The group trekked through mountains and rivers, finally stopping at the summit of a high mountain.
"Hey, look, there are huge stone walls here, very similar to the docks described in ancient books. Although many parts of the ancient records are missing, the presence of shellfish on these stone walls is enough proof that the earth went through a major natural disaster, and the water level once rose this high."
"Yes, this is very likely a dock built by survivors living at a higher elevation. It’s unimaginable how devastating the natural disaster was at the time, with the water level rising to this place. Anyone on the surface who didn't evacuate in time would have perished."
A chubby young man, claiming to be from the archaeology department, excitedly discovered an inscription on an old dock.
However, due to millennia of wind and rain, the stone inscription was severely weathered, and most of the characters had become blurred and illegible.
But an inscribed stone tablet was an important historical artifact. The chubby guy's spirits lifted, and he took numerous photos, saying he would take the inscriptions back for research.
Yet, he could still recognize the first character as "Cha" and the following characters as "Ma Tou" for free.
"Cha Ma Tou? Was this dock specifically for transporting tea?" the chubby guy mumbled.
At this moment, team members involved in self-media pulled out their cameras to film.
Liuguang Feiwu and Caidie Pianpian were neither there for archaeology nor to shoot short videos; they stayed on the side to help their companions set up the camping tents.
Since exchanging online names, the two felt an unspoken sense of closeness.
After setting up the tents and surveying the surroundings, Liuguang Feiwu couldn't help but murmur,
"Why do I feel like I've lived here before?"
"I'm not afraid to admit it, I have the same feeling. Could it be an illusion?"
Caidie Pianpian sighed.
"What's wrong? You seem worried. I haven't seen you smile much on the journey,"
Liuguang Feiwu asked with concern.
"Well, it's about work, you know. The pressure of my job is too great these days," Caidie Pianpian sighed, and casually asked, "How about you?"
"Heh, I feel like climbing mountains helps me forget a lot of my worries, and I also get to make new friends,"
Liuguang Feiwu said, glancing at Caidie Pianpian at this point.
As the two chatted and laughed, Liuguang Feiwu scrolled through WeChat and found the other person's Moments feed after adding them.
Liuguang Feiwu pointed to a photo in her Moments and asked,
"Is this your pet? What's its name?"
"Yes, it's my Golden Retriever puppy, only four months old. The puppy's name is Jin Fa La Bi,"
"Ah? Such a name. Huh, why does this sound like a stock name to me?"
Liuguang Feiwu asked curiously.
"Exactly, it's a stock name. I've been trading this stock for a while and made a lot of money. I felt it was a lucky name, and since my pet's fur is golden, I named it Jin Fa La Bi."
"Haha, you're quite interesting, naming your dog after a stock!"
As they talked, the two found a sense of tacit understanding.
The group decided to camp in this flat area for the night.
At this moment, the chubby history student said,
"I don't know why, but I have a strong feeling this was once a bustling area where many people lived. Don't you guys feel it? It seems like there are traces of human activity everywhere."
The young man looked around, trying to find evidence of former human habitation.
Then, his eyes lit up, and he walked about ten meters away to a raised section covered in vines, saying,
"Look, doesn't this look like a wall?"
At his suggestion, everyone stepped forward and cleared some of the vines with their machetes. Indeed, after the vines were pushed aside, a section of a wall was revealed.
"Wow, it's made of blue bricks. This should be relatively modern, right? At most fifty or sixty years old. Ancient people didn't have such advanced brick-making techniques."
"Yeah, ancient people shouldn't have had such advanced brick-making techniques."
Liuguang Feiwu stepped forward and knocked on the bricks with his machete. He could feel the bricks were very hard and produced a crisp "kang kang" sound.
Moreover, cement was used to join these blue bricks.
"But it's also strange. If people lived here, judging by the craftsmanship of the blue bricks, which is at most 50 or 60 years old, there should still be many ruined walls and collapsed structures remaining."
"Yeah, it feels a bit mysterious here. Does it remind anyone of a haunted island?"
A tall, thin young man, who clearly enjoyed creating a spooky atmosphere, said this, and several girls couldn't help but look frightened.
"Oh dear, Xiao Zhu, don't scare people. There are many girls here, and you'll frighten them."
Said the chubby history student.
Then he turned to comfort everyone, "Don't listen to him ramble. He's a horror novelist. He writes all sorts of scary things and likes to frighten girls online.
He's also a struggling writer, earning less than 300 yuan a month, not even enough for his full attendance bonus."
"Ouch, don't pick on people's sore spots. That's too much,"
The tall, thin young man, Xiao Zhu, feigned embarrassment.
It was evident that the two were good friends, and their conversation was very casual.
Amidst their banter and playful arguments, the group's earlier inexplicable fear dissipated, and everyone began to set up camp, clearing the area to make the campsite more comfortable.
They cleared away the vines and gathered quite a bit of dry branches, which could serve as excellent fuel.
After cleaning the surroundings, the traces of a surrounding wall actually appeared, although some parts had already collapsed.
"Well, camping inside this section of the wall gives us a sense of security. With campfires lit all around, there shouldn't be any wild beasts."
Everyone was busy with their respective tasks.
Liuguang Feiwu and Caidie Pianpian, for some inexplicable reason, were drawn to each other and lit a bonfire, sitting beside it.
Liuguang Feiwu took out his camping gear from his backpack: a lunchbox, an alcohol stove, a teapot... he had everything imaginable, making one suspect his backpack was Doraemon's pocket, capable of producing anything.
"Why do you bring so many things for hiking? Isn't it heavy?"
Caidie Pianpian asked with curiosity.
"Ha, it's not heavy. I'm naturally stronger than others. Don't let my thin appearance fool you. Look, I can lift that stone block with ease.
Let me tell you a secret, just between us. Don't tell anyone, or I'll be captured for experiments,"
Liuguang Feiwu said, half-jokingly.
However, seeing how easily he carried the heavy backpack, Caidie Pianpian couldn't help but believe him.
He filled the lunchbox with water and placed it on the fire to boil. Then, Liuguang Feiwu lit the alcohol stove, placed the teapot on it, poured in tea leaves and mineral water, and brewed tea.
"This is white tea. I wonder if you'll like it?"
Liuguang Feiwu asked, clearly considering Caidie Pianpian's preference.
"Oh, so sophisticated, you can even brew tea?" Liuguang Feiwu chuckled. "You're the most appreciative mountaineer I've ever met."