The road to Nanshan Temple is difficult to navigate. Previously, private cars were allowed on the mountain, but a particularly serious traffic accident occurred several years ago. For safety reasons, the scenic area eventually arranged for shuttle buses to transport everyone up, facilitate activities, and return everyone down in a unified manner.
Bai Muxuan paid for four people to charter a car, purely for the sake of peace and quiet; sharing a ride with strangers felt a bit uncomfortable.
Once in the car, Qi Beichen was like an excited baby, looking around everywhere. It wasn’t yet the designated departure time, and over twenty cars sat silently in the parking lot, waiting for scheduling.
“Muxuan-ge, I’ve done all the research! This place is a temple complex. Nanshan Temple is for praying for family harmony and success in all things. Besides that, there’s a Fox Immortal Temple, which is said to be the most accurate for praying for marriage luck. For career and fortune luck, you have to go to the Lord’s Temple that one is the most efficacious.”
Bai Muxuan leaned his arm against the car window, propping his chin with one hand. Behind the parking lot was a mountain, covered in lush, verdant trees. His gaze never wavered from them. “Hm? What do you want to pray for?”
Qi Beichen fidgeted, tugging at the corner of Bai Muxuan’s shirt. “Marriage… I think that would be nice…”
Bai Muxuan immediately tugged his hem back. “The way you’re acting… it’s not right.”
“Meeting is fate, and fate comes and goes. Isn’t that what the person right in front of me is for?”
“You’ve got eight hundred schemes in that head of yours. Even if it is fate, I’m afraid ours is more of an ill-fated affinity.”
A noisy sound came from the loudspeaker outside, signaling that they were ready to depart. The driver turned his head to look at the two, saying, “Sit tight. Everyone has their seatbelts fastened, right? This stretch of road is okay, but it’ll get bumpy once we hit the dirt road ahead.”
The driver in the front row gave his customary warning. Bai Muxuan pulled on Qi Beichen’s seatbelt, carefully checking the buckle, before he felt reassured enough to continue looking at the scenery outside the window.
Rumble, rumble…
Sunshine spilled liberally over the back seat. Bai Muxuan’s hair shone with a chestnut luster under the light. It looked fluffy and soft, and the urge to reach out and ruffle it rose, but Qi Beichen suppressed his restless heart.
Qi Beichen suffered from motion sickness a debuff inherited from the original owner. He had prepared everything: orange peels, motion sickness medicine, essential oil, and peppermint candies. At first, it was still asphalt road and wasn’t too bumpy; Qi Beichen had taken the motion sickness medicine beforehand, so his spirits were still decent.
“Muxuan-ge, I heard there’s a legend about that Fox Immortal Temple that’s quite mysterious.”
“Mm? What is it?” Bai Muxuan withdrew his gaze from the scenery and focused on Qi Beichen.
“It was a long time ago. There was a man who traveled across thousands of mountains and rivers to visit Nanshan Temple. He wanted two things: first, to rank first in the imperial examinations, and second, to marry a beautiful woman and live a good life. He traveled thousands of miles, and no one knows how long he walked. When night fell, he couldn’t find Nanshan Temple, nor could he find a place to stay.”
Bai Muxuan took a bag of sunflower seeds out of his backpack. “Mhm, keep going, I’m listening.”
“It was dark, the kind of dark that was eerie and you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face…”
“There were no lights in ancient times; deep in the mountains, of course it was pitch black. What, did you want disco lights?”
“Hey, hey, Muxuan-ge, don’t interrupt me! I’m telling a story here, it’s very exciting.”
Bai Muxuan took out an orange, peeled half of it, and placed it on a small cushion beside him.
“So, he saw tiny specks of light in the darkness. When he got closer, he saw a house. It was as if the owner knew someone was coming; they opened the door before the man could even knock.”
“If you lived in the past, you’d probably have had your soul hooked away by some spirit.” Crackle, crackle… Bai Muxuan cracked open a sunflower seed.
“Muxuan-ge, I haven’t finished yet! Besides, if my soul were really hooked away, it would be…” Qi Beichen raised his eyes to look at Bai Muxuan. “…by you.”
“I still want to hear the story. Keep going. As for the ability to hook souls, I don’t have it.”
“After everything was settled, the man ate dinner. Just as he was preparing to sleep, he saw a gorgeously dressed woman arrive outside the door. The man was flustered. Back then, in feudal society, that was a taboo.”
