Volume 3 Chapter 7: Entering the Mountains
When the car was halfway there, it started to drizzle and the sky outside became darker and more dignified.
Although the driver asked for a high price, he was kind-hearted. He told us that it was easy to get lost in the mountains at this late hour, so we should first stay in Tangkou Town. Sometimes the rain comes and goes quickly, so we might stay until dawn, so that we would not encounter any danger in the mountains. When he took out a hotel business card and gave it to us, we realized that this guy was a hotel agent.
Because it was raining, the road was slippery, and the car was not going very fast. It took us an hour and a half to reach Tangkou Town. The southern gate of Huangshan is still one kilometer away from Tangkou, and the taxi took us directly there. I reluctantly took out four hundred dollars to pay the fare. Damn, this business was done. Fortunately, Tang Xiaohan agreed to give more ghost teeth, otherwise it would be a big loss.
Standing in the vast night rain, I could vaguely see the shadows of the mountains in front of me, towering up. Unfortunately, I couldn't see anything clearly now, and I could only enjoy the beauty of Huangshan Mountain at dawn. My knowledge of Huangshan Mountain is limited to the Welcoming Pine, and I don't know much about other landscapes of Huangshan Mountain. On the way, the driver introduced the characteristics of Huangshan Mountain and some scenic spots worth visiting.
Huangshan was originally called Yishan, but was later renamed Huangshan because of the legend that Emperor Huangdi refined elixirs here. It stretches for hundreds of miles, with 36 large peaks and 36 small peaks. The sunrise, strange pines, strange rocks, sea of clouds and hot springs are known as the "Five Wonders" of Huangshan. Judging from the weather, I probably won't be able to see the sunrise, which is a big pity.
We arrived at the entrance of the scenic spot and wanted to buy tickets, but the ticket office said that tickets would only be sold at 6:30 in the morning. Damn, how did Qu Mo get in? And didn’t the couple come at night? Didn’t they go up the mountain? Looking at the watch, it was almost five o’clock. It was not cost-effective to find a hotel, and we couldn’t go into the mountain. Oh my god, where can we wait for two hours?
At this time, a man in his fifties, wearing a raincoat, came over from the side of the road and asked us in a low voice: "Are we going into the mountains?"
I nodded. Isn't that nonsense? If I don't go into the mountain, what would I do if I ran to the foot of Huangshan Mountain and got wet in the rain and had a full stomach?
"One hundred and fifty each. I'll take you on a small path."
I immediately understood what this person did. He was a back-road runner. There are locals in the scenic area who specialize in this kind of business. They take people to bypass the main gate and enter the mountain through remote paths at a low price. This is called back-road running. They are all very familiar with the terrain of the scenic area and have connections with the patrol police, so they don't have to worry about being caught.
The ticket office said the ticket price was 230 yuan, but he wanted 150, which was not much lower. Wang Zijun slapped him and said, "50 yuan each." This guy dared to bargain.
"One hundred per person, if you go, it's a deal, if you don't go, forget it."
Seeing Shen Bing shivering in the rain, I quickly took out three hundred yuan and gave it to the man, and took out another fifty yuan to buy three disposable raincoats. To be honest, this disposable raincoat is worth at most ten yuan, and now I can only be ripped off. I put on the raincoat and felt a little warmer. I followed the runners around the South Gate and walked into the dark path.
Since we sneaked into the scenic area, the guide didn't dare to turn on the lights, so we walked in the dark. Fortunately, the guide knew the terrain very well and kept reminding us where there were pits and rocks ahead, so we didn't encounter any danger. We didn't know how long we walked, and we stopped in front of an almost sheer cliff. Fortunately, it was not high, only four or five meters, like a natural wall.
The guide climbed up first, then lowered the rope and lifted us up one by one. It seemed that this person often did this job and was well prepared. We started to climb up the mountain. After climbing more than 100 meters in twists and turns, the guide told us that his mission was completed and no one would check us here. If we want to stay in a hotel, go left, there is a Huangshan Hotel over there. On the right is Xianglu Peak and Feicui Valley. After that, he handed us a business card.
Damn, I met another hotel agent.
I heard that the hotels in the scenic area are terribly expensive. It was getting light, so why should we stay there? After the guide left, I turned on the flashlight I brought with me and looked at the scenic area guide map. The guide was right. To the left was the hotel, and to the right was Xianglu Peak. But I only knew that Qumo was in Huangshan , but I was not sure where it was exactly.
I asked Shen Bing and Wang Zijun to hide behind a big pine tree. The tree was so thick that it took two people to hug it. Hiding behind it could protect them from both rain and wind. I took out the compass and the papers, turned the papers over and asked Wang Zijun to hold them. I chanted the soul-searching spell to see if I could find Qu Mo's exact location.
My fingers started to move, and after a while they stopped. First of all, wherever the compass is, that is the center point, so this ritual is based on our current location as the reference point. I looked at the white paper and compared it with the guide map. The end of the black line is in the front left, probably after Taohua Peak, near Fuqiu Peak.
At this moment, the wind direction in the mountains changed unexpectedly , and drizzles of rain hit the faces of the three of us, which was as painful as a knife. Shen Bing kept shivering, and she covered her chest with her hands and shivered all over. But she bit her lips and acted very strong.
I said let's go, we will feel warm after climbing the mountain, but you must follow me closely, we must not get separated. It is easy to get lost and encounter danger when you are alone in the dark in the mountains. Shen Bing grabbed my clothes and said, "Don't worry, I won't lose you unless you fly into the sky."
Wang Zijun was more anxious than us. As soon as he heard that we were going to set off immediately, he rushed to the front.
The guide took us to the wilderness. There was no road to walk on. It was not like the stone steps built by humans. It was all bumpy stone ground, which made it very difficult to walk. Shen Bing and I were in good physical condition. We still felt anxious and short of breath after climbing for a while. Wang Zijun was different. It could only be described as horrible. He was in the front before, but soon fell far behind. He took a step and rested for two steps, panting heavily like a dog with his tongue hanging out.
There was no other way, so Shen Bing and I found a flat big rock to sit on and wait for him. While waiting, I took out the eye-dotting pen and opened the Yin-Yang eyes on my forehead. Although ghosts rarely appear after the hour of the ox, that is in prosperous places, but in the deep mountains, especially in rainy weather, they will not play by the rules and may appear at any time. I think it is better to open the Yin-Yang eyes. There are so many hikers who died in vain in the mountains, it is hard to guarantee that you will not encounter one or two of them, so you can detect the enemy situation in advance.
When I finished this, I looked back at Wang Zijun, but he was gone! I quickly stood up from the rock and shone my flashlight around. He was not far away from us just now, how could he suddenly disappear?
Shen Bing also stood up and asked curiously, "Where's Wang Zijun? I just lowered my head to look at the guide map a few times, and when I looked up I couldn't see him anymore."
I felt something was wrong, but my Yin-Yang eyes couldn't see anything unusual. I thought there wouldn't be any traps over there. Did this kid fall into it? I grabbed Shen Bing's hand and ran forward. I couldn't let her get lost again. I felt very relieved when I held her in my hands.
I ran to the place where Wang Zijun had rested just now. There were no traps around. There were only uneven protruding rocks and a few scattered big trees. There were no cliffs on the left and right sides. How could he suddenly disappear without a trace as if he had evaporated from the face of the earth?
Suddenly, I felt a bone-chilling cold wind blowing past my back. My heart couldn't help but shudder. I turned around hurriedly, only to see a faint black gas floating in the distance, which disappeared in an instant!
