Qi Family Gang (4)

The horse train traveled along the sweltering mountain path.

This place was indeed remote, with no established trails in sight.

A group of men had to dismount and use horse knives to hack through the head-high vegetation, clearing a path for the rest of the group.

The jungle was exceptionally humid and hot, teeming with mosquitoes and insects that plagued everyone.

Nan Yue scratched her arm, feeling somewhat helpless as she watched the others scratching themselves as well.

The insects in the tropical rainforest were terrifying.

Although they had points to exchange for insect repellent, it would be too conspicuous, so they had to endure it like everyone else.

A man rode up from behind her.

Nan Yue turned to look at the man who still looked striking even in the distinctive attire of the horse gang.

Jiang Siyan said nothing, merely leaning forward to take Nan Yue's hand and rub something onto her reddened arm.

A cool, refreshing sensation spread, immediately soothing the itch.

Jiang Siyan held a leaf in his hand, but Nan Yue's sharp eyes caught sight of the point-exchanged potion hidden beneath it.

Jiang Siyan withdrew his hand and returned to his position behind Nan Yue.

Dazhi's teasing voice drifted from behind, though no one seemed to find anything amiss.

The newlywed couple was clearly in the honeymoon phase of their relationship.

Nan Yue felt the spot where the medicine had been applied, resisting the urge to look back.

The others did not enjoy such treatment and could only scratch themselves shamelessly.

The weather was so hot, yet they could not remove their clothes to cool down, as doing so would only invite more insect bites.

The group trudged forward, grumbling all the while.

As they walked, Nan Yue began to feel as though the horses were slowing down.

The reddish-brown horse beneath her was huffing heavily, hot breath snorting from its nostrils.

Nan Yue frowned and looked around.

The horses of this horse gang were all elite breeds, capable of traveling a thousand miles a day while carrying people and cargo.

They had rested all day yesterday; there was no reason for them to be this exhausted after only an hour of travel today.

Nan Yue noticed that it wasn't just her horse; everyone's horses were slowing down.

Though there was no terrifying visual stimulus, the scene was inexplicably eerie.

In the middle of a jungle filled with ancient, towering trees, the once-sturdy horses suddenly looked as if they were burdened with extremely heavy cargo, their bodies swaying slightly.

Nearly fifty horses moved with a synchronized, heavy, and stiff gait.

This wasn't right.

Nan Yue narrowed her eyes as faint whispers of discussion rose around her.

With a sharp ring, Nan Yue unsheathed her silver blade, executing a flourish before slashing through the air around her.

Whirr!

The silver blade sliced through the air, creating a vibrating hum, but it struck nothing.

However, something strange happened.

Following Nan Yue's abrupt movement, the reddish-brown horse beneath her seemed to instantly shed its burden.

It shook its mane, its spirits lifting as it regained its formerly majestic posture.

The surroundings suddenly fell silent.

Everyone realized that the problem wasn't with the horses.

Rather...

There was more than one person on each horse.

Something invisible... was also riding with them.

Sitting right there with them.

And it was something incredibly heavy.

A bone-chilling cold spread through the sweltering jungle.

Manager Wu, who was riding ahead of Nan Yue, looked back at the five vats upon seeing this.

There was no movement from them.

He pondered for a moment before drawing his horse knife and tying a red sash from his waist around the hilt.

"Spirits of the mountains, monsters of the lakes, do not cling to the mountain traveler; borrowing your path for a passing stroll, let us each have peace and do not stay."

"Mountain traveler, keep moving forward; the mountain path is open, do not look back."

A strange melody rose from Manager Wu's mouth.

Unlike Headman Qi's rugged mountain songs, Manager Wu's singing was shrill and the tune was eerie, making those who heard it feel uncomfortable.

As Manager Wu's chant rang out, the other horse drivers simultaneously drew their horse knives, tied their belts to them, and began slashing at the air.

Though they weren't as fast as Nan Yue's evil-warding silver blade, the horses beneath them visibly relaxed, and their pace quickened.

"Mountain traveler, keep moving forward; the mountain path is open, do not look back."

Manager Wu's voice grew increasingly shrill and the pitch rose higher, until the final line stopped abruptly, leaving everyone shivering.

But as his chant ended, the horses returned to normal.

Manager Wu, drenched in sweat, spurred his horse to catch up with Headman Qi at the front.

Gu Xiang Kai was the closest and, having keen hearing, easily overheard their conversation.

"Headman, something isn't right."

"Mm. Have Shaman Zhu take a look."

Manager Wu turned his horse around and rode over to Shaman Zhu, who was guarding the five vats.

Zhu Xi Ning had naturally witnessed the eerie scene just now.

Even though they were outsiders, they could drive away the weirdness by following the actions of the other drivers.

"Shaman Zhu, the headman wants you to check if the things we've attracted are from the forest, or..."

Manager Wu did not finish his sentence, as if avoiding a taboo, but his gaze drifted toward the five pitch-black vats.

Zhu Xi Ning's attire had been different from the others from the start.

She wore vibrant red clothes that were somewhat loose, with a black cloth belt tied around her waist and silver bells on her wrists and ankles.

However, these silver bells seemed to be silent bells, making no sound as she moved.

Her Ant God mask was hanging from her waist, suggesting it was an original divination tool for the role of Shaman Zhu.

Using the Ant God mask here would not draw unwanted attention.

Zhu Xi Ning put on the mask, her eyes first landing on the large vats beside her.

A white mist lingered over the black vats, looking like steam rising from water being heated over a fire.

Zhu Xi Ning's ability was not mediumship but perception—a powerful sense of death and danger.

Thus, what she saw must be related to the contents of the vats.

Zhu Xi Ning then looked at the dense forest surrounding them.

It was very strange; the forest was where the typical traces of ghosts and monsters appeared.

A faint red color, a hue that demanded vigilance.

"...It was from the forest."

The eerie event they just encountered must have indeed been something riding double with them.

But the vats were certainly not normal.

When Zhu Xi Ning checked last night, there had only been a faint white vapor.

The white mist was thickening.

Was it because of the mission's progression, or because of their own physical progress on the journey?

If it was the mission's progression, it meant the pollution world was becoming more dangerous, and certain horrors that hadn't appeared before were now beginning to sprout.

If it was because of their progress, it meant this was something that had originally happened in this pollution world.

It was merely a re-enactment.

"But the vats... are more dangerous than yesterday."

She had to warn Manager Wu.

After all, they were now members of the Qi Family Gang.

As long as the people of the Qi Family Gang did not turn into monsters, they were a community of shared interests.

Manager Wu stroked his beard and nodded.

Everyone knew there was something strange about the vats, but they had already taken the job and had no other choice.