What if you were targeted by a cool and aloof beauty?

He may be a bit simple-minded, but he's not stupid.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the changes in the environment and atmosphere are all due to the heroic spirit Zhang Zhidong.

“Not bad! What’s so great about him?” Zhang Zhidong looked at the knight with bright eyes, his tone full of doubt.

An Chen had never told him about the knight's origins.

He also knew that this knight of unknown origin was currently living in his brother's house.

However, Zhang Zhidong was not worried.

His keen judgment told him that the knight before him, whether spirit or human, was indeed "good".

"I don't know how to express it..." The knight scratched his head.

"Bang bang bang."

"Bang bang bang."

"In short, you are very impressive," he boasted.

"Thank you." Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhidong thanked him in a trembling voice, seemingly confused.

"Alright, let's go in." An Chen finished observing the surrounding atmosphere.

After confirming that everything was correct, he gestured for everyone to follow him into the mountains.

We are currently located beside a shallow stream outside the Swallowing Man Mountain. Following the stream will take us directly to the mountainside.

In order to avoid being noticed by the landlady, they had to take a long detour and find a very remote place to get off the bus and find another secluded path.

"Wait." After taking a few steps forward, Jiu Ge let go of An Chen's arm and suddenly spoke.

"What's wrong?" An Chen asked, puzzled.

"We're about to enter the mountains, can you kiss me one more time?" After coming to her senses, Jiuge regretted that she had just removed the barrier on Zhang Zhidong.

It would be so nice to get a kiss before the barrier is broken.

"Okay." Upon hearing this, An Chen nodded knowingly.

He had known all along that Jiu Ge's thought process was different from others.

An Chen understands perfectly.

In front of Knight and Zhang Zhidong, he gave Jiuge two quick kisses on the cheek.

After feeling satisfied, Jiu Ge covered her face with her hands.

"...They're very much in love." The knight felt a little embarrassed.

"Not bad, not bad!" Zhang Zhidong gave a thumbs up.

……

The group walked along the stream into the Swallow Man Mountain.

The further you go in, the more rugged the path becomes.

The stream sometimes stopped and sometimes reappeared suddenly.

After walking for about ten minutes, nothing happened in the surrounding area.

The trees on both sides grew increasingly lush and dense, and the breeze from afar carried the fresh scent of green leaves.

Seeing this exceptionally beautiful environment, An Chen, feeling refreshed, took a deep breath.

He couldn't help but remark that, setting aside the mysterious and terrifying factors, the environment and air quality in this place were indeed excellent.

Seeing An Chen take a breath, Jiu Ge, with wide eyes and a puzzled expression, also imitated An Chen and sniffed sharply.

"It smells so good." She immediately understood what An Chen was inhaling.

"Was the thing inside really scared away by Mr. Zhang Zhidong?" The knight was somewhat surprised by how smoothly the journey had gone.

“Not bad! I haven’t scared anything away.” Zhang Zhidong said in a resounding voice.

"But have you heard any strange noises?" After saying that, he stopped in mid-air with his arms crossed.

"A...sound?" Jiuge instantly got goosebumps.

She listened intently, but couldn't hear anything.

Upon hearing this, An Chen and the knight also stopped in their tracks.

After looking around for a while, their expressions became serious.

Chapter 209 Life is death, death is life (Seeking monthly votes and subscriptions)

"Whirring whirring……"

"Whirring whirring……"

The wind stopped, followed by strange panting sounds.

"Are there other people in these mountains?..." Jiuge's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

Looking around, apart from An Chen, the knight, and Zhang Zhidong floating in the air, there was no one else nearby.

"Looks like it wasn't a hallucination." An Chen frowned, looking at the rocks and piles of grass beside him.

There was nothing there; there was no animal or human presence around it.

But the sound continued.

His breathing was heavy and rapid.

"Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo..."

It sounded like an old person struggling to breathe, or like someone suddenly falling ill gasping for air.

"Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

The sound grew louder and louder.

“I could hear the panting too.”

The knight was already standing upright.

He drew his rapier from behind him, ready to fight the enemy at any moment.

An Chen took Jiu Ge's hand, whose expression was flustered, and remained calm.

He always adhered to the principle of "meeting force with force and water with earth."

"Not bad, not bad!"

Unlike Jiu Ge, who felt uneasy, Zhang Zhidong was not afraid at all.

With his arms crossed, he floated higher and higher, trying to look down on the entire arena.

“That’s right! There’s nothing there!” Zhang Zhidong shouted to the people below.

No matter how you look at it, from left to right, from top to bottom, apart from the mountains, rocks, some flowers, trees, and plants, there isn't a single small animal or even an insect in this area.

"If there's nothing, then what is it?" Jiuge felt her heart pounding wildly.

She took several deep breaths, but still couldn't calm down.

"Since we can't see anything with the naked eye, let's keep going." An Chen took out his phone and looked at it.

The cell phone signal has disappeared.

The time on the screen had stopped at the moment when everyone followed the stream into the Man-Eating Mountain.

“Mm.” Jiuge nodded.

She let out a breath, released An Chen's hand, and straightened her body.

Although her shoulders were still trembling, Jiuge had already gotten into the zone.

If something really does appear later, given the eeriness I felt before entering the mountains, it's definitely not a joke.

If Jiuge couldn't calm down because of inner fear at this time, then she wouldn't be the Jiuge who always completes tasks quickly when facing evil spirits and whose purification ability is at the pinnacle.

Strangely enough, after walking about a kilometer, the panting stopped.

But what followed was a sobbing sound.

"Waaaaah..."

"Waaaaaah... Waaaaaah..."

"Waaaaaaahhhhhh..."

The path beneath my feet was still a mountain path, and all around me was nothing but streams, flowers, trees, and rocks.

"Not bad! It feels quite realistic, like a scene replay." Zhang Zhidong frowned, but his voice remained cheerful.

Night had fallen completely, but because of the golden light emanating from Zhang Zhidong, everyone skipped the step of providing lighting.

"Scene replay?" Jiuge twirled a strand of hair.

She thought of the animal footprints the landlady had mentioned.

If those three boys really did encounter a wild beast, and the sound they are hearing now is a replay of that sound.

So, the panting sound just now must have been made by the missing old man as he walked along the mountain path.

"Zhang Zhidong, could you float up again and take a look? Are there any animal footprints around here?" An Chen glanced at the ground but didn't see any animal footprints.

"Great! That's good!" Zhang Zhidong readily floated up to a very high place.

A moment later, he turned and floated away to another place.

A few seconds later, Zhang Zhidong's figure disappeared, and all that could be seen when everyone looked at the spot where he disappeared was a golden dot of light.

“I was referring to the vicinity…” An Chen remained silent.

"..." Jiuge's sense of security suddenly halved.

The air grew cold, and the golden light suddenly disappeared.

The mountain road is now desolate and deserted, and has become pitch black.

The cold moonlight alone cannot illuminate many places.