Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups-Chapter 340 - 230_2

It doesn’t look very tall, but the dense foliage seems like a dark green barrier, almost completely obscuring the view.

Adding to that, the mist lingers, swirling within.

Even though it is daytime now, the depths of the forest appear quite eerie under this layer of hazy filter.

Unintentionally, Fang Cheng’s gaze darted to a warning sign standing by the roadside.

"Geological dangers exist in the woods, please do not trespass!"

The paint is mottled, and the striking red letters add an extra touch of eeriness.

It caused Fang Cheng’s originally curious steps to involuntarily retreat.

"Young man, don’t look too much. It’s dangerous, and you can’t just wander into a restricted area."

At that moment, the fisherman who was previously sitting by the lake walked over with an unhurried pace.

He seemed to see through Fang Cheng’s doubts and smiled broadly:

"That mountain had a landslide years ago, the geology is unstable, and once inside, the path is hard to find. It’s especially easy to get lost."

"Moreover, there are often wild animals appearing inside. If you really encounter one, whether you can come out is another matter. We, who fish by the lake all year round, only dare to wander around outside."

Fang Cheng turned to look at the fisherman, seeing him approach in a familiar manner, casually asked:

"Did you also hear the sound just now?"

"Sound? No, are you talking about the birds?"

The fisherman shook his head, seeing Fang Cheng slightly pondering, continued:

"However, this place is indeed quite strange, there are often odd occurrences."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng couldn’t help but furrow his brow:

"Has anything happened here before?"

"Definitely, this mountain is called Mist Mountain, shrouded in mist all year round, especially at dusk and dawn. The fog is so thick it looks like milk, once people enter, their vision is completely obscured, they can’t see anything, and it’s easy to lose direction."

The fisherman seemed interested, pulling out a crumpled cigarette box from his pocket, offering one.

Seeing Fang Cheng wave his hand, he put one in his mouth himself, skillfully lit it with a lighter, and after taking a deep breath, with a hint of reminiscence in his eyes, slowly said:

"The earliest strange incident probably happened more than ten years ago, a few kids from the village were playing and illegally entered the woods for hide and seek, resulting in one child’s mysterious disappearance."

"The village committee organized a large group of people, armed with flashlights and hunting rifles, searching all night across hills; they nearly lost several other adults for this."

"Everyone said the child was captured by Mountain Spirits and hidden secretly. The child’s family cried desperately, but after all these years, there still hasn’t been any news, is it scary or what?"

He exhaled a smoke ring which dispersed into the cold air, narrating in a storytelling tone.

"Later on, a few tourists from out of town, emboldened, ignored warnings and ventured inside. What happened then? They similarly got lost in there for several days until the city’s rescue team was deployed, and found them after great effort within a mountain hollow."

"When found, they were so hungry and in such fear that one could only speculate what frightening experiences they underwent, but at least they were relatively lucky."

The fisherman gestured with the cigarette butt as if he were there at the scene himself.

"In my view, the mist inside is heavy, and the terrain is winding like a labyrinth. Even a compass is unreliable in there."

Hearing such strange tales, Fang Cheng again looked at the mist-covered mountains, muttering to himself:

"This place seems rather close to West Mountain?"

"Yes, continue going northwest for about ten kilometers and you’ll reach Xidong Town."

The fisherman, with sharp ears, casually replied.

He brought the cigarette to his mouth, took a deep puff, the tip glowing bright red, and then said:

"Young man, there’s something even creepier, I’m afraid saying it might scare you!"

"Oh?"

Fang Cheng raised a brow, his gaze landing on the fisherman’s slightly mysterious face.

The fisherman immediately leaned forward, lowering his voice:

"In the mountain, once night falls, it exudes an eerie atmosphere, especially around the time of Qingming Festival. Passing by here at night, one occasionally sees little luminous spots flickering inside the woods, like ghostly lights, drifting erratically and disappearing just as suddenly."

