The carriage left in a huff and stirred up a mist of snow. Li Mu was a little upset as he thought that the two sisters were fooling around.

Frustrated, he asked, “Did the two of you hear what the old man just said?”

“We heard him loud and clear!” The two sisters replied with a giggle.

“Why did you still chase him away then? Didn’t you hear the old man say that it would be dangerous for us to go on any further? It’s not worth it for us to risk our lives for things like this!”

Shen Ming’er said disdainfully, “Brother Mu, don’t listen to his nonsense. There is a mine protection labyrinth built by my family near the gold mine. Hence, many who went in couldn’t get out. But these don’t pose a danger to us. Just follow us!”

“Are you sure it’s not dangerous at all?” Li Mu asked uneasily.

Shen Zixing explained with a smile, “Brother Mu, there is also a labyrinth outside the Shen village. Did anything happen to you when you left with us?”

“Good question! Brother Mu, did you get into any trouble when you entered the Shen village with Sister Xingyue?” Shen Ming’er asked.

Li Mu finally realized that the Shen Family’s labyrinth only acted against outsiders. As long as he followed someone from their own clan, he would not be in danger.

There was nothing to be afraid of then. Li Mu said with a smile, “Alright. Pack our things and we will leave now. We will spend the night in Jiu Feng Gou and head straight into the mountains tomorrow after a good night’s rest!”

They took their luggage with them and headed down the mountain road. It looked smooth and flat but there were potholes and ditches here and there. So if they hadn’t been so fit, it would’ve been harder for them to get around.

Even so, it took them an hour to walk down seven or eight miles of the mountain road. They finally saw a small mountain village hazily in the distance when it was getting dark.

Li Mu and the sisters quickened their pace. And after another fifteen minutes or so, they finally arrived at the outskirts of the mountain village.

Li Mu who had already activated his spiritual eyes fixed his gaze on the village and realized it was empty and chilly. A dark fog hovered over the village, which made him feel uneasy.

The two sisters were unconcerned and barged straight into the village with their luggage.

Li Mu wanted to call out to them. But after thinking about it, it was indeed quite inconvenient to spend the night in the wasteland considering how freezing it was. With the two sisters who are highly skilled and this being their family’s territory, he shouldn’t worry about it too much.

The three of them entered the village together. And the dark fog automatically dispersed to make way for them.

After walking into the village, Li Mu observed and realized that the village was not very large. There were around a dozen desolated courtyards which were obvious that no one had lived in it for a long time.

In the deepest part of the village, there was a large stone house with decayed doors and windows. The insides of the house were dark and intimidating.

“Brother Mu!” Shen Zixing whispered, “It’s full of dead people inside, they’re all sleeping!”

Li Mu nodded and frowned as he asked, “Are they your family’s corpse puppets?”

“Yes!” Shen Zixing responded with a smile.

Confused, Li Mu asked, “Shouldn’t they be protecting the mine? Why are they gathered here instead? How strange!”

Upon hearing what Li Mu said, the two sisters realized that something was wrong.

“Maybe something happened there. And they were ordered to gather here.” Shen Zixing guessed.

“Is someone from your family stationed here?”

“No. My master told us that our ancestors left the corpse puppets to station here after hiding the gold in the deep mountains. The conditions here were so bad that the Shen Family members who are all southerners couldn’t stand the North’s cold weather. Hence they left this place.

“That’s strange. Who gave them the order then?”

The two sisters looked at him in astonishment. He had a point. Since everyone from the Shen Family had left this place, who ordered the corpse puppets to gather here? Where had all the indigenous people in this village gone? And why were these corpse puppets guarding this place?

“Brother Mu, let’s go in and have a look!” Shen Zixing suggested.

Li Mu reached out to stop her and shook his head.

“Don’t go in. This matter is none of our business, and we don’t need to find out the truth. Don’t forget that the purpose of our trip is to get the gold. Other truths don’t matter to us.”

“But this involves the Shen Family after all. I’m worried that someone is eyeing the gold mine. I want to find out what’s going on here.” Shen Zixing said reluctantly.

“Sister, you’re really nosy! Stop having so many ideas and just listen to what Brother Mu said!” Frustrated, Shen Ming’er complained.

Li Mu patted Shen Zixing’s shoulder and said to her, “It’d be better for us to avoid poking our noses into other matters. We might end up in deep trouble due to our curiosity.”

“But what if...”

“It doesn’t matter. Listen to me and don’t try to unravel this mystery. We are just passersby with no intention of offending anyone, nor do we want to disturb or interrupt anyone’s peace.”

Shen Zixing hesitated for a moment and nodded her head in agreement, “Alright. I’ll listen to you and leave this matter alone. Brother Mu, shall we enter the mountains now?”

Li Mu looked at the sky and said with a frown, “We’re all a little tired after a day’s ride today. Let’s rest here for the day and enter the mountains tomorrow night!”

