On the next day, when Han Qing woke up, he received Han Muzi’s text and read it, which startled him. He then calmed himself down and replied to her, ‘Be careful. Call me if anything happens.’
Then, he kept away his phone and casually showered before having breakfast and leaving for work. His life had always been regular in this way and it never changed all these years. Other than that, there wasn’t any woman who showed up beside him to turn this life of his upside down. Minus the years that he spent searching for his sister, he always flew around the world from time to time, but it was his personal time that he consumed. When it was time for work, he never allowed himself to rest.
…
On the other side, Han Muzi and the others had arrived in the neighboring city. They traveled overnight, so they checked into a hotel that night. Then, everyone had a good rest before they visited Lingyun Mountain Temple.
Han Muzi and Yan had slept for two hours in the car and their poor sleeping condition caused their backs to ache. Therefore, when they got to their beds, they immediately lay down on it at the same time. On the second day, everyone slept until 10am before waking up to meet.
When they had their meal, Xiao Su explained, “I have already asked about the place. Lingyun Mountain is said to be effective, so lots of followers in the country would visit here. I have also heard that a lot of people returned to fulfill their vows after their dreams have been achieved.”
It seemed that Yan believed him. “Fulfill their vows? Does that mean they specially returned after their wishes were granted?”
Xiao Su nodded. “Yes, it is true.”
Yan widened her eyes in shock. “Really? I thought that… everyone visited for peace of mind.”
Xiao Su let out a faint smile. Actually, who is to say whether this is true or not? After wishing for something, one might work even harder because of their desire to achieve it. After all, in this world, you can’t reap the rewards without sowing. It will still be hard to ask for something out of nothing.
He said nothing else, but Yan became excited inside. If it is really this effective, then will my… dreams become a reality? Thinking about it, Yan quickly lowered her head and ate.
“Young Lady Ye, once we are done with our meals, we will call a cab at the hotel entrance. I heard that they have built a road at Lingyun Mountain so that people can drive their cars halfway up to the mountain. However, some pilgrims have said that walking up the mountain from the first step to the last shows your sincerity and it increases the chance of your wish being granted.”
Without waiting for Han Muzi’s reply, Yan immediately raised her head and answered, “Then we shall start from the first step!”
Xiao Su remained silent before shooting Yan a look and reminded her, “Young Lady Ye is still a pregnant woman.”
Upon hearing his words, Yan lowered her face. “Oh, right. If we start from the first step, Muzi’s body may not be able to handle it. I’m sorry, Muzi. I didn’t think of that.”
However, Han Muzi took Xiao Su’s words to heart as she looked outside the window. No matter what the outcome is, something like sending a prayer should be done with sincerity, so we should be respectful about it. Even though it’s fine not to be superstitious about it, we still need to understand the principles about following the custom. It’s like blending into the village’s unique culture and custom when visiting them. If we forcefully break their culture or disrespect it, it may incite their resentment and it is the same for a matter like sending a prayer. The most important part is our own sincerity. If we visited with a lazy and disdainful attitude, then what’s the point of coming?
Upon pondering over it, Han Muzi replied, “We will go up the mountain from the first step.”
“Huh?” Yan was a bit confused. “Did you just say…”
“Yes. Since we came with our own intentions, then we should express our sincerity. Besides, there are not many steps, so it will be fine for me to walk up.”
“But—”
“I have made up my mind. I’m fine with it, so you don’t need to worry about me. If there is really a problem, I’ll immediately inform you about it.”
“Alright. If you feel any discomfort later, we must stop and rest.”
“Sure.”
After the three of them had their meals, they headed straight to Lingyun Mountain. As soon as they arrived at their destination, they realized that a lot of people came to send their prayers too—even tourists from abroad were here.
Yan couldn’t help but ask, “Do you think those foreigners speak English when they offer their prayers? If they speak in English, do you think our Gods can understand them?”
Han Muzi was rendered speechless at first, but she replied to Yan, “Um, maybe they are fluent in Chinese too? Let us head there.” She didn’t have the energy to notice what everyone else did, so she took the first step forward.
On the surface, Lingyun Mountain was surrounded by lush green trees, so it didn’t look like some kind of tourist attraction from below. It was said that the mountain was a spiritual one during the ancient times. The mountain was steep and dangerous, so it was hard to climb to the top because an accidental slip might easily cause a person to fall into the deep abyss.
Later, as the generations grew, lots of stone steps were built on the mountain and it took a long time to complete the project. After that, the temple on the mountain was even renovated and became even more popular due to it being effective. That was why many people from other places visited here later on. After that, lots of vendors saw the commercial side of it and opened incense shops and beverage stores halfway up the mountain for the pilgrims’ convenience.
At first, many people visited to offer their prayers, but afterward, Lingyun Mountain became a tourist attraction, which attracted many tourists to come here. Everyone came here for different reasons, so naturally, they took different paths. For example, there was only one path of stone steps up the mountain from the start, but as one climbed it, the path split into numerous tiny walkways. Yet, whichever path one chose, it always led to the top of the mountain.
The others and Han Muzi never intentionally chose a path since they tried to follow where fate led them. These paths were built for people to walk up the mountain, so the path was divided into several more gravel roads to avoid large crowds of people at a time. The further they went, the fewer the people on the road.
Han Muzi felt a bit exhausted when she heard Yan panting, “Is it because I did not exercise much? Why do I feel so tired after walking for a while?”
Xiao Su had a look at Yan and realized that she was panting heavily, so he stopped and taught her, “There is something wrong with your breathing. You should breathe like this…” After that, he personally demonstrated it to Yan while Han Muzi slowed down her steps.
Under Xiao Su’s guidance, Yan’s breathing improved, but she was still a bit surprised. “I usually walk a lot too, but why am I feeling so uncomfortable now?”
Han Muzi shot a look at their surroundings before she explained to Yan, “Usually, you walk on a ground level, but now, you are walking on a gradient, so you need more energy for every step. We just started walking not long ago. Are you sure you can reach the top like this?”
When Han Muzi explained in a calm manner, it sounded as if she wasn’t tired at all. Instantly, Yan couldn’t help but moan, “Muzi, that is not fair. We have been together most of the time before, so why do you not look exhausted at all? If I’m unable to reach the top, shouldn’t it be harder for you as a pregnant woman to do it?”
Listening to her, Han Muzi let out a faint smile. She was different from Yan. At the start, Yan jogged up the steps and even went up two steps at a time because she was full of energy. Even though she stopped and waited for them occasionally, she still exhausted her body at a higher rate, so her body’s recovery rate was slower.
