"Hehe, Old Yao, your legs are quite nimble, huh?"

Down the mountain, Qi Yun looked at Yao Yuzhong, who appeared dejected and lifeless, speaking with a mocking tone.

Yao Yuzhong stood up, dusted off his hands, and finally stopped pretending, speaking bluntly: "I admit defeat, do with me as you wish." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Qi Yun stared at him for a while, then sat down on a rock, pulled out a cigarette box and lit one up: "Tell me, why did you ditch us and sneak off here on your own?"

Yao Yuzhong remained silent, seemingly ready to give up.

"What’s wrong, don’t feel like talking?"

Qi Yun chuckled softly, and slowly continued, "I’m not a very patient person, I fast-forward through movies, and what I hate most is mind games."

"So, you’d better not play tricks with me, or else you might not even have the chance to go back and do time."

By the end of that sentence, his voice had turned cold, with a tone full of menace.

Yao Yuzhong felt a chill in his heart and shivered, knowing Qi Yun was not bluffing.

Considering he could call someone like Qin Sizhi to do his bidding, his background was likely far more complex than it seemed. Burying him in this mountain forever would be as simple as a word.

"I... I don’t want to go back to jail, so I ran away while you were sleeping."

"If you don’t want jail, why come here?" Qi Yun glanced at him, his gaze unfriendly, "Don’t play dumb, Old Yao, you’re a smart man, say something I want to hear."

Yao Yuzhong gritted his teeth, weighed the situation for two seconds, then seemed deflated, hoarsely replied, "I deliberately pointed you in the wrong direction, there’s an underground river over there too, hoping to delay you."

"This area has many water systems; even Qin Sizhi, unfamiliar with the terrain, would find it hard to detect quickly."

"I planned to use this time to take some treasure from the cave and hide out in the east."

This outcome did not surprise Qi Yun; he sternly questioned, "With no equipment, how do you plan to avoid the cave’s snake swarms?"

"Or is it... there’s no snake swarm in the cave, have you been lying to me from the start?"

"I haven’t lied to you." Yao Yuzhong shook his head, taking out petals from his pocket, the same ones used last night on Niu Da, lullaby flowers and snake grass.

"After narrowly escaping here years ago, I inflexibly went to the Li Family’s chief mansion, where I found a note with methods to repel snake swarms, using these two kinds of flowers and grasses."

"The juice from mixing and crushing them not only can make people dizzy and numb, but snakes also hate the pungent smell and will avoid it."

"So, I wanted to try this method to see if I could successfully reach deeper inside..."

Qi Yun squinted after hearing this, realizing from when they first entered the mountain, Old Yao had been plotting. He feigned being crippled, requesting breaks to rest, which was likely when he collected these petals when Niu Da wasn’t watching.

"You sure this method works?"

"Not sure... but I think it should work."

Qi Yun averted his gaze, pondered briefly, and stood up, patting Yao Yuzhong on the shoulder: "Old Yao, you have one chance, don’t ruin it."

Yao Yuzhong bowed his head after two seconds of silence and responded, "Yes, I remember."

After sorting things out, Qi Yun found Qin Sizhi to discuss, telling him what Yao Yuzhong said, asking if those two plants truly have snake-repelling effects.

After analyzing, Qin Sizhi believed that it was likely true and expressed willingness to search for the two plants nearby with his apprentice.

Qi Yun did not object, letting Brother Quan take An Zai along with them.

After they left, Qi Yun turned his gaze toward the mountain in front, where a two-meter tall and three-meter wide cave entrance lay. An underground river water flowed out continuously, forming a small creek below, winding through the valley.

Vines and moss surrounded the edges of the cave entrance, dark and grim, like a silent giant mouth. Looking inside, only boundless darkness could be seen, eerie and intimidating.

"Is this the entrance to the cave?" Qi Yun asked Yao Yuzhong.

Yao Yuzhong dully replied, "Yes, right there."

Qi Yun said no more, signaling the eagle to return Yao Yuzhong’s original gear to him.

"Eat something first, organize the equipment, leave anything unnecessary outside."

Since it’s unclear if Yao Yuzhong’s method truly works, it’s best to enter light, carrying only essential weapons and tools, as too much weight could hinder movement and be dangerous.

After resting for about two hours, Brother Quan and Qin Sizhi returned, carrying a plastic bag filled with lullaby flowers and snake grass.

"Thank you for your hard work." Qi Yun stood up to greet them.

Qin Sizhi waved his hand, handing the bag to Qi Yun: "This should be enough, later crush them and apply the juice to exposed skin, avoiding the face."

"Alright." Qi Yun tasked Brother Quan to prepare it.

Seeing no one around, Qin Sizhi leaned in a bit closer and quietly said, "Mr. Qi, let us lead when we enter."

Qi Yun hadn’t expected him to volunteer, smiled and nodded: "Alright, I’ll rely on you two then."

"You’re too kind, Mr. Qi." Qin Sizhi stroked his beard and explained, "My apprentice and I have traveled extensively, explored many ancient tombs, and have some experience dealing with various traps and mechanisms."