend the night in the mountains!"
Old Qin led everyone, moving skillfully along the mountain paths.
They climbed up and down hills, crossed streams, and moved at a rapid pace.
Lu Fei, Jing Jian, and the bodyguards were all managing well, but He Yunsong and Duan Tiankui, the two old men, as well as the pampered Duan Lingyue, were struggling.
Duan Tiankui initially paid attention to the feng shui along the way, but gradually, he could only focus on catching his breath.
"Uncle Qin, can we stop for a break?" Lu Fei, seeing that the two were really struggling, quickly stepped forward and called out to Old Qin.
"We are in the Sleeping Dragon Valley now, where there are many insects and water, not a suitable place to rest. Just hold on a little longer; there's a clean spot not far ahead.",
Old Qin glanced back, shook his head, and continued to lead the way.
The two old men, He Yun-song and Duan Tian-kui, were too exhausted to walk any further and asked their bodyguards to carry them.
Duan Ling-yue was being supported by Lu Fei.
The mountain path ahead became increasingly difficult, with towering peaks on both sides, and ponds of various sizes scattered everywhere. The stones on the ground were wet and slippery, making it easy to slip and fall if one wasn't careful.
The bodyguards, carrying the two old men, couldn't move quickly, and soon they fell far behind Old Man Qin.
Old Man Qin, however, didn't wait for them and walked at a rapid pace ahead.
"What's wrong with this old man? We asked him to be the guide, but he only cares about his own speed." Jing Jian couldn't help but complain.
If it weren't for him and Lu Fei keeping an eye on everyone, the people at the back would have gotten lost.
"Up ahead is Long Drop Ridge; we can take a rest here for a while."
After walking out of the valley, Old Man Qin finally stopped.
Everyone felt a sense of relief.
Old Man Qin took out a small packet from his backpack, and sprinkled some dark green powder to form a circle.
"Rest inside this circle; the bugs won't dare to come in."
He Yunsong twitched his nose, then nodded. "This is bug-repellent powder! Guide Qin, do you also know medicine?"
"I don't know much about that. I just run around in the mountains a lot, so I know which plants and herbs keep the bugs away," Old Man Qin waved his hand and took out a pipe to smoke.
The bodyguard took out moisture-proof mats from the backpack, laid them in the center of the circle for He Yunsong and the two old men to sit and rest, then distributed food and water to everyone.
"Uncle Qin, how far are we from the Dragon's Den?"
Lu Fei, not feeling tired, grabbed a bottle of water and offered it to Old Man Qin.
"No need, young man, I'm not thirsty." Old Man Qin smiled and pointed towards the hill ahead shrouded in thick fog.
"That up ahead is the Dragon Ridge. The Dragon's Den is right below that ridge, and that's the toughest part of the journey. Even I've gotten lost there a few times. Don't blame me for moving fast; if we can reach Dragon Ridge by noon, we can make it back before dark."
Only then did Lu Fei notice that the old man's hands were particularly large, at least twice the size of his own.
The palm was rough, with many calluses on the fingertips.
"Uncle, we didn't mean that! It's just that there are two elderly people who can't walk fast." Lu Fei took another pack of Hua cigarettes and handed it to Old Man Qin.
"Young man, you're quite polite." Old Man Qin accepted it with a smile this time, "What are you looking for in the Dragon Cave? Tell me, there are many strange things inside, and every place is different."
"It's a kind of medicine, and it should be closest to the position of the dragon's head," Lu Fei said.
"The dragon's head?!" Old Man Qin looked troubled, "I see there is a geomancer among you, who should be able to tell that this place is like a coiled dragon. The dragon's body forms a circle, and the dragon's head is right in the center of the Dragon Drop Cave, which is the hardest place to find."
"Young man, don't blame the old man for saying it upfront, no matter whether you find the dragon's head by nightfall, you must head back!"
Lu Fei looked at He Yunsong.
He Yunsong nodded slightly.
"No problem." Lu Fei looked at Old Man Qin's large hands again, "Uncle, you're not an ordinary person, are you?"
Old Man Qin was a bit surprised: "What do you mean?"
"I've heard of a kind of extraordinary person called 'biebao ren'. They spend their years in remote, uninhabited places, searching for rare flowers, exotic plants, and all sorts of precious treasures. Because they often climb and grab things, their hands are particularly large."
"Young man, you may be young, but you know quite a lot." Old Man Qin looked at his rough palms and smiled with a sense of vicissitude.
"When I was young, I followed my master to travel all over, going to many places. Later, when I got older and couldn't travel much anymore, I came back to retire."
No wonder he can still walk so briskly even at his age.
Compared to the places that biebao ren have been to, these mountain paths are nothing.
As it turns out, Grandpa Lu once did business with a biebao ren.
"What about your master?" Lu Fei asked curiously.
"One time, while trying to pick a medicinal herb growing on the edge of a cliff, he slipped and fell to his death."
"I'm sorry!"
"It's nothing, that's the fate of a biebao ren, trading their life for treasure." Old Man Qin said calmly. He looked up at the sky, knocked off the ash from his pipe, tucked the tobacco pipe into his waistband, and stood up.
"The smell of the insect repellent is almost gone, it's time to move on."
"The bugs in the mountains are not as easy to deal with as those in the city. They are very poisonous and leave a big, painful, and itchy bump with just one bite! If you get bitten badly, you'll have to go to the hospital for a blood transfusion!"
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
Lu Fei felt that Old Man Qin was actually quite a good person, just not very good at communicating. He turned to call the others.
"Good! I knew he wasn't an ordinary person! The feng shui here is chaotic and mixed, with both spiritual and malevolent energies coexisting. Even I find it hard to understand. Finding a treasure-seeking expert to guide us is truly great luck."
Duan Tiankui's furrowed brows relaxed, and he nodded slightly.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's set off immediately." He Yunsong stood up with difficulty, supported by his bodyguards.
Everyone's slight displeasure with Old Man Qin turned into delight.
They never expected that such a small mountain village would hide a retired treasure-seeker.
The group quickly packed up.
Led by Old Man Qin, they gradually approached the mountain range shrouded in mist.
As soon as they entered the fog, everyone felt a bone-chilling cold, and their hair stood on end.
The feeling was as if they had walked into the gaze of some terrifying presence.
Lu Fei, feeling uneasy, looked around and picked up the small black dog, putting it in his backpack.
Just then, a muffled sound came from behind.
Lu Fei hurriedly turned around and saw that everyone else also had puzzled expressions, clearly having heard the strange noise.
Old Man Qin abruptly stopped and looked back at the group with tension.
"Is someone missing?"