The scenery of Dabie Mountain is very good, especially in the peak summer season. After being irrigated by the rain, the wild flowers on the mountain are very brilliant, in all their splendor. Bees and butterflies flutter around the flowers, creating a peaceful scene.
Between the mountains and ridges, there are no lack of dangerous scenery, with sheer cliffs and bottomless ravines. Pine trees also grow on the cliffs. If you don't walk it yourself, you can't imagine such a perilous place in the world.
"No wonder everyone ran into the mountains during the war, it's really not easy to find," Shen Feng exclaimed, looking at the mountains and terrain.
In times of chaos, when people lack a sense of security, they always like to hide in the mountains and only come out after the war is over. The more perilous the place, the more people go to live there, which is also a desperate act.
Zheng Xiqing was looking at the map carefully, searching for the meeting place with Mu Ying. Finally, after walking in the mountains for two days, she saw the mark left by Mu Ying.
"Found the mark, let's go," Zheng Xiqing said happily.
Shen Feng was also worried about Zheng Xiqing going to find Mu Ying alone. There might be fierce beasts or poisonous insects in the mountains. Zheng Xiqing's ability is not specialized for combat. If she encountered even a small fierce beast, she would easily die. So he chose to escort Zheng Xiqing, doing a good deed to the end.
Zheng Xiqing was touched by Shen Feng's concern. As they walked, she couldn't help but say to Shen Feng, "You are a good person. In the apocalypse, besides Sister Mu, you are the only one who cares about me so much."
Zheng Xiqing said this from the bottom of her heart. In today's society, it is filled with cannibalism. They would squeeze the life out of the common people. As a result, there are no good people in the world, and those who claim to be good are often just pretending.
Shen Feng shrugged and said, "It's just a small effort, and it won't take too much time. Consider it as me enjoying the scenery along the way."
Zheng Xiqing had become much more cheerful. Since her great revenge was avenged, her mindset had changed. Looking at the scorching sun and the clear blue sky, she felt relaxed and said to Shen Feng, "If you can't make it out there in the future, you can come to Dabie Mountain and join us. You will always be welcome here."
Shen Feng shook his head and said helplessly, "Don't talk nonsense. I can do whatever I want in Yuzhou. Why would I come to Dabie Mountain? To suffer?"
Shen Feng was telling the truth. He was the absolute boss in Yuzhou. Perhaps he was not much in other places, but as long as it was in the Yuzhou area, everyone knew his name. As long as he developed honestly in Yuzhou, he would definitely not come to Dabie Mountain to hide.
Lu Kaiwen chimed in, "Yeah, why should we hide in Dabie Mountain? Even if we can't make it, north of Yuzhou is Daba Mountain. Why not go into Daba Mountain?"
Hearing their words, Zheng Xiqing couldn't help but laugh. While laughing, she said, "Alright, alright, I guess I misjudged you. You are both outstanding individuals, and you certainly don't need to hide in Dabie Mountain. Is that good enough?"
Zheng Xiqing also found it amusing that she had merely invited them casually, but it had turned into her own fault.
The three of them walked along the marks left by Mu Ying. After half a day, they actually encountered Mu Ying returning from hunting. With Mu Ying leading the way, the three of them went directly to the stronghold.
The top of this mountain was flat, with cliffs on three sides. The only remaining passage was winding and extremely narrow. It could be said that this was a strategically advantageous terrain, easy to defend and difficult to attack. As long as the passage was guarded, no one could easily ascend.
Mu Ying was carrying a huge mutated animal on her back. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a mutated wild boar. This creature was most common in the south, but it was as large as a wild ox. Most people couldn't handle it.
After entering the mountain, Shen Feng saw a group of women setting up shelters. After entering the deep mountains and old forests, they were much happier. They had left their former place of sin. Even if they had to worry about their next meal in the deep mountains, they preferred to stay here.
In the back of the mountain, there were several caves. During this time, Mu Ying and others had been living in the caves. However, living in caves was inconvenient, and the water could not be drained. When fires were lit in the caves, the smoke filled the air, making people unable to stop crying.