"We’ve lived here half our lives and know there’s absolutely no one in that mountain, so where did the lights come from? Yet, the thing brightly flickers there; you say isn’t it odd?"

"No one knows how this tale was spread, speaking of favorable Feng Shui here at the special Yin Yang intersection. If someone ends their life here, their soul can immediately ascend."

"Believe it or not, some people actually believed this and went inside the mountains to commit suicide. Some nosy media even dubbed it the suicide forest, causing the village’s tourism business to plummet."

"In the past, when holidays came, outsiders loved coming here for sightseeing and leisure, local farm stays were bustling. Now, they hear of such matters and find it inauspicious, they don’t dare come. Many hotels and restaurants have closed down for good."

"So, that’s why I advise you not to wander recklessly. Who knows, someone might have even hanged themselves from one of these trees!"

The fisherman instinctively glanced around, as if some dreadful entities lurked nearby, ready to pounce out, making one’s spine shiver.

After saying this, he flicked the ash of his cigarette, as if trying to shake off the chill too.

Then, his demeanor became slightly more relaxed:

"Fortunately, a few years ago, the whole Mist Mountain was bought by the Lu Family, establishing a special patrol team; the mysterious events finally quieted down. At least for the last two years, I haven’t heard of anyone disappearing."

"Lu Family?"

Fang Cheng asked puzzled.

"Don’t you know the Lu Family?"

The fisherman seemed slightly surprised, then nodded: "Hmm, you likely aren’t someone from Wanghu Town."

He continued smoking, voluntarily providing some introduction:

"The Lu Family used to be regarded as the top landowner in Wanghu Town. Their ancestors were quite impressive, having served as officials, generals, and even been ennobled, with substantial wealth."

"After the establishment of the Republic of China, they became even more remarkable, thriving in business, establishing factories, hotels, engaging in finance, real estate, countless big companies nationwide, with assets no less than several billions."

"From what I heard, their reason for buying the mountain was, firstly, to help suppress the evil spirits in it, in an act of charity. Secondly, they were exploring the possibility of developing some projects, but nothing much has come to fruition so far."

"If they can indeed develop something worthwhile, villages nearby could benefit too, allowing everyone to live a better life, rather than simply staring at the mountain."

The fisherman, holding his cigarette, exhaled a cloud of smoke, casually said:

"All in all, the mountain’s eerie tale was spread extensively. Everyone fears trouble and therefore dares not to step into it easily."

"As for me, living by Yulong Lake for most of my life, coming and going with the wind and rain, what haven’t I seen? Before entering this mountain, one must weigh one’s abilities first. As for those outsiders who ignore warnings, they’re guaranteed to encounter ghost walls, with no way out..."

Before he finished speaking, there suddenly came a rustling sound from the nearby bushes, quite loud.

The fisherman seemed to freeze in place, his words cut off, his face instantly turning a deathly white.

The hand holding the cigarette suddenly shook, causing ash to fall continuously.

He widened his eyes, staring intensely at the direction of the seemingly pathless bushes.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng also instinctively tensed his muscles, preparing for an unexpected situation.

In the blink of an eye, several figures burst out from the bushes, swiftly, like wild boars jumping one after the other onto the path.

There were three men dressed in expedition jackets and camouflage clothing.

Disheveled, muddy and covered in grass debris, they appeared extremely unkempt.

There seemed to be bloodstains...

No, they were gripping guns, with daggers strapped to their waists.

Looking over, their gaze cold enough to send shivers down the spine.

The fisherman became increasingly terrified the closer he looked.

Where did these guys come from? Could they have stayed inside the mountain since last night? Could they be fugitives hiding here?

The two sides stared at each other, and the atmosphere quickly became unusually tense.

The fisherman quietly took a few steps back, glanced at the seemingly stunned Fang Cheng, and turned to leave quietly.

Suddenly, a low voice shouted:

"Stop, take another step, and I’ll shoot!"