Everyone immediately busied themselves, and after considerable effort, they cleared a patch of open ground.
Beneath the ground was soil.
This surprised Chen Xiaobei a little.
He suddenly recalled that the bottom of the canyon near the Mountain God Temple was also soil. Could it lead there?
Thinking of this, Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but become excited.
Seeing the dejected group, he knew he had to use psychological tactics to boost their morale.
"Everyone, I think we should be out soon. I remember the canyon beneath the Mountain God Temple had soil at its base. I believe we can make our way back there."
Upon hearing his words, everyone's eyes sparkled with renewed excitement.
Ma Biao perked up, searched around, and brought back a few wild game.
There were dead branches and leaves nearby, so roasting them was not a problem.
Eating the fragrant barbecue, everyone chatted, and the atmosphere became lively again.
Only Liu Rumei quietly pulled Chen Xiaobei aside and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure it leads to the Mountain God Temple?"
Chen Xiaobei knew Liu Rumei was worried about taking a wrong turn. He chuckled wryly, "Actually, I don't know, but I have a feeling it might."
Hearing his words, Liu Rumei's expression suddenly became serious. "Thank you. Your words just now gave everyone great confidence. Do you know what to do next?"
Chen Xiaobei understood. The next step was to continue painting a rosy picture.
"I know. Don't worry, I know what to do."
Meanwhile, at Hetou Village, at the foot of Qingniu Mountain.
Ma Xiaoyi was arranged by Liu Rumei to stay and guard the home, along with seven or eight members of the Liu family.
While they were eating, a carrier pigeon suddenly flapped its wings and landed in the courtyard.
Ma Xiaoyi put down his chopsticks, walked into the courtyard, took the secret message from the pigeon, put the pigeon back in its cage, and returned to the house.
He glanced at the secret message and was so stunned that he remained frozen for a long time.
Seeing him like this, Ma Xiaogang asked in surprise, "Brother Xiaoyi, what's wrong?"
Ma Xiaoyi did not reply, but handed over the secret message.
Ma Xiaogang took it and couldn't help but read softly, "The Second Young Master's coffin was robbed, and everyone except Liu Ziming is unaccounted for."
What?
Everyone present exclaimed in unison.
"Brother, what should we do?" everyone surrounded Ma Xiaoyi.
Ma Xiaoyi, being a few years older, quickly calmed down from his panic.
"Prepare to go up the mountain immediately and find Miss."
"But it's late at night!" Ma Xiaogang sounded a little worried.
Ma Xiaoyi shook his head. "We have to go, even at night."
"Oh, right, let's ask Chen Xiaobei for help!" Ma Xiaogang suddenly had an idea.
Ma Xiaoyi bolted out without another word.
They didn't know Chen Xiaobei hadn't returned, so they went to Chen Xiaobei's courtyard. Ma Xiaoyi raised his hand and gently knocked on the courtyard door.
Inside the courtyard, Cui Hongyu, Shen Ziyan, Huang Ying, Chen Qiao'er, and others were having dinner.
Seeing Ma Xiaoyi, Cui Hongyu smiled and asked, "May I ask what you need?"
"I'm looking for Chief Chen. May I ask where he is?" Ma Xiaoyi was very polite.
A hint of surprise appeared on Cui Hongyu's face. Don't you know?
"My husband is on Qingniu Mountain, and he should be with your Miss Liu right now."
Ma Xiaoyi was a little surprised to hear this. He cupped his fists again and said, "I have an urgent matter and need to go up the mountain to find my Miss. I need a guide. Can you introduce one?"
Cui Hongyu frowned upon hearing this.
"It's getting late. If you want to go into the mountains, you'll have to wait until tomorrow. By the way, you might as well ask Brother Li Dong."
Ma Xiaoyi thanked her and left with a look of disappointment.
Watching him leave, Huang Ying suddenly asked, "Brother Xiaobei should be back tomorrow, right?"
Cui Hongyu nodded. "Yes, tomorrow is the third day. He should be back."
Hearing this, a flash of excitement appeared in Huang Ying's eyes.
"That's great."
Just as she was about to say more, Shen Ziyan subtly kicked her foot.
Huang Ying then stopped.
At this time, Chen Lidong was also troubled after hearing Ma Xiaoyi's request.
"Brother Xiaoyi, I'm really sorry. No one dares to go up the mountain this late at night. How about I personally accompany you tomorrow morning?"
Ma Xiaoyi was a little anxious and took out a silver note from his pocket. "I'll give you five hundred taels of silver. Is that acceptable? Five hundred taels of silver is enough to buy a house in the capital."
As the saying goes, money makes the mare go. Seeing the generous reward, Chen Lidong was tempted.
"Alright, but there's one condition. I'll have to make some arrangements if we enter the mountain in the latter half of the night."
"Okay, then I'll go back and get ready. See you later."
The next day, Chen Xiaobei and the others didn't wake up until the sun shone into the canyon.
The reason they slept so soundly was the exhaustion from consecutive days of effort, and the leaves here were very warm and comfortable, allowing them to sleep soundly.
The group lazily got up, ate something, and then continued walking.
However, after walking for a short while, everyone's spirits flagged again.
The leaves were still knee-deep, making it impossible to advance. Every step was extremely strenuous.
At this point, Liu Rumei was also a bit disheartened, but knowing that everyone was discouraged, she had to persevere. She came to Chen Xiaobei's side and deliberately smiled, asking, "Chief Xiaobei, how much farther do we have to go?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled calmly. "Soon, soon. I estimate it will take until noon."
Hearing this, everyone's confidence was rekindled. Su Dan Novels.
However, they walked until noon, and the leaves were still this thick. During lunch, Liu Rumei called Ma Biao aside and instructed him in a low voice.
Ma Biao nodded. He stood up and said to everyone, "You rest. I'll go ahead and scout the way."
Saying this, he leaped onto the treetops. Using his Qinggong, he disappeared with a few leaps.
The group rested for a while. Seeing that Ma Biao had not returned, Liu Rumei smiled and said, "Let's not wait. We'll walk slowly ahead."
With the belief that Ma Biao was scouting ahead, everyone mustered their strength and pushed forward.
After walking for about another hour, they saw Ma Biao coming towards them from the front. "In a few more miles, the leaves will gradually get shallower. We should be out soon."
Hearing this, everyone's spirits were lifted again, and they quickened their pace.
Ma Biao was not lying this time. After walking another two or three miles, they could feel the leaves becoming shallower and lighter. Finally, before dark, they exited the area of fallen leaves.
Beyond this area, the terrain was rocky and uneven, with few trees.
It seemed they were about to get out, but this also made Chen Xiaobei's heart sink. It seemed they wouldn't reach the Mountain God Temple.
Since he didn't know how far they had walked, Chen Xiaobei couldn't estimate their current location.