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Laojun Mountain is located in the northeast of the main peak of Shennongjia. It is named after the legend that Taishang Laojun often practiced alchemy here in ancient times. With an elevation of three thousand meters, it boasts rich biological resources, with rare trees and medicinal herbs found throughout the mountains. There are also many unusual animals, such as the Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey, macaques, leopards, wild boars, black bears, Polar Bears, white deer, and white snakes, along with records of "wild man" footprints.
Bai Yujing and everyone carried large backpacks and changed into climbing gear. They stopped at the Laojun Mountain Management Office.
"This place really looks like a fairyland!" Xu Lei stood at the entrance of the Laojun Mountain Management Office, gazing at the mountains shrouded in mist, with strange rocks and breathtaking beauty.
Bai Yujing immediately said, "We are here for serious business, not for tourism!"
Li Hao glanced back at the management office and said to Lao Qi and Qiangzi, "You are familiar with this place; go arrange accommodations. I will go inside to inquire about Lin Ruoqiao and their situation in the mountains."
After Li Hao entered and explained his issue and identity, the staff checked the records and verified Li Hao's identity, finally locating the vehicle that Lin Ruoqiao and the others used to enter the mountains.
The vehicle was parked at the foot of the mountain—a black SUV. Bai Yujing looked inside; it was empty except for some miscellaneous items in the trunk that didn't seem particularly noteworthy. However, Bai Yujing noticed that besides this vehicle, several others were parked nearby, covered in dust as if they had been there for a longer time.
Bai Yujing immediately asked the staff at Laojun Mountain Management Office, "Whose vehicles are these?"
The staff thought for a moment before replying, "They belong to other people who entered the mountains; they were left by a previous group."
Bai Yujing asked cautiously, "They haven't returned?"
The staff shook their head. "I’m not sure; anyway, the vehicles have been left here without being driven away!"
Lao Qi and Qiangzi went to find accommodations while Xu Lei stayed inside the Laojun Mountain Management Office. Only Bai Yujing and Li Hao remained. After Bai Yujing carefully inspected these vehicles, his expression became somewhat uneasy.
Li Hao immediately asked, "What's wrong?"
Bai Yujing replied quickly, "There are more people who entered the mountains than just those three; we need to check these vehicles to see who they belong to!"
Li Hao looked at Bai Yujing and asked, "Can you really tell that from this?"
Bai Yujing replied, "Just let me check, there must be some issues!"
Li Hao immediately took a few photos and sent the license plate number. Before long, he received a message and said to Bai Yujing, "The car belongs to the Endangered Species Organization stationed at the Shennongjia Environmental Protection Investigation Office. What’s going on here?"
Bai Yujing took Li Hao's phone to have a look and confirmed it was correct. Bai Yujing chuckled, "Interesting, this is really interesting."
Bai Yujing realized that these cars were likely connected but didn't expect such a result from the inquiry. This led to the conclusion that the ones who invited Lin Ruoqiao into the mountains were indeed from the Endangered Species Organization's Shennongjia Environmental Protection Investigation Office, which was the place where Bai Yujing had previously worked. The two guides accompanying him, Lao Qi and Qiangzi, were also from the investigation office.
Li Hao exclaimed, "They’ve already set their sights on us so quickly? We just arrived in Shennongjia yesterday!"
Bai Yujing immediately responded, "They have been stationed here for a long time; they know the area well. It wouldn’t be hard for them to find out about us. I must have been recognized while wandering around yesterday. I have to admit, my face is quite noticeable! Not to mention, I sought out an agent yesterday to find guides to take us into the mountains; it would be hard for them not to notice us."
Li Hao quickly asked, "What do these guys want? They’ve already tricked Lin Ruoqiao into the mountains and now they’re trying to deceive us as well. I think we shouldn’t go into those mountains!"
Bai Yujing shook his head, "Our goals should be the same; we both want to find traces of Lin Ruoqiao. Look at these cars; they’ve been parked here for so long without moving. Lin Ruoqiao has gone missing along with those who entered the mountains with her."
"Of course, I'm not saying they are good people. These guys lured Lin Ruoqiao into the mountains and are trying to trick us as well; they must have their own agenda. However, while they are using us, we can also use them to find Lin Ruoqiao since they are the only ones familiar with this area!"
Li Hao nodded, "Alright then, after all, it’s just the two of us; why should we be afraid of them? By the way, did you bring your gear?"
Li Hao spoke confidently because he knew Bai Yujing's capabilities but felt a bit hesitant afterward. Bai Yujing smiled and patted Li Hao on the shoulder, "Don’t worry; even if they come at us in numbers, we won’t back down!"
Li Hao laughed heartily, "You’re being a bit overconfident there!"
In the afternoon, they set off from Muyu Town after getting ready. After a busy period in the afternoon, it was now evening when Bai Yujing returned. Lao Qi and Qiangzi had arranged their accommodations in an old guesthouse on Laojun Mountain. The facilities were old and worn out; however, in such deep mountains, having electricity was already a challenge. Bai Yujing and Li Hao had nothing much to say about it.
Three rooms were opened: Bai Yujing and Li Hao shared one, Lao Qi had one with another person, and Xu Lei had her own. After dinner, as Bai Yujing passed by Xu Lei's room, he noticed her door was wide open, and she was intently organizing her belongings.
"This is useful too!"
"Ah! I need to take this as well!"
"This will come in handy too!"
Li Hao tapped Bai Yujing on the shoulder from behind and said, "Hey! What are you peeking at?"
Bai Yujing replied irritably, "What do you think I am, a pervert? I'm not into lolis; that's your weird hobby!"
After a bit of bickering, Li Hao continued, "Are we still bringing Xu Lei along tomorrow?"
Bai Yujing shook his head. "No, we won't take her. We’ll leave at dawn tomorrow; let’s keep it quiet so we don’t wake her up!"
Bai Yujing hesitated at first. If what Xu Lei said was true and they needed her clues to find Lin Ruoqiao, then it might be a hassle, but he could bring her along. Now that they had Lao Qi and Qiangzi with them—who were part of the group that invited Lin Ruoqiao into the mountains—was there anything Xu Lei knew that they didn’t? Since that was the case, there was no need to bring her along. After all, going into the mountains wasn’t a pleasant experience; could a delicate girl handle such hardships?
After thinking for a moment, Bai Yujing felt it was unfair to leave a young girl behind. He turned to Li Hao and said, "Make arrangements tonight for someone to come pick up Xu Lei tomorrow. Let her explore around here; after all, she did remind us about Lin Ruoqiao's incident!"
Li Hao nodded. "Alright, we'll do it that way!"
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