Chapter 20: Heart-Wrenching Screams

"You see, didn't I tell you that 'Goat-beard' was an old fox? If he didn't have something to hide, why resort to such clumsy tactics?" Leng Ying sneered.

Cheng Xiangru asked hurriedly, "What do you mean?"

Leng Ying slowly crouched down, sweeping her flashlight around. "I am now basically certain that they are racing against time. They were worried that someone might track them, so they deliberately concealed their trail. Hmph, they are certainly ruthless; weren't they worried you might run straight into another group? They clearly didn't care about your safety at all."

"How did they manage it? And where could they be now?" Cheng Xiangru was less concerned with Leng Ying's deductions and more interested in the whereabouts of Boss Zhou and his men.

The snow on the mountain was crisp and loose; even the slightest pressure would leave a pit. How could Boss Zhou and the others have hidden their tracks so easily? Furthermore, there were five of them. Wherever they walked, it would be like carving out a road in the snow—their target was far too obvious.

Leng Ying remained silent for a long time, crouching ahead and searching with her flashlight. Finally, she stood up, looking annoyed. "No need to look anymore. They must have turned back along the original path. Let's head back!"

The two retraced their steps, searching carefully, but found nothing. Even when they returned to the vicinity of the black SUV, there were no new discoveries. The tracks around the vehicle were numerous, but aside from those left by Cheng Xiangru during his first search for the robber's tunnel earlier that day, there were only the ones he and Leng Ying had made just now.

Could it be that they had already pinpointed the location of the Qing Dynasty Dragon Vein during the day, and after sending Cheng Xiangru away, they had returned? That possibility could not be ruled out. Leng Ying shared the same suspicion.

They headed back up toward the mountain, but as soon as they reached the foothills, a new situation arose. That was where Cheng Xiangru had parted ways with Boss Zhou and the others, splitting up to search the mountain with a dozen meters of space between them.

Because of this, there were now forks in the path—seven of them, to be exact. Cheng Xiangru counted them silently. He was certain that, including his own path, there should have only been six routes. How had an extra one appeared out of thin air?

"How many people were in your group?" Leng Ying noticed the problem, her brows furrowing.

"Counting me, six," Cheng Xiangru whispered.

Leng Ying nodded. She stood in the biting wind, staring at the seven diverging paths, lost in thought. After a long while, she asked, "Can you tell which one wasn't there during the day?"

Cheng Xiangru racked his brain, but eventually, he shook his head helplessly. He had been the slowest during the day, and by the time he reached the meeting point, everyone else was already waiting for him. He hadn't paid any attention to these details then, so he couldn't distinguish them; he could only rule out the path he had taken himself.

Both fell silent, trapped in a difficult choice. In the cold sky, stars twinkled, and the Milky Way, along with the constellations, circled the bright crescent moon.

Amidst the snow-covered slopes, two "fat" figures—one in blue, one in red, both wearing burial clothes—stood frozen with flashlights, a scene both bizarre and eerie. If a stranger were to come across them, they would likely be scared to death.

With six directions, only one could be right. Cheng Xiangru had no ideas, and Leng Ying was equally unsure.

"Maybe we should just give up," Cheng Xiangru said, his resolve wavering.

Leng Ying shook her head firmly. "No! Even if we pick a wrong path and waste our time, at least we've tried our luck. How can we give up without even attempting it?"

"Then which way should we choose?" Cheng Xiangru agreed with her logic. The worst-case scenario was wasting some energy; if they failed to find Boss Zhou and the others tonight, it couldn't get any worse than that.

Leng Ying suddenly slapped her palm with her fist. "I have an idea."

"Huh?" Cheng Xiangru’s eyes brightened, and he looked at her expectantly.

He saw Leng Ying hold up a finger and start chanting as she pointed at the paths one by one: "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a tiger by the toe, if he hollers let him go, my mother told me to pick this one! This way!"

Cheng Xiangru was speechless. "That's the solution you came up with?"

Leng Ying countered, "Do you have a better one?"

Cheng Xiangru gave a thumbs-up. "I'm with you."

Since the choice was made, there was no need to waste more time hesitating. But just as they stepped onto the path Leng Ying had chosen, they heard a faint, rhythmic "tat-tat" sound in the distance.

Leng Ying stopped abruptly. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, it sounds like... is someone setting off firecrackers?" Cheng Xiangru turned his head toward the direction the sound had come from.

Leng Ying crouched low and suddenly spun around, sprinting in a different direction. "No! That's gunfire!"

Cheng Xiangru felt a jolt of terror and scrambled to follow. At this time, in this place, who would be setting off firecrackers? And besides, firearms were strictly prohibited in the country—it couldn't be gunfire! Or could it? Boss Zhou and his men were supposed to have guns!

Cheng Xiangru clearly remembered that when he had sought revenge on Da Huzi, one of Boss Zhou’s subordinates had pulled out a real gun, scaring Da Huzi and his gang of thugs into kneeling and begging for mercy. But weren't Boss Zhou and the others looking for a tomb tunnel? Why would they be firing weapons?

Could it be, as Leng Ying had speculated, that they were truly there to plunder the Qing Dynasty Dragon Vein, and another group had their eyes on it too? If two groups collided, conflict was inevitable. If that was the case, the shots made sense.

Cheng Xiangru thought wildly as he pushed his body to the limit, struggling to keep up with Leng Ying through the deep snow, but he was falling further and further behind. He couldn't fathom how Leng Ying, who looked so slender and was bundled up in so many layers while carrying such a large backpack, could run so fast. Furthermore, the snow was deep and the mountain path underneath was uneven; how was she moving as if on flat ground?

Leng Ying ran a long way before looking back. Seeing Cheng Xiangru lagging so far behind, she stamped her foot in annoyance. She ran back to him, snatched his backpack from him, and shouldered it herself. "You should be able to keep up now, right?"

"I..."

"Don't tell me you want me to carry you too?"

"No, I... I'll do my best."

With a large backpack on each shoulder, Leng Ying turned and sprinted off. Her speed had slowed slightly, but it was still fast. Cheng Xiangru, now unburdened, was much quicker than before, though he still struggled immensely. Fortunately, he managed to stay within a reasonable distance.

They ran for a long time before Leng Ying stopped. She dropped the two heavy packs and frowned, listening intently. Cheng Xiangru, panting heavily with his hands on his knees and drenched in sweat, cursed Leng Ying as a monster under his breath.

A minute later, more shots rang out, much closer than before!

"This way!" Leng Ying picked up the packs again, ready to bolt, but her expression suddenly shifted. She had heard a shrill, piercing scream follow the gunfire—a scream that came from a completely different direction.

"Could something have happened to Boss Zhou and the others?" Cheng Xiangru panicked.

Leng Ying said in a low voice, "Likely."

This time, Cheng Xiangru didn't hesitate. He turned and ran toward the direction of the scream. Regardless of whether Boss Zhou had lied to him or had ulterior motives, he still owed the man a great debt. If Boss Zhou and his men were in trouble, he could not simply stand by like a coward.