Chương 63: Did the water sink?

(Skip) Just because others don't care doesn't mean Zhao Rui and others don't care.

How can a close friend who suddenly disappear act as if nothing happened?

Zhao Rui and the others went to find Wang Zhanshan and inquired about the details of the search.

Knowing that the group had a good relationship, Wang Zhanshan patiently explained the situation.

He contacted local officials, firefighters, and police officers to conduct a thorough search of the hills and streams where Zhang Kui might have gone.

But nothing was gained.

As for what Zhao Rui wanted to know about the sealed cave that Zhang Kui had mentioned, Wang Zhanshan remained silent, only saying that it was not something they were considering.

When Zhao Rui mentioned Sunset Peak, Wang Zhanshan interrupted him, scolding them for having wild ideas.

The government is doing its best to search for them.

Finding someone in such a large area is like finding a needle in a haystack; we just need to be patient and wait.

Zhao Rui and the others had no choice but to trust the imperial court and wait patiently.

Time flies, and it's already early December.

The temperature has dropped below zero, and the students at the school have already put on thick winter clothes.

The martial artists at the martial arts academy are no exception.

Although martial artists are not afraid of the cold, that only applies when they use their internal energy to protect their bodies.

Who has nothing better to do than circulate their Qi from their dantian throughout their body every day, specifically to keep warm?

Do you think everyone knows the Nine Yang Divine Skill, a skill that automatically protects the body?

Compared to ordinary people, martial artists' physical functions are indeed much stronger. Prolonged exposure to temperatures of minus ten or eight degrees Celsius does not cause much harm to their bodies.

But temperature sensitivity is a personal thing, and there's really no need to force yourself to endure it just to save face.

Wear warm clothes if you need to.

Women are an exception, of course.

The senior and junior female members of the martial arts team were still wearing light clothes, usually autumn clothes or light windbreakers.

However, some fashion-conscious girls will wear summer or summer-appropriate clothing, such as short skirts, stockings, and dresses.

They are all thin layers.

Their style of dressing is vastly different from that of ordinary girls who brave the cold and get snotty noses just to look beautiful. They can wear whatever they want.

This is something many female students from the School of Foreign Languages envy.

Nineteen days had passed since Zhang Kui disappeared.

The government's search team had already withdrawn, and there was still no news of Zhang Kui.

Meanwhile, the Dongqi Martial Arts Team embarked on their training trip to Mount Tai.

Martial artists must not only train themselves internally, but also train nature externally. The way of nature and the way of the human body are mutually causal and cyclical.

In this world filled with profound internal energy, it becomes all the more important.

The academy will not prevent students from going out to experience nature and gain insights into martial arts.

But Zhang Kui's mistake was that he acted voluntarily, without reporting it, and the place he went to was a restricted area.

This is what makes things a bit tricky.

"Let me emphasize again, for this trip, each team leader must manage their own people well. No one is allowed to leave the team, and all matters must be reported in advance..."

Before leaving, Wang Zhanshan stood at the front door of the bus and solemnly emphasized to his teammates inside.

Originally, we were going to cancel this trip to Mount Tai, but considering some other factors, we decided to go anyway.

"Did you all understand?"

"I understand!"

Everyone responded in unison.

Zhao Rui sat in the middle, with Cao Guannan sitting next to him.

Li Xinran and Qin Rui were sitting on the other side of the aisle.

Only four of the five were left, and the seats were just right.

"Old Cao, I'll switch seats with you!"

Halfway through the drive, Li Xinran suddenly patted Cao Guannan and spoke up.

Cao Guannan glanced at him, reluctantly stood up, and switched places with her.

After Li Xinran sat down next to Zhao Rui, she leaned back in her chair and sighed softly, "The year-end tests are coming up soon."

Zhao Rui hummed in agreement, glanced at her androgynous face, and said, "You should be close to level eight. Focus on cultivating your internal energy during this time, and you should be fine!"

That's not what I meant.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Rui also fell silent.

Yes, the year-end tests are coming up soon, and Zhang Kui still hasn't returned; his fate is unknown.

"Alright, stop overthinking it and look ahead."

Zhao Rui comforted him.

Li Xinran nodded, took out her phone, typed a few words, and then handed it to Zhao Rui.

The fan read: "I want to go see the place Zhang Kui went to. It's not close, will you go?"

Zhao Rui was taken aback and couldn't help but look at Li Xinran, only to see that her eyes were filled with sorrow, a stark contrast to her former carefree and tomboyish demeanor.

"If we can't even find the government offices, there's no point in us going!"

Zhao Rui wasn't very confident in his abilities. Even Wang Zhanshan, who led government officials, had returned empty-handed, let alone these novices like them.

Li Xinran knew she was putting herself in a difficult position, so she nodded and didn't say anything more.

After an hour of bumpy travel, the car gradually entered the territory of Mount Tai.

As we traveled along, the majestic mountains became increasingly clear, their continuous range forming a giant dragon lying across the land of Shandong.

The dragon's head is the towering main peak of Mount Tai.

