Well, let it be known.
The following matters were easily handled.
By the time they reached the mountain god temple, Sun Gui and the others were already waiting.
Upon seeing Chen Xiaobei, everyone nodded, acknowledging his arrival.
Sun Jian was considerate enough to have some food brought over. "Come, Brother Xiaobei, have a bite before you go."
Chen Xiaobei thought to himself, this is a way to win people over, isn't it? But I'll get lost anyway.
At this moment, Chen Xiaobei did not realize that this decision would inadvertently save his life.
As they walked further with Chen Xiaobei, Sun Jian subtly pulled Sun Gui to the rear and whispered, "Once we find the dragon's head, kill Chen Xiaobei immediately. Understand?"
Sun Gui chuckled, "Brother, don't worry. One swift stroke, and it's done."
They walked for about four or five li. Finding the path became nearly impossible, as no one had traversed it for years.
Chen Xiaobei had to rely on the varying heights of the gravel and weeds to discern where to step and where not to.
This naturally slowed their pace.
After another two li, the weeds thinned, and the ground was covered in loose stones.
Ahead, there were four or five forks in the road, with several winding paths vaguely visible.
Reaching this point, Sun Jian and the others exchanged glances and all stopped simultaneously.
Chen Xiaobei stood there, contemplating which path to take.
Recalling the words of his ancestor, he first took a few steps down the leftmost path, then looked around, feigning hesitation.
"Hmm, I can't see the mountaintop from here. Eliminate this one."
He examined each path one by one, and finally pointed to the one on the far right. "Let's take this one."
Upon hearing this, Sun Jian and Sun Gui exchanged a look of surprise.
Yes, this path was the correct one. The others were dead ends, a fact they had verified after many days of searching.
Yet, Chen Xiaobei had figured it out with ease.
This proved that the mountain child was indeed resourceful. Sun Jian's resolve to eliminate him grew stronger.
After leading them through several more forks, Chen Xiaobei began to falter.
Although his trips to the county town had improved his stamina, flat ground was entirely different from mountainous terrain.
Furthermore, they had traveled at least ten li from the mountain god temple, and he was truly exhausted.
Seeing another four forks ahead, he knew the time had come.
Chen Xiaobei stood at the first fork and could vaguely see the distant mountaintop.
But he remained composed and walked down the other paths one by one, finally pointing haphazardly down one. "Let's go this way."
Sun Jian and the others followed without the slightest suspicion.
After about two li, they encountered a small hill.
It was only about ten zhang high.
Following the path upwards, they reached the summit, only to be dumbfounded.
Ahead, the path ended, leading to a bottomless cliff.
This…
Chen Xiaobei secretly sighed, realizing his ancestor's words were spot on: paths where the mountaintop couldn't be seen were not to be taken.
He feigned disappointment and slumped onto the ground.
"Brother Sun, I'm sorry. I… I took the wrong path."
Sun Jian was magnanimous. "It's fine. Let's rest here for a while."
After resting and having some food and water, they began their return journey.
Chen Xiaobei thought, might as well go all the way and give up. He deliberately chose another wrong path.
Less than five li later, they encountered a large expanse of forest.
Looking at the dark, dense woods, Chen Xiaobei felt a twinge of fear, unsure whether to proceed.
Sun Jian, however, was cautious. He stopped Chen Xiaobei and gave Sun Gui a meaningful look.
Sun Gui understood immediately and quickly scrambled up a large tree to survey the forest from above.
After a long while, Sun Gui slid down. "Brother, this forest is vast. I can't see the end of it."
Sun Jian's expression grew grim.
He turned to Chen Xiaobei again. "Brother Xiaobei, are you sure this is the right way?"
Chen Xiaobei shook his head. "I don't know. I've never been here before. I just followed the path with fewer loose stones. But… that method doesn't seem to be working anymore."
Nonsense, these paths were all solid rock; there were no loose stones.
Sun Gui and the others all looked at Sun Jian.
Sun Jian was furious, wanting to curse.
He had clearly believed Chen Xiaobei and had not expected such an unusual method of navigation.
But now, Chen Xiaobei seemed to be losing his touch.
The repeated wrong turns made Sun Gui lose patience. He suddenly drew a dagger and approached Chen Xiaobei. "Chen Xiaobei, are you doing this on purpose?"
Chen Xiaobei looked at Sun Jian with a look of panic.
Although Sun Jian was also angry, it was not yet time to kill Chen Xiaobei. They had struggled for a long time to get this deep, and Chen Xiaobei's performance had exceeded his expectations.
Therefore, he had to continue to placate him.
"Brother Xiaobei, do you have any other methods?"
Chen Xiaobei shook his head. "I'll have to go back and ask the village elders if they have any new ideas."
Sun Jian clearly understood that Chen Xiaobei wanted to go home.
"Alright, then we'll go back, and tomorrow…"
Before he could finish, Chen Xiaobei shook his head. "Tomorrow won't work. I have to go into town to sell vegetables tomorrow."
"Your vegetables are worthless! You're delaying the matter of the Grand Tutor…" Sun Gui started to say, but Sun Jian quickly coughed and stopped him. "Alright, it's not easy for Brother Xiaobei to grow vegetables. How about we come the day after tomorrow?" he said, looking inquiringly at Chen Xiaobei.
Chen Xiaobei inwardly groaned; these people were like sticky plaster, impossible to shake off.
However, Sun Jian's words gave him an idea. Didn't the Liu family want him to watch the mountains? This was an excellent excuse.
"Brother Sun, don't worry. I'll arrange for someone to guard the foot of the mountain as soon as possible. Anyone entering or exiting will be questioned carefully. It won't delay your business."
Sun Jian was momentarily taken aback, then burst into laughter. "Good, good! Question them carefully, question them carefully."
As the saying goes, climbing a mountain is easier than descending. By the time Chen Xiaobei returned to He Tou Village, it was completely dark.
Cui Hongyu had already taken Qiao'er and hidden in the side room of the west courtyard.
Upon seeing Chen Xiaobei's return, Cui Hongyu almost cried.
"Husband, have you eaten?"
Chen Xiaobei shook his head. "That damned Sun Jian didn't invite me to dinner."
"Husband, what does 'damned' mean?" Cui Hongyu asked seriously.
This question made Chen Xiaobei quite embarrassed. "Oh, it's a way of praising someone, meaning they're smart."
Cui Hongyu, on the verge of tears, broke into a smile. "That's a strange word. If that's the case, then husband, you are also 'damned'."