Chapter 199: A Trap?

Chapter 199: Chapter 199: A Trap?

"These mountains are truly massive."

Standing on high ground with her grandpa and uncle, Gu Nuan Nuan gazed at the rolling mountain range before her. An endless sea of green filled her vision. She took a deep breath, feeling a sense of comfort wash over her from the inside out.

"You can say that again. Don’t let their appearance fool you; they may not have the scenic views of more famous mountains, but the local environment shapes its people, and this place is a treasure trove for us. Back when the Alliance was invaded by foreign enemies, many people from the village relied on these mountains to escape the chaos of war. Because they’re so vast, the Zhang family’s Clan Leader at the time had the foresight to lead most of our clan deep into the mountains to take refuge. Life was a bit harder, of course, but at least we didn’t suffer great losses. Most importantly, the elderly, the women, and the children managed to survive."

Zhang Dazhuang said with a sigh, still emotional as he recalled the past. "Back then, there were those who didn’t escape in time, or those who found life in the mountains too bitter and couldn’t resist sneaking back out. In the end, their entire villages, their entire families, were wiped out. People who haven’t lived through it can’t understand. When war really breaks out, a human life is worth less than a blade of grass."

Gu Nuan Nuan’s mouth fell open. "..."

"Dad, why are you telling a child all this out of the blue?" Seeing Gu Nuan Nuan’s reaction, Zhang Wei Qiang thought she was scared and quickly tried to stop him.

"I was just reminded of those years... You all were born in a good era. Nuannuan’s generation goes without saying, but even yours, Wei Qiang—though you went through a time when you couldn’t fill your stomachs, what was that compared to the war? During the war, we couldn’t even think about filling our stomachs; we were just living day to day, never knowing if we’d see the next."

Once Zhang Dazhuang got started, it was hard for him to stop. He lamented for a while longer before finally stopping with a laugh. "Ah, enough of that. Not many people my age survived those times. I count myself lucky to have made it through and lived to see good days like these. What more could I ask for?"

He smiled, scanned his surroundings for a moment, then pointed in a certain direction. "We’ll head that way. That should be the direction of Zhang Family Village’s territory. Let’s go. As long as we have the right direction, we’ll get there eventually. I just hope we can make it before tonight, or we might have to camp out in the woods."

With that, he took the lead and started down the mountain. Zhang Wei Qiang and Gu Nuan Nuan hurried to follow.

Zhang Dazhuang was right. As long as they kept to the right direction, it wouldn’t be hard for the three of them to walk all the way to Fish Spring. The difficult part was finding a shortcut. Moreover, they had another goal for this trip: to find a path near Fish Spring that led out of the mountains without passing through Lihua Village or Zhang Family Village. In Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Wei Qiang’s eyes, that would not be so easy to accomplish.

Of course, Gu Nuan Nuan knew that if she wanted to, she could accomplish all of the above with Cao Cao’s help. It wouldn’t be difficult at all; she could probably get it done in a day or two. But she couldn’t do that. Her goal was slightly different from her grandpa’s and uncle’s. She wanted to explore as much of this forest as possible to find usable energy for Cao Cao.

’It’s been so long, and I still haven’t had a chance to go collect that He Shouwu. I wonder if I’ll get the chance this time?’ As she walked, Gu Nuan Nuan sent half of her consciousness into the space to communicate with Cao Cao.

"It’s okay if there’s no chance for now. We can just let them keep growing where they are. There’s definitely a lot more He Shouwu elsewhere in these mountains! I’ve already found more not far from here, in a spot you’re about to pass. Master, if you need them to know, I’ll let you know when we get there," Cao Cao said cheerfully. Being in the mountains was like being a fish back in water for it; it felt completely free and at ease.

’Okay, let me know,’ Gu Nuan Nuan replied. Sensing Cao Cao’s joy, she felt a wave of happiness herself. Her steps became much lighter, and a laugh like silver bells escaped her lips, causing Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Wei Qiang to glance over at her.

"Little girl, what’s got you so happy the moment we’re out here?" Seeing how cheerful Gu Nuan Nuan was, Zhang Wei Qiang couldn’t resist reaching out and pinching her cheek.

"Who wouldn’t be happy to go on an outing?" Gu Nuan Nuan made a face at her uncle and turned her head away. Suddenly, she froze. Her sharp eyes spotted a large patch of Perilla in full bloom not far away. Delighted, she forgot all about talking to her uncle and dashed straight for it, not forgetting to shout, "Grandpa, Uncle, wait up!"

’Perilla has so many uses. The tender leaves can be eaten directly, and they’re great for cutting through the richness when you eat them with grilled meat.’

’You can also use it in cold salads or cook it into porridge. It’s especially delicious when cooked with fish.’

’Oh, right, you can also make Perilla soy sauce. You just have to wash the Perilla, let it dry, then chop it up with garlic and pour regular soy sauce over it. After twenty-four hours, the Perilla soy sauce is ready. Using it to dress cold dishes, that flavor...’

At that moment, Gu Nuan Nuan suddenly realized she seemed to be growing more and more habitually reliant on Cao Cao. And because Cao Cao lacked energy, it inevitably focused most of its efforts on finding energy and the valuable medicinal herbs she had mentioned, which meant they often overlooked and missed common plants like these that could be used for flavoring.

If she hadn’t happened to see the Perilla today, she wouldn’t have even realized this problem.

’But I don’t blame Cao Cao; it’s not its fault. After all, I was the one who suggested conserving energy. Besides, even if it had plenty of energy, I can’t rely on it for every little thing, down to finding a common plant like this. If I did that, wouldn’t I lose all the fun of exploring the mountains myself?’

’Isn’t discovery one of the main joys of coming to the mountains? The happiness of an unexpected find and harvest is far more interesting than using a powerful cheat ability to collect everything without any suspense...’

Hearing Gu Nuan Nuan’s shout, Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Wei Qiang both stopped and looked in the direction she had run. After staring for a long while, they saw nothing but wild grass. Zhang Dazhuang was completely baffled. "Why’d she suddenly run over there? Did you see anything?"

"Maybe the leaves on that patch of weeds are prettier?" Zhang Wei Qiang was also puzzled. He sniffed the air. "Hmm, there does seem to be a special fragrance."

"You’re right, there is a fragrant smell. Girls like that kind of thing." Zhang Dazhuang also took a careful sniff, then nodded with an air of seriousness. "Come on. Since she likes it, let’s go over and help her pick some."

"Since Nuannuan likes it, and that grass looks pretty nice, why don’t we dig up a few stalks to take with us? We could plant them near Fish Spring and in the little courtyard at home," Zhang Wei Qiang added with a smile. The scent was quite pleasant. "I bet the others at home would like it too."

"That’s a good idea..." Before Zhang Dazhuang could finish his sentence, they suddenly heard a scream from Gu Nuan Nuan. He and Zhang Wei Qiang could only watch, horrified, as Gu Nuan Nuan’s foot found empty air and her entire body plummeted downwards, vanishing from their sight in the blink of an eye.

"Dammit! Who the hell would set a trap here?" The two men’s faces paled as they broke into a run.