Chapter 261: Chapter 261: Into the Mountains Again
As soon as they heard about going into the mountains, Liu Pingkang and the others were quite excited. They had missed the last post station due to the road, and now their supplies were insufficient. They worked so hard every day and still had to tighten their belts. Even if they were in good health, it was becoming unbearable.
"I’ll let a few brothers go into the mountains with you," Liu Pingkang thought for a moment. This time he would still have a few brothers accompany them. In the past, most of Gu Kaiyuan’s game would go to them, but ever since the two escort agencies appeared, they could only get a small portion.
"That’s fine," Gu Kaiyuan didn’t refuse. "However, in these deep mountains, there are various dangers. You need to make that clear to the brothers.
And once we’re inside, no one can guarantee the safety of others, not even me."
It’s best to say the unpleasant things upfront to avoid trouble later due to these issues.
"Of course," Liu Pingkang wasn’t someone who didn’t understand, "If it weren’t for this huge mess, I would go with you."
"Mr. Liu, we’ll also go into the mountains," the exiled families heard the news from afar and gathered around. Right now, they had silver but couldn’t buy anything.
"Why are you joining in the fun?" Before Gu Kaiyuan could speak, Liu Pingkang straightaway scolded them, "If you go into the mountains, are you prepared to take responsibility for your own lives? If so, I won’t stop you."
The intentions of these people were clear as day. They thought that entering the mountains meant they could share the meat, but it’s not that simple. The vegetation in these mountains is so dense that these people wouldn’t even know if they were dragged away by wild animals.
Gu Kaiyuan didn’t look at the pleading eyes of these people. He was human, not a god, and wouldn’t take on this trouble.
Someone still wanted to say something but was stopped by those around them.
At this moment, an elder stepped forward, "Gu family kid, if you manage to hunt a lot, could we buy some?"
Gu Kaiyuan didn’t immediately agree but looked towards Liu Pingkang.
Liu Pingkang said, "This is a matter between you all, I won’t get involved."
Gu Kaiyuan sighed, "There are dozens of us here too. No amount of game will be enough, but we’ll do our best."
Bai Suihe handed him the water pouch she had prepared, "I know you’re skilled, but still, be extra careful."
She actually had a lot of meat in her space, but there was no way to bring it out.
The two of them weren’t in short supply, but they also couldn’t appear rosy while others were all skin and bones.
"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. This time I won’t take Lin Hua and the others into the mountains. Wherever you go, take them with you..."
The couple exchanged instructions. They only left when urged by Head Guard Xu and the others.
"Mom, don’t worry, dad will be fine." The child woke up and mumbled.
Bai Suihe said, "The mountains here are different. The vegetation is too dense, which means hidden dangers.
The climate here is humid, and there are many snakes and insects."
"Dad will turn misfortune into fortune, and this time’s harvest will be good."
Bai Suihe patted her belly, "I hope so."
The more time spent together, the more Bai Suihe kept Gu Kaiyuan in her heart.
Entering the deep mountains, Yun Ni led the brothers to pave the way in front. The escorts weren’t idle either, sometimes leaping into trees to keep watch.
Occasionally, startled wild rabbits and pheasants were quickly dealt with.
They had only been in the mountains for less than half an hour, and they’d already hunted quite a few pheasants and rabbits, though everyone was soaked.
Lingnan truly lived up to its reputation, with everyone’s body also covered in mountain leeches.
Everyone continued clearing as they walked. They caught many small animals, but not a single large game was found.
Just as they were feeling frustrated, noise suddenly came from behind. They became alert and looked at a path that had opened up, only to find the men under Ming Peifeng appear.
They all knew they were there to protect the Gu Family, but it had little to do with Gu Kaiyuan.
"What a coincidence?" Zhou Xi, in the lead, wore an embarrassed face. They had essentially piggybacked on someone else’s effort and got caught doing it.
"Following this path, it’s no coincidence," Yun Ni said coldly. "We didn’t know you all were heading into the mountains, so we won’t block your way. Please proceed."
Zhou Xi certainly didn’t want to do this laborious task, so he immediately said with a smiling face, "Brothers, this is our fault. When we heard you were heading into the mountains, we hurriedly came along, wondering if we could be of any help.
Rest assured, we won’t compete with you; we’ll just follow behind for some scraps."
Zhou Xi finished speaking, looking directly at Gu Kaiyuan, "Third Young Master Gu, we’re here to protect your Gu Family, so we hope you’ll allow us."
Gu Kaiyuan said, "Who says there’s a Third Young Master Gu? Moreover, it doesn’t seem like I’m being protected by you. Asking me to repay such a favor is not good."
"You’re all family," Zhou Xi and his companions secretly discussed this Third Young Master Gu. The Gu Family truly lost a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed; the most capable son was driven out by them.
If they had this Third Young Master Gu, there would be no need for outsiders to step in.
Several times he suggested to Lord Ming that it would be best if the Gu Family members gathered together. At least then, there would be two escort agencies working together, which would reduce their losses.
But Lord Ming didn’t heed the advice and instead quietly followed Gu Baijiang, helping them solve problems.
The pursuit continued wave after wave, and they suffered the loss of several brothers.
Fortunately, they had entered the Lingnan territory, where the road was winding and the conditions much harsher. Things had been peaceful for the past few days, so Lord Ming felt safe enough to let them follow into the mountains.
"Rest assured, we’ll just stay behind and won’t cause any trouble. At critical moments, we can also lend a hand."
Since they spoke to this point, and since the mountain wasn’t theirs, Gu Kaiyuan didn’t argue further with them and continued leading the way forward.
Fortunately, Zhou Xi and his men knew their place and didn’t push forward to snatch game, instead rustling the grass to catch some stray animals.
Although everyone was bitten all over by mountain leeches, they returned with full loads of game when leaving the mountain.
"We didn’t see any big game, but we’ve got plenty of small ones. Everyone can cook up some soup, and each will get a bowl," everyone was satisfied with such a harvest, they discussed, and then got to work.
Gu Kaiyuan carried back a wild pheasant and a rabbit.
"We didn’t get any big game this time," Gu Kaiyuan changed his clothes, cleaned off all the mountain leeches, and only after confirming there were none did he walk to Bai Suihe’s side.
"We can’t be lucky every time," Bai Suihe secretly gave him some pastries. The grain they bought before was almost used up, and now everyone was saving whenever possible.
Even though Bai Suihe secretly added several times, it was no longer appropriate to act now. The couple just ate less themselves usually, saving a bit for everyone. After all, they wouldn’t short-change themselves.
