knife

Chapter 389 Danger is all around us
The cave wasn't big, but thankfully it was quite dry, though there was a musty smell that wasn't very pleasant. But it was still much better than the biting cold outside. And judging by the weather, it was probably going to rain tonight; getting wet would be awful.

With a broken leg and limited mobility, Han Zheng leaned against the cave wall. Jiang Ping disappeared for a while, but when she returned, she took out some pine nuts and dried fruit from her bosom and handed them to him.

"Let's fill our stomachs."

"Where did you get this?" Han Zheng asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I raided a few squirrel burrows!" Jiang Ping smiled and waved a dried fruit in her hand. She squeezed it, and with a snap, the hard shell broke, revealing the snow-white kernel inside. She popped it into her mouth and chewed it with a crunching sound.

"Those squirrels must hate you to death. Why didn't you bring them all along? At least you could have had some meat!" Han Zheng looked at the dried fruit in his hand and said helplessly as he peeled the shells, "How many of these would it take to fill my stomach!"

"This is for your survival, not for you to eat!" Jiang Ping sneered. "I got those squirrels, but I can't cook them. Would you eat them raw, bloody, and spiky?"

"Then forget it!" Han Zheng waved his hands repeatedly. "With such a big mountain, if we hide in such a small place, it'll be like finding a needle in a haystack for our enemies to find us, won't it?"

“We might not get anything, or we might catch them red-handed. There’s always a chance of something going wrong, so we should try our best to be as thorough as possible in everything we do!” Jiang Ping said.

"Jiang Jiang, I feel you're quite different from a few years ago!" Han Zheng looked at Jiang Ping sitting opposite him. "When Master Jiang was still around, I couldn't tell, but since we came ashore, what you say, do, and are capable of are all very different from the Jiang Jiang I remember!"

"Girls change a lot as they grow up. Do you think I'm as stagnant as you are after all these years?" Jiang Ping rolled her eyes.

Han Zheng gave a wry smile: "That's true. The people who taught you are all the most powerful people in the world, and your cousin is the most powerful person in the world. Even if you don't want to learn, just being around them and being influenced by what you hear and see will allow you to learn a lot."

Jiang Ping scoffed: "Han Tan isn't bad either, it's just that you really are as your father said, you've become a bit silly from studying too much. But you're silly in a naive way, silly in a cute way."

"I'm not stupid!" Han Zheng said angrily, "I don't believe that there are truly no righteous and chivalrous people in this world. They must exist, it's just that we haven't met them yet."

"Are you still upset about what I said about Li Bao earlier?" Jiang Ping asked with a smile.

“I think he’s a really good person!” Han Zheng said.

"Do you still think he'll definitely come looking for us?" Jiang Ping asked.

"I just think he should be a very loyal friend!" Han Zheng said stubbornly, but he wasn't sure if Li Bao would really come looking for him.

"What's your relationship with him?" Jiang Ping waved her hand with a smile: "Eat more, then go to sleep and take good care of yourself."

Han Zheng slowly peeled the pine nuts, but instead of eating them, he placed them on a leaf in front of him.

Jiang Ping crawled out of the cave and somehow got hold of several fist-sized spiders. She placed them on the edge of the cave, and then Han Zheng stared blankly as the large spiders began to spin webs at the cave entrance.

“This…” he pointed to the giant spider.

"It's just a disguise. Let's hide deeper inside. Even if someone sees this hole, they won't suspect that someone is hiding inside just because they see these big spiders!"

Han Zheng nodded repeatedly, feeling that he had learned another trick.

He peeled a large handful of pine nuts, carefully picked them up, and handed them to Jiang Ping: "Jiang Jiang, thank you for your hard work, have some!"

Jiang Ping didn't stand on ceremony. She grabbed the pine nuts and put them to her mouth. With a flick of her small tongue, she ate most of the pine nuts that Han Zheng had painstakingly peeled for a while.

"Jiang Jiang, if we can escape this time, we'll have lived and died together!" Han Zheng said happily.

Seeing this guy's mood fluctuate between depression and elation, Jiang Ping snorted, "Who wants to live and die with you?"

Han Zheng chuckled. He was used to being teased, so he wasn't angry. He closed his eyes to rest. Perhaps he was really tired. He had only intended to take a nap, but after a while, he actually fell asleep.

Sitting opposite him, Jiang Ping looked at Han Zheng, who was fast asleep, and smiled. She stretched out a finger and poked Han Zheng, who tilted his head and snored even louder.

Jiang Ping stood up, walked out of the cave, and listened carefully. What she heard was not only the sound of the wind, but also the howling of wolves, the roaring of tigers, and the barking of dogs.

There were nearly twenty people searching, accompanied by two large dogs.

The two dogs were naturally the ones leading the way.

There were many of Han Zheng's clothes and personal belongings on the ship. With these items and the first place Han Zheng landed when he disembarked, Liu Chuang and the others followed the lead of Gouzi and searched for him.

