【Texture】(144, 145)

Author: Wandering Traveler

, August 18, 2016, first

published on sis,

Chapter 144:

Xiao Suyan noticed the sudden change in my expression and asked, "What's wrong? Are you thinking about
something ?"

"N-nothing... I'm just worried about our current situation!" I hurriedly gathered
my thoughts and gave a perfunctory answer. Regardless of whether the current situation was related to my mother's plot against the Nine Cauldrons,
I didn't want to tell Xiao Suyan about it. After all, I had only known him for an hour or so.

"Oh, so what should we do now? We've rested enough, and those guys in the valley haven't sent anyone to
chase us. Should we have Song Kui lead the way to that camp?" Xiao Suyan observed
my expression with interest. He probably knew that I was hiding something from him, but he didn't say it. Instead, he pretended not
to know and asked us about our next move.

"Yeah, that's right, let's go immediately! Let's find that camp. Hopefully, like Song Kui said, we can get some
supplies. Also, we might run into the Sun brothers and their gang there!"

I threw my cigarette butt on the ground, stomped it out, and walked around from behind a tree to the demon pile. I waved my hands to signal
everyone to move, and said to Song Kui, "Let's go now, to find that temporary camp. Once we're on the motorcycles, Kui-ge,
you lead the way."

Song Kui agreed, then turned and led everyone towards where the motorcycles were parked.

After driving the motorcycles deeper into the forest, the terrain gradually began to change.
It was no longer all flat land; rocks, ravines, and various dense ferns and vines appeared. Not only
that, but as we went deeper, even the main tree species in the forest began to change. The originally tall
coniferous trees began to decrease, and some low-latitude or low-altitude tree species appeared, especially
maple trees with fiery red leaves...

Zhu Yu, who was behind me, noticed this and asked in my ear, "Brother Yan, it looks like we
've been going downhill the whole time!"

"Why? How do you feel that way?" I was a little confused by Zhu Yu's statement because I had been focused on driving and being vigilant about
potential dangers. Along the way, I hadn't felt
any significant difference in terrain.

"I studied agricultural technology in college, so I'm quite familiar with plants. Mountainous areas often have different flora and fauna due to changes in climate and
altitude . There
's one type of plant at the foot of the mountain, another type halfway up, and yet another type at the top. Look at the trees around us; the
ambient is higher than the plants where we started, and the altitude is also lower. Based on this
, we can infer that we've entered a lower-altitude area from a higher altitude area," Zhu Yu explained earnestly
.

I nodded after hearing this, then looked up to observe the clearly visible snow-capped peaks in the distance.
Just as Zhu Yu had predicted, those peaks appeared even more distant than before. It seemed our
convoy was indeed unknowingly moving towards a lower elevation within the mountainous region.

The increasing complexity of the terrain slowed our motorcycle convoy's progress. Although Song Kui had previous experience
venturing into this area, he couldn't truly claim to be familiar with it. He was only
guiding everyone towards a certain area based on his vague memory and the general direction of the distant mountains. During this time, we made several large detours
to avoid the difficult and complex terrain. Even so,
several vehicles in the convoy nearly got stuck in hidden ravines covered by various vegetation... This consumed a significant amount
of our time.

The changing light in the sky and around us signified the passage of time, and it made me feel worried! Of course,
I didn't doubt that Song Kui had led us astray, because during our journey, he successfully led us to a clear stream flowing through the forest, which he
remembered , allowing us to replenish our water supply. This gave everyone
the confidence and perseverance to continue.

Finally, after driving for another half hour, we arrived at a gentle hillside. By this time, the trees
around had completely transformed into a vast maple forest. Song Kui, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped the motorcycle and pointed to
a lake in the distance that appeared in our view, shouting excitedly,

"Finally found it! That's it! That lake... I'm not mistaken! The campsite is somewhere by the lake!"

"Good thing we found it. Damn it, if we hadn't found it, I would have started to suspect that you were leading us
in circles!" Xiao Suyan chuckled, trying to speed up and pass Song Kui, but the motorcycle slowed down naturally after moving forward
a few dozen meters . He stepped on the engine twice, glanced down at the dashboard
, and let out a long sigh. Then he turned to us and said, "My motorcycle's out of gas, what about you guys?"

The other three motorcycles, including mine, pulled up beside him, and the three drivers all
looked down to check their vehicles and remaining fuel. Without exception, the fuel gauges were below
the minimum red line for all of them…

I immediately climbed off my motorcycle, estimated the distance to the lake to be about a kilometer,
and discussed with Xiao Suyan, "…Even if we divide the remaining fuel among the three motorcycles, it probably won't be enough to get
all four of us to the lake! In places like this, traveling together is the safest. How about we all get off here,
walk to the lake, and then find that campsite?"

Xiao Suyan looked up at the sky and nodded in agreement. "You're right, this kind of place isn't
suitable for splitting up. But we need to hurry. If we can't find a campsite before dark, we'll probably have to
camp in the wild."

Along the way, Xiao Suyan and I had unknowingly become the leaders in the eyes of the others. Now that
we had reached an agreement, the others naturally had no objections. Everyone immediately abandoned the motorcycles and
began to inventory their remaining supplies.

Song Kui found a plastic tube in the trunk of his motorcycle. Seeing this, I had an idea
. I used the tube to siphon the last bit of gasoline from the remaining three motorcycles' fuel tanks and put it into
a mineral water bottle. My two previous near-death experiences forced me to once again plan ahead and consider potential contingencies.
Considering the various possibilities, this small bottle of gasoline might come in handy.

With a clear goal and the destination in sight, everyone was somewhat excited, almost running all the way
to the lakeside. Song Kui then pointed into the distance again, excitedly pointing out, "Look, the camp is over there!"

Strictly speaking, the lake that appeared in the forest was just a slightly larger pool of water, with a water area of
perhaps only three or four acres. Following the direction Song Kui pointed, we immediately saw
the corner of a tent peeking out from the woods on the opposite shore of the lake...

