Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl
Chapter 523 - 523: 473: Unexpected discovery of nocturnal journey on the ancient road of Sindh_2

"Nowadays at the River Source, you've almost become a legend. Several herding communities call you the messenger from gods among men, hahaha!"

Chen Ying was both amused and exasperated.

To the simple herders, Chen Ying certainly didn't think they were mocking him with such words, but being held in such high regard wasn't right either. He felt he hadn't done anything to deserve the herders' high praise.

Yin Li couldn't be bothered to discuss this further, so he changed the topic to their plan to retrace the ancient Silk Road.

From Shichuan Province in Sichuan Province to India, there was an ancient Silk Road route known as the "Shu Body Poison Path" in ancient times.

Starting from Jinchuan Province, passing through Dali, Baoshan, and Dehong to enter the neighboring Shan State (Myanmar), before finally reaching India. They then would cross mountains and seas to several Central Asian countries, with the journey ending along the Mediterranean coast.

Merchants used this route to exchange goods with merchants from Ancient China, trading items like gold, silver, and gems for silk or Qiong Bamboo Stick.

Of course, Chen Ying and his group weren't going to trade silk for goods. They only wanted to retrace the route from Baoshan to Myanmar to investigate the distribution of flora and fauna.

Just as they were about to set off, they received a call from Old Gao.

"Have you two forgotten that I'm also a founding member of the Jiamu Gully First Aid Station? Can you leave me out of this? One's a cat player, and one's a flower watcher, wouldn't it be more fitting to add me, a bird player?"

A well-planned private scientific expedition, yet his words made it feel oddly awkward.

But if he wanted to join, of course, he was welcome.

They weren't just two people; there was also Dao Meihua and her sister-in-law who studied insects, plus a guide and three logistics support brothers, making a team of eight.

Old Gao came along with a junior apprentice.

The junior apprentice had joined the army in his sophomore year for two years, then returned to campus after retiring. A strong guy who got along well with Old Gao and didn't have the typical young person's airs.

The team increased to ten people, still equipped with three tents, two large and one small, to keep the supplies minimal.

After arriving in Baoshan, they would cross the mountains along the historic ancient road into Tengchong.

The initial freshness of entering the ancient road faded after two days.

Walking the ancient road now, the feelings are vastly different from those of the ancients.

There weren't many relics along the way, as the passage of time repeatedly weathered the ancient road's dust, with the stone slabs of those days broken and covered by soil and leaves.

Some spots remained well-preserved because nearby villagers still used this road decades ago.

The horse caravan traveled back and forth between mountain forests and cities until time passed by, and the last elder guarding the village returned to the earth.

Younger villagers had responded to the national call, moving to gathering points downhill, their faces filled with hope and yearning for a new life.

In recent years, local efforts have been made to excavate historical sites and create cultural attractions. The abandoned ancient road has found a new lease on life, striving to shine through the dust of time.

"Slow down, do you see the little thing ahead?"

Dao Meihua's sister-in-law stopped everyone, urging them to pause for a moment as she prepared to take photos.

(A red-and-black colored red-ruffed newt, resembling an alien visitor)

Dao Meihua normally had a bold nature, but seeing the red-ruffed newt gave her an inexplicable shiver, and she unintentionally stepped back a bit.

"What, scared?"

"Not scared, just uncomfortable, its color and the dots on its back give off a creepy vibe."

Chen Ying stifled a laugh and pulled her behind him.

Her sister-in-law finished taking the photo, stood up, and gave her an amused glare.

"Do you know this little guy is very precious, a unique species here? No matter how scary, think about its worth and you won't be afraid."

"Still afraid, no matter how valuable it is, can I really take it home to raise?"

Indeed, after admiring it again, her sister-in-law gently nudged it away with a stick.

"Let's go, surely there are prettier little creatures waiting for us ahead."

They didn't cover ten kilometers a whole day, because there were just too many beautiful things to see!

Chen Ying only discovered a small group of Fei's Leaf Monkeys. About a dozen adult monkeys, along with five golden juveniles, foraging and playing by the river.

