Chapter 57: Escape
Editor: Atlas Studios
In spite of his embarrassment, Fang Zhuzi said shamelessly, “It was just a slip of the tongue. The two of us discovered it together.”
Liu Yuan looked at them with a dark expression and said irritably, “Alright, I don’t want a share. Quickly pack up and come back with me. We’re leaving.”
Fang Zhuzi pursed his lips and said disdainfully, “Do you know what we found?” As he spoke, he moved aside and pointed at a plant on the ground. “This is ginseng. And from the looks of it, it’s at least this old. If we dig this up, Dazhuang and I will be able to eat our fill and wear warm clothes even if we don’t work for the rest of our lives.”
Liu Yuan looked at the plant on the ground in surprise. “This is ginseng? How do you know?”
Liu Dazhuang touched his head in embarrassment as he said, “My father has been in poor health for the past two years. When I went to the pharmacy to buy ginseng roots for him, I saw someone selling freshly dug ginseng. I think this one looks very similar. But we don’t know how to dig it out and are afraid of damaging it. I heard from the shopkeeper that if we dig up damaged ginseng, the value will be reduced by at least half.” That was why they had delayed for so long. They really didn’t know where to start.
At this moment, Liu Yuan also hesitated. This was the legendary ginseng. “Why don’t we call Ah Ling over? Since she often comes into the mountains, she might know how to go about doing it.”
“No way.” Fang Zhuzi refused decisively and said, “If we let her do it, will we still have a share?”
“Cousin, what are you talking about? Is Ah Ling that kind of person?”
Fang Zhuzi spat and said, “She made it clear that she doesn’t get along with me, her uncle. If we really call her over, even if we don’t give her a share, she might even deliberately damage the ginseng while digging it out. When that time comes, it’d be no use even if we cry.”
Liu Dazhuang disagreed with a frown. “Ah Ling isn’t that kind of person. Brother Zhuzi, you’re thinking too much.” He really regretted coming out to relieve himself with Fang Zhuzi. If it were anyone else, there wouldn’t be so much trouble.
Liu Yuan waved his hand impatiently and said, “Alright, alright. You can decide what to do. But there’s not much time left. Eldest Cousin is urging us to leave…”
Mu Yangling was lying on the grass with her eyes closed to rest, her ears close to the grass as she listened to the various movements in the mountains. Under the warm sunlight, she was about to fall asleep when she suddenly heard an explosion, causing her to jump up in fright.
Shocked by Mu Yangling’s actions, Liu Ting and the others were hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong?”
Instead of answering, Mu Yangling lay back down on the grass again to listen to the commotion. The muffled sound traveled through the ground to her ears. After confirming it, Mu Yangling jumped up and said, “Quickly pack up and leave. Don’t make too much noise. There’s a ferocious beast. Hurry!”
Liu Ting’s expression changed slightly. “Zhuzi and Dazhuang went to relieve themselves and haven’t returned yet. Ah Yuan went to look for them.”
Mu Yangling’s expression was ugly. “Which direction did they go? Didn’t I tell everyone not to go far?”
Everyone looked at Liu Ting and Mu Yangling eagerly, suppressing the fear in their hearts. The forest had always been a dangerous place to everyone. If Mu Yangling did not bring them along, they would definitely not dare to enter the mountain. Although everything had been going smoothly during this period of time, they had seen wolves leave as they laid in the grass. They had also seen how Mu Yangling avoided the ferocious beasts. Seeing the change in her expression, they knew that the so-called ferocious beast was definitely not a jackal or a wild boar. They did not dare to think about it.
Because of Fang Zhuzi and Liu Dazhuang, they couldn’t leave immediately. The team members instantly became restless.
Mu Yangling said in a low voice, “I’ll go find them and bring them back. Take them out first. Remember, don’t shout on the way. If anything happens, blow the whistle I gave you.”
As she spoke, she turned and ran in the direction of Liu Yuan and the others.
Liu Ting’s expression was dark as he waved his hand. “Let’s go.”
The few of them carried their things and ran out behind Liu Ting. It would take at least an hour to exit the mountain.
After running for a while, Mu Yangling saw that the three of them were arguing about something. Gritting her teeth in anger, she ran forward to grab Liu Yuan’s arm and roared in a low voice, “What are you guys doing here? There’s a ferocious beast coming. Let’s leave quickly.”
The three of them were shocked. Fang Zhuzi jumped out and said, “No, we still have things to do.”
“Shut up. I brought you in, so you have to get out right now. Hurry up and leave.”
However, Fang Zhuzi frowned and said, “Who are you lying to? I’ve been in the mountains for so long, but I’ve never seen a ferocious beast. If you want to leave, go ahead. I’m not leaving.”