A few minutes later, as we walked around the lake, we finally saw the temporary camp that Song Kui had mentioned. Just as Song Kui
said, it was indeed just a small, temporary camp. The entire camp was only about a hundred square meters in size,
with five or six tents scattered inside! Apart from one large military field tent, the rest of the tents
were just ordinary small outdoor sports tents. The camp used nylon netting as a barrier on three sides to
keep out wild animals. The side facing the lake served as the entrance and exit of the camp.

"...When General Guan first led the search and rescue team, I heard he led them directly into extremely deep areas.
The evacuation was incredibly difficult due to an unexpected incident. So, when he led us in the second time, he changed his strategy,
adopting a more cautious approach! He set up a temporary camp like this every so often, serving as a supply depot
or a rest stop for personnel to communicate with the main base outside! The largest tent is
a warehouse for storing supplies. I remember that during the last evacuation, most of the supplies in the supply depot were left behind."

Song Kui, feeling somewhat guilty for leading us astray due to a memory lapse,
relaxed now that the camp was in sight and proactively introduced the details of the camp.

"How many temporary supply camps like this did you set up last time you came in?" I asked.

"I remember there were three in total. This is the first one, and the closest to the valley exit.
About twenty kilometers southwest of here is the second one, which I recall was
built next to a giant rock. When we arrived there, we found
traces of human activity around that rock. The search and rescue team spent a whole day there gathering clues about the missing expedition team, and
a second temporary supply camp was set up in the vicinity. The third camp was located about ten kilometers west of
the second supply point, beside a stream. I didn't stay at the camp to participate in the camp-building work
group; instead, I was assigned to a group. Halfway through, we heard gunfire. Then
someone came to inform us that the group remaining at the camp had been attacked by an unknown creature, and General Guan ordered a full
evacuation. Afterwards, I asked the work group members, and they said that the camp seemed to be only half-built…
"

Before we knew it, Song Kui had led us to the entrance of this camp. The camp was silent, with many messy footprints scattered on the sandy ground
at the entrance . The footprints were very clear, some even containing a small amount
of water. Seeing this, Xiao Suyan frowned and said, "It seems we're a bit late; someone has
already been to this camp."

Even without Xiao Suyan's words, the others realized the problem. Song Kui quickly ran into the camp,
diving the largest field tent. A moment later, he poked his head out and, with a hint of relief, told everyone, "
Someone did get here first, but they didn't take all the canned goods and other supplies; there's still some left!"

Hearing this, Xiao Suyan and I immediately breathed a sigh of relief and entered the large military tent
. The tent was dimly lit, with several stools and canned goods, tools,
and miscellaneous items , making it appear quite messy. As I bent down to pick up the items, I asked Song Kui, "Do you know how many people are at this
camp ? Who do you think will arrive first?"

"There aren't many people who participated in the last search and rescue team and stayed for this one. Let me think...
including Director Guan, there are probably less than twenty people! Several of them stayed at the base camp last time
to handle logistics and didn't enter the area with the team. They know the camp exists, but
they probably can't find it. As for those who arrived first, I think it can only be Director Guan and the two Director Suns' group.
After all, Director Guan knows the route here much better than I do. If she leads the way, taking the shortest route, even
on foot , she will definitely arrive before us," Song Kui replied.

"Why didn't they rest or linger at this camp?" Xiao Suyan
asked after placing the two cans of food he had picked up on a stool in the middle of the tent.

"I don't know!" Song Kui straightened up, shook his head, and looked equally
bewildered .

"We don't know when they arrived. If they arrived early, it's normal for them to continue their advance immediately after collecting enough
supplies . After all, those guys behind
us were chasing us relentlessly. Before dark, for safety reasons, it's best to run as far as possible! They didn't know that
those guys didn't send any more people to pursue them, nor did they know that we would come looking for them.
It's not surprising at all." I put the canned food I had collected on the stool and made my
speculations and analysis.

Song Kui nodded repeatedly after listening to my analysis and added, "That's very likely the case. Although the distance to
the second camp is far, I remember there are several places where we can camp overnight.
Even if Guan and the others don't make it to the second camp in time, they can spend the night in those places."

"What about us? Should we set off immediately to chase after them?" Xiao Suyan found a stool and sat down,
sorting and classifying the things everyone had found while asking for everyone's opinions.

I got up, went to the door, glanced at the sky outside, and shook my head, rejecting Xiao Suyan's suggestion.
"It's getting dark soon, traveling at night is too dangerous. I don't think it's a good idea."

Xiao Suyan looked at the others, confirmed they shared my opinion, nodded, and stroked his chin
.

"After we set off, it's unlikely those people in the valley will send anyone after us! So,
let spend the night here and set off again tomorrow morning to chase after the Sun brothers and their group."

Sitting under a tree by the lake, I squinted at the last rays of light in the western sky, checking the gun in my hand.
Zhu Yu brought me a can of luncheon meat that Xiao Suyan had cut open with his sword, along with a pair of chopsticks made from
irregularly shaped twigs. After I took them, I looked up at
the beautiful scenery and exclaimed,

"This place is truly beautiful… I never imagined there could be such a beautiful place in the Kunlun Mountains!"

The clear lake surrounded by a forest of fiery red maple leaves, coupled with the majestic and mysterious snow-capped peaks in the distance, truly
gave one a sense of tranquility and peace. A Taoist priest nearby, hearing Zhu Yu's exclamation,
strolled and stood beside her, saying, "Ms. Zhu is quite right. This place is blessed with beautiful mountains and clear waters, abundant in spiritual energy
—the perfect place for cultivation! I see that you, Ms. Zhu, have extraordinary potential. Would you be interested in learning my Taoist
methods ?"

Zhu Yu had regular features and could easily be considered a "beauty." The Taoist priest, who
had shown saw this as an opportunity and approached her to try and strike up a conversation. However, before Zhu Yu
could react, Xiao Suyan, who was standing not far away eating canned food, coldly spoke up.

"You damned Taoist, where are we? What's our situation? Let me give you a piece of advice: just take care of your own
life and stop with the nonsense! Do you think you're out here, having the energy and time
to seduce women?"

Zhu Yu chuckled, shook her head, and walked back to the camp, ignoring the Taoist priest. The Taoist priest was naturally very embarrassed.
He turned to Xiao Suyan and shouted, "You, surnamed Xiao, how am I seducing a woman? I see that Ms. Zhu possesses
spiritual roots and want to guide her onto the path of supreme immortality..."

