The Pastoral Life of a Cultivation Master

Chapter 2937 The Feeling of Discomfort
After securing the ropes, Chen Mo gave them a slight tug to check their sturdiness.

Of course, this kind of pulling is just for psychological comfort. As long as the knot is secure, there shouldn't be any major problems with the rope. Unless, of course, too many people are using the rope for leverage, causing the climbing rope to break.

After testing the rope and finding no major problems, Chen Mo waved to Ouyang Ruoxi and the other two on the opposite bank to indicate that everything was OK.

The three women on the other side waved to each other, indicating their acceptance.

Then, Chen Mo darted to a tree about twenty meters away and retrieved the thin rope. The rope had a grappling hook at one end, so he needed to climb onto a branch to remove the hook from the tree before he could retrieve the rope.

The tree branch was several meters above the ground, which was not too difficult for Chen Mo. With a simple leg lift, he leaped into the air and instantly stood on the branch. He then reached out, grabbed the hook, and with a little force, pried it off the branch and pulled it back. He then used a protective sleeve to protect the spiked part of the hook before hanging it on his waist.

For now, this grappling hook cannot be put back into the Qiankun bag, otherwise it will be somewhat unsafe to take it out if it is used again later. It should be hung up for now, and given to Ouyang Nana for safekeeping later.

After retrieving the grappling hook, he climbed up the tree branch again, aiming for a higher position. He wanted to use the tree's height to survey the surrounding area.

Before crossing the canyon, all you could see were individual trees and buildings in the distance. But due to the distance, you could only get a general view.

Now, he'll cross the canyon first, and then take a look around.

However, to his surprise, Chen Mo, standing at the top of the tree branch, could only see the buildings in the distance and the trees in front of him. The trees covered a huge area, and the entire canyon was filled with various kinds of trees. These trees were all thick and strong, many of which were probably thousands of years old, and most of them were so large that it would take several people to hug them.

The trees stretched out towards the buildings, enveloping them in greenery.

Of course, with his exceptional eyesight, Chen Mo could still see the buildings in the far distance, seemingly standing halfway up the mountain, which appeared to be a mountain gate. However, due to the distance, he couldn't see them clearly, but they roughly resembled an ancient archway, and even from afar, one could feel the vicissitudes and weight of the architecture.

The buildings behind the mountain gate were also only vaguely visible, and some details were not clear. Perhaps they could be seen clearly only when we got closer.

He turned his gaze away and began to observe the grove of trees in front of him, but something seemed off.

The trees are lush and green, layer upon layer, a green expanse stretching from your feet to the distance, undulating and swaying gently in the breeze.

The entire valley, several kilometers wide, was occupied by these tall trees, stretching for about ten kilometers towards the mountain gate.

Previously, due to the height, it was impossible to clearly see the buildings in the distance and how far away they were. Now, standing on the treetops, I can see them clearly.

Slowly, Chen Mo frowned. He realized that although the entire forest was lush and green, there was no sound other than the rustling of the trees in the wind. How could this be? A forest like this, with so many trees, should be teeming with life.

The calls of birds and animals should rise and fall in unison, but there are none of these sounds now, not even the sounds of insects, which is rather strange.

However, his divine sense is still suppressed to a range of three meters, and his vision is also blocked by these trees. Therefore, if he wants to investigate clearly, he will need to enter the forest.

Especially considering the existence of strange beasts below the canyon, and the uncertainty of whether they might climb up and attack the group at night, all these things need to be investigated thoroughly, otherwise it would be a fatal matter for the entire expedition team.

After watching for a while without figuring it out, Chen Mo shook his head, then darted back across the canyon using the ropes. He'd wait until he met up with Ouyang Ruoxi and the others before considering anything else; if he stayed here any longer, Ouyang Ruoxi might get worried.

As Chen Mo crossed the canyon, that feeling of being watched resurfaced, accompanied by a faint sense of hostility. This made him want to venture down into the canyon to see what was going on and, more importantly, to understand why the person behind that gaze harbored such hostility towards him.

Of course, since he was with Ouyang Ruoxi now, he didn't want them to worry, so he had to abandon the idea. Perhaps he could go down and take a look later if he had the chance. Although the poisonous fog was somewhat corrosive, it didn't really pose much of a threat to him.

After all, putting everything else aside, a single Vajra Talisman is enough to isolate the poisonous fog. Moreover, he also has divine sense and other means to treat the poisonous fog as nothing threatening.

