Chapter 12

"Where did that little green snake come from?" Xu Mo was taken aback.

"It scared me to death!" Liu Qian looked around, but saw no other snakes or insects, and relaxed. He pointed at the plant and said loudly, "Just now, that little snake was coiled on a branch, licking one of the fruits."

He reached out and picked a green fruit from the plant, and continued, "I still remember, it was licking this one."

Xu Mo glanced at the green fruit and was momentarily stunned. The green fruit was extremely small, less than half the size of the others, clearly having grown for not long. However, more than half of its surface was covered with white hair.

"Strange!" Xu Mo couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"What's wrong?" Liu Qian, hearing this, asked urgently.

Xu Mo pointed at the green fruit and said, "Do these white hairs really only grow after the green fruit matures? This fruit is clearly far from mature."

Liu Qian looked at the green fruit with confusion, then glanced at the other green fruits, and suddenly exclaimed as if he had realized something, "I get it, damn it, this fruit must have grown with white hair from the start. The ones without white hair must have been licked off by that little snake."

He glared at the crevice in the rock and cursed, "This little beast, if it comes out next time, I'll smash it to death with a rock if I catch it."

Xu Mo also found his guess reasonable and suggested, "Let's scrape off the remaining white hair from the other green fruits first, otherwise, they might also be licked by that little snake."

Liu Qian agreed repeatedly. The two of them each picked a leaf from the plant and carefully scraped the remaining white hair from the other green fruits into small paper packets on their bodies. They also transplanted a plant nearby.

Liu Qian continued, "From now on, we need to check every day. Once we find new fruits growing, we should immediately scrape off the white hair to prevent that little beast from ruining them. These white hairs have hallucinogenic components, and besides that little snake, other animals might also like them."

Xu Mo nodded, suddenly remembering the golden scorpion, black toad, silver-white centipede, and palm-sized white spider from yesterday. He thought to himself: This little snake must also be poisonous. Could the reason so many poisonous insects are attracted to this mountain be because of the white hair on the green fruits? Do these poisonous insects all like to eat these white hairs?

This thought crossed his mind, but he didn't delve deeper. After transplanting a plant to the side, they returned to their residence.

In the evening, before Xu Mo fell asleep, he took out the Dream Powder from under the covers and looked at it, feeling curious: Is this stuff really useful for my Static Breathing? If it really works, and I master Static Breathing, will there be other benefits besides not fearing the cold?

He was worried that using the Dream Powder might make him addicted. But thinking about the miraculous theory of Static Breathing, he couldn't resist the impulse and brought the powder to his mouth, using his tongue to touch a little and suck it into his mouth.

The powder was tasteless, and as it passed over his tongue, it caused a slight numbness that was almost imperceptible if not specifically noticed.

The powder dissolved in water instantly and quickly mixed into his saliva, seeming to turn into a stream of clear water that flowed down his throat. His brain felt as if he were having his first drink, becoming dizzy instantly.

"Can't waste the effect of the medicine!"

He immediately put away the powder packet, lay down on his side, and focused his mind on imagining himself running.

The Dream Powder truly had a remarkable effect. As soon as he imagined, it felt like he was really running. A three-dimensional image appeared in his mind, showing him running on an imagined road. For a moment, if he hadn't been relatively clear-headed, he might have doubted that the running self in his mind was the real him.

He tried to stay clear-headed, but sweat gradually appeared on his forehead, his heart rate increased, and his breathing became heavy.

He knew the effect of the medicine would soon pass, so he calmed down and tried to experience the feeling, striving to find the reason for this result.

The effect of the Dream Powder didn't last long. A few minutes later, the feeling disappeared. In such a short time, he naturally didn't experience anything.

He pondered for a moment, feeling as if he had just had a dream, with nothing left. He sighed, took out the powder again, and wanted to try once more.

Just as he brought it to his mouth, he couldn't help but think: The off-road driver once said that this powder is extremely expensive. Although I don't have much in stock, if I sell it, with its high price, I can at least temporarily solve my living problems.

His mind became conflicted, hesitating. Then he thought: I don't have a sales channel. Even if I have the powder, who would I sell it to? If I sell it on the street, it's a banned substance, and if I get caught, my life is over.

He had never done anything illegal and couldn't shake off the mental constraints in a short time. After a brief thought, he gave up the idea of selling the powder and focused on practicing his Static Breathing.

