The footsteps behind them were almost inaudible, making them turn back to look despite themselves. The man dressed in strange attire followed quietly behind. “Chief, are we really taking this person with us?” one of the men couldn't help but whisper, “This person... is truly peculiar.” The elder smiled, nodded, and glanced back as well. “Peculiar, yes, but harmless.” He stated. Can one truly discern harmlessness just by looking at someone these days? The men shook their heads in disagreement.

Although they had the elder with them, their group moved swiftly, soon emerging from the dense woods into a more level area where people were more numerous. “Hey, hey, who are you people? You can’t just wander up the mountain here.” Someone immediately rushed out from the management booth set up by the town government at the base of the mountain to shout. “Alright, alright, we understand. We’ll head down now,” the elder replied with a gentle smile. “At your age, why are you running around recklessly?” the management staff member said, still quite annoyed. The elder merely smiled amiably and remained silent.

Leaving the booth, they immediately encountered several men and women equipped with full outdoor gear. “Are you coming down from the mountain?” they asked proactively. The elder nodded with a smile. “Is the mountain… peaceful up there?” one man hurriedly inquired. “He’s already so old and made the climb, how could it not be peaceful,” others interjected before the elder could answer. “However, I heard there are wild men or something up on the mountain, who specialize in stealing clothes and food,” another young woman added. This brought laughter from the rest. “Wild men? More like wild monkeys…” “Only you girls would dream up wild men…” “This isn't Shennongjia…” But the four men flanking the elder simultaneously turned their gazes toward the man following quietly behind. Their eyes flickered over his noticeably ill-fitting, bizarrely matched trousers and shoes. The man’s expression was calm, as if he hadn't noticed their scrutiny. Chatting and laughing, the group ignored the elder and his party. Bypassing the booth ahead, they headed toward the forest. “Young man, the forest isn’t safe up there. It’s better to stick to this path,” the elder called out a reminder. The other group only laughed more, waving dismissively back at the elder. The elder shook his head. “Let’s go then.” One of the men beside the elder reminded him quietly, “We can’t delay any longer.” The elder nodded and looked back at the stretch of forest. “I wonder if I’ll ever get to see it one more time.” He murmured. With that, he stepped forward, but after a few paces, sensing something, he turned back. The man was still standing there, unmoving. “Young man?” the elder called out. The man looked over. His expression grew serious, as if he had finally made a resolution, and he then lifted his foot to step forward. And so, from that moment, he began walking step by step out of the mountain woods that could shelter him, treading into this strange and unsettling world. The elder smiled, not saying much, and turned to move on.

Three cars were parked at the foot of the mountain. Four or five men, dressed similarly to the escorting group, were standing there. Seeing them approach, they let out a collective sigh of relief, though they looked puzzled at the man behind the elder. “We need a lift,” the elder stated simply. The gazes of the surrounding men grew even more astonished. Who could possibly be riding with this elder? “Young man, come, sit with me,” the elder offered, settling into a car himself and beckoning. The man’s eyes swept over these strange contraptions, but his expression revealed not the slightest hesitation or surprise, as if these were things he was entirely familiar with. He didn't stand on ceremony and walked over. He boarded the car with steady movements. The elder smiled faintly, not missing the man’s habit of tapping the foot pedal exactly as he himself did when getting into the vehicle. The driver shut the door and started the engine. In his peripheral vision, the elder saw the man beside him instantly tense up, his hands, previously resting on his lap, clenching momentarily. But he soon relaxed them. The scenery outside the window rushed backward, accompanied by a maddening roar. The strange odors stimulated his gut… the man’s breathing involuntarily quickened. “Open the windows,” the elder commanded. For someone of the elder’s stature, keeping the windows closed was standard protocol, and the guard in the front hesitated. “Never mind. The scenery ahead is nice. Stop for a moment; I’ll go take a look,” the elder said instead, gesturing toward the front. Scenery? The guard was puzzled but still grabbed the walkie-talkie to notify those ahead and behind. The man’s gaze skimmed past the guard with the radio, then noticed the car in front had stopped first. That thing—could it communicate across distances? “Come, young man, want to get out and see?” The elder pushed the door open and stepped out, speaking to the man. The man nodded and followed him down. The fresh air made him exhale deeply, quickly suppressing the churning sensation in his stomach. “Who is the person you are looking for?” the elder asked, stretching his legs in a manner suitable for the wilderness. The man said nothing, just gazing at the mountainside. “You only know her name and occupation?” the elder continued, unperturbed. “How old is she?” Don’t know, don’t know how old she is, she always said she was older than us… The words of that girl echoed in the man’s ears. “I don’t know,” the man replied. The elder turned to look at him, slightly surprised. “Well, if we pulled up a photo, could you recognize her?” he asked. “I couldn’t,” the man answered. The elder stilled his movements and smiled at the man. “Then, young man, do you know how large China is or how many people live there?” he asked. China… The man shook his head. “Xiao Tang, did you look into the matter I assigned you?” the elder called to the side. A guard immediately ran over. “I checked,” he reported. “We intercepted the current nationwide count of females named Qi Yue: sixty-five thousand eight hundred and thirty-two.” The elder looked at the man, making a ‘listen to this’ expression. The man was clearly astonished. However, what shocked him was how quickly such an accurate count of people with that name could be produced. “A doctor,” the man said. The elder was somewhat taken aback that the man wasn't crushed by the number, but he smiled and nodded. “The profession is hard to narrow down; we’ll need further filtering,” he said. “Young man, if you trust me, come along with me.” The man looked at him. “Am I not already going with you?” he countered. Since meeting the elder, the man had spoken little and briefly; this was probably the longest sentence he’d uttered, and… the elder smiled faintly. Others might not have noticed, but he did: this man’s accent was already beginning to resemble his own. What formidable learning capacity… what formidable observational ability… and what formidable emotional control… The elder laughed heartily and patted the man’s shoulder. He praised him several times. “So then, may I ask your name, young man?” he chuckled. The man looked at him and extended his hand. “Chang Yuncheng,” he stated. The elder naturally reached out and shook it, noticing a slight smile bloom on the man’s face. Happy? Why? Because of the handshake? The elder withdrew his hand and couldn’t help but glance at it. Yes, many people would be thrilled just to shake his hand. However, the smile on this man’s face wasn't one of excited subservience. It was quite distinct: he wasn't happy because he was shaking his hand, but likely merely because of the act of shaking hands itself. The elder smiled, stepped into the car, and called out, “Let’s go,” looking at the man, “Chang Yuncheng.” Chang Yuncheng glanced back at the mountain woods one last time. He stepped onto the car. Watching the elder get in, the guards surrounding them also boarded. “What was so great about the scenery back there?” a guard in the back couldn’t resist saying. “I don’t think he was looking at scenery,” another remarked. “My guess is this bumpkin got carsick…” He clicked his tongue twice while saying this. “Why is the Chief being so nice to this inexplicable country bumpkin?” he frowned, looking utterly perplexed.

