Meng Qianzi crouched on the ground, rapidly drawing a diagram with a tree branch.

A winding long line represented the Miao borderwall. On the inner side of this line was another, broken and intermittent—the small borderwall. And crossing over the small borderwall, she drew a circle with powerful strokes.

Meng Qianzi pointed at a spot on the small border wall with the tip of the branch: “We’re here now, at the Bird-Bell Formation. This area doesn’t just have this warning formation. In the original Miao design, once troops entered this area, they would immediately face the first wave of attacks. Around here, there are at least nineteen trapdoor blade pits.”

Jiang Lian had watched historical war dramas and had some concept of this scene. It wasn’t hard to imagine: a group of soldiers secretly infiltrating, suddenly triggering the Bird-Bell Formation, birds flying chaotically, and bells ringing in disorder. While the soldiers panicked, the ground beneath their feet would give way, dropping them like dumplings into pits, each with their intestines spilling out.

Crushing the enemy’s morale—that was the first wave of attack.

However, Jiang Lian was puzzled: “The Miao border wall was built during the Ming Dynasty, and the small border wall must have been designed afterward. If the troops never invaded the wild Miao territory, these mechanisms were never used—are you certain they still work after several hundred years?”

Meng Qianzi gestured at their surroundings: “Why don’t you go out and try?”

Jiang Lian shrugged, indicating he wouldn’t dare. Previously, unaware of the dangers in this area, he had simply treated it as a mountain path without any psychological pressure. Now being told this was an artificially created trap area, and that the still-unseen Bai Shuixiao might be controlling the trap mechanisms…

He wouldn’t move. He’d rather become one with this tree that temporarily sheltered them.

Meng Qianzi gave him a sidelong glance. Between them, only she knew about the small border wall, and though her knowledge was limited, she had assumed an expert’s air of self-importance when speaking to Jiang Lian. With a seasoned demeanor, she instructed him: “Don’t underestimate the wisdom of the ancients. Back then, it was full-scale warfare. The mechanisms of this small border wall were planned by masters and created with the combined effort of thousands of villagers. The scale was enormous, with protections against insects, corrosion, flooding, and earthquakes. Even if poorly maintained and only half-functional, it’s more than enough to deal with you. Bai Shuixiao frequently travels in this area. Since she knows about these mechanisms, who knows if she’s made repairs?”

A chill ran through Jiang Lian’s heart. The surroundings seemed darker now, perhaps psychologically, but he felt the soil covered with countless grass stalks and leaves was emanating an eerie coldness. If their opponent was just Bai Shuixiao alone, no matter how vicious and treacherous she might be, together they would have a chance of victory. But now she held the ancient Miao mechanisms in her hand, like a player with heavy artillery hunting cats and mice.

After pondering for a moment, an idea struck him: “If the ground isn’t safe, can we go from above?” He pointed to the tree canopy.

The mountain forest was dense, with some tree canopies so vast they almost connected, forming a continuous cover. If they could move like monkeys, leaping from one tree to another, theoretically, they could “walk in the sky” and leave this dangerous area.

It sounded feasible. Meng Qianzi looked down at her simple map: “Look around, is there a mountain peak nearby that dips in the middle, shaped like a gold ingot?”

Jiang Lian didn’t dare expose himself recklessly. He jumped up the tree in a few bounds, using the canopy as cover, looked around quickly, then came back down, pointing in a direction: “There.”

Good, position fixed. Meng Qianzi pondered: “That’s the Ground Furnace Miasma. Once we pass that, we can turn west all the way to reach the Hanging Gallbladder Peak Forest.”

As she said this, she pointed to the circle she had drawn earlier.

Ground Furnace Miasma, Hanging Gallbladder Peak Forest—mountain folk terminology was truly mystical. Jiang Lian found it strange: “We’re not going after Bai Shuixiao anymore?”

The purpose of this trip had always been clear: either catch the mastermind through Bai Shuixiao or retrieve the chain from her. Although they’d suffered a setback, they weren’t completely without hope. Why suddenly change to the Hanging Gallbladder Peak Forest?

Too complex to explain, Meng Qianzi was vague: “Just follow me, that’s all.”

From the beginning, she had suspected Bai Shuixiao was after the mountain gallbladder. To lure the enemy, she had once instructed Meng Jinsong to “make a grand show of preparing to enter the small borderwall.”

Now, Bai Shuixiao’s route was getting closer to Hanging Gallbladder Peak Forest. Could that be her destination?

If so, she didn’t need to track Bai Shuixiao anymore. Better to go ahead directly to where the mountain gallbladder was located. Instead, Bai Shuixiao would have to follow her. And once Meng Jinsong figured out the connection, he would certainly bring people to the Hanging Gallbladder Peak Forest, meaning she could rejoin her backup.

It was perfect.

The plan set, starting with the tree beside them, Jiang Lian climbed up first, then pulled Meng Qianzi up. Her strength wasn’t quite right now, so whether necessary or not, he was accustomed to lending a hand.

