408: Chapter 408: Zhao Yaya is in Danger 408: Chapter 408: Zhao Yaya is in Danger It has to be said that Deng Li’s barbecue skills were incredibly impressive.
A fat rabbit, a pheasant, and four pieces of meat, once gutted and cleaned, amounted to around twenty pounds of meat.
Yet, the seven of them managed to polish it off entirely without leaving a single bite, even Zhao Yaya seemed to still be craving more.
Eating such barbecue indeed gave people a novel and unique sensation.
Tangyu even thought that if Deng Li opened a barbecue stall in Donglin City, the business would likely boom enormously.
Sometimes, a bold and novel idea would suddenly pop into one’s mind, especially for young girls who often have such whimsical thoughts.
At this moment, Zhao Yaya’s eyes rolled around as a daring notion began to take root in her mind.
“I’m going to step away for a bit,” Zhao Yaya said to Guo Momo before running off, and the others paid her no heed.
“Don’t wander too far, and be careful,” Guo Momo reminded her.
“Got it,” Zhao Yaya nodded and quickly disappeared into the woods.
Once she entered the trees, she looked back nervously to make sure no one was following.
Only then did a sly smile appear on her face, “Last time was definitely an accident, this time I’ll hide further away, I refuse to believe you can catch me so quickly.
The Mind Stone, how could such miraculous things exist, I just don’t buy it.” Zhao Yaya didn’t care which direction it was; she simply dashed into the forest.
Zhao Yaya ran furiously, intentionally trying to lose herself so she exerted all her strength, seemingly never tiring.
Moreover, her route was not straight but winding.
After running for an indeterminate amount of time, Zhao Yaya finally slowed, uncertain where she had ended up.
She was alone, but showed no fear, instead she looked around carefully, seeking an even more concealed spot to hide.
She believed that if she was found even in such a place, only then would she believe in the true magic of the Mind Stone.
“Eh, there seems to be a cave over there.” Zhao Yaya’s sharp eyes noticed something resembling a cave behind a large tree.
She walked over and upon entering, found not a cave but a narrow crevice, a path leading deeper inside.
With her round eyes twinkling, she immediately crawled through with a smile.
After moving through the crevice for about five or six hundred meters, her line of sight suddenly opened up to a vast basin, or a valley that appeared before Zhao Yaya.
It was like a hidden paradise, surrounded by mountains on all sides, and evidently larger than the village they had left behind.
“Wow, I’ve discovered a new land, there’s actually such a big village within this deep forest.” Zhao Yaya was somewhat excited.
However, before she could delight in her find any longer, two tall, fierce-looking men approached her, trapping her between them.
Their gaze was somewhat lascivious as they looked her up and down.
Luckily Zhao Yaya was still young, otherwise, their intentions might have extended beyond lascivious gazes.
“Ah, have I walked into a wolf’s den?
Mama mia, I’m in for it now,” Zhao Yaya tried to back away immediately, but was blocked by one of them.
——
“Hmm, it’s been half an hour, why hasn’t Yaya come back?” Guo Momo furrowed her brows and glanced back at the woods, but there was no sign of Zhao Yaya.
“That girl, she didn’t go off to play again, did she?” Lin Feifei said.
Tangyu’s eyebrows suddenly lifted, and a thought struck him; he leapt to his feet, “Not good, Yaya is in danger, something has happened.”
“What?” Guo Momo and Lin Feifei also jumped up, looking at Tangyu, both becoming anxious.
“She shouldn’t be in too much danger; my Spirit Stone sensed a flash of danger in Yaya’s thoughts, but it has disappeared now.
Her location is in that direction, probably two to three kilometers away.
She must be in trouble,” Tangyu said, his expression turning somber.
“That child, how could she run off so far.
Tangyu, let’s hurry and rescue her,” Guo Momo said.
Tangyu nodded, “Don’t worry too much, Yaya isn’t in immediate danger for now; she might have just been trapped.
Deng Li, do you know what’s over there?”
Deng Li shook his head, “That area is quite deep, I haven’t ventured in there.
People from the village say that big wild beasts often appear there, so we usually avoid going.
There probably isn’t much there.”
“Okay, then wait here for me; I’ll go have a look.
It will be faster if I go alone,” Tangyu said.
Guo Momo wanted to follow, but knew she would only slow Tangyu down.
When it comes to rescuing someone, time is of the essence.
Deng Li also wanted to help, but he had to stay back and look after Guo Momo and the rest.
So it fell to Tangyu to go and check things out alone.
Everyone trusted Tangyu implicitly, believing that if he couldn’t handle the situation, adding more people to the mix would be futile.
Moving quickly, Tangyu reached the narrow crevice.
He felt that Zhao Yaya was inside, not far from this location, and apparently no longer on the move.
Tangyu lightened his steps, his expression cold as he slipped through the crevice.
In a short while, the view opened up, revealing a secret sanctuary.
A trace of surprise appeared on Tangyu’s face, “This place, it’s actually another hidden paradise.
