Chapter 49

Chapter 49

On the third day of the journey, the party arrived at Yanshan Gorge. Once they passed through Yanshan Gorge, they would enter Jinzhou territory.

“Brother Xiao, Yanshan Gorge is just ahead. Bandits often ambush travelers there, so we need to be on our guard.”

Zhu Laosan had escorted exiled prisoners along this route several times before and knew the terrain like the back of his hand.

In the past, when escorting exiles, there had been no need to give such a warning. Exiles had nothing worth taking, and even if mountain bandits robbed them, there would be little gain and they would only offend the authorities.

But things were different now. The Xiao Family had faced trouble after trouble along this road. Zhu Laosan had become more cautious, afraid someone might use the Horse Bandits as cover to commit murder.

Xiao Che thanked him, then quietly discussed countermeasures with Xiao Jingmo.

All along the way, they had not found an opportunity to kill Cui Jin and Zou Yong.

If mountain bandits really did ambush them, however, it would be a perfect chance for an assassination. In the chaos, even if Cui Jin and Zou Yong died, Zhu Laosan and Li Si would not be able to notice anything.

At noon, they finally reached Yanshan Gorge.

But the sight before them left the entire group dumbfounded. The entrance to the gorge was completely blocked by massive boulders.

One glance was enough to tell them the road was impassable.

Cui Jin and Zou Yong, who had been walking at the rear, saw the group come to a halt and moved up to the front. When they saw the road was blocked, Cui Jin understood at once.

He remembered that the map marked a side road. If they took that way, they would pass through a vast stretch of marshland.

In that case, the entrance to the gorge being blocked by boulders had to mean that after he had requested reinforcements, the people above had sent someone.

This was another chance for him to earn credit.

Once everyone from the Xiao Family died in the marsh, he could take the Star Maiden back and claim his reward. Wouldn’t that mean two rewards instead of one?

“Officer, the road is blocked. What do we do now?”

As Xiao Che looked at the boulders obstructing the path, his first thought was that someone had done this deliberately.

He examined the area carefully. There were no signs of a landslide on the slopes on either side of the gorge. In other words, these rocks had most likely been pushed down from the mountain above.

Blocking their way. What was the purpose?

Zhu Laosan had never encountered a situation like this before.

For a moment, everyone was at a loss.

The exiles each found a place to sit and rest.

Cui Jin took out the map with a great show of concern.

“Right now, we can only change routes. There is a side road marked on the map. If we detour that way, it will only add half a day to the original journey.”

Everyone knew Cui Jin was up to no good, but what he said was true.

If they stayed here, there was no village ahead and no inn behind them. Waiting for the road to be cleared would take who knew how long.

Besides, bandits ran rampant in this area, and Zhu Laosan had no wish to linger here.

“We’ll do as Cui Jin said. We’ll take the other road.”

Zhu Laosan made the decision on the spot. He had traveled this route several times, but he had never taken a detour before, so he was unfamiliar with that narrow path as well. Now they all had to follow behind Cui Jin.

Yet the farther they went, the more wrong the surroundings felt.

The originally flat wasteland was gradually replaced by wetlands that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance, covered in tall grass and low shrubs.

The air was damp and heavy, filled with the stench of rotting plants.

Mosquitoes and insects buzzed incessantly around them, making everyone feel increasingly irritable without realizing it.

The road was narrow, and the mule carts could not pass at all. They had no choice but to abandon the carts and hang all their belongings on the mules instead. The elderly and the children all had to get down and walk.

Xiao Che carried Jin Bao in his arms. Before they had gone more than a few steps, her soft, delicate skin was covered in red bumps.

Jin Bao kept scratching. The more she scratched, the itchier it became.

When Lu Shuangshuang saw this, she quickly stepped forward to stop her.

“Jin Bao, stop scratching. Auntie will put some ointment on you. Wear this on you too.”