Moving through the treetops wasn’t difficult. The trunks were straight, but the canopies spread in all directions. Sometimes, a single step was enough to move from one tree’s branches to another. Even when the distance was greater, swinging, leaping, and using momentum made it manageable.

After traversing seven or eight trees, they stopped to rest.

The sky grew darker, with no disturbance from outside. Meng Qianzi suddenly had a thought: all danger was merely theoretical. What if Bai Shuixiao wasn’t nearby at all and had fled immediately after hearing the bell sounds?

As if specifically to contradict her, at that moment, the faint sound of turning hinges reached them.

Jiang Lian heard it too, but the sound was too muffled to determine its direction. His heart pounded fiercely when suddenly he heard a cutting sound from directly ahead. He shouted “Watch out!” and retreated to dodge, only to find wind sounds attacking from the left and right, like arrows flying from all directions.

In the chaos, he heard Meng Qianzi shout, “Down the tree!” Without thinking, he grabbed a branch and quickly lowered himself. Unfortunately, a cold arrow shot diagonally toward him. In desperation, Jiang Lian acted cleverly, swinging his body sideways like on a horizontal bar, narrowly avoiding the attack. However, the branch couldn’t withstand such movement—with a crack, it broke, and he fell with it, hitting the ground with a thud.

Though the tree wasn’t very tall, the fall left him dizzy. Just as he recovered, he heard branches breaking, and Meng Qianzi came down too, but unlike him, she was clutching an armful of branches and twigs.

With danger erupting suddenly, everyone fended for themselves. Meng Qianzi had called for him to “down the tree,” but the cold arrows targeting her were aimed low, forcing her to leap upward. She grabbed a bundle of branches, using them like a broom to sweep away another cold arrow before tumbling down.

Fortunately, neither was injured. Separated in the trees, reunited on the ground—a close call with no serious harm.

Strangely, the attack ended just like that. The forest returned to silence, with only the sound of wind rustling through branches.

After a pause, Jiang Lian laughed, saying: “You’re right—don’t underestimate the ancients’ wisdom. They must have anticipated enemies taking the high route.”

This ordeal wasn’t entirely useless. At least he confirmed two things: the small border wall’s traps existed, and Bai Shuixiao was indeed nearby, controlling the mechanisms.

What just happened could hardly be called an arrow storm. Given the mechanism’s scale, even if not tens of thousands of arrows, there should have been hundreds or thousands. The sparse few dozen seemed pathetic.

Jiang Lian looked up. An arrow was embedded in the trunk, its head rusty, its wooden shaft visibly damp and old. These mechanisms had indeed deteriorated.

But what did that matter? Even one-tenth of its original power was enough to give them trouble.

Jiang Lian leaned against the tree trunk again: “After the bell formation comes the traps. Cold arrows shoot when we try the high route. We can’t go up, we can’t go down. How did the troops deal with this back then? Did they carry shovels to dig tunnels?”

Meng Qianzi answered: “After breaking their morale and overwhelming them, they’d charge from all sides and begin the formal battle.”

Formal battle…

Jiang Lian’s mind stirred: “Right, so why hasn’t Bai Shuixiao shown herself yet?”

Now that he mentioned it, Meng Qianzi also found it strange.

Jiang Lian continued: “Bai Shuixiao isn’t that skilled. The several times she’s tripped us up were either through trickery or mechanisms. In a confrontation, she has no confidence and wouldn’t dare.”

Meng Qianzi’s thoughts shifted: “She just sent a signal. She’s waiting for backup.”

Jiang Lian spoke what she was thinking: “Could it be the mastermind behind everything?”

Meng Qianzi didn’t respond, but her lips were dry: Could it be? Was that person finally going to appear?

Jiang Lian took a deep breath: “Let’s wait and see.”

Anyway, even if they didn’t wait, he couldn’t think of a good way to escape for now.

Night fell heavily.

In the nearby dense forest, a large patch of yellowish light moved. Qiu Dong stood at the base of a tree, frowning as he stared at the light.

Kuang Xiaoliu slid down from a tree, lightly patting the tree bark dust from his clothes: “Nothing unusual. They’re still moving forward. Big Dong Brother, should we continue following?”

Qiu Dong pressed the satellite phone at his waist and nodded: “Follow.”

He had received temporary orders. He was already in the vehicle when Liu Guanguo called him back, saying something wasn’t right with a village called Break-People Ridge. Assistant Meng had asked him to take a few people to check it out and report any findings immediately.

Inwardly, Qiu Dong was reluctant. With the boss missing, he desperately wanted to stay with the main force to offer strategies and support. He’d heard of Break-People Ridge—not many residents, all abnormal people. They were often strange, so why abandon important matters to pay attention to them?

But this reluctance remained only in his heart. Since Assistant Meng had personally assigned the task to him, he should complete it diligently.

