Meanwhile, on the other side, halfway up the mountain.
Gu Tong guided Zhao Yong, stripping to take the ragged clothes off the bandits, selecting two wearable pieces to change into.
They couldn’t possibly wander around openly in their Academy Uniforms, otherwise, they’d definitely be turned into sieves.
"Tong, what do we do now..."
Zhao Yong had no idea. He was trained as a search trainee and only knew those skills. When it came to fighting, he had no experience at all.
So, he simply decided to focus on the Royal Doctor, who seemed battle-hardened, which was more reliable than his own aimless thoughts.
Gu Tong was also contemplating this problem. Her main concern was how to blend in with the villagers. Although Taiping Mountain was vast, there were still over a thousand villagers, all of whom surely knew each other.
If two outsiders suddenly appeared, it would be a miracle not to be noticed.
"Damn, lost again! This is so frustrating!"
Not far away, a group of people cursed and swore as they walked over. Gu Tong quickly pulled Zhao Yong, who was startled but cooperatively crouched down, hiding in the grass.
"Huang Shou! Is that guy cheating? He wins every time! Is there no justice!"
Clearly, they were a group of gambling addicts who had just lost their bets.
"This time the deck was ours, and the dice were ours! He didn’t have any chance to cheat! Damn, if he really cheated, I’d have taken the opportunity to chop off his filthy hands!"
Having lost money, nobody was happy and hated this winner, enough to show it wasn’t the first time.
"He just has such good luck! Winning every single time, it’s truly strange!"
"What’s the use of good luck? He still can’t get a wife, even the widows in the village don’t bother with him!"
They cursed as they walked, gradually disappearing into the midway path.
Even though there’s chaos and near-death situations up the mountain, they still had the heart to play cards, seemingly unaffected at all.
Gu Tong frowned, contemplating for a while, gaining a deeper understanding of Taiping Mountain’s setup.
Now they’re clearly polarized: one group aware of the shady dealings, while the other remains ignorant and content with the status quo. These bandits are indeed extraordinary to achieve this!
Zhao Yong spoke again. They certainly couldn’t stay hidden in the grass forever; they needed to come up with a plan.
Gu Tong waved him off, interrupting his words. She glanced in the direction the gamblers had come from and motioned Zhao Yong to move that way.
The mountain road was muddy and rugged, with footprints all along the way, leading them to the outskirts of a residence.
It was an isolated cottage halfway up the mountain, with no other houses around, feeling somewhat solitary, with three large guard dogs viciously baring their sharp teeth outside.
Gu Tong quietly maneuvered her steps, peeping through a window to observe inside the house. After a quick scan, she found only one person inside, finally easing her mind.
"Wait for my signal to move!"
Gu Tong commanded in a deep voice, loading the laser weapon. The place was remote, with no villagers around, so if anything happened, they could manage it urgently.
"Tong, what are we going to do..."
Zhao Yong gulped nervously, feeling puzzled. Weren’t they here to rescue the Earl? Why did they end up at this cottage...