Chapter 1

Dapeng Mountain is located in the south of Fujian Province and is a famous scenic area known for its steep peaks, strange rocks, clear springs, and floating clouds. It covers an area of more than 30 square kilometers, with an average altitude of only 500 to 600 meters. However, its main peak reaches an altitude of 1,278 meters.

In mid-summer, there are many visitors to Dapeng Mountain. However, it was noon, just past 12 o'clock, and there were very few people at the top of the main peak, Qingtian Peak.

The peak was scorching hot. Ye Shu, who was not far from the summit, was fanning himself with his hand, but it wasn't very cool.

He had climbed the mountain with his classmates, but Qingtian Peak was not easy to climb. Many places only allowed one person to pass through, and he often had to crawl through gaps between large rocks.

Climbing up was too tiring. Ye Shu, relying on his good physical condition, had left the others far behind.

Ye Shu looked up at the remaining 100 meters of the path. Although there were no strange rocks blocking the way, it was very steep, with only a narrow path about half a meter wide winding upwards.

On both sides of the path were low grasses that almost touched the ground. At the spot where he was standing, there was a large rock extending out from the side of the cliff, about 3 to 4 square meters in size.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Ye Shu climbed onto the rock to rest.

Upon reaching the top, he discovered that there was a mountain breeze blowing on the rock, making it very comfortable.

However, looking down from the rock, the dense xizi grass below was taller than a person.

He didn't know the scientific name of the xizi grass, but it was a local term. Xizi grass had only one use: it could be woven into grass mats. Ye Shu had once harvested it on other mountains to sell for money, so he recognized it.

Looking at the dense xizi grass, he felt a bit sorry that no one was harvesting it, thinking it was a waste.

At the same time, he realized that the bottom was not the abyss-like cliff he had imagined, but a steep slope. He just couldn't see it from his previous position.

Enjoying the mountain breeze, Ye Shu took out the mineral water he had brought, unscrewed the cap, and drank a few gulps, feeling refreshed.

Looking at the distant mountains, his feelings of depression, confusion, and uncertainty were somewhat relieved.

Ye Shu, who was 17 years old, had just graduated from junior high school. He should have gone to high school or a vocational school, but his family's financial situation did not allow it. In a few days, he would have to go out to work.

It just so happened that a few of his classmates were also going to study in other places in a few days, so they had agreed to climb the mountain together as a final gathering for the classmates who were close to each other. After all, they didn't know when they would meet again.

Ye Shu waited for a while but didn't see his classmates come up. He smiled and was about to head towards the summit.

The summit also had a name; the locals called it "Longchuangding." No one knew why it was called that, but standing on Longchuangding, one could see the entire Hongxi Town and even the neighboring county in the distance.

After all, Hongxi Town and the neighboring county were adjacent.

Growing up, Ye Shu had never left Hongxi Town, and he was somewhat curious and yearned for the outside world.

At that moment, there was no one on Longchuangding, but a young couple was walking down the path leading to it, laughing and joking as they went. It was clear they were a couple.

Ye Shu's lips twitched slightly. Well, he had been hit by a dose of "dog food" (a term for public displays of affection) without warning!

Although he had never been in a relationship and rarely spoke to girls at school, he was in his adolescence and had learned a bit about such matters from books and TV.

While considering whether to avoid the couple and wait for them to leave before going up, he suddenly heard a scream.

Ye Shu looked up and saw the woman in the couple rushing down, probably because she had lost her footing.

At this speed, if she couldn't stop, she would likely rush down the slope. The bottom was unclear, and it was uncertain whether she could climb back up. If she rushed down like this, she would likely be seriously injured or even die.

The man on the mountain path could only shout in panic, but he was helpless.

The woman rushing down was even more panicked, waving her arms and screaming as she continued to rush down.

Without thinking, Ye Shu rushed over, intending to stop her before she rushed down the slope. He extended his arms and shouted, "Grab my hand!"

His plan was to grab her arm when she reached him, then rotate his body to pull her to the side.

Standing at about 1.7 meters tall, Ye Shu was not very tall, but he was not weak due to regular exercise. He was quite strong and was confident that he could stop the person rushing down and prevent a tragedy.

However, the woman, perhaps out of panic, did not grab his arm but instead collided with his body when they made contact.

The woman finally managed to steady herself with Ye Shu's body and then fell to the side.

Ye Shu, who had not expected this outcome, lost his balance due to the collision and the uneven ground, and fell backward.

Then... he fell down the slope, headfirst, sliding down like he was on a slide, but backward.

Ye Shu was truly stunned. He flailed his arms, but the grass on the slope was short and close to the ground, and he couldn't grab onto it or support his weight and the impact.

Perhaps it was an instant, perhaps it was an eternity. Ye Shu only felt the wind whistling in his ears, then his head hit something, and he felt a jolt. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

On the slope, the man and woman, still in shock, clung to each other. One had narrowly escaped, and the other had survived a close call, both with pale faces.

After a while, the woman, anxious and panicked, said, "Quick, find someone, someone fell down!"

The man tiptoed to look where Ye Shu had fallen and hesitated before saying, "I can't see anything down there. He didn't make a sound after falling, so he might be..."

"Regardless, we need to find someone to help quickly. What if he's still alive!"

"But... what will we say if he's alive but disabled? We don't have the money to compensate..."

After the man spoke, both fell silent.

The woman, still feeling some remorse, said, "But, but..."

The man waved his hand and gritted his teeth, "No buts. We saw nothing, and nothing happened here. Let's go!"

He then pulled the woman and quickly walked away.

To avoid responsibility, the two left quietly.

It's unknown whether their consciences would hurt, or if they even had any.

This was something no one knew.

Soon after, Ye Shu's classmates finally climbed up.

Someone said, "Strange, didn't Ye Shu come up earlier? Where is he?"

Another replied, "Maybe he went down after seeing the scenery? Didn't a few people go down earlier? He must have missed them."

There were a few forks on the way down.

The others thought it made sense and stopped worrying. They chatted and laughed as they headed towards Longchuangding.

"Once you reach the summit, you can see all the mountains below!"

The view from Longchuangding was truly beautiful.