Tan Dong sat in front of the door, idly watching the people passing by.
He even knew the habits of these neighbors like the back of his hand.
For example, every morning at this time, the chubby woman from the west would appear on time to buy some sugar from the grocery store by the street.
And every time, she couldn’t help but open the package and taste a couple of pieces right outside.
And then there was the tall, skinny man from the east, who would always go out for a stroll after meals, coming back with grease stains at the corners of his mouth, clearly sneaking out for a secret snack.
Living such a mundane life every day, Tan Dong felt like he was going moldy.
After stretching lazily, Tan Dong let out a long yawn, then planned to return inside.
But just then, something caught his eye.
The sudden appearance of a silhouette made him freeze in place.
No way.
Could I have seen wrong?
But as he looked more closely, Tan Dong was stunned.
Because now, standing right in front of him, was a tall, striking figure. Who else could it be but Zhao Ya?
"Zhao... Brother Zhao?" Tan Dong’s voice trembled a bit.
Zhao Ya smiled slightly, "What’s wrong? Don’t recognize me?"
He had just entered Danfeng Town with Zui’Er, and after asking around a bit, easily found the door.
From a distance, Zhao Ya had spotted Tan Dong sitting drowsily in front of the door and had planned to sneak up and surprise him, but hadn’t expected to be noticed.
After confirming it wasn’t a dream, tears welled up in Tan Dong’s eyes. He rushed towards Zhao Ya.
"Brother Zhao, I missed you so much!"
The next second, Tan Dong landed heavily on the ground, and Zhao Ya looked at him with a face full of helplessness.
"Can’t you be less mushy? It’s really not my thing."
Even though he fell face-first, Tan Dong continued to giggle foolishly.
At this moment, the commotion stirred the people in the courtyard.
When the guards and servants came out and saw Zhao Ya, they too were filled with surprise.
A moment later, inside the guest hall, Song Linqing walked in with large strides, having heard the news.
Upon seeing Zhao Ya, Song Linqing’s eyes lit up, and he immediately burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, I thought people were just talking nonsense, but it’s really you, you rascal, coming back!"
Zhao Ya also smiled and cupped his fist, "Zhao Ya, at your service, Patriarch."
Unexpectedly, Song Linqing waved his hand, "Alright, you’re no longer our commander, so no need to call me Patriarch. I’m older than you, just call me Brother Song."
With that, Song Linqing dragged him away by the wrist.
"My sister talks about you every day, now that you’ve finally come, imagine how happy she’ll be to see you."
Zhao Ya couldn’t help but show a wry smile but went along with it.
Meanwhile, in the back courtyard, Xiaoman rushed into the room like a gust of wind, excitedly shouting, "Miss, quick, he’s here!"
"Who’s here?" Song Peiwan, who was embroidering by the window, was puzzled.
Xiaoman finally caught her breath, "Commander Zhao is back!"
"Stop joking around, or I’ll really get mad." Song Peiwan thought the maid was teasing her and lowered her head to continue embroidering.
Xiaoman grew anxious, "I’m telling the truth, Miss, I just saw it with my own eyes. The Patriarch is bringing Commander Zhao here right now."
Seeing how serious Xiaoman was, Song Peiwan started to believe her a little.
"Really?"
"Of course it’s true. I’ve always told you, I might be a poor person’s body with a rich person’s mouth. See, I’ve been proven right again." Xiaoman said smugly.
Just then, Song Linqing’s cheerful laughter was heard from outside the courtyard.
"Peiwan, look who’s here?"
Song Peiwan panicked.
She didn’t expect Zhao Ya to arrive so soon, and there was no time to tidy up, so she nervously asked Xiaoman, "Is my hair messy?"
"It’s not messy, it looks great."
"What about my clothes?"
"Oh, Miss, now’s not the time to worry about that, just hurry and go greet him." Xiaoman said helplessly.
Only then did Song Peiwan stand up and walk to the door.
Sure enough.
She saw her brother Song Linqing smiling widely while leading someone into the courtyard.
Who else could it be but Zhao Ya.
Song Peiwan’s body trembled slightly, but she composed herself and gently curtsied.
"Greetings, Young Master Zhao."
She really didn’t know how to address Zhao Ya, so she hastily called him that.
Zhao Ya also smiled slightly and returned the gesture.
"Miss Song."
With a giggle, Xiaoman couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
Although she quickly covered her mouth, her eyes were still filled with amusement.
These two were just too amusing.
One was Young Master Zhao, and the other, Miss Song.
Why did these titles sound so awkward?
Her laughter made Song Peiwan’s face turn red, and she shot her a sharp glance.
Thankfully, Song Linqing intervened in time.
"Quick, instruct the kitchen, tonight we need to set a grand banquet and drink until we’re fully intoxicated."
This feast could be described as extremely lavish, and after three rounds of drinks, Song Linqing set down his cup and somewhat surprised, asked,
"Are you planning to enter Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain?"
"Yes, I plan to search for something in Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain," Zhao Ya replied.
"That won’t be easy, as the terrain in Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain is quite complicated. Unless you are one of those mountain guests living off the mountain, an ordinary person will find it difficult to navigate out once they’re in. Plus, there are many exotic beasts in the mountain, making it extremely dangerous," Song Linqing said, frowning.
"I’m not afraid of the exotic beasts, but I do need an experienced mountain guest as a guide. Does Brother Song have a suitable candidate?"
