29: Chapter 29 The Low-Key Presence of a Border Town

Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Li Xin got up.

After washing up, he went to the breakfast shop across the street to eat, then changed into the Liberation shoes he bought yesterday, put on a gray T-shirt, donned a straw hat, and strapped on his bamboo basket.

Standing in front of the mirror, he looked exactly like a local young man who gathered medicinal herbs.

He slightly adjusted his facial expression in the mirror, hunched his back a little, let his eyes convey simplicity, and wore a touch of honest, naive smile at the corners of his mouth. This getup was perfect.

The "Mastery of Disguise" skill was truly useful; now, his gait, gaze, and even the rhythm of his breathing were quite natural.

He nodded with satisfaction, shouldered his bamboo basket, went downstairs, and checked out.

The woman at the front desk was eating breakfast, and when she saw him come down, she was slightly stunned: "Young man, you are..."

"Going into the mountains to gather herbs."

"Oh." The woman nodded. "Then you must be careful; there are many snakes in the mountains during this season."

"Thank you, I will be careful."

The morning in Tengchong was still very quiet, there were few pedestrians on the street, and the air was fresh. The distant mountains were shrouded in mist, appearing faintly, giving one a very different, wonderful feeling.

He walked to the bus station and found the minibus heading toward the border. The vehicle was not large, capable of seating about ten people, and it was already half full.

He got on the bus and found a window seat.

Sitting next to him was a middle-aged man with dark skin, wearing camouflage clothing and a pair of Liberation shoes on his feet. He looked to be about fifty years old, very amiable and easy to get along with.

"Going into the mountains?" The middle-aged man asked casually with a smile.

"Yes, going into the mountains to gather some herbs."

"What kind of herbs are you gathering?"

"Seeing if I can find some Paris polyphylla."

The man nodded: "Paris polyphylla is not easy to find. Are you alone?"

"Yeah, if I don't find any, it's fine. I'll just gather whatever I come across."

"Then you can follow me. I'm also going into the mountains, but I'm going to cut bamboo."

"Thank you, sir."

Before long, the vehicle started and slowly drove out of the station.

Tengchong outside the window gradually faded away, replaced by rolling mountains and dense forests. The road became narrower and bumpier, with dense trees and bamboo forests on both sides.

Li Xin leaned lazily against the back of the seat, watching the scenery outside, his heart filled with peace and a hint of anticipation.

The middle-aged man next to him struck up a conversation again: "Where are you from?"

"Shenzhen."

"Shenzhen? That's a big city." The man glanced at him. "What made you think of coming here to gather herbs?"

"I studied with a teacher for a while, and I came here to look for some wild medicinal herbs."

"Gathering herbs in the mountains is too hard. It's better to just buy them at a pharmacy."

"I feel like the wild ones are a bit better, and I also like running around in the mountains, so I'm just treating this as a trip."

The man smiled: "It's good to be young."

The vehicle drove for over an hour before stopping at a small town.

After getting off the bus, he looked around. The small town was not big, with one main street and old brick-and-tile houses standing on both sides. There were a few pedestrians on the street, and he noticed a few young men wearing camouflage clothing squatting by the roadside smoking.

Carrying his bamboo basket, he walked along the street for a while, found a small shop, and bought a bottle of water.

"Boss, how do I get to the mountain?" he asked.

The shopkeeper glanced at him: "Young man, why are you going into the mountains?"

"Gathering herbs."

"Head south. Once you cross that river, you'll be at the foot of the mountain. But that area is close to the border, and there is a Patrol Team, so don't go too far."

"I understand, thank you, boss."

Li Xin took the water and walked south along the street.

Outside the town was a dirt road, with farmland and bamboo forests on the sides. In the distance were rolling mountains shrouded in mist, like an ink wash painting.

He walked for about twenty minutes and reached the riverside.

The river was not deep, but the current was quite swift. There was a simple wooden bridge over the river, just a few logs tied together, which didn't look very stable.

