Chapter 50: Into the Mountains

The car stopped near the reservoir, and Hou Jinshan sent me another location. The spot he gave was remote, the kind of place only hardcore wild fishing enthusiasts would frequent.

Xiao Wu and I trudged through the tall grass for ages before finally reaching the place. As soon as we arrived, we saw Hou Jinshan crouched by the water, seemingly unable to get up. When he saw me, he looked like he’d just spotted his savior.

“Oh, thank god you’re here, Young Master Gan! Look at these old bones of mine—give me a hand, will you?”

I stepped over and helped him up. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a few guys smoking together. One of them wore sunglasses and had that smug, untouchable air about him. That had to be the “partner” Hou Jinshan mentioned.

“This guy’s not like me. Watch what you say,” Hou Jinshan whispered in my ear, standing on tiptoe. “Whatever you do, don’t piss him off, or neither of us will get anything out of this.”

With that, he scurried over to the man, bowing and nodding as he whispered a few words. The man flicked his cigarette to the ground and crushed it underfoot, then walked over to shake my hand and handed me a business card, giving a brief self-introduction.

His accent was thick, some dialect I couldn’t place, so I didn’t pay much attention to what he was saying. Instead, I focused on the card.

The name on the card was clear: Li Wanchou. Below his name was the company “Guhuaxuan Antiques,” and his title was Vice Director.

The moment I saw it, anger surged through me. I looked up to find Hou Jinshan avoiding my gaze. I cursed him silently—damn con artist, not a single honest word out of his mouth. So much for being “forced into this”—they’d clearly been in cahoots from the start.

I slipped the card into my pocket and stepped forward to shake Li Wanchou’s hand. The moment we touched, I noticed his palm was covered in thick calluses—not the kind you get from regular labor, but clustered in odd places, the kind that don’t form easily.

“I heard you’ve got the Water System Map from the Nine-Ring Jade Casket?” Li Wanchou asked. “Is it complete?”

I reached out, and Xiao Wu pulled two developed photos from his bag and handed them over. I’d taken them the night before in the dorm and had Xiao Wu get them printed. These people cared about tangible proof, so this would show I was serious.

“This is only a partial map of the water system. The full map is far more complex and requires specific lighting angles to reveal. I’ll show you the real thing once we set out. But first, I want full and open cooperation,” I said bluntly.

Li Wanchou took his time examining the photos. Meanwhile, Hou Jinshan’s eyes were practically bulging out of his head, stomping his feet in frustration because he couldn’t see clearly, but not daring to rush Li Wanchou.

After three minutes, Li Wanchou finally nodded. “Alright. You’re young, but I like your approach. Our cooperation will be straightforward. You show me the real map, and I’ll take you into Shennongjia. But we’re not a tour company, so I can’t guarantee your safety. My time is limited—if there’s no problem, we leave tomorrow.”

His quick agreement gave me a strange feeling. Had I thought this through too hastily? Maybe I should’ve explored more cautious options instead of jumping headfirst into this trip to Hubei.

That night, I called the county police again to probe about the thief who jumped off the building. They insisted he’d fallen to his death and hung up before I could ask anything more.

I also asked a friend in the county to look into the sender’s address. Turns out, the address traced back to Panlongshan Cemetery. Since the envelope had been placed directly in my mailbox without going through any courier service, that lead was a dead end too.

With no other options, I quietly packed my gear. Compared to Tian Yuqing, Li Wanchou was a pure businessman—he wouldn’t spend a dime on anything unnecessary. So all the gear for this trip came out of my own pocket.

Before leaving, I’d done a lot of research on Shennongjia. It wasn’t a true “no-man’s land” like Lop Nur. The outer regions were still populated.

“Our destination isn’t the man-made walkways or villages. Those are still on the outskirts. We’re heading into the core of the nature reserve,” Li Wanchou said, poring over a tattered map from who-knows-where.

Four of us were crammed into a single off-road vehicle. I had the window seat, and after sitting in the same position for so long, my butt was numb. I didn’t have the energy to dwell on his words.

Hou Jinshan had bragged endlessly about how knowledgeable and wealthy Li Wanchou was. But from what I’d seen these past few days, he was just a nouveau riche blowhard. I had no idea why he was so obsessed with this Ghost Market map—insisting on seeing it with his own eyes.

His car wasn’t great either, and the guy was stingy as hell. Once we hit the mountains, the car started shaking like it was about to fall apart. I seriously suspected his company was on the verge of bankruptcy and he was trying to make a quick score before skipping town.

They didn’t take the regular tourist route but drove straight onto a dirt road. The scenery along the way was more like untouched jungle, with trees so dense they blocked out the sky. But I wasn’t in the mood to admire the view—the road was absolute hell.

Steep slopes were one thing, but the sharp turns made it worse. After a while, the constant jolting made me dizzy. Combined with the crappy car, I felt like I’d been on a rollercoaster for half an hour straight.

“Boss, we can’t go any further on this dirt road,” the driver suddenly said, stopping the car.

It was raining outside. I stuck my head out and saw a small roadside restaurant up ahead. Several cars were parked nearby, their drivers preparing to turn back. Everyone was hungry after the long drive, so we grabbed umbrellas and got out.

The rain had turned the dirt road into a series of muddy pits, all rutted from the wheels of passing vehicles. We stepped into the restaurant, where a few tables were already occupied. The owner’s wife greeted us warmly and led us to a corner table.

I had no appetite after all that shaking. I glanced at the menu but couldn’t decide what to eat, so I tossed it to Li Wanchou and let him order. He picked out six dishes—only the cheapest ones. After that, the owner’s wife wasn’t nearly as friendly.

I looked at the six tiny plates on the table, then at the seven grown men sitting around it, and was speechless. I knew Li Wanchou was stingy, but I didn’t think he’d be this miserly.

I nudged Xiao Wu with my elbow and exchanged a glance with him. Without hesitation, I grabbed my chopsticks and went straight for the biggest plate of fish. With this little food, it was every man for himself.

I’d been a chopstick master since I was a kid—fast, precise, and ruthless. The others didn’t stand a chance. I swept up all the meat and even passed a few pieces to Xiao Wu. In the end, the two of us were the only ones patting our bellies and burping.

As I sat in the corner, full and content, gazing out the window, my eyes caught a figure I knew all too well. My heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, I ducked my head and leaned behind Xiao Wu.

“Young Master, what are you doing?”

I smacked him lightly. “She’s here. Sit normally—don’t give me away!”

Just as I said that, I heard someone shout outside, followed by a noisy group entering the restaurant.

One of them had a booming voice. “Boss Yu, this rain’s really coming down. Let’s take a break here for now. Once it lets up a bit, we’ll head out. Sound good?”

A moment later, a woman’s voice replied, “Fine. Rest up and sort your gear. We’ll move when the rain eases.”