Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 318: Begin the Climb

Chapter 318: Chapter 318: Begin the Climb

Finally, after enduring countless hardships, everyone arrived at the foot of Yuxueyun Mountain. Looking at the snow-covered massif and the lofty peaks that reached into the clouds stood majestically, everyone couldn’t help but exclaim at the breathtaking beauty.

Old man Tian chose a mountain path that wasn’t too steep. Everyone then grabbed a climbing stick each and began their ascent with all their might.

At the start, Lu Yi curiously asked, "Old man Tian, do you know how high Yuxueyun Mountain is?"

"Yuxueyun Mountain has several peaks, and the lowest of them is at least five thousand meters high." Old man Tian had barely finished when everyone’s morale took a hit. Such a height was not good news.

Climbing a mountain is not like walking the same distance. Climbing a kilometer could take an entire day, whereas a fast walk could cover the distance in just over ten minutes. Moreover, climbing has to be done step by step, while you can run on a path.

Just a short way up, only about a hundred meters in, Xu Haowen’s legs began to tremble. It was just too tiring. Not to mention that they were climbing as weary troops. Even in peak condition, they probably couldn’t handle more than five hundred meters.

After all, most of the people here were not professional climbers. Unlike Su Hui and Zhuo Hang, who had undergone rigorous training, just getting this far had been a significant challenge for everyone.

It wasn’t just Xu Haowen who was tired; many people were too exhausted to go on and had to stop for a rest.

Seeing everyone struggling to go on, Gu Fan realized one thing: the danger they had encountered on this journey so far was far less than they had experienced in the foreign lands, but the difficulty of each step they took was far greater.

Let alone Lu Yi and the others, Su Hui herself could hardly endure it. It was entirely unlike that journey through the foreign lands where they had camels to ride. This time they had to rely on their feet. After walking for over ten days, they didn’t know how many more days of climbing still lay ahead. Even a person with an iron constitution couldn’t endure it.

Lu Yi asked again, "Old man Tian, how far is the nearest cabin from here? How long can we rest?"

Old man Tian shook his head in response: "The cabins in the woods were built for hunters and were not considered for climbers, so there are fewer cabins on the mountain. Many have fallen into disrepair over the years. That’s why the nearest cabin is in such a deplorable state."

Hearing that, everyone’s morale took another hit. Lu Yi asked with a strained smile: "It’s really unfair. The hunters get all the consideration, but what about us climbers?"

Old man Tian answered: "First, building and maintaining structures on the mountain is more challenging and expensive. Second, almost ninety percent of the people who come to climb this mountain never make it back, resulting in dwindling numbers of climbers each year."

"It can’t be that dangerous, can it?" Lu Yi, Jie, and others found it hard to believe. They thought that old man Tian was just trying to scare them into turning back.

But Ouyang Jin added: "It’s true. The few times I’ve been here, I’ve hardly seen any climbers. Yuxueyun Mountain is notoriously dangerous. I really don’t know what you guys are here for."

Now it was Ning Qi looking at Gu Fan with puzzled eyes. She knew why she had come here, but what was Gu Fan’s purpose?

Gu Fan only responded with a dry laugh, avoiding a direct answer. Then he said: "All right, if everyone has rested enough, let’s move on."

"Sure, no problem, we’ll get up right away." As Xu Haowen spoke, he tried to stand up but ended up sitting back down, looking a bit embarrassed.

Lu Yi and Jie laughed as they helped Xu Haowen to his feet. United, they all started up the mountain together.

As they continued to climb, they lost track of time. The sun was already low in the western sky. According to Old man Tian, however, they had only climbed less than four hundred meters, still short of their day’s goal of five hundred meters.

"Are you kidding me?" Everyone’s faces fell again, and Gu Fan was filled with regret. They shouldn’t have been in such a hurry to follow Lin Xi. Instead, they should have let everyone rest and recover before starting the climb.

With this in mind, Gu Fan decided, "Everyone, we’re forcing ourselves too much. Let’s rest properly. Once we’re all recovered, then we can try to climb again."

"Well..." While everyone seemed to agree, they also seemed concerned. They appeared eager to rest, but they also seemed in a hurry to continue the journey.

Ouyang Jin and Ning Qi noticed this anomaly and couldn’t understand why Gu Fan’s group was so determined to reach their destination, as if they were racing against someone.

"Interesting. This is getting more and more interesting." Ning Qi started to take interest in Gu Fan. She was very curious about Gu Fan’s purpose for this trip; it might be something even greater than a treasure.

After everyone had rested, Gu Fan walked off alone, his face clouded with concern. He knew what every extra day of rest implied.

Su Hui came over to console him, "You’re doing this for the good of everyone, so we can have a smoother journey. I agree with your approach. But I’m afraid we’re just getting further away from Lin Xi."

"I’ve been thinking about something. Lin Xi may have powerful magic, but she’s still a regular human. Du Jun has always been pampered, Qin Jiarou is weak, and they’re leading a large group of people. Can they just continue on without rest? Don’t they need a break?" Gu Fan’s hypothesis brightened Su Hui’s eyes. That’s right, they only considered the difficulties of their own journey. Why hadn’t they considered that the other group was facing the same problems?

"I can only take a gamble now, betting that people in Lin Xi’s group will start to falter, and their numbers will increase. Then, they’ll be faced with more problems than we are." Although Gu Fan merely speculated, the actual situation wasn’t far off.

At that very moment, Lin Xi was looking at several individuals collapsed from exhaustion, her mood far from good. To look after these people, the team had to slow down. What’s worse, they couldn’t abandon these individuals because Lin Xi had promised to lead everyone to eternal life.

For his part, Du Jun didn’t know what to say except worry about when they would reach their destination given the current pace. The most frustrating part was that the map didn’t provide a detailed route. That meant that Lin Xi, Du Jun, and their group would have to wander around Yuxueyun Mountain for some time.

"Map, oh map, give me a clue. Is the secret at the summit, halfway up, or at the foot of the mountain?" During this period, Lin Xi tried decoding more hidden information from the map but to no avail. Now, she could only take it one step at a time.

At this point, Lin Xi couldn’t help but wonder, where was that bastard Gu Fan? If he were here, would they have found some new discovery?