“The Mount Shi Fang should be just ahead.”
After leaving Bibo Prefecture, walking a little further, continuous mountain ranges appeared in the distance.
These mountains stretched endlessly, and from afar, they looked as if ink had been splashed upon them, dyeing them a deep black.
However, this splashed ink was not heavy, and when one looked at it, one only felt a sense of stunning beauty.
At this moment, if one were to compare a landscape painting by an artist with the scenery before them, they would realize that the ink-like mountains and rivers in the painting were realistic.
He Xiuyuan gazed at the beautiful mountain scenery in the distance, paused for a moment, and then continued on his way.
Initially, after seeing the Mount Shi Fang, He Xiuyuan felt that he was very close to them.
However, what He Xiuyuan did not expect was that he walked towards the distant mountains for three days before he felt that the Mount Shi Fang were a little closer, giving him the feeling of being at their foot.
When the sun hung in the west in the distance, the afterglow of the setting sun passed through the Mount Shi Fang, turning into streaks of rosy light that pierced through the mountains, and at this moment, countless birds flew by, making the scenery before He Xiuyuan truly magnificent.
Seeing this scenery, He Xiuyuan could not help but stop to admire it, his face showing a hint of amazement.
“If Du Linhui were here, he would definitely paint this beautiful scenery.”
He Xiuyuan paused for a moment, looking at the beautiful scenery before him, and thought of Du Linhui; his painting skills were quite good.
After admiring it for a moment, He Xiuyuan continued to walk forward, and soon saw wisps of cooking smoke rising in the distance.
There was still a village at the foot of the Mount Shi Fang.
Upon seeing this, He Xiuyuan immediately walked towards the village, wanting to inquire if there had truly been Cultivators in the Mount Shi Fang before; the best way was to ask the local people.
A moment later, He Xiuyuan arrived alone at the entrance of the village.
When Da Huang in the village noticed a stranger approaching, it opened its mouth, ready to bark.
However, when He Xiuyuan’s eyes looked towards Da Huang, Da Huang whimpered, then wagged its tail, trotted to He Xiuyuan, and let out a fawning low growl.
He Xiuyuan was also stunned by this, and then, amused, he stroked Da Huang’s head.
“Da Huang, what is the name of your village?”
Da Huang heard this, and it was unclear if it understood He Xiuyuan’s question, but it whimpered continuously at He Xiuyuan.
“Da Huang!”
Just as He Xiuyuan was stroking Da Huang and surveying the surroundings of the village, a tender voice suddenly rang out.
He Xiuyuan looked in the direction of the voice and saw several children looking at him warily, beckoning Da Huang to return.
Da Huang heard the voice and hesitated, looking up at He Xiuyuan.
The children in the distance called out again.
Upon seeing this, Da Huang finally turned and ran back, and once it returned to the child’s feet, the child slapped Da Huang on the head.
Then, the child made dissatisfied noises at Da Huang, but the accent was likely a local dialect, which He Xiuyuan could not quite understand.
However, judging by the expression, it seemed to be displeased with Da Huang being so intimate with a stranger.
He Xiuyuan stood for a moment, and after seeing the child finish scolding Da Huang, he stepped forward and said,
“Excuse me, what is the name of this village?”
He had not seen any stone tablet at the village entrance earlier, which left He Xiuyuan unsure of the village’s name.
The child before him looked at He Xiuyuan with a wary expression upon hearing this.
“We are Shifang Village. Who are you, and what are you doing in our village?”
The child before him was now full of vigilance.
He Xiuyuan, meanwhile, was recalling that the map indeed marked a village called Shifang Village.
This village was the closest village to the Mount Shi Fang; beyond this village was the Mount Shi Fang, and there were no other villages within the mountains.
It was said that there were many fierce beasts in the Mount Shi Fang, so no village could reside within the Mount Shi Fang.
He Xiuyuan thought of this and immediately breathed a sigh of relief; he had finally found the place.
If that was the case, the villagers here should be most familiar with what happened in the Mount Shi Fang in the past.
Thinking of this, He Xiuyuan was about to bend down to ask the child before him something, but at this moment, villagers in the distance had finished their work in the fields and were walking towards them.
Seeing a stranger in the village, several adults immediately walked over, looking at He Xiuyuan warily.
“Young man, where are you from, and what are you doing in our Shifang Village?”
At this moment, an old man, leaning on a cane, slowly approached and asked He Xiuyuan.
“Elder, I am from Peach Blossom Town, traveling around and have come to this place. Do you think I could stay here for a period of time?”
If He Xiuyuan was not mistaken, the old man before him should be the village head here.
If he wanted to stay here, he would need the other party’s permission.
Indeed, as He Xiuyuan’s words fell, the old village head before him scrutinized He Xiuyuan with his cloudy eyes, as if probing something.
He Xiuyuan allowed him to do so.
“Young man…”
The old village head looked at He Xiuyuan, about to say something, when suddenly a surprised voice came from afar.
“Brother, it’s you!”
The speaker ran excitedly to the front, then came before He Xiuyuan, and then stared at He Xiuyuan with a joyful expression, sizing him up and down.
He Xiuyuan turned his head at the sound, and when he saw the familiar figure, he was also stunned.
The person who came was actually the young porter he had encountered earlier while traveling in the mountains.
At that time, the other party had almost fallen off a cliff, and He Xiuyuan reached out and grabbed him, preventing him from falling down the mountain.
He had not expected to see him again here.
“Village Head, this is a friend I met on the road before. If it weren’t for him, I would have died.”
Shitian Yu was truly grateful to He Xiuyuan.
However, at that time, He Xiuyuan left directly after reaching the foot of the mountain, and he had no way to thank He Xiuyuan.
But fortunately, He Xiuyuan had actually come to his village; now there was indeed an opportunity!
Thinking of this, he looked excited.
“Is that so?”
The village head, who had originally intended to refuse, heard what his villager said, and the expression on his face instantly became amiable.
His cloudy eyes even held a hint of kindness when looking at He Xiuyuan.
“I didn’t expect you to have such a connection with our village. In that case, if you want to stay in our village for a few days, there’s naturally no problem!”
Their own village’s child had been saved, so they certainly couldn’t turn away the savior.