The man chuckled and patted the side of the van, "Don't let my car's appearance fool you, it can outrun a Ferrari on these mountain roads."
Yu Daochen shook his head speechlessly, "You should pat it a little lighter. If it falls apart, I won't pay for repairs."
The man chuckled again, "Hurry up and get in, we still have a long way to go."
Once inside, Yu Daochen realized the van seemed overloaded. However, he figured it didn't matter much; the driver's vehicle was probably scrap anyway.
The van kicked up dust as it set off on the road.
Along the way, Xu Lei, sitting beside Yu Daochen, leaned in and whispered, "Master Yu, I have a feeling this guy is up to something."
Yu Daochen nodded, "I have the same feeling. We should be cautious."
Yu Daochen wasn't overly concerned. Even if this fellow was from the underworld, he doubted they'd have the guts to rob him. Still, caution was never a bad thing.
Xu Lei nodded and instructed the disciples beside him to be alert.
The van drove along the mountain road. Initially, they encountered a car or two, but further on, not even a shadow of a vehicle appeared. The road became increasingly difficult, eventually becoming barely passable for a car.
Xu Lei, sensing something was amiss, asked, "Master, are you sure this is the right route?"
The man in front, one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a cigarette, confirmed, "No mistake. This is the only road to Luoshui Slope."
Hearing this, Xu Lei looked towards Yu Daochen.
Yu Daochen nodded, signaling him to relax. As a top-ranked expert, how could he possibly be taken down by an ordinary person? Where would that leave his reputation as Master Yu of Jiangdu?
After winding around two mountains and several patches of forest, the van finally stopped before a stretch of mountain road, a good three hours later.
The man glanced at the large rock beside the mountain path, then turned to the group, "We've arrived, folks."
Yu Daochen's head was spinning from the bumpy ride. He was grateful he hadn't eaten much that morning, or he would have surely thrown up in the car.
After getting out, Yu Daochen frowned as he looked at the mountain path ahead. It was overgrown with weeds, not looking like a road leading to a village.
Xu Lei, glancing at the white boulder by the roadside, patted Yu Daochen's shoulder, "Master Yu, look."
Yu Daochen followed Xu Lei's gaze. On the large rock, the three blood-red characters for "Luoshui Slope" were rusty and almost illegible.
One of the disciples walked up to the boulder and discovered a mark unique to the Fu Sect. He turned to Xu Lei, "Martial Uncle, this is their mark."
Xu Lei nodded, "It seems we're in the right place. This is it."
Yu Daochen nodded and turned to the man, "Driver, come back here in six days to wait for us. The payment remains the same."
The man, sitting in the driver's seat, took a long drag from his cigarette and slowly exhaled, shaking his head. "That's probably unnecessary. No one who enters Luoshui Slope has ever come out. The last group also asked me to wait for them here in six days, but the result was the same – they never came out."
Seeing the man's demeanor, Xu Lei asked, "Oh, brother, do you know what's inside?"
The man shook his head, "I really don't know. But no one who has entered Luoshui Slope has ever made it out."
Yu Daochen and Xu Lei exchanged a look. It seemed this village was indeed peculiar.
The man chuckled, "So, are you scared? If you regret it, I can take you back. I'll still only charge three thousand yuan."
Yu Daochen smiled faintly, "How about this: come back in six days to pick us up, and I'll pay you five thousand yuan. Of course, you can choose not to come, but you'll miss out on those five thousand yuan. What do you say?"
The man looked at Yu Daochen's confident expression and shook his head helplessly, "Everyone else was just as confident before."
"Perhaps I'm the exception," Yu Daochen grinned.
"Forget it, you won't be able to get out," the man said, then added a warning, "But I can advise you not to drink the water inside. Absolutely do not drink it!"
With that, the man stopped talking and drove away.
Watching the van's retreating back, Xu Lei remarked, "That guy definitely knows what's going on inside."
Yu Daochen shook his head, unconcerned, "Since he's unwilling to say, forcing him is useless. Whether it's a dragon's pool or a tiger's den, we'll find out by venturing in."
Xu Lei nodded and looked at the disciples beside him, "Boys, take out your gear and prepare to move out."
Yu Daochen had been curious earlier about the long, black-cloth-wrapped objects the disciples were carrying in their bags. Were they swords or guns? The guns seemed a bit short, so it had to be swords.
The disciples pulled off the black cloth, and Yu Daochen was stunned by the weapons revealed. Guns! To be precise, shotguns!
Yu Daochen turned to look at Xu Lei. Seeing Yu Daochen's surprised expression, Xu Lei chuckled, "Master Yu, times have changed."
Yu Daochen hadn't expected them to be carrying guns.
Xu Lei took a shotgun from a disciple and handed it to Yu Daochen, "In these desolate mountains, there might be wild boars or wolves. Having these is more practical than using magic."