With Zhao Ya’s current strength, even if there were powerful exotic beasts in Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, Zhao Ya wouldn’t be scared at all.
However, Zhao Ya did not disclose this information to Song Linqing.
"Alright, I’ll find you a reliable mountain guest tomorrow. For now, let’s drink," Song Linqing immediately agreed.
For him, this was an extremely simple task.
After all, as the Li Zheng of Danfeng Town, he was more aware than anyone of which mountain guests had true skills, and which were just fakes.
Thus, after a night of heavy drinking, Song Linqing went out early the next morning.
By noon, Song Linqing returned with a man in his forties, who appeared to be smart and capable at first glance.
"Here, this is the most competent mountain guest from our Danfeng Town, named Ma Yufei. If you want to enter Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, he’s definitely the right person," Song Linqing introduced.
Ma Yufei was somewhat surprised.
At first, he thought that when Song Linqing said he had a friend wanting to enter the mountain to find something, it was likely one of those noble young masters, looking for some leisure entertainment to boast about later.
He had no reason not to agree to such a request.
As this task was surely quite easy, and he could earn a substantial commission.
But unexpectedly, he met such an extraordinary young man.
Although he couldn’t gauge his specific strength, for someone like Ma Yufei, who had made a living on the edge of the blade for many years, he could immediately tell that Zhao Ya’s strength was remarkable.
This made Ma Yufei’s nerves instantly tense.
Because such a young expert wouldn’t be going to Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain just for fun.
So this endeavor must be quite dangerous.
Zhao Ya noticed his tension and couldn’t help but smile, "Don’t worry. Although the place I want to go is rather unique, it shouldn’t be too dangerous."
Given the situation, Ma Yufei, of course, couldn’t say anything else, so he nodded reluctantly.
"Can I ask first, where exactly do you plan to go in Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain?"
"Of course."
Zhao Ya handed Ma Yufei a meticulously prepared replica map.
Ma Yufei took it and scrutinized it carefully.
After a long while, he furrowed his brow and handed the map back to Zhao Ya.
"Pardon my frankness, but I’ve never seen terrain like this before. Are you sure this is Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain?"
"I’m sure, and I’m also certain that this place shouldn’t be too deep in."
Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain covers a vast area. Even during the prosperous period of Great Yan, it was impossible to map all of it.
So Zhao Ya concluded that the location on this map shouldn’t be too deep.
"Even so, finding it won’t be an easy task, as anyone who’s never been into Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain can’t imagine how vast this mountain range is."
Ma Yufei shook his head, not convinced that following the map alone could lead to the target location.
"No problem, just guide me into the mountain, and I’ll find a way," Zhao Ya said.
"Since you’re insistent, I have nothing more to say. But I must inform you beforehand: it’s dangerous inside, and if we encounter something insurmountable, I will escape on my own," Ma Yufei said candidly.
"Of course, I’m not expecting you to deal with the dangers for me," Zhao Ya laughed.
Instead of being offended by Ma Yufei’s candor, Zhao Ya was quite appreciative.
For this was the quality an experienced mountain guest should possess; if he had sworn to guarantee safety beforehand, that would be questionable.
"Alright, I’ll go prepare, and we’ll set off early tomorrow morning."
After Ma Yufei agreed to this task, he turned around and went to pack up.
Zhao Ya, too, was busy tidying up his possessions, leaving behind any unnecessary items and carrying only essential toxic powders, elixirs, and supplies like dried meat.
Naturally, Zui’Er couldn’t go, but fortunately, with the care of Song Linqing and others, it was quite safe here.
So Zhao Ya left her behind and set off with Ma Yufei early the next morning.
The journey into the mountain went smoothly, and once inside, Zhao Ya finally understood why Ma Yufei was so cautious.
Unlike other mountain ranges, each peak in the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range was steep, and the mountain paths were rugged and hard to traverse.
With the rampant exotic trees and plants, without a guide, most people would lose their way soon after entering.
"In fact, this timing isn’t the best for entering the mountain because the climate is humid and hot, and the mountain air is quite damp, often resulting in fog, which is when Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain is most dangerous," Ma Yufei explained.
"Then when is the best time to enter the mountain?" Zhao Ya asked.
"It’s during the transition from winter to spring, when the ice and snow melt and the vegetation just begins to sprout. That’s the best time to enter."
Just as he finished speaking, Zhao Ya suddenly reached out towards Ma Yufei.
Startled, Ma Yufei barely had time to react before seeing Zhao Ya’s hand reach behind his head and grab a jet-black, patterned venomous snake and pull it back.
"This creature was lurking on the branch beside you, ready to strike. I was afraid warning you might startle it, causing unnecessary danger, so I just took action," Zhao Ya laughed.
"Thank you!"
Even though the venomous snake might not have been able to harm Ma Yufei upon attack, since someone like him, who frequently entered the mountain, surely had his means.
But Zhao Ya’s intervention was a fact, and for that, Ma Yufei was indeed grateful, with any previous unfamiliarity vanishing.
The rest of the journey saw the two working in great coordination and progressing smoothly.
The further they went, the more amazement and admiration filled Ma Yufei’s heart.
For Zhao Ya’s understanding of the mountains and forests seemed in no way inferior to his own, sometimes even surpassing it.
Finally, they arrived at the first destination of their journey, in front of a peak with grotesque rocky formations.