When Fang Huixin appeared with her hair tied up in a stylish ponytail, I was taken aback. One moment she was a dignified and elegant lady of high society, and the next, a vibrant young girl. The contrast was almost too much to comprehend.
Her high ponytail accentuated her fair neck, and her tight-fitting mountain attire perfectly showcased her curvaceous figure. If I hadn't known she had a daughter who had already passed away, I would have doubted her true age, questioning if she was indeed a mother who had recently lost a child.
Watching Zhang Dabiao beside me, his expression unchanged, I felt immense admiration. Whether she was beautiful or mischievous, it seemed to make no difference to him, as if he were looking at a mere illusion.
At this moment, he maintained his usual calm and collected demeanor, his face betraying no surprise, returning to his stoic state. This earned him a silent thumbs-up of respect from me.
"Li Rui has been led away by my people and won't be back anytime soon. The items are ready, so can we head into the mountains now?"
Zhang Dabiao nodded and said in a deep voice, "Boss Fang is indeed Boss Fang. Her efficiency is beyond compare. However, seeing your attire, are you planning to accompany us into the mountains?"
Fang Huixin flicked a stray strand of hair from her eyelid and pursed her lips, "What? Is that not allowed?"
Zhang Dabiao chuckled and replied, "I don't have the authority to stop you from entering the mountains. However, if you intend to go, it would be best to first ask Qingyun for his opinion. He has the most say in this matter."
Hearing this, I almost jumped up. What did he mean I had the say? I was just a minor Yin Gua master, and I had nearly died on my previous trip. Why was he pushing the responsibility onto me now?
I glanced at Zhang Dabiao from the corner of my eye. He still wore a slight smile, as if he hadn't said anything at all.
Fang Huixin turned her gaze to me, a playful glint in her eyes, "Master Song, do you think I can go into the mountains?"
"This..."
I quickly pondered the meaning behind Zhang Dabiao's words. Before Fang Huixin arrived, we had discussed that she had a formidable paper effigy craftsman by her side, whose strength was impossible to gauge. Was Zhang Dabiao targeting him?
Weighing the pros and cons in my mind, I looked at Fang Huixin with a frown and said, "Boss Fang, it's not impossible for you to accompany us up the mountain, but..."
"But what?" Fang Huixin asked urgently, her brow furrowed.
"But you are an ordinary person. You know Qingfeng Mountain is not a place for the faint of heart. We don't even know how we managed to return alive, and others remained on Qingfeng Mountain, their fates unknown. If anything were to happen to you..."
"You don't need to worry about my safety. Just lead me into the valley honestly, and I will handle the rest."
Seeing that Fang Huixin's mind was made up, I had nothing more to say. I then headed downstairs to prepare for departure.
As we got into the car, Zhang Dabiao nudged me with his elbow and whispered, "Look at that person."
Following Zhang Dabiao's gaze, I saw a pale, beardless middle-aged man with deep-set eye sockets standing in front of the car, talking to Fang Huixin. After a brief exchange, Fang Huixin got in.
Just as the man was about to get into the car, he suddenly looked at me. Our eyes met in mid-air. The man then averted his gaze and got into the same car as Fang Huixin.
"He is the paper effigy craftsman hidden by Fang Huixin's side."
My heart pounded wildly. When our eyes met, I felt a surge of fear, as if I wasn't looking at a person but a beast ready to devour me. The feeling was indescribable.
A human being could not possibly have such eyes, yet he gave me that impression, leaving me unsettled for a long time.
At this moment, Zhang Dabiao gently patted my back and said, "That's right, that's the paper effigy craftsman, and also the tomb raider who led us back to Molu Village.
I looked at Zhang Dabiao, somewhat confused. "How can you be so sure it's him?"
Zhang Dabiao replied with certainty, "His height, build, and demeanor. It's definitely him. Most importantly, you lost a small battle when your eyes met his just now, so I'm certain it's him."
My face flushed with embarrassment. I didn't know how he knew I had suffered a hidden disadvantage.
Seeing my silence, Zhang Dabiao patted my shoulder and said, "Brother, matters of feng shui can be simple or difficult. You'll understand as you see more. That guy is just taking advantage of your unfamiliarity with paper effigy craftsmen, so he played a few tricks with the paper mask on his face. Didn't you notice his eye sockets were a bit sunken?"
I thought for a moment and nodded. "I did see that. What does that have to do with losing a battle?"
"Exactly. He used the principle of light to make him appear as if his eye sockets were sunken. In reality, he used the 'tiger eye' technique, which is why you felt scared. There's nothing to be surprised about."
Listening to Zhang Dabiao's explanation, my mouth fell open in surprise. I had studied Yin Gua for ten years and was proficient in it, but I wasn't familiar with other disciplines. How did he know so much about this?
Seeing my constant look of astonishment, Zhang Dabiao chuckled. "Before I studied Yang Gong Dao, I spent some time researching paper effigy techniques, but my father severely disciplined me for it. So, I know a bit more about this area. When you're curious about something, you naturally want to learn more about it."
The route Fang Huixin took to Qingfeng Mountain was slightly different from the one Li Jian had chosen. Li Jian's route was to head directly east and then turn north up the mountain.
Fang Huixin simply chose to head directly west. The car sped along the relatively flat road, and by the time the sky was dimly lit, we had arrived at the foot of Qingfeng Mountain.
After a simple meal, Fang Huixin summoned us. She then spread out an incredibly detailed map on the ground. Looking at the crisscrossing routes, I was startled.
The map even showed the route Li Jian had taken us on previously, with even the places where we had rested clearly marked, as if Fang Huixin had seen it herself.
In response, Fang Huixin gave me a big eye-roll and said, "Don't be surprised. Don't you know there's something called a satellite in the sky? As long as we tamper with your communication devices, we can know your location at any time."
At this moment, I finally believed Zhang Dabiao's words. Fang Huixin was no simple woman; she was more deeply hidden than Li Zuoquan. I just wondered who was more formidable, her or the powerful figure from the capital behind Li Zuoquan.