The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 135 The Ancient Pavilion on the Mountain Top: An Unexpected Incident

"Mr. Ruan Cen, we'll take our leave now."

Standing outside the courtyard gate, Qin Lang and the other two waved goodbye to Ruan Cen and Zuo Ge, and then set off on the road to Wuyin Pavilion, located at the top of Wuyin Mountain.

After the clear tremor, there were no more tremors, but for some reason, Ruan Cen always felt somewhat detached from reality after that.

Therefore, Qin Lang and the other two did not stay for long.

As for Zuo Ge, he still needs to conduct some geological research on Wuyin Mountain with Ruan Cen, so he cannot leave for the time being.

The path to the summit was not too difficult. After eating and drinking their fill, the three of them followed the stone steps and soon saw the ancient pavilion at the top of the mountain.

As the sun was setting, the fading light of the setting sun painted the clouds and mist of Wuyin Mountain red, and the ancient pavilion, bearing the marks of time, was also shrouded in a rosy glow.

"Wow--"

A soft sound echoed in my mind—the sound of the Traveler's Book being turned once more.

Having successfully completed the check-in, Qin Lang felt relieved and smiled as he followed Cao Dongdong and Zhao Qian, who had already run to the ancient pavilion to take photos.

"Qin Lang, Qin Lang, let's take a group photo together!" Zhao Qian waved excitedly to Qin Lang.

"This is a perfect opportunity for you to witness the combat skills that Bubu has recently learned!"

Qin Lang walked up to Zhao Qian with a smile, making a peace sign as he casually asked, "Has Bubu learned a new combat technique?"

“That’s right.” Zhao Qian chuckled. “We have to learn them, because two combat skills are no longer enough to keep up with the new combat requirements.”

"It just learned one a couple of days ago. Once it reaches Lv10, it will have four combat skills."

As she spoke, Zhao Qian waved to Bubu and tossed her phone over, "Bubu, take a few more pictures!"

"Buy~"

Bubu responded, and the next instant, Zhao Qian's phone seemed to be grabbed by an invisible hand and floated in the air.

“This is…” Cao Dongdong couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

Qin Lang looked thoughtful. "Is it a mental combat technique?"

“That’s right!” Zhao Qian said with a grin. “The mental combat skill [Mind Manipulation] can influence and control other Food Spirits to a certain extent. If the difference in strength is large, it can even completely control other Food Spirits.”

"And then you turned this combat skill into a selfie-taking technique?" Qin Lang was somewhat amused and exasperated.

However, at this moment, it is just right.

With a "cheese!" sound, the shutter clicked in quick succession, capturing the smiles of Qin Lang and his two companions, along with the three food spirits.

After taking a number of photos to her heart's content, Zhao Qian stretched in front of the setting sun and said, "It's getting dark, let's go back."

"Mm." Qin Lang nodded.

Before he could say anything more, a violent tremor suddenly came from beneath his feet, and at the same time, a deafening roar suddenly rang out.

Qin Lang and the other two almost simultaneously collapsed to the ground, and the next instant, Zhao Qian's exclamation suddenly rang out.

"rock!"

"The rock has cracked!"

Qin Lang and Cao Dongdong barely managed to stand up and looked in the direction Zhao Qian pointed. Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads instantly.

Cracks appeared rapidly on the huge rocks at the mountain peak, and then spread and expanded at an alarming speed.

The largest crack is big enough to easily fit a hand!
At the same time, Qin Lang and the other two felt a constant, subtle tremor and faint cracking sound coming from beneath their feet.

An unprecedented sense of crisis instantly enveloped his heart.

"Hurry up and get down the mountain!" Qin Lang roared, pulling Cao Dongdong and Zhao Qian back along the mountain path they had come from.

As for the three spirit-eating creatures, those that could fly were actually the safest at the moment. After running several dozen meters, Qin Lang's expression became increasingly serious.

The fog on Wuyin Mountain seems to have become even thicker.

With visibility less than ten meters and the path beneath his feet consisting of cracked stone steps and rocks, this descent was even more difficult than he had anticipated.

"Qin Lang, look over there!" Cao Dongdong suddenly exclaimed.

Qin Lang looked in that direction and saw murky water gushing out from a crack beside the stone steps, rushing rapidly toward the steps.

In just a moment of stunned silence, the water had already submerged the soles of his shoes.

"Where did all this water come from?" Zhao Qian couldn't help but ask.

“It’s groundwater,” Qin Lang said in a deep voice. “The situation is probably very bad right now.”

Keep in mind that this is an area near the summit of Wuyin Mountain. If the groundwater pressure can force water to gush out from this height through the cracks, then the lower areas would probably be riddled with holes.

and many more…

Even lower?!

"Oh no!" Qin Lang's heart skipped a beat. "Mr. Ruan Cen and Mr. Zuo Ge may be in danger!"

"We need to speed things up and join them as soon as possible!"

"Hmm!" Cao Dongdong and Zhao Qian exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious. They were both aware of the current situation.

The mountaintop is the most dangerous spot because, given the current situation, Mount Wuyin is in danger of collapsing, so they need to descend the mountain as soon as possible.

But the deeper you go, the more violently the groundwater surges up, and at this rate, a flash flood seems imminent.

The three of them stopped and waded through the increasingly high water level as they continued downstream.

At first, they were able to follow the stone steps, but the further they went, the more severe the cracks in the mountain became, and the stronger the upwelling of groundwater became. The stone steps, weathered by time, turned into countless pebbles and were washed away by the mud and water.

"hateful!"

Struggling to steady himself in the muddy water that reached above his calves and kept washing downhill, Cao Dongdong couldn't help but complain.

What exactly caused this disaster?

"It should be related to the previous tremors." Qin Lang said with a solemn expression. He grabbed the branches around him with both hands, trying his best to avoid being swept into the water, and slowly moved to higher ground where there was not much water.

Beside him, Egg Baby was extremely anxious, but there was nothing he could do to help.

“During the last tremor, Mr. Ruan Cen’s expression was a bit off. If I’m not mistaken, he must know something.”

"Therefore, we must join forces with them!"

"Bu Yi——"

Bubu let out a shout and quickly flew back to Zhao Qian's arms from a distance. Hearing its words, Zhao Qian quickly pointed in a certain direction.

"Mr. Ruan Cen's courtyard is over there!"

Qin Lang and the other two exchanged glances, then held hands and slowly walked forward.

Soon, Mr. Ruan Cen's courtyard came into view.

However, the yard, which was originally full of various crops, has now been washed away by the flash flood and is now muddy. Only the house in the center of the yard is still teetering on the brink of collapse, but it does not look optimistic either.

As for the poultry and livestock that were originally kept in the yard, they have now disappeared without a trace, and are probably in grave danger.

The lights in the house flickered on and off, and the shadowy figures inside could be vaguely seen.

"Oh no, they're trapped inside!"

(End of this chapter)