Chapter 336 Empty-handed Return

As soon as Lin Yong and the others saw them off, Zhang Sanhua quickly picked up her packed luggage and headed in the opposite direction.

Without riding a horse or taking a carriage, she completely relied on her physical strength to run through the mountains and forests. It must be said that after being cooped up at home for so long and then sitting on a boat for an extended period, being able to run freely like this was truly a refreshing experience for both body and mind.

The only downside is that you get hungry easily when you exercise a lot.

After grilling two snakes by the creek, Zhang San licked his lips.

It's been a while since I had snake, and the ones here in Nanyue are fat and delicious.

She put out the campfire and Zhang San looked to the west. For some reason, she always felt the urge to head in that direction. However, time was tight, and her destination was not in that direction.

Forget it, let’s wait until Lin Yong's matters are settled before going to take a look together.

Because the route this time was different from the one Zhang Sanhua remembered, she took a bit of a detour and arrived at her destination a day later than expected.

The bamboo hut ahead looked a bit run-down, as if no one had lived there for a long time.

Zhang San walked inside and took a look around; everywhere was covered in dust, indicating that it hadn't been cleaned in at least six months. Moreover, the bamboo used as building material had many holes caused by insect infestation, so it wouldn't be long before this place became completely uninhabitable.

The sky was already dark, and Zhang Sanhua had roughly tidied up, preparing to make do for the night, but she had a bad feeling in her heart—this time, it seemed she would return empty-handed.

In the evening, Zhang Sanhua could hear the sounds of many insects and ants crawling and gnawing nearby, but not a single one dared to approach within a yard of her. Before dawn, Zhang Sanhua opened her eyes, and the initially gentle rustling sounds suddenly fell silent as if they had all made a pact.

After chewing on two tender tips of bamboo leaves, Zhang Sanhua felt hungry again. She pondered that there are surely scorpions and such around here that she could catch and try to eat.

It is said that the roasted scorpions in Nanyue are very delicious, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, but she hasn’t seen any for sale on this journey, so she hasn’t had the chance to try them.

Walking towards the dense forest, Zhang Sanhua stopped after a while.

It was not quiet around; it sounded just like an ordinary forest, filled with various noises.

But it was this ordinary that felt strangely unusual.

After walking for about half an hour, the scenery in front of me suddenly opened up, and there was actually a road. Beside the road, a small stream was flowing gently, and Zhang San discovered that there were many small fish the size of his fingers in it, so he cupped his hands and drank the water.

The stream is sweet and refreshing, much better than the water in other places.

Staring at the little fish that had hidden away in fright, Zhang Sanhua thought, if only there was a pot, it would be great to cook a fish soup with this stream water.

I walked a little further and came to another bamboo forest. Zhang San hesitantly entered and felt that this forest was very strange, as if it had a formation, but it was not complete. Either there was a bamboo missing where there should have been one, or there was an extra cluster where there shouldn't be.

Passing through the bamboo forest, there is a small courtyard. The furnishings in the courtyard are quite simple, but still covered in dust.

There are signs of life, but many everyday items are missing.

This means that people used to live in this courtyard, but they moved away a long time ago.

In her heart, she felt that the memories she had lost were probably related to this place. Zhang Sanhua nearly turned the place upside down. Sure enough, she felt a bit familiar with certain scenes, but upon closer thought, she couldn’t remember anything at all.

It seems that we need to find the person who used to live here to know what happened.

Disappointed Zhang San was surprised to find that the kitchen in the yard was fully equipped, with even a small pile of firewood left, which made him feel a little better.

Holding a jar to catch fish, Zhang San almost scooped up half of the fish in the stream before he filled the jar halfway, and he couldn't help but smirk.

Forget it, let's leave some small fish for breeding, can't let them be wiped out.

The fish soup cooked with this creek water boiled for a while and surprisingly turned into fish stew, infused with a hint of floral aroma. Just a pinch of salt was added, making it so delicious that it almost made people want to swallow their tongues.

```htmlAfter a bowl of fish soup, Zhang Sanhua let out a big yawn.

It's strange, why am I sleepy again?

Leaning on the bare couch and closing her eyes, it might be too hard, Zhang Sanhua slept very restlessly. Countless fragments flickered through her mind, but she couldn't grasp a single one.```

When Zhang Sanhua woke up, she felt a heavy dizziness in her head and sneezed several times, thinking to herself, "Not again."

Could it be that I'm sick again?

Being alone in this remote place and getting sick with no one to take care of her is definitely not a good situation.

Fortunately, it was just a false alarm. By the time Zhang Sanhua walked out of the dense forest, he appeared energetic again.

The speed of his return was much faster than on the way there. When he reached the small stream from before, Zhang Sanhua couldn't help but glance toward the west again.

Really, I want to go and take a look.

Calculating the time, if I go back to Lin Yong now, he might have already returned to the residence and found out that she has run away. But if I head west, Lin Yong will definitely find out that she has escaped.

Not wanting to get scolded by Lin Yong, Zhang Sanhua decided to go back first. After all, her feelings weren't too urgent; a few days' delay wouldn't matter.

Upon returning to her temporary residence, Zhang Sanhua found that Lin Yong hadn't come back yet, and she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. With the silver Lin Yong had given her, she spent the day enjoying good food in the town.

Then came the second day.

Then came the third day.

After waiting for five days in the town, Zhang Sanhua felt that something was not right. Lin Yong had never gone back on his word to her; if something had kept him busy, he should have sent someone to deliver a message to her.

When Lin Yong contacted his informant, she felt bored and didn't go with him. Now she doesn't know who to find to ask for information. Zhang San carefully recalled the words Lin Yong had said before and extracted a keyword.

Leishan Village.

I asked the people in the town about this place, and their reactions were very strange. The women said that this place is very good, and the people of the Leishan ethnic group there are warm and hospitable, with a very cheerful disposition. When the men talked about this place, they always had a hesitant expression, with a hint of envy and disdain.

This made Zhang Sanhua very curious.

After waiting for another two days, Zhang Sanhua decided to set off to find Lin Yong herself. To avoid missing each other's messages on the road, she left a note on the table, packed her small bundle with two pieces of clothing, and took a mule cart to the vicinity of Leishanzhai.

When it comes to speed, naturally Zhang Sanhua can walk faster by herself, but she doesn't know the way. The mule cart isn't big; there are a total of four people including her, and none of them belong to the same tribe. Surprisingly, no one has spoken a word along the way.

Halfway through, the coachman dropped off Zhang Sanhua and gave her a rough direction. When the other three people on the carriage heard that she was heading to Leishan Village, their expressions were somewhat strange.

Zhang San doesn't care what they think, she quickly disappeared with her small package in a few steps.

It was only after her figure couldn't be seen anymore that someone on the car spoke up.

"Going to Lei Mountain at this time, that's also someone who isn't afraid of death."

“Hard to say.” Another person chimed in, “What if it's someone with great fortune? Surviving a major calamity could bring them immense blessings.”