The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 12 Dawn and Dusk Forest
"Yes."

Tang Qi got up and rubbed the little girl's ear encouragingly.

Actually, I just felt comfortable rubbing it.

At the same time, he explained to the thoughtful black snake:
"You've probably noticed this too. When walking naturally, we mostly land on our heels first, and at that moment, our center of gravity is concentrated on our heels, extending down to our toes."

When walking backwards, the opposite is true; the center of gravity is on the toes.

If you look closely at those footprints, you'll see that the toes are sunk deeper into the soil than the heels.

"This means the thief was walking backwards!"

The jackal suddenly realized what was happening and stated a fact that everyone already knew, asking somewhat strangely,

"Is walking straight in the way? Why go through all this trouble?"

Tang Qi shook his head. He wasn't a thief, so of course he couldn't explain this suspicious point:
"I can't guess why they did that. But I can guess the purpose of these footprints—"

"The thief was deliberately trying to draw our attention to the direction of the town."

Black Snake also understood, rubbing his temples, and couldn't help but look at Tang Qi with newfound respect.
"Damn, I'm actually starting to hope you can find the thief now."

“Cut off his goatee! You’re a poet for crying out loud? You’re practically as professional as that old knight Mark Wynne.”

The gravel quickly followed with its praise.
"You'd better also be good with an archery, then you can switch careers and become a ranger, or rather, a bounty hunter."

Would anyone actually switch to a profession that's only slightly better than the Four Symbols Monk?
"The fact that the thieves deliberately drew their attention toward the town might actually indicate that they were outsiders—after all, the residents had no reasonable motive."

Tang Qi then turned his gaze toward the location of the Dawn and Dusk Forest.
"Perhaps we should investigate further there."

Upon hearing the word 'outsider,' the black snake's eyes narrowed.

The jackal, however, exudes a limited amount of wisdom:
But there are no footprints there!

"Perhaps they used some method to cover it up."

"We won't get any conclusions from guessing here. Shattered Stone, come with me to get some new equipment."

Not everyone is like a jackal, who, in order to instill fear, wears chainmail and is fully armed under the scorching sun.

The town was small, and hardly anyone dared to provoke the lord.

In fact, if it weren't for the theft of Xingmei, these mercenaries would have been perfectly content to just get drunk at the Golden Oak every day.

The two turned and left. Before long, they saw the one-eyed dwarf, Stonecutter, returning, now wearing heavy half-plate armor, with a tower shield as tall as himself and a spiked mace on his back.

This made his steps on the ground seem heavier.

In comparison, the black snake is much lighter.

He was only wearing an iron helmet and light chainmail.

Tang Qi noticed that he wasn't carrying a shield, but rather a single curved sword at his waist, its scabbard pitch black, revealing nothing more.

Without much looking around, he saw Black Snake hurry over and hand him a light crossbow and twenty bagged bolts:
Do you know how to use it?

"I also need to go?"

"You analyze things so logically, but then you get scared when it comes to the actual battle?"

"Of course I'm scared."

Tang Qi, not to be outdone, took the crossbow and arrows.

"What if I kill too many people and make you lose face?"

He's just bragging.

No bard will ever keep their mouth shut.

The black snake understood, so it simply chuckled and said, "You've got some nerve."

He ignored what Tang Qi thought, instructed a few guards to keep an eye on the suspect Anbi, and then led the other three along the mountain towards the Dawn and Dusk Forest.

Three mercenaries, plus a useless bard, hardly qualify as a well-trained adventure team.

But it was Tang Qi's first real 'adventure'.

He was inexplicably excited, but thankfully he still remembered his responsibilities.

After walking for more than twenty minutes, we got closer and closer to the forest.

The air grew increasingly damp, as if shrouded in a thin white mist, and the earthy smell intensified. Tang Qi, constantly observing his surroundings, finally spotted a tire track in the damp earth:
"They probably thought no one would discover their tracks, so they relaxed their guard as they approached the forest, leaving these marks unattended—"

They had a horse-drawn carriage and were heading towards the forest.

"Follow the wheel tracks, so you don't get lost."

Black Serpent gave the order,
"If they camp nearby, they'll probably only stay on the outskirts."

Proceed another kilometer; if you find nothing, turn back.

But as the four of them ventured deeper into the forest, their vision suddenly darkened.

The night was as dark as ink, engulfing the forest before us, as if we were in two different worlds from the moment before.

"I'll light the torch."

Dwarves possess dark vision; by striking flint in the cold, dark night, they can illuminate a radius of several feet.

As the group drew closer, the black snake warned them:

"You can see further, so if you spot any movement, remember to extinguish the torch to warn others in advance."

"Are you treating me like a newbie, giving me a lesson?" Broken Stone sneered and walked in front.

The fog in the Dusk Forest is not thick, but because the sun and moon alternate frequently here, it is easy to lose sight of landmarks and the concept of time.

Legend has it that the landscape deep in the forest can change unexpectedly, resembling a moving maze.

Once you venture deep into the area, if you don't follow the main path, getting lost is almost a certainty.

To avoid alerting the enemy, everyone remained silent as they moved forward.

This made Tang Qi a little nervous.

The mist stung my tense face, sending a chill through me.

The sound of a heartbeat, like a muffled drum, pounding incessantly, seemed to echo in my ears.

"I see!"

The gravel called out softly, then suddenly pointed towards the darkness in the distance.

Tang Qi couldn't see anything, he could only hear the explanation from the rubble:

"Hey, they used leaves to cover themselves, thinking they could hide it from me!"

"Is anyone around?" Black Snake asked.

"Didn't see it."

"Take a closer look and watch out for traps."

Black Snake and Shattered Stone exuded the composure of professional adventurers in their every move, which reassured Tang Qi considerably.

Just follow them obediently and watch them meticulously check for traps.

The so-called inspection was actually just about watching out for fallen leaves to avoid falling into a deep pit or accidentally triggering a trap.

After confirming there were no ambushes, they approached the foot of the mountain.

Tang Qi finally realized that the gravel seemed to be pointing to a disguised car.

He reached out and touched the mud and sand on the wheels, feeling the moisture transmitted through his fingertips:
"The leaves are dry, but there are still water droplets on the truck, so it must be the Xingmei that was transported in this truck."

Sweep away the fallen leaves and lift the tattered cloth to reveal many empty boxes still on the vehicle.

It just sat there all alone, conveniently blocking the entrance to a cave at the foot of the mountain—

It wasn't narrow at all; it was wide enough for the four of them to walk side by side.

However, it appears short.

Tang Qi's height is fairly standard, but he still needs to bend over to get in.

"If someone sets up camp in a cave, there should be more traps around it, at least to serve as a warning."

The stone fragments seemed slightly hesitant in their words.

"This doesn't look like a place where anyone has stayed."

(End of this chapter)