Chapter 278: Long Life and the Birth of a Son (Part 2)

Qu Zhang casually exchanged contact info with Cui Fengji and left with his painting supplies. Watching his retreating back, Cui Fengji was struck by a strange sensation that if his attention drifted for even a second, this man would vanish in an instant. It felt as though meeting him here today was a dream, one that would fade the moment he returned to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, Cui Fengji took a quick hot shower and began organizing his gear for the next day.

He had been passionate about extreme activities since he was young. His father always called him a spendthrift, claiming he was squandering the family’s assets on his hobbies. Yet, despite his father’s foul-mouthed cursing, the old man never forced him to continue the ancestral trade. By his generation, that line of work had essentially come to an end.

Cui Fengji prepared a large rucksack he had bought during his days as a professional expedition leader. Having worked as a guide for many years, this pack had been his constant companion. He filled it with climbing ropes and thermal clothing used for wilderness exploration. After setting out his clothes and trekking poles for the morning and hanging his outfit on a rack, he finally allowed himself to look forward to the meeting with Qu Zhang.

Before bed, Qu Zhang sent him a brief text message. It was concise, containing only a few words: Six tomorrow morning.

Cui Fengji felt a flicker of unease. He was a stranger in a strange land, so he replied asking where they should meet, but the other man didn’t respond.

Checking the phone number’s location tag, Cui Fengji saw it was registered in Hunan province. Not having a meeting point was a problem, so he tried calling, but the call went unanswered. This struck him as bizarre.

A time, but no location. How were they supposed to meet? Was he really expected to search for the guy on the two mountains across the way in a place where he didn’t know a soul?

Worried he might miss a call, he fell asleep clutching his phone. He drifted in and out of sleep until nearly five in the morning, but no call came. Now dressed in his windbreaker, Cui Fengji felt a surge of inexplicable irritation. Was this guy just playing him for a fool?

Nevertheless, he dutifully finished dressing and headed downstairs, intending to try the number one last time from the lobby.

However, as soon as he reached the first floor, before he even cleared the hotel doors, he saw Qu Zhang sitting in the owner’s carved sandalwood chair, sipping tea. He looked more energetic than he had the day before, wearing long trousers and a long-sleeved jacket. He had brought very little with him, only a small cloth bag. Looking at him, Cui Fengji suspected the man really was just a kid, certainly younger than himself.

“How did you find this place?” Cui Fengji asked as he walked over, his expression full of surprise.

“Now that you’re here, let’s go.” Qu Zhang gave him a silent, appraising look, set down his tea, and slung his bag over his shoulder. He gave the owner a practiced nod of farewell and headed out.

Left behind, Cui Fengji hurried to catch up. A man in his mid-forties was now trailing behind like a curious schoolboy. He was truly bewildered and began peppering the other with questions as they walked:

“I don’t think I told you where I was staying. How did you know? Also, I didn’t know you weren’t bringing enough gear. I only have three days of supplies in my pack. Should I go back and grab some more for you?”

At this, Qu Zhang suddenly stopped and turned to face him. Cui Fengji was startled by the look in the man’s eyes; it was definitely not the gaze of a twenty-something youth.

“The woods in these mountains are wild,” Qu Zhang said expressionlessly. “Once we’re in, just make sure you don’t die. Don’t worry about me. Three days is enough for us to scout the area.”

He paused, checked his watch, and added, “We need to get our shovels into the ground before nine o’clock. From now on, I won’t be answering any more questions. Save your energy. That mountain is a difficult climb.”

This shut Cui Fengji up so effectively that he didn’t dare say another word even during the car ride to the foot of the mountain. Part of the reason was also that he simply didn’t have the breath to spare.

Cui Fengji followed Qu Zhang the entire way. After the car dropped them off, there was still a stretch of dirt path leading to the wild mountain. Cui Fengji grew hotter with every step and had to stop frequently to rest. Qu Zhang kept a strict eye on the time, allowing him ten minutes at most.

