Everyone was listening to Shi Kong’s explanation when he suddenly fell silent and glanced to the side. Naturally, they all followed his gaze.
“What are you looking at, Shi Kong?”
“Yeah, keep going.”
Once they got a clear view, another wave of intense reactions followed:
“Wait! Isn’t that a Mi Gu tree over there?”
“No way, you’ve got to be kidding me!”
Mimicking Shi Kong’s exact motion, everyone who had been given a branch of the Mi Gu tree pulled theirs out to compare it with the one he had discovered. After the comparison, they were all astonished to find that the branches in their hands seemed to have been snapped right off that very tree—there was no difference at all!
So…
“Is that a Mi Gu tree?” one team member asked hesitantly.
Another teammate’s face twisted in disbelief. “Wasn’t it said that Mi Gu trees only grow on Beckoning Mountain? What the hell is this then?”
The team members were momentarily stunned, chattering in amazement.
Then, a furious voice cut through the noise: “What the hell are you all yapping about? Move it!”
Everyone instantly fell silent.
—They had almost forgotten they were on a mission with their notoriously ruthless captain.
The team hurriedly followed, but as they walked, their expressions gradually turned blank.
Yes, right outside the Bewilderment formation, they had spotted a Mi Gu tree at first glance. A few steps later, another one appeared, and then another… Mi Gu trees, Mi Gu trees, Mi Gu trees everywhere.
Upon closer inspection, the first one they saw wasn’t even the most lush. The further they went, the thicker and more robust the Mi Gu trees became, forming entire groves. And near these groves stood many osmanthus trees, their sweet fragrance drifting through the air—absolutely breathtaking.
Xuan Chengzi’s lips twitched. “This mountain’s got way too many Mi Gu trees. Weren’t they supposed to be exclusive to Beckoning Mountain?”
Shi Kong rubbed his prayer beads and suddenly said, “This humble monk believes—why can’t this mountain be Beckoning Mountain?”
Silence fell over the team.
—Wait, how could they assume it’s Beckoning Mountain just because of the Mi Gu trees?
But then Mao Xiaoxiang, a sharp-minded girl in the team who could communicate with spirits, spoke up: “Has everyone forgotten? Before the thick fog appeared, there was no mountain here. Since the reason for the ancient mountain range’s disappearance long ago remains unknown, why can’t it be that they’ve reappeared now?”
A heavy silence followed.
Shi Kong chanted a Buddhist mantra and said, “This humble monk recalls that among the ancient mountains, many were rich in gold and jade—Beckoning Mountain being one of them. Additionally, Beckoning Mountain was also known for its osmanthus trees. Just now, we saw entire groves of osmanthus, abundant gold and jade, and Mi Gu trees. Though we haven’t spotted the other Exotic Herb or the Exotic Beast whose name I can’t recall, this humble monk believes three clues already match. With such abundant Spiritual Energy here, it’s highly likely this is Beckoning Mountain.”
Xuan Chengzi frowned but, for once, didn’t argue. Instead, he strode to the nearby cliff face, plucked a cluster of Cyan Bloom from a crevice, and said gravely, “Who said we haven’t found that Exotic Herb? Here it is.” Earlier, he had dismissed Shi Kong’s claims about some herb, but now, upon reflection, he remembered its name and appearance. “Blessing Remainder Herb—its leaves resemble chives. I didn’t notice earlier, but from the foot of the mountain all the way up, these Cyan Blooms are everywhere. I mistook them for ordinary wildflowers.”
Bai Lingling took the cluster of Cyan Bloom from Xuan Chengzi’s hands and, before anyone could react, stuffed it into her mouth. “It probably isn’t poisonous, but whether it’s Blessing Remainder Herb or not, I’ll know after eating it.”
Ma Chen was alarmed. “Hey, that’s way too reckless!”
Bai Lingling shrugged carelessly. “I’m hungry anyway. Besides, us monsters are different from humans. What would kill you might just be something we can recover from.”
The other team members: “…”
After finishing it in one bite, Bai Lingling patted her stomach. “Full.”
—Well, that settled it. This “wild chive leaves paired with wildflowers” was indeed Blessing Remainder Herb.
The team members all turned to look at Lin Yangfeng.
Lin Yangfeng had already impatiently climbed a fair distance upward.
The team members exchanged glances.
Alright, never mind what kind of mountain this was—knowing wouldn’t help anyway. Sticking close to the captain for survival was the real priority!
·
From the moment the Mi Gu tree appeared—no one had noticed whether it was there before they got lost—the vegetation along the path grew denser, and gold and jade became even more abundant, practically littering the ground.
As they walked, slightly wider mountain paths gradually appeared, making movement a little easier for the team.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept down from above, as if something had swiftly passed overhead, followed by a series of shrill, fluctuating giggles.
“Shi Kong! Shi Kong!”
“Xuan Chengzi! Xuan Chengzi!”
“Ma Chen! Bai Lingling!”
“Mao, Mao, Mao Xiao…xiang!”
After a round of bizarre chattering, several more strange voices chimed in:
“Almost got it wrong!”
“Didn’t learn it well, didn’t learn it well!”
“Say it again! Again!”
“Call, call her Mao Xiaoxiang!”
“And then? And then?”
“Zhuang, Zhuang Chong! Liu, Yanfeng!”
“That’s mine! Mine! Who told you to say it? Who?!”
In the blink of an eye, it was as if heavy objects had abruptly landed on the overlapping branches all around. These things moved incredibly fast, leaping from one spot to another, their words unmistakably human yet utterly bizarre.
A strong sense of danger washed over the team. Hearing their names called, they tensed and tried to locate the source of the voices. But the cries rose and fell unpredictably, all in the same tone, making it impossible to pinpoint their origin—only intensifying their unease.
The next second, a shadow flashed across the path ahead, and a short figure appeared.
The team quickly turned to look, only to see the small figure slowly grow taller and longer—no, not grow, but rather, the thing had been crouching and was now standing upright.
In that moment, they saw it clearly.
The body of an ape, with white ears—but its face was human.
A wrinkled, aged human face.
The grotesqueness of it was horrifying.
Even more horrifying was the sight of the surrounding branches shaking up and down, each one occupied by similar human-faced, ape-bodied monsters, their crimson eyes fixed intently on everyone below.
The team members’ pupils contracted sharply.
Only Lin Yangfeng remained as he had been from the start, silently “sitting” at the front.
At this moment, the old ape spoke. Unlike the sharp voices of the Human-faced Apes before, its voice was hoarse, like that of an elderly man, speaking slowly: “Honored guest, why can I not see your past or learn your name?”
As soon as the words fell, the apes grew restless.
“Impossible! Impossible!”
“We know everything! Everything!”
“Elder! Elder! Kill him! Kill him!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
The team members grew even more alert, summoning their powers, ready to follow their captain into action at any moment.
The Human-faced old ape stroked its long beard: “Not speaking?”
Lin Yangfeng remained expressionless, but his wheelchair suddenly moved. Before the old ape could react, it slid right in front of it. In the blink of an eye, Lin reached out, grabbed the old ape’s arm, and flung it away.
The old ape tumbled several times on the ground before barely managing to stop itself. No longer able to maintain its previous “seemingly amiable” demeanor, its voice turned shrill and sharp: “Children! Go! Kill them!!”
All the apes erupted into frenzied agitation. They stood up in unison, ready to pounce viciously!
The situation hung by a thread.
But then, another soft voice drifted over leisurely.
“Ugly freaks, who do you think you’re killing?”
The moment this voice sounded, the apes froze as if paused, completely unable to move.