Chapter 97

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A new chapter begins, and I hope you all will continue to accompany the Duke on his journey!

Lost!

Zhao Chen looked down at the vast forest below, scratching his head vigorously. Without precise navigation, he could only rely on his instincts to head south, though he had already determined that this was Lingnan, which is modern-day Guangdong.

However, he couldn't be sure exactly where in Guangdong they were!

He looked down at the map spread out on the bottom of the basket, not knowing how many times he had already done so, but no matter how many times he looked, Zhao Chen couldn't pinpoint their exact location. The geography of this era was completely different from that of the future.

It was noon, and the sun hung high and bright in the sky. When they left Guanzhong, it was still icy and snowy everywhere, but the further south they went, the greener the scenery became. Now, below them was a vast, lush forest.

"Brother Chen, why don't we go down and ask someone?" Cheng Chumu, listless and slumped in the basket, looked at Zhao Chen, who was studying the map, and said weakly.

Go down and ask someone?

Zhao Chen couldn't help but shake his head with a bitter smile. Below was nothing but dense jungle, and he didn't know if there were any people, but there were definitely snakes. It was a miracle that this rascal could even think of such an idea.

However, seeing Cheng Chumu's haggard appearance, Zhao Chen couldn't help but sigh. This wasn't about Cheng Chumu wanting to ask someone; he clearly just wanted to get some fresh air!

From Chang'an to Lingnan, they had made several stops along the way, but they had spent most of their time on the hot air balloon. Even Zhao Chen was almost at his limit, let alone Cheng Chumu.

Fine! If we're going down, we're going down. Zhao Chen sighed, put away the map, and slowly adjusted the valve. The hot air balloon began to descend slowly.

The hot air balloon glided down from a height of several hundred meters, and when it reached a height of several dozen meters, Zhao Chen threw down a rope with an iron hook attached to one end.

"Chumu, hold on tight!" Zhao Chen threw the rope and quickly warned Cheng Chumu. When the iron hook caught on a tree below, there would be a huge jolt. If they weren't careful, they would fall from the height of several dozen meters and be smashed to pieces.

Cheng Chumu, hearing this, weakly grabbed the edge of the basket. Without Zhao Chen's reminder, he gritted his teeth to prevent himself from biting his tongue. He had already become quite adept at this after their long journey.

The hot air balloon's height continued to decrease, and the long rope dragged through the forest. Zhao Chen stared intently at the ground, gripping the edge of the basket tightly with both hands.

"Boom!" The rope finally caught on a thick tree trunk as it swept past a large tree.

At the moment the rope caught, the hot air balloon, due to inertia, was suddenly pulled to a stop, causing a huge jolt. Zhao Chen and Cheng Chumu's bodies were thrown to one side, crashing into the basket wall.

"Chumu, are you okay?" Zhao Chen, feeling a sharp pain in his arm, saw that the hot air balloon had stabilized and couldn't help but sigh in relief. He slowly sat down in the basket and turned to look at Cheng Chumu, asking with concern.

"It hurts!" Cheng Chumu, holding his head, sat in the basket, looking rather disheveled, and said in a muffled voice.

Zhao Chen couldn't help but laugh bitterly. Cheng Chumu had never traveled far from home, and this trip had left him both physically and mentally exhausted. He must be regretting it deeply!

"Let's go down! We'll camp here tonight and continue tomorrow!" Zhao Chen sighed, grabbed the edge of the basket, and stood up, then pulled Cheng Chumu up with force.

A rope ladder was thrown out of the basket. Zhao Chen climbed down first, then looked up to see Cheng Chumu slowly climbing down from the hot air balloon, which was about ten meters high.

He felt a bit dizzy and light-headed, and his feet felt like they were stepping on cotton. This was the aftereffect of being in the hot air balloon for so long!

As soon as Cheng Chumu got down, he rushed to a tree and began to vomit violently, his voice hoarse. Zhao Chen couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable.

The surroundings were filled with tall trees, lush and green. It was only March, but it felt like the height of summer in Guanzhong. The air was filled with the fragrance of plants, a clear difference between the north and the south.

At this moment, the jungle was unusually quiet, with only the distant calls of unknown birds, long and short, echoing through the forest.

Zhao Chen found a long stick and began to beat the surrounding grass. The south was home to many snakes, especially in the jungle, which was practically a paradise for them. Moreover, they could easily encounter highly venomous snakes.