Qu Zhang’s stamina was incredible. Initially, Cui Fengji had questioned whether this youngster had ever climbed a wild mountain before, thinking he would have to look after him once they got higher up. By the time they were actually climbing, that thought had vanished completely. Qu Zhang was exceptionally agile, even more so than a professional wilderness expedition leader like himself.

The man didn’t even need trekking poles, scaling rocky peaks with his bare hands.

At eight-thirty, they reached a dilapidated shack halfway up the mountain. Qu Zhang walked inside. Thinking they were stopping for a break, Cui Fengji pulled over a wooden stool to sit. Qu Zhang glanced at him but showed no intention of resting. Instead, he circled the four corners of the shack twice and then headed back out.

Cui Fengji waited a moment, and when the man didn’t return, he got up to look for him. He found Qu Zhang staring down into a well behind the shack.

“What is it?” Cui Fengji asked.

Qu Zhang handed him a length of thin cord and scanned the surroundings. “We don’t need the shovel. The bottom of this well is a robber’s hole^[1]. There’s water at the bottom, so I don’t know if it still connects to the burial chamber. I’ll go down first to check. If I’m not up in ten minutes, go back on your own.”

Cui Fengji let out a startled “Ah?” and asked, “How do you know there’s a robber’s hole down there?”

Before he could react, Qu Zhang had already secured a hook and grabbed the rope to descend. Cui Fengji scrambled to the edge of the well to reinforce the hook. He was a bit angry; securing a line with just a hook was incredibly amateur, and there was no safety line. If Qu Zhang had been one of his team members, Cui Fengji would have chewed him out by now.

Leaning over the edge, Cui Fengji soon heard the splashing of water. The echo from the bottom was loud. Once the rope went completely slack, another three or four minutes passed before Cui Fengji shouted down, “How is it? Everything okay?”

“Come down!” Qu Zhang’s voice echoed back. “Don’t use my rope. Use your own.”

Cui Fengji suspected Qu Zhang was looking down on him, but he obediently pulled out his two ropes, secured them, switched on his headlamp, and slowly rappelled down the slick, damp wall of the well.

The well water was only a meter deep, but it was freezing, sending a violent shudder through Cui Fengji’s entire body. As his headlamp swept to the side, the beam illuminated a pair of rotting eyeballs staring fixedly back at him. Terrified, his feet slipped and he let out a sharp cry, his body tilting backward. Just then, an arm reached up from below to grab him, steadying his balance.

“Stop screaming.” Qu Zhang skillfully unclipped the buckle at his waist.

Cui Fengji was so frightened by the corpse floating on the water that he nearly jumped out of his skin. Unable to suppress his terror, he splashed through the water, gripping Qu Zhang’s hand and scrambling to hide behind him. “W-w-why is there something like that in the well? Y-y-you were down here alone just now without a light. W-weren’t you scared down here?”

Qu Zhang pushed the corpse away with his hand, letting it drift off, then patted him and pointed toward the other side. Cui Fengji turned his headlamp that way and discovered a section of a reinforced tunnel wall. Only a small portion was exposed; the rest remained submerged.

“I already scouted the tunnel. It’s about a fifty-meter dive and leads to the moat,” Qu Zhang said. “I’ll go first. Follow me after a minute. There’s a narrow section ahead, though. You’ll probably have to shed some gear to squeeze through.”

“Huh? You already went in there by yourself?” Cui Fengji was stunned. Only now did he notice that Qu Zhang’s hair and clothes were dripping wet.

Driven by the professional instincts of his former career, he immediately barked in anger, “You kid! How could you go down there alone? In a tunnel that long, if you run out of air, you’ll suffocate in there! Do you have any idea?”

Qu Zhang looked at him without saying a word. Cui Fengji thought he had been too harsh and was about to offer some words of comfort when, suddenly, Qu Zhang seemed to think of something. His expression softened, and he actually broke into a smile.

“What are you laughing at?” Cui Fengji asked.

Qu Zhang relaxed slightly, a rare occurrence. He waved a hand dismissively. “It’s nothing. You just reminded me of a friend. It’s been a long time since anyone scolded me like that.”

Updating this for the next two days. Will return to the main storyline on October 1st.