The roars hadn't subsided, and similar howls rang out from different parts of the Great Swamp, one after another, echoing endlessly.

Du Heng listened attentively for a while, and the smile that always hung on his face disappeared unconsciously.

When the night in the Black Marsh Wilderness returned to silence, the middle-aged man, who called himself an antiquities scholar and a historical researcher, turned to Jiang Bai Mian, Shang Jian Yao and others and said:

"The situation over there is a bit more troublesome than I expected.

"It seems I have to travel overnight."

As he spoke, he stood up.

"Be careful." Jiang Bai Mian didn't try to keep him, but said politely.

Du Heng laughed, didn't respond directly, and said casually before leaving, as if chatting:

"Little girl, your name always reminds me of the past. Back then, there were many cotton fields near my hometown. Every year around this season, or a little later, you could see countless small clouds falling to the ground. The scene was beautiful."

Jiang Bai Mian stood up as well, and smiled slightly:

"My father is a biologist who studies cotton improvement, and I was born in the month of the cotton harvest, so he gave me this name."

Speaking of this, she protested with a smile:

"Although you are indeed older than us, you shouldn't be calling me 'little girl' yet."

Du Heng laughed:

"My age is much greater than my appearance, and greater than you imagine."

He didn't delay any longer, waved his hand with a smile:

"May we meet again."

"May we meet again." Jiang Bai Mian, Shang Jian Yao, and others responded politely.

Du Heng waved his hand again, turned his body, bypassed the mound, and in the dark wilderness where the sun had set and the moon had not yet risen, he walked step by step towards the north.

"Ms. Galoran, what about you? Are you also heading north of Moonlu Station?" Jiang Bai Mian sat down again and looked at the blonde, blue-eyed Daoist priest opposite her.

Galoran smiled and replied:

"No need to call me Ms. On the road to seeking the 'Dao,' there is no distinction between men and women.

"If you want to show respect, I don't mind if you call me Daozhang (Daoist Priest).

"Of course, it doesn't matter if you want to call me Xiao Luo, Xiao Lan, or Xiao Jia, it's just different scenery on the road to seeking the Dao, without any distinction of high or low."

"Quite, quite down-to-earth." Jiang Bai Mian thought for a long time and finally came up with an appropriate adjective, "It seems that you have learned the Ashlands language quite well."

"This wasn't my choice." Galoran's answer completely exceeded Bai Chen and others' expectations.

She then gave an explanation with the same smile:

"The classics about the 'Dao' are all written in Ashlands script. If they are translated into Red River language, they will lose their charm and cannot be truly and accurately described."

After speaking, she threw the gnawed rabbit bone on the ground, put two greasy fingers into her mouth, sucked on them a few times, and then wiped them carelessly on her clothes.

This casual behavior, combined with her beautiful but somewhat noble temperament, made Jiang Bai Mian, Shang Jian Yao, and others a little dumbfounded.

Galoran took out a water bag, took two sips, and seeing everyone on the opposite side staring at her blankly, she chuckled:

"Sometimes, we can't even distinguish between truth and falsehood, and we can't even guarantee the most basic survival. Why bother with these trivial details? It's better to be spontaneous and rely on nature."

Speaking of this, her gaze turned to the leaping bonfire, and she said with a smile that was hard to decipher:

"Just like those nobles in the 'First City' Senate, they were clearly wanderers struggling for survival in the wilderness decades ago. When there was no clean water, they even fought to drink their companions' urine. Now they want to talk about etiquette, talk about hierarchy, and talk about all kinds of red tape that actually have no meaning.

"Hehe, when there are still lower-class citizens freezing and starving to death in the city, they stipulate that there must be one set of tableware for each dish at banquets."

Shang Jian Yao, Long Yue Hong, and Bai Chen had never been to "First City" and had only heard some rumors, so they couldn't really join in the conversation.

Jiang Bai Mian nodded thoughtfully:

"It seems you are from 'First City'."

Galoran, this blonde, blue-eyed Daoist priest, smiled but neither confirmed nor denied it.

Seeing that the scene was a bit silent for a while, Shang Jian Yao changed the subject:

"Daozhang Galoran, what is a Daoist?"

Galoran thought seriously:

"It's a bit difficult to explain...

"Haven't you encountered monks before? You can think of Daoists as another kind of monk, belonging to another religion, monks who believe in different Heavenly Deities."

Hearing the words "Heavenly Deities," Jiang Bai Mian, Long Yue Hong, and others felt a vein throb on their foreheads.

Shang Jian Yao actively asked:

"I wonder which Heavenly Deity you believe in?"

Galoran's expression became serious:

"Zhuang Sheng."

"..." All the members of the "Old Task Force" were a little speechless.

--After getting rid of Pure Law, Long Yue Hong and Shang Jian Yao shared the information from the mechanical monk who didn't lie with Jiang Bai Mian and Bai Chen.

And a very important piece of information was:

The monastic order believes that this world is just a dream of "World Sovereign Tathagata," this past Buddha, which is why it is full of all kinds of suffering. And "World Sovereign Tathagata" is also the Heavenly Deity representing the entire year and leap month, with a different name outside the monastic order.

That name is:

"Zhuang Sheng"!

Galoran took in all the slightly unusual reactions of the few people, but did not ask any questions.

