Time Travel: The Survival of Li Zhi

Chapter 146: Night Exploration of Quhe River

"Brother Li, just ask whatever you want to ask."

Huang Shi spoke slowly, his voice sounding exceptionally steady in the quiet night.

He and Li Zhi sat together at the gate of the yard. The watery moonlight sprinkled softly on them, as if covering them with a layer of silver gauze.

The noisy and energetic children, after eating their buns contentedly, were ordered to go to bed by Huangshi with a stern face.

As the children went to bed, the yard, which had been bustling just a moment ago, suddenly became quiet.

A cool breeze blew gently, rustling the leaves.

"I want to know if there has been anything suspicious happening in Quhe?" Li Zhi asked.

Huang Shi touched his chin after hearing this, and thought for a while before saying, "I don't think I've heard of anything suspicious... Eh? No, there really is something!"

When Li Zhi heard this, his eyes lit up instantly, and he asked anxiously: "Tell me quickly, what's suspicious!"

"Before the sudden flood five years ago, I heard my mother say that some villagers who went to Huaishan to chop firewood encountered a ghost wall and wandered around the mountain for a long time before they escaped..." Huang Shi recalled and told the story slowly.

“Huaishan!”

Li Zhi stood up suddenly, a look of sudden enlightenment on his face.

He knew that Huaishan was right next to Quhe River. Today, he was so focused on exploring Quhe River that he missed the mountains and forests nearby.

At this moment, a strong premonition surged in his heart, as if there must be something hidden in the Huaishan.

Huang Shi looked at Li Zhi's excited expression and asked, "What's the matter? Could it be that the stone god you are looking for is in Huaishan?"

"It's hard to say, but it's a clue after all. It's better than running around like a headless fly." Although Li Zhi said this, his eyes were bright. It was obvious that he still had high hopes for whether Huaishan had found the whereabouts of the Stone God.

Li Zhi looked at Huang Shi again and asked, "By the way, when you were guarding the Qu River to stop the villagers from worshipping the river god, did you see anything suspicious?"

Huang Shi frowned tightly, his eyebrows twisted into a mess, and looked at Li Zhi with an unpleasant expression, saying: "You ask this, don't you suspect that the flood disaster five years ago is related to your search for the stone god?"

Li Zhi knew that the flood five years ago caused countless deaths and injuries to the surrounding villagers. Huang Shi's entire family was killed in the flood, leaving him alone. For Huang Shi, this was undoubtedly a painful experience that he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Li Zhi naturally knew that this kind of thing was definitely a huge stimulus for Huang Shi, but he did not hide it from Huang Shi. Li Zhi nodded and said, "I do have this suspicion."

Huang Shi is a scholar. Although he looks a little unkempt now, from the first time Li Zhi met him, he has always seemed to be a man with no temper, gentle and elegant.

But even such a person, when he heard Li Zhi say that the stone god he was looking for was actually related to the flood five years ago that destroyed his family, his eyes instantly turned red and his whole face became distorted and hideous.

Veins bulged on his forehead and his hands were clenched into fists, trembling slightly.

He stared at Li Zhi intently, his teeth chattering, and said, "Take me with you to find that stone god!"

Li Zhi shook his head without even thinking, and said, "It's inconvenient to take you with me, and don't you have to take care of these children? I can go by myself. Don't worry, if that stone god is really related to the flood, I won't let him go."

Huang Shi stared at Li Zhi closely, and Li Zhi looked back at him without any fear.

The two looked at each other for a long time, and Huang Shi sighed. He knew that Li Zhi would never take him with him. He slowly lowered his head and said in a low voice: "Then I'll trouble you..."

"I'm here to look for the stone god, so you don't have to be so polite." Li Zhi patted Huangshi's shoulder and said.

Huang Shi opened the jar of wine that Li Zhi gave him and took a gulp.

Huang Shi was silent for a moment, then reached out and opened the jar of wine that Li Zhi gave him.

The seal of the wine jar was opened, and a rich aroma of wine instantly spread out.

There was no expression on Huangshi's face. He didn't hesitate at all and just tilted his head back to take a sip.

As the spicy wine flowed down his throat, a complicated expression appeared on his face.

 …

Li Zhi led his sturdy brown horse and walked slowly on the path at night.

Huangshi, who was drunk and reeking of alcohol, was on the horse's back.

Huangshi's body swayed slightly with the pace of the horse. His head was lowered, his hair was a little messy, his face was still flushed from being drunk, and he was mumbling something incoherently.

After Li Zhi brought Huang Shi back to Huang Shi's home, he helped him down from the horse and placed him on the bed in the house. Looking at Huang Shi sleeping, Li Zhi sighed slightly, then turned around and left alone.

As he walked, he recalled what Huangshi had just said. He learned from Huangshi's words that Huangshi had actually seen several strange people by the river that day. Those people were dressed in the same way, and on their chests were all embroidered a strange one-horned, multi-tailed beast.

These people came accompanied by constables from the county government.

Therefore, Huangshi just thought that they were some senior leaders who came to check the disaster situation and did not pay much attention to them.

Huangshi only vaguely remembered that they looked at each other by the river for a few seconds, then said something to each other and then walked towards Huaishan.

Huang Shi's words confirmed Li Zhi's original guess.

It was indeed Yeyousi who took action back then. However, if this matter was related to the Stone God, then it must be very difficult for the Stone God to escape from Yeyousi.

Thinking about things, Li Zhi lost his sleepiness and decided to go to Huaishan first.

But before going to Huaishan, Li Zhi planned to go to Quhe to take another look.

It was obviously inconvenient to take the horse with him, so Li Zhi turned around and led the horse back to his home in Huangshi, temporarily left his horse at Huangshi's home, and then came to Qu River alone.

When he arrived at Quhe River, he was surprised to find that the evil spirit in Quhe River was much stronger than during the day.

The evil aura permeated the air, and along with the cool night breeze, it made people feel chills.

Li Zhi was afraid of alerting the enemy, so he didn't dare to get too close. He hid carefully aside and then released all his mosquito demons.

The mosquito demons were buzzing as they flew, and the tiny sound did not attract any attention in the silent night. They were quickly exploring the surroundings.

After the mosquito demon explored the area, Li Zhi quietly moved in one direction.

Because during the mosquito demon's investigation just now, the demonic energy there was the most concentrated, and there must be something unusual, so Li Zhi wanted to go over and confirm it.

He walked slowly and lightly, approaching quietly.

As he got closer, the demonic aura became stronger, and Li Zhi's heart was slightly lifted, and his eyes became more alert.

He knew that this place was definitely unusual!

Finally, with Li Zhi's careful approach, he finally arrived here.

However, when he saw the scene in front of him, Li Zhi was suddenly stunned, his eyes full of shock and confusion.