Chapter 33: Weird Mist Mountain (Wish all candidates success in the exam)

In the bottom right corner of the mirror’s image, there was a blurry, disc-shaped object.

“It’s a bit hard to see…” Lin Fan frowned. “If only it could be magnified a little…”

The moment his voice fell, the image in the bottom right corner suddenly enlarged.

“Not bad!” Lin Fan couldn’t help but praise.

“Quite convenient~”

As the camera zoomed in, Lin Fan finally got a clear look at the object’s appearance.

It was a rather worn-out compass.

“This thing, only treasure hunters would use it, right…” Lin Fan muttered to himself. “Could it be that there’s treasure in this place?”

Treasure hunters, within the Xianling Continent, belonged to a rather special profession.

Their cultivation was not high, and their aptitude was average.

But they loved searching for treasure and were extremely sensitive to news of it.

“Hm? Someone’s there?”

The camera turned, and several blurry figures instantly came into Lin Fan’s view.

“Zoom in a bit closer,” Lin Fan commanded the bronze mirror, “Let’s see what they’re doing.”

At the same time, within the mirror’s space—

“Boss, boss, slow down!” On the hillside, a skinny, bald man shouted while running, panting for breath.

“I say, you all, can you still make it or not?” On the mountaintop, a scruffy, middle-aged man turned his head and asked with a frown.

“It’s not that, boss. We’ve been on the road for a day and a night. Taking a break isn’t too much to ask, is it?”

“Yeah, yeah!” the other team members chimed in. “If we keep rushing like this, our bodies won’t be able to take it!”

“You think I don’t want to rest!” the middle-aged man said resentfully. “Don’t you all know—what kind of place this is?!”

Strange Mist Mountain, located in the eastern part of the Xianling Continent.
It was named so because a strange red mist often appeared in the mountains.

The red mist itself was not scary, because although this mist looked strange, it was non-toxic and odorless and would not cause any harm to cultivators.

What truly frightened the middle-aged man was the duration of this red mist.

Generally speaking, once the red mist appeared in these mountains, it basically wouldn’t dissipate for at least ten days to half a month.

“But boss,” the bald man said as he found a rock to sit on, “even if the red mist really appears, don’t we still have the compass?”

“I’ll f**king slap you to death!”

Hearing this, the middle-aged man flew into a rage. “Don’t you know—the compass you lost in the strong wind just now was the last one the team had!”

“What? How could that be?!”

The moment the middle-aged man said this, the team members, who had been calm and composed, all had their expressions change drastically in an instant.

“So—” the middle-aged man’s expression was grave, “before the red mist arrives, we must speed up. We must strive to leave this troublesome place in the shortest time possible.”

“I agree…” Under a large tree, a long-haired man with a weary face said somewhat hoarsely.

“Mm~” The middle-aged man nodded, then turned his gaze to the other members. “What about you all?”

“We have no objections either,” the remaining team members said in unison.

“In that case, then we shall…”

“W-Wait a minute!”

Just as everyone was getting up from the ground, preparing to continue their journey, a chubby, short-haired man suddenly spoke up.

“Um, I have an urgent need to use the toilet…” After speaking, the short-haired man scratched his head in embarrassment.

“I say, Fatty, what’s with you? You’re the one with the most problems every single day!” The middle-aged man frowned, his face somewhat displeased.

“Five minutes, just five minutes. Please, please…” the short-haired man said with an awkward, fawning smile.

“Then what are you standing there for? Hurry up and go!”

“Alrighty!” the short-haired man responded, then scurried off.

“It really is their compass…” Staring at the scene in the mirror, Lin Fan muttered to himself, “I just don’t know what kind of treasure they’re looking for…”

Ten minutes later—

“I say…” Looking at the gradually darkening sky, the middle-aged man was getting a bit impatient. “What’s with Fatty? He’s been gone for so long and still isn’t back?”

“Boss… Boss!” Just as the middle-aged man was feeling vexed, the bald man at his side suddenly stood up and shouted with a trembling voice.

“What is it?!” The middle-aged man looked up and asked impatiently.

“Look—”

“Hm?” Following the direction the bald man was pointing, the group was surprised to find that the originally dark sky in the distance had suddenly turned red in one area.

“Not good!”

Seeing this, the middle-aged man’s face turned pale with fright. “The red mist is coming, let’s go quickly!”

“But boss—” the bald man stood up and said with some hesitation, “Fatty, he’s still not back…”

“There’s no time!” the middle-aged man said, then took out a rope from his backpack. “Everyone, grab onto the rope together!”

“Eh? This mist…” Staring at the scene in the bronze mirror, Lin Fan cupped his chin thoughtfully. “Why does it feel so familiar…”

“Buzz—”

Just as Lin Fan was deep in thought, the guiding stone at his side suddenly began to glow faintly.

“Hm?!”

Seeing the change on the surface of the guiding stone, Lin Fan was overjoyed.

This red mist… is related to a reincarnated fairy?!

“Qinghong, Master is going out for a bit, I won’t be eating dinner!”

…

On Strange Mist Mountain.

After going around in circles several times, the group still couldn’t find the way down the mountain.

“Boss, look quickly!” The bald man, as if he had discovered a new continent, pointed excitedly in front of him. “There’s a cave over there!”

“I see it,” the middle-aged man responded, his face somewhat grave, “It’s just that we haven’t figured out the situation inside the cave. If we go in rashly, I’m afraid…”

“We can’t delay any longer, boss!”

The bald man shouted anxiously, “If we keep going around like this, with Second Brother’s current physical condition, I’m afraid he won’t be able to hold on for much longer!”

“Sigh!”

Hearing this, the middle-aged man let out a heavy sigh.

After weighing the pros and cons, the middle-aged man gritted his teeth and finally gave the order, “In!”

“Quick! Carry Second Brother in first!”

After a flurry of activity, the group squatted by the cave, slowly letting out a sigh of relief.

“Water… water…”

Just as everyone closed their eyes, preparing to rest for a bit, the long-haired man at the side stretched out his hand and called out to the group with a trembling voice.

“Did you hear that? Second Brother wants water, hurry up and get it!” The bald man opened his eyes and barked at the others beside him.

“Ah… okay… I’ll go right now, right now!” a skinny youth at the side said, then got up and walked toward the place where their luggage was stored.

However—

Two minutes later, the skinny youth who had been rummaging through their things suddenly stood up and ran toward the group with a panicked expression. “N-Not good! All the dry rations and water, they’re… they’re all gone!”

“What?!”

Hearing this, everyone was startled awake.
Especially the middle-aged man leading the team, whose face turned ashen.

“Who was in charge of storing the food? Who was it?!”

“Re-Reporting to the boss,” the bald man raised his hand and said with some trepidation, “I think it was… Fatty Wang…”