Sure enough, Mochen sent a signal before they had gone far, indicating that the woman had fled down the small path behind the Mountain God Temple.
Everyone pursued her along the path. It was well hidden, with bushes on both sides and room for only one person to pass through. After running for about half an hour, they reached a fork in the road, and Mochen pointed to the path on the left.
"She went this way. The footprints are fresh." Everyone continued the pursuit. After running for a while longer, the road ahead gradually widened, and they could vaguely see a figure moving swiftly in the distance. It was the woman.
They did not dare get too close and could only follow from afar. The woman seemed to know she was being followed, but she did not look back, merely quickening her pace.
After another hour of walking, the abandoned mine came into view. The woman went straight beneath the cliff near the mine and blew a whistle. Soon, a small opening in the cliff opened, and a basket was lowered.
The woman placed the medicinal herbs in her hands into the basket, then took out a cloth bundle from it and turned to leave.
Lin Taichu signaled everyone to hide. Only after the woman had gone far away did they slowly approach. Watching the basket being pulled up, he mused that the woman truly was just a delivery runner.
After the woman had been gone for about half an hour, Lin Taichu led everyone after her in secret. This time, they did not follow too closely, merely trailing her from afar to see where she was really going.
The woman traveled for a long time before finally entering a small town near the Black Rock Mountain Range. She