This was the same madman they had encountered earlier. Now his messy, dirty long hair was pulled back, revealing a young, ordinary face.
Luo Yingbai said sympathetically, “So that’s how it is. Didn’t his family take him to see a doctor?”
Old Li said, “His parents died long ago. He’s all alone.”
People in our village can barely feed themselves, how could they take care of him? Let him go crazy! Now, with these celebrities coming to shoot a film in the village, he sees more unfamiliar people and might have been scared. He keeps shouting about people dying, but no one’s actually died. He’s just a madman.
Just fine a month ago, and then suddenly going crazy, moreover shouting that outsiders would die… Luo Yingbai didn’t believe these ravings were completely groundless. Could this suggest a connection between Gao Xiang’s madness and the outsiders?
Luo Yingbai blinked and asked, “Does Gao Xiang not like outsiders coming to this village?”
Old Li said, “You’ve hit the nail on the head. He doesn’t like it. This fool, our Changyuan village is so poor. People are paying so much just to stay for a few days. Are we supposed to be idiots and refuse? Now that we’ve got money, everyone can take turns bringing him some food when he has nothing to eat. Otherwise, he might not have survived. It’s good for everyone.”
He grinned, splitting his lip and letting out a bit of blood. Old Li still couldn’t bear to drink the bottled water, just wiping it with his hand.
Asking me to give up the money we’ve received? That’s like cutting my own flesh…”
The events of Changyuan village strung together in Luo Yingbai’s mind – the shooting team damaging the coffin, Zhen Quan searching for Lü Lu’s soul, the poor villagers resisting refunds, and… today’s treasure hunting show!
Luo Yingbai suddenly asked, “Did Gao Xiang go towards that mountain?”
Old Li was stunned, “Seems like it, I’m not sure.”
Just as Luo Yingbai was about to speak, Xia Jianning, who had been standing nearby, patted him and held out his hand.
Luo Yingbai glanced over and saw Xia Jianning had a tracking talisman, immediately feeling reassured.
When Luo Yingbai had been speaking earlier, he was blinded by sunlight, unable to clearly see the man’s face. Xia Jianning, however, felt that although the man was crazy, his eyes contained a fierce light, with a hint of malevolence – not deeply intense, but seeming to be picked up from somewhere else.
Madmen are usually strange, but this person was even stranger. So Xia Jianning, with a preventative mindset, placed a tracking talisman on Gao Xiang to prevent any unexpected incidents.
Seeing Xia Jianning had taken precautions, Luo Yingbai could temporarily set aside the matter with Gao Xiang.
Now he was more concerned about the safety of the filming crew. “Jianning, let’s go up the mountain and check on the filming team. Uncle Li, could you show us the way?”
Old Li pointed the way but didn’t leave, hesitating, “The mountain path isn’t easy. There are many steps. Want me to carry you two up?”
Luo Yingbai had called Yue Tao twice on the way up the mountain, but no one picked up. Zhou Junyi’s side was also silent. Looking at the tracking symbol, Gao Xiang’s route was actually consistent with theirs. As time passed, Xia Luo and the others gradually became uneasy and quickened their pace.
In fact, the situation on Zhou Junyi’s side was not as critical as Luo Yingbai imagined. After the treasure hunt task was issued, they began seriously searching for the pre-arranged antiques according to the map.
The treasure hunting group was divided into three teams of four people each. Soon, Wen Qianqian was the first to find the location indicated on the map.
Zhou Junyi smiled and said to Zhang Chen, “Let the ladies rest, we’ll dig.”
Zhang Chen readily agreed, “Okay, Teacher Zhou, wait here, I’ll go get the tools.”
Why don’t you dig, and I’ll record the video!”
Wen Qianqian remained silent, finding a cool spot to sit far away, watching her teammates joke around with an indifferent expression. She knew that once this episode aired, many online comments would criticize her for being aloof and lacking team spirit.
Zhang Chen quickly brought two iron shovels, and he and Zhou Junyi began digging, the sound of metal scraping soil softly echoing.
Perhaps because the other four were chatting while she sat idle, after just a couple of minutes, Wen Qianqian suddenly noticed something was off about the environment.
It should have been a bright summer afternoon with scorching sunlight, but after sitting for a moment, the light seemed to be gradually dimming. The air temperature appeared to drop, and her exposed skin felt a chill, raising goosebumps.
Wen Qianqian was puzzled, looking around and finding nothing unusual. Just as she wondered if she was ill, she heard Lu Xiaoting mutter, “Why is it suddenly so cold?”
An inexplicable sense of foreboding rose in Wen Qianqian’s heart. Forgetting her composure, she quickly walked to the others and urgently said, “Something’s not right here!”
Darkness, like ink dissolving in water, slowly spread from an unknown place, enveloping the quiet forest.
Everyone looked at each other, feeling their faces becoming blurry.
The strangest part was that only their small area had changed. Looking into the distance, the area outside the forest remained bright and peaceful.
Wen Qianqian panicked, “What’s happening?”
Zhou Junyi reacted fastest, saying, “Something’s abnormal here. Let’s go quickly… Who’s there!”
His suddenly raised voice startled the already tense group. Then they saw a figure emerge from behind a tree, walking towards them like a ghost.
Lu Xiaoting screamed, and Zhang Chen covered her mouth, nervously staring ahead with sweat forming on his forehead.
Zhou Junyi gripped the iron shovel, and to their surprise, the person who appeared was that madman.
Everyone was extremely tense. Lu Xiaoting was tightly held by her boyfriend. Her entire attention was on the dirty madman – why was his appearance always so eerie?
In the fluctuating light, Lu Xiaoting even felt he might peel off his skin at any moment, revealing a monster underneath.
Fortunately, that didn’t happen. But Gao Xiang wasn’t laughing like before. Looking at everyone, Gao Xiang suddenly said sternly, “You! Offended the Mountain God!”
Zhang Chen uncertainly asked, “Mountain… God?”
Gao Xiang, in his usual confused tone, said, “Offending the Mountain God means death! Escape with me!”
The sound of the wind and the rustling leaves filled the silence as Zhang Chen lowered his voice. “I think something’s off about the way he’s leading us.”
Lu Xiaoting’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve been watching him, and we’re not on the right path. This doesn’t feel right,” Zhang Chen whispered urgently.
Just then, Gao Xiang turned to face them, a strange glint in his eye. “Are you coming or not?” he asked, his tone almost mocking.
Zhou Junyi looked between Zhang Chen and Gao Xiang, debating what to do. The atmosphere was thick with uncertainty, and the tension was palpable. They had to make a decision soon.
Feeling trapped, Zhou Junyi took a deep breath and said, “Maybe we should turn back. This isn’t the way we came.”
Old Liu nodded in agreement but added, “What if he really knows a way out? We can’t just abandon hope.”
As they lingered at the fork in the road, time seemed to slow down, and they felt the weight of their choices pressing on them. Finally, with a reluctant sigh, Zhou Junyi made his decision.
“Alright. We’ll take our chances and go back.”
With that, they began retracing their steps, the shadows of the mountain growing longer behind them as they ventured back into the unknown.
