Chapter 228: Ghost Tripwire

　　Bidding farewell to Duan Tiankui and his granddaughter, and after greeting Red Sister, Lu Fei and his two companions hurriedly left the teahouse.

　　"Lu Fei, it's too dangerous in Dayin Mountain. No matter how urgent, we need to prepare, right?" Jing Jian had rushed out from home without washing his face or changing his clothes.

　　"Do you even need to say that? Hurry and go back to get ready. We'll set off early tomorrow morning." Saying this, Lu Fei started to leave.

　　"Wait a moment, can you lend me twenty dollars for a ride?"

　　"Du Shao?"

　　"I was in such a hurry to get out, I forgot to bring money."

　　Jing Jian scratched his greasy hair.

　　"Then how did you get here?"

　　"By running."

　　"Tsk!" Lu Fei rolled his eyes and handed him a hundred yuan, "You don't have to pay it back!"

　　Returning to Sinisterium Pawnshop.

　　Lu Fei immediately began preparations.

　　Since they were dealing with zombies, naturally, he had to prepare the appropriate countermeasures, such as an inkpot and glutinous rice, which were indispensable.

　　Additionally, since they were going into the mountains, he also temporarily bought some gear like windbreakers and hiking backpacks, as well as sufficient food and water.

　　All sorts of things were packed into the trunk.

　　The next morning.

　　Jing Jian came driving his divine car, creaking and groaning as it moved.

　　"Brother Jing, is there even a point in driving your car! I'm afraid seven days will have passed before we even reach Dàyīnshan." Lu Fei pulled him out directly and stuffed him into his own car.

　　"Wait, I haven't locked my car yet."

　　Jing Jian put his things away, took the key, and went down.

　　The car door was a bit misaligned and wouldn't close properly, so he actually installed a padlock on the door.

　　"You're really something else!" Hus mouth dropped, "Is there even a need to lock your beat-up car?"

　　"It's still got four wheels, why shouldn't I lock it?"

　　After locking his car, Jing Jian returned to the spacious black SUV and stroked the soft and comfortable leather seats.

　　"Lu Fei, your car is quite nice, a little better than mine."

　　"You do think it's just a little bit better?" Lu Fei opened his eyes wide.

　　"My car may look a bit old and have simpler features, but it's sturdy and durable. It can handle going up mountains and through water with no problem..."

　　"As long as you like it! But next time you go out in your car, don't say you know me."

　　Lu Fei waved his hand.

　　"Huzi, let's go!"

　　Huzi pressed the gas pedal.

　　The black off-road vehicle roared as it drove out of the antique street, quickly leaving the city and heading towards the distant rolling mountains.

　　Lu Fei placed the small black dog beside him, took out the pre-printed map, and examined the terrain of Dàyīn Mountain.

　　"Grandpa Duan's friend got lost after entering a valley, and while lost, he inadvertently discovered the coffin fungus and the ruined temple."

　　He used a marker to circle and dot on the map.

　　"We'll start from here, the valley should be around this area..."

　　Jing Jian listened while earnestly wiping his peachwood sword with a red cloth.

　　His peachwood sword had broken once when dealing with the Yin Dog, and Master Mo had fixed it, reinforcing the middle part with a piece of metal.

　　It looked quite unique.

　　Yesterday, he had even mustered up the courage to ask Master Mo to engrave a lightning talisman on the metal in the middle, enhancing the power of the peachwood sword.

　　They raced along the way.

　　Huzi's driving skills were reliable, and it only took them half a day to reach the vicinity of the Great Yin Mountain.

　　There were no roads in the mountains.

　　After eating something, they geared up and set off on foot into the mountain.

　　It was already nearing dusk.

　　The sunset spread its hues, and the sky gradually darkened.

　　This made the ancient mountain seem even more serene and mysterious.

　　"Lu Fei, it's getting dark. Wouldn't it be too risky to enter the mountain now?" Jing Jian looked up at the sky, a hint of worry on his face.

