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墨書 Inktalez
From Changsha to Hengyang takes only two and a half hours, just enough time for a nap. As for Ghost Valley, it was just something they occasionally heard about, not to be taken seriously.
What shocked me the most was the attitude of Tong Qi and Sun Lan towards Lime, calling him handsome and cool. I really couldn't understand it; I thought I looked quite good myself. Moreover, Lime didn't even have muscles; he was thin and frail, with a waist that seemed like it could snap with a pinch.
Well, let's stop there. In any case, I felt helpless. A woman's heart is as deep as the ocean, impossible to fathom!
Hengshan, also known as Nanyue, Shouyue, or Nanshan, truly deserves its title as one of China's Five Mountains. The grandeur and majesty of the scenery make me feel so small in the face of nature, even though it wasn't my first time standing at the foot of the mountain.
The buildings at the foot of Hengshan are magnificent and steeped in history, exuding an ancient charm. It is home to the deity widely worshipped by the Han people in ancient times, Nanyue Hengshan Jun, and is a sacred ground of the mainstream Quanzhen Sect of Taoism. Due to better climatic conditions compared to the other four mountains, it is lush with greenery year-round; exotic flowers and plants bloom in all seasons, making the natural scenery exceptionally beautiful, earning it the nickname "Nanyue's Unique Beauty."
With such beautiful scenery and lovely companions, why not relax a little?
On the way, we had already decided on our destination—Phoenix Ancient Town.
Since walking to Duxiu Villa halfway up the mountain would take four to five hours, after lunch we packed our bags and hired a guide to start our ascent.
The guide's surname was Cui; he looked to be in his twenties, reserved and honest, diligently explaining things to us. "The main peaks of Hengshan include Returning Goose Peak, Zhurong Peak, Purple Canopy Peak, Tianzhu Peak, and Yuelu Mountain. The highest peak is Zhurong Peak at an elevation of 1300.2 meters. There are a total of 26 rivers on the Northeast slope, East slope, and Southeast slope..."
As we walked and listened, it became somewhat tedious. I was here to enjoy the scenery and relax; I didn't need to remember so much.
"Brother Cui, tell us a mythological story," Sun Lan interjected.
The guide chuckled at being called Brother Cui. "Alright then, let me tell you about Pangu creating the world!"
"Legend has it that long ago when the world was just forming and heaven and earth had just separated, there was a being named Pangu who lived between heaven and earth. Each day the sky rose one zhang higher and the earth grew one zhang thicker; Pangu also grew one zhang taller each day. This continued day after day for eighteen thousand years until Pangu had grown extremely tall. The air he breathed turned into wind; his breath became thunder; his blinking eyes emitted blue light—this was lightning. When he was happy, the sky would be bright and sunny; when he was angry, it would rain continuously.
Eventually, Pangu began to age and finally passed away suddenly. In an instant, his giant body fell to the ground: his head became Dongyue (the Eastern Peak), his torso became Zhongyue (the Central Peak), his left arm became Hengshan (the Horizontal Mountain), his right arm became Beiyue (the Northern Peak), his legs became Xiyue (the Western Peak), his eyes became the sun and moon, his hair turned into vegetation, and his sweat transformed into rivers. Because Pangu created heaven and earth and shaped the world, later generations revered him as the ancestor of humanity." Cui's storytelling was vivid and lively; pride shone in his eyes.
The scenery along the way was beautiful; the fresh air invigorated me as I breathed deeply. I felt completely relaxed.
Our group of nine included me, Lime, and Fu Song; everyone else was chatting happily. Especially Li Hui and Sun Lan often lagged behind to tease each other with banter. I had long gotten used to their playful exchanges and ignored them since we still had a long way to go ahead.
Sure enough, after climbing for an hour or two, several people in the group began to complain about the steep and tiring mountain path. However, Rophie didn't say much; she sat to the side, rubbing her legs, which made me see her in a new light. She looked the weakest on the outside, yet she was surprisingly resilient.
