Chapter 330 - Touching your heart in a second
"Madman Xu, let me introduce you. This is the benefactor of our Miao Village — Su Tao!" But when Miao Zhongtian finished his introduction, he knitted his brows and lashed out a kick at Xu Dashan. That fellow wasn't standing properly and he was constantly fidgeting.
"Second Uncle, I've told you that I will not bring him to the mountain!" Xu Dashan picked his nose and flicked a booger on the ground.
"Why?" Su Tao felt that Xu Dashan was an interesting person. Although this person was somewhat sloppy, his speech was more fluent than an ordinary person's. A person like him was definitely not suffering from insanity.
"Why should I tell you?" Xu Dashan immediately went into alert.
Looking at how rude Xu Dashan was to Su Tao, Miao Zhongtian wanted to lash a kick over, but Xu Dashan dodged it.
After a brief pondering, Su Tao smiled. "Let me analyse it for you. You're afraid that I will find the treasure in the mountain, and your efforts after all these years will go down the drain?"
With his eyes widened, Xu Dashan was startled that his thoughts had been seen through. Pointing at Su Tao, he raged, "I knew it, I knew you're a bad person. You must be after the treasure in the mountain. I will not let you get away with it!"
Looking at Xu Dashan going insane, Miao Zhongtian immediately stopped him out of fear that the former would hurt Su Tao. After that, he turned to Su Tao and apologised, "I'm sorry, he went insane again!"
Shaking his head, Su Tao smiled. "Don't stop him and don't worry about it. He won't be able to harm me." After that, he turned to Xu Dashan. "Can I ask how long you have been searching in the mountain?"
"Why do you care?!" Xu Dashan felt that Su Tao's gaze was terrifying, and even if everyone in the village added up, they wouldn't be half as smart as the latter.
Everyone in the village thought that he had gone insane, but they're actually the fools. There were real treasures on the mountain, or else, why would he constantly go up the mountain?
"Truth be told, I believe in your words that there are treasures on the mountain. But you won't be able to find it, even after twenty years, with your ability." Su Tao smiled.
"You!" Xu Dashan felt his blood surging up his brain. "I will definitely find it!" But when he made the declaration, his tone was much weaker than before.
"I'm going up the mountain to look for an herb, and truth be told, I'm not interested in the treasure that you're seeking. You want to lead a better life with the treasure, and finding it early will untie the knot in your heart. You don't want to be looked down on for your entire life and consider you to be a liar, right?" Su Tao's words struck deep into Xu Dashan's heart and he started to waver.
"You will not go after my treasure?" Xu Dashan asked cautiously.
"I won't! If we find it, you can have it all!" Su Tao gave a promise with a solemn expression.
As Xu Dashan's eyes lit up, he slapped himself on the thigh. "Alright, I'll believe you! But if you dare lie to me, I will drag you down with me, even if I die!" When he spoke, he purposely gave out an insane expression.
Letting out a sigh, how could Su Tao not tell that Xu Dashan was feigning insanity?
This fellow was only putting up an act.
Perhaps there's really a secret with the Golden Chicken Mountain? Otherwise, Xu Dashan wouldn't have pretended to be insane for so many years.
He was faking it because he had a secret in his heart. He was afraid that it might be discovered by someone else.
However, there was a limit to his own ability, and it's impossible for him to search the entire Golden Chicken Mountain, which stretches for miles. Hence, Su Tao caught onto this Achilles' heel. In fact, Xu Dashan had also been worrying in his heart that all of his efforts would be in vain. If he really managed to find it, he would've already grown old by then, and what's the meaning in it?
"You go back and prepare. We will probably stay on the mountain for days." Su Tao smiled. "We'll gather by the foot of the mountain an hour from now, and we'll climb it today!"
"Alright, sure!" Xu Dashan had no hesitation. There was finally someone that was treating him like a sane person. Hence, his mood naturally got better. Being misunderstood by others was putting a bone in his throat. Although this young man seemed to have impure thoughts, he also seemed sophisticated.
After Xu Dashan left, Su Tao went to prepare the equipment needed. Aside from his medical box, he also prepared some dried rations. If he was alone, he could just pick some ingredients that could fill his stomach, but he had to consider Shui Junzhuo. Hence, he made more preparations this time.
Shui Junzhuo seemed to be more excited than he had imagined. She had already changed into a trekking outfit. She wore a jacket, and a greyish-black trekking bag, a pair of sports shoes, and loose trousers. Her hair had been braided together and would sway along with her movements.
"How do I look?" Shui Junzhuo took a spin and pursed her lips with a smile.
"Where did you get these from?" Although Su Tao felt that they were just for appearance, it was still visually attractive.
"I have a friend that opened an outfield store, and I was a member of that store a long time ago. I bought a set for myself, but I just didn't have the opportunity to use it." Shui Junzhuo explained with a smile. She was filled with expectations for the mountain trip.
In his heart, Su Tao was pondering how much she spent to have those clothes delivered over. However, he nodded his head and smiled. "For your attitude alone, I'm giving you 99 marks!"
