Chapter 94: Something’s Wrong
“Brother, I forgot to pick the herbs to treat the pain from the wound on my forehead. Lately, the scar’s been hurting every time it rains — it’s unbearable. I need to gather some Asarum and other pain-relieving herbs to make a decoction.”
Ning Xiyue furrowed her brows with a troubled look and revealed the scar on her forehead for her elder brother to see. She even turned slightly so that Comrade Ji beside them could see as well.
Ever since she came to the countryside, Ning Xiyue had realized that the scar on her forehead wasn’t a burden — on the contrary, it was extremely useful. In many situations, it had become her most convincing “prop” for her performances.
Because of that, she had never applied any scar-removal ointment. Instead, she occasionally applied medicine to keep the scar from fading. After all, she had no plans to let it heal during her years in the countryside.
She had even found a powerful scar-removing herb in her herbal compendium — one that could erase even the most stubborn scars. So she wasn’t worried about what to do with the “prop” when she no longer needed it in the future.
And now, this very real and irrefutable “prop” was coming in handy.
Ning Qingzhi’s heart ached as he looked at the scar on his sister’s forehead. Hatred for Ning Xiaoxiao and Zhang Yuan surged up again, and he silently cursed them. His perfectly fine little sister had been ruined by those two.
“Sister, you’ve suffered. Come on — I’ll go with you to collect whatever herbs you need.”
He turned to Comrade Ji beside him for approval. “Old Ji?”
“You can go. Just don’t forget the main mission,” Ji Yanming nodded in agreement.
“Yes, sir. Thank you.” Ning Qingzhi saluted.
He could search the surrounding area while helping his sister gather herbs.
Ji Yanming glanced at the scar on Ning Xiyue’s forehead, his gaze darkening slightly. Then he ordered Gangzi — the man Ning Xiyue had previously drugged unconscious — to stay behind and “help” with the search. Of course, the “search” wasn’t about herbs.
Ji Yanming himself led the rest of the team toward the fourth peak of Mount Da Qi.
Ning Xiyue watched his departing back and thought to herself that they’d meet again soon.
“Sis, let’s go. What herbs do you need? Let’s gather them quickly — it’s getting late. Once we’re done, we’ll escort you down the mountain,” Ning Qingzhi said, signaling for her to lead the way.
Ning Xiyue wasn’t exactly sure where the herbs grew — she only knew it was somewhere nearby in a hidden place. It was even possible they were already standing right above it. All she needed to do was find the entrance and successfully “check in.”
She opened her notebook and carefully flipped through it. “According to these notes, there are a few herb collection sites around here. Let’s search the area.”
“Alright,” Ning Qingzhi nodded. After all, this was part of their search zone anyway.
As they walked, Ning Xiyue described the appearance of the herbs they were looking for while keeping a close eye on their surroundings — thinking about where the location might be.
Where would be suitable for building an underground laboratory around here?
She racked her brain, recalling all the anti-Japanese war dramas and shows she’d seen where secret bases were hidden — maybe it wasn’t reliable, but it was worth a shot.
“Hey, sis, is this that Asarum you were talking about?” Ning Qingyuan asked, holding up a plant with a well-developed root system.
“Yes, that’s the one. Look around and see if there’s any more,” Ning Xiyue nodded, poking the ground with a stick as she continued searching — secretly looking for a place that matched her theory.
The four of them buried themselves in the search, each with their own thoughts.
A hidden underground entrance in the grass? None — cross it off.
A hollow in a tree? No — cross it off.
They checked many of the possible spots she’d imagined but found nothing.
“There’s nothing here. Let’s check over there,” Ning Xiyue suggested, pointing to the right.
There was a mountainside over there — and she remembered a scene from a tomb-raiding show where a certain “Little Sun Nation” had built a secret facility inside a mountain.
They moved in that direction, still watching the ground for herbs as they went.
Ning Xiyue thought her “looking for herbs” excuse was absolutely brilliant — she could openly search for the check-in location she wanted.
They followed the path toward the right until they reached the base of the mountain. Ning Xiyue looked up at the rocky cliff face ahead and pointed with a smile.
“Big brother, I see another kind of herb. Look — that long, vertical-stemmed plant growing among the moss — that’s Dragonbeard Grass.”
“I’ll get it. Second brother, check the other areas,” Ning Qingzhi said, rolling up his sleeves.
“Got it.”
Ning Qingyuan searched around the cliff, and Gangzi also started moving.
From the corner of her eye, Ning Xiyue noticed that Gangzi was checking everything very carefully — not missing a single concealed corner.
What a dedicated comrade, she thought.
Ning Xiyue pulled her gaze back to the cliff face and reached out to pick a few stalks of Dragonbeard Grass.
Ding! [Check-in location discovered: Remnant Laboratory of the Little Sun Nation. Would the host like to check in?]
This is the place. No doubt about it.
Excitement bubbled up inside her.
Whenever the system gave her a second notification, it meant the check-in point was right in front of her. This hidden location was about to be discovered — the thought alone thrilled her.
She circled the mountainside, focusing on areas covered in vines.
She pulled the vines off the rock face — nothing. The entire mountain was seamless and solid.
Could there be a hidden mechanism?
She examined every spot that looked like it might hide a switch — nothing.
“Ow! My foot!” Ning Qingyuan suddenly cried out in pain.
“Second brother, what happened?” Ning Xiyue ran over in concern.
The noise also drew Ning Qingzhi and Gangzi over.
Ning Qingyuan blushed slightly when everyone gathered around. “It’s nothing. I just wasn’t looking where I was going and twisted my ankle on a rock. It’s not injured — just hurts a little.”
“Useless — twisting your ankle on a rock this small? Impressive,” Ning Qingzhi mocked, crouching down to check his brother’s foot. It wasn’t hurt, so he stood up and kicked the rock aside — or tried to.
“Huh? Brother, you didn’t move the rock. And you’re laughing at me, haha.”
His words made all three of them — who were already suspicious — focus on the rock.
Ning Qingzhi: Something’s wrong. With my aim and strength, there’s no way I couldn’t kick a small rock. Could it be…
Gangzi: Big problem. Dig it up.
Ning Xiyue, who saw a mechanism in everything: Something’s wrong. A mechanism. It’s definitely a mechanism. This is it.
“Oh? So this is the rock that tripped Second Brother? Then I’d better take it back as a lesson — a reminder for him to watch where he’s going,” Ning Xiyue said casually, but her hand was already reaching for the rock.
She moved so fast that Ning Qingzhi and Gangzi couldn’t stop her in time.
“Huh? Big brother, I can’t pull it out,” Ning Xiyue said with feigned surprise.
“Let me see.”
Ning Qingzhi and Gangzi both crouched down to examine it.
Just then, Ning Xiyue instinctively twisted the rock slightly left and right.
“Click-click… BOOM—BOOM—”
A violent sound rumbled through the air, and the group stared ahead in shock.
