Several of them felt like vomiting.
“No spitting it out! Actually, this is Jiang Ball Fruit, which has the miraculous effects of dispelling cold and aiding digestion.”
“I scratched my hands picking it.”
“What conditions do we have now? Eating rough meals and sleeping in the open, without a home, we have to keep our health intact. We can’t afford to get sick.”
Song Xian’s incessant concern was like a gentle net, tightly wrapping around them, making it impossible to refuse.
“Big Brother Song, you’ve been through so much. Fine, I’ll eat it!”
Bai Ge was the first to agree.
In just a few bites, she finished one Jiang Ball Fruit, then proudly showed the clean fruit core to the Song brothers.
Song Hancheng, Song Luyuan, Song Jimin:
“I envy you three brothers so much, having Big Brother Song as such a good father! This isn’t just an ordinary fruit; it’s filled with deep fatherly love. If I were you, I’d have eaten it long ago!”
Bai Ge, grateful for Song Xian’s life-saving kindness, tactfully supported him this once.
Song Xian gave her a thankful smile, then turned to look at his three sons with hopeful eyes.
Song Hancheng, Song Luyuan, Song Jimin:
They all put the Jiang Ball Fruit into their mouths at the same time.
Song Hancheng asked Song Xian,
“What’s the plan next?”
“I thought about it. We don’t need to spend too much effort building a temporary shelter. Staying here is fine. The big lotus tree protects us from lightning, its leaves repel rain and don’t rot, and the surrounding sturdy ancient trees block the wind. Setting up a hut here is safe and convenient.”
While Song Xian was distracted explaining, Song Hancheng immediately spat out the Jiang Ball Fruit he had been chewing and secretly hid it in his sleeve before Song Xian noticed.
At the same time, Song Luyuan and Song Jimin swallowed their Jiang Ball Fruit with grim expressions.
Song Jimin:
“Big Brother is so calculating! Why didn’t we think of this?”
“What? We still have to live in the ancient forest? Aren’t you afraid something will happen?”
Song Luyuan suddenly snapped to attention, warning Song Xian not to play with fire.
“Big Brother, be fair!”
Song Hancheng said calmly.
“I’m fine with it. Why are you scared, Second Brother?”
Song Luyuan patted his chest.
“What am I afraid of? I’m a real man, standing tall and proud! I’m not afraid anywhere!”
“I have no objection either.”
Song Jimin was just curious at that age and wanted to take this opportunity to see why people shouldn’t live in the ancient forest.
Song Xian considered that before the cold season arrived, they needed to choose a suitable place to build a permanent home.
First, it had to be safe—sheltered from wind, without water accumulation, and not attracting wild beasts or venomous insects.
Second, it needed convenient transportation and access.
Third, the ground had to be flat and stable, away from steep slopes or cliffs.
Fourth, there must be a clean source of drinking water.
Fifth, he wanted to investigate the neighbors to ensure harmony.
Finding a place that met all these requirements was not easy.
Song Xian asked the three brothers,
“I hit my head and can’t remember clearly. What was the name of the village that drove us away?”
“Why does Dad ask? They’ve already erased us from the village; why bother with them!”
Song Jimin puffed out his cheeks, angry and indignant.
His chubby cheeks made him look even more adorable, tempting someone to pinch them.
Song Xian actually did just that.
The skin was so tender, the touch soft and bouncy—perfect for pinching!
“I want to see if there’s a suitable place to build near the village. Usually, village locations are chosen with care, based on the wisdom of our ancestors. If there’s a ready spot, we don’t have to waste time searching the mountains for a new one.”
“To build a hut, I’ll go chop bamboo.”
Song Luyuan immediately found an excuse to leave.
“I’ll gather dry grass.”
Song Jimin also ran off.
Song Xian felt puzzled and looked somewhat dazed at Song Hancheng.
Song Hancheng said,
“It’s called Three Families Village. Go down the mountain and walk east a bit; you’ll get there. The boundary is at the mountain ridge ahead. You’ll see for yourself. Outside Three Families Village, there’s almost nowhere suitable to build.”
Bai Ge was using a stick to flip through the leaf layers.
She hadn’t had enough of the roasted mushroom slices and wanted to find more delicious mushrooms, but after searching for a long time, she couldn’t find a single one.
“Alright, then I’ll try to find somewhere else.”
Song Xian scratched his head guiltily.
Song Hancheng gave a slight bow to Song Xian and excused himself.
“I have some matters to attend to and need to go down the mountain first.”
“All right, all right, be safe.”
Song Xian looked at Song Hancheng’s bamboo-like figure walking away proudly and bragged to Bai Ge,
“Look, my eldest son is so polite; he even saluted me when he left. Handsome, smart, kind-hearted—just perfect!”
“He is pretty perfect. But I don’t know why, I’m a bit afraid of Song Hancheng.”
Bai Ge silently turned around, giving her back to Song Xian, and continued flipping the leaves with her stick.
“You’re searching blindly and slowly; let me try.”
Song Xian soon found two boletus mushrooms with precision, making Bai Ge admire him deeply.
Bai Ge said,
“Then I’ll pick some lotus tree leaves. These leaves are waterproof and won’t rot; they’ll definitely come in handy when building the hut.”
The big lotus tree was tall and sturdy, with few low branches.
To collect more leaves, one had to climb up.
“No, no, you just dig up clay. I’m worried about your weak health; climbing trees isn’t safe.”
“I’m already up here.”
Bai Ge smiled brightly, sitting on a high branch and waving at Song Xian.
“Then you must be careful.”
Song Xian’s concern was genuine.
“Don’t worry.”
Sigh, she was a bit jealous of the Song brothers.
