Chapter 1 Mengzi Mountain

"Xiaoxiao, hurry up!" Zhang Bo waved his arms and shouted behind him.

Zhang Bo, although his name sounds gentle, he is actually a strong and sturdy man, a big and burly man, but he has a surprisingly fresh and elegant temperament. This time, he invited his university roommates to take advantage of the National Day holiday to travel to his hometown, Zibo.

Now, they are climbing Mount Mencius.

Mengzi Mountain is dotted with scenic spots and has a long history. According to the inscriptions on the mountain, "There are magnificent halls and pavilions on the mountain, and the houses are connected, including pavilions, towers, corridors, halls...", "The south hall has two rooms, one ear room, and two cabinets", "The empty space in front of the temple was converted into a huge hall, with a statue and other halls, which is more respectful and solemn."

In the past, Mencius Mountain was always popular with incense burners, and there was an endless stream of tourists coming to burn incense and worship, and the scene was extremely lively.

Although Mencius Mountain today is not as good as it used to be, you can still see some of its former charm during holidays.

The boy who fell behind stared at Zhang Bo expressionlessly, his eyes sharp, until Zhang Bo's over-stretched eyebrows began to twitch, then he slowly said: "My name is Xiao-Xiao! First voice!"

"Isn't it just Xiaoxiao?" Zhang Bo muttered, his voice was so loud that it echoed in the quiet mountain path.

"Okay, okay, Xiaosan, you know that the boss is the typical representative of the limbs and brains, so don't bother with him." Zhuge Yun put his arm around Xiao Xiao's shoulder with a wink, as if they were good brothers.

Xiao Xiao felt his temple twitch, and his shoulders shook unceremoniously. He shook off Zhuge Yun's attempt to get close to him, and then said with a fake smile: "Waiter, call me Lao San or my name!"

"Then don't call me Xiao Er!"

"Who started it?"

……

"Ah~" Zhao Lu, the youngest one, was looking at the childish and out-of-tune guys in front of him and sighed with a bit of melancholy.

Then I looked up and around. The mountain path was rugged, the trees covered the sky, and even the sunlight was filtered out sparsely. There was a hint of coolness in the air. Normally, this should be a comfortable temperature in the hot weather, but because of the excessive silence, people couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"Stop making trouble. Boss, where is this place? Do you still know the way?" Zhao Luzheng took a few quick steps and walked to Zhang Bo's side.

Originally they came to Mengzi Mountain for sightseeing, but there were too many tourists and they couldn't bear the crowd. In addition, Zhang Bo patted his chest and said that this was his territory and he knew the place well, so they went to the place with fewer people, and finally they ended up in such a remote place.

"Yeah, why is there no one here?" Zhuge Yun pushed his glasses on the bridge of his nose, feeling a little confused. Although they went to places with fewer people, how could there be really no one in the scenic area?

"Hmm?" Although Zhang Bo grew up in this land, he was not a native, so how could he tell all the paths in the mountains apart? He was also very unfamiliar with this place, and he could not help scratching his head, "Why don't we go back? We can always get out."

The other three rolled their eyes at him, what an unreliable guy.

Zhang Bohan smiled, a little embarrassed, "Let's go, let's go, I'll treat you to a big meal when I get back."

Looking at the watch, it was almost eleven o'clock. They had arrived at Mengzishan at eight o'clock, and nearly three hours had passed without them noticing. They were really hungry.

Xiao Xiao fell last. He always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't grasp the key for a while. In the end, he could only shake his head and ignore the weirdness in his heart.

"Third brother, follow me!"

"coming."

……

The idea is beautiful, but the reality is cruel.

After walking for a while, they found that they were completely lost.

It is difficult to find the way in the mountains. The surrounding scenery is almost the same, with nothing but trees. How can you remember the direction you came from?

Xiao Xiao and his companions were really getting anxious at this moment.

This is in the mountains and there is no signal.

If they were really trapped here, it would be no joke.

"Boss, you've really caused us so much trouble, and you're just a local bully." Zhuge Yun complained bluntly and pounded his sore legs. After all, he had been walking on the mountain road for a whole morning, and coupled with the psychological factors afterwards, he felt even more tired.

"Boss, what should we do now?" Zhao Lu was leaning against a tree, becoming a little impatient.

"Let me see, let me see." Zhang Bo felt even more tormented. Everyone trusted him and that's why they ended up in such an embarrassing situation. Besides, he was born and raised here, so it should be easier for him to find a way out than them.