"Immortal my ass... Stop spouting nonsense in front of me! I've met many people in the Taoist sects. I know quite a few with real skills in
the Zhengyi and Quanzhen sects. If you want to fool people, you need to have some real skills first!
Because those with skills can act tough, but if you act tough without skills, that's just stupid! Do you understand?!" Xiao Suyan
mocked the Taoist priest without even looking up.

The Taoist priest's face turned red, and he shouted sharply. "You've gone too far! I've already achieved the Golden Core Dao,
something an ignorant junior like you could never comprehend!"

"If you've achieved the Golden Core Dao… then my wife has already reached the Nascent Soul stage!"

"What? Your wife is also a Daoist, and she's already formed her Nascent Soul?" The Daoist stared at Xiao
Suyan in astonishment, his face filled with disbelief.

Xiao Suyan, having finished his canned food, casually tossed it to the ground, walked over to the Daoist, and patted him on
the shoulder . "My wife is six months pregnant, wouldn't you say that's Nascent Soul formation? Of course, that's assuming those
gallstones in your belly also count as Golden Core…"

The Daoist was furious, but seeing Xiao Suyan's cold expression, he ultimately chose to back down. He lowered his head and returned to the camp
without a word . When Xiao Suyan returned, I shook my head and tried to persuade him.

"I know you don't like him, but there's no need to embarrass him like this. We're all in
this , let's save some face for each other."

Xiao Suyan leaned against the tree and replied softly, "I understand that principle, but what I hate most
is a charlatan like him who has no real skills and only knows how to swindle and cheat all day long. Many sects and Taoist
schools have been ruined by guys like him. Now that we've run into him, I can't help but want to give him a piece of my mind."

I shook my head helplessly, picking at the luncheon meat in the can.

"There are always evil things lurking around here, so tonight we'll probably have to take turns keeping
watch . What do you think we should do?"

I understood what Xiao Suyan meant. In the absence of pursuers,
the most terrifying thing for us was the demons and monsters like that giant spider that we might encounter at any time. And right now, it seems that
only he and I are truly capable of fighting these things. Therefore, to get through this
night , he and I will need to take turns on guard duty.

"You go to sleep first, I'll keep watch for the first half of the night! If I get sleepy and can't stay up, you can take over. Is that alright?" I thought
for a moment and replied.

"Okay, then you'll have to bear with me for a while!" Xiao Suyan didn't stand on ceremony with me and immediately turned and
walked towards the tents in the camp.

Not long after everyone entered the largest tent, night completely enveloped the entire forest. I dragged a small stool
and sat down by the exit of the camp facing the lake. Relying on the faint starlight in the sky, I kept a watchful eye on
my surroundings while considering my next plan.

"...Guan Yueran and the others, carrying the injured Sun Ming, probably can't walk too fast. The main reason they arrived at
the camp was because Song Kui led us astray, and also
because we relied too much on those motorcycles. There are many places we could have traversed on foot along the way, but we were too greedy for the convenience of motorcycles, so
we ended up taking a long detour and wasting time. If Song Kui doesn't make too many mistakes after we set off tomorrow,
there's still a good chance we can catch up with Jingyi and the others. Song Kui also said that there's a fairly obvious narrow mountain range stretching between this camp and the second camp
. If we follow the mountain range, we can largely avoid getting lost like today
."

"However, there's a very real problem now. What are Guan Yueran and the Sun brothers' specific
plans next? Will they continue forward, following the route they took during the last search and rescue, venturing deeper into this area?
It's hard to say… They came to this camp to obtain supplies, and now they
have. If they're only considering escaping, they might not continue along the previous route
; they could change course midway, turn to other places, and look for a way to escape. If that's the case,
even if we head towards the second camp tomorrow, it's unlikely we'll catch up with them along that route. If that happens…
" This is troublesome. Sigh, it's my fault for not thinking things through. I panicked and didn't expect to be separated from Jingyi.
In all the time it took to run here from headquarters, I didn't even think to implant a Red Lotus Flame or two into Jingyi, Guan Yueran, or the Sun brothers
. If I had implanted a flame into one of them,
why would I need to guess their next move? Wang Lie has really messed me up. First, he made me
take this job, and now because of his initial warning, I'm extremely cautious about using flames,
leading to this situation. Damn it, I can't do this again. Even if the flame harms the recipient...
"Sigh, but if the damage hadn't accumulated over a long period, it wouldn't have been that serious. I'm not crazy,
going out of my way to pick fights with someone. Why bother with this kind of thing?"

I couldn't help but sigh, gazing up at the starry sky and drifting off into a daze. For some reason,
I suddenly thought of my old lady, the enchanting woman, and her unbridled seduction and enticement of me in the Guanfeng Pavilion
…

“Where in this area is she now?… Could what she said be true? To
achieve her goal, she even resorted to using her looks to seduce her own son?”

“Incest between mother and son? Hmph… just thinking about it is exciting! How many incestuous mother-son pairs have I seen so far?
Aunt Lu and Boss Li, Lin Meimei and He Yanqiu and her son… Oh right, and Zhang Lu and her
son Xiao Rui in the tent right now. Although I don’t know if they’ve crossed that final line, they’re probably
not far from actually doing it… Seeing how they’re all engrossed in it… I’m
really curious about what this forbidden sex feels like. Although I haven’t seen my mother’s face, her lips
are really tempting, and those unusually full breasts are definitely not fake…”

As I thought about it, I actually had a physical reaction, and a surge of lust rose within me! I
shook my head vigorously, trying to suppress the thought and the physical urge. Just then
, I faintly heard a very slight sound...

"...Coming from the large tent in the camp? Is someone awake and looking for a place to relieve themselves?"

Not long after dark, different snoring sounds came from inside the tent. From noon until we arrived at the camp, everyone had spent almost
the entire running and fleeing. Therefore, after finding this
place where they could rest a little, the exhausted people quickly fell asleep, even Xiao Suran was no exception.
The sound coming from the tent clearly indicated that someone inside had gotten up and come outside...