"Are you sure you can handle this dog?" Liu Chuang asked the old man walking the dog with some doubt.

It was the second day, and they still hadn't found Han Zheng. It was getting dark again.

"Master Liu, there's absolutely no problem. My dog's search for people is always successful. As long as what you bring is correct, it will definitely be found."

"Of course the product is correct."

“Then there’s no problem!” the old man said. “These clothes are also scented. If the clothes that person is wearing now were also scented with this kind of fragrance, then it will be even easier to find them.”

"Then hurry up and lead the way!" Liu Chuang turned around and glanced at He Ziming in the group.

The gang leader looked very unhappy.

What was originally thought to be a sure thing has now turned into something rather absurd. If they can't catch the culprit and silence them, this matter can no longer be hidden. In the end, when He Zudao and his group hold them accountable, Zhang Quanyi will probably be pushed out as the scapegoat.

If the Grand Canal Gang were truly doomed, then their own people would naturally not survive either.

Led by the dog, the group traversed dense forests and crossed mountain peaks, continuing their journey forward.

Unbeknownst to He Ziming, a person had been following him unhurriedly. This person not only possessed martial arts skills far surpassing his own, but also excelled in concealment and disguise—these were among the most outstanding individuals in the world. This person was none other than Li Dachui.

Now, of course, he couldn't find Jiang Ping and Han Zheng either. Just as Han Zheng said, in such a remote mountain area, trying to find two people who were intentionally hiding was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

If Li Dachui had brought those divine eagles trained outside the Great Wall, he could naturally soar high in the sky to track them, but now, even though he is a master of innate cultivation, he is helpless.

However, while he had no choice, these gangs might not necessarily have no choice.

So he followed behind He Yiming, hoping to see if these local bullies could come up with any solutions.

The Canal Gang did not disappoint him. Several ferocious-looking hunting dogs were brought out. Seeing the Canal Gang members take out Han Zheng's clothes, Li Dachui could only exclaim, "Wow, that's brilliant!"

Han Zheng's clothes are exquisite, all scented. To Gouzi, they are like beacons in the darkness, making him easy to find!
Following their lead, Li Dachui planned to rescue the two teenagers once again when they were in dire straits, thus solidifying his position as their savior.

Now that he's at least a ninth-grade Xuan Yuan, it's not unreasonable for him to defeat He Yiming, who was injured at the ninth grade.

That old bastard is still wearing his slingshot!

The dog suddenly started barking wildly, struggling to break free from the person behind it, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

"They must be not far from here!" the old man leading the dog exclaimed in delight.

"Unleash the dogs! Unleash the dogs!" Liu Chuang shouted, and He Yiming's eyes lit up as well.

The old man loosened the rope from the dogs' heads, and the two large dogs barked wildly as they ran forward, with Liu Chuang and the other martial arts experts immediately following closely behind.

Li Dachui watched the figure disappearing into the distance and was about to get up when a thought suddenly struck him, and he immediately hid himself again.

An extremely bad feeling made his heart tremble slightly; this intuition had saved his life countless times before.

Li Dachui found it strange.

Since advancing to the Innate Realm, this feeling has never reappeared. Even during the battle with the Tang family patriarch in Shu, I didn't feel anything special.

What danger could there be here?
As I was deep in thought, the mournful whimper of a dog suddenly came from afar.

Li Dachui was taken aback.

Immediately following was the old man's heart-wrenching cries: "Dazhuang, Erzhuang, what's wrong with you?"

The dog is dead!

How could a dog that was just jumping around so much die?

He was killed, of course.

Who could possibly kill two dogs in front of a Xuan Yuan Ninth Rank peak expert like He Yiming?
He is naturally a master.

Li Dachui suddenly realized where the source of that earlier sense of danger was.

Having completely concealed his aura, Li Dachui hid himself entirely.

Just now, I sensed an unknown danger, so it's possible that the other party didn't sense it either.

He Yiming squatted in front of the two large dog corpses, his face extremely grim.

The dog was killed right in front of him.

He Yiming picked up the dead dog and found no wounds. He placed his hand on the dog's head and probed it with his true energy. He Yiming's expression grew increasingly grim.

The dog's head looked perfectly fine on the outside, but inside it was a complete mess.

Parting the fur and examining it closely, a tiny red dot appeared before his eyes. He placed a finger near it, and as He Yiming's finger slowly left the dog's head, a red-dyed pine needle was drawn out.

"go!"

He Yiming abandoned the dog and turned to leave.

When Liu Chuang and the others saw that He Yiming's hands were trembling, they knew something was wrong. They lowered their heads and remained silent, hurriedly following He Yiming's steps.

In the distance, amidst the pine forest, a figure stood silently watching He Yiming and his group depart.

Just now, the figure was about to kill He Yiming and his group.

Just as he was about to make his move, he instinctively sensed a deadly threat lurking nearby.

So the dog died, but the people were lucky to have survived.

Night finally fell.

The figure slowly receded.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Li Dachui silently turned and left.

(End of this chapter)