Chapter 48

Five days later, Luo Ci’s maternal uncle indeed arrived. He drove an off-road vehicle and brought three students with him. After picking up Luo Ci, he came to pick up Xu Mo.

Luo Ci’s maternal uncle was named Zhou Huaizhong. He was around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, of medium build. He had broad shoulders and a muscular physique, and his speech was clear and forceful, fitting the traditional image of a martial artist.

The three students were two boys and one girl. They were not very old, all around seventeen or eighteen years old. The two boys were twin brothers, one named Guangming and the other named Guangliang. They were not very good at socializing and were rather impolite. Upon hearing Luo Ci introduce Xu Mo, they called him "Old Xu" without any formality.

The girl was named Anjing, but she was anything but quiet. She had a good appearance and a more voluptuous figure compared to other girls her age. She had a subtle air of arrogance and sat in the front passenger seat, constantly talking to Zhou Huaizhong. When Luo Ci introduced Xu Mo, she only glanced at him indifferently, not even nodding, showing a rather indifferent attitude.

The Guang brothers were very eager to please her.

Luo Ci had a parrot perched on her shoulder. Xu Mo saw it and showed a look of surprise but did not ask.

Seeing his expression, Luo Ci thought for a moment and understood. She explained, "Xiao Ying was alone at home, and I was worried."

She only said half of what she meant, but Xu Mo understood. Her house was not secure, and anyone could enter at any time. Leaving Xiao Ying alone in the house, she was worried that someone might steal or harm her.

However, their originally planned strategy had encountered some unexpected issues.

Luo Ci’s uncle was very decisive and did not easily listen to others’ opinions. Moreover, he was rather impulsive. Upon arriving, he completely ignored Xu Mo’s suggestions and decided on the spot to lead the three students directly into the Dongshan Temple to rescue the captives. He planned to cause chaos in the temple, believing that the kidnappers would not stay hidden and would be forced to hand over the captives if they were attacked.

Xu Mo liked his straightforward personality but found it amusing. It was broad daylight, and they might not even find the people they were looking for. Even if Zhou Huaizhong was skilled, he wouldn’t know who to fight. Besides, they didn’t even know what the Dongshan Temple looked like, let alone talk about causing chaos.

Anjing seemed to come from a better family. She wore branded clothes, and a set of them would cost at least a few thousand. She also had a recently released Apple phone with a GPS satellite positioning system.

She turned on the GPS and directed Zhou Huaizhong. The off-road vehicle left the city and followed the Dong River, heading towards the eastern mountainous area.

Luo Ci sat next to Xu Mo and gave him an apologetic smile, clearly feeling guilty about her uncle’s impulsive decision.

Xu Mo showed understanding but did not say much. As they passed near Xiao Man’s house, he couldn’t help but roll down the window and look outside. He thought about the day he met Xiao Man and became lost in thought. Over the past five months, he often thought about Xiao Man but never had the courage to visit her.

After five months, Xiao Man was five years old and had definitely grown taller. But children were fickle, and by now, she might have forgotten him.

Xu Mo couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Seeing him looking out the window, Luo Ci thought he was looking at the river and quickly said, "Big Brother Xu, this river originates from the mountain peak we are going to, behind the Nüwa Temple. I looked it up online, and the mountain peak has an unofficial name called Jingnv Peak."

"Originates from that mountain peak?" Xu Mo was startled and suddenly remembered the waterfall in the Book of Revelation. He couldn’t help but ask, "Is there a waterfall there?"

"Hey! You looked it up too?" Luo Ci said in surprise, then continued, "That waterfall is called Jingnv Hair Waterfall. It means that if the Jingnv Peak is compared to a woman, the waterfall is her hair."

Xu Mo didn’t respond, his expression uncertain. If this Jingnv Hair Waterfall was the same as the one on page nine of the Book of Revelation, then the blood-red coffin on page seven and the beautiful face on page eight should also be there.

Unfortunately, the Book of Revelation was left in the house during the explosion and was destroyed. Apart from these three items, they couldn’t know what else was in it.

While deep in thought, he heard Luo Ci point to the river outside the window and say, "Big Brother Xu, don’t underestimate this river. It looks small, but it’s actually very deep, with some parts being at least seven or eight meters deep, even up to ten meters. The shallow parts are about three to five meters deep. There are deep water plants at the bottom, and most people don’t dare to swim in it. If they get entangled by the water plants, they can’t get out. Many people have drowned in this river..."

Xu Mo’s mind was on the three pictures in the Book of Revelation, and he absentmindedly responded. Luo Ci thought he was listening and wanted to talk to him more, so she began to tell the history of the Dong River.

The off-road vehicle soon left the city and drove for a while, reaching the edge of the eastern mountainous area. Following the Dong River into the mountains, they drove for several miles and entered a valley. The Dong River flowed out of the valley, but the off-road vehicle couldn’t go further.

Anjing looked at the GPS and said, "If we go through this valley, it’s probably another ten miles to Jingnv Peak."