"No, wait, this guy seems to be trying his best to suppress the sound he makes. Is it necessary to be so quiet when looking for a place to relieve himself
? If my hearing wasn't so sharp right now, I might not have noticed his movements
... Hmm, wait, I'd better pretend I didn't notice and see what this guy is up to?"

I immediately remained motionless in my current position, listening to the faint sounds coming from behind me.

The person emerging from the tent cautiously approached from behind. Just as he reached a
point close enough to touch me, I abruptly turned and pressed the muzzle of my rifle against his body!

In the dim starlight, I recognized him. It was Zhang Lu! She was barefoot,
holding by the rescue team to secure the tent's base—in her right hand.
Her face showed terror at my reaction…

Staring at the nail in her hand, I frowned, narrowed my eyes, and whispered, “
What are ? You want to kill me?”

Zhang Lu gasped, staring into my eyes, and nodded as if she had made a huge decision. “You…
you’re right. I’m here to kill you!”

“Why? Can you tell me why?” I raised my arm, pressing the muzzle against her chin.

“Why? You know it yourself!” Zhang Lu was clearly reckless; facing my gun, she showed no
fear whatsoever.

"I know what's going on? Are you kidding me? I don't remember ever offending you in any way that would make you want
to kill me! We broke up amicably back then, and I haven't contacted you or bothered you in all these years.
What do you mean by that?" I was genuinely confused at this point! I really didn't understand why Zhang Lu would suddenly
have the idea of killing me.

Perhaps realizing that her ambush had failed and that I would soon retaliate, Zhang Lu steeled herself and
said, "That day at the Blue Slow Rock Bar, you were the one in the men's restroom, weren't you?"

Hearing this, I immediately realized what she meant. "What? You want to kill me for this?"

Zhang Lu's body trembled uncontrollably as she suppressed her voice and said, "Isn't that enough?
You heard everything..."

"...Tch! So what if I heard? That's between you and your son, it's none of my business!"
I said, lowering the rifle in my hand. But unexpectedly, as soon as I let go, Zhang Lu raised the steel nail in her hand
and lunged at me.

In a moment of carelessness, Zhang Lu tackled me to the ground, and we immediately began to wrestle.
However , with my overwhelming physical advantage, I quickly pinned her to the ground and
firmly pressed her arm, which was gripping the steel nail, to the floor. For some reason, or perhaps neither of us wanted
others to know what was happening between us, we remained silent throughout the struggle
…

After confirming there was no chance of turning the tables, Zhang Lu closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, saying, “Kill me,
kill me now!” Her tone was fierce, but tinged with a sob…

I pressed myself against her and whispered in her ear, “Aren’t you scared saying that? You
know very well I won’t kill you!”

“If you don’t kill me now, I’ll take advantage of the opportunity to do it again!” Zhang Lu bit her lip
and uttered these words.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing! I only overheard your conversation,
why determined to kill me?" I pressed my arm against her chest, forcefully turning her face
to face me, and glared at her, demanding an answer.

Zhang Lu, unable to meet my gaze, closed her eyes and sobbed,
"...You...you not only overheard the conversation, but you also know about me and Xiao Rui..."

"Tch, too embarrassed to say it? If you felt ashamed or couldn't be seen, you shouldn't have done it!
Now that you've done it, what's the big deal!" In my haste, I don't know why I blurted out
those words.

Zhang Lu was also surprised by my words, involuntarily opening her
eyes , saying, "What...what did you say?"

I frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "So what if you had an affair with your son? What's the big deal?"
"What? This is nothing. You're actually thinking of killing me to silence me over something like this? Are you out of your mind?"

Zhang Lu's expression froze completely after hearing my words! She probably never imagined that I
would have such an attitude towards what happened between her and her son! After a long while, she
asked me in an incredulous tone, "What... what did you say? You said this is nothing?"

I noticed that the crazy look in her eyes had disappeared, so I released
my hands that were holding her down, sat down next to her, and put a cigarette in my mouth.

"It's just incest between mother and son, isn't it? It's a trivial matter! Let me tell you, I've seen this kind of
thing . I haven't even considered it a big deal! And you… just because I
know about you and your son, you want to kill me? I feel so wronged!"

Perhaps it was my languid attitude when I mentioned incest, and
the unbelievable nature of my subsequent words, that made Zhang Lu even more stunned. She didn't even notice
the crimson flames flashing on my fingers.

"...Yeah, it's just a trivial matter, isn't it? The law doesn't even have any relevant provisions!"
I thought to myself, exhaling a puff of smoke. Although I don't
work , I know that this country doesn't have a crime of incest. The only prohibition is in the Marriage and Family Law, which states
that marriage between direct relatives within three generations is forbidden. Marriage is one thing, but sex
is not marriage! Legally speaking, as long as there is no legally binding marriage,
the law doesn't prohibit a person from having sex with anyone! According to the principle of "no punishment without explicit legal provision," even
sexual intercourse between mother and son, father and daughter, or siblings is legal, provided they don't get married!

I leaned lazily against a tree, staring blankly at the stars,
rambling about my understanding and views on relevant domestic laws. As I explained, my mother's alluring and fiery figure
kept appearing in my mind, swirling and revolving repeatedly. I even forgot about Zhou Jingyi for a moment
… Zhang Lu lay on her back, silent, her gaze also fixed on the vast starry sky,
quietly listening to my fragmented words. Her expression shifted constantly!

Perhaps what I said at that moment, my views and understanding of incest, seemed too shocking to her
!

She asked in a low voice, "Besides Xiao Rui and me, have you really seen any other mothers and sons with this kind of relationship?"

"Ah...yes. Several pairs...but I can't tell you who they are
! Some are dead, some are still alive! Respect for the dead is paramount; I won't gossip about them. And
for the living, I have even less reason to publicize their private matters." As I spoke,
the images of Lu Zhaohui and her son, Lin Meimei and her son, and He Yanqiu and her son flashed through my mind. This stirred
a sense of melancholy within me once more. After throwing away my cigarette butt, I immediately lit another one.

Before I knew it, I had smoked several, and the ground to my left was littered with
cigarette butts.