　　"The coffin fungus grows at sunset and disappears at sunrise! This thing only appears at night and turns to water as soon as it sees sunlight, so we can only pick it at night."

　　Lu Fei shrugged his shoulders.

　　"But our main goal this time is to scout the area, so there's no need to take too much of a risk."

　　The three of them shouldered their bags and walked towards the mountain against the setting sun.

　　The small black dog followed at Lu Fei's feet, sniffing and marking the way as they went.

　　With this little spirit dog, it wouldn't be so easy to get lost.

　　The dense vegetation gradually enveloped the three figures.

　　Ancient towering trees were everywhere, blocking out the sky and the sun.

　　The air was damp and cool.

　　Looking around, everything in all directions looked the same; no wonder it was so easy to get lost.

　　Lu Fei stopped, checked the map, took out a compass to determine the direction, and then continued to move forward.

　　"By the way, everyone, remember to keep an eye out for these herbs. If you see them, pick them."

　　He sent pictures of the herbs to Hu Zi and Jing Jian.

　　"Understood."

　　Everyone walked carefully through the mountains, stepping cautiously with every footfall.

　　The small black dog stuck closely to Lu Fei's side, never straying more than three meters away. The little guy knew that this deep forest was not a place for it to play around.

　　The sky darkened quickly, and a thin mist rose in the forest.

　　There was a deathly silence everywhere, with only the faint echoes of the three people's footsteps.

　　They turned on their flashlights and became more cautious, leaving markers along the way.

　　At intervals, Lu Fei had Hu Zi sprinkle some incense ash. So far, things had gone smoothly, and they hadn't encountered any ghostly obstacles.

　　However, as they ventured deeper into the mountains, the compass began to shake more violently.

　　After about two hours, the compass needle suddenly jittered, then eerily calmed down, pointing directly behind them.

　　"What's going on? That's the way we came!"

　　Lu Fei tapped the compass and adjusted its angle, but the needle still stubbornly pointed behind them.

　　Lu Fei could accept if the compass was just malfunctioning or pointing erratically, but for it to consistently point back the way they came was truly baffling.

　　Could it be that they had been heading in the wrong direction from the moment they entered the mountains?

　　"That can't be. We didn't go in circles on this path." Jing Jian raised his flashlight and shone it around, but he didn't see the marked tree.

　　Then, he leaned over to Lu Fei to look at the compass.

　　"This thing must be broken! In a place like this deep forest, ordinary tools aren't very effective."

　　"I hope so. Let's keep going a bit further. If something feels off, we shouldn't take the risk."

　　Lu Fei frowned slightly and put away the compass.

　　It was pitch black all around, with not a sound of insects or birds. No one knew where they were, and they could only push forward with gritted teeth.

　　As they continued walking.

　　Huzi suddenly stumbled and almost fell.

　　"What the heck tripped me?"

　　He shone his flashlight down and saw only dry branches and dead leaves.

　　"A branch?" Finding nothing unusual, he continued forward with suspicion.

　　But after just a few steps, he suddenly felt something by his leg, causing him to lurch forward uncontrollably, nearly knocking Jin Jian down in front of him.

　　"Huzi, what's going on with you?"

　　"What's wrong?"

　　Lu Fei also turned around.

　　"Boss, there's something on the ground!" Huzi regained his balance and quickly shone his flashlight at his feet, but other than some dead branches, there was nothing there.

　　"Strange! I clearly felt something tripping me." He looked puzzled.

　　"There are a lot of dirty things in the mountains, be careful."

　　In this place, Lu Fei wouldn't think that Huzi was making a mistake. He became alert and carefully examined the surroundings with his flashlight.

　　The small black dog sniffed the air intently, then suddenly barked loudly at the ground.

　　"There's something!"

　　Lu Fei hurriedly shone his flashlight over there.

　　In a blink, a dry branch on the ground quickly retracted into the soil.