Yao Guangfa familiarly led Luo Kai to the east side of the village, where there was a small restaurant that was specially set up to receive herb gatherers. It was a small courtyard house, and the conditions of the restaurant were very simple. Flies and mosquitoes filled the air.
It was dinnertime, and the small courtyard was filled with people under the awning. They were all armed with guns and knives, and looked very fierce. With one look, one could tell that they were adventurers preparing to enter the mountain.
A dark skinned middle aged man came up to them and said: "Brother Yao, you're here too. Please come in."
Yao Guangfa smiled and said: "Old Li, make some of your best dishes. Oh right, bake some pancakes. We're going into the mountain tomorrow."
"Okay!"
The middle aged man hurriedly nodded, and then shouted towards the kitchen: "Woman, bring out the tiger bone wine I made."
Yao Guangfa was a herb broker under the merchant group. People who went into the mountain to pick herbs all year round had to deal with them. The people under the awning all stood up to greet him.
Luo Kai stood at the entrance of the courtyard. His nose twitched, and he smelled Lady Hua's scent. It seemed that Su Wenlin didn't lie to them, and Lady Hua really did come here. He said softly: "Qing, granny came here before."
Lu Qing's somewhat dispirited expression immediately became excited: "Really?"
"Yes, I smelled it. The scent is very faint, so she should have been gone for a few days."
Lu Qing looked at him in surprise. Now that her mood was better, she joked and said: "Are you a puppy? You can even smell this."
Luo Kai angrily pinched her face: "You're the puppy!"
"Mr. Luo, I just asked the boss, and he said he didn't see an old granny. Maybe she didn't come here." Yao Guangfa walked back and sighed.
Luo Kai smiled and said: "No, granny came here before. She's good at disguising herself, so you might not be able to recognize her."
"Oh, that's good. Mr. Luo, we've arranged a guest room for you. You and Miss Lu can go in and rest first. The meal will be ready soon."
Although the hygienic conditions of the restaurant were very poor, the food was very good. They were all wild game, fresh and delicious. Luo Kai even tasted the tiger bone wine sent by the restaurant. The taste was very strong, very much to his taste. Moreover, it contained a trace of evil energy. If one drank this wine all year round, it would greatly increase one's courage and physical fitness.
Another group of people walked into the small courtyard. They were different from the messy ordinary adventurers. They were all dressed in black and carried standard firearms. The swords at their waists gleamed coldly, and their movements were uniform.
The leader was a thin middle-aged man. He looked around coldly and walked to the awning. He put a gold coin on it and said, "Make way."
The people under the awning looked at each other and got up. The other party was an organized group, so it was better not to provoke them.
Luo Kai looked through the window at the black-clothed people. His eyes flashed a cold light, and a strong killing intent emerged in his heart. These people were the Blackguard of the Jiu Yuan farm. He did not forget the destruction of the fishing village, but now he was a little confused.
During this period of time, he had been thinking about why he could resonate with the baleful energy. The so-called innate baleful star was too illusory, and the main reason was acquired. If a person's heart was sunny, they would naturally not have any involvement with the baleful energy that represented death and resentment.
Ever since his consciousness appeared, he had been in South Tooth Island's death row prison. Nearly two years of imprisonment had caused his heart to turn dark. The originally peaceful life in the fishing village might have gradually dispelled this darkness, but with the destruction of the fishing village, this dark addiction was completely formed. From then on, although his consciousness had tried its best to avoid it, deep in his heart, he had always yearned for slaughter and destruction. This was probably the main reason why he had achieved resonance with the murderous aura.
"Can killing really stop killing?" Luo Kai suddenly murmured. He had no answer in his heart, so he wanted to ask for other people's opinions.
Lu Qing was stunned for a moment and said angrily, "What are you thinking about all day? Eat properly."
Luo Kai took a deep breath, and his thoughts gradually calmed down. Even if he really killed all the people in the Jiu Yuan farm, the fate of the fishing village could not be saved. Killing could not stop killing, it was just a kind of correction.
This guest room has two rooms. Luo Kai was worried about Lu Qing. At night, he slept on the ground in the outer room. Listening to Lu Qing's sweet breathing, he gradually fell asleep.
Early the next morning, Yao Guangfa found a hunter guide in the village. He was an old hunter in his sixties or seventies. His name was Lao Cai. He was very familiar with the mountains and had rich experience. The group walked to the foot of the mountain with some food and drinks on their backs. Behind them were the herbalists who entered the mountain.
After entering the mountains, the crowd began to separate. Luo Kai tried his best to sniff out the scents along the way. Unfortunately, the scents in the mountains were extremely complex, and scents were an important way for animals to mark their territory. Any relatively strong scents would be covered by them.
Lao Cai looked old, but his body was very good. He was carrying a long barrel shotgun and leading the way. Along the way, he was talking about some problems that should be paid attention to in the forest.
"You are looking for someone, right? Alas, once someone gets lost in the forest, it will be hard to find them. In the past few years, many people have gone missing in the forest, if not a thousand, at least eight hundred. Also, there is something wrong with the animals."
Luo Kai's expression changed. He asked, "What's wrong?"
"Well, for example, there are more and more large animals around the village. In the past, these big animals all hid in the deep forest. There are also fewer and fewer small animals, such as rabbits and roe deer."
The Misty Mountains were a subtropical forest. The ground was covered by a thick layer of humus. There were bumpy quagmires everywhere. Weeds and brambles grew everywhere. It was very difficult to walk. After a while, the group was panting. Only Luo Kai didn't feel anything. He pulled out the Blade of Dismemberment from his back and helped Lao Cai open the way.
Looking for someone in this vast forest was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Luo Kai's sense of smell was useless. He could only ask, "Sir, how many roads are there in the mountain?"
Lao Cai shook his head. "There are no roads in the forest. In less than a day, all the empty paths will be filled with plants."
"Eh, it's an Emperor Blood Herb," Lu Qing said in surprise as she pulled out a light red plant from a decaying tree trunk.
"What's the use of this thing?" Luo Kai looked back and asked in confusion.
Lu Qing explained, "This thing is very precious. Grandma said that it can nourish one's blood and Qi. Taking a medicinal bath with the Emperor Blood Herb can strengthen one's body. One herb can be sold for thousands of star dollars."
Yao Guangfa smiled and said, "Miss Lu, you are so lucky!"
As they walked, the surrounding weeds and shrubs had reached their waists. A rustling sound came from the dense canopy above them. Lu Qing was a little scared and moved closer to Luo Kai.
"It's just some monkeys. Don't be afraid."
Luo Kai said softly. He raised his head and looked around. They couldn't continue searching aimlessly like this. He said, "Let's split up and search."
Lao Cai wasn't the only one who shook his head. Yao Guangfa also hurriedly waved his hand and said, "No, it's taboo to move alone in the forest."
"Oh, forget it then."
After walking for a while, a large flat rock appeared in front of them. Lao Cai called for everyone to rest there.
Not long after they rested, a group of people appeared behind them. They were all dressed in black and were well-equipped. It was the group of black-robed guards. The man in the lead looked at them. When he passed by Yang Qing, his eyes flashed. He hesitated for a moment and nodded with a smile, indicating that he didn't have any bad intentions. Then, he called for his subordinates to move into the depths of the forest.