"I understand your desire to kill me... Isn't it because you think I know about your private life with your son
? You're afraid I'll expose it, so you've decided to kill me to cover it up! But have you thought about it?
So what if you slept with your son? It's not illegal! Are you worried about going to jail for it
? It's you who would actually commit murder if you actually killed me! In my memory, you
've always been a very rational woman... How come you can't understand the implications here?"

I said these words, but a strange fear inexplicably arose in my heart! Once upon a time,
I thought that because of my childhood experiences, I didn't have the "Oedipus complex" that most men possess! But
now as I talk about it, I realize that I actually do! It's just that this feeling has always been deeply buried
within me. Because I always believed that my mother was long dead... and for the dead, I only have
memories and imaginations! But when my wicked mother appeared before me in reality,
that forbidden desire that had been hidden and ignored began to sprout again without my realizing it…

Chapter 145

Realizing this, I fell silent! Because I didn't know what to say next, and I was even more afraid that if I continued,
the extremely evil thoughts and ideas in my mind would further erode my brain!

I don't know how much time passed, but Zhang Lu broke the silence by gazing at the starry sky. "It's not illegal…
I know! But if others find out about this, do you think Xiao Rui and I will still have the face
to live in this world? You know the idiom 'public opinion can melt metal'…"

At this moment, I felt that Zhang Lu had finally returned to the way I remembered her; clearly, rationality had begun
to influence her thinking.

"That depends on who found out! I do know... but did you see me
pointing fingers at you and your son behind your back? Besides, I already said it's your and your son's business, it has nothing to do with me! And I
'm not going to go around spreading this around!" I
replied, head down, staring at the tiny red light burning in the darkness.

"Even if you don't spread it, you can use it to blackmail me, right?" Zhang Lu finally turned her head to look at me.

"Blackmail you? Heh... what can I blackmail you for? Money? Do you know
how much the Sun brothers paid me for this search and rescue operation? A whole million, half of which, the 500,000 advance payment, is already in my
account . I have my own way of making money now, much more than you imagine. Although I don't know your current
financial situation, I can tell you for sure that I will definitely be much richer than you in the future!" I
replied with a smile.

"If it's not for money, you might... you might..." Zhang Lu trailed off, unable to finish her sentence!

"What? Possibly? Oh... I see, I might also be after your looks, right? Using that to blackmail
you into maintaining our sexual relationship?" I was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized what he meant, shaking my head and forcing
a bitter smile. "Come on, you, it's not like I haven't slept with you before! When we were dating, we even had sex..."
"Haven't we tried enough? What positions, what methods haven't we tried? I admit, after all these years, you're
actually more beautiful and charming than you were back then! But I already have a girlfriend now,
and barring unforeseen circumstances, we'll be registering our marriage soon! You've met her, it's Zhou Jingyi. Do you think, even if you
're charming now, you can compare to her? By the way, she's very possessive, and she can't stand me having any ambiguous relationships with
other women. If she finds out that I have anything going on with you, she
'll skin me alive! Seriously, I'm not kidding..."

Normally, comparing a woman to another in front of her would usually provoke anger and displeasure. But this situation is different. The more I say this, the less worried and wary
she becomes . 　　Zhang Lu's face, unsurprisingly, showed a hint of relaxation. 　　"Are you saying that you absolutely won't spread rumors about me and Xiao Rui, and you won't use it to blackmail me? Tell me, can I believe you?" 　　"Whether you believe me or not is your own business! Do you expect me to swear an oath? We're both sensible people; swearing an oath is like farting. And even if I swore an oath right now, would you really believe me? Don't forget how many vows of love we made when we were dating, but we still broke up in the end, didn't we?" 　　Seeing that I had shifted the topic to our breakup, Zhang Lu paused, then finally got up from the ground and sat down in front of me. 　　"I understand, I believe you! Even though we've been broken up for so many years, I still know your character! You always keep your word!" 　　Hearing this from her, I finally let out a long sigh of relief! Knowing her as I do, her current attitude meant she had accepted my promise! 　　"That's enough! After all this commotion, you should go back to sleep! We have to set off early tomorrow morning to catch up with the Sun brothers! You're a woman, your physical strength can't compare to ours, you need to recover your strength even more." After confirming her attitude, I urged her on. But to my surprise, the woman not only didn't follow my instructions, but instead turned to the side and leaned against the tree shoulder to shoulder with me. 　　"Do you think I can fall asleep now?" After sitting down, the woman muttered to herself. "I'm bewitched ! After I found out about me and Xiao Rui, I kept thinking about what I should do? After thinking and thinking, the only thing I could think of was not letting you spread this..." 　　"And then you thought of killing me?" I glanced at her sideways, while my peripheral vision caught the steel nail still clutched in her right hand! 　　"Um... I'm quite familiar with Chen Xiaowei. When she was chatting hired an editor from some magazine to help with the search and rescue operation. She didn't understand why Sun Cong would hire an editor, and then she mentioned your name and described your appearance. I knew it was you as soon as I heard it. So I brought Xiao Rui along without thinking! But I never expected... I never expected to encounter something like this ! You wouldn't have told anyone about Xiao Rui and me, but now Xiao Rui and I don't even know if we can get out of here alive! Do you think I'm stupid? Am I crazy?" Zhang Lu choked up and sobbed as she spoke, her body trembling slightly. Her regret was palpable... 　　When she leaned her head on my shoulder, I frowned slightly. But ultimately, I didn't do . After experiencing this series of terrible events today, she clearly realized the crisis she and her son were in. In this situation, seeking help was almost inevitable. After confirming that I wouldn't invade her privacy, turning to me, her ex-boyfriend, for support was practically her only option. 　　"Whether you're a fool or a madman, this is the situation now! There's no point in saying anything more. Our priority is to escape alive! That's why I told you to go back to sleep ... But to escape, you need enough energy!" I said softly, my tone slightly gentler. The way she sat beside me, her head resting on my shoulder, involuntarily brought back memories of our past relationship! Although I knew she never truly loved me; I was just one of her many backup options , she was still my first love. For anyone, first love is always unforgettable and filled with sweet memories. 　　And judging from her following us on our escape and her current behavior, I roughly judged that her presence here wasn't really related to Daye Rinpoche Before, knowing she was studying that Tantric Yoga with Daye Rinpoche, I had harbored some suspicions about her. 　　"I'll go back to sleep after sitting for a while! You don't need to keep rushing me... By the way, let me ask you a question, is Zhou Jingyi really your current girlfriend?" Zhang Lu answered my urging again with a blank expression, but at the same time asked a new question! 　　"What's wrong? Don't believe me! Well, you're right... In terms of personal conditions, I am indeed a bit unworthy of her! I admit that! Who told her to be such a beauty, while I'm just a poor editor in the editorial department. It's normal for you to have doubts about this!" I responded with a slightly self-deprecating tone. 　　"How long have you known her? Have you slept together?" 　　"Well, not too long, less than half a year! As for sleeping together... we're about to register our marriage , do you think we can still maintain a pure friendship?" 　　"Is that so? If what you said is true, as your ex-girlfriend... I want to give you a little reminder! Be careful of your current girlfriend!" 　　To my surprise, Zhang Lu suddenly said this to me. I blinked, puzzled, and asked, "What do you mean?" 　　"Nothing! Because until this morning, I always thought she was a third party who suddenly appeared between Sun Cong and Xiao Wei!" Zhang Lu said expressionlessly. 　　"How could you have that feeling?" I frowned and pressed. 　　"You know I was with Xiao Wei's film crew before, and Zhou Jingyi was with them too! For the two days from the day before yesterday until we returned to camp this morning, the film crew was constantly following Sun Cong outside, filming scenic scenes! This..."