"According to our station, due to the southward movement of cold air, light rain turning to light snow is expected in central China and southern Shandong today, with temperatures ranging from 1 degree Celsius to -5 degrees Celsius..."

Local news reports were playing on the screen at the front of the bus.

The dark clouds outside the window gradually thickened, accompanied by a chilly wind, obscuring the entire sky and dimming all the light.

"It got dark so quickly, is it going to snow?"

"I don't want to climb Mount Tai in the snow!"

"I heard that Mount Tai is beautiful after a snowfall; you can see the sunrise and the falling snow, the glow of the sunset against the backdrop of the pristine white snow-capped mountains..."

"Stop, you go, I'm not going."

The car was filled with the sounds of conversation.

Everyone was clearly very excited.

After driving for another ten minutes or so, the car finally arrived at a hotel at the foot of Mount Tai.

Everyone got off the bus in a commotion, each carrying a suitcase, and followed the teacher in charge to the hotel to check in.

Each person has their own room, since many team members need to meditate and practice at night.

Don't worry, the school will cover the cost.

That's how extravagant and wealthy the martial arts academy is.

After checking into their accommodations, everyone went to the hotel's buffet restaurant for a hearty buffet meal, followed by free time.

However, Wang Zhanshan gave an order that no one was allowed to go too far, and that at least two people should go out together, and that they should report to him if anything happened.

Zhao Rui stayed quietly in his dormitory, meditating and practicing his martial arts.

In the past two weeks, he has earned 7 more advancement points from the senior students.

Four of them were used to improve internal strength cultivation, three were used to open acupoints, and the remaining advancement point from last time was kept as a backup.

In this way, his internal strength has reached a terrifying level of twenty-two years.

It's older than him.

At this moment, he didn't need to be tested; his internal strength level alone had already exceeded the level seven standard.

Of course, level seven is not his actual combat strength. As a martial artist who has opened seven acupoints, he himself does not know what level his combat strength can reach.

At least below level nine, they are confident they can put up a fight.

This is also why he did not explicitly oppose Li Xinran's proposal.

After doing a few cycles of the body's energy in bed and practicing a meditation technique for a while, there was a knock on the door.

Zhao Rui finished his practice, got out of bed, walked to the door, opened it, and saw Li Xinran and two others standing outside.

"you……"

Zhao Rui couldn't help but sigh. He turned and went inside.

"Old Wang went out for drinks, and I saw him being picked up in a car."

Once inside the room, Li Xinran closed the door and spoke in a low voice.

"knew!"

Seeing that the three were ready, Zhao Rui said no more.

To be honest, he was just an ordinary person who hadn't seen much of life in his past and present lives, so he was actually quite shocked by Zhang Kui's sudden disappearance.

If I had gone with them back then, would none of this have happened?

Or, if I had tried my best to stop him at the time, would I have changed his mind?

Zhao Rui changed his clothes, then took out the steel dagger he had gotten from Tiger Brother from his backpack and tucked it into his lower back.

Then, the four of them took advantage of the darkness to jump over the courtyard wall and used their lightness skills to rush towards Sunset Peak of Mount Tai.

This was the name Zhang Kui had mentioned before. Zhao Rui didn't know if it was the place where he last disappeared, but this was the only piece of information he could try.

This is the place Li Xinran wants to go.

She just wanted to give it a try; she wouldn't be satisfied unless she searched for it herself.

All four were level seven martial artists with incredibly strong internal energy. Although they were nothing special in the martial arts team, they would definitely be big shots in a small town.

I didn't see Zhao Rui's third uncle. He's a member of the martial arts association in the county, and his strength is only at level seven.

The night wind was cold and sharp, the clouds were low and the wind was strong, and the dark clouds rolled in the sky, like a giant beast striding through the air, with the momentum to swallow the sky.

"I had already looked up information about this mountain before. There are two roads: one is the official road, and the other is a small path that local villagers often take."

Zhao Rui spoke against the wind, his voice carrying undiminished power and still clearly reaching everyone's ears.

Li Xinran's eyes were red as she said angrily, "I knew it, you're not the kind of heartless person."

Zhao Rui felt a little ashamed at these words. If it were his own family, he would have already dropped everything and gone to search for them.

But how should I put it?

Reason and emotion will eventually prevail.

"Which way do you want to go?"

"Let's take the back path."

In the past ten days or so, Zhao Rui not only searched for a lot of information online, but also contacted a local villager who often went up the mountain.

The price is two thousand, and I'll accompany you up the mountain once; I won't take care of anything else.

"I'll listen to you!"

The three of them were in agreement. Over the past six months, whenever they had something to discuss, Zhao Rui was the one who ultimately made the final decision.

Zhao Rui nodded, took out his phone and made a call, then headed straight for the address sent via WeChat.

We were now close to the foot of the mountains, with dense forests and rocks as far as the eye could see.

The group climbed directly to the treetops, stepping on branches and leaves as they traversed the forest, startling birdsong and animal roars.

After running for about half an hour, the group finally arrived near a village at the foot of the mountain.

An old man in his fifties was smoking a cigarette, sitting on a rickety bread truck, sticking his head out to admire the scenery.