Entering the mountains at night? That was right. Shen Zixing needed to determine the location of the gold mine through astrology, which was something that could only be done at night. Hence, he could only choose to enter the mountains at night in order to find the gold mine.

The three of them chose a courtyard and rested there. This small courtyard was located at the head of the village and its doors and windows were still in good condition. Though shabby, it was much better than the old houses that only had windows and holes left.

They were not afraid of those corpse puppets. For one thing, they were the corpse puppets of the Shen Family and would not attack someone from the Shen Family. And for another, they weren’t afraid of them as they don’t consider these puppets as a threat. They were confident that they could handle them.

After entering the house, Li Mu blocked the window with a piece of cloth and lit the portable burner stove. Not long after, the house became much warmer.

The three of them took off their bulky winter clothing and Li Mu boiled a pot of water and cooked three bowls of noodles. The three of them ate and chatted around the stove while holding a cup of hot tea.

As they chatted, Shen Zixing suddenly laughed and said, “Brother Mu, are you a hero?”

“Why are you asking that question all of a sudden?”

“Nothing. I just think that you’re pretty timid and fearful at times. You don’t act like a hero.”

“I don’t act like one because I’m not one! I was never a hero in the first place!”

“Brother Mu, don’t you want to be a hero?” Shen Zixing asked with her head tilted.

Li Mu laughed out loud and teased, “Heroes live a short life. Didn’t you say that I’m your man? Do you want to be a widow at a young age?”

Shen Zixing froze for a moment and replied seriously, “Brother Mu, in that case, don’t ever be a hero! Be a weakling instead！”

“Nonsense! I’d be constantly bullied if I’m a weakling! I’d either die a loser or be bullied till death. I’d rather die a hero. That would last me longer and has greater value!”

“So, Brother Mu, what do you want to be then? A hero or a weakling?”

Li Mu took a sip of tea and said meaningfully, “Neither. I just want to be myself. Anyone who is able to live their whole life meaningfully is an amazing hero.

The two sisters looked confused as Li Mu waved his hand and said to them, “Don’t think too much about it. The reason I didn’t want the two of you to get involved in this matter is that we couldn’t afford the consequences. Don’t forget our current situation. We can’t afford to get ourselves involved in any more trouble when we can’t even protect ourselves.”

At this point, Li Mu suddenly sat up straight and laughed bitterly, “Things are really unpredictable huh. I don’t want to cause trouble. But the trouble is here to visit instead.”

The two sisters stood up alertly and sprang into action with one holding the door and the other the window.

Shen Zixing looked out through the door and saw that there were a lot of “people” standing outside the courtyard. More and more of them were heading their way and blocking the village road.

They stood still with their eyes fixed on the shabby house. However, none of them entered the courtyard, as if it was a forbidden place out of their limits.

“Are these the corpse puppets from before?” Li Mu asked.

“Yes, it’s them. A lot of them are here. Wait, I think all of them are here! What are they up to?” Shen Ming’er replied nervously.

“Stop looking and start to pack. We’re leaving!” Li Mu commanded in a low voice.

The two sisters hurriedly retreated. They put the fuel stove out and started packing.

Li Mu couldn’t help but scold, “Are you two out of your minds? Are your lives or your valuables more important? Leave your luggage behind. We’re only taking the chocolates and entrenching shovels with us!”

“Brother Mu, there are so many things here! We spent a fortune on this. Do we have to leave them all behind?” Shen Zixing asked reluctantly.

“What’s the use of keeping those stuff if you’re not going to make it out alive? Cut the crap. Get dressed and fill up on more chocolate! Leave the rest behind!”

The three of them wore their winter clothes hastily and stuffed their pockets with chocolates. They grabbed ahold of a foldable entrenching shovel respectively and kept a close watch on what was happening outside.

The foldable entrenching shovel they had was a military item, with functions of the shovel, pick, crowbar, thorn, saw, and knife. It was made of high-quality hardened high carbon steel, which was strong, resistant to wear and tear, corrosion, and high temperature. It was also used as a working tool and a defense weapon.

Their foldable entrenching shovels were all open-edged with incredibly sharp blades. When wielded, it was a long-handled machete.

“Brother Mu, why aren’t they coming in?” Shen Ming’er asked curiously.

“I don’t know. Probably waiting for orders!” Li Mu responded.

Right after he said that, the corpse puppets began to make their way into the courtyard. Some of them jumped directly over the shabby courtyard wall. In a short while, the courtyard was filled with corpse puppets with their blood-red eyes fixed deadly at the shabby house.

“Jinx!” Li Mu couldn’t help but curse.

Shen Ming’er poked her tongue out and muttered in a small voice, “They would’ve come in even if I didn’t mention it. As long as they didn’t attack…”

Li Mu covered her mouth and scolded her, “You brat. I will throw you right out of the window if you dare to talk nonsense again.”