Why didn’t she have such a good father?
Song Xian kept his head down, picking mushrooms.
When he had enough, he looked up and realized he had unknowingly wandered deep into the forest.
The light here was dim.
Towering trees blocked most of the sunlight with dense overlapping leaves.
Song Xian tried to find his way back but suddenly a thick fog rose.
The dense fog obscured his vision.
The fog was cold, and as it thickened, the chill grew stronger.
Song Xian shivered and rubbed his arms.
The mountain climate was unpredictable; if he suffered hypothermia, he might die.
Jiang Ball Fruit dispels cold and promotes blood circulation.
Song Xian hurriedly took one out and ate it while looking for a way.
As he walked, he faintly heard footsteps and was overjoyed.
Surely Song Luyuan and the others had noticed he was missing and were coming to find him.
He was about to call out when suddenly two dog barks rang out.
Dogs?
Why were there dogs here?
On alert, Song Xian hid behind a tree and kept silent.
Six burly men in blue clothes emerged from the fog, each carrying large knives.
The two in front each led a dog.
Liu Da spat disdainfully,
“Pah! That woman is truly relentless, daring to come here and causing me so much trouble!”
“Big Brother, once we catch that stinky woman, can we…?”
“Ha ha ha…”
The men laughed simultaneously, showing their lecherous faces.
“Big Brother, I suddenly feel cold all over. I heard these ancient forests have vengeful spirits. Could it be a ghost coming out in this thick fog?”
“Don’t talk nonsense! How could there be ghosts in broad daylight?”
Liu Da placed his hands on his waist, glancing irritably around the dense fog.
“Feed the dogs more so they can lead us out faster.”
Two subordinates holding the dogs agreed and threw two pieces of raw meat to feed them.
“Sigh, even animals eat better than me.”
“You can’t compare to animals.”
Liu Da laughed.
“If they can help me catch that stinky woman, I’ll feed you meat too if you can.”
The men laughed again.
After finishing the meat, the two dogs sniffed around, refusing to leave even after being chased off twice.
Liu Da noticed and immediately raised his hand to signal the others.
The rest stopped laughing and became alert, gripping their knives tightly and watching the direction the dogs were sniffing.
Song Xian, hiding behind the tree, broke out in cold sweat.
These six blue-clad men were undoubtedly from Hongxiu Tower.
They were tracking Bai Ge by scent with their dogs and had come this far.
Last night, when he helped Bai Ge detoxify, he must have picked up Bai Ge’s scent.
Now the dogs had found it.
As they neared the ancient tree ahead, Liu Da noticed footprints on the ground beside it.
This was truly “searching high and low in vain, found without effort.”
Liu Da smiled and signaled his brothers to slowly surround the area.
Liu Da, smug:
“Stinky woman, come out. What are you hiding for? You can hide from the first day, but can you hide from me, Liu Da?”
Song Xian stepped out from behind the tree with a stern face, hating these villains’ insulting and mocking attitudes.
Liu Da didn’t see the expected beauty and was annoyed, his face twitching with anger.
“Who are you?”
“I am Song Dad.”
His words were obviously a retort to Liu Da’s “Liu Dad” comment.
“You brat, daring to mock us, you’re just looking for death!”
Liu Da swung his arm and pressed the heavy knife against Song Xian’s slender neck.
Song Xian hurriedly said,
“I know where Bai Ge is. I’ll take you to her.”
The man looked docile, with pitch-black clear eyes, a scar on his forehead—looking like an honest guy easy to bully.
Liu Da was still a little doubtful, but seeing both dogs sniff at Song Xian’s legs confirmed he wasn’t lying.
“Lead the way.”
Liu Da shoved Song Xian hard, warning him not to try any tricks.
Song Xian stumbled but obediently led the way.
“Big Brother, this kid’s skin is so tender and soft, and he’s pretty handsome. How about we catch him and give him to Li San Niang?”
“Ha ha, good idea.”
The villains laughed again.
Their sleazy aura almost made Song Xian sick.
He led them twisting and turning through the fog for a long time.
Liu Da grew impatient again and pressed his knife against Song Xian’s neck, threatening,
“If you can’t find Bai Ge within half an hour, I’ll kill you.”
“The fog is too thick now; it’s hard to find the way. Once I find that bowl-sized White Bark Tree, I’ll find the place. You guys help me look around too.”
The fog was indeed heavy.
Liu Da didn’t doubt and ordered his men to search.
“There it is!”
Following their direction, Song Xian finally saw the bowl-sized White Bark Tree through the mist.
He breathed a huge sigh of relief, relaxing completely.
He dashed over in a few steps, hugged the White Bark Tree, and kissed it:
“This is it, found it!”
This tree was special—not only was its bark white, but so were its leaves.
The trunk was thin; when a grown man like Song Xian suddenly lunged at it, the whole tree began to sway.
Liu Da and the others didn’t understand why Song Xian was so excited and thought he was crazy.
“Be quick and take us to Bai Ge!”
“All right, all right.”
After Bai Ge discovered Song Xian was missing, she immediately told Song Luyuan and Song Jimin.
The temperature in the forest plummeted suddenly, and the fog was thick.
The three of them carried torches searching for Song Xian.
When they reached the forest’s depths, the sudden cold nearly pushed them back.
Fortunately, after two incense sticks’ worth of time, the chilling fog finally dispersed, and they found Song Xian.
When the three saw Song Xian, they all stood stunned, shocked by what they saw!
Song Xian sat obediently beside the White Bark Tree, his face pale, legs curled up, holding a Jiang Ball Fruit and nibbling at it nonstop.
Around him lay eight corpses.
Six men and two dogs—all lifeless.