He took some more powder and imagined various exercise scenarios, calmly experiencing the effects of Static Breathing. After three or four attempts, he still had no results. He felt sleepy and fell asleep without realizing it.

In a daze, he heard the door creak. Xu Mo woke up and glanced at the door, just in time to see a shadow sneak out and quietly close the door.

Xu Mo was startled: Could it be a thief?

He then thought it was unlikely and looked at the other beds. He slept on the top bunk, so a slight turn of his head revealed the other beds. Everyone was lying on their beds, except for Ma Wu's bed, which was empty.

"It's Ma Wu."

His mind instantly calmed down, and he closed his eyes, about to fall back asleep. But at that moment, Liu Qian sat up from the bed opposite him, gently pushed his leg, and whispered, "Brother Xu, Brother Xu!"

Xu Mo slightly raised his head, "What's up?"

The others were still sleeping, so he also lowered his voice.

Liu Qian beckoned to him and whispered, "That Ma just went out."

"What?" Xu Mo couldn't help but smile bitterly, thinking Liu Qian was going to say something important, but it turned out to be this. He said indifferently, "I saw, he might have gone to the toilet."

"No, no," Liu Qian hurriedly said, "He went out last night too and didn't come back for three or four hours. There's something wrong with this Ma. He must have a purpose for coming to the mountain. Didn't you notice? He never takes off his clothes when he sleeps."

Xu Mo had gone to bed early last night and had been focused on Static Breathing tonight, so he hadn't noticed. Hearing this, he thought about it carefully and realized it might be true.

But he was a man of few words and didn't like to meddle in other people's affairs, "Why bother? It's none of our business."

Liu Qian said, "Things aren't that simple. This guy is living with us. If something happens, it might involve us, and we won't be able to explain ourselves."

Xu Mo was taken aback, remembering that this guy had been in a gang before. He had no experience dealing with such matters and asked Liu Qian, "What should we do?"

Liu Qian said, "We should follow him and see what he's up to."

Xu Mo hesitated, "If we follow him and get caught, we'll be considered his accomplices, and it will be hard to explain."

"Heh heh!" Liu Qian smiled, "Based on my guess, his purpose is likely related to the Dream Powder. If we follow him, we might get some benefits too."

Xu Mo felt a sense of being deceived. Liu Qian's main reason for following might be more about the Dream Powder. He had tried the Dream Powder and found it to be very effective, naturally wanting it, but if he got caught...

Liu Qian, seeing his expression, guessed something and persuaded him, "Fortune comes with risk, Brother Xu. Do you want to be destitute all your life?"

Xu Mo hesitated, "We've already found the plant that grows the Dream Powder, why take the risk?"

Liu Qian laughed dryly, "Who knows if the plant will survive after being transplanted. Opportunities are fleeting. If we don't seize them, they won't come back. Do you forget how that girl treated us today? We're all born the same, with no one missing two arms or a leg. Why does she treat us like this? Living in such humiliation is no different from death."

These words were like a thunderclap in Xu Mo's heart. He shuddered, thinking of his own situation, and bit his lip, determined, "You're right, let's follow him and see."

Liu Qian smiled. The two of them got out of bed and quietly walked out of the door.

The night was colder than the day. Xu Mo's clothes were thin, and the mountain wind made him feel cold all over, his body shivering, his teeth chattering.

Liu Qian glanced at him and sneered, "You're in such a state, and you're still worried about danger?"

He clearly understood human nature. These words, heard by Xu Mo at this moment, not only didn't sound harsh but also strengthened his resolve.

He had been huddled, but after hearing this, a rebellious thought arose, "Liu Qian is right, it's just cold. If I can't endure this pain, how can I overcome the current difficulties?"

He stretched out his limbs, thinking, "I don't believe this weather can freeze me to death."

In his self-pity, he felt the world was against him. Looking out, the vast sky and the weather seemed to become his enemies.

The two of them had delayed in the room, and by the time they came out, Ma Wu was already out of sight.

Liu Qian looked around, couldn't see Ma Wu, and sighed, "Too bad, he got away."

Xu Mo secretly regretted not making a decision earlier. He kicked a stone on the ground in frustration, suddenly remembering the well-defended courtyard by the river. An idea flashed through his mind, and he gritted his teeth, "Follow me!"

He led Liu Qian to the courtyard by the river. They quickened their pace and soon saw a suspicious figure ahead.

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