He carefully walked across the wooden bridge and arrived at the other bank.

He took a deep breath and began to climb the mountain.

The mountain path was very narrow, only wide enough for one person. On both sides were dense shrubs and weeds, and the dew soaked his pant legs.

He walked for about half an hour and reached a fork in the road.

He stopped, took his water bottle out of the bamboo basket, took a sip, and wiped off his sweat.

Then he silently recited in his mind: "System, Scan the surroundings."

[System: Scanning... No gold reaction detected.]

Li Xin frowned.

With a detection range of 990 meters, he hadn't scanned anything.

This meant there was no gold mine in the vicinity.

He continued walking forward, scanning as he went.

He walked for about another hour, but the system still didn't react.

He stopped and took out his phone to check the map. His current position was already very close to the border line, with a straight-line distance of only about ten kilometers.

If he continued forward, he might run into a Patrol Team.

He hesitated for a moment but decided to keep going.

For fifty tons of gold, it was worth taking a risk.

He kept stopping and starting, searching continuously. As time ticked by bit by bit, his patience was also being worn down, when suddenly the system chimed.

[System: Weak gold reaction detected. Location: Southwest, straight-line distance approximately 860 meters. Estimated gold content: Unknown, further scanning required.]

Li Xin's heart rate accelerated.

Eight hundred meters away, gold mines were starting to appear.

This meant he was heading in the right direction.

He quickened his pace and headed southwest.

The mountain path became increasingly difficult, the shrubs grew denser, and in some places, there was no visible path at all. He used his engineer shovel to push aside the weeds and struggled forward.

After walking for about twenty minutes, the system chimed again.

[System: Gold reaction detected. Location: Directly ahead, straight-line distance approximately 500 meters. Estimated gold content: Unknown, further scanning required.]

Five hundred meters.

He was getting closer.

Li Xin took a deep breath and continued forward.

After walking for another ten minutes, he suddenly heard voices ahead.

He stopped, hid behind a large tree, and peeked forward.

Ahead was a small stream, and sitting by the stream were three people smoking and chatting. They were wearing camouflage clothing and carrying guns.

A Patrol Team.

Li Xin's heart rate accelerated uncontrollably, but the expression on his face remained calm.

He took a deep breath, stepped out from behind the tree, and walked forward as if nothing was wrong.

"Stop!" someone shouted.

Li Xin stopped and looked at them.

The three men stood up and walked toward him. The leader was a man in his thirties with dark skin and sharp eyes.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the man asked, looking him up and down.

"I'm gathering herbs." Li Xin smiled and pointed to the bamboo basket on his back. "Going into the mountains to look for Paris polyphylla."

"Gathering herbs?" The man frowned. "Where are you from?"

"Tengchong."

"ID card."

Li Xin took his ID card out of his pocket and handed it over.

The man took a look at it and then looked at him: "From Shenzhen? You traveled all this way to gather herbs?"

"I studied some pharmacology with my master, and he asked me to come here to find some wild Chinese medicinal herbs for him."

The man stared at him for a few seconds and then nodded: "The border line is just ahead. Don't go any further."

"I know, thank you, sir."

The man returned his ID card and waved his hand: "Go on."

Li Xin nodded, shouldered his bamboo basket, and continued forward.

His footsteps were steady, but his heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to jump out.

However, his facial expression remained calm, with a hint of an honest smile.

After walking about two hundred meters and confirming that the Patrol Team couldn't see him, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"System, continue to Scan."

[System: Gold reaction detected. Location: Directly ahead, straight-line distance approximately 300 meters. Estimated gold content: Unknown, further scanning required.]

He was getting closer. He quickened his pace and headed forward.

The mountain path was very steep, so he climbed up a hillside using both his hands and feet.

Reaching the top of the mountain, he stopped and wiped off his sweat.

Then he closed his eyes and silently recited in his mind: "System, precise Scan."

[System: Scanning...]