novelden Chapter 333 Climbing the Mountain
Chapter 333 Climbing the Mountain
Longgushan Forest Park, located in the eastern suburbs of Chengdu.
As one of the most famous scenic spots in Chengdu, Longgu Mountain is very lively during holidays, with many tourists arriving early at the entrance to gather.
There were hikers preparing for the trek, and also tourists enjoying a picnic by car.
Everyone can enjoy a leisurely holiday in this forest park and feel the spiritual cleansing brought by the lush greenery.
Although Su Tianqing herself didn't particularly like the feeling of being in the mountains and fields, she didn't dislike it either.
At least the air here is much better than in the concrete jungle of the city.
"Hiss... Huff..."
Su Tianqing stood at the entrance of the forest park, approached a blooming wintersweet tree, and gently inhaled its fragrant aroma.
"Mmm...the flowers smell so good!"
"There are even plum blossoms here! The ecological environment is better than I imagined."
Nan Jiayu approached the fox girl, her cat ears twitching curiously as she carefully observed the plum blossom swaying in the morning breeze.
"Right, right? Little Fish, if you like it here, we can buy a small house nearby and come up to the mountain to play every day!"
"That's too early, and the property prices around the scenic area seem to be..."
"It's okay, we can just go and support Rongcheng Bank's business."
Although she knew the fox spirit was joking, Nan Jiayu still felt quite worried.
After admiring the winter plum blossoms in the wind, the two turned around and looked at the bustling parking lot behind them.
It's 8:30 in the morning, and the park entrance is already very lively.
The first group of tourists to climb the mountain set off half an hour ago. If you want to get to the mountaintop viewing platform before lunch, now is the perfect time to go.
"Speaking of which, Tianqing, did you make an appointment with them?"
"Yes, I did say that. It was originally supposed to be in the afternoon, but then I called them and suggested we come over in the morning and play together all day."
"It's already 8:30, are they not going to get to work until 9:00—"
Before he finished speaking, Nan Jiayu, with her sharp eyes, spotted the electric scooter drifting leisurely in the distance.
A small electric scooter covered in cheap, mass-produced magical girl stickers was being driven by a girl wearing a helmet, from which pink hair and fluffy bunny ears peeked out.
The electric scooter also carried another girl on the back, who was also wearing a helmet, but it was clearly not the right size for her.
For a werewolf orc, a helmet of ordinary human size was still too much of a challenge.
The road they came from was uphill, and the electric scooter seemed a bit underpowered with two people on it. Cat and Fox calmly watched it cruise towards them at a speed of 10 miles per hour before braking and stopping.
“…………”
"Good morning?"
Xia Taotao took off her helmet and, seeing Su Tianqing's subtle gaze, greeted her somewhat timidly.
"Hmm, good morning," the fox girl replied politely, but her expression still showed considerable surprise as she looked at the electric scooter.
"Bunny, you... drove this all the way from the school dormitory?"
"It's all because of her!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Xia Taotao pointed behind her to Fei Yelan, who was taking off her helmet and grooming the hair on her ears.
"This guy had something weird in his bag that wouldn't pass subway security, so we had to drive here!"
"How was I supposed to know that wouldn't pass security?"
The gray wolf shrank its neck, its ears drooping on its head, and tucked its tail between its legs as it spoke.
This made Nan Jiayu and Su Tianqing even more curious. While Rabbit Girl was looking for a parking spot for the electric scooter, they both moved closer to Gray Wolf and looked at the items in her backpack.
"...I said, doggy."
"I am a wolf."
"Why did you bring solid alcohol, dog? And why are you also carrying a bag of charcoal?"
"Didn't we say we were going hiking and having a barbecue today? So I brought some fuel with me." The gray wolf blinked and wagged its tail a few times.
"...There's a self-service barbecue restaurant at the top of the mountain; Fox made a reservation yesterday," Nan Jia said calmly, her fishtail arching behind her to form a large question mark.
"Moreover, we are climbing a mountain in a forest park today, where open fires are prohibited."
The gray wolf remained silent for a long time, and the cat and fox also remained silent for a long time.
"Is that so? So you can't have a barbecue outdoors by yourself?"
"Of course not! There will be a fine!"
Another long silence followed.
Su Tianqing saw the smile on the gray wolf's face gradually turn calm, the wolf's ears begin to tremble slightly, and its eyelids show signs of twitching.
It seems this gray wolf has absolutely no experience hiking in the forest park. Su Tianqing thought to herself.
.
Fortunately, the wolf hadn't brought too much fuel or coal. After throwing it all into the magic space in the toilet, the backpack became much lighter.
When the four reunited at the entrance plaza, a message transmitted through the Communication Tome Stone caught Su Tianqing's attention:
[Unknown source: I was in front of the first flower bed on the north side of the park]
"Oh? She's already here."
"Where is it?"
The three looked around, and Su Tianqing walked to the location indicated on the Divine Stone, where she met the eyes of a petite girl in front of the flower bed.
Golden wavy hair, a thick plaid dress and cotton socks, plus a pair of hiking shoes, made up the small figure hiding in the shadow of the flower bed.
"Hello there."
After a brief eye contact, Su Tianqing felt she had found the person she was looking for and spoke to the girl in front of her.
"……Hello."
The girl hesitated for a moment, but she recognized the fox girl in front of her and nodded in greeting.
"My name is Su Tianqing, nice to meet you."
"...My name is Aurora, you can just call me Aurora."
"What a cute name."
The fox girl smiled and, without waiting for Aurora to react, took her hand and walked towards her companions not far away.
"Ah... Tianqing, sister..."
"Let's put the unpleasant things aside for now. Since we've agreed to hang out together today, let's have some fun first!"
Aurora stared blankly at the four people in front of her, laughing and discussing their mountain climbing plans, feeling as if she were in a dream.
I arrived here early, feeling nervous, expecting to be met with disdain and criticism from the four of them.
But instead of feeling like they were causing them trouble, they warmly invited them to go hiking together...
...It inevitably reminds me of my own past.
"Aurora—, if you don't hurry up and catch up, we'll go up the mountain and wait for you—"
The girl suddenly looked up at the four beastman girls who had already entered the park entrance.
The rabbit-wolf led the way, with the cat girl following beside the fox girl. The cat girl looked back at the fox girl and waved to her.
The girl took a deep breath, started running, and jogged after the four people.
……
The process of climbing the mountain was easy and enjoyable.
Along the way, the five chatted and laughed. Aurora, who was initially silent and cautious, gradually opened up and talked to the villainous quartet about the reason why she had traveled all the way from England to this place.
When we reached the halfway point of the mountain and sat in the pavilion to drink water and rest, the conversation gradually became more in-depth:
"My father is a diplomat. He was recently assigned to work at the embassy in Chengdu, and he brought me here to prepare for my studies."
"Studying abroad? That's amazing! And Aurora's Chinese is excellent too," Su Tianqing exclaimed sincerely.
The girl blushed, feeling a little shy from the compliment.
"Not really... I've just been learning since I was little, so..."
"It's already quite impressive that you can speak so well. Compared to my English, it's a super high level," Su Tianqing added with a smile.
"What impressed you the most during your time in Chengdu?"
Nan Jiayu then asked another question.
Aurora pinched her chin, gazed at the evergreen shrubs by the roadside, and pondered for a moment.
Then he said softly:
"Um……"
"The food in Chengdu is delicious."
"That's great! Let's go to the barbecue restaurant on the mountaintop and have a self-service barbecue later!"
The fox girl said with a smile,
"You'll definitely get to taste Chengdu's classic delicacies!"