"Feng Zi, what are you laughing at?" Sun Lan's face turned slightly red as she wiped her sweat and pointed angrily at me.
"Aren't you tired?" Xiao Xiao stared at me and Lime with disbelief.
I shrugged; this distance was nothing to me. After all, I had experienced exhaustion beyond measure more than once. So I calmly sat down next to Rophie and said with a smile, "You must be tired. I'll help you carry your luggage in a bit."
Rophie looked troubled, her delicate face flushed from the climb, making her quite alluring. "Isn't that inappropriate? It's very heavy."
"It's fine; I'm not tired." I chuckled. If it were before, seeing Rophie like this would have made me blush and feel shy, but now it felt so natural and carefree...
"Feng Zi, you're really nice." As she spoke, Rophie's face turned even redder, and her voice became much softer.
Seeing her shy demeanor made me pause for a moment; my heart skipped a beat or two. I joked, "Forget about carrying your luggage; I could carry you up if needed!"
"You’re just bragging! If you have the ability, carry Faye up!" A sudden voice chimed in; I recognized it was Sun Lan causing trouble again.
"Sun Lan, enough already!" I shot her an exasperated glance. Does opposing me really cost you anything?
"What? Are you saying you can't do it? Such a wimp!" Sun Lan glared at me without holding back. Li Hui was snickering beside her.
"What did you say!" Aunt Shuke Ren couldn't take it anymore! Damn it, is it so hard for a man not to be big and muscular?
"Faye, let's go." I grabbed Rophie and tossed our luggage into the arms of the usually low-key Lime without a second thought. Ignoring everyone else's reactions, I lifted Rophie into a princess carry and started walking up the mountain.
"You don't mind, do you?" After a few steps, I realized I hadn't asked for her opinion before just... Wait, why does she feel a bit warm?
Looking down, I saw Rophie's entire head buried in my embrace, with her jet-black hair revealing a small red ear. A muffled voice came from below, "I don't mind... Just put me down when I'm tired." Her voice was as soft as a whisper; if one didn't listen closely, they wouldn't catch it. But who am I? Ever since interacting with the "madman," my vision, hearing, and stamina have all significantly improved.
Did Cui Tour Guide not mention that reaching Duxiu Villa halfway up the mountain would take four to five hours on foot? We had already been walking for an hour or two. Carrying Rophie, who weighed less than ninety pounds, for two hours wasn't impossible. I wasn't foolish enough to shoot myself in the foot; I had calculated everything beforehand. This time, I would definitely change their impression of me. Although Feng Zi may not have muscles, I'm still a man!
Twenty minutes later...
"Don't push yourself too hard. If you can't carry it, just put it down quickly to avoid embarrassment." Sun Lan had already run up beside me and was walking alongside me.
"Thanks for your concern, but I'm still holding on." I smiled slightly; as long as I adjusted my breathing rhythm, it didn't seem too tiring.
...
An hour later...
"Stop, I'm exhausted!" Sun Lan covered her stomach with both hands, gasping for breath.
Sun Lan had already handed her bag to Li Hui, who was struggling with two backpacks and looking at me in disbelief.
"Feng Zi, why don't we take a break? You've been walking for an hour and a half." Rophie wrapped her arms around my neck, her jet black eyes filled with worry and a hint of admiration?
With a beauty in my arms, how could I be too tired! Ahem, although I was indeed a bit tired, compared to last time, this was nothing. Since I managed to endure before, I couldn't believe I would fail this time. I glanced down at her and smiled slightly, "We'll be there soon; resting later won't be a problem."
"Okay." Her soft voice made me feel her arms tighten around my neck.
"Wow, Feng Zi, where did you get all this stamina? Teach me your secrets tomorrow!" Tong Qi curiously leaned over. It was clear that he also had good stamina; although his breathing was uneven, he wasn't sweating at all.
"Natural strength; I've been hiding it deep inside." Seeing Tong Qi's eager expression, I replied teasingly.
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