"Then letās go find the real one ourselves."
After speaking, Gu Sheng put down the map directly and pointed to the road ahead, saying, "Weāll take this path. If itās not the right one, weāll go with the one on the right. These two are the most likely."
"What makes you think these two are the most likely?"
Hong Mei raised the question again, and Lan Yao stepped forward, saying, "If you donāt have any better ideas or suggestions, I think we should listen to Gu Sheng. His mind is far smarter than you imagine, otherwise, so many people wouldnāt be willing to follow him."
After Lan Yao finished speaking, Shi Lou and Er Gou also nodded.
"We trust Brother Sheng unconditionally. If you donāt believe it, you can walk your path alone."
After their words fell, Hong Meiās expression didnāt look very good.
"I was just asking a reasonable question, not saying much. Did you have to gang up on me? You have followed him longer, so you naturally know him better. Iāve just met him not long ago, isnāt having doubts quite normal?"
After she spoke, the men did not reply.
Gu Sheng looked at her and said, "Just follow me, I wonāt sell you out."
This time, Hong Mei didnāt speak again, instead following behind them.
Setting foot on that path, Gu Sheng checked the map twice before leading them forward.
For a whole day, they walked on this road.
Not knowing how long they had been walking, Gu Sheng suddenly stopped.
Seeing him stop, Lan Yao asked, "Are we going to rest?"
"Letās rest for a bit. This road isnāt right. After resting, weāll go through the right fork."
"We havenāt reached the end of this road, and you already know itās wrong?"
"I can tell."
Gu Sheng didnāt explain much, but led the people to sit on the ground.
Shi Lou had some dry rations on him, and he shared them with everyone.
He wasnāt stingy with those from the Mirror Gate; everyone received the same amount.
Hong Mei and the others took it and softly thanked him.
After distributing the goods, Shi Lou moved to Gu Shengās side.
"Brother Sheng, what if the road on the right doesnāt work either?"
"Then we try another."
"Are you sure one of these twisted paths leads to the real one?"
"Yes, otherwise I wouldnāt walk it."
Hearing this, Shi Lou believed without question.
"Alright, itās just a matter of spending time. Weāre idle anyway; it doesnāt matter."
After he said this, Er Gou also nodded.
"Being able to follow Brother Sheng is good enough for us. What other conditions could there be? Just accompanying him is our fortune."
After speaking, the two exchanged smiles.
Seeing their silly expressions, Lan Yao chimed in, "In the future, Iāll follow Gu Sheng too. Even if my brother calls me, I wonāt go back."
"Oh, not going back to be a spoiled brat of the Elf Clan?"
"Not going back, not going back, Iāve had enough of it."
Hearing their teasing, Hong Mei was quite surprised.
She never expected that Lan Yao was from the Elf Clan!
Among these people, Bai Yu hasnāt revealed his identity, but through his aura, you can tell heās not simple.
For a moment, Hong Mei was very curious, her gaze often landing on Gu Sheng, observing him with curiosity.
Feeling the eyes turning back and forth on him, Gu Sheng couldnāt help but sigh.
"Do you have a problem?"
Gu Sheng suddenly turned around and asked, causing Hong Meiās face to flush red, akin to a child caught red-handed, appearing somewhat flustered.
"N-no problem."
"If thereās no problem, then letās keep moving. Letās go."
Gathering all things, Gu Sheng led everyone onward.
This time, Hong Mei had no further doubts and obediently followed in his footsteps.
The road on the right was quite rugged, making each step difficult, and the groupās pace slow.
Gu Sheng instructed everyone to look out for each other and continued forward by the light.
In the deep of the night, the groupās pace noticeably slowed down.
Looking at the endless road ahead, Lan Yao asked, "Gu Sheng, should we keep going?"
"Yes, keep going."
"The road is getting hard to walk. How about..."
Lan Yao didnāt finish, but everyone understood the implication.
Gu Sheng paused briefly, saying, "During daylight, this road differs from nighttime. We must move with the night. If we can make it through tonight, we will find the right path. Otherwise, weāll have to try again tomorrow night."
Hearing this, everyone was startled.
Lan Yao quickly perked up, "We should finish it tonight, canāt handle walking such rough paths again."
Gu Sheng chuckled and continued leading them forward without further words.
Throughout the night, they wandered this rugged, small path.
Near dawn, Gu Sheng stopped abruptly, exhaling deeply.
The group, exhausted, focused on the path beneath them, hadnāt looked ahead; they raised their heads in puzzlement at his reaction.
Seeing the pathās end caused everyoneās eyes to brighten.
"Brother Sheng, we made it out!"
Shi Lou exclaimed, and everyone cheered enthusiastically.
"We finally made it through!"
"Weāve reached the end of this cursed road!"
"Two whole days and nights, we finally pulled through!"
As they cheered, Gu Sheng turned to Hong Mei, raising his brows slightly.
"How about it? Weāve found the right path."
With the scene matching the map, Hong Mei nodded in admiration.
"They were right, youāre really impressive."
Hearing this, Gu Sheng smiled.
He expected Hong Mei to have some banter but didnāt anticipate her straightforward praise.
Apparently, in the Jianghu, she is different from other women; bold and frank, showing some heroism.
"Finally emerged, letās rest for a bit, and then continue according to the map to see what lies ahead."
Having a break, everyone quickly sat down.
With Shi Lou out of dry rations, the group could only continuously mobilize their divine power.
Seeing this, Hong Mei whispered a few words to her men, who promptly left.
Gu Sheng saw it but remained silent.
After an incense stickās time, Hong Meiās men returned quickly, carrying an abundance of wild game.
Seeing the wild game, Er Gou and others showed toothy smiles.
"Wow, youāve really gone through a lot of trouble."
"Itās nothing; youāve generously shared your rations with us. We should reciprocate. Thereās plenty, letās all pitch in, finishing early means an early start."
The group nodded, everyone got busy.
While everyone roasted the game, Hong Mei approached Gu Sheng.
"Gu Sheng, continuing by the map, thereās a mountain ahead. Once there, the mapās coverage ends; do you think Wushuang Taoist will be there?"
After some thought, Gu Sheng shook his head.
"Given their tactics, they wonāt easily place Wushuang Taoist somewhere safer. If few beasts are on that mountain, they wouldnāt take that risk."
"You mean Wushuang Taoist might not be on your mapās mountain?"
"Most likely."
"If Wushuang Taoist isnāt there, why lead us there?"
"They undoubtedly have a purpose. Why, weāll see when we get there, but donāt worry too much. If Wushuang Taoist isnāt there and the black and white ghosts appeared there, it surely has traces of them. Following those traces should likely lead us to Wushuang Taoist."
For reasons unknown, Gu Shengās words greatly relieved Hong Mei, setting her heart at ease.
"Gu Sheng, thank you. I underestimated you before, and I apologize."
Hearing her sincere apology, Gu Sheng smiled.
"Itās alright, letās smile and put the past behind us."
With his words, the two exchanged smiles.