Therefore, no matter what, they could not live in caves, as it was bad for their health. Even if they had to build shelters, they had to live outside.
Shen Feng watched as a group of people set up their residences, and some of them went forward to butcher the wild boar, preparing to make dinner. Although this place was poor, it was evident that these people were willing.
"You live in the mountains, and it's truly a waste of your talent. You know, becoming a fourth-order ability user is a rare occurrence. Are you really content to live in the mountains like this?" Shen Feng couldn't help but ask Mu Ying.
Mu Ying smiled and said, "Our pursuits are different. You want to make a name for yourself and become famous, while I want a quiet life. So, there's nothing wrong with me staying in the mountains. On the other hand, you have to constantly consider future decisions when you are outside. In my opinion, that is truly exhausting."
Shen Feng was speechless and could only shrug, saying nothing more.
In fact, Mu Ying's current mindset was like a line from Lu Xun's poem: "Hide in a small building and become a unified entity, regardless of winter, summer, spring, or autumn."
This was clearly a form of self-evasion, a constant escape from facing danger and setbacks. However, on the other hand, although escape was shameful, it was often effective. Shen Feng had no right to criticize Mu Ying for hiding, so he could only shrug and stop persuading her.
There was a spring on the mountain, and after flowing out, it fell from the edge of the cliff with a constant "gurgling" sound. If villas were built here, they would surely sell at a high price. Of course, it was the apocalypse now, and almost everyone was flocking to the cities. No one had any intention of living in the wilderness.
It is said that this mountain is called Wangmen Mountain. It was once a bandit stronghold, but later, when peace was restored, all the bandits were captured, and the mountain fortress was demolished. Thus, many people forgot about this place, and only those with strong curiosity would come to the mountains to explore.
Mu Ying was determined to be the queen of the mountain. Since the outside world was extremely dangerous, it was better to hide in the mountains and live freely.
Shen Feng intended to leave directly, but Mu Ying stopped him and said, "Stay for dinner before you leave. We've finally hunted a wild boar, so we should at least treat you to a meal. This is considered hospitality."
Lu Kaiwen also urged Shen Feng, saying, "Exactly, let's eat before we go. City Lord, we've been eating compressed biscuits all these days. We should try something fresh."
Shen Feng frowned upon hearing this and said, "Didn't we eat crocodile meat last night? Can't you shut your mouth?"
Lu Kaiwen quickly replied, "It's different. Crocodile meat has too strong a flavor and doesn't taste good, but wild boar is different. The meat is firm and tender. Roasted over a fire and sprinkled with spices, it's incredibly delicious. I promise, we'll leave immediately after dinner, and we won't delay at all."
Shen Feng thought about it and felt it was reasonable. He had no urgent matters anyway, and it would only take a few hours to eat dinner. He would leave after eating, and there would be no problem.
At dusk, Zheng Xiqing came to invite Shen Feng to dinner. At this time, Shen Feng was looking at the scenery by the cliff.
"Mr. Shen, let's go eat," Zheng Xiqing said to Shen Feng.
Shen Feng nodded and followed Zheng Xiqing. The dining table was very simple, with a few slightly flat large stones serving as the table, and stone stools beside the table. It was extremely humble.
The food everyone ate was also very simple, just roasted wild boar meat. The seasonings were only salt and chili powder. The thigh of the wild boar was served to Shen Feng, which was clearly the best part, with more lean meat and less fat. After peeling off the wild boar skin, most of the gamey smell was gone.
The wild boar meat was roasted over charcoal, not an open flame. The pork sizzled, and occasionally fat dripped down. While roasting, someone would sprinkle salt and chili on the pork. The flavors were simple, and the atmosphere was full of warmth.
While eating, Mu Ying quietly reminded Shen Feng, "I'm not trying to sow discord, but I want to remind you of something. You can't trust the people at headquarters because you are not on the same path as them. You are very powerful now, and they value you highly. However, once you become weak, they will devour you completely. That's all I have to say. Whether you believe it or not, it's the truth."
