Chapter 6, Mountain Bandits

Shen Cheng's cries grew increasingly clear. Nie Mo did not expect that although the corpse handler was an old man, his speed was actually faster than theirs. He quickly ran to the front of the corpse, took out a black rope, and threw it around the corpse's legs. The corpse immediately fell to the ground, its feet still moving but unable to stand up.

On his way to the hotel where Mo Zining was staying, Nie Mo passed by the bar from yesterday. He saw one of the individuals he had fought with the day before, surrounded by many others. It was unclear what they were discussing, and they looked at Nie Mo as he walked by, seemingly unable to recognize him.

Nie Mo Leng was taken aback for a moment before chasing after her, not understanding why she left without saying a word. By the time he reached downstairs, he could no longer see Mo Zi Ning and thought to himself that she had indeed left quickly, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Well, he would find her tomorrow to express his gratitude, and then he turned back.

This is a single room, with just one bed and one table, nothing else. Nie Mo lay back on the bed and felt incredibly comfortable; he thought he had only been on the mountain for a few days, yet it felt as if he hadn't slept on a bed for many years. Perhaps he was too tired or the bed was too comfortable, and before long, he felt his eyelids becoming heavy, quickly drifting into a dream.

When Nie Mo woke up, the sky was already bright. After a night of sleep, he felt completely rejuvenated and full of energy. However, he was quite hungry now. He smiled and patted his stomach, and only then did he realize that the clothes he was wearing were no longer suitable. He sniffed and found the odor quite strong, so he decided to go buy some new clothes first

Nie Mo smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to know so much."

He quickly found the innkeeper and inquired about places nearby that sold clothes, intending to buy a T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a pair of sneakers. He ended up spending several hundred yuan, which made Nie Mo feel quite distressed. He thought to himself that the prices in this town were truly high, and if it weren't for the circumstances, he would have been reluctant to spend this money

As Shen Cheng approached, he did not even dare to look at Mo Zining, knowing that he had lost a great deal of face this time. Like a little quail, Mo Zining did not scold him either, and the three of them walked silently into the small town.

"Damn it, Shen Cheng is such a coward," Nie Mo cursed as he followed suit and ran up.

Just as Nie Mo was about to make a move, he was pulled back by someone. Upon looking, he saw it was Mo Zining. He heard her say, "Hurry and leave, if you continue to fight, what will happen when the police arrive?"

The corpse drivers of Xiangxi are quite famous; Nie Mo has heard his grandfather speak of them, but he has never seen one. He is not particularly afraid, yet he chose to remain silent as per Mo Zining's advice, for this is ultimately a matter of respect for the deceased

When the corpse handler walked past them, Shen Cheng let out a frightened shout and ran forward. Nie Mo felt a sense of dread in his heart; the corpse actually became still. The corpse handler's expression changed, and he quickly turned around, muttering incantations. He took out a bottle of unknown liquid from his bag and splashed it onto the corpse. Nie Mo and Mo Zining could only feel an extremely unpleasant odor, especially since they were not far away.

Mo Zining watched Nie Mo leave, hesitating for quite a while before running up to call out to him, saying: "Nie Mo, why don't you stay in a room at this hotel for the night and leave tomorrow."

The corpse moved, but it was retreating, heading back towards Shen Cheng. Its speed was swift, and the corpse handler followed closely behind. Upon seeing this, Mo Zining also ran after them, gun in hand.

Nie Mo was quite surprised and began to feel worried. After a long while, he thanked the boss before leaving the hotel

In the night, Nie Mo gazed at her beautiful face, as if looking at flowers through a mist, wanting to say a few comforting words, but unsure of what to say. At that moment, they saw Shen Cheng standing by the roadside waiting for them from a distance; this kid really can run.

Mo Zining looked at the strange man in the night, unsure of what to say. In fact, she wanted to help the man who had saved her, but she felt somewhat helpless. She nodded and said, "Alright, but that www.hetushucomcom is not a village; it's a small town with the same name as this mountain. We are staying in a small inn in that town. In your current state, it should be difficult for anyone to recognize you. Once we reach our place, I will give you some money, though it may not be much." After saying this, she walked towards the small town, wanting to give him more money, but unsure how else to repay him.

"My father told me that he has traveled across the vast rivers and mountains, gaining a wealth of experience along the way." At this point, her expression grew somber, likely recalling her father, whose fate remains unknown.

Mo Zining shouted from behind: "What are you doing"

Nie Mo felt that he should find an opportunity to take a shower and change his clothes. After a while, Mo Zining finally came down, handed him two thousand yuan. Holding the money in his hand, he truly did not know what to say. While feeling grateful, he thought about how he would repay her in the future. If he were to earn money to pay her back, he would need at least half a year to earn that amount, excluding his expenses.

Nie Mo looked on in amazement, thinking how truly remarkable it was. Mo Zining tugged at him, signaling him to hurry along. Nie Mo really wanted to take a longer look, but reluctantly followed her toward the direction of the small town. After walking for a while, Nie Mo said: "Have you noticed that the old man hasn't spoken a word all this time"

Nie Mo was very grateful to this woman. He was just about to tell her that he was not the kind of person she thought he was, someone wanted by the law hiding in the mountains, when a commotion erupted not far away. There were shouts and curses coming from the entrance of a bar, where a few seemingly drunk individuals were fighting. No, upon closer inspection, it was three people attacking one. The man being beaten had fallen to the ground, and the three rushed in to kick him fiercely. However, that man struggled and still tried to get up and fight back. What a real man he was; Nie Mo liked people like that. With this thought, he had already rushed forward.

