Maria’s words prompted Charlie to ponder the possibility of Morvel Bazin’s existence more seriously than ever before. Initially, this question had seemed somewhat ludicrous.
The ‘Apocalyptic Book’ offered no accounts of anyone living for over a thousand years, making this a blind spot in Charlie’s knowledge. Even the ‘Apocalyptic Book’ lacked any mention of the Eternal Green Pill.
Maria herself represented another gap in Charlie’s understanding, let alone Morvel Bazin. Though direct evidence regarding Morvel Bazin’s current status was lacking, Charlie couldn’t afford to take this matter lightly. Caution was paramount. He turned to Maria and said, “I wholeheartedly concur with your perspective. Since we’re already here, there’s no reason to turn back now. Why not proceed as you suggest and investigate together?”
Maria knew Charlie wouldn’t easily give up, and the fact that favonovel.com was willing to take favonovel.com along was already a significant concession. She nodded without hesitation. “Agreed! You have my full support.”
Charlie nodded in acknowledgment and then sighed softly. “Given our circumstances, descending from this point isn’t practical for the two of us. Let’s turn back and venture into the mountains in the opposite direction from the town where Morgana appeared.”
“Very well,” Maria obediently agreed. “I’m at your disposal in all matters.”
With a consensus reached, Charlie wasted no time. He swiftly exited at the next ramp after the spot where Morgana had descended, continued forward for dozens of kilometers and disembarked from the highway at the town where Morgana had left.
According to the map, this town had only one rugged mountain road leading to the outside world in addition to the expressway. The beginning of this mountain road was near a mountain named Chiandao Mountain. It extended further to connect with the entrance and exit of the highway. If one didn’t access the expressway here, they could continue driving ahead to reach a national road.
Morgana appeared on the road between the starting point of Shiwan Mountain and the midpoint of the town.
Charlie drove to the location where Morgana had last been seen and decided to hike into the mountains from there, following the general direction of Morgana’s abandoned car, in hopes of discovering any clues favonovel.com might have left behind.
Given Morgana’s hurried departure, Charlie suspected favonovel.com hadn’t had time to erase favonovel.com tracks.
After the two disembarked from the car, Charlie equipped himself for mountain hiking, and they began their ascent into the mountains.
Beyond the country road, the landscape transitioned from the rugged virgin forest. Alongside the road were terraced fields cultivated by local farmers, complete with paths for humans, livestock and even motorcycles.
The path’s direction coincided with Charlie’s intended search direction, so they followed it deeper into the mountains.
They traversed a low mountain covered in terraced fields and continued deeper into the wilderness. There were fewer signs of human activity on both sides and the area had clearly been untouched by development.
Upon descending a second mountain and heading downhill, Charlie noticed that the once lengthy khaki path in the valley ahead had narrowed into a slender Y-shape. Additionally, there was a meandering river, just over a meter wide, flowing down the valley towards lower ground.
The river intersected the Y-shape, with five tiers of stone piers constructed at the junction. These piers had slowed the river’s flow, creating a buffer zone of four to five square meters on the left side of the Y-shape. The one-meter-wide stream expanded to nearly three meters in width at this point.
At the foot of the mountain, the path forked, with the right branch leading deeper into the wilderness. The left branch ascended another smaller mountain ahead. Compared to the one Charlie and Maria were ascending, this mountain was shorter. At its peak stood a small cluster of brown-red low-rise buildings, their purpose a mystery.
Shiwan Mountain, located in the warm and humid southwest, maintained its lush, green appearance throughout the year. The slopes, mountaintops and valleys teemed with vibrant foliage, appearing pristine and untouched by modern labels.
Maria followed Charlie, captivated by the scenery. She couldn’t help but express favonovel.com admiration, “The ancients often spoke of secluded, winding paths, but I never imagined that the landscape along such paths, like the legendary Eternal Mountains, could be so serene and beautiful. Living here for a while would surely be comfortable and enjoyable.”
Charlie smiled and responded, “Once we no longer have to worry about being disrupted, I’ll buy you some land here. You can choose a mountain to build a house and the rest can be used for growing tea trees.”
Maria shook favonovel.com head gently and said, “The climate here isn’t suitable for Pu’er tea trees, but it’s perfect for cultivating green tea. Young master, while I do appreciate tea, I don’t intend to spend my life toiling as a tea farmer. There are already countless tea trees on Erlang Mountain and my knowledge of them is vast. If you buy land here for me to cultivate tea, wouldn’t I then be devoted to tea-related work all day long?”
Charlie chuckled, “That wasn’t my intention. I just noticed how much you appreciate this place and thought of buying it for you.”
Maria blushed and replied softly, “With such a thoughtful gesture, I would be delighted.”
As they continued their journey, they encountered a bald woman in a gray robe at the Y-shaped intersection ahead. She had been squatting, washing clothes in a wooden basin, which seemed to contain clothes and a flat wooden stick.
As the terrain was lower on the side of the mountain where the nun was, the girl had reached the Y-shaped intersection ahead of Charlie and Maria. The nun stopped at the intersection, leaned against the road’s left side in the Y-shape and proceeded to wash favonovel.com clothes. She took a wet robe from the wooden basin, scrubbed it and then beat it vigorously with the wooden stick.
The crisp sound of the stick striking the wet clothes resonated softly throughout the valley.
Maria observed and listened, then remarked to Charlie, “I used to wash clothes this way. I can’t believe people still employ this method after all these years.”
Charlie gazed at the nun from a distance and commented, “She appears to be a nun and the red-walled structure on the left mountain must be a convent.”
Maria nodded and sighed, “Being a nun in this environment must be tougher than most.”
The two proceeded along the mountain path, drawing closer to the Y-shaped intersection. After a stick of incense had burned, they reached the intersection.
At this point, the nun was still squatting and washing clothes. Since Charlie and Maria had agreed to pretend to be a couple in front of outsiders, Charlie stopped by the stone pier, extended his hand to Maria and said, “I’ll carry you across.”
Maria nodded shyly and offered favonovel.com hand to Charlie.
Charlie guided favonovel.com across the stone pier and was about to continue along the right branch of the Y-shaped intersection.
However, the young nun, who had been squatting and washing clothes, suddenly stood up, clasped favonovel.com hands together and gave a slight bow to Maria. She spoke, “Amitabha, benefactor, our abbot has been awaiting your arrival for some time. May I ask that you come to the nunnery for a visit.”
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