“The man didn’t dare raise his head to look, terrified that he would truly be entangled by something. He just kept his head down, asking how far Nanshan Temple was. The woman only smiled, pointed into the distance, and said, ‘It’s far beyond the horizon, yet close at hand. You have already arrived, yet you do not recognize it.’”
“The next morning, when the man woke up, he found himself resting his head on a stone, lying in a white poplar forest. On the stone tablet next to him, it was written ‘Fox Immortal Temple,’ and on the square tablet on the other side, it read ‘Boundary of Nanshan Temple.’ After the man returned home, he ranked first in the imperial examinations that year, received an appointment at the Imperial Academy, and started a family. I don’t know if it was because of the fate here, but the man built the Fox Immortal Temple.”
Bai Muxuan threw the sunflower seed shells into a trash bag. “I thought it was one of those tricks where a fox spirit entangles a man, just like you, clinging to my side every day until you’re practically a pendant. But you’re different—you’re not a fox spirit; you’re a black bear spirit.”
“I’m no match for that fox spirit. I don’t have magic, and I can’t make everything go according to your wishes. But what I can do is keep you company. Isn’t it said that companionship is the best medicine? Besides, with this build, I can’t be a black bear spirit; at most, I’m just a young brown bear.” Qi Beichen hooked his fingers and winked at Bai Muxuan.
Bai Muxuan flicked his forehead with his finger. “Stop watching that nonsense. Next time, you might get scammed into an electricity fraud den and have your heart and kidneys harvested, tsk…” He glanced at Qi Beichen. “However, with your physique, you’d probably make a good male courtesan.”
Qi Beichen blushed and hung his head. “Muxuan-ge, is my body really that great?”
“Great my foot. Talk less. The dirt road is ahead; if you get motion sick, you’d better speak up.”
The driver in the front row laughed after hearing their conversation. “The Fox Immortal Temple does have a legend like that. You’d better fasten your seatbelts; the road here isn’t easy.”
The driver rolled up the windows and turned on the air conditioning. It wasn’t as comfortable as the natural breeze, and it had a whiff of gasoline. The road became bumpy, and a layer of yellow dust rose outside the windows, making everything look grey and hazy.
At first, Qi Beichen was excited and didn’t have a big reaction. About ten minutes later, he lost his energy, letting his head droop as he lay on the seat. His stomach churned, and he couldn’t stop a dry heave. “Ugh…”
A random thought popped into his head: “Muxuan-ge, the child is yours; don’t try to deny it.”
“Men cannot give birth to children.”
“I am hermaphroditic.”
Qi Beichen felt wretched. He took a peppermint candy out of his pocket and popped it into his mouth. Even the strand of hair on his head drooped. Bai Muxuan touched his forehead and took the essential oil out of his small backpack, waving it under his nose. “How are you feeling?”
Qi Beichen was too uncomfortable to talk, terrified that if he opened his mouth, he’d throw up.
“I told you to be quiet. Now look at you, you haven’t even reached the mountain gate and you’re already suffering.”
The signal in the mountains wasn’t great, cutting in and out. Looking at the map, they were still about ten minutes away from Nanshan Temple. Bai Muxuan adjusted the seat so he could lie down more comfortably and peeled a candy for him. “Try this. It’s motion sickness medicine from the hospital; it might be better.”
Qi Beichen stuck out his tongue, swirling the half-eaten peppermint candy. Bai Muxuan took a bottle of water and pulled open a trash bag. “Spit it out, rinse your mouth, and eat this one.”
The motion sickness medicine was green. Qi Beichen tilted his head, spat out the peppermint candy, took the water from Bai Muxuan, and took a sip.
“Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle… gargle, gargle… pfft, pfft, pfft…”
He rinsed his mouth, and the soft, slick tip of his tongue intentionally licked Bai Muxuan’s palm, making it itch. After holding it for a while, Qi Beichen’s spirit recovered a bit. Although he was still a little dizzy, the urge to vomit had completely vanished.
“If you want to live a good life, you have to wear a little green on your head. How fitting.”
Bai Muxuan curved his fingers, originally intending to flick Qi Beichen, but seeing his state—eyes red-rimmed and face pale he let it go. Qi Beichen grabbed his hand, rubbing the callus on his thumb, feeling a sense of security. For some reason, he wanted to rely on the person in front of him.
Finally, the car stopped. Qi Beichen had successfully crossed his tribulation.
“Are you two okay? The mountain roads here are just rugged. According to your package, I’ll pick you up the day after tomorrow afternoon.”
Whether it was a psychological effect or not, not long after the car stopped, that sense of motion sickness vanished entirely.
