52: Chapter 52 Gold Rush in Laos

Li Xin woke up at seven the next morning.

After washing up, he changed into quick-drying clothes, put on his small backpack, and went downstairs to check out.

He bought a baguette sandwich and a cup of Laos coffee at a small stall in front of the hotel, eating as he walked toward Xieng Thong Temple.

The morning in Luang Prabang was very quiet, and monks were already out collecting alms on the streets.

Their orange robes stood out strikingly in the morning light as devotees knelt by the roadside, placing sticky rice into the monks' alms bowls.

This was a tradition in Luang Prabang that had continued for hundreds of years, something visible every single morning.

Li Xin stood by the roadside watching for a while before continuing on his way.

Xieng Thong Temple was at the end of the peninsula and was the most famous temple in Luang Prabang.

When he arrived, Song Pengfei was already waiting at the entrance.

Song Pengfei was in his early thirties, with dark skin and a lean build, wearing a dark blue T-shirt and khaki shorts, with mud-caked hiking boots on his feet.

He smiled, revealing two rows of white teeth, looking very honest and simple.

"Li Xin?" Song Pengfei asked in accented Chinese.

"Yes, Mr. Song Pengfei?"

"Just call me Song Pengfei." Song Pengfei reached out and shook his hand. "Chen Hu told me you want to go hiking in the mountains?"

"Yes, I want to go check out Mount Phufa."

Song Pengfei frowned. "The road over to Mount Phufa is difficult, and there's an abandoned gold mine there. Some parts have collapsed, so it's quite dangerous. Are you sure you want to go?"

"I'm sure. I won't go into the mine, I'm just curious and want to take a look from the outside."

Song Pengfei glanced at him and nodded. "Alright. How many days do you plan to go for?"

"Two or three days. We'll see how it goes."

"Then I'll help you prepare. Food, water, a tent, a sleeping bag—you'll need all of that."

"No need." Li Xin patted his backpack. "I brought my own."

Song Pengfei was stunned for a moment. "You're carrying all that by yourself?"

"I'm an ultralight hiking enthusiast; my gear is lightweight, so it's not heavy."

Song Pengfei didn't ask further and nodded. "Alright then. Can we leave today?"

"Yes."

"Then we'll leave now. I'll take you to the foot of the mountain on my motorcycle, and then we'll hike in."

The two walked out of Xieng Thong Temple. Song Pengfei's motorcycle was parked on the side of the road—a 125cc Honda with a small backpack tied to the back seat.

"Get on." Song Pengfei straddled the motorcycle and started the engine.

Li Xin sat on the back seat and grabbed the iron frame. The motorcycle wove through the streets of Luang Prabang, left the city, and got onto a dirt road. The road conditions grew worse, full of potholes, and the motorcycle bumped violently. Song Pengfei didn't ride fast, but he was very familiar with the road; he remembered clearly where every pothole and turn was.

After driving for about two hours, the motorcycle stopped in a small village. The village wasn't large, with only a dozen or so households, all living in stilt wooden houses. A few children were playing at the entrance to the village; when they saw the motorcycle stop, they gathered around, looking at Li Xin curiously.

"We're here." Song Pengfei parked the motorcycle. "We have to walk from here. Mount Phufa is in that direction, about a four or five-hour hike."

Li Xin looked at the distant mountains. The peaks were shrouded in mist, appearing and disappearing. He took a deep breath; the air smelled of fresh grass and trees.

"Let's go."

The two followed a small path behind the village into the mountains. The road was very narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. On both sides were dense forests, and occasionally they could see a few teak trees with thick trunks and lush branches.

Song Pengfei didn't walk fast, using a machete to clear the branches blocking their way as he went. Li Xin followed behind, keeping an eye on the surroundings as he walked. The vegetation here was similar to Northern Thailand, just denser and more humid. The smell of rotting leaves drifted into his nostrils from time to time, and occasionally a few butterflies flew past his eyes.

After walking for about an hour, they reached a fork in the road. Song Pengfei stopped and took a water bottle from his backpack to take a sip.