They arrived at an inn, but Nie Mo did not go up; he just stood there waiting for Mo Zining. Although he did not know exactly how far this place was from his home, he understood that a few hundred yuan would likely not be enough. Some passersby on the road looked at him with strange or somewhat fearful expressions.

"What happened?" Nie Mo looked at the boss in confusion

Today, after they had been walking for a while, many police cars arrived in the town, and armed vehicles also gathered at Wushan. I heard that several wanted criminals had fled into the mountains.

Mo Zining stated: "During the process of transporting the corpse, they must not make any noise; otherwise, the spells on the corpse will become ineffective"

Returning to the inn and finding a place to bathe, Nie Mo prepared to take a good shower. After undressing, he discovered that he was even more robust than before. Previously, due to long-term agricultural work and his naturally good physical constitution since childhood, his muscles had always been well-defined. Now, he appeared much stronger than before. He truly did not understand; despite being quite malnourished these past few days, he had not lost weight but had instead become more muscular. This led him to think about the water he had drunk in that cave. Could it be that it miraculously healed his injuries? Yet, he felt something was amiss and chose not to dwell on it.

Upon arriving at the inn where Mo Zining was staying, Nie Mo inquired with the owner, who informed him that they had left quite some time ago. It then occurred to Nie Mo that it was nearly noon, and they must have ascended Qiwushan early in the morning. Just as he was about to leave, the owner called out to him, saying: "You are their friend, right? Did they bring a phone? Please let them know to come down quickly."

Nie Mo smiled as he looked at Mo Zining's back. This woman is truly interesting; she has a good heart, great courage, and is beautiful. Sigh, if it weren't for the fact that he had spent the past few days in a sunless and moonless state, missing his grandfather so much, he would have been able to help her.

Upon hearing this, Shen Cheng felt his legs go weak, trembling in fear. He whispered, "Will we be in trouble?" Mo Zining shot him a fierce glance, and Shen Cheng did not dare to ask again

Nie Mo pondered for a while before suddenly realizing, feeling both amused and exasperated. It turned out that this beauty had mistaken him for someone who was hiding in the mountains and wanted by the authorities. Given his current situation, inexplicably found in the mountains, it was no wonder she thought that way. He did not point it out but smiled and said, "Alright, I understand, thank you." As he spoke, he took the money but did not accept the jade pendant. He glanced at Shen Cheng, who was not far away, and said, "I will return it to you when I have the chance. Your friend is too timid; if he goes up the mountain with you, he might not only be of no help but could also hold you back. Now, let’s go. I am not familiar with the roads here; as long as I reach the village ahead with you, I can manage on my own."

Qiwuzhen is a small town, as Mo Zining described it. However, for Nie Mo, it is much larger than the village he comes from, featuring wide main roads, at least in his perspective. In the village, he only left the small mountain village when he took some crops to sell at the nearest small town, but that town was significantly smaller and more backward than this one. Here, every household has its lights on, and there are quite a few pedestrians on the streets, with many things he had heard of but never seen before.

Nie Mo felt perplexed as he looked at the item in her hand and said, "I have no money on me. I did consider borrowing some money from you to pay you back after I get home, but I truly do not understand what you are saying."

After Nie Mo finished his shower and changed his clothes, he felt as if he had been completely reborn, both in appearance and in spirit. He wanted to say goodbye to Mo Ziqing before leaving this place to prepare to return home. Thinking of his grandfather at home, he truly wished he could fly back immediately

Nie Mo had already seized one of the large men, and with a forceful throw, sent him flying several meters away, crashing to the ground with a loud thud and a scream. The other two had not yet reacted when Nie Mo's fist landed heavily on the jaw of a fat man who was still preparing to retreat. A scream accompanied by the sound of cracking bones followed, and the fat man, clutching his jaw, was left disoriented, grimacing in pain. The last person still standing, not knowing where he had pulled it from, suddenly brandished a long dagger and lunged at him. Nie Mo quickly stepped back a few paces, seized the man's wrist, and with a forceful grip, he heard a crack as the dagger fell to the ground. "Ah, my hand, my hand"

Mo Zining sighed softly: "Although you do not speak, I understand. Rest assured, even though I do not particularly like you, you have saved me twice, and I will never expose you."

Soon, Mo Zining took Nie Mo away from the bar entrance to another street. They could not return to the hotel where they were staying, as it was very close to the bar. Mo Zining found a hotel for him and used her own ID to book a room. The owner kept looking at Nie Mo with a sly smile, leaving him utterly confused. Mo Zining, seeing the owner's expression, naturally understood his lewd thoughts but ignored him, handed the key to Nie Mo, and ran downstairs without saying a word.

Not long after, the two figures drew closer. Nie Mo could only see the corpse handler in front, striking a small gong and shaking a soul-capturing bell. He was an expressionless old man, followed by a corpse whose face was obscured, covered with several talismans.

After seeing Shen Cheng leave unhappily, Mo Zining took out several hundred yuan from her pocket and handed it to Nie Mo. Nie Mo looked somewhat puzzled, and she said, "I don't have much money on me either, so take this to find a place to stay." After a moment's thought, she took a piece of jade from around her neck and added, "This is for you too; it’s worth something. This is all I have. Thank you very much for saving us today, but we are not on the same path. I hope you will live well in the future"

After walking for a while, as they approached the small town, Nie Mo vaguely saw two figures ahead, one in front of the other, though he could not make them out clearly. Soon, they heard the sound of a gong. Just as Nie Mo was about to speak, Mo Zining made a gesture for silence and softly said to the two of them: "Whatever you do, do not make a sound; these are the corpse drivers of Xiangxi."

Nie Mo secretly laughed, knowing that after his behavior yesterday, combined with the fact that the other party must have had quite a bit to drink, he would no longer be recognizable now