Half an hour later, in a small teahouse located in the South District of Jinyinhua City.

Cheng Youquan, Wang Zinan, and Liu Hai were glancing around, eagerly awaiting the arrival of that person.

They felt like they were in a movie.

They seemed like the protagonists of a movie, seeking a fabled opportunity by contacting a mysterious and powerful guide. Forming a small expedition group, they set off towards the unknown immortal mountain.

They even came up with a code name for their operation, calling it "Seeking Immortality."

At this moment, all of them were nervously watching their surroundings, as if any person nearby might be coming to capture them.

This feeling was incredibly exhilarating, making the group of students, who hadn't yet stepped out of the school gates, excited beyond measure, their hearts pounding.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man with a beard and slightly chubby physique pushed open the teahouse door.

He glanced around the place and then walked straight towards them.

"Gray hat, red down jacket... you must be Wang Zinan?"

The man greeted the boy with glasses once he approached.

The three of them were slightly taken aback by his arrival.

It wasn't because the middle-aged uncle was handsome.

On the contrary, this slightly chubby man had an unremarkable appearance, merely an ordinary passerby.

"Yes, yes... are you 'Bihai Qingfeng'?"

Wang Zinan asked uncertainly.

He was referring to the man's online name; they had arranged to meet here to discuss the details in person.

However, the man's appearance was quite unexpected for him.

Originally, he imagined the guide to be a tough guy with a hood and sunglasses and six-pack abs.

Just like in many Hollywood movies, embodying mystery and professionalism.

However, upon seeing him in person, all the previous imaginings were shattered.

The man before them appeared just like an unremarkably chubby middle-aged uncle, at most an extra on a film set.

The two companions beside him looked slightly disappointed as well.

Their thoughts were similar to Wang Zinan's—they had some expectations for this mysterious guide.

Unaware of what the youths were thinking, the middle-aged man sat down without hesitation and drank the green tea on the table.

"Some things aren't convenient to discuss online, so we arranged to talk here. So, how many of you are going this time? How long will you stay? When will you leave?"

After getting to the main point, the man added:

"Oh, you can just call me Old Chen. Don't worry, I'm experienced, and I've been to that immortal mountain twice, so I know the way well. It's safe."

The youths were slightly stunned upon hearing this, but Wang Zinan was the first to react and started speaking:

"Master Chen, hello. It's just the three of us this time. If possible... we'd like to leave as soon as we can... but as for how many days..."

While speaking, he looked to his two friends beside him, as if seeking their opinion.

Old Chen quickly gauged the situation upon seeing their reaction.

It seemed these guys, like others before them, were driven by a sudden impulse without any concrete planning.

But this wasn't a problem for him; after all, he just needed to collect the money.

As for whether they would find anything there, that was none of his concern.

"I can tell it's your first time here. Based on my past two experiences, it's about twenty kilometers from here, but since we'll have to take country roads, the journey is a bit longer, maybe an additional five or six kilometers. I'll count it as twenty-five for you."

"Because it's a country road, it's not convenient to travel, so it'll take more time. Including the time you'll spend exploring, I think you'd need at least a whole day. So, I suggest you set off tomorrow morning to return before dark."

"And lastly, of course, the expense. This route is full of rural paths, and the road conditions are poor, which heavily wears on my vehicle, so the price will be a bit higher..."

"For the three of you, it'll be 9000 in total. Normally, I charge 10,000, but since you're young, I'm giving you a discount."

After Old Chen finished speaking, the three youths felt as if they forgot everything else, except that the 9000 sounded deafening.

"That expensive!?"

Cheng Youquan was the first to exclaim, staring at the man as if he was being robbed.

"Isn't it just to the suburb? Why so much money? For 9000 yuan, we could fly to America! You're robbing us!"

Old Chen was displeased upon hearing this and said:

"Don't talk nonsense, what do you mean by robbery? Do you think I'm arbitrarily asking for money? Go ask around, which car to the immortal mountain charges less than 10,000?"

"Lowering it to 9000 for you is already considering your young age. If you don't want to go, don't waste my time. I have plenty of others who want to go."

Though he said this, he showed no intention of leaving, as if he had already gauged this group.

Sure enough, Wang Zinan, after a moment of silence, spoke up:

"Sorry, Master Chen, but this price was unexpected for us. Isn't 9000 a bit too much? As you can see, we're students; we really can't gather that much money."

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