Scouting the Way!

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"": "When he returned home, the atmosphere in the courtyard was tense and heavy.

Luo Feng sat behind the table, his face livid.

Several bundles rested on a chair beside him. Gu Ya was inspecting one of them as if nothing had happened.

Hearing movement, Gu Ya looked up at Luo Bin, and only then did a smile appear on her face.

"Xiao Shan's back. Time for dinner."

With that, Gu Ya went into the kitchen.

Luo Bin walked into the main room. Luo Feng did not look at him, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Luo Bin felt even more uncomfortable.

Gu Ya must have told him about revealing everything to Zhang Yunling earlier that day. That was why Luo Feng was so upset.

"Dad... this is my fault. Don't be angry with Mom."

Luo Bin took a deep breath and voluntarily shouldered the blame.

Only then did Luo Feng turn his gaze toward him.

"Do you know what getting caught up in personal feelings leads to?" he asked gravely.

"Heroes lose heart?" Luo Bin swallowed.

"So you do know?" Luo Feng slammed his hand onto the table with a bang, making even the teapot shake!

"Luo Feng, don't start snapping at Xiao Shan again. I was the one who told her, not him." Gu Ya hurried out of the kitchen and stopped at the doorway to the main room, fierce protectiveness in her eyes.

"Dad, don't be angry... this really has nothing to do with Mom..." Luo Bin quickly stepped in front of Gu Ya.

Luo Feng pressed a hand between his brows and squeezed his eyes shut.

"One of you is young and hotheaded-a newborn calf fears no tiger. The other is a doting mother, and a kind mother spoils her child."

"I know exactly what happened today. Xiao Shan, stop talking. And you, his mother, need to understand that I'm doing all this for Xiao Shan, for our family. Little Ling is a decent person, but she isn't family. We can't risk all our lives for her." When Luo Feng opened his eyes again, they were bloodshot.

"What's done is done. We can't take back what's already been said. Let's just hope she doesn't cause any trouble."

In the end, Luo Feng shook his head, misery written across his face.

"What trouble could Little Ling possibly cause? All those years she spent gathering herbs for you were wasted."

"Xiao Shan, come help me in the kitchen."

Gu Ya took Luo Bin's hand and tried to lead him into the kitchen.

"Mom... don't be angry either. Dad isn't wrong." Luo Bin did not move.

At a time like this, the couple could not afford to get into a quarrel.

"I'll have a word with Dad. You go on ahead." Luo Bin softened his voice as he tried to persuade her.

Only then did Gu Ya let go. She glared at Luo Feng and said, "Xiao Shan is far more sensible than you and knows how to treat people. I won't argue with you. You're a boor who doesn't know how to care about anyone."

Once Gu Ya went back into the kitchen, Luo Bin wiped the sweat from his forehead, smiling wryly.

Then he added quietly, "I'll be very careful. I think Sister Ling is pretty cautious too. She hardly interacts with the villagers, does she?"

"Mom hardly ever interacts with the villagers either, and the two of them get along so well. Whether Sister Ling sees her as a friend or an elder, at least she can ease some of Mom's boredom, can't she?"

Luo Feng looked deeply at Luo Bin and remained silent for a long time before suddenly saying, "Sometimes, I really think you've come to your senses. You used to make your mother shed so many tears, after all. Now that you're so protective of her, she's fortunate."

Luo Feng's voice was low, audible only within the main room, only to Luo Bin.

This was one of the rare occasions when he spoke openly about Luo Bin's identity.

The words "sometimes" and "really think" proved that Luo Feng was lucid.

"You're better suited to this than Xiao Shan. But there's a reason, an explanation, for why women and children in Cabinet Mountain Village are more easily beguiled by evil spirits. Don't indulge your mother, or something will happen. She can bear this little slight, which hardly even counts as one. Those are our family's rules." Luo Feng's words carried deeper meaning, clearly hinting at something.

Luo Bin considered this for a long time before nodding and saying he understood.

"Good." Only then did Luo Feng's brow relax a little. Yet he continued looking toward the courtyard gate, his eyes thoughtful.

Dinner went reasonably well. The atmosphere was a little stiff, but after Gu Ya petulantly placed a few helpings of food in Luo Feng's bowl, everything returned to normal.

After returning to his room, Luo Bin drank some Lamp Oil to ensure he would be safe through the night.

The night passed peacefully. Xu Kaiguo did not come.

Of course, evil spirits did come, but Luo Bin was not tempted in the slightest.

He slept comfortably through the night. In the morning, Luo Feng woke him by knocking on his door. Luo Bin hid all the Lamp Oil on his person. Since he was leaving home, he needed to take precautions. He could not leave the Lamp Oil behind.

Finally, he wrapped the leather belt around his waist before leaving his room.

In the courtyard, Luo Feng and Gu Ya each carried several bundles, looking ready to set out.

Zhong Zhicheng was also in the courtyard. His full beard had been trimmed, making his face look even more sharply defined.

"Good, your whole family is here. Let me repeat one requirement. Luo Feng, I want you to go at least half a kilometer ahead. Of course, I know you'll keep going, and that you'll be different from the others. Still, every bit farther you go gives us a little more hope. As long as you don't end up back in the village, you should be on the right track." Zhong Zhicheng met Luo Feng's eyes.

"All right." Luo Feng nodded.

Zhong Zhicheng also handed Luo Feng a small bundle, which Luo Feng strapped against his chest.

Then Zhong Zhicheng headed out of the courtyard.

Whenever they passed a courtyard, Zhong Zhicheng raised his gong mallet and struck hard once, letting the villagers know that day had broken.

Quite a few villagers stood along the road, watching.

Some had the faintest trace of hope in their eyes.

Others watched with numb eyes, showing no emotion, as though they had seen this scene many times before.

Still others-the largest group-looked on with schadenfreude.

These people's reactions had much to do with the original owner's poor reputation.

Before long, they reached the ceremonial archway at the head of the village.

This slightly overturned Luo Bin's assumptions. He had thought they would leave from the far end of the village.

He had not expected that the scouting route had always begun at the village entrance.

Zhong Zhicheng went no farther, stopping beneath the archway.

Luo Feng became their guide.

After the family of three had walked for roughly half an hour, another sharp bend appeared in the road ahead. They were almost at the point where they would enter the mountains.

The tall, straight peaks in the distance were lush and green, yet gave off a strange feeling. They resembled enormous, towering figures draped in green robes, their broad summits like shoulders, except those shoulders were empty, with no heads.

Luo Feng did not continue along the concrete road. Instead, he pointed ahead and said, "If we go around that bend, we'll return to the village."

"Does the ghost wall start here?" Luo Bin murmured.

"A ghost wall?" Gu Ya pressed her lips together slightly.

"It's been a long time since anyone used that expression. If only there really were ghosts in this world." Luo Feng shook his head.

"This way." He jumped down off the roadside embankment.

There was a narrow trail here. Luo Feng drew a billhook and slashed away the newly grown brambles on either side.

Luo Bin followed his example. Father and son took the front and rear, keeping Gu Ya protected between them.

The sunlight was painfully bright.

Luo Bin noticed a few more subtle differences in this place.