The back mountain of Pufa Temple is neither too big nor too small. The tallest peak is only about three or four hundred meters high. There are several smaller hills in between, all covered with thick and towering trees that block out the sky and the sun. There are also many caves scattered around.
Standing at the fork in the road, Chunxi stared at the two diverging paths, looking conflicted.
She hesitated between the two grass - covered paths, unable to recall which one she had come from.
"Do you still remember which way it was?" Shen Li looked at Chunxi's conflicted face and softened her tone as much as possible.
Chunxi shook her head, her eyes reddening. "I was so scared someone was chasing me that I just ran forward in a panic. I can't remember which path it was!"
"Try to think harder?" He Yimeng had been breathing a bit unevenly because of the hasty walk. After catching her breath, she stepped forward and said gently.
Chunxi still shook her head, finding it hard to make a decision. She was afraid that if she chose the wrong path, it would waste time and indirectly harm the princes. Even if her entire family was executed, she couldn't atone for such a crime.
Shen Li looked at the two paths, both covered with green grass, stretching forward until they disappeared into the jungle.
She stepped forward, first examining the grass, then squatting on the ground to observe for a while. She then walked back to the monks from Pufa Temple who had come out with them to rescue the people and asked, "Excuse me, master, do many people often pass by here?"
The leading monk was in his forties and had lived in Pufa Temple for nearly forty years. He knew the situation of the temple very well. He looked around the area they were in and shook his head at Shen Li.
"This is the back mountain of the temple. Apart from the monks, not many people come here. We warn the pilgrims that the deep part of the back mountain is very dangerous and they shouldn't go in. So most pilgrims just stroll around at the foot of the mountain and don't venture into the forest."
"So that means few people come here all year round!"
"Not entirely. Our temple arranges for special monks to patrol the entire back mountain once a month!"
"Then, master, has the temple arranged for someone to patrol the mountain this month?"
Hearing this, the monk shook his head. "It's only the twelfth today. The temple always arranges for the mountain - patrol on the fifteenth of each month. No one from the temple has come to patrol the mountain this month."
Shen Li nodded to show her understanding. She went to observe the two paths again, tentatively walked a few steps into them, and then came back. She asked Chunxi, who was standing in front, again, "Can you remember which path it is now?"
Just as Chunxi was about to shake her head, she heard Shen Li say, "Think it through clearly. This is no longer just about your young lady's life. There are three princes and a young heir in there. The longer we delay, the more dangerous their situation will be. If anything happens to any of them, it's a responsibility you can't bear!"
Hearing this, Chunxi couldn't help opening her mouth wide and looking at Shen Li in surprise. She didn't expect that at this moment, Shen Li would still use such things to threaten her.
She naturally understood the gravity of the situation from what Shen Li had just said. But precisely because she understood, she didn't dare to make a choice. She was afraid of being accused of killing the princes and the young heir. But now Shen Li was forcing her to make a decision!
After thinking for a while just now, she couldn't have no impression at all. She vaguely remembered that she had passed a fork in the road when she was running. Afraid of being chased, she turned back to take a look, and it seemed to be the left - hand path.
Chunxi closed her eyes and pointed to the left - hand path!
"Master, may I ask where these two paths lead?"
The middle - aged monk looked at the two paths that seemed quite similar and pointed to the right one. "This path leads deep into the mountain. As for where it exactly leads, I don't know!"
"As for the left one, I walked on it when I was young. I vaguely remember that there are many gravels in the second half of this path, and there are also quite a few caves at the end."
Shen Li turned to look at the path and was silent for a moment. Everyone present turned their eyes to her.
"I've also observed that path just now. Compared with the other one, there are some messy footprints on the ground. It's very likely the path Chunxi walked in a panic! Let's take this one!"
After Shen Li finished speaking, she walked to the front to lead the way. They had indeed entered the deep part of the back mountain of Pufa Temple. As they walked deeper along the path, they felt that there was less and less light above their heads. The overlapping branches and leaves had already blocked out the sun.
At first, walking on the path was not much different from walking outside. The path was overgrown with weeds that reached people's waists. Shen Li picked up two sticks along the way and swept the grass on the path as she walked, being careful of snakes in the grass.
The monks of Pufa Temple were now walking in the front, trampling down a lot of grass to make it easier for the people behind to pass.
In the second half of the path, just as the monk had said, many stones began to appear and the grass became much sparser.
These stones were of different sizes, and some were covered with grass. One could easily trip if not careful.
Mingyue supported Chunxi, and Jiaoyue was arranged by Shen Li to protect He Yimeng. Along the way, with the deep mountain and wild grass, He Yimeng had always kept up with the group and never fallen behind.
"Be careful!" He Yimeng wasn't paying attention and stepped on a sharp stone. Her body swayed to the side and was quickly caught by Jiaoyue.
"Miss He, this part of the path is a bit uneven and it's easy to fall. We can walk a bit slower." Jiaoyue advised He Yimeng, who was still a bit unsteady on her feet after almost falling.
"No, I'm fine. Let's go! Don't get left behind!" Because of her near - fall, they had gradually moved from the middle of the group to the back.
Seeing this, Jiaoyue said compassionately, "Then, Miss He, hold on to me. Don't fall again!"
This time, He Yimeng didn't refuse. She put her hand on Jiaoyue's forearm and walked forward with her support.
"We didn't take the wrong path. It's right there!" The deeper they walked on the path, the more delighted Chunxi became. She hadn't pointed to the wrong path. She remembered that there were many stones on the path she walked, which made her fall twice and scrape her knees. Now her legs had no strength at all.
When Chunxi saw the familiar cave, her eyes lit up. She pointed excitedly at the cave diagonally in front of them.
Shen Li observed the surrounding environment and felt a bit uneasy. Since they entered the back mountain, they hadn't encountered any of the black - clothed men Chunxi had mentioned. "Come on, let's go inside and take a look!"