The car wound its way along the mountain road, thick with autumn colors. Watching a woman walking up the road from the mountain, the scenic area staff greeted each other. “Hey, that woman is back again,” they said. But compared to the previous few days, their nerves were less frayed now. This woman had been here for seven days. After the initial three days of loud wailing and fussing, she had become much quieter in the subsequent days. However, everyone was certain the woman had mental issues. Otherwise, who would spend all day crying over a skeleton? “Thank you,” Qi Yue said, handing over her ticket. “Um… Miss is alone?” the administrator asked hesitantly. Wasn't there usually a woman accompanying her before? “She went to book plane tickets,” Qi Yue replied kindly. The administrator made an ‘oh’ sound, deciding not to ask if one person was leaving or both, lest they agitate the seemingly unstable woman. She tore off the stub and noticed the tote bag Qi Yue was carrying. “Miss, we need to inspect your bag,” she said. Qi Yue cooperatively handed it over. They opened it and saw only two cans of beer inside. “This…” the administrator hesitated. Qi Yue reached out, took the cans, popped the tops off both with a snap-snap, took a sip from one, and looked at the administrator. The administrator waved her through and signaled the other two staff members, who quickly followed.

Approaching the burial chamber step by step, Qi Yue stopped a few feet away, sat down, and quietly gazed at the white bones. She placed one can of beer nearby, picked up the other, tilted her head back, and took a long drink, sighing. “Tell me, can you even be considered a man?” she asked. The guards standing alertly nearby froze. They exchanged glances, then looked back at the woman. Was she speaking to them? “Can you be considered a man? What kind of world is this, where someone spends their whole life like this over a woman?” Qi Yue continued, taking another sip. Then, remembering something, she tapped the beer can in front of her. “Here, try some. This is our local brew.” Saying this, she poured a little beer out. The tomb floor was paved with blue bricks; the liquid quickly seeped into the cracks. The two administrators shivered involuntarily, glancing around. Logically, there was no one there… this woman truly was insane… “How is it? Good, isn’t it?” Qi Yue went on, smiling as if someone was sitting opposite her. The two administrators got goosebumps. “Big brother, if a woman dies, she dies. What does that matter?” Qi Yue continued talking to the skeleton. “It’s just one woman! Yes, you liked her very much, so much that you couldn’t lose her? In this life, everyone loses something. What’s the big deal?” Yes, yes, the two administrators nodded mentally, so whatever you’ve lost, Miss, please just get back to normal quickly. Qi Yue drank again, then poured the beer from the opposite can onto the ground. “Losing something is losing it. Sad, painful, but life must go on. New things will always come. Who knows who we’ll meet tomorrow? Maybe someone we’ll like and love even more,” she said, smiling through flowing tears. “Are you stupid, so stupid!” The staff couldn't help but look at the bones—did they resemble this woman’s lover? What on earth was she doing? Qi Yue threw her head back and downed the rest of her beer, then poured the remaining can opposite her onto the ground in one go. “Alright, I’m heading back now,” she announced, standing up and putting the empty cans into her bag. The two administrators were surprised. They hadn’t planned to lecture her about littering—they were already prepared to pick up the cans themselves—when this crazy woman actually maintained basic courtesy. What pleased them even more was that the woman said she was leaving. Thank heaven, we can finally have some peaceful days. Qi Yue stood, looking at the skeleton. “I’ll be back to keep you company as soon as I finish my business over there,” she said, waving toward the empty interior, as if seeing the man smile. She also smiled faintly and turned to leave. The two administrators exchanged looks behind her, their faces showing profound distress. She’s coming back? It’s never-ending… Someone, please deal with this…

*********Thank you to March Maple Fragrance for becoming the ninth Alliance Leader, thank you very much, you spared no expense. I originally planned to stockpile chapters until the end of the month, but I couldn't bear to see you begging for updates after donating. If I finish writing before the end of the month, I won't make it for the double Pink Ticket votes. Please don't abandon me; you still need to cast your Pink Tickets for me (looking at you pitifully~) Don't let the doors be empty after the tea has gone cold~~~~(>