Chapter 230: 230: Big Fish

Chapter 230: Chapter 230: Big Fish

His strange behavior aroused the vigilance of the three others.

Lu Xinghe and Qin Caihe immediately jumped off their spirit beasts, hid themselves, and quietly surveyed the surroundings.

Chu Xingmeng also hastily jumped down from the carriage at the rear, crouching as she ran to hide behind Jiang Fan.

“Senior Brother Jiang, what happened?” Chu Xingmeng looked around nervously.

Jiang Fan shook his head and said, “I don’t know, but the horses were suddenly startled just now.”

The group observed for a long time, but everything around them remained quiet, with no sign of anything unusual.

...

Lu Xinghe relaxed his guard and said, “Perhaps a small animal passing by alarmed the horses.”

“Junior Brother Jiang, you’re overthinking it.”

“You need more training in the future.”

Qin Caihe sighed in relief at this, complaining, “So it was a false alarm.”

“It made everyone so tense.”

Jiang Fan didn’t believe it was just a false alarm.

All three horses were specially raised by the Supreme Sect. Although they were not spirit beasts, they were still among the best horses.

How could they be frightened without reason?

They must have sensed something earlier.

He cast a wary glance at the dense, dark mountains ahead.

“Senior Brother Lu, just look at the mountain in front. The forest is so dense; there should be many snakes, insects, birds, and beasts.”

“But it’s very quiet right now, which is unusual.”

“I suggest we go around this mountain.”

Qin Caihe’s heart skipped a beat.

If Jiang Fan hadn’t pointed it out, she wouldn’t have noticed anything.

Upon careful consideration, she indeed felt that the forest ahead was oddly quiet.

There wasn’t even the sound of birds singing, let alone the noise of beasts.

Chu Xingmeng, who had witnessed Jiang Fan’s strength, trusted him unconditionally and said,

“Senior Brother Jiang is right; I also think this mountain is eerie.”

“It’s safer to go around it.”

Lu Xinghe frowned.

Jiang Fan’s reminder had also made him realize that something was unusual about the mountain.

However, as their leader, the fact that he hadn’t noticed the issue himself and had been outdone by the most inconspicuous member, Jiang Fan, hurt his pride.

Chu Xingmeng’s unwavering trust in Jiang Fan also stung his self-esteem.

He couldn’t help feeling a bit defiant.

“Junior Brother Jiang, don’t scare yourself. Maybe a tiger passed by, scaring the birds and beasts away?”

“With me here, are we really afraid of just a tiger?”

“Besides, taking a detour would take an extra five days.”

“The sooner we deliver our cargo, the sooner we can take on new tasks. We can’t afford to delay.”

Qin Caihe furrowed her graceful brows.

Looking at the forest ahead, she felt uneasy and said,

“Senior Brother, I still think we should heed Junior Brother Jiang’s advice.”

“It’s better to be safe than sorry. Taking a few extra days isn’t a big deal.”

Listening to his own junior sister siding with Jiang Fan made Lu Xinghe feel even more embarrassed. He said, “Fine, you can take the cargo on the detour.”

“I’ll go straight through!”

With that, he jumped onto his spirit beast and headed directly towards the mountain, leaving the others behind.

Jiang Fan and the two ladies exchanged glances.

Qin Caihe stomped her foot in frustration but helplessly followed.

Lu Xinghe was the strongest among them, so it was safest to follow him.

Jiang Fan glanced at Chu Xingmeng and sighed, “Alright then, let’s cross the mountain.”

“If anything happens to them in the mountain, I would have to undergo an investigation when we deliver the task.”

The task’s jade scroll included a note.

Team members had to help each other. If there were any unnecessary casualties, they needed to report to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and undergo an investigation by them.

The process could last as little as ten days or as long as several months.

Jiang Fan didn’t have that much time to spare.

So he had no choice but to go along to prevent any accidents from happening to them.

Chu Xingmeng felt a bit speechless: “Senior Brother Lu is… indescribable.”

Jiang Fan also had some insights into Lu Xinghe’s attitude and couldn’t help feeling speechless himself.

He softly reminded, “Junior Sister Chu, stay close to me.”

If they encountered manageable danger, that would be fine.

If it were beyond his ability, he would just have to run away.

With his movement technique, he could escape with Chu Xingmeng without a problem.

As for Lu Xinghe and Qin Caihe, they would have to fend for themselves.

So.

Jiang Fan and Chu Xingmeng herded the three horse-drawn carriages and followed along.

Noticing they were following, Lu Xinghe showed a sneer at the corner of his mouth.

“They talk tough but don’t have the guts to leave me, Lu Xinghe.”

He proudly led the way, confidently saying, “Don’t worry.”

“With me here, even a ghost must think twice before facing Lu Xinghe’s sword!”

Jiang Fan didn’t bother to respond.

As they entered the mountains, the surroundings quickly darkened, and he became highly alert.

He was fully focused on the surroundings.

The deeper they went, the more he felt the unusual silence around them.

There wasn’t even the slightest sound of insects.

In the entire forest, the only sounds were the heavy breathing of the horses and the creaking of leaves and dry branches underfoot.

The silence was eerie and unnerving.

Lu Xinghe also sensed something was off.

This didn’t seem like it was caused by a tiger passing through.

It felt more like something with heavy malicious energy was lurking around.

Regret began to seep into his heart.

There indeed seemed to be danger in this forest.

Thin beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

However, he was stuck in this situation and couldn’t bring himself to turn back.

Fortunately, Qin Caihe spoke up.

“Senior Brother, we can’t go any further.”

“We should retreat.”

She swallowed hard, feeling increasingly uneasy.

Since someone had spoken up, Lu Xinghe took the opportunity and said, “Since you are all scared, I won’t force you.”

“Alright, we’ll do what you say.”

Upon hearing this.

Everyone’s mood instantly relaxed.

They immediately turned the carriages around.

However, at that moment.

A sharp whistling sound suddenly pierced through the deathly silent forest without warning.

Fortunately, the forest’s quietness made it noticeable.

Lu Xinghe immediately drew the orange-yellow long sword from his waist.

In the dark night, he slashed precisely at the incoming object.

With a soft clang, the incoming object was struck down to the ground.

Everyone looked down.

It was a completely purple metallic crossbow arrow!

On the tail of the arrow, a small lotus motif was engraved.

Lu Xinghe’s heart froze, his pupils dilated, and his throat felt like it was choked.

He stuttered and finally managed to utter two words.

“Black Lotus!”

No sooner had he spoken.

From a tangled dark shadow in front of them, there was sudden movement.

It was actually a person hiding there!

With a coarse voice, she said, “Oh? So you know who we are.”

“That makes things easier.”

We?

Jiang Fan’s heart sank further.

Indeed, there was an ambush here.

Worse still, it was more than one person!

Rattle—

Several thick clusters of pine needles were cleared away, revealing several figures emerging from the ground.

Additionally, a few shadows leaped down from the trees.

They swiftly surrounded Jiang Fan and his companions on all sides.

Jiang Fan calmly gripped his purple spirit sword.

He watched intently as a leader-like woman stepped out of the shadow.

She was about thirty years old, with a leather outfit outlining her curvaceous figure clearly.

Despite the signs of age on her face, her former beauty was still evident.

Her eyes glimmered with both cunning and hidden cruelty.

“Oh!”

“Turns out you’re disciples of the Nine-Sect, Myriad Swords Sect, Green Cloud Sect, and Supreme Sect!”

“Brothers, we’re in luck. We’ve caught a big fish today.”

She narrowed her eyes, a smile forming on her lips.