"Phew..."

The temperature on the snow mountain was very low, and breath turned into white mist. The altitude of over 4,600 meters made it somewhat difficult to breathe.

Brother Nan was already sitting on the topmost platform, rubbing her hands and looking down. She was dressed lightly, her face flushed and chilled by the cold. Along the way up, besides the locals trying to sell her cotton coats, many uncles and aunties were concerned about whether she was cold.

Speaking of which, Brother Nan's affinity with the elderly was truly enigmatic.

It was like when she was a child; she was undoubtedly a mischievous, troublesome student who should have been quite annoying to adults, yet she was peculiarly beloved by them.

Only those who had only heard of her and were entirely unfamiliar with her would warn their own children—

"Don't you be like Li Nan!"

"You're not allowed to play with Li Nan all day long!"

"..."

Beneath them, a sea of clouds stretched out, stirred by the wind into billowing waves. Brother Nan, seeing Zhou Li approach, smiled and said, "The guys from Extreme Challenge have also been here."

"Mm."

Zhou Li turned back to look at the siblings.

Zhu Shuang was helping Zhu Bing carry her water, walking slowly up beside her, a rather heartwarming sight.

Zhou Li took out his phone to frame this scene, then snapped a few pictures of the sea of clouds before sitting down next to Brother Nan. He looked down and asked Tuanzi in his arms, "Lord Dumpling, are you feeling any difficulty breathing, dizziness, or ringing in your ears?"

"Not at all, MEOW!" Tuanzi replied, lifting her head to gaze at Zhou Li with a puzzled look. "Did Zhou Li poison Lord Dumpling, MEOW?"

"Not at all."

"The weather is quite nice today," Brother Nan's voice chimed in, cutting off their childish conversation.

"We're in luck."

"Thank me!"

"Thank you."

"Thank Brother Nan!"

"Thank Brother Nan."

"Sensible!"

In fact, their luck today extended beyond just the weather.

Yulong Snow Mountain, apart from the entrance fee (also known as the ticket), had three cableways: The Glacier Park Cableway, the Spruce Meadow Cableway, and the Yak Meadow Cableway.

Among them, the Glacier Park Cableway, also known as the Big Cableway, was the same one the cast of 'Extreme Challenge' had used. It's the only one that goes all the way up Yulong Snow Mountain. The other two cableways only led to mountains adjacent to the main peak. If one was lucky, they could view Yulong Snow Mountain from afar. Since these routes weren't at high altitudes, they served as alternative tourist options for those not suited for such elevations. Healthy individuals usually opted for the Big Cableway.

Therefore, the Big Cableway was in high demand—very high demand—and required booking in advance.

At least a day in advance.

They were completely unaware of this until the staff at the entrance informed them when they went to have their tickets checked.

Faced with the options of 'go back the way they came and return tomorrow' or 'take a chance on someone returning their tickets,' Brother Nan chose the latter without hesitation.

Later on, they not only made it up Yulong Snow Mountain but also at the best time of day.

The short staircase of just over a hundred meters took Zhu Shuang and Zhu Bing several minutes to climb. When they finally reached Zhou Li and Brother Nan, they were all panting. Fortunately, apart from increased fatigue, they didn't experience any more severe reactions.

"How... How come you two aren't tired at all?" Zhu Shuang asked, still catching his breath. "I didn't think our physical conditions were that different."

"Yup!"

"Mm."

That was Brother Nan's and Zhou Li's response.

Zhu Shuang then glanced to the side.

Tuanzi, having Zhou Li as her mode of transport, wasn't tired at all. She had already hopped down from the plank walkway and was playing with the snow to one side.

She scooped up a pawful of snow and tossed it into the air. This remarkably human-like action stunned not only Zhu Shuang but also many other tourists.

The snow quickly fell back down.

The anticipated flurry of snowflakes didn't materialize. Tuanzi blinked, standing there dumbfounded.

But she quickly lost interest and turned her head to look at Zhou Li—

"It's chilly and refreshing!"

Zhou Li just nodded.

Zhu Shuang, however, watched with a silly grin. "Lord Dumpling doesn't have altitude sickness either."

Zhou Li still nodded.

