Volume 5: Qingming Chapter 43: Mountain Road
After nightfall, the temperature dropped suddenly.
The flashlight shone forward. In the dazzling white light, the soil, grass and leaves briefly showed color, but soon retreated into the darkness.
"Here?"
Lin Yu heard a cold female voice coming from the front.
He raised his head and saw Chang Lizhang and Tang Butian, who were walking in front, stopped.
"Yes," Chang Lizhang shone his flashlight at the lush banyan tree nearby, "The sword was found here."
Shao Lang took a few quick steps, passed Lin Yu, and walked to the banyan tree.
Lin Yu also stopped.
Tang Butian raised his head. The night wind blew through the treetops, and the leaves trembled.
Lin Yu heard heavy breathing and footsteps coming from behind him. Jiang You walked towards him panting, holding Jiang Mo.
"My hands were just sore before, but now they are numb and I can't feel them anymore."
"Shall I hold him later?"
"He only knows how to bully his old father." Jiang You looked forward, and Tang Butian just turned his head to look where he and Lin Yu were standing. He sighed and tried to take a few quick steps forward.
“So slow.”
"I was able to climb up even though I didn't have dinner. Thanks to my fitness coach who watched me run a while ago, my physical fitness has improved a lot," Jiang You walked around the banyan tree. "This tree is good. The pomegranate tree in my yard is about to bloom. When I came out, it had already formed many small buds. I don't think it will bear fruit this year, but it's good to have blooms."
"What did you find out?" Tang Butian asked.
"The recorder is not responding?"
"No."
"Maybe it fell down." Jiang You looked at Shao Lang and asked, "Do you remember where it was three years ago?"
"I remember," Shao Lang nodded, "but Brother Zheng told me that he set up a formation so that tourists would not get lost..."
"It's okay. You lead the way. We can tell you later if you can't find it."
"We need to go up a little further and go around the side of the mountain," he looked at Jiang Mo in Jiang You's arms, "It's difficult to walk. There's a section that's suspended in the air. You're holding a child..."
"It's okay, the section chief is here."
Hearing this, Shao Lang stopped trying to persuade Jiang You. He said, "Then I'll lead the way. You guys follow me closely."
The higher you go, the more rugged and difficult the road becomes.
Lin Yu missed a step and fell down. He saw a protruding stone in front of him. It was very sharp. He tried hard to control his body and try to avoid it...
Then, his hand was grabbed.
He saw a wooden sword fly past him.
"My hand is going to be dislocated," Jiang You let go of Lin Yu's hand after he saw him stand firm. He shook his palm a few times, took out a candy box from his bag and handed it to Lin Yu, "You're going to have low blood sugar if you don't eat dinner, right?"
Lin Yu took the candy box.
The wooden sword flew back into Tang Butian's hand.
Tang Butian withdrew his gaze and continued to climb up with Shao Lang.
"Are you feeling better?" Jiang You asked.
Lin Yu nodded.
He walked forward.
He had just broken out in a cold sweat, and the mountain breeze was a little chilly. He was still a little dazed. But the faint sweetness of the peppermint candy danced on his taste buds. The breathing and footsteps behind him were still heavy. He raised his head and saw Tang Butian walking while cutting the weeds and branches that blocked the way with a wooden sword.
…
Shao Lang stopped and said, "This is where we just walked past."
"Chief Tang, how do you plan to break the formation?" Chang Lizhang asked.
Tang Butian looked at Jiang You.
"Formation." Jiang You walked to Tang Butian and heard what Shao Lang and Chang Lizhang said.
"What did you see?" Tang Butian asked.
"I just don't understand it."
"What?"
Jiang You put down the minced ginger, took out a half bottle of Coke from his bag, drank two sips cherishingly, and then screwed the lid on. Then he said, "This journey is really killing me. I think the scenery here is just so-so. Trees, grass, and rocks are not better than those artificially developed. They are not that beautiful, and it is also dangerous..."
"It's nine o'clock now. We'll have time for a midnight snack after we get down the mountain," Tang Butian said seriously. "If we delay for too long, we'll only have breakfast."
"What you said makes a lot of sense." Jiang You pushed his glasses, took two steps forward, then a few steps to the left, then turned his body half a circle, kicked a small stone on the ground with his right foot, and the small stone hit the trunk of a tree, but missed it and went through it instead.
"Cut it off." Jiang You said.
As soon as he finished speaking, the wooden sword swung towards it.
Lin Yu held a flashlight and shone a strong white light on the tree, but the tree disappeared from his sight. The wooden sword chopped into a gray mist. He saw a dim light floating on the blade, and then the tree reappeared...
The upper part of the tree came crashing down.
The leaves flew out one by one...
It was as if a scroll was opened, and the light of the flashlight illuminated a path.
Jiang Mo glanced at Lin Yu, then trotted a few steps to Jiang You, and Jiang You picked him up.
Lin Yu followed.
…
After walking up for about ten minutes, Shao Lang stopped and said, "This is it."
Tang Butian looked around and saw a flat area on the cliff . She walked a few steps outside and looked down the mountain.
The spiritual power recorder made a sound.
Almost at the same time, Shao Lang's voice rang out, "The stone is gone!"
Tang Butian turned around and saw Shao Lang's expression filled with fear. He pointed to a patch of dense weeds and said, "It should be here. I won't be wrong. Someone, someone has been here!"
Jiang You walked over holding Jiang Mo. He kicked the weeds with his feet, but there was nothing inside.
"Are you sure it's here?" Jiang You asked.
"I'm sure." Shao Lang said.
Chang Lizhang came over. "It could be Brother Zheng." He patted Shao Lang on the shoulder. "The spiritual power recorder is ringing. The spiritual power fluctuations here are the same as those remaining on the sword. Brother Zheng..."
"Did Brother Zheng disappear here?" Shao Lang understood what Chang Lizhang meant and he calmed down.
"I guess so." Chang Lizhang turned and looked at Tang Butian, "Chief Tang, what should we do now?"
Just as Tang Butian was about to speak, Jiang You spoke.
He looked at the sky in the distance, "There is no moon tonight, and it's not raining ."
"Is there any problem?" Chang Lizhang asked.
"Boss Lin, please help me look after my son." Jiang You put down the minced ginger and slowly walked to Tang Butian, extending his hand, "Give me his sword."
Lin Yu stood behind Jiang Mo.
Tang Butian handed Zheng Yuantai's sword to Jiang You, who waved it twice and said, "I don't think I'm suitable for holding a sword."
"fine."
Jiang You turned around, looked at Chang Lizhang and said, "It's not a good day for sacrifice."
"What?"
"I remember it was called Xiaoman, Manshen, or the God of Steamed Buns." Jiang You took out his phone and flipped through the photos Shao Lang had sent him before. He found a photo of an exhibit, which was a very abstract painting. He used a sword to draw on the ground according to its appearance. "My son's painting is much better than this. I will hold an exhibition for my son next month. You must come to support me."
