Cui Hongyu couldn't help but laugh at his words.
"You've got so many pots, it's not for ginseng and lingzhi, I think you could even grow vegetables."
Chen Xiaobei chuckled, "Alright, you're right, I'll plant vegetables in these pots later."
Chatting and laughing, after lunch, Chen Xiaobei didn't have time to rest. He picked up two large bundles and, after some thought, packed two more sets of paired crossbows before heading out.
He had already told Lidong in the morning that they were going into the mountains together that afternoon.
He wanted to take Lidong to familiarize himself with the mountain paths in Hulu Valley, and then organize the villagers to quickly move the ginseng and lingzhi from the mountain.
Lidong was a little excited for his first time going into the mountains with Chen Xiaobei.
"Brother Xiaobei, how much ginseng do you think is in Hulu Valley? If we grow too much, won't it be worthless?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled faintly.
"We can't rely on just Qingniu County to consume so many high-grade medicinal herbs. To sell them at a good price, we need to go to bigger places."
"Big places?" Lidong slapped his thigh, "I know, let's go straight to the capital."
Surprisingly, Lidong's suggestion had some merit. Selling ginseng in the capital would definitely fetch a higher price than in Wannian City. However, it wasn't the right time yet.
He didn't even know how to get to the capital.
The two of them reached the Mountain God Temple in one go.
Chen Xiaobei first carefully observed the area around the Mountain God Temple.
When he came down the mountain yesterday, he had placed small stones and dry branches in inconspicuous spots around the Mountain God Temple.
If anyone came, they would inadvertently touch or step on them.
After a round of inspection, everything was normal. He was finally at ease. As long as Sun Jian and his men weren't on the mountain, they could boldly go to Hulu Valley.
Passing through the forest into Hulu Valley, Lidong was stunned by what he saw.
"Xiaobei, am I dreaming? So much ginseng and lingzhi, how did you find it?"
Chen Xiaobei shook his head helplessly, "How else could I have found it? I was forced to."
"Being dragged up the mountain by those people every day, how could I not find it?"
Chen Xiaobei squatted down and demonstrated to Lidong how to excavate.
First, he started digging in the soil about three inches away from the ginseng. When he reached a certain depth, he scooped from the bottom, and the ginseng, along with the soil, was dug out.
Then, he pulled a handful of weeds from the side, wrapped the soil around it, and secured it.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei's smooth movements, Lidong nodded and smiled, "Easy, easy, I've learned it."
Indeed, there wasn't much technical skill involved. After digging out a couple, Lidong was doing a decent job. Soon, they each dug out over a dozen ginseng roots and over a dozen lingzhi.
Four bundles, packed full.
Lidong stood up and stretched his slightly sore waist, "It looks easy, but it's tiring after doing it for a while."
Chen Xiaobei thought to himself, isn't that obvious? What isn't tiring these days?
Chatting and laughing, they carried the bundles and walked out. As soon as they entered the forest outside, they suddenly heard rustling sounds in the distance.
Chen Xiaobei immediately stopped.
"Brother Lidong, it seems someone is coming up."
After saying that, he placed the bundle in his hand into the nearby grass and was about to step forward when Lidong suddenly grabbed his hand.
"Don't go."
This was a genuine concern, coming from the heart.
Chen Xiaobei said softly, "We have to go and see what's happening." Su Dan Novel Network
Lidong also placed his bundle into the nearby grass, then stood in front of Chen Xiaobei and led the way into the forest.
Walking ahead meant facing more danger, which made Chen Xiaobei admire Lidong. This was a man with a sense of responsibility.
The two of them hid behind a large tree as thick as two people's embrace and cautiously peeked out.
A group of men in black were swarming up the mountain. Sun Jian was leading them.
Judging by their numbers, there were over a hundred people.
What made him even stranger was that despite so many people, not a single one spoke. The atmosphere was extremely oppressive. Sun Jian and Sun Gui just walked forward with their heads down, silent.
Chen Xiaobei inwardly felt lucky. Fortunately, he had come down the mountain a little later. If he had come down earlier and run into these people, who knew what would have happened.
As they walked, Sun Jian suddenly stopped.
He turned his head and looked back at the crowd behind him.
"What do you think of the terrain here?"
Two people stepped forward and looked around.
"Big brother, if we were to set up an ambush here, they could only retreat that way."
He pointed in the direction of Hulu Valley, where Chen Xiaobei and the others were.
Sun Jian nodded, "That's right, they will definitely go that way. You will lead some men to ambush in the woods and cut off their retreat."
Then, he turned to another person, "You lead some men back two miles to set up an ambush. Come out only when you hear us make our move."
Finally, he turned to Sun Gui, "You lead your men to the front, hide behind that small slope. Remember to use crossbow bolts to kill them if possible. Avoid close combat; they are desperate men, and we would be at a disadvantage in hand-to-hand combat."
After all the arrangements were made, Sun Jian pointed to the canyon on the left. "I will lead my men to hide down there. After you make your move, we will be responsible for throwing poisonous smoke up to knock them out."
Hearing Sun Jian's plan, Chen Xiaobei's legs trembled with fear.
If anyone really fell into their ambush, they would be doomed.
Both the path up the mountain and the path down the mountain were blocked.
On one side was a cliff, and on the other was a narrow path leading to Hulu Valley.
But it was clear that there was an ambush in Hulu Valley as well.
Not only was there an ambush in Hulu Valley, but poisonous smoke would also be thrown up from the bottom of the cliff. How could they possibly escape?
But these were not Chen Xiaobei's main concerns. What worried him the most was, if their opponents didn't come for a while, when would he be able to go home?
Even more importantly, if it got dark and he and Lidong didn't return, would Cui Hongyu do a repeat of when he went looking for Chen Ping, and lead people into the mountains?
If that happened, the trouble would be immense.
Seeing the men in black approaching, the two of them quickly picked up their bundles and carefully retreated. They retreated all the way into Hulu Valley and then further into the grove of eucommia, only then did they finally breathe a long sigh of relief.
"Brother Lidong, this is trouble. If we can't get back by dark, and what if Cui Hongyu brings people to look for us and runs into these people? Will we even survive?"
Hearing his words, Lidong was also at a loss, "What should we do? Should we look for another exit ahead?"
Chen Xiaobei glanced at the distant woods, "Okay, be careful, don't alert those people."
The two of them cautiously moved forward, half-crouched in the eucommia bushes, inching their way forward until they were far away.
Only when they could no longer see the entrance in the distance did they finally relax and straighten up.
However, by this time, the sky had begun to darken.