bayedsolid Chapter 134 Encountering a Swamp
Chapter 134 Encountering a Swamp
Yan He shook his head and said seriously, "Actually, after my master left the Taoist temple, he couldn't resist the temptation and started eating meat. He couldn't let me watch him eat delicious food, could he?"
After introducing me to the world of meat, my master regretted it for two whole days. In deep sorrow, he founded the Xuan Yi Sect. Furthermore, since my master never had any romantic feelings for any woman before his death, as the only senior disciple of the Xuan Yi Sect, I must carry on his legacy.
Meng Fuqing remained silent for a long time before sighing, "You Taoists really do whatever you want."
Yan He made a gesture resembling the "Midnight-Noon Mantra," saying, "It's fortunate that my master is a Taoist. If he were a monk, I wouldn't be so at ease now."
After this conversation, Meng Fuqing believed her own guess more than Meng Linlang's words.
She also realized that Meng Linlang in the dream knew things from her own perspective, not from God's perspective.
The information we receive often comes from preconceived notions or hearsay, rather than the complete truth.
As to the truth, Meng Fuqing could only glimpse the whole picture from her account, but that was enough.
While she was lost in thought, Yan He kept talking non-stop, even though Meng Fuqing ignored her. She could still talk to herself and enjoy herself.
The feeling of talking to someone while sleeping together at night was somewhat strange. She listened quietly until Yan He's voice grew softer and softer until he fell asleep, and then she fell asleep as well.
In the deep forests of winter, snakes, insects, rodents, and many other animals are mostly dormant, so there was not much noise that night.
The next morning, their resting place was shrouded in mist, and the ground and treetops were covered with white frost.
The women cooked, the men went to the stream to collect water, and after a simple breakfast, the group set off again.
As they ventured deeper, the rugged terrain became increasingly difficult to traverse. Even with scouts leading the way, people at the front and sides of the group still had to probe the path with sticks. Despite such precautions, some still slipped and fell or twisted their ankles.
At times like this, even if they fall and their eyes are filled with tears, they can't let the whole team stop and wait for Doctor Zheng to treat their injuries; they can only endure the pain and continue walking.
Having learned from past mistakes, almost everyone carried a stick and used it to walk, trying to avoid injury as much as possible.
As noon approached, the morning mist and frost had dissipated, and Niu Er, who had taken turns acting as the sentry, called out to everyone to stop and rest where they were.
He sent someone to invite Meng Fuqing and Meng Bochang to the front of the procession, and only then did he explain what had happened.
"We just found a human corpse ahead. It had been dead for quite some time, and only bones remained. Not far from the skeleton was soft, rotten mud. Young Master Mu said that was the swamp."
"How big is the swamp?" Du Zhong asked.
Niu Er was unusually worried. "We haven't reached the edge yet. The swamp is covered with ice, but it's not solid enough for people to pass through. We have to go around the swamp. Young Master Mu Sheng sent me to tell everyone not to go any further."
After walking for a long time, everyone was tired. Meng Bochang immediately told everyone that there was a swamp ahead and they should not go near it, but stay where they were and make a fire to cook.
Meng Fuqing wanted to see the swamp for himself to see what the situation was like and whether there was miasma, so he asked Niu Er to lead the way.
He hadn't walked more than a few steps when someone came up behind him. He turned around and saw Xie Jin.
“I grew up on the frontier and have never seen a swamp before. I would like to go and see it. Please go first, Miss Meng.”
Xie Jin politely gestured for him to proceed.
Meng Fuqing didn't say much and started walking towards the edge of the swamp.
Near the swamp, many withered reeds grew. A human skeleton leaned forlornly against a rock beside the reeds, its clothes tattered and torn.
As they walked into the reeds, the three saw another skeleton lying on the ground. They continued forward, and once they emerged from the reeds, a vast expanse of swampy mud came into view.
The smell of mud mixed with rotting grass hit them, and the black mud underfoot, covered with decaying leaves, was frozen hard. Meng Fuqing spoke up and stopped Niu Er from going any further.
"Don't get too close, just stand on the outside and observe."
Niu Er immediately dared not go any further.
Meng Fuqing's gaze swept across the swamp, and he only saw a small amount of turbid, yellowish or grayish-green gas in the areas with more silt and no ice.
Miasma thrives in hot and humid places. If it were summer, this place would likely be teeming with miasma, and no one could get close to it.
She was paying close attention to the miasma when she suddenly heard Xie Jin behind her say, "Meng Fuqing, look over there."
He pointed to a spot, drawing the attention of Meng Fuqing and Niu Er.
"Huh? What are you looking at?" Niu Er looked around blankly, not knowing which place Xie Jin was referring to.
Meng Fuqing immediately spotted a man-made circular building on the southwest side of the swamp. It was indeed difficult to find due to the obstruction of tree branches, and from her perspective, she could only see the dome, not the entire building.
Behind the building was a towering mountain peak that seemed to reach into the clouds.
There was an easy-to-climb tree in the reeds behind, but she didn't want to bother climbing it herself, so she asked Xie Jin directly, "What's that? A tomb? Or a temple?"
In such a remote place, there are human activities, and Meng Fuqing can't think of anything else besides these two.
“It should be the tomb of an ancestor.” Xie Jin looked down at Meng Fuqing. “This place is near Canglan Mountain. It is said that the tomb of an emperor of the previous dynasty is located near Canglan Mountain, but no one has ever found the real entrance.”
Meng Fuqing understood the meaning behind his words, "You mean that might be an imperial tomb?"
Xie Jin curled his lips into a smile. "Just a guess."
Meng Fuqing, however, felt that the man in front of her was trying to lure her in, and said bluntly, "I think it's a trap, designed to catch people who are greedy for money."
"Oh?" Xie Jin raised an eyebrow slightly, showing an expression of willingness to hear more.
“As long as your eyesight isn’t as bad as Brother Niu’s, anyone who comes to the edge of the swamp and pays attention can spot that spot,” Meng Fuqing said.
Niu Er, who had already found the so-called imperial tomb, was quite taken aback by Meng Fuqing's words. He gave Meng Fuqing a resentful look but didn't dare to interrupt their conversation.
"At worst, you can climb a tree to see. You can find two skeletons on such a short distance. This large reed bed and swamp has swallowed countless lives. You can't even wait to take a detour. Who knows if you want to go into the tomb to find out what's going on?"
With Young Master Xie's keen eye, surely he wouldn't have missed it?
As he said this, Meng Fuqing was somewhat worried that it might be difficult to get around this swamp.
Suddenly, her sleeve was tugged, and Niu Er whispered, "Boss, that's an imperial tomb. There are countless treasures there. Not to mention Young Master Xie, I, Niu Er, am also tempted by the sight of wealth."
Meng Fuqing: ...
How could she not know that there were many treasures in the imperial tomb? She just felt that Xie Jin's behavior was a bit unusual, as she had never seen him care so much about material possessions before.
Xie Jin heard what Niu Er said and nodded in agreement, "I never expected that Miss Meng would think of me as such a noble person. In reality, I am just an ordinary person."
Meng Fuqing was speechless for a moment, just then Mu Sheng flew to the three of them.
“Young master, Miss Meng, the swamp here is very large. At the eastern end is a thicket of thorns. Not to mention a carriage, even a person may not be able to get through. We have to wait for Ling Qi’s news.”
Ling Qi, like Ling Jiu, was Xie Jin's subordinate and was Ling Jiu's older sister.