After a few seconds, Jiang Bai Mian tentatively asked:

"Did you join this current sect in 'First City'?"

Galoran nodded:

"Yes, the Eternal Aeon Sect."

A smile gradually appeared on her face:

"At that time, my mother had just passed away, and I didn't get along well with the other people in my family..."

Suddenly, Shang Jian Yao interrupted the Daoist's memories:

"When you mentioned your mother's death, why didn't you feel sad, but instead smiled?"

Galoran laughed and said in perfect Ashlands language:

"Birth, old age, sickness, and death are the natural laws of this world, just like spring, summer, autumn, and winter, they will always alternate and repeat. Although my mother is dead, she still sleeps peacefully in the world, and is still a part of nature. Perhaps one day, she will start again in another form, just like the end of winter and the arrival of spring.

"Since you understand this, why cry sadly?

"With that energy, it's better to miss her more."

Shang Jian Yao wanted to refute, but couldn't find any loopholes in the other party's theory, so he could only shut his mouth in frustration.

Vaguely, he even felt that what Galoran said made some sense, but it was too extreme.

Galoran was about to continue the previous topic when a desolate roar rang out again from north of Moonlu Station:

"Awoo!"

This time, the roar was even louder and more rugged, with obvious changes.

Galoran tilted her head to listen, and smiled slightly:

"It seems that I have to go to that place too."

She stood up slowly, clasped her left hand with her right, and bowed:

"The Perfected Person is selfless, and the New World is at hand."

Then, she patted her Daoist robe and walked north as if drifting with the tide.

"The Perfected Person is another name for the Heavenly Deity..." Watching the Daoist Galoran leave, Shang Jian Yao explained simply.

Jiang Bai Mian had already stood up, looking at the direction Galoran and Du Heng had left in. Suddenly, she laughed:

"Really, why don't they prepare a car, and have to walk?

"With their abilities, this shouldn't be too difficult..."

Daring to trek in the wilderness shrouded in the night, who wouldn't have some reliance?

And there was no need for such people to deliberately delay, waiting for the first batch of relic hunters to trigger most of the dangers.

"Maybe it happened suddenly." Bai Chen judged from his own perspective.

"Maybe it's to maintain their image." Shang Jian Yao said from a direction that normal people wouldn't think of.

"...For some reason, I feel like you have a point." Jiang Bai Mian almost laughed, "I'm referring to that historical researcher named Du Heng. As for Galoran, she herself said that she wanted to see the various landscapes on the journey, so naturally it's better to walk."

Before the team members could speak, Jiang Bai Mian said pretentiously:

"What puzzles me the most is another question."

"What is it?" Long Yue Hong, who was in charge of guarding the surroundings, asked rather nervously.

The smile on Jiang Bai Mian's face could no longer be hidden:

"Shang Jian Yao, why didn't you participate in the 'Grand Chorus' like before?"

She was referring to the first time she heard the abnormality in the depths of the swamp, when Shang Jian Yao had followed the roar.

Shang Jian Yao glanced at the team leader and said seriously:

"You're so childish."

"..." Bai Chen and Long Yue Hong almost burst out laughing at the same time, Jiang Bai Mian was speechless and could only touch her ear and say, "Eh, what did you say? Really, can't you speak louder? Forget it, forget it, let's eat."

After leading the way in finishing the compressed biscuits and energy bars, and refilling the water bags, Jiang Bai Mian reminded them solemnly:

"Be more careful tonight.

"You heard the movement just now."

After Bai Chen, Shang Jian Yao, and Long Yue Hong all responded, Jiang Bai Mian turned to smile:

"However, you must also rest well during the break. You have to continue to run around tomorrow.

"Also, we have to start training your ability to find food. This not only refers to hunting and searching, but also distinguishing which leaves and roots are edible, which parts of which mutated animals can be used in an emergency, which things must be injected with gene potions within a certain amount of time after eating, which soils can be temporarily used as food, enough to last once or twice... Don't think that the past few days were an adventure on the Ashlands. When food is still relatively plentiful, it can only be called an armed parade!"

This made Long Yue Hong feel a burst of fear, but Shang Jian Yao was eager to try.

Jiang Bai Mian thought for a moment and added:

"Also, don't be confused by the theories of those strange religions. Although this can indeed provide some spiritual comfort, in an environment like the Ashlands, it is actually equivalent to escaping reality, and the hidden dangers are very great."

Long Yue Hong nodded and asked curiously:

"Team Leader, are there many strange religions like this?"

This was content rarely mentioned in the "Pangu Biology" textbooks.

"Very many. When people are in pain and despair, it's easy to lean towards religion." Jiang Bai Mian "Heh"ed, "As far as I know, in the main city of 'First City', there are probably more than can be counted on two hands underground religions that can cause considerable harm."

After the reminder, Jiang Bai Mian took over Long Yue Hong's task, patrolling the surroundings and instructing the team members to review all the encounters of the day.

That night, they did not encounter any accidents. Not long after dawn, the jeep began to drive north.

Seeing that the destination was not far away, Jiang Bai Mian in the passenger seat began to introduce the team members:

"The residents of Black Rat Town are actually... actually a group of sub-humans."

ps: Seeking recommendation tickets~