The poor girl from the 1970s was forced to kiss by the damp educated youth.

The car drove away.

He Hongwei and He Qianqian snapped out of their daze.

"Brother, this neighbor seems to be more than he appears," He Qianqian said.

He Hongwei nodded. "It's not simple. Sis, I can't even give away my oranges. Mom and Dad even told us to get along well with the neighbors."

He Qianqian: "My parents didn't say that. They said not to make enemies with the neighbors."

He Hongwei: "Do you think Mom and Dad know something?"

He Qianqian: "Who knows? But that woman is really beautiful, with a great figure and a pretty face. This is the first time I've never been able to find a flaw in a woman. If she's willing to act with me, I can get her a leading role."

He Hongwei was not optimistic, saying, "I think it's unlikely; people aren't interested."

The car drove for three or four hours, and by the time it stopped, the sun had already set.

"The car suddenly disappeared around here," Song Zhaoyuan said.

Xi Lang got out of the car and looked around. Apart from some hillsides, trees and weeds, there was nothing unusual about the area.

Two covered trucks were parked ahead, but they weren't carrying goods; they were carrying people. These people had been searching the area for hours without finding anything.

Upon seeing Song Zhaoyuan, their leader approached. "Old Song, have you found the person?"

"Here he is. This is Mr. Xi." Song Zhaoyuan didn't mention Xi Lang's full name, but instead said to Xi Lang, "This is Lao Zhao. He's leading the team this time."

Old Zhao extended his hand to Xi Lang, "I've long admired your name."

Xi Lang extended his withered hand from his sleeve, his expression indifferent, and said, "Hello."

Old Zhao raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "Is this really a master? He looks far too young, and his weak voice makes him look like a sickly person."

The next second, someone voiced Old Zhao's doubts, "He's a master? He doesn't seem like one."

The speaker was a woman with short, shoulder-length hair and a striking, almost heroic appearance. She carried a bag on her back and held a camera in her hand. Her eyes held a mixture of doubt, sarcasm, and disdain.

Xi Lang didn't even glance at her and walked straight ahead.

Song Yuanzhi, however, moved closer to Song Zhaoyuan and asked, "Why is there a woman here too?"

Old Zhao introduced her: "She's a reporter named Ouyang Xitong, a hardworking woman with good writing skills. Knowing our destination, she specifically applied to come along with us."

Ouyang Xitong glanced sideways at Song Yuanzhi, "You look down on lesbians?"

Song Yuanzhi: "I never said that."

"But that's what you really think," Ouyang Qiantong sneered. "I'm not like those delicate women. You can treat me like a man."

Song Yuanzhi didn't respond. This woman seemed cheerful, but her words inexplicably made him feel uncomfortable.

Old Zhao laughed, "This girl is quite bold, no need to give her special treatment. Mr. Xi has already walked into the woods over there, let's follow him and take a look."

Chen Zhi groggily opened her eyes and saw a group of people gathered outside the car. She had no intention of getting out and stayed in the car to watch. Xi Lang, who was 1.9 meters tall, stood out in the crowd, and she spotted him immediately.

Xi Lang frowned, his face expressionless, and it was unclear what he was saying.

Seemingly noticing her gaze, he turned to look at her.

"come over!"

Xi Lang waved to her.

Following Xi Lang's gesture, the people next to him looked at Chen Zhi.

Only then did they realize there was another person in the car.

When Chen Zhi opened the car door, everyone's breath hitched. In the dim light, the moment the woman appeared, the surroundings seemed to light up.

Just then, an untimely voice rang out, "Why is it a woman?"

The person who said this was none other than another female comrade in the team—Ouyang Qiantong.

Everyone's expressions turned strange. Why would Ouyang Qiantong, who was also a woman, say such a thing?

And Mr. Xi, why does he bring a delicate woman with him when he goes out on business?

Chen Zhi glanced at Ouyang Qiantong, ignored her, and walked straight toward Xi Lang.

"What's going on?" Chen Zhi asked.

Xi Lang gave an irrelevant answer: "It's foggy."

Chen Zhi looked up and saw that white mist, which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, had now covered the entire forest.

"Does this forest get foggy in the morning and evening?" Xi Lang asked.

No one answered; they were unfamiliar with the area.

Ouyang Xitong scoffed, her tone arrogant, "It's common for there to be fog in the forest in the morning and evening, there's no need to make a fuss about it."

Song Zhaoyuan, however, felt that things were not so simple. "There was indeed fog in the woods this morning, but it only appeared briefly and quickly dissipated. By the way, after the fog cleared, Master Yang and his car disappeared."

Song Yuanzhi: "Could this fog be related to the disappearance of Master Yang and the others?"

Xi Lang did not answer. He casually took out a few talismans and threw them into the sky. The talismans flew forward as if they were being pulled.

"Keep up."

Those present stared at the talisman in disbelief. Was this some kind of acrobatic performance?

Ouyang Qiantong, who has always adhered to atheism, smiled and said, "It's just a trivial skill."

Song Zhaoyuan frowned and gave Lao Zhao a disapproving look. Lao Zhao smiled awkwardly and said, "Well, young people have more progressive ideas. We understand, that's good."