“Take your things. My license plate is MU1314, my phone number is this, 130xxxxxxxx, and my WeChat is the same as my phone number. If anything happens, you can contact me. The meeting point is still here. If there’s anything you don’t know, feel free to ask me. I’ve been a guide here for over ten years.”
“Thanks, brother.”
Bai Muxuan carefully noted down the driver’s words. The two didn’t have much luggage. Bai Muxuan carried a backpack containing essential medicine, compressed biscuits, and two thick jackets. Qi Beichen wore a little bear backpack, its ears pressed tightly against his back, and two legs dangling behind his butt, swaying as if Qi Beichen himself were wearing a tail.
The air in the mountains was refreshing. As he opened the car door, a cool breeze blew in, instantly waking Qi Beichen up, sweeping away even the lingering traces of his motion sickness.
The spot where the driver stopped was the mountain gate. To get to Nanshan Temple, it was about a kilometer in a straight line, and they had to climb 1,080 steps not too far, not too near, but the car really couldn’t go any further.
Qi Beichen looked at the guide map and pointed to the distant temple. “I can definitely climb up. It’s just 1,080 steps who are you underestimating?”
“And I wonder who it was that was wilted from motion sickness in the car just now.”
Qi Beichen stopped in his tracks. “That’s not right! A hero shouldn’t mention his past bravery. I was just motion sick!”
“Qi Beichen, was your Chinese taught by your P.E. teacher? Do you even understand the meaning of that phrase?”
“Don’t slander the P.E. teacher! Back in the day, I was super good at sports; I even dreamed of being the next Messi!”
Qi Beichen skipped along ahead, and it was truly hard to see any sign of his previous weakness. After walking for about ten minutes, they reached the ticket booth. There was also a cable car; the price was posted outside the window: 70 one-way, 140 round-trip, with ticket sales stopping at 16:00.
Bai Muxuan lined up at the window with their IDs, while Qi Beichen fanned himself on the side.
“Are you really, truly sure you want to climb the mountain yourself?” Bai Muxuan asked, turning his head.
[Next, next! What ticket?]
[Round-trip ticket, return.]
[Come, come, next!]
Qi Beichen tugged at the two legs on the back of his backpack, playing with them. “I said I want to climb up myself. I have tons of wishes. If the gods know how diligent and hardworking I am, they’ll definitely make my wishes come true.”
[Two one-way tickets, for going down the mountain.]
“Actually, I want to climb down myself too…”
“It’s easy to go up the mountain, but hard to come down. Look over there.”
Qi Beichen followed Bai Muxuan’s pointing finger. Wuhu. The mountain path was built of bricks and stones. People on the descent path were all leaning on hiking poles, limping, or resting their hands on the wooden railings, their legs shaking like sieves.
“Our hotel is booked at the foot of the mountain, and our luggage has already been arranged. If I wait for you to come down, it’ll be the death of me we’d be waiting under the stars and moon. Tomorrow, are we still going to play or not?”
Qi Beichen shook his head like a little rattle. “No, no, of course we have to play. If we can’t get back, we’re doomed, doomed.”
“Just have that self-awareness.”
Bai Muxuan glanced at Qi Beichen’s shoes in advance—they were standard hiking shoes. Not bad.
After buying the tickets, Bai Muxuan beckoned to Qi Beichen. Looking up, the entrance was truly packed with people; they were queuing up, and even the hiking path was just a sea of heads.
“This is the best season to come to Nanshan Temple. The weather looks good, but mountain weather… who knows, it might rain later. The altitude is high, so we might even see snowflakes.”
“Isn’t that ‘The beauty of April in the human world has faded, but the peach blossoms in the mountain temple have just begun to bloom’? It’s sunny by the sea, but warm here, and there might be snow at the top. It’s like experiencing three seasons in one day. Muxuan-ge, if we see snow, does that count as growing old together?”
A nearby tourist seemed to have overheard their conversation and recited: “Suddenly, an old love passes through the heart; looking back, the mountains and rivers have entered winter. If we walk through the snow together, this life can be counted as growing old together. If white hair could be replaced by snow, why would there be heartbroken people in the world? If you were by my side at this moment, why would we need to walk through the snow to grow old together?”
Qi Beichen tugged Bai Muxuan’s sleeve. “A poet!”
“A god-talking madman.”
Bai Muxuan flicked Qi Beichen’s forehead. “Are you going up or not? If we waste any more time, the Fox Immortal Temple you want to visit will close.”
Qi Beichen turned to look at the notice. It was true; the Fox Immortal Temple closed at 4:00 PM.
“Then, then we have to hurry!”