Just as Zhao Chen and Cheng Chumu were preparing to camp after getting off the hot air balloon, a man with his shoulders exposed quietly climbed down from a tree far away.

He turned and looked in the direction of Zhao Chen and Cheng Chumu, his eyes filled with panic, and then he ran off into the depths of the jungle, quickly disappearing from sight.

"Brother Chen, when can we reach the sea?" The tent was quickly set up, and as soon as it was done, Cheng Chumu sprawled out on the folding bed and looked at Zhao Chen, asking.

"In about four or five days!" Zhao Chen wasn't sure, as he still didn't know exactly where they were, but since they had reached Lingnan, they should be able to reach the sea soon.

"Heaven! Why does it have to take so long!" Cheng Chumu, upon hearing that they would have to spend another four or five days in the hot air balloon, immediately clutched his head and groaned in pain. He couldn't stand the feeling of floating in the air, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Earlier, in the Qinling Mountains, he had wished to sleep on the hot air balloon every night. Now, after such a long journey, just thinking about floating in the air made his stomach churn.

"Shall I send you back?" Zhao Chen, seeing Cheng Chumu's pitiful appearance, couldn't help but laugh and teased him.

"No!" Cheng Chumu, upon hearing this, immediately sat up, looking as if he had a grudge against someone, and said fiercely, "I've suffered so much on this journey. Now that we've finally made it this far, how can I just slink back!"

Saying this, he suddenly lay back down, his face filled with longing, and said, "At the very least, I have to find a lot of gold!"

This rascal, his mind never strayed from the thought of gold, but at least he had a goal!

Just as he was thinking this, Zhao Chen suddenly heard a series of chaotic footsteps outside. His expression froze, and the image of a jungle hunter flashed through his mind. His face turned pale, and he instantly grabbed a long knife beside him.

This long knife had been prepared in advance, just in case of any emergencies. Now, hearing the chaotic footsteps, Zhao Chen felt that this precaution was extremely wise!

Cheng Chumu, who had been lying there as if he were about to die, reacted even faster than Zhao Chen. After all, he came from a military family and had been trained in swordsmanship. His skills weren't bad!

What could it be?

The two of them stood in the tent, their faces pale, looking at each other, neither daring to venture out at this moment.

In just a short time, the footsteps outside suddenly disappeared, as if they had never been there. This made Zhao Chen and Cheng Chumu even more on edge.

The wait was long, especially in this uncertain situation. Every second felt like an eternity. Zhao Chen clenched his fists and took a deep breath, then slowly walked to the door with the long knife in hand.

As soon as Cheng Chumu saw Zhao Chen heading for the door, he quickly pulled him back. In this situation, he had an advantage over Zhao Chen. If there were wild beasts outside, Cheng Chumu's sword skills would give him a chance to fight back, while Zhao Chen would likely be devoured alive.

This wasn't the time to be picky, and Zhao Chen didn't want to be stubborn. He silently stepped back, letting Cheng Chumu take the lead, while he followed closely behind with the knife.

The tent flap was slowly lifted, and when it was fully open, the two of them looked outside and couldn't help but freeze, drawing in a sharp breath.

People! So many people!

At this moment, their tent was surrounded by a dense crowd of young, strong men. They all had one shoulder exposed, their hair standing up oddly at the back, and strange tattoos on their exposed shoulders.

"Brother Chen, we might have encountered the wild tribes you mentioned!" Seeing the sudden appearance of so many people with unusual attire, Cheng Chumu's face turned pale, and he couldn't help but tremble as he spoke.

"They should be the local indigenous people!" Zhao Chen had never seen wild tribes, but looking at the attire of these people, especially the strange tattoos on their shoulders, he could confirm that they were not wild tribes, though he was also a bit nervous.

Lingnan was the land of the Li and Liao people. Zhao Chen didn't know much, but he was familiar with Xian Niang, the Li chieftain of Lingnan. Later, Feng Ang controlled a large part of Lingnan, though he never declared independence, he was essentially the king of Lingnan.

However, besides the Li people, there were also many Liao tribes in Lingnan, whose power was not inferior to that of the Li people. Zhao Chen didn't know if the people in front of him were Li or Liao.

Of course, whether they were Li or Liao, it didn't make much difference to Zhao Chen and Cheng Chumu's current situation!

Because, they were now surrounded by these people!