Luo Ci quickly interjected, "Don’t go this way. I checked, and the side of Jingnv Peak is a vertical cliff, at least a hundred meters high from the river surface. Even if we could drive the car there, we couldn’t climb up. Besides, the valley gets narrower as you go in, and it will all turn into steep cliffs. The off-road vehicle can’t pass."

Anjing glanced at her, reselected the route, and said, "If we don’t go this way, we’ll have to take a much longer route."

Zhou Huaizhong asked, "How much longer?"

Anjing looked at her phone and said, "From here, it’s only about ten miles, but if we go around..." She pointed to the left and continued, "There’s a bridge there. From the bridge, there’s a road that leads directly into the mountains and can take us to the base of Jingnv Peak, but it’s at least two hundred miles, almost three hundred miles."

"There’s no other way," Zhou Huaizhong said. "If we have to go around, we’ll go even if it’s five hundred miles."

Luo Ci, feeling uneasy, said, "If it’s three hundred miles to get there and three hundred miles to return, that’s six hundred miles. It’s already past ten in the morning. Adding the time to climb the mountain and stay at the Nüwa Temple, we won’t be able to return before dark."

Zhou Huaizhong said nonchalantly, "If we can’t return, so be it. What’s the big deal?"

Luo Ci glanced at Xu Mo, remembering the plan they had discussed. She said, "But... but... if it’s night, those people will have no qualms and will attack us."

Guangming, sitting on the other side of her, laughed without concern, his smile full of bravado. "I hope they come out. If they don’t act, how will we know who kidnapped your sister?" He turned to Zhou Huaizhong and said, "Isn’t that right, Teacher Zhou?"

Zhou Huaizhong looked back at him and praised, "Good boy, you’ve improved!"

Guangming took the opportunity to flatter him, "Isn’t it all thanks to you, Teacher Zhou?"

Anjing laughed and scolded, "Flatterer!"

Guangming didn’t mind and laughed loudly.

Xu Mo wanted to remind them that the other side might have guns, but seeing their attitude, he said nothing.

Luo Ci was still worried and said, "But... but..." She couldn’t come up with any reasons and looked at Xu Mo, hoping he would speak.

Anjing happened to turn around and saw Luo Ci’s gesture. She sneered and said, "You’re being too careful. There’s no need. We’re not weaklings. Teacher Zhou can take on six or seven people easily, and I and the two brothers can almost..."

She nodded at Guangming and Guangliang and continued, "We can take on two or three, three or four."

Luo Ci calculated in her mind and said, "So, we don’t need to be afraid of encountering a dozen people?"

Anjing said confidently, "Don’t worry, it’s a piece of cake."

Luo Ci’s face relaxed upon hearing her confident words.

Xu Mo remained silent but thought, "You’re talking about ordinary people. The ones who kidnapped Luo Shi, not to mention if they have guns, might also be able to take on five or six, three or four people each. Your four, who can take on six or seven, two or three, against a dozen who can take on three or four, do you really have a chance? Not to mention, there might be more than a dozen of them."

He didn’t say this directly to avoid an argument with Anjing or the Guang brothers. After some thought, he said, "If we find any clues, it’s best to report to the police and let them handle it."

Guangliang laughed and looked at Xu Mo as if he were a monster. "Report to the police? No way. If I accidentally kill someone, won’t that be troublesome? Besides, if the police were useful, they would have found Luo Shi by now."

He looked at Xu Mo and mocked, "Old Xu, you’re a few years older than me, but you act like a woman, with no courage at all?"

Luo Ci, who was very protective of Xu Mo, scolded, "Guang, how can you talk like that?"

Anjing also chimed in, but for a different reason. She glanced at Guangliang indifferently and said, "Stop showing off. Do you think everyone is as good at kickboxing as you?"

Although she was scolding Guangliang, she subtly showed pride in her own fighting skills.

Xu Mo didn’t respond.

The off-road vehicle backed up, crossed the stone bridge, and drove for another two to three hours on the mountain road before reaching the base of Jingnv Peak.

Jingnv Peak was steep, with only a rugged path through the trees leading to the top. The off-road vehicle couldn’t go up, so they had to park at the base.

Zhou Huaizhong took a travel bag from the trunk, and the Guang brothers carried it. The six of them started climbing the mountain together.

The mountain wasn’t very high, but the top was very open, covered with weeds and shrubs.

When the six reached the top and looked forward, they immediately saw an old, large courtyard about thirty meters away, hidden among the weeds and shrubs.

As they approached, they saw a large hall connected to the courtyard wall. In the center of the hall was a statue of a deity with a human head and a snake body.

Xu Mo looked up at the statue and was startled. The statue’s face was exactly the same as the beautiful face on page eight of the Book of Revelation.

Moreover, the statue’s face had recently been repainted, looking no different from human skin. Especially the eyes, which seemed to be alive, giving a strange and eerie feeling under the sunlight.

——

PS: Thank you to Fengliu Laosan and Xifeng Yu for your support.

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