Shen Feng nodded and casually replied, "Thank you for the reminder. I'll be careful."
Although Shen Feng believed that what Mu Ying said was true, he felt that Mu Ying was too cautious. Headquarters was indeed not friendly to civilian groups, but it wouldn't directly annex civilian groups. If they really did that, it would surely arouse public indignation.
...
Late at night, Chang Jianyi was still writing and drawing in her tent in the wilderness, while Luo Qing sat beside her, helping to process documents.
It could only be said that knowledge was rarely used until it was needed. Luo Qing had only been a vocational school student before. Frankly speaking, she was already a person who had been abandoned. Under normal development, she would only be able to work in the service industry or do manual labor, so her studies were not good. Now that she needed to process documents, she was completely at a loss and often had to ask Chang Jianyi for advice.
"Vice City Lord, you should go rest. These documents can be processed tomorrow. For the sake of the child," Luo Qing said, looking at the time and quickly persuading Chang Jianyi.
Chang Jianyi looked at the documents on the table and couldn't help but say, "No, if I don't process these documents in time today, there will be even more piled up tomorrow. Besides, the child is only five months old, and generally, there won't be any problems."
Luo Qing shook her head helplessly and continued to process the documents in her hands. These documents were about the collection of grain and the killing of mutated beasts. Most of these documents were about poverty, some needed manpower, some needed machinery, and some needed bullets and guns. In short, they were all demanding supplies.
However, in the past half month, Yuzhou had indeed had a good harvest. Thanks to Chang Jianyi's ability, most of the farmland in the western region was harvested before it was ravaged by mutated beasts. Yuzhou and Jiangyang regions combined had at most five million people. The harvested grain was enough for a year's consumption. It was a pity that the artificially ripened land made continuous sowing difficult.
If continuous sowing were possible, Chang Jianyi would be able to solve Yuzhou's famine problem single-handedly, but it was clearly impossible. The artificially ripened plants had almost completely depleted the nutrients in the soil, making it impossible to sow again.
Chang Jianyi also had some ideas. If the western plains could not be sown again, could the eastern regions, these recently recovered areas, be used for planting crops? Even if there were many mountainous areas, after reclamation, they could still bring in some grain harvest.
However, such a plan required a large number of people to go out of the city to sow, and it also required organizers. Yuzhou could not implement it for a while, as there were still many mutated beasts in the mountains eating the crops. If there were crops, they would eat the crops. If people appeared, they would eat people, like locusts.
"If only Shen Feng would come back. Then, he could lead the elite to kill mutated beasts, which would surely relieve the pressure on my side," Chang Jianyi thought to herself.
As Chang Jianyi was diligently reviewing documents, her phone suddenly rang. She picked it up and saw that it was from the Yuzhou City Lord's Mansion. She frowned and thought, "Did something happen in Yuzhou? Otherwise, why would they call me?"
Chang Jianyi answered the phone and asked, "Hello, I am Chang Jianyi. What is it?"
"Sister, please come back quickly. My grandfather is in trouble. He's dying. I don't know what to do." Chu Chaoyan's crying voice came from the other end of the phone. She cried as she recounted what had just happened.
Chang Jianyi was shocked and quickly asked, "Professor Chu is in trouble? What happened?"
Chang Jianyi couldn't understand why Professor Chu would be in trouble in Yuzhou. Before she left Yuzhou, she had consulted Professor Chu on some issues. Yet, only half a month after leaving, Professor Chu was in trouble. How could it be such a coincidence?
Chu Chaoyan cried and said, "My grandfather fell. He is being rescued now. The doctor said to prepare for the worst. I don't know what to do. Please come back and help me."
Hearing this, Chang Jianyi gradually understood the reason. It turned out that Professor Chu had fallen. He was old, and falling would be a very dangerous matter.
"Immediately arrange for a helicopter to pick me up. Also, notify Shen Feng immediately and ask him to fly back quickly. The situation is urgent, and he must return as soon as possible," Chang Jianyi said calmly.