"Boss, don't worry." Xiao Xiao patted the boss's shoulder, "Let's take a break first."

Xiao Xiao was a bit of a germaphobe, so he didn't find a tree to lean on. He just stood there, slowly calming his somewhat rapid breathing.

Suddenly, he raised his head, listened attentively, and walked around.

"Third brother, what are you doing?" Zhuge Yun couldn't help but ask when he saw Xiao Xiao's strange behavior.

Others also looked at him with questioning eyes.

Xiao Xiao ignored them and spoke after going around in circles for a while: "I always felt that there was something strange, but I could never figure it out. Now I finally know."

"Hmm, something strange?" "What is it?"

"What's so strange?"

"Don't you think it's too quiet here?" Xiao Xiao didn't keep anyone in suspense and directly told them his discovery.

"Oh, I thought something else. Isn't it normal that the mountains are quiet?" Zhuge An said with some disappointment. He thought there was some weird story in the mountains, which made him wait in vain.

"Indeed, it is normal for the mountains to be quiet, but listen, there are not even birds singing here, no sound at all. Don't you think it's very strange?" Xiao Xiao frowned.

Logically speaking, there may not be any dangerous creatures such as wild beasts in this kind of pristine forest. After all, it has been designated as a scenic area and the personal safety of tourists must be guaranteed. But there must be some wild birds, right?

However, he listened carefully and found that there was no sound of birds singing, not even insects chirping. The entire forest was so quiet that it was a little eerie.

"Uh~" After hearing what Xiao Xiao said, the others began to come to their senses.

Yes, they had never paid attention to it before, but now they realized that the surroundings were so quiet that they could even clearly hear their heavy breathing.

They couldn't help but feel a chill down their spines.

"Haha, have all the birds been shot by hunters?" Zhuge Yun smiled dryly.

No one paid any attention to him.

The atmosphere became a little solemn.

"Let's go." Xiao Xiao took the lead. Sitting and waiting for death would never help. Maybe he was just worrying too much. Maybe as they walked, they would see other tourists.

"Yeah." The others quickly followed. Rather than staying here and scaring themselves, it would be better to walk around. Maybe there would be light at the end of the tunnel.

……

Along the way, the only sounds Xiao Xiao and his companions could hear were the dull sounds of their footsteps on the muddy ground, and the occasional rustling of fallen leaves. The trees blocked out the sky and were filled with dark shadows, and they had the illusion that they were being swallowed up.

Involuntarily, their steps became faster and faster, and their faces became paler.

"Wait a minute." The sudden voice almost made the people in front stumble.

"Third brother, you are going to scare people to death!"

"My heart almost stopped!"

"Do you know that scaring people can kill people?"

Facing the unanimous condemnation of the three people, Xiao Xiao was somewhat speechless. What was it? Especially the eldest brother, is he so big for nothing? How could he be frightened so easily?
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were so timid." Xiao Xiao saw that the three were about to explode again, so he quickly got to the point, "Look, there seems to be a water source over there."

Compared to the three people who were rushing forward, Xiao Xiao still paid attention to his surroundings from time to time.

So naturally, he caught the reflection out of the corner of his eye, but because of the trees, he couldn't see clearly what it was.

But it should be a water source anyway.

"Oh, really? Go check it out."

"It would be nice if it was a river."

Many people know that if you get lost in the mountains and forests, the best way to survive is to float downstream if you can find a river.

So, now, Zhang Bo and his companions simply ran, pushing aside the bushes. Their faces were full of excitement, but when they saw what was in front of them, they froze and became listless.

"What the hell, it turns out to be a lake."

"It was all for nothing."

Xiao Xiao followed and found that it was indeed a vast lake.

The water surface is calm, clear and tranquil, reflecting the sky and clouds.

"Ah, such clean water, but why aren't there any fish?"

"Really? Is this dead water?"

“But there’s no strange smell.”

Zhang Bo and others were talking about the matter. Although they were disappointed that they didn't find a river, after seeing so many identical trees, they felt refreshed when they suddenly saw a pool of clear water. It seemed that their anxious and tense hearts were somewhat relieved.

"Huh? Aren't there fish?" Xiao Xiao felt refreshed when he smelled the fresh water vapor. When he looked down, he found dark shadows swaying and shuttling under the water, which were quite conspicuous. He couldn't help but wonder.

(End of this chapter)