Lu Shuangshuang took a porcelain bottle from her robes, dabbed a bit of black ointment onto the places where Jin Bao had been bitten, then hung a sachet around Jin Bao’s neck.
“These are all for repelling mosquitoes and insects. Everyone, put one on.”

Ever since they had gotten the mule cart, they had used the sachets less often. Now they were finally coming in handy again.

Jin Bao fiddled with her sachet and lifted her little head to look ahead.

Another image appeared before her eyes.

[Cui Jin pretended to have a stomachache and had Zhu Laosan lead the way onward.

Zhu Laosan sensed something wrong with the surroundings, so he made the Xiao Family Branches walk in front to lead the way.

They had only taken a few steps when one branch member’s foot sank deep into the mire.

The others were so frightened that they instantly backed away and refused to go any farther.

Everyone watched helplessly as that man was swallowed bit by bit by the black quagmire.

Zhu Laosan was about to lead the group back when a band of black-clad men suddenly appeared behind them. The Xiao Family Branches, who had been the first to lose their nerve, were cut down one by one by those men in black as they tried to run back.

Then the black-clad men raised their blades and swords, driving the Xiao Family step by step into the swamp. Old Madam Xiao accidentally fell, and her body began to sink. Nanny Chen reached out to pull her up, only to be dragged down with her.]

Terrified, Jin Bao immediately wrapped her arms around Xiao Jingmo’s neck.

“Brother San, my stomach hurts. You take everyone ahead first. I’ll catch up in a bit.”

After Cui Jin said that, he quickly slipped away.

No one saw the cold sneer tugging at the corner of Cui Jin’s mouth. This place was the vast swamp known as Ghost’s Lament, a natural burial ground. He refused to believe the Xiao Family could make it through safely.

The situation was exactly the same as what Jin Bao had just seen.

Jin Bao was just about to speak when Xiao Che noticed something was wrong.

Having dealt with enemies year-round, he was extremely vigilant.

And the place he guarded was the Southern Frontier. Terrain like this put him instantly on guard.

Ever since they had entered this area, there had not even been a single birdcall around them. It was far too quiet.

“Mo’er, something’s wrong! Check the water, soil, and plants here.”

Xiao Jingmo also keenly noticed the abnormality.

“Father, something really is wrong. The water here is black, and all the plant roots are rotting.”

Xiao Che’s expression changed drastically. “Sir, come back! Don’t go any farther. This might be swamp ground underneath.”

Zhu Laosan had never trusted Cui Jin to begin with and had already planned to have the Xiao Family Branches lead the way first.

Now that Xiao Che had shouted, he drew the broadsword in his hand and pushed aside the grass.

He stabbed down at what looked like solid turf. To his surprise, with just a little force, the broadsword began to sink, and black bubbles rose to the surface.

“Damn it. Cui Jin dared to screw me over. The direction he pointed us in has even heavier moisture. It must be deeper in the swamp. He wants to bury all of us here.”

Xiao Che thought of how Jin Bao had clung to his neck earlier, looking utterly terrified. She had probably seen the swamp too.

“My good girl, did you discover something just now?”

Jin Bao nodded.

“Daddy, there’s something black and soft that eats people. It ate Great-grandmother and Nanny Chen. Baby doesn’t want Great-grandmother to be eaten. And there are lots of bad people dressed in black. They’re so scary. They killed so many people.”

Xiao Che and Xiao Jingmo both heard what Jin Bao said.

“Father, it looks like they’re forcing us into a dead end. Assassins behind us, a swamp ahead of us. Whether we advance or retreat, it would be death either way. I was wondering why the journey had been so peaceful. So this is what they were waiting for.”

The situation was urgent. Among the Xiao Family, only Xiao Che and his two sons had any real fighting strength, and they still had to protect so many women. There were too many concerns, and they had no chance of victory at all.

Moreover, they had to protect Jin Bao now. Jin Bao’s special ability absolutely could not be discovered by anyone else again. The existence of the swamp and the assassins could only be relayed to Zhu Laosan by some other means. They must not let it involve Jin Bao.