Qiu Dong selected five or six men, and without delay, they first rushed to Break-People Ridge, then followed into the back mountains. Such a large group moving collectively had left many traceable signs.

Several men exerted themselves, running and moving rapidly, all wanting to resolve this quickly, return soon, and not miss the major event with Assistant Meng.

By dusk, they finally caught up with the group.

Strangely, just seeing those stiff silhouettes made Qiu Dong’s scalp tingle.

Roughly counting, there were about fifty or sixty people, men and women, young and old. They didn’t march in formation or groups, nor did they converse. Scattered in threes and fives, they all just trudged forward silently. In the night’s cover, they were like a parade of ghosts.

In Kuang Xiaoliu’s words, “At first glance, they look like walking corpses.”

That wasn’t all. A closer look was even more heart-stopping.

Each person had a ferocious expression, even the women and the elderly. And they all carried implements—kitchen knives, sickles, axes, hoes. Though common household tools and farming implements, in these people’s hands, appeared at this time and place, they seemed ominous.

Qiu Dong also saw a disabled person with only half a body. Initially, he thought it was just the upper half moving, which terrified him. Later, he realized it was someone with high-level leg amputations, with an axe tucked behind his waist, moving on his hands. Occasionally, someone nearby would carry him for a while, and he would lie on that person’s back like a misshapen sack.

Moreover, on such a long mountain path, normal people would rest for fifteen minutes after walking for an hour. But these people hadn’t rested at all—their speed and pace unchanged, as if they couldn’t feel fatigue.

Where were these people going, and what were they planning to do?

Qiu Dong had called Liu Guanguo halfway, but he was equally puzzled, only instructing him to watch closely, be extremely careful, and avoid rash actions.

He didn’t need the reminder. Qiu Dong’s group was already on high alert, speaking in hushed tones, even breathing more lightly.

The sky was completely dark, but those people kept walking. Some had flashlights, some carried lanterns, and others held torches—various colored lights merged into an eerie light source, moving silently forward in this vast, pitch-black, dense forest.

Kuang Xiaoliu’s low voice came from behind: “Are they going to seek revenge on someone? I’ve heard that before Liberation, the mountain villages or tribes had blood feuds and would fight like this.”

Someone quietly replied: “That can’t be right, this isn’t the old society.”

Another muttered, “Don’t you find their expressions and those eyes creepy? Like they’re possessed.”

Qiu Dong felt irritated and hushed them: “Stop chatting. This isn’t a game, pay attention…”

Just then, a chaotic bell sound suddenly rang out from a distance. They all startled, then quickly took cover behind the nearest trees.

After a while, Qiu Dong peered out to look.

The bells were still ringing, though weakening. That eerie light source continued moving forward.

It seemed these people had triggered some warning bells, but no one came to stop them, and they didn’t care, apparently accustomed to it.

Truly… perplexing.

After nightfall, Jiang Lian wanted to see if escaping in the dark was feasible. He tried walking outward, but after just ten meters, he heard the hinge sounds and sprinted back.

Meng Qianzi hadn’t moved at all, sitting calmly at the tree base watching him run out and back. She even commented: “You run quite fast.”

Her tone clearly wasn’t praising him, but Jiang Lian took it as a compliment, responding: “It’s my strong point.”

…

The mountain was silent. Occasional sounds carried far. Meng Qianzi faintly heard the bell ringing and looked puzzledly toward the sound.

It should still be distant, but why was it coming from their entry path?

Jiang Lian heard it too. He calculated the time and drew in a sharp breath: “Don’t get your hopes up. It’s not some mastermind. After all this time… Bai Shuixiao’s signal probably summoned the village people.”

Besides Granny Tian Ya and Jin Zhu Yin Zhu, Meng Qianzi had no impression of the villagers: “She’s calling the villagers to deal with us?”

Jiang Lian knew she didn’t yet have a deep understanding of that village: “The people in that village aren’t normal. There should be several dozen, and probably each one is ready to fight to the death. Two fists can’t fight four hands—no matter how good we are, we can’t match that many.”

Meng Qianzi responded with an “Oh,” glancing at him sideways: “Scared?”

Her tone was quite deliberate. Since she was calm, Jiang Lian didn’t want to make a fuss either. He shifted his position to sit more comfortably: “What’s there to fear? As long as they don’t have guns, everyone has ways to stay alive.”

What methods could he possibly have?

Meng Qianzi was half-doubtful, half-curious.

Jiang Lian lowered his voice: “As long as Bai Shuixiao isn’t by the mechanism controls, we don’t need to fear the traps. Later, we’ll climb trees to hide for a while, avoid being found by that group. Once Bai Shuixiao joins them…”

He paused briefly at this point.

Meng Qianzi knew he had reached the key part, that he was about to reveal his strategy. Infected by his tone, she felt a little anticipation: “What then?”

Jiang Lian said, “We run.”