Spirit beasts with awakened intelligence could understand human speech, even if they could not speak themselves.
The next morning, after breakfast, Zhu Yanyi and the other two bid farewell to the bear family. Her purpose here was to find medicinal herbs, not spirit beasts. Unless a beast showed malice toward them, Zhu Yanyi would not attack.
Over the past few days, their group had slowly approached the deep interior of Heshan Mountain. The deeper they went, the older the medicinal herbs became. However, the number of wild beasts also increased significantly.
"Ani, shall we go in?" Yan Aohan asked. He watched Zhu Yanyi standing on a tree, looking down at the valley filled with beasts.
"Never mind. Let's not go in." Although Zhu Yanyi did not know how fierce the beasts were, she sensed that the spiritual energy here was extremely abundant. The beasts gathered here by instinct. This spiritual energy did not interest her much, as she already had Spirit Spring water and liquid. Moreover, entering might lead to conflict. Zhu Yanyi disliked such outcomes, so she decided against it.
She turned to Gu Jun beside her. "Brother Gu, will you go in?"
"If you two don't go, why should I?" Gu Jun rolled her eyes. Although she considered her skills decent, spending time with Yan Aohan and Zhu Yanyi made her realize she was easily defeated. Facing such a group of beasts, only a fool would enter.
"Then let's leave," Zhu Yanyi said with a smile. "We now know what lies deep in Heshan Mountain. That is enough. There is no need to think further."
Yan Aohan nodded in agreement. "Having a place to gather restricts these beasts. Only with intelligence will they realize how lucky they are."
All things in heaven and earth have spirits. This spirituality helps them understand their path. If they choose evil, someone will stop them. If they choose good, let them walk their own path.
Although many animals inside were considered fierce beasts to outsiders, they were not committing violence now. This was why Zhu Yanyi decided not to disturb their lives. With intelligence, they could distinguish good from evil. If they remained confused, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, Zhu Yanyi would deal with them later.
"Let's go," Yan Aohan said. He had little interest in the area. Since Zhu Yanyi was uninterested, he would not investigate further.
They planned to leave. However, after walking for about five hours, they noticed many strangers in Heshan Mountain.
Zhu Yanyi frowned slightly. "Are there usually this many people in Heshan Mountain?"
"Probably not," Gu Jun said. Outsiders feared Heshan Mountain. Tourists were advised to visit only during the day and stay near the edges. Deep entry was strictly forbidden.
Yan Aohan glanced secretly at those people and frowned. "So it is them."
"Who are they?" Zhu Yanyi asked curiously.
"Remember the group of madmen I told you about?" Yan Aohan’s face showed disdain.
Zhu Yanyi paused, recalling the past. "You mentioned some madmen years ago. What do these people have to do with them?"
"Though called a group of madmen, only one is truly powerful," Yan Aohan revealed without hiding anything.
"That madman loves studying supernatural things. He believes humans can transcend their lifespan and live as long as heaven and earth. Therefore, he values people with special abilities. Seventy to eighty percent of the异能者 (people with special abilities) in a special department of China were created by his chaotic research," Yan Aohan said calmly. "Remember the child poisoning incident a few years ago?"
"I remember," Zhu Yanyi said. She had been interning at the hospital in the capital then. She had discovered the poison. "I remember the poison was 'Butterfly Transformation'."
"Correct. Because you detoxified them, those children gained extraordinary abilities. This madman wanted to control them. Fortunately, you warned early. The authorities moved the children away. The madman missed his chance and caused a scene. I suppressed him in the end," Yan Aohan stated directly.
"I always believed this madman should not exist. He brings no benefit to China. However, he controls a group of people with supernatural abilities. We cannot eliminate him without eliminating them first."
"You cannot do it?" Zhu Yanyi did not believe Yan Aohan was incapable.
Yan Aohan smiled slightly. "I can. But the madman knows my bottom line. As long as he does not cross it, I will not act against him."
Zhu Yanyi pointed at the people who seemed to be searching for something. "Then what are they doing here?"
"Likely catching animals or finding rare poisons. You know Heshan Mountain is a paradise for medicinal herbs. Almost everything can be found here," Yan Aohan said, as if he should know its wonders.
Seeing Yan Aohan’s expression, Zhu Yanyi almost laughed. "Using animals for experiments is understandable. But so many people coming to catch them suggests something more complex."
"Very likely," Yan Aohan did not deny her guess. He looked at Zhu Yanyi. "So, what do you plan to do next?"
Zhu Yanyi looked at Yan Aohan. "Why do I feel like you are waiting to watch a show?"
Yan Aohan looked innocent. "I truly know nothing about medicinal herbs. But I believe you do. Also, I cannot easily act against that madman. But you can. Ideally, force him to attack you. Then I will directly eliminate him."
Zhu Yanyi rolled her eyes at Yan Aohan. "Let's go back. Back to that valley. I will set up an array at the entrance." Regardless of their purpose, Zhu Yanyi would not allow anyone to target those spirit beasts.
"You know arrays?" Yan Aohan was surprised.
"Dear, did you forget that I set up an array in Jinling years ago? It prevented those who wanted to find me from succeeding," Zhu Yanyi rolled her eyes. Had it only been a few years? She already forgot.
Yan Aohan was stunned again, then smiled. "No, I know you know simple arrays due to medicinal arrays. But if the array here is simple, it may not drive them away."