Chapter 57: Escape
Editor:Â Atlas Studios
In spite of his embarrassment, Fang Zhuzi said shamelessly, âIt was just a slip of the tongue. The two of us discovered it together.â
Liu Yuan looked at them with a dark expression and said irritably, âAlright, I donât want a share. Quickly pack up and come back with me. Weâre leaving.â
Fang Zhuzi pursed his lips and said disdainfully, âDo you know what we found?â As he spoke, he moved aside and pointed at a plant on the ground. âThis is ginseng. And from the looks of it, itâs at least this old. If we dig this up, Dazhuang and I will be able to eat our fill and wear warm clothes even if we donât work for the rest of our lives.â
Liu Yuan looked at the plant on the ground in surprise. âThis is ginseng? How do you know?â
Liu Dazhuang touched his head in embarrassment as he said, âMy father has been in poor health for the past two years. When I went to the pharmacy to buy ginseng roots for him, I saw someone selling freshly dug ginseng. I think this one looks very similar. But we donât know how to dig it out and are afraid of damaging it. I heard from the shopkeeper that if we dig up damaged ginseng, the value will be reduced by at least half.â That was why they had delayed for so long. They really didnât know where to start.
At this moment, Liu Yuan also hesitated. This was the legendary ginseng. âWhy donât we call Ah Ling over? Since she often comes into the mountains, she might know how to go about doing it.â
âNo way.â Fang Zhuzi refused decisively and said, âIf we let her do it, will we still have a share?â
âCousin, what are you talking about? Is Ah Ling that kind of person?â
Fang Zhuzi spat and said, âShe made it clear that she doesnât get along with me, her uncle. If we really call her over, even if we donât give her a share, she might even deliberately damage the ginseng while digging it out. When that time comes, itâd be no use even if we cry.â
Liu Dazhuang disagreed with a frown. âAh Ling isnât that kind of person. Brother Zhuzi, youâre thinking too much.â He really regretted coming out to relieve himself with Fang Zhuzi. If it were anyone else, there wouldnât be so much trouble.
Liu Yuan waved his hand impatiently and said, âAlright, alright. You can decide what to do. But thereâs not much time left. Eldest Cousin is urging us to leaveâŠâ
Mu Yangling was lying on the grass with her eyes closed to rest, her ears close to the grass as she listened to the various movements in the mountains. Under the warm sunlight, she was about to fall asleep when she suddenly heard an explosion, causing her to jump up in fright.
Shocked by Mu Yanglingâs actions, Liu Ting and the others were hurriedly asked, âWhatâs wrong?â
Instead of answering, Mu Yangling lay back down on the grass again to listen to the commotion. The muffled sound traveled through the ground to her ears. After confirming it, Mu Yangling jumped up and said, âQuickly pack up and leave. Donât make too much noise. Thereâs a ferocious beast. Hurry!â
Liu Tingâs expression changed slightly. âZhuzi and Dazhuang went to relieve themselves and havenât returned yet. Ah Yuan went to look for them.â
Mu Yanglingâs expression was ugly. âWhich direction did they go? Didnât I tell everyone not to go far?â
Everyone looked at Liu Ting and Mu Yangling eagerly, suppressing the fear in their hearts. The forest had always been a dangerous place to everyone. If Mu Yangling did not bring them along, they would definitely not dare to enter the mountain. Although everything had been going smoothly during this period of time, they had seen wolves leave as they laid in the grass. They had also seen how Mu Yangling avoided the ferocious beasts. Seeing the change in her expression, they knew that the so-called ferocious beast was definitely not a jackal or a wild boar. They did not dare to think about it.
Because of Fang Zhuzi and Liu Dazhuang, they couldnât leave immediately. The team members instantly became restless.
Mu Yangling said in a low voice, âIâll go find them and bring them back. Take them out first. Remember, donât shout on the way. If anything happens, blow the whistle I gave you.â
As she spoke, she turned and ran in the direction of Liu Yuan and the others.
Liu Tingâs expression was dark as he waved his hand. âLetâs go.â
The few of them carried their things and ran out behind Liu Ting. It would take at least an hour to exit the mountain.