Two mothers holding their young sat on large rocks by the river grooming their babies' fur, while the babies competed for each other's fruits.

Indeed, just like human babies, the food in someone else's bowl always smells better!

There was also a little monkey quietly napping in its mother's arms, suddenly twitching, startling the dozing mother monkey and nearly causing her to fall off the tree.

After a few chirps, the mother monkey found a more secure spot to sit, glanced around, hugged her baby, and continued napping.

Not disturbing the monkey troupe, they continued along the mountain path.

A rain had fallen a day or two ago, and as they climbed halfway up the mountain, fog started to rise again.

The ground was slippery, and vines grew haphazardly everywhere—on trees, the ground, rocks, covering anything they could latch onto.

Years of decaying leaves had piled up, creating water pits with each step.

Fallen tree trunks were covered in moss, and one misstep could lead to a fall.

"The fog is thick today, let's set up camp early. There's a fortress ahead that was built long ago to fend off 'Wild Men.' It's no longer in use, but it can still shelter people."

The fortress was a leftover ruin, heavily collapsed, but due to the terrain, around two-thirds of it remained intact.

Inside, slate had been used to build it, and with a bit of cleaning, they could lay waterproof mats and pitch tents.

There was no roof overhead, but the three sides of the stone castle effectively blocked the night mountain wind, and there was even a mountain spring nearby.

By 5 PM, their camp was set up.

Half an hour later, a gentle rain began to fall—light, yet lingering.

The group sat down to chat, sharing happy stories, and time passed easily.

The rain lasted into the night, and the guide mentioned that there were very few wild animals nearby, with monkey groups being the most common, followed by some insects.

"There's a small pond nearby, with plenty of frogs. I loved catching frogs with my brothers as a child and frying them with chili."

The guide was from a local minority group and moved to live downhill years ago. He worked as a guide owing to his familiarity with the mountains.

He was a decent person, popular with many tour groups who sought him out as a guide, and he had made some money over the years.

"I wouldn't dare to do it now. Back then, we didn't know better, didn't know what was rare or not, but those frogs were plentiful in the mountains. Nowadays, we buy bullfrogs from the market, and there's a place here that breeds frogs specifically for consumption."

The guide reminisced about seeing an entirely golden-yellow frog on a tree by the pond when he was a child.

Hearing this, Dao Meihua's sister-in-law perked up, eagerly questioning what it looked like.

Without internet here, it was impossible to show the guide pictures, frustrating her sister-in-law.

Chen Ying thought for a moment, took out a tablet, opened up a photo library, searched for a while, then handed the tablet to the guide.

"Brother Li, see if it looked like this."

Brother Li took a look, slapped his thigh, "That's the one, but much smaller, about the size of a ping pong ball."

(Strange-looking, but cute)

Both Dao Meihua and her sister-in-law peeked and saw, her sister-in-law pursed her lips as if she wanted to say something, then glanced at Chen Ying and the others, her brows furrowed.

"Sister-in-law, do you want to go take a look? If it's not far, maybe ask Brother Li to lead the way, I'll come along to see if we can find anything."

Brother Li knew who paid his salary and quickly agreed, "No problem, it's not far, but we'll need to backtrack a bit, go past the other side of an abandoned village, and walk two to three hundred meters to reach the small pond."

Old Gao, having frequently been injured, wasn't keen on adventures. It was all right during the day, but at night the mountain paths were rugged and difficult, and with the rain, even more slippery, so he chose to stay and watch over the camp.

The guide Brother Li and another logistics guy accompanied them on a night expedition to the small pond.

At the other end of the abandoned village was a stone path. Brother Li said the villagers used to collect water from the pond, so the path only became completely overgrown a few years ago.

Following the stone path for over two hundred meters, Brother Li led the way onto a side path.

There was no croaking at night; by season, this wasn't a time for frogs to be active.

However, unwilling to give up, her sister-in-law wandered for half an hour before reluctantly letting it go.

Yet on their way back to the camp, they seemed to hear some unusual noises.