After that group of people bought their tickets, they went straight into the scenic area, and we cautiously followed behind, keeping our distance. There weren’t many people in the area, and we were afraid of being discovered, so we could only squeeze into the bushes. Our skin got scratched and irritated by the sharp grass and shrubs, causing both pain and itchiness. After following them for a while, we started to feel a bit overwhelmed.

We had actually entered the vicinity of Snake Head Mountain, and at the foot of the mountain, several tourist spots had stone-paved paths that were not difficult to walk on. The paths wound along the mountain, with streams and many famous people’s rock carvings on both sides, creating a beautiful landscape. However, this group headed straight for their destination without stopping to admire the scenery, seemingly uninterested in the sights of the Qinling Mountains.

My stamina had been quite good lately, and I felt fine walking along, but Lao Yang, having been imprisoned and unable to exercise, was clearly struggling. Before long, he was noticeably out of breath and started gasping for air.

The deeper we went into the mountains, the quieter it became, and we didn’t dare to speak, quietly following behind them until it got dark. They only stopped when the moon was high in the sky.

We found a bush to crouch behind and keep an eye on them from a distance. At that moment, Lao Yang tugged at my sleeve. I turned to look at him and saw that his face was pale and he was sweating profusely. I realized he was reaching his limit, so I quickly gave him some water and told him to rest.

Lao Yang was panting as he said to me, “Lao—Lao Wu, I think we should just give up on this. Let them go their way, and we’ll go ours. If we keep following them, I’ll be done for.”

I was feeling pretty worn out myself. Hearing him say that made me feel frustrated. I quietly cursed, “Damn it, you only spent three years in prison. How come you’re like this? Why don’t you just hang on a bit longer? Didn’t you suffer for nothing earlier? Just grit your teeth and bear it.”

Lao Yang replied, “How much longer do you think we have to follow? Are they stopping because they’ve reached their destination?”

I looked at them and said, “No, this place is still too shallow; we’re still a long way from crossing the mountain. They probably just got tired and are resting. Look, they’ve started a fire; they’ll be staying here for the night. Let’s not waste time; let’s eat something and get some sleep.”

We settled down, finding a patch of grass. Unfortunately, we couldn’t start a fire in the middle of the night because it would give us away. Our clothes and shoes were soaked with sweat and couldn’t dry. We could have roasted our rations, but now we had to eat them cold and dry. Lao Yang sighed, only blaming me for the bad idea.

I regretted it too, feeling miserable inside, but I didn’t like what Lao Yang said. I thought to myself, I’m here to help you, and you’re talking nonsense. I scolded him, “If you can’t handle this little hardship, we might as well go back. Otherwise, if we go deeper into the mountains, we might end up having to escape.”

Lao Yang was moody for a while, then suddenly said, “Wait, Lao Wu, it’s not a good idea for us to passively follow them like this. We don’t even know if they’re going to cross the mountain. If they head straight into the woods, we’re finished.”

When I heard this, my heart sank. I thought, right, I had assumed that anyone entering the mountain would want to cross it. What if these people weren’t crossing the mountain but were just wandering around nearby? Wouldn’t that lead to our demise?

This was indeed a tricky situation. We couldn’t just go and ask them. I looked at the flickering light in front of me, momentarily stunned.

Old Yang looked at me with no idea, sighed, and after thinking for a while, said that if he relied on me, it would be a disaster, so he would rely on himself. He planned to sneak over and listen to what those people were saying. Since they had already entered the mountains, they surely wouldn’t keep quiet about what they intended to do.

I felt helpless about what I told him and had to agree. However, I wasn’t reassured with him going alone, so I followed him quietly.

We walked cautiously, but the mountains were eerily quiet. We didn’t have to go far before we could hear their voices. Old Yang pulled me and indicated that we should hide here; there was no need to move forward any further.

I nodded, and we both crouched down, holding our breath. We heard them laughing heartily. To our surprise, two of the voices had a strong Cantonese accent.

This was strange; I had never heard of Cantonese people being involved in this kind of thing.

They were chatting and laughing when a young voice said, “Uncle Tai, can you estimate how much longer we have to walk? My legs are about to break.”

A hoarse voice replied, “I told you to take care of yourself, you damn fool. All you know is eating, drinking, and gambling, and hanging around with women. This time, you’re the one who has to suffer. Let me tell you, to get over Snake Head Mountain, we still have to walk for another two days if there’s a path. If there isn’t, then I can’t say for sure. If you can’t take it, just go back down the mountain now and don’t hold me back.”

The young man seemed to have some reservations about Uncle Tai and said, “I’ve been feeling weak lately, but don’t worry. Once this deal is done, we won’t have to come to these mountain valleys again. We’ll go to Hong Kong with Boss Wang and Boss Li to see the world and live the life of the upper class, right?”

A person with a Cantonese accent replied, “Hey, hey, no problem! We agreed on this. You get the goods sorted, and we’ll take as much as you have. This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal; if it goes well, we can all retire. By then, in the colorful world of Hong Kong, there will be plenty of places to spend money. This little bit of hard work is worth it!”

Uncle Tai then said, “Boss Li, don’t speak so confidently. Whether this deal materializes or not depends on more than just your words. Don’t give us false information that leads us to nowhere.”

Boss Li replied, “Oh, Uncle Tai, you’re just too suspicious. We’ve been cooperating for so long; when have I ever failed? To be honest, as long as you go to the place we’re headed this time, you won’t even think about digging up the tomb of Emperor Qin.”

Uncle Tai clearly didn’t like this kind of talk and sneered, “I don’t quite believe that. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. That said, we have indeed been cooperating for many years, but I still don’t know where you got this information. This is the last time; if you have nothing to hide, just tell us brothers and let my brothers gain some insight.”

“Yeah, tell us!” the young man immediately echoed, “So I can brag to my women later!”

Boss Li smiled and replied, “Oh, you two… really… if you really want to know, I can tell you, but you probably won’t believe it when I do.”