THE UNCLAIMED

6 - THE FORBIDDEN MOUNTAIN

While walking, Leonardo Boras in a distance have heard the repeated shouts calling him "Uncle", a corner of his mouth began to twitch. He subconsciously touched the beard on his own face, and he increased his pace in another notch, thinking to ditch the person behind him. Then he frowned at the same time.

However, after about four hours, when he stopped and turned his head behind to peek, he saw the thin-figured beggar still following behind him about ten steps away, and his heart was rather shocked. For someone who had not done a sliver of cultivation, how did he manage to keep up with him?

Jocefie Abad was panting heavily as she ran up to him, her back bent over with her hands resting on her knees, and wheezing.

"Hayst! That was so tiring, I'm ready to drop. Uncle! Why were you walking so fast?"

Leonardo's brows creased closer as he sized up the filthy beggar for a long while before he said in a deep voice,

"Do not follow me anymore. The place I am headed to is the forbidden mountain. That place is filled with endless dangers, and you will only be killed if you go in there."

"You've got it wrong, uncle. I wasn't following you, but it was originally my intention to go to the forbidden mountain anyway. But since you are going there too, isn't it better if we go there together?"

Leonardo Boras completely ignored the person behind him and he just rolled his eyes and continued. He was thinking that maybe this little beggar was actually a young master from some rich family who had secretly run away for fun.

From the moment that the beggar grabbed his leg, he did not feel the low humility of the beggar, and he had a pair of eyes that showed intelligence and mental sharpness. He also notices that there is nothing like what this beggar has. After hearing that he intended to go to the forbidden mountain, he was even more sure that the young beggar was only going there for fun. If the beggar really did not fear death and followed him blindly to the forbidden mountain, he would not bother to save him if something happened.

Seeing that the uncle in front was ignoring him, Jocefie Abad didn't say a word after that but just jogged to keep up with a few steps behind. However, if they looked a little more closely, they would notice that his steps were a bit shaky, as his speed of movement was not much slower than that of Leonardo Boras before him.

The two of them moved, one behind the other. Leonardo in the front did not once stop for any rest, and neither did Jocefie Abad behind him.

As time was running out, Jocefie needed to get to the forbidden forest to find the necessary herbs to dispel the poison within the body of Felisa Adonis, or her life would really end senselessly in this world just like that. In her memory, she can see that the body of Felisa Adonis was lying in a secret place, like under a cave, where dark shadows of energy embraced her body. She was lying under the rock-cast trunk; after all, the young lady is from a rich family.

After running for a whole day and night without any food or drink, the body had reached its limits. Jocefie's legs were sore and heavy; her strides were gradually slowing down; and the figure of Leonardo Boras in front was getting further and further away from her.

However, she still managed to come to the edge of the forbidden mountains at the break of dawn the next day, and she did not see any sign of the uncle anywhere.

"Hayst! I'm bushed!"

She crashed back down onto the ground, panting heavily. Sweat ran in rivulets, and she was starving. She was feeling a little lightheaded and rather nauseous. From yesterday until now, the only thing she had was the apple that she had swiped from the fruit stall; it had long been digested, and not even the juice was left. Her stomach was ravenously empty, and she wished endlessly for a scrumptious chicken leg to eat at that moment. She rested awhile to catch her breath, and after wiping off her perspiration, she stood up and stared at the forbidden mountain before her, a smile of anticipation showing on her face.