"Is that Uncle Hu?"

Upon reaching them, Zhao Rui walked over and asked.

"Are you Boss Zhao?"

Old Hu sized up Zhao Rui, slightly surprised, and said, "So young, get in the car! Once we're on the road, listen to me, don't wander off."

Zhao Rui smiled and said it was no problem. Then he called Li Xinran and the others and quickly got into the car.

"Uncle, how are we going to drive?"

Seeing that Lao Hu was speeding along without stopping, Li Xinran couldn't help but ask curiously.

"The government is building a lot of roads now, which can reach the mountainside directly. If we drive, we can save a third of the time."

Old Hu explained.

"oh."

Everyone then realized that in the Taishan area, from the halfway point down the mountain, every village now has road access.

After driving for another half hour, the group finally arrived at the foot of a desolate and secluded mountain.

Old Hu called the group out of the car, then took out a bunch of flashlights and climbing tools from the back of the car and handed them to everyone.

"I know you don't know how to bring anything. These are free, but you'll have to pay for them if they get lost."

After saying that, Lao Hu picked up a travel backpack and slung it over his shoulder, then turned on his flashlight and headed up the mountain.

Zhao Rui looked up at the mountain peak, which towered into the clouds and was completely obscured in the pitch-black night.

All that could be seen was Lao Hu's powerful flashlight, emitting a bright light.

"Let's keep up!"

After Zhao Rui finished speaking, he and the others quickly followed.

"I heard this mountain is closed off, is that true?"

On the way, Zhao Rui asked.

"The sealed-off area is not here, and you can't get through there either, as it's guarded by the army."

Old Hu said this as he bent over and climbed up the mountain.

"Not here anymore?"

Zhao Rui was taken aback, but he clearly remembered that Zhang Kui was referring to Sunset Peak.

"Then do you know why the mountain is closed?"

"I don't know, what do we ordinary people know? But I heard that a blue light suddenly appeared on the mountaintop, and it was sealed off by the government a few days later."

"However, whether it's sealed off or not, what else could be on the mountain? It can't be a gold mine, can it? That has nothing to do with us ordinary people."

Old Hu's words make a lot of sense. No matter how good something is, it's not something ordinary people can get involved in or covet.

Are you still going?

When Lao Hu saw that Zhao Rui wanted to go to the mountain that was off-limits, he immediately turned around and asked, "If you're going down there now, you'll have to give me a hundred."

Zhao Rui frowned and looked at Li Xinran and the others. Seeing Li Xinran shake her head, he said, "Continue up the mountain. You'll get your money. But you have to lead the way."

"Don't worry, I've lived at the foot of this mountain since I was a child. Hunting and gathering herbs in the mountains is like child's play for me."

As Old Hu spoke, he walked to a tree that was gleaming, picked up a sequin from the ground, and said, "I threw this here when I passed by before."

After saying that, he went up the mountain with his head down.

The mountain road was rugged and it was nighttime. If he weren't familiar with the road, he wouldn't have come even if you offered him ten thousand.

But after climbing for a while, they found that the young people behind them didn't seem to be having any trouble at all, as if they were walking on flat ground.

He immediately realized that these people must be skilled in martial arts.

"Uncle, where is that sealed-off mountain you mentioned? Is there anything special about it?"

Zhao Rui, still unwilling to give up, asked aloud.

"Nan, it's on the east side of the mountain. From the top of this mountain, you can see the entire west side directly, and there's a connecting mountain road that leads there."

"And it's probably closed off already. As for this mountain? Nothing special about it!"

After Lao Hu finished speaking, he suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "However, the police and firefighters came to patrol the mountain a while ago. There were quite a few of them, along with hunting dogs and drones. They stayed for several days and then left."

Hearing Lao Hu's words, Zhao Rui and the others exchanged glances, feeling both relieved and regretful.

"Let's go up and take a look!"

Li Xinran said somewhat dejectedly.

The group nodded and continued on their way.

This mountain path leads up through a dense forest, passes a cliff, crosses a mountain stream halfway up the mountain, and spans two small hills before reaching the destination.

Even Lao Hu, who frequently travels this road, walks with extreme caution on such a dark night, as if facing a formidable enemy.

After several hours of this ordeal, the group finally reached the location where the mountain stream emerged.

The stream shimmered with a dull gray light under the dim moonlight, and the babbling water sounded like melodious piano music, producing a crisp melody.

"Why is there no water here?"

As he was walking along the riverbank, Lao Hu suddenly stopped and shone the flashlight he was wearing on his head into the stream ahead.

Hearing the sound, everyone quickly looked over and saw that what should have been a flat and quiet stream had suddenly narrowed at a bend.

It was as if the water had suddenly vanished into thin air.

During the day, it might not be noticeable, but at night, Lao Hu is more concerned about the sounds he hears.

"Did the water sink?"

Old Hu squatted down, touched the soil on the ground, and said strangely.

Happy Dragon Boat Festival to everyone!

I don't have a holiday, I'm working as usual, and I'm feeling down.

(End of this chapter)