I became an old man in my leisure time

The three of them reached the foot of the mountain in less than half an hour. Read

Bai Suqing stopped and let someone who was panting rest.

Even so, Bai Suqing began to examine him habitually: his physical strength was not as bad as a few days ago, and even a little too good. Could it be related to that "ray of hope"?

Xiaoman was used to walking on mountain roads, so she took the stone road down the mountain, still jumping around to look for possible food.

After resting for less than half a cup of tea, she exclaimed: "Gu Ke, Sister Bai Suqing, come and take a look."

Gu Ke, who had caught his breath, stood up and went over, and saw her in front of a bush, reaching out to push aside the branches and look inside.

Bai Suqing arrived earlier than him and asked, "What happened?"

Xiaoman frowned and puffed up her face, looking puzzled: "Someone has entered this bush..."

She pinched a branch with her hand: "Look, there are still a few pieces of cloth here. This person must have fallen here, but there is no sign of getting up and walking out."

Gu Ke still stared at the young employee: "You can see this?"

Xiaoman didn't care: "I often look for wild animals with my father and brothers in my hometown, and then set traps to catch them. The traces of people walking can be seen at a glance."

Bai Suqing also frowned: "But people who practice martial arts can jump up and leave directly without leaving other traces."

Xiaoman was not sure: "But there are no other footprints around. Could this person jump very far?"

Hearing this, Bai Suqing frowned even more tightly: "I noticed it the day I came here. There should be no such powerful person among the people who followed in."

If there is such a person, how could she miss it.

Xiaoman circled around the bush again and found something more than ten meters away: "This should be the trace left by that person when he passed by."

This is still a bush, but the trace left is the scraps of cloth on the outer edge, which are made of the same material as the pieces of cloth just now.

Bai Suqing's eyes flickered, and suddenly pointed to the east: "Look along this side."

Xiaoman didn't think much about it, and immediately did it. Soon she found a fuzzy footprint left in the mud and cheered happily: "Sister Bai Suqing is so smart. The toes of this person's footprint are facing west, and it looks like he ran from the east."

Gu Ke interrupted again: "How do you know it was running?"

Xiaoman blinked: "It has rained these days, but the footprints can still be seen. It must have taken a lot of effort, and the mud at the toes is deeper, and..."

Gu Ke raised his hand decisively: "Okay, Xiaoman, you are right."

This is not learning to track in the mountains and forests, and he can't tell right from wrong, so he can only trust Xiaoman's judgment.

Turning to Bai Suqing, he asked directly: "It seems that something has happened to the people down the mountain?"

Bai Suqing nodded: "It is indeed possible. Are we going to their residence?"

Gu Ke hesitated for a moment and nodded: "Go, but don't go in directly. Stay away first and check if there is anything unusual."

At that moment, the three of them slowly walked towards the small village where the eunuchs and servants were located in the east. Xiaoman was also searching for other suspicious traces along the way.

After walking a distance, Xiaoman indeed found a lot of traces: "There are more than one person running towards us, and they are separated in this section."

Along the way, she has found the running traces of at least five people.

Without exception, they all walked in the direction away from the village, but no one's body was found.

Gu Ke and Bai Suqing looked at each other. She didn't say anything, so he said: "Let's go outside the village first."

When they arrived a few dozen feet away from the village, they could see more than a dozen dilapidated village houses from a distance.

Stopping Xiaoman who wanted to move forward, Gu Ke whispered to Bai Suqing: "There may be danger inside, are you sure?"

He was asking Bai Suqing if he could deal with the possible weird things.

Bai Suqing shook her head slightly: "I am not sure I can protect you two against the weird things."

Gu Ke sighed lightly, but he was not surprised.

If Bai Suqing really dared to boast that he could solve it, he would not believe it completely.

After pondering for a moment, he still made a decision: "The situation here is unclear, no need to take risks. Let's go home."

Xiaoman nodded repeatedly. It is common sense not to chase after abnormal conditions in the forest, because there may be a weird monster waiting for dinner in front.

If Gu Ke and Bai Suqing hadn't decided to come, she would have asked everyone to go back long ago.

Bai Suqing felt a little disappointed, but she was also relieved.

Not afraid of death does not mean not afraid of anything.

If there are any fierce people or beasts in this small village, they will just fight as hard as they can, and lose their lives if they lose.

But if you run into a strange monster, you will be lucky if you can die quickly.

After making the decision, the three of them returned quickly, and the atmosphere was a bit dull for a while.

It was not until they started to climb the mountain that Gu Ke found Xiaoman to ask about the plants, and then they felt better.

Climbing the mountain consumes more physical energy. The three of them took a rest in the middle and finally returned to the mountainside where the ancestral tomb hall is located.

This time, Bai Suqing did not return to her residence, but came to the small hut with Gu Ke and Xiaoman, and put down the two large bundles of dry grass and rattan in their hands.

This was when Xiaoman said that he could weave straw in the second half of the return, and the three of them brought it back by chance, so they did not return empty-handed.

The great master Bai Suqing fought two people alone and took two bundles.

Gu Ke and Xiaoman each carried a bundle.

The dry grass is light gray, more than two feet long, about one finger wide, with a smooth and hairless surface and a tough texture, which is very suitable for weaving materials.

The rattan contains flexible fibers, which can be twisted into thin ropes.

Xiaoman's face flushed, she sat on the mat, and couldn't wait to untie the bundle of dry grass and vines: "Oh, I haven't woven anything for almost two years, and I didn't think of it for a while."

Gu Ke put the bundle he had taken against the wall, then poured water from a small earthenware jar by the wall, collected it with the broken bowl he usually drank water from, and handed it to the young employee: "Okay, I've brought it back, they won't run away, drink some water first."

Xiaoman took the water, gulped it down, and smiled at him: "Gu Ke, you are so nice."

Gu Ke rubbed her head, turned around and saw Bai Suqing's inexplicable expression, and couldn't help but look down at the broken bowl: "Sister Bai, do you want a bowl too?"

He didn't pour her water first because he used this broken bowl.

Xiaoman didn't mind, because the two of them were familiar with each other these days, and she even drank the porridge in his bowl.

Sister Bai might not be happy.

Sure enough, Bai Suqing shook her head: "I'm not thirsty."

Gu Ke looked at her subconsciously opening her mouth, as if she wanted to lick her lips, but she forced herself to hold back and could only say: "Okay, pour it yourself if you want to drink."

He put down the bowl and took the small earthenware jar over there and put it aside.

Xiao Man was picking and choosing, preparing to make a pair of straw sandals first.

It would be really inconvenient for mountain people to travel without a pair of straw sandals.

As the weather gets colder, the fog on the mountain is heavy and the dew on the ground is cold, so I have to make a pair for Gu Ke first, otherwise his body can't stand it. Xiao Man thought so, and a smile appeared on her face.