61: Heading to Tibet!

Since he decided to have a good meal.

Jiang Yuan didn't hesitate.

He searched on his phone for one of Chengdu's top three Private Kitchens.

It was located in an old Mansion near Kuanzhai Alley, with not only a quiet environment but, more importantly, high-quality ingredients.

He parked the white brabus, which had an incredibly high Return rate (Return Rate), at the entrance of the Mansion.

He didn't even need to speak.

The valet at the entrance stared wide-eyed, jogged over, and respectfully took the car keys.

He was afraid that this 'Suit Thug' would get scratched or bumped in his hands.

Walking into the private room.

Jiang Yuan, alone, ordered a table full of dishes.

Boiled Cabbage with Chicken Broth, Supreme Chicken Tofu Pudding, Braised Oxtail Square... all labor-intensive and time-consuming traditional Sichuanese Kung Fu Cuisine (Gongfu Dishes).

This meal was incredibly satisfying.

Full and content.

Jiang Yuan returned to the Hidden Luxury Homestay and comfortably took a bath.

Lying on the soft, large bed, outside the window was Chengdu's humid night.

He didn't scroll through TikTok, nor did he chat.

Instead, he closed his eyes and mentally reviewed tomorrow's route.

That sense of anticipation for the unknown subtly throbbed in his veins.

That night, Jiang Yuan slept exceptionally soundly.

The next morning.

Just as the sky began to show the first hint of dawn.

The entire city of Chengdu was still asleep, with only the sweeping sounds of sanitation workers echoing in the streets.

“Boom—!!!”

A deep, powerful engine roar broke the morning's tranquility.

The white brabus g900, like a caged tiger, tore through the thin mist.

Inside the car.

Jiang Yuan held the steering wheel with one hand, his eyes clear and wide awake.

He didn't follow the crowd to squeeze onto the legendary National Highway 318.

Instead, he did his research and chose a quieter route—driving the 317 Sichuan-Tibet Northern Line in reverse.

Many experienced travelers online recommended this route, avoiding the seemingly endless traffic jams on Mount Zheduo.

Although the average altitude of 317 rises more sharply and the road is more treacherous.

But Jiang Yuan didn't care; his current physique could completely handle it.

Turning the steering wheel, he bypassed Dujiangyan and drove straight towards Mount Siguniang along National Highway G350.

Leaving the city, the colors in his vision instantly changed.

No longer the dull gray concrete jungle, but the deep, moist green unique to the Bashu Region, so lush it seemed to drip with water.

The black asphalt road, like a winding snake, hugged the turbulent Min River tributary, traversing through the canyons.

The road conditions were excellent; on the brand-new asphalt, yellow dashed lines continuously sped backward.

As the car entered the mountains, the numbers on the altimeter began to jump wildly.

The surrounding vegetation also visibly started to change.

The tall broadleaf forests by the roadside gradually turned into short, cold-resistant coniferous pines, and the deep green became dark green.

The mountain road wound in circles, constantly drawing 'Z' shapes on the mountainside.

Fortunately, Jiang Yuan had a foundation in [Driving Mastery].

Facing dozens of kilometers of continuous hairpin turns, his hands and feet coordinated skillfully, and the transitions between accelerator and brake were smooth and fluid.

The car speed was not fast, one could even say it was leisurely.

The higher he drove, the greater the humidity in the air.

By halfway up the mountain, the clouds and mist that had been overhead had now descended to the car windows.

It wasn't light smoke, but heavy, cotton-like moisture that clung to the windshield, dyeing the view a hazy milky white.

Passing through the fog layer, the car arrived at an open pass clearing.

Jiang Yuan glanced at the roadside, stepped on the brake, and stopped the car steadily.

Several orange Tank 300s, with Sichuan A license plates, were already parked nearby.

Those were the large numbers of tourists who rented cars for self-driving trips after landing in Chengdu, the most common sight on this route.

A few young people, wrapped in thick assault jackets, their cheeks slightly reddened by the mountain wind, were excitedly making peace signs at the sea of clouds.

Jiang Yuan pushed the door open and got out of the car.

“Whoosh—”

A cold, crisp mountain wind instantly poured down his collar, invigorating him.

The altitude here had already surpassed three thousand meters.

The height of two Mount Tai.

The air was noticeably thinner; taking a deep breath, his lungs felt a cool, clear sensation.