During that time, I noticed that Sun Cong was almost always with your current girlfriend, Zhou Jingyi. You could even say they were inseparable
!

Hearing this, my heart skipped a beat, and I recalled the intimate actions between them this morning when Sun Cong was "instructing"
Zhou Jingyi on shooting…

“…These past two nights while camping, I saw them leave the campsite together
when , and then return after a long time!” Zhang Lu said, turning to the side,
taking a cigarette from my hand, and taking a drag before speaking casually. I, for a moment, was frozen in a
daze , completely unresponsive to Zhang Lu's actions.

“Can't Chen Xiaowei see them together? If I remember correctly, Chen Xiaowei is Sun Cong
's fiancée!” I asked after a moment of silence, my voice trembling slightly
.

"Xiao Wei is the producer of this program. She has to make all the decisions for the filming!
She was incredibly busy during the two days of filming! How could she have the time and energy to pay attention to what Sun Cong and the others were
doing ? It was only because I was just sightseeing that I noticed
the situation between Sun Cong and your current girlfriend." Zhang Lu said, a playful smile appearing on her face. "Originally, I should have
told Xiao Wei about this, to warn her to be careful of Zhou Jingyi, lest she be snatched away before the official wedding. But
at the time, I was preoccupied with your affairs. I didn't even have time to tell her until we got back to the camp!
Now that I know Zhou Jingyi is your current girlfriend, telling you is the same! After all,
you promised to keep my and Xiao Rui's secret, so letting you know this is a way of repaying that promise
!" "

Did they do anything specific? Like kissing, hugging..." I felt
my mouth was dry , and the question came out unconsciously.

"I didn't see any! But even if they did, do you think they'd easily let others notice?
The most I saw was holding hands and walking side by side... Alright, as you wish, I'm going back to sleep!
You can think about it slowly..."

Zhang Lu finished speaking, threw her cigarette butt aside, immediately stood up, and without
waiting returned to her field tent in the camp. Leaving me sitting alone under the tree, stunned!

After a long, long time, I finally calmed myself down, muttering to myself, "...It was just
holding hands! What's the big deal? Jingyi would never do anything to betray me!"

Then I looked up and comforted myself, "Besides, Zhang Lu told me! She has her privacy,
and I have something on her that I can't hide. Although I promised to keep her secret, she must still
have . After finding out about my relationship with Jingyi, she deliberately said these things to make me feel bad and
uncomfortable! This is just some kind of revenge she's taking against me! Do I need to take it to heart? After all, getting Sun Cong's permission and support
to come and shoot the magazine column was necessary. She knows Sun Cong likes her,
and she's just temporarily going along with him to complete the work. She would never betray me! It's just a charade
..."

After sighing, I looked down and checked the guns in my hand, but I still couldn't calm down.

One moment I'd imagine Zhou Jingyi and Sun Cong holding hands and laughing, the next, after talking to Zhang Lu for ages
about incest between mother and son, my impressions of my mother from Guanfeng Pavilion kept flashing before my eyes. Back and forth like this,
without realizing it, the images of Zhou Jingyi and my mother in my mind inexplicably became linked together!

"...I hadn't noticed before, but Jingyi's height and figure are quite similar to my fairy mom! Hmm
, not just similar... but almost identical! When she stands in front of me, the top of her head seems to be exactly
at the same level as my eyebrows... and those full breasts... Because Jingyi is so beautiful, when I'm with
her , I pay more attention to her face, and I never get tired of looking at her! I haven't
paid much attention to her figure! But when I met my mom at Guanfeng Pavilion, since I couldn't see what my mom looked like,
I remembered my mom's figure very clearly, but now that I think about it, Jingyi's figure is no worse than my mom's!
They both have a curvy, voluptuous figure! Oh, and besides height and figure, their noses and lip shapes
seem to be the same type as well..."

"Jingyi's expressions during sex are so rich—wild, alluring, confused, languid…
She can conjure up countless looks that intoxicate me during sex… This almost makes me only pay attention to her facial expressions every
time . As for her body, for me, it's mostly just about the feel
and sensation of physical contact! I wonder if my mom's body feels
similar …"

"Well, Jingyi is very open about sex; she doesn't reject almost any sexual position! If we can
escape , I should try having her play role-playing with me during sex to
satisfy that mother-son sexual desire that just surfaced in my subconscious, right? Anyway, she likes to
take advantage of me verbally, always coaxing me to call her grandma or 'mother,' clearly trying to act as my
elder to oppress me! In that case, she probably wouldn't refuse to pretend to be my mom during sex, right?"

Thinking of this, the lust that had previously appeared rose again within him. As I realized this
, I jolted back to reality.

