Chapter 269: Chapter 270: Cries for Help in the Night Fog


    Trantor: 549690339


    Pear Blossom Gully’s Second Vige lost its water source to contamination a week ago, and the entire vige of four to five thousand people could only rely on some old wells for sustenance.


    They sent people out daily to find clean water, yet it was often these very people who were most likely to fall prey to the Mourning Dragons.


    Over at First Vige, a team had been selected to travel to the Second Vige just to bring a few buckets of clean water, but now they had been ambushed by Mourning Dragons, plunging the vigers deeper into panic.


    “Our own vige is still in a rtively good situation, we have water and food, and as long as we don’t go out recklessly, those Mourning Dragons wouldn’t dare to show themselves readily, after all, their cultivation base isn’t excessively high. However, the situation in the other viges is not optimistic at all, and I fear they won’t survive much longer.” The vige leader expressed his deep concern, worried about their current predicament while also pondering a solution for the other viges.


    “If you are willing to assist, it’s best to head to the Second Vige to see for yourselves, and the most important thing is to get the drinking water there; otherwise, even if the Mourning Dragons are eliminated, many people might die of dehydration.”


    “Then prepare some portable water bags for us, we’ll rush over there overnight,” Hu Bailing said.


    “Oh, and take these gemstones with you as a token of our gratitude for you risking your lives toe here,” the vige leader said.


    He gestured with a wave, summoning a few women who carried embroidered bags woven by themselves, then poured out green, light blue, crystal yellow, and pinkish-white transparent gemstones one by one, tied them in arger jewelry bag, and then handed it to Zhu Minng.


    Zhu Minng was momentarily stunned, his hand moving involuntarily to ept this hefty bag filled with jewels.


    “We panned these from the stream these past months, and they are all yours now. In the current circumstances, these things are useless to us. We only hope that you can help us through this difficult time in Pear Blossom Gully, and in the future, should you need anything, feel free toe and talk to us,” the old man said with remarkable generosity.


    Therge bag of gemstones was quite valuable and of very high quality.


    Zhu Minng had not anticipated that the remuneration for this rescue mission would be so generous, especially having just arrived at the first vige and only in three Mourning Dragons.


    “They are rich in gemstones here, and the Di n Financial Group has always wanted to conduct long-term business with them, but they were not very willing. Master Zhu, if we go all out this time and Runyu City canter epass the gemstone trade here, it will add a substantial annual ie to our city,” Hu Bailing whispered to Zhu Minng.


    “Helping those in need is inherently my desire, gemstones or not, they are not that important,” Zhu Minng said, yet he neatly tucked away the entire bag of gemstones.


    Zhu Minng didn’t feel right counting them in front of others.


    At any rate, if the bag of gemstones could be sold at a good price, it would be worth two to three hundred thousand gold.


    This was simply the firstmission payment from the vige chieftain…


    Being able to save neighbors and receive gemstones, Zhu Minng found this to be quite an appealing and rewarding proposition.


    Towards the back of the vige, the people of First Vige had already prepared several plump sleeping bags, now hanging on the backs of several Beasts.


    These Beasts were robust and extremely docile, making them very well suited for transporting goods through the mountains; however, without the protection of some powerful individuals, these Beasts could easily be prey to Demon Spirits and even more to the cunning and malicious Mourning Dragons.


    “I’ll guide you,” said the young man wearing a beast fur hat.


    “That’ll work, and there’s no need for anyone else toe, just take good care of the vige,” Zhu Minng nodded.


    It was already night, and the forest was pitch ck. With lives at stake, they couldn’t afford to dy any longer and continued en route to the Second Vige of Pear Blossom Gully.


    Along the way, there were several viges that had also been inhabited by vigers, but the people from these viges had all moved to walled viges for safety. Of course, some didn’t manage to evacuate in time, and one could see bloodstains all around the viges, with bones unburied by anyone.


    The Beasts did not walk very fast, after all, they were burdened with hefty water bags.


    Zhu Minng sat on the back of one of the Beasts, ncing back at the Prophet, his niece by marriage, who looked a little pale.


    Miss Xinghua clearly wasn’t suited for such long-distance sprinting, worried that she might catch a cold, Zhu Minng fetched a nket and wrapped her delicate body in it.


    “Tired? How about you and Yu Suo wait for me in the First Vige? I can go and deliver the water by myself,” Zhu Minng said.


    Li Xinghua shook her head, revealing a beautifully gentle smile and said, “I feel safer being with you all.”


    “Did you use your prophecy skills?” Zhu Minng looked into her eyes, which had a special light about them, as dazzling and enchanting as the starry sky.


    “Many people will die,” Li Xinghua said softly.


    “We do the best we can, don’t think too much,” Zhu Minng reassured her.


    The night was unusually quiet, without even the sound of insects or birds, let alone the low roar of wild animals; the area had be a mountain of deathly silence, as if every creature held its breath, in a state of self-preservation.


    “Help… help!”


    “Help… help!”


    A low cry for help came from below the cliff, carrying numbness and despair, and yet it was continuous, as though hoping someone would hear it.


    Was someone in danger out in the wild?


    Could it be those people who had gone out to deliver water earlier?


    Zhu Minng looked in that direction and saw that the area was shrouded in a pitch-ck night mist, surrounded by an abundance of vegetation, with vines, dead wood, and old trees swaying like sinister ws in the cold night.


    “I heard someone calling for help; I’ll go take a look,” Zhu Minng said.


    At that moment, Li Xinghua grabbed Zhu Minng’s hand, holding it a bit tighter.


    Zhu Minng could feel the coldness in her palm and sense her nervousness.


    “Don’t go,” Li Xinghua shook her head, her exquisitely beautiful face conveying seriousness and gravity.


    Zhu Minng was somewhat puzzled. Didn’t the prophetess youngdy have apassionate heart? Why wouldn’t she save someone when it was so easy to lend a hand?


    Zhu Minng nced at the reactions of the others.


    It was strange; it seemed that aside from himself, no one else had heard that low and weak cry for help.


    It was probably because his spiritual power perception was stronger.


    “Danger?” Zhu Minng asked.


    Li Xinghua nodded.


    In fact, Li Xinghua didn’t know what was happening there, nor could she hear the so-called cries for help.


    All she knew was that Zhu Minng shouldn’t go alone into that ck night mist at the moment—it was dangerous!


    Although her heart ached, she would rather not see Zhu Minnge to harm.