After finishing the meal, everyone began packing their belongings to continue their journey, with Pan Lun still leading the way.
Ever since Pan Lun had warned them about the difficult terrain, they had been walking through either mud or trees covered in thorns. Some of Wang Fei's subordinates had already sustained scratches on their cheeks.
A subordinate standing next to Wang Fei asked angrily, "Master, are you sure you're not leading us the wrong way?"
Pan Lun glanced back and said dismissively, "The terrain of the Greater Khingan Range is very complex. If you get lost in here, you might not find your way out. You can try it if you don't believe me."
Pan Lun's words were not false. The terrain of the Greater Khingan Range was extremely complicated. Those who didn't know the area would likely take ten days to half a month to get out if they got lost.
The subordinate next to Wang Fei, his face flushed with anger, gripped his gun and was about to aim it at Pan Lun. "You bastard..."
Seeing this, Wang Fei quickly pressed down on his subordinate's gun, glared at him with an angry expression, and the subordinate immediately deflated.
Yuan Jiu'an, sensing the situation was getting tense, quickly tried to smooth things over. "Everyone, please calm down. If I get what I want, the reward will not be less for everyone."
Suddenly, Wang Fei slapped the subordinate next to him and then turned to Pan Lun. "My apologies, Master Pan. It's my fault for not disciplining him properly."
The subordinate was slapped by Wang Fei, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, but he didn't dare to resist.
Pan Lun nodded with satisfaction. "Alright, let's continue on our way."
After walking for a short while, Pan Lun suddenly gave Yu Daohen a look.
Yu Daohen, who was still bewildered, heard a buzzing sound coming from the nearby woods.
"Holy crap, what a huge beehive!" a subordinate behind Wang Fei suddenly shouted.
With that shout, the dense swarm of bees was disturbed and flew towards everyone.
Pan Lun turned and ran, shouting, "Run! These are killer bees!"
Hearing this, everyone's faces changed, and they scattered. Pan Lun, with Yu Daohen, ran towards the area with dense grass.
As Pan Lun ran, he subtly kicked a nearby stone while the others weren't paying attention. Coincidentally, a fleeing subordinate stepped on the kicked stone and fell. A swarm of bees immediately pounced on him.
Pan Lun and Yu Daohen reached the grass and quickly took out a bottle from Pan Lun's pocket, opening it. A strong, pungent fragrance emanated from it.
Yu Daohen sniffed and frowned. "The scent of Lantana camara?"
Pan Lun chuckled, "You're right, Master Yu. It is indeed the fragrance of Lantana camara, but mine is a concentrated version."
The fragrance of Lantana camara contains a small amount of toxin. While it's harmless to humans for a short period, prolonged exposure can lead to poisoning. This flower has a characteristic: its fragrance can repel insects. Most households would place it outside their windows.
"I didn't expect you to carry this with you," Yu Daohen said, feeling a bit impressed with Pan Lun.
Pan Lun proudly explained, "The bees in the Greater Khingan Range are not ordinary bees; they are the most venomous kind of killer bees. If they sting you three times, even a rabbit will die. These killer bees have a characteristic: they don't prefer to hunt but rather feed on the leftover meat of large animals. The beef jerky we ate earlier had a scent that the killer bees mistook for food."
Only then did Yu Daohen understand why Pan Lun had forbidden him from eating the beef jerky earlier.
Pan Lun plucked a blade of grass and put it in his mouth, then lay down on the grass. "Now we just have to wait for the bees to return to their hive."
About twenty minutes later, Pan Lun sat up and yawned lazily. "Alright, the killer bees are gone. We can go out now."
"Everyone scattered. What do we do now?" Yu Daohen asked.
Pan Lun chuckled, "Master Yu, finding people in the forest is no difficult task for me."
Only then did Yu Daohen realize.
"Right, isn't there a wild man right beside me?"
Yu Daohen followed Pan Lun out. The killer bees had indeed returned to their hive. Pan Lun fumbled around on the ground for a moment and then looked in a certain direction. "Let's go, they ran this way."
Yu Daohen didn't understand this aspect and could only follow Pan Lun in the direction he indicated.
Yu Daohen followed Pan Lun through the forest. In some places, there were signs of broken branches, but in others, there was no trace.
After about twenty minutes, a voice was heard from not far away: "Big brother, Gangzi is not doing well."
Yu Daohen followed Pan Lun over and saw that everyone had gathered.
Seeing everyone present, Yu Daohen was a little surprised. It was normal for Wang Fei's group of desperadoes to stick together, as they likely had their own markers or signals. However, it was a bit surprising for Yuan Jiu'an and Steward Liu to be together, as they were ordinary people.
Pan Lun looked at the young man lying on the ground, called Gangzi, whose entire face was swollen like a pig's head. "The venom of killer bees is not ordinary. Without medicine, this young brother probably won't make it through the night."
Pan Lun sighed, "I didn't expect to encounter killer bees."
Yu Daohen glanced at Pan Lun, who looked somewhat remorseful, and felt a surge of admiration.
"Good heavens, your acting skills could win you an Oscar. I didn't see you kick a stone over there."
--
Sorry everyone, I drank too much at a farewell gathering with my brothers yesterday and didn't update. I was supposed to update today, but someone in my family is hospitalized, and I'm busy. I can only update one chapter. I'm sorry everyone. (Bows ninety degrees).