Chapter 248: Chapter 248: Mind Your Brother More, He’s Being Unreasonable!
Chixia Mountain in the early morning was still shrouded in a pale green mist.
Tender branches and leaves wrapped in crystal clear dew swayed gently in the breeze.
Startled birds sang, trapped beasts suddenly cried out.
Every inch revealed the most innocent appearance of nature.
It was in that thicket concealed by dry twigs where two figures came closer and closer together.
Watching Zhao Lang approach, Jiang Li frowned slightly with some caution.
“Do you have to squeeze over to my side?”
Zhao Lang cast his eyes down and glanced at her, crouching on the ground, nearly curling up; his gaze was tinged with a teasing smile.
“Sorry, I’m just afraid of being exposed.”
Jiang Li withdrew her gaze and then looked out into the distant mist.
“Are you sure those people are hiding here?”
Zhao Lang nodded, “I’ve been scouting this area for several days now; they’re definitely hiding here. I’ve seen fresh footprints nearby every day.”
“So have you found out what they are up to?”
Zhao Lang didn’t speak but extended his hand.
A moment later, he retracted it, holding a jet-black feather in his palm.
“Do you know what this is?”
Jiang Li stared at it for a while.
“It should be the feather of some bird, right?”
It was very shiny and black; certainly not from any common bird.
After all, she could recognize most of the common ones quite well; this one, however, she had never seen before.
Zhao Lang said, “This is the feather of the Flower Crown Wrinkled Helmet Hornbill, which I found in their active area while I was scouting.”
Jiang Li sharply caught the keyword.
“Hornbill—that’s a first-class protected species, isn’t it?”
Zhao Lang’s eyes showed a hint of admiration, “Yes, the Flower Crown Wrinkled Helmet Hornbill population is extremely rare. Many expert delegations have visited our area before, but they only managed to collect some specimens and failed to trace this group, but now…”
Zhao Lang’s implication was clear.
Chixia Village had a geographical advantage, blessed with nature, nurturing many wild animals.
And Chixia Mountain had been designated a nature reserve several years earlier, with hunting and logging banned; villagers nearby were only allowed to ascend the mountain to chop wild grass, collect wood and pick mushrooms.
These people must have targeted the secluded transportation and the poor external communication capabilities of Chixia Village to secretly poach rare wild animals for illegal activities and profiteering.
Unexpectedly, they stumbled upon them.
Fearing that their actions would be exposed and arouse suspicion, they had then turned to hide deeper within these ancient forests.
Jiang Li could guess one or two reasons for their lingering silence.
Because further north from here was the famous uninhabited area of Qinghai.
Dangerous as it was, it also served as a haven for criminals longing for escape.
They only had to hide for a while, waiting for outside attention to completely shift away from them, before they could flee with their stolen goods.
“Now that your crew was around, these people didn’t dare to make any moves. Now that most of your people have left, I think they’ll be taking action soon.” Zhao Lang said, “We barely have any evidence as it is, and if we let them slip away, it’s going to be even harder to investigate.”
Jiang Li nodded in agreement.
Zhao Lang continued, “Rashly striking out is not a good idea either. The terrain of Chixia Mountain is treacherous; large-scale activity would inevitably startle the wildlife here, and I’m also unsure about the extent of their weaponry.”
Jiang Li’s eyes deepened even further.
“Since we can’t take the initiative to strike, why not lure the snake out of its hole?”
She chuckled, “You just said that the rats are already getting impatient, so why don’t we add fuel to the fire?”
“You mentioned that your village will be holding the Daton Festival in a few days, right? I’d like you to mobilize the villagers to get active on the mountain before that—the more noise, the better.”
Zhao Lang suddenly understood Jiang Li’s intention and laughed along.
“True to form, Miss Jiang, intelligent as always.”
“I know what to do now.”
After parting ways with Zhao Lang, Jiang Li also started back down the mountain with her bamboo basket.
Turning onto the path that led to the village, she bumped into an elder.
Jiang Li had already become quite familiar with the people of Chixia Village; she was now completely at ease in greeting the villagers.
“Uncle Xu, good morning.”
Hearing her voice, Uncle Xu looked up sharply, and upon seeing Jiang Li, his eyes formed happy crescents.
“Ay, Miss Jiang, you’re still here? Did you decide to stay a few more days to have fun in our village?”
Jiang Li didn’t deny it and nodded with a smile, “That’s right. My brother is staying here for a while, and I’m staying to keep him company.”
Something she said seemed to have irritated Uncle Xu, who suddenly turned a shade darker, then snorted coldly.
“Miss Jiang, you’re a good girl. Everyone in the village speaks highly of you, but your brother… he’s a real piece of work!”
Jiang Li suddenly harbored some unsettling thoughts.
“What’s happened with Jiang Yan now?”
Uncle Xu snorted again but did not speak.
Just then, two more uncles approached, and upon seeing Jiang Li, they wore the same expression as Uncle Xu.
And the words they spoke were virtually identical—
“You should keep a closer eye on your brother when you get the chance; he’s really out of line.”
By this time, Jiang Li’s expression had also turned sour.
What kind of trouble had Jiang Yan gotten himself into now?!
After hurriedly parting with the elders, Jiang Li shouldered her basket and quickly headed toward the thatched cottage.
Halfway there, she saw a crowd surrounding the village well.
It was usual to see a crowd here—after all, this was Chixia Village’s only public well—so that in itself was not surprising.
But the crowd comprised entirely of women, aunties, and little girls.
That was highly unusual.
Jiang Li quietly approached.
Before she got close, she heard a familiar voice—
“Oh dear Auntie, you have no idea how hard I work out to maintain these muscles. It’s not something that happens overnight.”
A supportive chorus from another auntie followed, “Oh, that’s true. My husband is all flabby stomach; young men these days are much fitter, all toned and muscular.”
“I thought all folks from the Capital would be chubby and plump, but Young Master Jiang here is unexpectedly in good shape.”
Jiang Yan laughed proudly, “Of course. If I hadn’t skipped breakfast this morning and wasn’t so hungry that I couldn’t even lift water, you would see even stronger muscles.”
“Haven’t eaten yet? Well, come on then, come to my house. I cooked some chicken soup this morning.”
“Oh, I told you these young people can’t draw water. Let Auntie handle this. I can carry ten buckets of water a day without breaking a sweat.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yan was overjoyed.
Had he accomplished his goal?
However, as he was about to happily agree, he looked up and met a deathly stare.
In the next second, his smile froze on his face.