The morning light was dim, the mist had not yet cleared, and the open space on the edge of the town was already noisy.
The herb collection team led by Old Wang is making final preparations before departure. A dozen carts and wheelbarrows are parked crookedly, and they are piled with tents, dry food, water bags, digging tools and bundles of sacks. More than thirty strong men, Most of them were coolies, hunters or poor farmers in the town. They were wearing coarse shorts and wore complex expressions of fear of the unknown forest and desire for money. They were following the command of Old Wang and tying up the last supplies securely.
At the edge of the crowd, stood two men who had a completely different temperament from the coolies around them. They were wearing relatively clean and neat clothes, with weapons slung around their waists. One had a hunting bow on his back, and the other had a thick-backed machete on his back. Although the two men deliberately restrained their breath, the sharp eyes that inadvertently glanced around, and the faint traces of light on their bodies The vitality and blood flow that were much thicker than ordinary strong men and the fluctuations of Soul Power all revealed their identities as Soul Master - the two Soul Elder who were hired by Old Wang at a large price to be responsible for the safety of this trip into the mountain. One Spirit Empire was "Iron-Back Gray Wolf" and the other was "Rock-Armor Porcupine".
"Everyone, please be smart! Check the rope tools, there is no place to resupply in the mountain!" Old Wang is a thin old man with dark skin, but his eyes are sophisticated. He shouted, his eyes swept across the crowd, and finally fell on the two Soul Elder, his face He smiled and said, "Soul Master Zhang, Soul Master Li, this time it's all up to you two. We all know the rules for fifty miles outside. We will never go deep. If we find 'Moonlight Grass' or other valuable medicinal materials, we will turn back immediately."
"Soul Master Zhang", the one with an arched back, nodded and said nothing. He just glanced at the convoy vaguely, especially staying for a moment in the heavily shadowed areas under the carts. His brows furrowed almost unnoticeably, but soon relaxed. He probably felt that the morning fog had not cleared and the light was not good, so he was too preoccupied.
"Soul Master Li" was more rough and bold, and patted his chest. "Old Wang, don't worry, we are here, as long as you don't run into guys who are more than a thousand years old, we will ensure that you come back safely! But ugly words ahead, if we really encounter a tough fight, we two brothers can only try our best to deal with it, and everyone runs away for their lives!"
"Yes, yes, I understand the rules, I understand the rules." Old Wang responded quickly.
No one noticed that at the end of the convoy, at the bottom of an inconspicuous old truck with spare ropes and sacks piled up, the particularly dark "shadow", as if it had been soaked by night dew, was rising with the noise of the crowd and the vibration of the convoy. I slightly adjusted the "spreading" posture to make it flatter and evenly fit in the depressions with cracked wood grain and accumulated dirt on the back of the car floor. The color seemed to become darker with the change of light, almost blending in with the surrounding environment.
Soul Power is running silently, suppressing the weak energy fluctuations and the rotten smell that is difficult to eliminate to almost nothing. It is like a real, cold and moist sludge, dormant quietly.
"Let's go!" As Old Wang shouted, the convoy began to move slowly.
The carts and wheelbarrows made squeaking sounds as they rolled over the dirt road full of gravel, heading southeast to the edge of Star Dou Forest.
The journey begins.
Bumps, endless bumps.
For the protagonist hiding under the car, this is a new and more difficult test.
Although the previous cart ride was bumpy, it was a relatively smooth official road, and there was only one driver, so the speed was not fast. But this time, the cart load of the herb collection team was heavier, and the road was more rugged - it was a country dirt road at first, and then gradually entered a gravel path on the edge of the mountain forest. The wheels ran over stones, tree roots, and potholes, causing more severe and irregular vibrations.
Every violent bump made the "shadow" clinging to the bottom of the car feel like it was being struck by a heavy hammer. It had to be "adsorbed" to the car board, relying on its own poor stickiness and plasticity to resist the force that wanted to shake it off. The violent shaking made the already chaotic energy flow in its body more agitated, and the pain that seemed to tear it apart from the inside became clear again.
Moreover, the journey this time was obviously longer. From early morning to three o'clock in the morning, the convoy only took a short break for half an hour at noon to let the coolies eat some dry food and drink water, and then continued on the road. The long suspension, vibration, and the "silence" mark that must be maintained continuously, are constantly consuming its already scarce energy.
What's even more terrible is that as the convoy gradually moves away from the crowds and enters the mountain forest, the breath of life and Soul Power fluctuations in the air become active. Although it is only the outermost part, the occasional flying birds, the small beasts scurrying in the grass, and even the faint roar of beasts in the distance in the wind make the protagonist's perception derived from the predator's instinct become keen and... hungry.
It "smells" more fresh life, and feels the thin but ubiquitous Soul Power floating between heaven and earth. This stimulates the chaotic core in its body, the desire derived from the instinct of devouring, making it more clearly aware of its "weakness" and "hunger" while dormant in pain.
But it must be patient. Because the two Soul Elder are in the convoy. Especially the "Soul Master Zhang", his perception seems to be quite keen. During the morning's march, twice, the protagonist felt a faint sense of scrutiny. The Mental Power swept across the convoy and the bottom of the car where it was hiding. It immediately drove Soul Power to the extreme, even temporarily "solidifying" almost all of its own activity, disguised as a real, lifeless, cold and wet sludge.
Fortunately, the Mental Power Zhang Soul Elder didn't stay too long, and seemed to be just doing a routine alert scan. Maybe the protagonist's concealment was perfect enough, or maybe it was the low-level Soul Beast on the outskirts of the mountain forest. 's aura interferes, or maybe the Soul Elder itself doesn't pay too much attention to it - after all, who would have thought that a group of Soul Beast with the ability to hide is lurking under his motorcade?
However, this sense of crisis that may be discovered at any time, like a sharp sword hanging above the head, makes this bumpy journey even more painful.
As the sun gradually set in the west, the convoy stopped in a relatively flat forest glade, preparing to set up camp and spend the last night before entering the forest.
The coolies began to unload the trucks, set up simple tents, and make fires to cook food. The two Soul Elders patrolled around the camp separately and arranged some simple early warning traps.
The cart where the protagonist was hiding was parked haphazardly on the edge of the camp, in the shadow of a pile of rocks. The coolies unloaded the ropes and sacks on it and ignored it.
When the last trace of skylight is swallowed up by the mountains and forests, night falls and the bonfires are lit. The aroma of food, the talk and laughter of coolies, the footsteps of patrolling Soul Elder... various sounds and breaths are intertwined.
Under the car, the "shadow" finally got a moment of respite. But it didn't dare to relax at all. Like the most patient hunter and the most vigilant prey, under the protection of darkness, it "flowed" extremely slowly and silently from the edge of the car floor toward the darker, more humid rock cracks next to it, filled with rotting leaves and moss.
Leave the cart that has carried it all day and reintegrate yourself into a more natural and secluded environment.
The night is still long. The smell of the forest is getting closer and closer.
The obsession deep in the soul burns quietly like a cold flame in the dark night.
Star Dou... getting closer.