"My lord, this way!"
Only after Ye Qianfan had threatened and coaxed him did the Pavilion Chief finally obediently lead him toward Lower River Village.
And Ye Qianfan had guessed right: the fellow knew a shortcut!
As it turned out...
The Pavilion Chief did not follow the directions he had given them, taking the three-hour walk along the river to Lower River Village.
Instead, he headed toward the back of the village, then turned onto a narrow path that led to a mountain. The mountain was rather steep, covered in jagged, grotesquely shaped rocks. One look told them it would be difficult to climb!
At first, Ye Qianfan thought the Pavilion Chief intended to take them over the mountain!
The young men would have little trouble, but the Pavilion Chief was getting on in years. With sheer, smooth rock faces everywhere, calling it rock climbing would be no exaggeration. Ye Qianfan seriously doubted whether an old man like him had that much stamina!
But then...
After leading them to the end of the cliff face, the old man pushed aside layers of leaves and vines, and even moved a battered woven-bamboo door that was practically falling apart. Only then did a cave entrance emerge behind them.
Judging by its appearance, it seemed to be an entirely natural cave!
"Where does this lead?"
Ye Qianfan had some lingering trauma when it came to caves, so he wanted answers before going in!
The Pavilion Chief wiped away his sweat. "Going through the mountain here cuts the journey in half. Even the people of Lower River Village don't know about it."
"You first!"
Ye Qianfan drew his sword and pressed it against the Pavilion Chief's back. "No tricks, or don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare." The