"Going left leads to Mount Phufa, and going right leads to another village." Song Pengfei pointed at the two paths. "We're going left."

"Okay."

They continued forward. The path became narrower and narrower; in some places, there was no visible path at all, and they just had to push through the bushes. Song Pengfei walked very easily, as if he were taking a leisurely stroll. After his recent training, Li Xin's stamina was much better than the average person's, and he could keep up with his pace.

After walking for another hour, Song Pengfei suddenly stopped and pointed ahead.

"That's Mount Phufa up ahead."

Li Xin looked in the direction he was pointing. A mountain peak stood before them, steep and covered in dense forest. The summit was shrouded in mist, making it hard to see clearly.

"Where is that abandoned gold mine?" Li Xin asked.

"It's on the other side of the mountain." Song Pengfei pointed to the side of the peak. "We have to go around, which will take about another two hours."

"Let's go."

The two continued on. The mountain path became increasingly steep, and in some places, they had to use their hands and feet to climb up. Song Pengfei walked in front, turning back to give Li Xin a hand whenever they encountered difficult spots.

After walking for another two hours, they finally made it to the other side of the peak.

Song Pengfei stopped and pointed to a spot on the hillside.

"We're here. That's the abandoned gold mine."

Li Xin looked where he was pointing. On the hillside was a pitch-black entrance, surrounded by weeds and bushes that almost half-concealed it.

He walked a few steps closer and looked inside. He couldn't see anything, similar to the abandoned mine shafts he had encountered before; a damp, cold wind was still blowing out of the cave, carrying a musty smell.

While pretending to observe the entrance, he silently thought to himself: "System, Scan the surroundings for any gold mines."

[System: Scanning... Scan complete. No gold reaction detected within the detection range.]

Li Xin frowned. Nothing?

He stood up, walked another few dozen meters up the hillside, and scanned again. Still nothing.

Li Xin's heart sank slightly. This wasn't right. According to his research, there were gold mines around Mount Puka; how could there be nothing when he arrived on-site?

He thought for a moment; perhaps the location was wrong. The information only gave a general location, and he needed to explore it himself. Maybe the gold mine wasn't on this mountain, but on the one next to it.

"Song Pengfei," he turned and asked, "are there any other abandoned gold mines nearby?"

Song Pengfei thought for a moment. "Yes. If you go further east, over that ridge, there's another old mine. But it's further away, and we won't be able to reach it today."

"We'll go there tomorrow."

Song Pengfei nodded. "Alright. Shall we camp here for tonight then?"

"Okay."

The two found a relatively flat area below the entrance and began setting up camp. Li Xin took the tent out of his backpack—actually, he took it out of his space—and set it up quickly. Song Pengfei also set up his own tent nearby.

The sky gradually darkened. Song Pengfei started a fire, took a few packs of instant noodles and a can of luncheon meat from his backpack, and began cooking noodles.

Li Xin sat by the fire, looking at the distant mountains. The sunset dyed the peaks a golden red, beautiful as a painting. But he was in no mood to enjoy the scenery.

He was thinking about something. The System's detection range was 3990 meters, nearly four kilometers. When he scanned just now, there was no gold mine within a four-kilometer radius. Either the gold mine was more than four kilometers away, or the information the System had given him earlier was incorrect.

He leaned toward the former. The System wouldn't make a mistake; the gold mine must be in this area, he just hadn't reached its detection range yet.

Tomorrow, he would head east.

"Time to eat." Song Pengfei handed him a bowl of instant noodles.

Li Xin took it and slurped it all up. The noodle soup was piping hot, and it warmed him up entirely after drinking it.

After finishing the noodles, the two sat by the fire chatting. Song Pengfei asked him why he wanted to go hiking in a place like this, and he said he liked primitive forests and didn't like crowded places. Song Pengfei nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The night grew deep, and the temperature in the mountains dropped quickly. Li Xin crawled into his tent, lay in his sleeping bag, and turned on his phone. There was no signal. He turned off his phone and closed his eyes.

Tomorrow, he would continue searching.