The Seventh Master and I both knew perfectly well that Gao Jianxue had not gotten lost at all. The villagers had hidden her away.
But Hong Tao and the others did not know that. They were even asking the very people hiding Gao Jianxue to help find her.
The villagers' act was flawless, too. They enthusiastically offered to head into the mountains with Hong Tao and the others to search for Gao Jianxue.
What weighed even more heavily on the Seventh Master and me was that the village chief was there as well.
He was very eager to help, telling the villagers present, "The one who's gone missing is a young girl. We need to help these youngsters find their friend as soon as possible. It's dangerous for a girl to be alone up in the mountains."
Hong Tao and the others hurriedly thanked them. "Thank you. Thank you, Chief. Thank you, everyone. We're so sorry for the trouble. Let's head into the mountains and look for her right away."
More than a dozen villagers were there, and they immediately prepared to head into the mountains.
I grabbed Hong Tao and urged him in a low voice, "Buddy, don't go. You mustn't go!"
Hong Tao was already growing impatient and asked me why.
I had no idea how to explain it to him. Given how naive he was, if I told him the truth, his not believing me would be the least of my worries. What scared me was that he might turn around and sell me out.
"Listen to me. Whatever you do, don't go. Your girlfriend is in the village. She isn't up in the mountains at all."
"Will you two ever give it a rest?"
Hong Tao lost his temper and said through gritted teeth, "I've put