"Liu Erniu, you can return to the team. I’ll convey your respect to the Old Gang Leader."
Chu Ge comforted Liu Erniu.
Liu Erniu gratefully glanced at Chu Ge, "Thank you, Mr. Chu."
...
The Old Gang Leader followed the fisherman out to sea. He disembarked near Gourd Island. The fishermen here are very simple and honest; they believed him when he casually lied that he was from the barracks.
So, the Old Gang Leader hitched a ride on a boat without much effort.
The Old Gang Leader found it strange. It was early morning, and the sun had not risen above the horizon yet. Even if the weather was poor, it shouldn’t be that while everywhere else at sea was clear, around Gourd Island, it was foggy.
As he disembarked, one fisherman said to him, "Be careful, I’ve heard there are many strange phenomena on Gourd Island."
The Old Gang Leader wanted to ask what exactly were these strange phenomena, but no one dared venture to Gourd Island. They only knew that when passing by, they would hear eerie bird calls from the island, which looked sinister from afar. Add in the presence of a volcano here, no one dared to land on the island.
He set foot on Gourd Island again, this time with enough daylight to see the surroundings clearly. Underfoot lay a patch of black earth with a burnt smell. He raised his eyes to look at the distant volcano, shrouded in fog, making it hard to see clearly, but he still observed some odd phenomena.
"Just as I guessed, though there’s no array here, Wei Yongxiang used natural terrain to create a barrier. They can enter but can’t get out."
The Old Gang Leader muttered to himself. That Wei Yongxiang, even as he left, managed to pull off this trick!
He kept moving forward, pondering how to dismantle this naturally-formed barrier. It troubled his mind.
The Old Gang Leader was very cunning, marking his path as he went to avoid the previous night’s situation of looping in circles.
Frustrated, despite the good daylight allowing him to see the volcano’s position clearly, he kept circling repeatedly without making progress.
The Old Gang Leader couldn’t figure out why, though he walked in a straight line, he ended up going in circles.
In no time, it was midday. Gourd Island was already hot, but the midday sun made it even hotter.
Sweat drenched the Old Gang Leader’s back. From afar, he heard the sound of a flute indicating fishermen returning.
He spoke with neighborts, asking them to pick him up on their return journey. The Old Gang Leader sighed helplessly, anxiously eyeing the distant volcano.
This feeling was like the beggar’s chicken about to be eaten but suddenly flying away.
The morning passed without incident. When the Old Gang Leader returned, nothing noteworthy happened. Chu Ge was there, changing the bandages of the injured person they had rescued yesterday.
Seeing the Old Gang Leader enter, looking dejected, Chu Ge curiously asked, "Old Gang Leader, what happened to you? Did someone upset you?"
The Old Gang Leader sighed as he walked to the table, poured himself a glass of water, and gulped it down, "I was infuriated by that Gourd Island."
While wrapping the bandages, Chu Ge asked curiously, "What do you mean by that?"
"It’s strange indeed. How did Gourd Island form? The volcano was right in front of me, and though I walked straight, I kept circling!"
The Old Gang Leader spoke irritably. Only then did he notice others in the tent, glancing at the injured man and recognizing him as the Beggar Sect Disciple they rescued yesterday. He felt relieved.
"Young man, don’t spread what I just said." The Old Gang Leader warned, fearing trouble if the Prince heard it.
The man nodded, looking puzzled at the Old Gang Leader, asking, "Old Gang Leader, why did you go to Gourd Island?"
"Oh, nothing, just wandering around, that’s all." The Old Gang Leader said awkwardly.
The injured man’s face showed hesitation, as if he had something to say.
Chu Ge noticed his hesitation, "Speak up, there’s no outsiders here."
The injured man looked around, ensuring no outsiders were listening, then lowered his voice to say, "Old Gang Leader, Gourd Island isn’t safe, if there’s no reason, don’t go."
"Not safe?" The Old Gang Leader stood up and approached him. Today, the fisherman had also warned him of unsafety, but couldn’t explain why.
"What’s not safe?"
The injured man looked frightened, "They say it emits strange sounds at midnight, like bird calls but not quite, and there’s a bottomless pit there. Those who go never return."
"A bottomless pit?" The Old Gang Leader stroked his chin thoughtfully. The metaphor wasn’t entirely accurate, yet it made sense. "Did anyone from your group go?"
"No. We heard it from the fishermen. They regularly go to sea and share what they’ve witnessed."
The injured man seemed to remember something, "And they say there’s a treasure on Gourd Island, but the treasure consumes people."
The Old Gang Leader and Chu Ge exchanged a look; the Old Gang Leader chuckled, "Like you said, it’s hearsay without evidence. Don’t scare yourself with rumors. If Gourd Island has issues, being so close, wouldn’t we know? Right?"
The injured man thought, agreeing.
"Don’t forget to come for medicine change tomorrow at this time." Chu Ge reminded, simultaneously sending him away.
He wanted to discuss Gourd Island with the Old Gang Leader privately, as having unrelated people hear would cause unnecessary trouble.
"Alright, thank you, Mr. Chu."
As the injured man reached the doorway, he suddenly recalled something, and turned to say, "I’ve heard from the fishermen there are many naturally-formed refraction mirrors on Gourd Island. If you go, be careful and attentive. There is a volcano, it’s quite dangerous."
Refraction mirrors?
The Old Gang Leader looked puzzled at Chu Ge, "What are those?"
They, being from ancient times, didn’t know, but Chu Ge did. Chu Ge suddenly comprehended why they kept circling.
"Refraction mirrors are like mirrors, able to reflect light."
Chu Ge explained simply.
The Old Gang Leader was puzzled, "But shouldn’t we see our reflections if they’re mirrors?"
Chu Ge frowned, not knowing either. Yet, he admired the clever use of naturally-formed refraction mirrors as barriers protecting the Time-Space Gate.
"Didn’t expect Wei Yongxiang to be so smart." The Old Gang Leader chuckled, "But it makes sense. If not for his cleverness, how could he arrive in our time, nearly turning Daye Country upside down?"
"Old Gang Leader, there’s another thing I’m unclear about."
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter