“Yifan, slow down a bit, Yifan!”
“Yeah, Yifan, did you practice when you were little? We didn’t.”
Song Zichen and Wang Yitao’s bodies were even weaker than Cai Yifan’s. They could keep up at first, but later they even fell behind Chen Huaian and the other two female artists. They didn’t want to miss the camera, so they ran out of breath.
Cai Yifan was also very tired at this moment, walking with a pale face and sweating profusely.
He was determined to expose Chen Huaian.
Seeing that the time was ripe, he stopped to catch his breath and mocked Song Zichen and Wang Yitao,
“Are you two men capable or not? Look at Chen Huaian, who is disabled and can climb better than both of you. Moreover, he hasn’t even broken a sweat, while you two are already exhausted?”
These words were quite sharp.
On the surface, it seemed like praise for Chen Huaian, but in reality, it exposed Chen Huaian’s abnormality, focusing everyone’s attention on him and raising doubts.
Song Zichen and Wang Yitao looked at Chen Huaian and were stunned.
Indeed.
They had been climbing for half an hour now. Not only did Chen Huaian keep up with everyone, but there wasn’t even a drop of sweat on his head, and his breathing remained steady, forming a stark contrast with everyone around him.
Faced with the scrutinizing gazes,
Chen Huaian simply gave an honest smile: “Hehe~”
Song Zichen and Wang Yitao certainly weren’t willing to admit their physical weakness. Even if they were weak, wouldn’t mountain climbers be strong? The uncle at the back of the group had already started sweating, yet how could someone with terminal cancer ascend so easily?!
Everyone noticed something was off.
The looks directed at Chen Huaian became strange.
Only Su Xingchen still appeared confused, praising Chen Huaian beside her: “Huaian, your stamina is really impressive! You’re so persistent!”
Director Zhang had reviewed Chen Huaian’s records and verified the authenticity of his condition. Chen Huaian was in the middle stage not long ago, and during the recent follow-up examination, he had officially entered the late stage.
As for whether there was any hope for recovery, Director Zhang was unclear.
He only knew that Chen Huaian’s illness was severe.
But frankly speaking, he was also puzzled by how Chen Huaian could keep up with the group without showing any signs of fatigue.
However, as a director, his job was not to uncover the truth but to ensure the show continued.
“Shh—!” He deliberately put on a serious expression and said in a deep voice, “Did you hear that sound?”
The cameraman directed the lens toward him.
All eyes focused on him.
Director Zhang pulled out all the stops, looking grim as he said, “It’s a wolf’s howl!”
Wolf’s howl?!
The two female artists immediately showed signs of fear.
Wolves in the mountains were normal. However, since this place had been developed into a tourist attraction, the underlying dangers were masked by its polished appearance.
If they followed the regular tourist route during the day, the probability of encountering wolves would be almost zero. But everything was the opposite now.
The staff couldn’t help but chuckle seeing Director Zhang’s serious expression.
They knew this was Director Zhang’s way of changing the subject.
Truly worthy of an old director, his mind was sharp.
Even if wolves came, they wouldn’t be afraid.
Not to mention whether wolves could fight against so many people, if they couldn’t, there was always a minivan following them. Just getting on the van would solve the problem, right? If they couldn’t beat the wolves, they could always run them over!
“Wolf’s howl? How come I didn’t hear it?”
Cai Yifan wasn’t going to let Chen Huaian off the hook. He smiled and said,
“Everyone relax. If there really are wolves, isn’t there still me? I’ve trained before. If not, there’s always An Ge, who must be a hidden expert!”
“You?” Director Zhang chuckled, deliberately scaring everyone, “I’m talking about not ordinary wolves, but the shoulder-tapping wolves from Heavenly Gate Mountain. Legend has it that these wolves are very cunning, specifically hunting people who climb at night. They silently circle around people from behind, then stand up and lightly press their shoulders. Once the person turns around, they bite off their heads!”
After hearing this, everyone sighed in relief.
What? It was just a legend.
“Director Zhang, you’re always teasing us…” Zhang Lulu rolled her eyes and patted her ample chest.
Su Xingchen also calmed herself after being startled.
She was most afraid of wolves. Not just wolves, but dogs and cats too. Relatively speaking, she was less afraid of insects and snakes.
“Director Zhang, I’m six feet three. What kind of wolf can reach my shoulder?” Cai Yifan smirked disdainfully.
Height had always been his advantage.
So he liked to show it off whenever possible.
“If a wolf this tall can reach my shoulder, wouldn’t it be eight feet long? The largest wolf in the world is only six feet seven at most, and it’s not even in our Hua District.”
Just at that moment,
A long howl echoed from the depths of the distant mountains.
The entire Heavenly Gate Mountain suddenly fell silent.
All surrounding insect chirps and bird calls ceased.
Everyone looked terrified.
Director Zhang was taken aback; he hadn’t expected there to actually be wolves.
Cai Yifan shrank his neck, feeling a chill down his spine, but when he turned around, there was nothing.
The previous howl was far away, clearly posing no threat.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief, “Hehe, scared myself.”
As soon as he finished speaking,
Cai Yifan felt a heavy weight on his left shoulder.
It seemed like a pair of ‘hands’ had pressed heavily on his shoulder.
…
In the dense forest, a petite figure darted swiftly, faster than lightning. The complex bushes and tree trunks meant nothing to her.
She was like a martial arts expert from ancient times!
Despite wearing a highly incongruous school uniform.
“Ahhhhhh—!”
Suddenly, a scream more tragic than a pig being slaughtered pierced through the heavy night.
Lin Lingling’s expression changed upon hearing the scream and her previously composed steps became somewhat disordered.
“Damn, who’s climbing the small path at this time of night?”
She had to save them.
This had been her responsibility as a folk Demon-Slaying Master for the past ten years since the resurgence of spiritual energy.
…
