Disguised as a lone mountain explorer, Lin Feng armed himself to avoid drawing attention from any bandits hiding in the mountains. He didn’t want to reveal his Swift Wind Step technique prematurely during the day, lest he alert the enemy. Furthermore, with the situation unclear, if Li Xiangdong had set an early ambush, it would be disastrous. The priority was to conceal his identity and conserve his strength before ascending, only revealing his true intentions at critical moments.
Unable to wait, Lin Feng wandered around the station. Unfortunately, the station was located in the suburbs, with few people or vehicles. After about ten minutes of pacing by the roadside, he finally saw a private car, a white Jetta, speeding towards him. Lin Feng waved vigorously from afar, but the car didn’t slow down. As it was about to pass, Lin Feng, in desperation, ran into the middle of the road, arms outstretched.
The car screeched to a halt, leaving black tire marks on the road, smoke rising from the wheels, and the car’s tail swinging wildly like a mad horse. The driver, a middle-aged man, was furious; he had an urgent appointment to pick up his lover and was in a hurry. He angrily rolled down the window, half his body out, cursing at Lin Feng for his recklessness.
“Uncle, can I hitch a ride?”
“Get lost, I’m in a hurry!”
The man didn’t bother with Lin Feng anymore, got back into the car, honked impatiently, and without waiting for Lin Feng to move, started driving forward. Lin Feng, needing assistance, endured the insults but was shocked at the man’s audacity. If he knew how to drive, he would have pulled this man out and given him a beating. This man was too damn infuriating, boasting about his beat-up Jetta with peeling paint and a malfunctioning wiper, acting all high and mighty.
Lin Feng suppressed his anger, and in a flash, he had circled around to the passenger side, opened the door, and got in.
“Who the hell told you to get in?!”
The middle-aged man hadn’t anticipated Lin Feng’s speed; he was in such a rush to meet his lover who had threatened to leave if he was late. He was taking the less-traveled suburban route when Lin Feng suddenly blocked his path, nearly causing an accident. Now, seeing Lin Feng uninvitedly get into his car, he was both startled and furious, instinctively reaching to push Lin Feng out, ready to give him a good beating if he delayed any further.
Money talks, and Lin Feng, without a word, magically produced a stack of US dollars, fanning them in front of the man. The man, recognizing the value of the hundred-dollar bills, was momentarily stunned, his earlier complaints swallowed back.
“What… what are you doing…?”
“Here, take the money!” Lin Feng slapped the money onto the man’s face.
The man, dumbstruck, caught the money. “Is this real?”
“Yes, it’s real…” The man’s hands trembled as he counted. Indeed, they were genuine, around eighty to ninety bills, worth at least six to seven thousand dollars. Why would this young man suddenly give him so much money? Was he trying to… rob him? Or something else…?
After much pondering, the man couldn’t figure it out. He had nothing of value, just a few thousand yuan in his pocket, and even his car was a second-hand find from the market, bought for only forty thousand yuan. Hitchhiking wasn’t supposed to be this extravagant. Could this young man be trying to… rob him for something else? Lao Tzu is a man, could he have some special hobbies? Damn, does he think he can be a masked vigilante just by wearing sunglasses and a mask? “Where are you going?” The middle-aged man nervously clutched the stack of dollars, fearing that Lin Feng might change his mind and take them back. In a flash, he had made up his mind—if push came to shove, he’d abandon the car and flee, but he couldn’t let go of this windfall. Lin Feng casually pointed towards the distant mountains, “Drive into the mountains. If you leave now, all this money is yours! Ask one more question, and I’ll take back one bill!” Hearing this, the man’s eyes lit up, and he stopped talking nonsense. “Young man, are you going into the mountains… for a tour… huh?” The middle-aged man spoke in gasps, almost choking on his own saliva, his voice suddenly rising an octave in shock, “It’s troublesome, troublesome… there’s no car to get there, and… cough… the weather’s nice today!” He quickly corrected himself, realizing that asking questions would cost him money. However, he didn’t know what had crossed his mind, and he avoided the second half of his sentence. Seeing that Lin Feng had no intention of taking back any of the bills, he felt somewhat relieved. The middle-aged man thought to himself: This kid must be a rich young master who sneaked out from home. With so much money, he could just hire a private tour group in the city. Asking one more question would cost him a hundred dollars, how painful would that be? Better to keep quiet and make a fortune in silence. Wherever he wants to go, I’ll take him there.
The car started. “What trouble? Are you very familiar with the situation in the mountains?” Lin Feng asked casually. “Cough, no, not really! It’s just that the mountains are being closely monitored even during the day lately, and they don’t easily let strangers up, so it’s troublesome if you want to go up,” the middle-aged man replied. Lin Feng was keen to know more about the situation around Yuban Mountain and became more alert upon hearing this. He immediately followed up, “Why the checks? Who are the people there? Tell me everything you know, right now!” As he spoke, he nonchalantly pulled out another stack of hundred-dollar bills. The sound of the bills rustling was so delightful. The middle-aged man’s expression became even more animated, staring intently at Lin Feng’s hands, swallowing hard. Oh, today I’ve met the God of Wealth! Damn, why does fate let me know just a little bit about this? This kid is rushing to Yuban Mountain, could he be hoping to strike it rich too? Dreaming of getting that legendary treasure? But he’s late, isn’t he? The crazies in the mountains have probably wrapped up most of their activities. But screw it, I’ll earn this money first.