"Damn it! You bastard! You really are a scumbag... It's one thing to imagine your girlfriend, but you even
dragged your mom into it without you realizing it... The worst part is, you even associated her with the word 'grandma'!
That vixen mom of yours is one thing, she openly seduced you at the Guanfeng Pavilion, but
what does the word 'grandma' mean to you? It's a sacred and inviolable existence! You were raised by your grandma with her own hands
... How could you..."

Realizing this, I stood up abruptly, panting as I tried to clear my mind of these filthy thoughts
and suppress the growing desire within me. But I quickly found that this was
difficult !

My mind was clearer, but the heat within me wouldn't dissipate, and that heat...
The energy began to spread throughout my body! In a daze, under the brilliant starlight, I noticed
the clear forest lake before me…

“They’re all asleep… I should be fine taking off my clothes now! I’ll just go in and soak to cool myself
down !” Thinking this, I hurriedly leaned my gun against a tree, taking off my clothes as I ran towards the lake.

When I reached the lakeside naked, I noticed that my body was now emitting a dark
red glow! At that moment, I realized. “Damn, it’s Crimson Lotus… the Crimson Lotus power within me has activated!”

Realizing this, I didn’t hesitate any longer and plunged directly into the icy lake water! Although this
forest should be hiding many evil spirits and monsters, I obviously didn’t have time to find them.
There were two women in the tent, but I couldn’t possibly unleash the Crimson Lotus power on them both. Because of
my own physical condition, I knew my limits. If I went to find those two now, I felt I could literally kill them
both ... So, this lake in front of me became my only option! But I wasn't
sure if doing so would truly cool the suddenly surging Crimson Lotus Fire within me!

The moment I plunged into the lake, the water that touched my body boiled, and thick steam
billowed out.

"It seems to be working!" Feeling the coolness the lake water brought to my body, I immediately confirmed this.
But I quickly realized that the temperature of the surrounding lake water was rising as the power of the Crimson Lotus within me increased. As a result
, the slight coolness I had just felt vanished instantly!

"How could this be? The surrounding water is heating up so quickly? No, I'd better get to the middle of the lake...
" Thinking this, I immediately swam towards the center of the lake. At this moment, the power of the Crimson Lotus was surging even more intensely, and
dark red Crimson Lotus flames seeped directly from my skin. Although I couldn't see my exact
form , I could guess that I was probably back
in the state of being engulfed in flames, just like in the sewers…

When I finally swam to the center of the lake, the power of the Crimson Lotus erupted completely. Flames engulfed
my entire body, and my vision was ablaze with red! The intense heat I emitted instantly
evaporated a small area of the lake water into steam… White steam rippled and
spread outwards in waves from me! In just a few minutes, the entire lake surface and the surrounding
forest, spanning nearly two or three square kilometers, were enveloped in the white steam I created…

The icy lake water gradually eroded the Crimson Lotus heat surging within me, sizzling like boiling water
. I floated on the surface, trembling as I maintained my balance! I even began to doubt whether
I could boil the entire lake.

However, as it turned out, my idea was ultimately wrong. After floating in the water for a while,
the flames burning around my body finally began to weaken and eventually disappeared. After confirming that my body had
returned to normal, I swam back to shore and lay down, exhausted, on the damp mud, panting
.

"Heh, heh heh, heh heh heh!" I chuckled softly after resting for a while. "When those Crimson Lotus attacks
in the past , they either desperately slay demons or constantly have sex with women to release
their power. I wonder if they ever thought of the method I'm using now? If not, then I
should be the first person to suppress the Crimson Lotus power with a cold water bath! I wonder if I can apply for a patent?" "

...But speaking of which, how did I suddenly trigger this state of being engulfed in flames?
What are the similarities between this attack and the one in the sewer? Is it in terms of mood? Or psychologically?"

I got up, quickly washed my body with water, and while getting dressed, walked back to
the tree next to where the guns were kept, sat down again to think about and reflect on that feeling from before.

I sat like that for a long time until I felt extremely tired. Realizing that continuing
would likely cause me to fall asleep, I got up and went into the large tent where everyone was sleeping. Using
the light from the crimson flame on my finger, I found Xiao Suyan huddled by the tent door and nudged him twice. Xiao Suyan quickly woke up
.

"I'm a little tired. How did you rest? Can you keep up?" I asked softly.

Xiao Suyan nodded, getting up as he replied, "Slept well! I'm basically recovered!"
He then patted my shoulder. "If you can't hold on, go back to sleep. I'll take care of the rest of the time!"

With that, he stepped out of the tent. Seeing him take over the guard duty, I relaxed and lay down on the ground,
soon snoring…

I don't know how long I slept, until I felt someone forcefully pushing me awake
. As soon as I woke up, I heard a chaotic commotion outside.

The person who woke me up was surprisingly Zhang Lu, but she didn't seem to want to take my life at all
; instead, she looked anxious.

I blinked and realized the tent was well-lit, indicating it was already daylight. I immediately got up and
asked Zhang Lu, "What happened? Hasn't it been light for a while? Why are you only waking me now?"

Although Zhang Lu seemed anxious, she wasn't flustered. She answered my question in a few words and briefly
explained what was happening outside.

"Mr. Xiao said you were on duty for too long yesterday, so he decided to let you sleep a little longer. We
didn't wake you up in a hurry when it was light. Just now, another group of people came here. They want to enter the camp.
Mr. Xiao and Song Kui are arguing with them..."

I nodded, grabbed my rifle, and strode out of the tent.

Stepping out of the tent, I saw more than a dozen
men . Inside the camp, Song Kui and his companion, Huo Zunhua, were holding
rifles I had given them, facing off against the other side through the fencing! Xiao Suran stood between the two men, arms crossed, coldly watching
the crowd outside the fencing!

"...Song, are you trying to kill us all? How many of you are there? Do you intend
to take everything in this camp for yourself? You won't even let us in!" The rifles held by Song Kui and Huo Zunhua...
Despite the intimidation, those outside the nylon netting dared not force their way into the camp, instead attempting to reason with those inside.