On the contrary, the strange beasts hidden below the canyon, while not particularly strong compared to him, were a real headache due to their sheer number. If these beasts gathered together and launched a continuous attack on him, he would undoubtedly have no choice but to retreat.

After all, he still didn't know the exact number of these strange beasts. Last night, because he and Ouyang Ruoxi retreated, most of the battles with the beasts were held off by the two old men. After they went deeper into the hilly nursery, no beasts followed. Therefore, he didn't know the final number of beasts, or whether they continued to charge at the two old men. Moreover, he had asked Ouyang Nan, but unexpectedly, Qian Ying and Zhou Zixing hadn't explained to the family leaders at the meeting that they had stayed behind to deal with the beasts, so he didn't know the situation regarding the beasts.

Perhaps only by fighting the strange beasts or venturing into the depths of the canyon can we find out exactly how many of these beasts there are.

"Amo, what's the situation over there?" Ouyang Nan asked after seeing Chen Mo return.

Chen Mo told Ouyang Nan everything he had observed.

"Aunt, what should we do now? Should we go and investigate first, or wait until that guy named Qian Zhenghao comes back before we go and investigate?" Chen Mo asked.

After thinking for a moment, Ouyang Nan said, "Let's wait a bit. If Qian Zhenghao isn't here, going there early might arouse even greater suspicion. Especially if we find something good on the other side, the suspicion will be even greater. Besides, we haven't investigated the situation of the strange beasts yet. To be on the safe side, let's wait until tomorrow morning."

Besides, didn't you say that the woods across the way were acting strangely, with no sound except for the wind? That means there must be some reason causing this. So, let's wait and see.

Chen Mo agreed. Otherwise, he would have gone straight into the woods to see what caused this situation.

He would be fine if he were alone, but Ouyang Ruoxi and the others were behind him, on the other side of the canyon. Not only was Ouyang Ruoxi worried about him, but Chen Mo was also worried about Ouyang Ruoxi.

If a strange beast suddenly appears while you are away, and you are unable to rescue it in time, it will be too late to regret it.

So, after discussing it for a while, Ouyang Nan and the others left the edge of the canyon again and came to the place where Ouyang Ruoxi and the others had been waiting for Chen Mo to return yesterday. They sat down to rest, drink some water, and eat some food.

Of course, Chen Mo wasn't idle during this time. He collected some of the warning devices from the temporary camp and then took them to the edge of the canyon to set them up. Following the agreement, he also placed some warning devices fifty meters and one hundred meters from the edge of the canyon.

These warning devices are just empty cans or bells that make a sound when touched. They are simple, but they work just as well.

In fact, not only the entire expedition team had various probes, but Chen Mo's Qiankun bag also contained various camera equipment and some infrared warning devices. However, these technologically advanced electronic devices with complex internal circuits couldn't be used in this canyon. They were either interfered with or simply couldn't be started.

Therefore, apart from simple electrical appliances like lighting equipment, all other electronic devices were abandoned by the expedition team. There was no other way; carrying them would be pointless, so it was better to save space to prepare more food and drinking water.

Just after Chen Mo finished setting up the warning devices, Qian Yingna, the old man, also appeared in the distance with his men.

This time, Qian Ying seemed to have brought half of the expedition team, not the entire team.

Upon meeting, Qian Ying inquired about the situation from Ouyang Nan, and also subtly asked if they had gone to the other side of the canyon to investigate.

“Elder Qian, since we haven’t figured out the situation of the strange beasts below the canyon yet, we’ve only set up a rope to make it easier for us to cross. We haven’t done anything else. After all, safety is the most important thing in any operation. It would be better to explore the other side of the canyon after we’ve figured out the situation of the strange beasts below.” Ouyang Nan said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Even when facing Qian Ying, a peak expert at the third level of the Innate Realm, she still maintained the necessary respect and vigilance.

Even knowing that the innate master in front of them wants them or their own martial artists to their deaths, they still have to maintain the status quo on the surface.

Although she already knew that Chen Mo was a master of the Innate Realm, she had never seen him fight or inquired about his exact level of strength. Judging from the information released by the Special Administration Bureau, Chen Mo must have just advanced to the Innate Realm.

Therefore, she judged that Chen Mo was only at the first level of the innate realm. If she asked too many questions, it might offend her nephew-in-law.

Therefore, it's best to be careful when dealing with Qian Ying, and not give this old man an opportunity to suppress us openly.

(End of this chapter)