Why did you provoke me?

The road into the mountains was winding and treacherous. Jing San and her group of five did not stop, nor did they talk to each other about what to do or where to go. They simply followed Jing San into the mountains, heads down.

Jing San didn't know what those markings meant. After all, each group of markings had a different meaning, but he knew they were markings.

They would avoid each other at marked intersections.

And so they continued their winding journey into the mountains.

They stopped at a spot where one side was backed by a mountain, the middle by a road, and the other side by a river.

The mountains here seem to be made from a single piece of stone. But the side facing the road is very smooth, and the river is wide, with a gentle but dark flow that appears very deep.

"Let's rest here for a bit," Jing San ordered. "We estimate there'll be a village not far ahead."

"Captain, Captain, there are fish in this river. Should we catch a few?" a team member standing by the river suddenly shouted.

"Of course! I've heard that the river water in these mountains is quite different, and the fish there have a unique flavor."

"There's a shallow beach in the woods over there, let's go there," someone suggested.

Jing San did not object; eating before working was a matter of course.

Fishing was a very simple matter. The five of them cast their lines into the river at the same time, and soon they pulled five long, big fish ashore.

"Hey, the fish in this river are really unique. Look closely, their bodies are long and slender, but their mouths are very big."

Several people threaded their catch onto tree branches, and one of them couldn't help but ask, "Are they edible?"

The group looked at each other. Then, they simultaneously put down the fish they were holding; they really couldn't say for sure.

"What a waste of such a big fish." A man was about to throw the fish off the branch into the river.

But someone next to him grabbed him and said, "Don't throw it away yet. Thread it with straw rope, and we'll go to the next village to ask around. Maybe we can exchange it for something else."

Jing San stopped talking. She took out the food she had bought in the town and sat down to eat slowly.

For a moment, their place became extremely quiet.

"Captain, we'll be seeing the first village in the mountains soon. Do you have a plan? We can't just wipe out the whole village!"

Jing San glared at him. "I'm not a serial killer, why would I want to kill them?"

"Then what are we doing here?" someone asked blankly.

"To become bandits and rob cultivation resources." Jing San defined the nature of this operation with his words.

"Boss, there aren't many families in those small mountain villages. What resources could they possibly have? Why would we travel thousands of miles to rob them?"

"You idiot! If we don't say it that way, how else are we supposed to say it?"

"It looks like someone's coming?" someone suddenly said.

"Intercept him, find out the situation, and then go into the village with him," Jing San quickly gave the order.

A man was walking very fast on the road. He didn't look to either side; he just kept his head down and walked quickly.

He walked this road every few days. He was always safe, so when he saw the few people blocking his way, he was completely stunned.

"Who are you? Why are you stopping me?" he asked, puzzled.

Jing San didn't waste any time with him and directly held the bracelet in front of him and waved it around.

Jing San only asked a few questions after his eyes became unfocused.

"A meeting? With all the village chiefs?"

The man nodded.

"How many villages are there in these mountains?"

"There are 72 hairpin bends in the mountains, and there is a village at each bend."

Although they didn't quite understand what this "turn" meant, they learned that there were 72 villages in the mountains, which stretched for a very long distance.

After listening to his words, Jing San decided to change her plans.

Do you know where the highest-ranking official lives?

"In a village called Xianfeng, there is a large village." The man answered every question.

"Lead us there now," Jing San said to the man in a commanding tone.

Without the slightest hesitation, the man turned and walked away in another direction, aided by the bracelet.

Jing San and his group of five followed behind him.

……

At a fork in the mountain road.

Liu Wei and his two companions visited three small villages but made no significant discoveries, let alone any useful minerals.

"We can't go like this." Si Liu sat on a wooden stump.

"What should we do then?" Liu Wei was also very discouraged.

"Hey, someone's coming? Quick, act natural." 417 stood on a tree stump, and Yu Niangzi walked over from a distance.

Liu Wei looked up and thought, "With that kind of attire, someone who dares to walk alone on a mountain road at this time of year is definitely not an ordinary person."

Both 46 and 417 turned their heads towards Liu Wei at the same time.

"We'll kidnap her and ask her some questions."

Si Liu looked at him with an ambiguous expression. "But that's a woman."

"You forgot, women are the most dangerous people here." Liu Wei glared at him.

"A bracelet with a sleeping potion." 417 provided the answer.

Liu Wei was glad he and Jing had split up; their group's methods were sometimes really underhanded. But they worked!

417 was a burly man with a憨憨 (simple-minded) face, so he stumbled and staggered towards Jade Lady, muttering, "How did I get hurt like this?"

Lady Yu was furious because the explosion of the flowering trees and sea of ​​flowers had implicated her. She then saw a clumsy man with his head down about to bump into her.

Without hesitation, she aimed the line directly at 417's forehead.

Cold sweat broke out all over Si Yiqi's body. He staggered, pretending to fall, narrowly avoiding Yu Niangzi's thread.

"Brother, please don't let anything happen to you. I'll go back to find Father right now." 417 raised his arm, wiping his eyes, and casually tossed the thing in his hand towards Jade Lady.

Lady Yu never expected that anyone would dare to plot against her in this place. Therefore, when something flew towards her, she did not dodge immediately, but stood there stunned and looked up.

In that one move, she fell for his trick.

"Seventeenth Brother, you're a pro." Si Liu gave a thumbs up.

"Quick, while she's unconscious, pull out all the lines in her mind." Liu Wei had done this kind of thing many times before, so he gave the order with great experience.

"After traveling for so long, we're finally getting a big meal." Si Liu released his lines and began to absorb energy.

However, Si Liu encountered a problem while absorbing the Jade Maiden's energy lines. "Boss, I feel like there's something wrong with the energy in her energy lines."

"What's wrong?"

"It seems to contain impurities; it's not pure."

"Then wait a moment, wake her up and ask her what happened?" Liu Wei tied up the threads that Yu Niangzi had tied with his own threads.

Preparations are complete. 417 took out a small bottle and waved it under Yu Niangzi's nose.

They were extremely cautious when dealing with genuine female bone-drawing masters. After all, they had suffered quite a few losses at the hands of Nian Nian!