By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 155 A Successful Return [Second Update!]

The collapsed rock face was the most dangerous part of the trip, but also the last scary spot. They observed the area around the collapsed face for a while, confirming there was no further possibility of falling rocks, before quickly crossing that section. The rest of the journey was indeed safe and sound.

Before nightfall, they finally reached an altitude of over 3000 meters.

Having spent a long time at an altitude of over 5 meters, I found that at an altitude of 3 meters, the altitude felt quite low and the climate comfortable.

Unlike Li Younan, the three of them drove here and did not waste time hiking.

Their car was parked on a country road at the foot of the mountain, from where they could drive directly to Zimei Village.

However, they planned to camp here tonight and rest, and did not intend to drive off directly - after all, they had just come down from a high altitude and their bodies also needed an acclimatization process.

Driving is also a mentally taxing activity, so it's best to wait until you're well-rested and full of energy before driving.

With a car and all the necessary supplies, it's much better to rest now.

Li Younan put her backpack into the car as well.

They arrived in a pickup truck, a Raptor.

It has to be said that while mountain climbing may seem like a tough sport, very few people can actually afford to do it.

Leaving aside the fact that mountaineering requires a lot of time—which is the most important thing for ordinary people—the equipment they carry is simply unaffordable for most.

Climbing famous mountains like Mount Gongga and Mount Everest requires funds that are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Of the three, Ding Rui comes from the best family, and this Raptor is his car.

The raptor's back can hold a lot of supplies.

They were packed to the brim.

It also has a stove for cooking.

Now that they have reached the top of Mount Gongga and everyone has returned safely, they naturally want to prepare a proper meal for their last meal, as they have plenty of ingredients in their vehicle.

The air pressure here is much higher, and the oxygen content is also acceptable.

Ding Rui had already removed the oxygen breathing device, and Zhao Liang noticed that there were red marks on Ding Rui's face.

"What happened to your face?" Zhao Liang asked, somewhat puzzled.

Gao Yonghui nodded: "I noticed it too, and it seems to be a little swollen."

Ding Rui blinked in confusion: "Really?" He touched half of his cheek, and it seemed to feel a little numb.

Li Younan calmly said from the side, "There's nothing surprising about it. After all, the body has been in that extreme state of oxygen deficiency for so long, it's normal for some parts to swell up."

Upon hearing this, the group seemed to ponder for a moment, then suddenly realized what was going on.

Li Younan, of course, did not volunteer to cook the next meal.

Although the journey down from Mount Gongga wasn't particularly tiring for Li Younan, it still took a lot of his time and energy.

Moreover, the three of them looked at him with undisguised admiration and respect, and there was no way they would let Li Younan do it himself. In fact, when Li Younan was setting up the tent, Ding Rui rushed over to help.

"Brother Li, please let me do something for you, otherwise I'll feel really bad," Ding Rui said seriously, leaving Li Younan speechless.

The following night was a very harmonious one.

The four men gathered around the fire, ate dinner, and chatted for a while.

In the process, they naturally learned more about Li Younan. They discovered that Li Younan was actually a travel streamer, but unfortunately, there was still no signal, so they could only wait until they reached an area with a signal before following him.

They also learned that this was Li Younan's first time hiking, and he had never even climbed a decent mountain before.

When Li Younan calmly said, "The last mountain we climbed was Huangshan," and not the Huangshan in the narrow sense, but just the Huangshan in the Huangshan Scenic Area, the expressions of the three of them were somewhat complicated.

Ding Rui couldn't help but say, "You mean before climbing Mount Gongga, you only climbed... a flight of stairs, is that what you mean?"

Li Younan said with dissatisfaction, "How can you say Huangshan is a staircase? Huangshan... Huangshan is quite dangerous." He thought for a moment, then said earnestly, "What do you all think is the meaning of mountain climbing? Is it the height? Is it the sense of superiority that comes from climbing a mountain where few people have climbed it, and you are better than others?"

After saying this, the three of them exchanged glances and fell into deep thought.

Li Younan smiled and continued, "For me, when it comes to climbing a mountain, there's only one thing I mainly consider—the scenery. I don't care how high the mountain is. Even if it's just a small hill of two or three hundred meters, if climbing it will offer a better view, I'll probably give it a try. As for conquering things..." He paused, his gaze fixed on the embers in the fire, and asked earnestly, "Can humans really conquer nature?"

These words immediately silenced everyone.

This is actually something that Li Younan is also thinking about.