"Why not 100?" Shui Junzhuo pursued.
"It'll depend on your performance on the mountain, then I'll see if I'm giving it to you." Su Tao swept a glance at Ah Jun's robust bag; it was military equipment often used by the special forces. Judging from the bulging size of it, it should be filled with stuff, and the weight should be over fifty kilograms. However, Ah Jun didn't seem to be affected by the weight.
With a tranquil voice, Ah Jun explained, "I've prepared tents, sleeping bags, and a mobile stove!"
The smile on Su Tao's countenance froze before it was replaced by a helpless smile. Evidently, Ah Jun had the same thought as him. By bringing a princess to the mountain, this trip was filled with burdens.
Ah Jun had once relied on a sharp blade to live in the forest environment for two months to kill a terrorist that killed his comrade, and he could survive by himself with just a blade, despite the desolate mountain. The reason why he brought so much was so that Shui Junzhuo can have an easier time.
After checking their equipment, the three of them waited for Xu Dashan's arrival before they started to climb the mountain.
Xu Dashan knew that Su Tao was searching for herbs, so he tried to go with those desolate paths and basically chose those roads that he had never walked before.
Su Tao could understand his intention, since he had once given the picture of the Cloud Grass to Xu Dashan, and if the latter had seen it in the past, he would definitely have an impression about it.
The roads were tough, and despite Ah Jun and Xu Dashan clearing the path, the journey was still filled with thorns. Although Shui Junzhuo suffered two wounds on her face caused by rattans, she persevered without uttering a sound, which left Su Tao shocked at her display.
However, they were just aimlessly wandering while searching for the Cloud Grass. Even when the sun went down, they still hadn't found any clues.
Although Su Tao managed to find a few precious herbs along the way, they weren't what he wanted.
Xu Dashan was familiar with this mountain, and he found an empty cave where they could briefly rest. In this manner, their campsite would also be safer.
While Ah Jun and Xu Dashan went to start a fire outside the cave and were preparing for the night, Su Tao hunted two wild rabbits. After skinning the two rabbits, he started to roast them. During their journey, Su Tao found a few wild seasonings, along with coarse salt. After he roasted them for a few minutes, a fragrance permeated through the air.
Cutting a rabbit leg, Su Tao handed it over to Xu Dashan. The latter did not refuse. He then found a corner and started to dig a hole.
Ah Jun gave two deep glances at Su Tao. From how familiar the latter's actions were, he could tell that Su Tao was more familiar with the mountain life than he, himself. If he was the one finding food, he definitely wouldn't be able to find it so quickly. When Su Tao handed the other leg to Shui Junzhuo, Ah Jun wanted to get the rabbit's head. However, he realised that Su Tao was also going to do the same. The two of them exchanged a look and the corner of their lips twitched in rapport.
Su Tao reacted faster and he smiled. "I never expected that you would like eating roasted rabbit head too. You can have this, there's still another one!"
"Then I won't be polite!" Ah Jun received the rabbit head with a complicated light flickering in his eyes as he reminisced the past.
Although they're in an unfamiliar environment, Shui Junzhuo was happy as she ate the roasted golden rabbit meat.
As a storm started to sweep outside, Xu Dashan had already finished eating the rabbit leg. Walking over, he reminded, "I'm afraid that there will be a huge storm later!"
Trusting in Xu Dashan's understanding of the mountain, Su Tao replied, "Then we'll tidy up faster!"
When they dismantled the barbeque frame, the rain started to fall. Su Tao and Shui Junzhuo entered the tents in the cave, while Xu Dashan and Ah Jun hid in the tents outside.
"You sleep!" Su Tao found a raincoat from Shui Junzhuo's bag and wore it.
"What's wrong? It's so late already, are you still intending to go out?" Shui Junzhuo asked in shock.
"According to the characteristics of the Cloud Grass, there's a high chance for them to grow in this atmosphere, so I want to try my luck in this area." Su Tao smiled.
"Then, I'll go with you!" Shui Junzhuo immediately threw out a request.
"Alright, then I'll just look around nearby!" Su Tao helplessly said. Looking at Shui Junzhuo's sincere expression, he couldn't bear to disappoint her.
The rain outside was a little light. When Ah Jun saw that Shui Junzhuo was leaving the campsite, he naturally had to follow along.
After a few steps, Shui Junzhuo cried out. The floor was too slippery, so she fell.
Su Tao immediately helped her up and he rubbed her feet from the light on his phone. After discovering that she suffered no serious injuries and that it was just a scrape, he finally felt relieved.
"Forget it, we'll return!" Su Tao did not feel that Shui Junzhuo was a burden. On the contrary, he felt that she was stronger than he had imagined.
"It's fine, I'm alright!" Shui Junzhuo gnashed her teeth. She persevered and pushed Su Tao aside before walking.
Looking at her blurred silhouette, Su Tao was slightly dazed. For a woman to touch a man's heart, only a second was needed.