They were walking down the mountain, less than a hundred meters from the boat.
Just then, Hu Lanfang's expression changed, and she shouted at the two:
"Watch your backs! Someone's there!"
The father and daughter reacted with remarkable agility. Those who had taken the strength-enhancing pills were indeed extraordinary.
As Hu Lanfang called out, they heard a whistling sound behind them.
Gu Zhaobei swatted back with his hand, catching the incoming cold arrow.
Gu Qingcheng deftly dodged, the arrow grazing her ear without hitting her.
Both darted into the bushes on either side, concealing themselves.
As they looked back, they confirmed that five or six figures dressed as soldiers were firing cold arrows at them.
These men, accustomed to bullying, fired without a word upon realizing they weren't miners, aiming directly for their lives.
Gu Qingcheng was furious. She retrieved her own bow and arrows from her storage cabinet, and Gu Zhaobei instantly drew his bow and arrow from his own. They returned fire at the soldiers who were intermittently visible in the grass.
"How dare you! Who are you? How dare you trespass on Prince Xia's mining area? Outsiders are strictly forbidden here!" a soldier shouted from the bushes.
Gu Zhaobei chuckled and replied, "Do you think I would tell you who I am?"
Then, with a swift counter-attack, he loosed an arrow. The soldier cried out in pain, clearly hit.
Seeing this, the other side loosed a volley of arrows, but none found their mark.
Gu Qingcheng sneered. Spotting an enemy revealing his position in the grass, she drew her bow and fired.
Her strength surpassed that of ordinary people, and she hit her target squarely.
A man cried out in agony, having been struck.
Gu Qingcheng and Gu Zhaobei exchanged a glance, then quickly converged in the middle of the path from the bushes. The father and daughter stood back-to-back, one in front and one behind, moving towards the boat.
At this point, they were only about ten meters from the yacht.
Hu Lanfang, binoculars in hand, observed from the boat and called out to them:
"It's alright, those people have gone quiet. Hurry up and get on board!"
Gu Qingcheng quickly deployed the gangway and was about to board.
Gu Zhaobei stood behind her, watching her back.
After ensuring his daughter was on board, he quickly turned and followed.
Unexpectedly, a soldier suddenly emerged from the bushes and fired an arrow in the direction Gu Zhaobei was running.
Gu Qingcheng was already on deck and saw the scene unfolding before her father.
This arrow enraged Gu Qingcheng.
She immediately drew her bow, and at that moment, the arrow was hurtling towards Gu Zhaobei's back. Hu Lanfang's heart leaped into her throat.
Fortunately, Gu Qingcheng's arrow arrived just in time. Her aim was superb; her arrow struck the shaft of the incoming arrow, causing the arrowhead, which was certain to hit Gu Zhaobei's back, to fall into the water with a plop.
Mi Guo, seeing this, wiped the sweat from her brow and sighed, "Sister is truly a divine archer!"
Gu Zhaobei seized this opportunity and boarded the boat.
Safety!
The soldiers firing arrows from the mountain were clearly stunned. They had likely never witnessed such exquisite archery and dared not move for a long time.
Gu Qingcheng couldn't be bothered with them any longer. She piloted the yacht and quickly sailed away from Jinsha Mountain.
Hu Lanfang, still shaken, held both of them, checking them from head to toe and anxiously asking:
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"We're fine, Mother. We're all well and have collected tens of thousands of tons of coal and a large amount of gold," Gu Qingcheng calmly reported their gains.
Hu Lanfang sighed and said, "It's a good thing you weren't harmed. No amount of money would be worth it."
Gu Zhaobei, however, was unconcerned. "Don't worry. You think I was just covering your rear for nothing? I had already noticed those people hidden in the jungle. I just didn't want to retaliate immediately. I wanted to wait until Qingcheng was safely on board before fighting back!"
Gu Zhaobei said this not to take credit, but to reassure his wife.
Gu Qingcheng was deeply touched upon hearing this.
You can always trust your parents with your back!
This is the innate trust that comes from blood relatives!
Hu Lanfang glared at Gu Zhaobei. "At a time like this, you're still so reckless. You mustn't do this again in the future."
"Got it! It was sudden, an instinctive reaction," Gu Zhaobei quickly replied with a sheepish grin.
The floodwaters were advancing rapidly, but their arrival was not without warning, making them more forgiving than the sudden onset of extreme cold.
Faced with the flood, villagers still had time to flee if they discovered it early. Therefore, as the boat sailed through the waters, they found no villagers in need of rescue.
Gu Qingcheng intended to sail back outside Jinsha City to wait for the brothers Dapeng and Xiaopeng.
As they were sailing, Hu Lanfang suddenly pointed at a mass of dark, floating objects ahead and asked Gu Zhaobei:
"Old Gu, what is that? It doesn't look like fish."
Gu Zhaobei quickly took out his binoculars. About three li ahead, the water surface was vast and boundless, but a cluster of floating debris had suddenly surfaced.
He looked through the binoculars, his expression turning grim.
Seeing his unusual demeanor, Hu Lanfang asked:
"What is it? If you don't tell me, I'll see for myself."
She picked up the binoculars, curious to look.
Gu Zhaobei gently pushed her binoculars down and said:
"Don't look."
He then turned to his daughter and said:
"Qingcheng, steer the boat in another direction. Go around that cluster of floating objects."
"Okay."
Gu Qingcheng didn't have time to ask why, but instinctively obeyed and changed the boat's course.
"What is it? You won't let me look, but you've seen it yourself and won't say."
Hu Lanfang was itching with curiosity and gave Gu Zhaobei another glare.
Gu Zhaobei sighed helplessly and said:
"Alas, those are likely bodies frozen during the extreme cold. Now that the ice has melted and the water has softened them, they've floated to the surface, clumped together, and are drifting with the current."
"My god! Is it a zombie horde?"
Gu Qingcheng's back chilled.
Bodies that had been frozen for half a year and then waterlogged would surely be a horrific sight.
Even one or two would be terrifying, let alone so many gathered together.
Gu Qingcheng couldn't help but feel a shiver down her spine and quickly had the boat speed away.
Mi Guo, who had been curious, also dared not look in that direction anymore.
Hu Lanfang became quiet upon hearing this.
Indeed, what was there to see in dead bodies?
Gu Zhaobei shook his head helplessly and said, "Going forward, the appearance of such zombie hordes will likely have an impact on everyone's health."
Gu Qingcheng said, "The floodwaters in Wangchun City are similar. I've already written to Village Chief Dai Fa, instructing him to be cautious. Any new villagers must stay in the observation area. He should follow these instructions."
"Qingcheng, your consideration is very thorough," Gu Zhaobei praised.
Mi Guo finally understood why her sister had written to Village Chief Dai the day they left.
It was to give Village Chief Dai Fa a heads-up.
The boat soon sailed far past the cluster of corpses.
Even from a distance, a foul stench wafted from the water.
Hu Lanfang felt nauseous.
Just as Gu Zhaobei was about to take out masks for everyone, Gu Qingcheng said, "Dad, there's no need. The boat's automatic filtration system has already been activated."
She had already checked the status of the boat's new system through the control panel.
Their boat had now formed a sealed air circulation system, blocking external viruses, and the odor was beginning to be filtered out.
Soon, the stench that accompanied the activation of the defense system dissipated, and Hu Lanfang finally felt her breath return, saying, "It's terrifying. If not for Qingcheng, surviving here, wave after wave, would truly not be easy!"