Chapter 149: Separated

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation     Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The trio set off together, but upon reaching the first fork in the road, a change of plan came through Xu An’s walkie-talkie to the trailing cameraman. She said, “Let’s split them up; that’s when the magic happens. The mountain isn’t that large; they’ll inevitably run into each other again. Have them go their separate ways for now.”

The cameraman relayed the message, and reluctantly, the trio complied, each choosing a different path.

Xia Xin chose the road that led upward. It seemed like a path to enlightenment —the farther you go, the broader your vistas, the brighter the light. The two gentlemen graciously left this road to her.

With a gentle tug, Xia Xin led the obstinate donkey onward.

The cameraman was curious. He said, “Usually, this donkey is quite stubborn, but it seems quite docile with you.”

Smiling softly but not responding verbally, Xia Xin secretly whispered to the donkey, “You’re not stubborn at all. I’ll reward you with three carrots once we reach the summit.”

They walked some more, but the audience’s reaction was lukewarm at best. The director signaled to Xu An for a new twist.

With a sly grin, Xu An used the walkie-talkie and instructed the cameraman, “Remove all the carrots from the donkey’s pack. Once it realizes there’s nothing to eat, it’ll start making a fuss.”

The cameraman was uneasy about deliberately making life difficult, but he had a role to play. He complied, throwing away all the carrots—though he secretly stashed two inside Xia Xin’s bag, just in case.

As Xia Xin proceeded, she occasionally turned back to ask if the cameraman was tired, offering to take breaks.

“Thanks, but I’m used to carrying heavy equipment,” the cameraman politely declined, and they kept moving.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept across the trail. The sky darkened, and distant rumbles of thunder suggested that rain was imminent.

Suggesting that they find shelter, Xia Xin offloaded the cameraman’s bag onto the donkey and went searching for cover. After an undetermined period, she found a cave. It was only about three meters deep, but it offered some protection from the rain. That’s when she noticed the cameraman was missing. Frantically, Xia Xin reached for her phone to contact the crew, only to find there was no signal. She was cut off.

Once the rain stopped, the mountain path turned into a series of puddles, making it impossible to retrace her steps. Dejected, Xia Xin returned to the cave.

Xia Xin calmed herself and focused on the essentials. Everything they needed was on the donkey, so she set up the tent. The tent was large, and she couldn’t manage it alone. Seeing her struggle, the donkey lazily ambled over and held the ropes with its mouth. Together, they successfully erected the tent.

“I’m hungry,” the donkey lamented.

“Don’t worry, I have carrots,” Xia Xin reassured as she rummaged through her bag. To her astonishment, she found only two carrots. “This is strange. I had packed plenty; where did they all go?”

Besides the missing carrots, Xia Xin had only two compressed biscuits and three bottles of water. As darkness began to envelop the sky, she wondered if this meager stash could last until they found their way back.

After feeding the carrots to the donkey, she scattered insect repellent around the area. Ensuring that no poisonous bugs like centipedes could infiltrate their space, she crawled into her sleeping bag.

Exhausted from the day’s trek, Xia Xin fell asleep almost instantly, waking only when daylight broke. The donkey was lying limply by the tent, clearly famished.

Xia Xin fumbled for her phone to search for a signal. There was barely enough to send out her location before her phone died. Now thoroughly disconnected from the base, she felt despair creep in.

She couldn’t sit idle; if the location information was inaccurate, she and the donkey wouldn’t last long without food or water.

She remembered a narrow trail they had passed on the way up, worn from the passage of feet. She thought, ‘Maybe, just maybe, people were living up the mountain.’

With renewed determination, Xia Xin decided to investigate. But the donkey refused to move. Stubborn as ever, it took an hour of cajoling and pleading, but still, the donkey wouldn’t budge.

Finally, Xia Xin conceded, leaving her supplies with the languishing donkey. Equipped only with a bottle of water, she set out alone to climb higher up the mountain..