He never felt that climbing a mountain meant conquering it. The greatest significance of climbing Mount Gongga for him was simply standing on that peak, looking at the dozen or so peaks with an altitude of over 6 meters lying at his feet, and the magnificent scenery was indeed captivating.

Besides, as he himself said, proving that you can climb it while others can't is meaningless. But he knew very well that the vast majority of climbers do indeed climb with that mindset.

Regardless of how they express it in their WeChat Moments posts, they all have some degree of... sense of superiority.

Of course, Li Younan had no intention of judging whether these people's ideas were right or wrong.

In his view, as long as each person finds their own meaning in climbing a mountain, there is no problem.

After a night's rest, everyone was in top form. At breakfast, they greeted each other and said they had all slept well. Without further ado, they packed their things, took the trash, and got in the car, heading towards Zimei Village.

After traversing a long off-road section, the vehicle finally entered a paved road.

At this moment, Li Younan's phone also started to get a signal.

When he restarted his phone, the messages that had been piling up over the past few days flooded in like London being bombed during World War II, and his phone kept ringing.

JK Long was the one who sent the most messages.

Looking at the dozens of messages from JK Dragon, Li Younan didn't bother to read them carefully and hurriedly sent a voice message: "I've come down from Mount Gongga."

JK Long quickly replied: "You're finally down! Something terrible has happened, quickly check the message I sent you!"

Li Younan asked curiously, "What's wrong? I'm in the car right now and it's not convenient for me to look. Just tell me directly."

JK Long said anxiously, "So many people online are badmouthing you!"

……

After arriving at Zimei Village, Li Younan found a place to rest and carefully looked at some news online.

By the end, he was both amused and exasperated. In general, the person who fueled the fire was Xu Yusheng, whom he had previously ignored, the self-proclaimed "Old Xu," a crusader against fraud.

For some reason, it seems he felt confident in exposing his own falsehoods, or perhaps exposing his own falsehoods would generate a lot of traffic... In any case, Xu Yusheng has been busy these past few days, posting several videos about exposing his own falsehoods.

From the perspective of an ordinary person, it makes a lot of sense and is quite credible.

Li Younan's videos have been flooded with skeptical comments, and even some of his fans have begun to waver.

The current focus of everyone's attention is whether or not they went to Mount Gongga.

It's kind of funny, actually. Before setting off, Li Younan only said he was going to trek through Mount Gongga, not that he was going to climb it. But now the online discussion is all about his plan to climb Mount Gongga.

Li Younan had little experience in handling such public opinion, but he always believed in one thing—that what is true must be true.

To grasp the main contradictions of a matter, those who manipulate traffic will inevitably be devoured by it.

The only concern was that JK Long told him that two of his partner merchants also had similar concerns and were discussing future collaborations, wanting to add additional agreements to ensure their interests.

Originally, Li Younan did not intend to respond, but since this involved the merchant's issues, it had to be dealt with seriously.

After thinking for a moment, Li Younan sent all the footage he had shot in the past few days to JK Long.

JK Long was overjoyed, saying that with these videos as supporting evidence, things should be much more secure.

After temporarily entrusting the matter to JK Long, Li Younan naturally didn't forget to contact Zhu Qingyue. He had previously arranged for a car to take Zhu Qingyue to Kangding for treatment, and he didn't know if she had returned alone or was waiting for him there. After contacting Zhu Qingyue, Li Younan learned that her condition had actually worsened considerably in Kangding, and she had already left ahead of schedule. For Li Younan, this was actually quite good news.

Li Younan told her to take good care of herself and told her that when she was retreating, she had probably passed through the place her aunt had mentioned.

Afterwards, Li Younan sent many beautiful photos he had taken along the way to Zhu Qingyue.

Li Younan's car was still parked at the starting point where he had begun his journey.

Originally, Li Younan planned to take a taxi, but Ding Rui and the other two insisted on giving him a ride, which Li Younan readily accepted.

If you want to make friends, you shouldn't be too dismissive of other people's kindness. True friendship should be reciprocal, with both sides interacting.

Rejecting kindness out of a sense of inconvenience or embarrassment will only weaken the relationship over time. If you accept someone's kindness today, reciprocate in some other way tomorrow; this is how you strengthen your bond.

Li Younan thought these three people were all pretty good, and he was happy to become friends with them.

The three of them escorted Li Younan to the car, and then it was time to part ways.

Ding Rui had encountered such great danger this time, and his body must have suffered some damage. He needed to return to Chengdu for proper treatment, so they officially parted ways here.

However, his mountaineering experience and the online controversy did not end so easily.

An even bigger wave was beginning to brew.

(End of this chapter)