Only after hearing people nearby start discussing who had brought the cat and whether it had gotten separated from its owner did he speak up, "Lord Dumpling, if you don't come back soon, bad people will snatch you away."

With a MEOW, Tuanzi immediately trotted back, jumping onto the plank walkway and into Zhou Li's arms, leaving behind a trail of paw prints like little plum blossoms in the snow.

Another burst of exclamations came from nearby.

Hearing these exclamations, Zhou Li discovered, to his surprise, that he felt a tiny, inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

The sea of clouds continued to churn.

Zhu Bing set up her phone to take a time-lapse, while Zhou Li took out some dry rations and began to share them.

Apart from the sea of clouds, there wasn't much else to see on the mountain. The scenery grew a bit monotonous after a while. Combined with the cold, it became quite uninviting, so they descended after an hour at most.

Blue Moon Valley, down below, was rather nice though.

「Afterward, they didn't stay in Lijiang for long.」

They had originally planned to spend another day at Lashi Lake. Last year, Zhou Li and Brother Nan had spent a day there, boating on the lake. But unfortunately, they heard that since their visit last year, the boating activities had been suspended.

What's the point if we can't row a boat? Besides, the horses can't carry two people.

「Moving forward, the next stop was Shangri-La, also known as Zhongdian.」

The barley cakes here are super tasty.

Their streak of luck continued.

This year had been quite dry, and Napahai was lacking water. This caused it to shrink dramatically—the lake had turned into grassland, and the usually waterlogged road remained dry. Consequently, many tourists who visited were somewhat disappointed. However, the rainy season had begun just before their arrival. The water level had risen again, submerging the road by about ten centimeters, allowing their sedan to comfortably experience the thrill of driving through water.

Arriving at Feilai Temple, they had a direct, full view of Meili Snow Mountain, which had been obscured by clouds when they visited last year.

In the evening, they sat around a stove with a hotpot set up in the middle.

Brother Nan, who loved to tempt fate and wasn't afraid of altitude sickness at all, ordered another small bottle of wine, saying it was to warm herself up.

While waiting for the yak meat to cook, they discussed the next day's itinerary.

They planned to go to Yubeng the next day. It used to be an untouched paradise, an excellent hiking trail. But now, off-road vehicles could also drive up there for, it seemed, 150 yuan per person. They were debating whether to take a vehicle or hike.

Needless to say, Zhou Li and Brother Nan had great stamina.

Zhu Shuang was another case in point—as a badminton enthusiast nearing a professional level, his stamina surpassed that of over 99% of physical education students.

Zhu Bing, however, was just an average girl.

But during the discussion, while everyone else worried about her stamina and wanted to take a vehicle, she repeatedly insisted she wouldn't slow them down.

"Then let's hike," Brother Nan made the final decision. "Not hiking would indeed be a bit of a waste. Anyway, you can just go empty-handed. We'll carry everything and get you a sturdy stick to use as a walking cane; it'll save you some strength."

"Okay."

After finishing the meal and the wine, Brother Nan was extremely content, sitting with her legs crossed, reluctant to leave.

So they chatted a little longer in the restaurant. By the time they left, the sky had darkened considerably, and the clouds behind the snow-capped mountain were a deep crimson.

Brother Nan pretended to be slightly drunk, clinging to Zhou Li's arm and hanging her entire weight on him. She stumbled as she walked, like a child, and even peeked up sneakily to gauge Zhou Li's reaction.

Zhou Li kept glancing toward Zhu Shuang and Zhu Bing, looking rather embarrassed. Seeing this, a smile immediately touched Brother Nan's lips.

This guy is so thin-skinned.

After a moment's thought, Brother Nan tilted her head and asked in a somewhat coquettish tone, "Do you think we'll have a starry sky tonight?"

"I don't know," Zhou Li replied, looking straight ahead.

"Is that so?" Brother Nan continued to stealthily watch his expression. She found it extremely amusing. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she asked again, "Then tomorrow... will we see the 'sunlit golden mountain'?"

"I don't know," Zhou Li replied, still looking straight ahead.

"TEE HEE HEE..." Brother Nan chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?"

"HAHAHA..."

"Idiot!"

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