After running for a while, Mu Yangling saw that the three of them were arguing about something. Gritting her teeth in anger, she ran forward to grab Liu Yuanâs arm and roared in a low voice, âWhat are you guys doing here? Thereâs a ferocious beast coming. Letâs leave quickly.â
The three of them were shocked. Fang Zhuzi jumped out and said, âNo, we still have things to do.â
âShut up. I brought you in, so you have to get out right now. Hurry up and leave.â
However, Fang Zhuzi frowned and said, âWho are you lying to? Iâve been in the mountains for so long, but Iâve never seen a ferocious beast. If you want to leave, go ahead. Iâm not leaving.â
Liu Yuan also said, âAh Ling, your uncle and the others found a piece of ginseng. Shall we dig it up before leaving?â
Not wasting her breath on them, Mu Yangling said, âThere are two ferocious beasts fighting not far away. If Iâm not wrong, it should be the female tiger and the black bear. Do you want to leave or stay? If you want to leave, follow me. If you decide to stay, thatâs up to you. When we entered the mountain back then, we agreed that you would either listen to me or fend for yourself. I wonât be responsible.â
With that, Mu Yangling turned around and left. If they were her comrades, she would have long whipped them. She hated soldiers who didnât listen to orders the most.
Seeing this, Liu Yuan followed Mu Yangling without thinking. Liu Dazhuang hesitated for a moment and hurriedly chased after her. As he did so, he turned around and pulled Fang Zhuzi. âLetâs go quickly. Ah Ling canât be wrong.â
Considering Mu Yangling had been entering the mountains every day for more than three years, her judgment was unlikely to be wrong.
Fang Zhuziâs expression was ugly. He looked at the ginseng on the ground and then at the three people who were gradually disappearing. Finally, he stomped his feet, squatted down, and quickly dug with his hands.
Roar! Roar! A tigerâs roar sounded.
âOh my god!â Fang Zhuzi was so frightened that he fell to the ground, his face pale. He raised his head and looked around. The forest was silent, and he was the only one left. Although he no longer heard the tigerâs voice, the tigerâs roar just now seemed to be exploding in his ears still.
Without thinking, Fang Zhuzi threw down the ginseng on the ground and stumbled towards Mu Yangling and the others.
Having also heard the tigerâs roar, Liu Yuan hurriedly pulled Mu Yangling back. âAh Ling, we canât leave your uncle there alone. Iâll go back and pick him up.â
Mu Yangling snorted and said, âDonât worry. Based on how timid he is, heâll definitely catch up. Now that he heard the tigerâs roar, he must be running over here with all his might. Letâs just walk slower and wait for him to catch up.â
Liu Yuan felt uneasy, unsure if Mu Yangling was right. But seeing how insistent she was, he continued following behind her. After a short while, Mu Yangling stopped and turned around.
Liu Yuan and Liu Dazhuang quickly turned around and saw Fang Zhuzi stumbling over. When he saw them, he shouted, âWhy didnât you wait for me? If I die, can you afford to compensate me?â
âShut up!â With an ashen face, Mu Yangling glared at him and said, âIf you dare to shout at me again, Iâll shoot you. Do you think the tiger isnât fast enough?â
Mu Yangling glanced at his crotch, turned around, and quickly said, âLetâs go quickly. We have to catch up to Uncle Ting.â
Fang Zhuzi complained, âIâm your uncle after all. Why did you leave me there?â
As Mu Yangling ran, she said sarcastically, âDidnât you take the initiative to stay? Besides, there are ten other people here. If anything happens to them, see if the villagers wonât skin you alive. You think theyâll choose to save you over ten other people? Obviously not.â Seeing that he was about to flare up, Mu Yangling quickly said, âIâm going to sprint now. Those who can catch up will live. If you canât catch up and get caught by the female tiger, I wonât be able to save you.â
As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Yangling bolted out like an arrow.
Liu Yuan and Liu Dazhuang hurriedly ran after her. Fang Zhuzi gritted his teeth and could only hold his breath as he chased after them, not daring to stay.
The four of them quickly caught up with the people in front. When Liu Ting saw Mu Yangling and the rest catching up, he heaved a sigh of relief and ran over. âWe heard a tigerâs roar just now.â
âQuickly get out of here. I believe the black bear is fighting with the female tiger. Letâs leave quickly, in case they come over.â
With Mu Yangling leading the way and controlling their speed, the group walked out even faster. However, Mu Yangling still heard increasingly louder sounds. This indicated that the two big creatures were heading this way.
Mu Yanglingâs expression was ugly. As she ran, she tore off a sack from Liu Tingâs body and said to them, âQuickly run out. Weâll be out in another half an hour. Meanwhile, Iâll lure them away using the rabbits.â
âNo, itâs too dangerous. Letâs leave together.â Liu Ting growled softly.
When Mu Yangling heard the increasingly loud commotion, she said, âShut up. Are you guys faster than me? Youâll only be a burden if you follow me. Hurry up and run out.â As she spoke, she rushed out towards the east.
Liu Ting gritted his teeth and stomped his feet. âLetâs leave quickly. Liu Li, Liu Yong, hand us the things. You two run out and find Rocky1. Tell him to enter the mountain and bring Ah Ling out.â
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