Xi Lang seemed not to hear these words. He reached out his hand for Chen Zhi to support him. The two of them walked in front, following the talisman, circling around the trees in the forest. After the talisman burned out, a lawn opened up in front of them, where the two missing cars were parked.

Why is there a lawn here?

They searched for most of the day, but why couldn't they find the lawn?

In such an open space, there's no reason why they wouldn't have found it, unless they were blind.

Ouyang Qiantong's expression changed. She had walked around the area several times today and was certain that there was no lawn in this place during the day.

Should not!

Just then, someone shouted, "Isn't that our car?"

Two cars were parked ahead, the very same two that had disappeared.

Everyone rushed forward.

"Everyone inside is here, not a single one is missing."

"Are they alright?"

"His breathing is steady, there are no external injuries, and he seems to have simply fallen asleep."

"Try waking them up."

Master Yang and his group woke up quickly. They were unharmed and had not lost any of their belongings. It seemed that the other party's purpose was simply to let them sleep.

"Those people are stopping us from moving forward," Master Yang said with a stern face.

The other masters also looked very grim.

"We were careless and fell into their ambush."

"The fact that they could trick us without us even realizing it shows how skilled they are."

"This trip is likely fraught with danger."

"Judging from this technique, it doesn't seem to be from abroad. It looks more like a Taoist magic formation. I just don't know which school or sect it belongs to."

"..."

While the masters were still discussing, Master Yang spotted Xi Lang in the crowd.

He strode towards Xi Lang. "Mr. Xi, have you noticed anything?"

Xi Lang shook his head. "I'm not familiar with these sects. What's trapping you is an array. This array is set up in an extremely ingenious way, taking advantage of the timing and location. If it weren't for the darkness, I wouldn't have been able to see it either."

Master Yang seemed to be deep in thought. "They've gone to so much trouble to stop us; the dragon vein must be at a critical juncture. Let's not delay; let's set off now."

Song Zhaoyuan and Lao Zhao exchanged a glance, and neither of them had any objections.

Chen Zhi and Xi Lang got back into the car, and this time Song Zhaoyuan was driving.

"Are you hungry?" Xi Lang asked.

Chen Zhi hummed in agreement, "A little."

Xi Lang took out a can of fruit and a spoon from his Qiankun sleeve. "Eat a little bit for now."

"Where did this come from?" Chen Zhi asked in surprise. You need a ticket to buy this, right?

Xi Lang: "I helped out with some work a year ago, and this was a reward from above."

Chen Zhi didn't ask what she had done. She opened the can, scooped out a spoonful of juice—it was very sweet and had a strong fruity aroma. She scooped up a spoonful of fruit pulp and brought it to Xi Lang's lips. Xi Lang opened his mouth and took a bite.

"Is it good?" she asked.

"It's alright, but it's too sweet." Xi Lang took out his water bottle and took a sip. "You eat it, I feel it's a bit too sweet."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhi finished a can of food.

"I have some more here, would you like another one?"

"No, I don't want it."

goo-dong-

The sound of Song Yuanzhi swallowing saliva came from the passenger seat.

"There are cookies in the bag next to your feet," Song Zhaoyuan said.

In the darkness, Song Yuanzhi blushed and said, "I'm actually quite hungry. Uncle, would you like some?"

Song Zhaoyuan declined, "No need, I'm driving."

Song Yuanzhi then asked Xi Lang and Chen Zhi, "Mr. Xi and Comrade Chen Zhi, would you like some?"

"No need, I have cookies here too." Xi Lang refused and took out a box of pastries, handing it to Chen Zhi.

It was a box of rose pastries, shaped like flower petals, twelve in total. Chen Zhi ate one herself and fed Xi Lang one. The two of them finished the pastries and then drank water.

Song Zhaoyuan: "We'll be driving for several more hours, so Mr. Xi and Ms. Chen Zhi can get some more sleep."

Xi Lang nodded in agreement. He did need to rest properly; his current condition was still too poor.

Chen Zhi, however, was no longer sleepy.

She leaned against Xi Lang, a chilling cold emanating from him. She wasn't afraid of the cold, but Xi Lang shivered even more as night fell.

Chen Zhi frowned, put her arms around Xi Lang, and tried to warm him with her body.

Where she couldn't see, Xi Lang slightly curled his lips. Originally, Chen Zhi was lying on top of Xi Lang, but somehow it turned into Xi Lang lying in Chen Zhi's arms, his hands wrapped around Chen Zhi's waist, and his head buried in Chen Zhi's chest.

Chen Zhi didn't think anything was wrong. Afraid that Xi Lang might be uncomfortable while sleeping, she didn't dare to move until Xi Lang's breathing became even, at which point she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The car drove further and further into remote areas, and the temperature dropped lower and lower.

When the gunshot rang out, Chen Zhi was startled for a moment.

"There's an ambush!" Song Zhaoyuan stopped the car. "Mr. Xi, you all stay in the car and don't move. I'll go down and check."

"Uncle, I'll go down and take a look too." Song Yuanzhi took his weapon and was about to get out of the car as well.

Song Zhaoyuan: "No, you stay here to protect Mr. Xi and the others."

Xi Lang slowly opened his eyes and patted Chen Zhi, "Don't be afraid."

Just as Chen Zhi was about to say that he was not afraid, an explosion suddenly came from ahead, the ground shook, and the car shook as well.