Lost in the Snowy Mountain

Lin Yi was getting bored watching Gu Yulong fish as noon approached.

Just then, the float suddenly dipped. Gu Yulong, who had been idle, quickly snatched up the fishing rod beside his feet, his expression instantly changing.

The flexible rod bent into a beautiful semicircle, a clear indication that a large fish was on the line.

In response, Gu Yulong poured his full concentration into the task. Gripping the rod with both hands, he began a slow, deliberate struggle against the formidable creature.

Just as a dark shadow surfaced, the rod was violently pulled back down. Gu Yulong maintained the stalemate for several minutes, but ultimately, the fishing line succumbed to the immense strain and snapped.

“Hiss~ What a pity.”

It was fortunate his physique was robust, or the entire rod might have been dragged into the water.

Despite failing to land the big fish, cheerful smiles still graced everyone’s faces.

****

As lunchtime arrived, Gu Yulong skillfully prepared the ingredients. However, it seemed someone was missing from the camp.

It was only when he called the others for lunch that he suddenly noticed.

“Has anyone seen Gu Yuetong?”

Lin Yi and Lin Yiting exchanged glances, then shook their heads. Their attention had been entirely focused on fishing, so they hadn’t noticed where Gu Yuetong had gone.

Gu Yulong rested his chin in his hand, pulling out his phone to dial a number.

*Beep~ Beep~*

“Hello? What is it, big brother?”

After a few rings, Gu Yuetong’s voice came through. Hearing it, Gu Yulong let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they were near the town, and communication wasn’t disrupted.

“Little sister, where have you run off to? Come back quickly for lunch. We still have to go home later.”

“Mm.”

A long silence followed on the other end of the line.

Gu Yuetong gazed at her surroundings, scratching her head awkwardly. She had been so preoccupied with catching a small squirrel that she hadn’t paid any attention to her environment.

She had ventured deep into the heart of the mountain, her vision filled with towering pine trees and dense thickets. Everywhere she looked seemed identical, making it impossible to discern north, south, east, or west.

“Hello? What’s wrong?”

“Um… big brother, I think… I’m lost.”

“What?!”

Gu Yulong stared at his phone in shock, his mind momentarily blank. They were right next to the town, and the surrounding area was largely developed, with signs of human activity everywhere. How could even someone with no sense of direction get lost here?

“Where are you?”

“I’m in the mountain, the low mountain right next to the camp.”

“Stay where you are. I’ll check your phone’s location.”

“Okay, okay.”

Hanging up the phone, Gu Yuetong glanced at her phone’s glowing red battery indicator, a surge of anxiety rising in her heart.

‘What if her phone died before her brother could find her location? What if her brother couldn’t find her at all? Would she be stuck in this mountain forever?’

Her heart grew colder. Gu Yuetong took a deep breath, then squatted down, looking at the struggling little squirrel in her hands.

“Well, little fellow, it seems I might have to stay here with you.”

“What? Are you happy about that too?”

*Hiss!* ‘You get lost! I just came out to find some food, is this really necessary?’

Gu Yulong clutched his forehead in exasperation, feeling as though his sister was driving him insane. ‘Why did she wander off for no reason? Especially when she wasn’t even familiar with the area.’

Yet, dwelling on it now was pointless. The immediate priority was to find Gu Yuetong.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing his anxious expression, the other two couldn’t help but feel a touch of worry.

“She ran into the mountains and got lost.”

“Huh?”

Both Lin Yiting and Lin Yi’s mouths twitched simultaneously. This small mountain didn’t seem that large. Could one really get lost in it?

“Don’t worry, I know this small mountain very well. I can search every inch of it in just a few hours,” Lin Yiting assured him.

Hearing Lin Yiting’s reassurance, Gu Yulong felt somewhat relieved, but he still opened his phone to check Gu Yuetong’s location.

The phone screen showed her position right in the center of the small mountain. Lin Yiting was incredibly familiar with that spot; she remembered often going there to pick fruit as a child.

“Alright, I know where she is. Let’s go, Lin Yi, we’ll go rescue her together.”

“Eh?”

Lin Yi, who had been watching the drama unfold, froze. He wasn’t the male lead of the original story, and he was completely unfamiliar with this small mountain. If he went in, he wondered who would end up looking for whom.

“Sister, I won’t go. If I leave, who will watch the camp?”

Hearing this, Lin Yiting frowned and leaned closer to Lin Yi’s ear, whispering, “Hurry up and go! I’m giving you a chance to make a good impression, and you’re still reluctant.”

Lin Yiting’s words left Lin Yi even more bewildered. ‘What was all this nonsense? Could his sister be trying to set him up with Gu Yuetong?’

The thought sent a shiver down Lin Yi’s spine, and he quickly retreated several steps, shaking his head frantically. ‘No way! If I max out Gu Yuetong’s favorability, how will I survive later on?’

‘I can’t go. Absolutely not!’

“Hmm?”

Lin Yiting’s gaze was like a long sword, instantly poised at Lin Yi’s neck. A shiver ran through Lin Yi’s entire body.

“Alright, I’ll go, isn’t that enough?”

The dense pine forest was blanketed in pristine snow, and even the ground was covered in white, with only small patches of dark earth peeking through. Withered weeds and branches intertwined, forming a picturesque scene with the surrounding snow. Lin Yi loved this icy, snowy landscape.

This wasn’t just because he was from the north; it also stemmed from personal reasons. As a child, he loved lying in the snow, gazing up at the indistinct sky. Whenever he saw the scattered snowflakes, he always found them incredibly beautiful and pure.

Moreover, at that young age, his playmates were simple-minded and easily brought together. He cherished snowy days, holding onto those genuine emotions from his childhood.

Noticing Lin Yi lost in thought, Lin Yiting tilted her head, looked at him twice, then poked his waist.

“What are you staring at? Did someone steal your soul?”

Lin Yiting shattered all the fantasies in his mind, and Lin Yi’s thoughts quickly returned to reality.

“Cough, it’s nothing, nothing. Let’s hurry and find her instead.”

Embarrassed, Lin Yi coughed twice and refocused his gaze ahead. He happened to spot a brightly colored wild pheasant. Its head was a vibrant red, its neck had a bluish tint, and its brown body feathers were speckled with black.

However, the most striking feature of the pheasant was its dagger-like tail. When it spread its wings, the tail would split into two, forming the longest feathers on its entire body.

It perched on a treetop, its eyes slightly closed, seemingly unconcerned by the intruders before it.

In the folklore of Lin Yi’s original world, there was a belief that the pheasant was the prototype of the mythical phoenix. Whether this claim was accurate was impossible to verify, as ancient matters couldn’t be viewed through a modern lens.

Nevertheless, considering the similarities between the phoenix and the pheasant, Lin Yi found the theory somewhat plausible.

The ecosystem of this small mountain had not suffered extensive damage. Pheasants, squirrels, and even venomous snakes were native residents here, so encountering them during a hike was quite normal.