Jiang Yuan leaned against the hot engine hood and lit a cigarette.

The wind carried a very peculiar scent.

It wasn't city exhaust, nor was it merely the earthy smell of soil.

Instead, it was the smell of dry alpine meadows, mixed with the fermented scent of cow and sheep dung after being exposed to intense ultraviolet sunlight.

It was somewhat pungent, even carrying a hint of primal wildness.

But as soon as this scent entered his nostrils, he instantly realized: this was the wilderness.

“This is the smell of nature...”

Jiang Yuan exhaled a smoke ring, watching the smoke instantly torn apart by the mountain wind.

He didn't cover his nose; instead, he found this scent surprisingly real and comforting.

The group of tourists taking photos nearby frequently cast their gaze towards Jiang Yuan's white brabus.

Against the gray-brown mountain backdrop, this car seemed somewhat out of place in its cleanliness.

After finishing a cigarette, Jiang Yuan extinguished and put away the butt, then continued his journey.

From here on, the altitude never dropped below three thousand meters.

He drove for another four hours.

When the white car passed through the long, dark Balang Mountain Tunnel, or crossed the winding old road pass.

The view suddenly opened up.

The clouds and mist that had just been beside him were now beneath his feet.

The original green vegetation had completely disappeared, replaced by exposed black rocks and gray-brown scree slopes.

Jiang Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

Right at the end of the world in front of him.

A majestic snow-capped peak, without warning, pierced through the surging sea of clouds and crashed into his vision.

That wasn't a painting; that was real oppression.

Pristine white snow covered the knife-cut, axe-split black mountain ridges, reflecting dazzling golden-white light in the sun.

It was the first time in his life he had gazed so closely at a real snow mountain.

Stern, silent, yet so magnificent it made one want to weep.

At this moment.

The melodic music in the car seemed to become superfluous background noise.

Only the sound of his heart beating violently in his chest remained.

Balang Mountain Pass, at an altitude of 4480 meters.

The cold wind howled, like knives drilling into bone crevices.

The temperature here was only about ten degrees Celsius, and the Constant Temperature Body Sensation was even lower.

Every person standing in the wind, their exhaled breath instantly turned into plumes of white mist, torn apart by the gale.

But Jiang Yuan, wearing only a thin assault jacket, looked normal.

The invisible Constant Temperature Body Sensation on his body made him feel as if he were in the warm spring breeze of March, even in this extremely cold place.

Four seasons like spring, nothing more.

At this moment, the white brabus, like a fierce beast, plunged into the dark and deep Balang Mountain Tunnel.

Darkness swallowed everything.

But this suppression only lasted a few minutes.

When the light ahead rapidly expanded, and the car rushed out of the tunnel.

The vision suddenly brightened.

It was as if he had passed through a time-space gate.

It had just been a misty, overcast day, but now it had turned into a clear, azure sky.

This was the greeting gift from the Western Sichuan Plateau to every pilgrim—

It never disappoints, only shocks, and shocks again.

At this moment, Jiang Yuan couldn't even find any magnificent words to describe the scene before him.

Except for "Holy crap," all other praises seemed pale.

Experiencing four seasons in one day is not an exaggeration here; it's a realistic depiction.

After passing through the tunnel, the legendary "Queen of Shu Mountains"—Mount Siguniang—suddenly burst into view without warning.

Four majestic snow-capped peaks, like four goddesses draped in white gauze, stood quietly amidst the surrounding mountains.

Looking down from the towering peak of Yaomei Peak.

It was a natural oil painting with distinct layers of color.

The mountain peaks were covered with eternal white snow, shimmering with sacred silver light under the sun.

The mid-slopes were alpine meadows interwoven with golden yellow and tender green, like a thick carpet.

And at the foot of the mountains, there were lush primeval forests, verdant and dripping, like a fairyland.

Jiang Yuan slowed down and steadily parked the car at a scenic service area by the roadside.

The area was already full of cars.

A stone tablet stood by the road, engraved with red Tibetan script, and prayer flags fluttered in the wind.

Almost every passing tourist would stop here.

Some were bundled in thick down jackets, others were using portable oxygen tanks.

Although their bodies trembled, their eyes were firmly fixed on the magnificent snow-capped mountains in the distance.

After all.

Facing such grand beauty of heaven and earth, who could resist stopping and lingering?