No, something’s off, why do I feel there’s a murderous aura here?
And in the air, why can I smell Purple Luo Flowers, Demon Flame Grass, and Black Euphorbia?
How can these rare poisons exist here?”
Tangyu’s brow also furrowed, vaguely sensing that there was more to this place than meets the eye.
Tangyu’s gaze swept the surroundings, and he soon detected two men hidden in the shadows.
The murderous aura emanating from them made it clear that they were no ordinary foes.
This place was nothing like the secluded village of Wanshan—far from it.
“There seem to be many secrets hidden here, even someone guarding the entrance.
And this entrance is extremely covert.
This place is definitely not a village.” Tangyu’s frown deepened, caution preventing him from acting rashly.
The numerous questions made him urgently want to uncover what secrets lay hidden here.
Why was the air filled with the scent of exotic poisonous plants, all extremely rare and typically impossible to find even in the depths of Shennongjia?
These had to be cultivated here, and in no small number, for their fragrance to permeate the air so thoroughly.
Clearly, these toxic botanicals were deliberately planted by someone.
In the world, the first organization that came to Tangyu’s mind capable of cultivating such exotic poisons was naturally the Yin Medical Sect.
“Could it be that this place is related to the Yin Medical Sect?” A thought surfaced in Tangyu’s mind, and if this were the case, the discovery was an unexpected windfall indeed.
It could mean finding what one searched for without even trying.
Of course, Tangyu was not yet ready to confirm a connection to the Yin Medical Sect.
Perhaps it was a special cultivation base, or it might be related to another organization.
Regardless, Tangyu had to explore and find out.
Besides, with Zhao Yaya still trapped inside, he was compelled to attempt a rescue.
Tangyu did not rush in but instead returned through the narrow fissure and called Lin Feifei to tell them to head back first.
He didn’t elaborate further.
Tangyu had a feeling that there was danger inside, so he dared not take any risks.
A misstep might alarm those within, which was why he asked Lin Feifei and the others to return to the village.
That way, should anything unforeseen occur, he could respond with composure.
Taking Zhao Yaya along, he felt confident not about other outcomes, but at least in their ability to escape if needed.
After handling this matter, Tangyu once again made his way inside.
The two men stood opposite each other, about sixty meters apart.
Their hiding spots were well-concealed.
Most people standing here would not notice their presence.
From this, it was evident that security was tight within this wild mountain forest.
Even this secluded entrance was permanently guarded by two men.
Tangyu pondered how to deal with these guards silently without causing alarm.
If the two were together, he could take them down swiftly with a stealthy approach, or he might just avoid them completely and slip inside.
Tangyu picked up a pebble and tossed it towards one of the men.
Alerted by the sound, the man quickly became vigilant, but after scanning the area, found nothing amiss.
The other guard, having heard the noise, walked over to investigate.
“What’s going on?” one asked the other.
“Nothing much.
In these deep, wild woods, no one foolish enough to come in here.” the man replied.
“That might not be the case.
Didn’t a young girl run in here just a while ago?
We should be careful.
Who knows if others might find this place.”
“Yeah, let’s keep an eye out.
No matter who it is, once they’re in, they can’t be allowed to leave.
We cannot allow our location to be revealed.”
“Right, stay sharp.
If we can’t even handle this small task, we’ll be in for it.
Living in this godforsaken place, no end in sight, bored out of our skulls.
Heh, I wonder if the boss will let us have some fun with that girl.
Though she’s a bit young, she should be quite enjoyable.”
“Thump!”
A hand chop landed heavily on the neck of one man, while the other, instantly on alert, shouted, “Who’s there?” But before he could finish, he too was struck by a hand chop and collapsed to the ground.
The men were robust in stature but average in strength and easily subdued.
Certainly, Tangyu’s hand chop was infused with the force of Pure Yang, meant to ensure that his blow rendered the adversary unconscious in one strike.
From their conversation, Tangyu became even more convinced that the place harbored unknown secrets, a land fraught with peril.
Thus, it was all the more critical to move without drawing attention, for fear that neither he nor Zhao Yaya would make it out alive.
Having neutralized the guards, Tangyu proceeded towards the buildings nestled in the valley, where Zhao Yaya was likely taken captive.
What presented itself before Tangyu was a series of gardens, not planted with ordinary crops, but exotic, poisonous plants.
And there were quite a few people tending to these plants in the gardens.
These individuals, gaunt and sallow, all wore ailing expressions, clearly unwell.
Each one was masked.
Tangyu’s frown deepened, for all these flowers and herbs were toxic, exceedingly so.
He quickly spotted several of the rare poisonous specimens he had detected in the air earlier.
The solemnity on Tangyu’s face intensified, “To cultivate such a vast area of poisons, what are they planning?
This valley has at least four to five hundred acres completely filled with them.
The quantity produced is beyond estimation.
Were they to use these poisons against people, Tangyu estimated roughly that they could wipe out a small city of a million inhabitants.