I quickly walked to Song Kui's side, somewhat puzzled by his and his group's actions. In my view,
these people were fugitives just like us. Although we hadn't found many supplies in the camp,
there was no need to clash with these people over them. Out of basic humanitarian considerations, we
could simply distribute them equally. We might even need to work together to find a way to escape later. But before I could ask,
Song Kui quietly explained to me his, Huo Zunhua's, and Xiao Suyan's reasons for refusing to accept these people
.

"...It's them! The leader is Jiang Tao. Yesterday, he was yelling about arresting the two Suns,
and it was these guys who caused the whole team to fall apart! If it were anyone else who came here, Xiao Huo and I would be welcoming them!
We didn't expect it to be them. I thought they turned around and joined those people in the valley after the team fell apart, but it
turns out they instigated others to cause trouble, and they didn't go there themselves. Instead, they fled here like us...
These people are unreliable. They might betray us just like they betrayed the Suns!"

Hearing Song Kui say this, I was stunned for a moment, then nodded! Although Song Kui's reasoning was somewhat arbitrary,
in my opinion, the actions of those people outside were indeed untrustworthy! Once we joined
them , who knows how they would treat our small team. After all, there were many of them, about
ten, while we had women and children. If we didn't have guns for self-defense, judging from their posture, they probably would have already
rushed in and looted our supplies.

But this standoff wasn't a solution, so I went to Xiao Suyan's side. Knowing my
purpose, Xiao Suyan immediately whispered, "Have the others pack their things and supplies immediately. You and Song Kui, take your guns
and lead the way. They won't dare stop us. Huo Zunhua and I will cover the rear… We were leaving anyway, so we'll leave this
campsite to them!"

After understanding, I immediately turned and called to Zhu Yu and the Taoist priest, who were standing there bewildered, to return to
the camping tent!

Considering that if there was nothing left in the camp, those guys might continue to cause trouble for us,
I had Zhang Lu and Zhu Yu deliberately throw a few cans of food along the edges and corners of the tent while we were packing. Although
this reduced the supplies we had painstakingly collected, I
thought
it was worth it if these cans could keep them occupied for a while, allowing our small team to distance ourselves from them and reduce potential trouble.

After packing our bags and backpacks, I led Zhang Lu and her son, Zhu Yu, and the Taoist priest out of the tent.
Upon seeing this, Song Kui immediately ran over and, together with me, led the charge out of the camp from another direction, guns at the ready.
Xiao Suyan and Huo Zunhua warily watched the personnel outside the fence, and only after confirming that no one was coming to stop us
did they leave the camp and catch up.

As soon as we left, the personnel outside the fence immediately occupied the camp and began to search it
. Perhaps the canned food I left behind satisfied their urgent needs, or perhaps they were too exhausted
to follow us. They didn't chase after us until the camp disappeared from my sight
. This reassured me a lot. To be honest, if they had actually followed us, I wouldn't
know what to do. Should I shoot them? That was something I simply couldn't do!

My worries were shared by everyone else, so after leaving the camp, we all
quickened our pace and ran more than a mile in a very short time. Only after confirming that even if they were to chase
us now, they wouldn't be able to find our location in a short time did Song Kui and I slow down.

After walking a short distance, Xiao Suyan, who was lagging behind the group, suddenly stopped and
looked around at the ground with a surprised expression. I noticed him and immediately turned around and ran to his side, asking, "Why did you
stop?"

Xiao Suyan drew his sword, thrust it into the ground, and with a twist of his arm, raised the blade. On the tip of the sword, a charred
, fist-sized, dead spider stood before me…

“…Interesting!” Xiao Suyan observed the spider on the sword tip, frowning as he spoke, “Although I don’t
know what kind of spider it is, it’s obvious that it wouldn’t normally grow this big. If I’m
not mistaken, this thing, like the one we encountered yesterday, has been corrupted by some kind of demonic aura!
However, yesterday’s spider had completely mutated and become a demonic creature, while this one either hasn’t absorbed
enough demonic energy or hasn’t fully mutated yet. It’s just an insect in a demonic state.”

“So what? We need to hurry and find the second campsite to see if we can catch up with the Sun brothers.
Why are you paying attention to this thing?” I reminded him of our main objective.

“Hehe, look at the ground around you…” Xiao Suyan raised his chin.

I looked down and couldn’t help but gasp! I was so busy widening
the distance that I hadn't paid attention to the situation on the ground. It was only after Xiao Suyan reminded me that I realized
there were spider corpses everywhere on the ground, just like the one on the tip of Xiao Suyan's sword. And it wasn't just spiders; there were also various other
insects and animal corpses such as rats and snakes. However, these insects and animals all had one
thing : they were much larger than their normal counterparts. Most importantly, the corpses were all blackish-
gray, like charcoal…

“…They were all roasted alive by some kind of high temperature. Look, they’re all charcoal! I noticed this when I
came out , and there were many around the camp! I was wondering why,
when I entered the camp yesterday, I didn’t see any of these things on the ground! These things have obviously been exposed to demonic energy, which is why their bodies
have mutated! If I’m not mistaken, they should have been living in trees, soil, or piles of rocks before!
Because they hadn’t completely transformed into demons, they basically maintained the habits of their own species.
That’s why we weren’t attacked by them along the way. What I’m wondering now is, how could they
all be killed overnight?”

At this point, Xiao Suyan paused, pointed to a certain spot, and I
saw a tree branch where insects were flying around it.

"But those insects are fine, they're all still alive! Those insects are clearly
ordinary insects that haven't been exposed to demonic energy! What does that mean? It means that only the creatures tainted by demonic energy died, while ordinary, normal
creatures are completely unharmed! Damn it, I just don't understand how this could happen! You know, just considering
vitality and heat resistance, insects and animals tainted by demonic energy are
much more resilient than ordinary animals! There's no reason why these demonic insects and monsters died while the ordinary insects and animals survived! This is really
strange... Most importantly, these things must have all suddenly died collectively last night! This proves that something must have happened around here
last night! But we, living in the tents at the camp, didn't
notice anything, and we were all safe and sound this morning... How high a temperature would it take to instantly turn these things into charcoal?
What on earth happened?"

Xiao Suyan said, stroking his chin...

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