Chapter 299 - 258: Entering the Mountain

Deep in the night, Taicang Mountain was exceptionally eerie.

It was pitch-black, with strange, ephemeral sounds, fleeting shadows, and a dense miasma...

Even Liao Feng, who had been born and raised in the Taicang Mountain Range, didn’t dare to spend the night in the mountains.

But this time, he felt completely at ease.

Because Han Yuan and Ding Zihu were with him.

And of course, there was the fat Orange Cat, who made him feel even safer than he did back in his tribe.

SIZZLE... SIZZLE... SIZZLE...

A Dragon Beard Fish weighing over ten pounds roasted over the campfire.

The flesh of the Dragon Beard Fish was naturally delicious and required no seasoning. Now, with its skin slightly charred, it was giving off an incredibly appetizing aroma.

The fat Orange Cat stood guard nearby, watching so intently it was about to start drooling.

"Fat Thief, where did you catch this Dragon Beard Fish?"

Ding Zihu asked in surprise.

"A cat has his secrets. You don’t need to concern yourself with the details."

"And another thing, you’re not getting any,"

the Orange Cat sneered.

"Fine, I won’t eat it then!"

"You think I need your scraps?"

After all, Ding Zihu had been well-prepared when he left the Wuhuo Tribe.

With a cold snort, he pulled a piece of jerky and various spices from his bag and started roasting his own meal.

Meanwhile, Han Yuan was chatting with Liao Feng.

"So, you’re saying... we should reach Hive Mountain tomorrow?"

Han Yuan asked.

"Yes... But I only know the way there... As for what it’s like inside Hive Mountain, I’m completely clueless,"

Liao Feng said honestly.

His father, Liao Tu, had always taught him that in the mountains, you admit what you don’t know. Never pretend, or you might get someone killed.

"I see... It looks like we’ll just have to play it by ear."

Han Yuan nodded lightly.

Then he asked, "Are there any strange legends about Hive Mountain?"

"Strange legends..."

Liao Feng thought for a moment. "When I was a boy, I heard my grandfather say... a long, long time ago, even before our Wuhuo Tribe existed, Hive Mountain didn’t look the way it does now."

Hearing this, Han Yuan couldn’t help but ask, "Then what did it look like?"

"I heard it was the Holy Mountain of our Taicang Mountain Range... but it suffered a great catastrophe and became the Hive Mountain we see today,"

Liao Feng said.

"A catastrophe..."

"What kind of catastrophe, specifically?"

Han Yuan couldn’t help but ask.

"I don’t know... It was too long ago. No one knows anymore."

Liao Feng shook his head.

"Liao Feng... you know I came to the Taicang Mountain Range looking for someone, right?"

Han Yuan said softly.

"Hero Han, of course I know that."

"In recent days, the Wuhuo Tribe has done everything in its power to ask around for news of Daoist Chunyangzi."

"But we’ve asked every tribe... and truly, no one has ever heard of such a person."

"Sometimes I wonder... maybe the person you’re looking for, Hero Han... isn’t in the Taicang Mountain Range anymore."

Liao Feng, with his youthful nature, simply spoke whatever came to mind.

"That’s possible."

"But what I really want to ask is... you probably haven’t searched Hive Mountain, have you?"

Han Yuan said.

His words stunned Liao Feng for a moment.

He replied directly, "No... Hive Mountain is a forbidden zone in the Taicang Mountain Range now. No one dares go near it."

Han Yuan said softly, "I see... Then perhaps the person I’m looking for is in Hive Mountain."

Upon hearing this, Liao Feng immediately said, "Hero Han, that’s absolutely impossible."

"I’ve never been to Hive Mountain, but I’ve heard countless stories of people dying in there my whole life."

"That place... is no place for the living."

Han Yuan smiled. "You’re right... It was just a stray thought."

"After all, you’ve searched the whole Taicang Mountain Range... so either he’s in Hive Mountain, or, like you said... he’s not here anymore."

Liao Feng said hastily, "Hero Han, don’t worry. No matter what, I will definitely help you find him."

Han Yuan nodded.

"Stop chatting."

"Hurry up and come eat this Dragon Beard Fish."

"If you don’t come over, I, Lord Meow, am going to eat it all myself!"

the Orange Cat called out.

"Let’s go eat,"

Han Yuan said.

Liao Feng nodded.

.....

「The next day.」

About half a day after leaving their resting spot, they finally arrived in the vicinity of Hive Mountain.

The Orange Cat, who had been looking relaxed, grew increasingly agitated.

If Han Yuan hadn’t yelled for it to stop, the cat would have likely charged straight ahead.

However, the closer they got to Hive Mountain, the more the surrounding environment began to change.

"The plants and trees... they’re getting scarcer."

"And even the ones that are here... they’re all twisted and strange-looking,"

Ding Zihu muttered.

Han Yuan had noticed this as well.

"Be careful,"

he said in a deep voice.

The group walked forward for another couple of miles.

All they could see now were a few dead trees.

The soil had turned a grayish-white, and it felt as if they had stepped into a death zone.

Deathly still, desolate, and bizarre...

It gave one a deeply unsettling feeling.

And this discomfort... it seemed to come from deep within the soul.

An innate sense of revulsion.

"This place... something is very wrong here."

"We haven’t even entered Hive Mountain, and it’s already this strange."

"If we do go into Hive Mountain... I’m afraid it will be incredibly dangerous."

Ding Zihu’s expression became solemn.

"Meow~ If you’re scared, you should hurry up and leave,"

the Orange Cat jeered.

"Heh... I was just pointing out the danger here."

"When did I say I was going to run away?"

Ding Zihu sneered.

"Let’s go."

Han Yuan cut off the bickering between the man and the cat.

’If these two kept arguing, they’d probably start fighting again.’

The three of them and the cat continued onward.

This time, however, Han Yuan took the lead, with Liao Feng in the middle and Ding Zihu bringing up the rear.