Liu Yuan also said, “Ah Ling, your uncle and the others found a piece of ginseng. Shall we dig it up before leaving?”
Not wasting her breath on them, Mu Yangling said, “There are two ferocious beasts fighting not far away. If I’m not wrong, it should be the female tiger and the black bear. Do you want to leave or stay? If you want to leave, follow me. If you decide to stay, that’s up to you. When we entered the mountain back then, we agreed that you would either listen to me or fend for yourself. I won’t be responsible.”
With that, Mu Yangling turned around and left. If they were her comrades, she would have long whipped them. She hated soldiers who didn’t listen to orders the most.
Seeing this, Liu Yuan followed Mu Yangling without thinking. Liu Dazhuang hesitated for a moment and hurriedly chased after her. As he did so, he turned around and pulled Fang Zhuzi. “Let’s go quickly. Ah Ling can’t be wrong.”
Considering Mu Yangling had been entering the mountains every day for more than three years, her judgment was unlikely to be wrong.
Fang Zhuzi’s expression was ugly. He looked at the ginseng on the ground and then at the three people who were gradually disappearing. Finally, he stomped his feet, squatted down, and quickly dug with his hands.
Roar! Roar! A tiger’s roar sounded.
“Oh my god!” Fang Zhuzi was so frightened that he fell to the ground, his face pale. He raised his head and looked around. The forest was silent, and he was the only one left. Although he no longer heard the tiger’s voice, the tiger’s roar just now seemed to be exploding in his ears still.
Without thinking, Fang Zhuzi threw down the ginseng on the ground and stumbled towards Mu Yangling and the others.
Having also heard the tiger’s roar, Liu Yuan hurriedly pulled Mu Yangling back. “Ah Ling, we can’t leave your uncle there alone. I’ll go back and pick him up.”
Mu Yangling snorted and said, “Don’t worry. Based on how timid he is, he’ll definitely catch up. Now that he heard the tiger’s roar, he must be running over here with all his might. Let’s just walk slower and wait for him to catch up.”
Liu Yuan felt uneasy, unsure if Mu Yangling was right. But seeing how insistent she was, he continued following behind her. After a short while, Mu Yangling stopped and turned around.
Liu Yuan and Liu Dazhuang quickly turned around and saw Fang Zhuzi stumbling over. When he saw them, he shouted, “Why didn’t you wait for me? If I die, can you afford to compensate me?”
“Shut up!” With an ashen face, Mu Yangling glared at him and said, “If you dare to shout at me again, I’ll shoot you. Do you think the tiger isn’t fast enough?”
Mu Yangling glanced at his crotch, turned around, and quickly said, “Let’s go quickly. We have to catch up to Uncle Ting.”
Fang Zhuzi complained, “I’m your uncle after all. Why did you leave me there?”
As Mu Yangling ran, she said sarcastically, “Didn’t you take the initiative to stay? Besides, there are ten other people here. If anything happens to them, see if the villagers won’t skin you alive. You think they’ll choose to save you over ten other people? Obviously not.” Seeing that he was about to flare up, Mu Yangling quickly said, “I’m going to sprint now. Those who can catch up will live. If you can’t catch up and get caught by the female tiger, I won’t be able to save you.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Yangling bolted out like an arrow.
Liu Yuan and Liu Dazhuang hurriedly ran after her. Fang Zhuzi gritted his teeth and could only hold his breath as he chased after them, not daring to stay.
The four of them quickly caught up with the people in front. When Liu Ting saw Mu Yangling and the rest catching up, he heaved a sigh of relief and ran over. “We heard a tiger’s roar just now.”
“Quickly get out of here. I believe the black bear is fighting with the female tiger. Let’s leave quickly, in case they come over.”
With Mu Yangling leading the way and controlling their speed, the group walked out even faster. However, Mu Yangling still heard increasingly louder sounds. This indicated that the two big creatures were heading this way.
Mu Yangling’s expression was ugly. As she ran, she tore off a sack from Liu Ting’s body and said to them, “Quickly run out. We’ll be out in another half an hour. Meanwhile, I’ll lure them away using the rabbits.”
“No, it’s too dangerous. Let’s leave together.” Liu Ting growled softly.
When Mu Yangling heard the increasingly loud commotion, she said, “Shut up. Are you guys faster than me? You’ll only be a burden if you follow me. Hurry up and run out.” As she spoke, she rushed out towards the east.
Liu Ting gritted his teeth and stomped his feet. “Let’s leave quickly. Liu Li, Liu Yong, hand us the things. You two run out and find Rocky1. Tell him to enter the mountain and bring Ah Ling out.”