Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System

The glacial river converged into a small lake not far away, and the water appeared somewhat muddy, unlike the ice-blue they had seen before at Ranwu Lake.

This place had not been touched by commercialization at all, remaining purely primitive, naturally accompanied by unknown dangers.

And right next to the lake, the group of hiking enthusiasts they had seen earlier was resting.

Seeing them, Li Younan showed a thoughtful expression.

Meanwhile, the enthusiasts came over proactively to greet them.

...

To be honest, the altitude here wasn’t particularly high, just over 3000 meters, and the UV rays weren’t particularly intense. They were still separated from the glacier by a vast stretch of primeval forest; to see the glacier, they had to traverse it.

As someone with mountaineering skills, Li Younan knew how to plan routes and assess dangers, ensuring that he wouldn’t make any mistakes on this expedition.

So even though the adventure sounded daunting, for Li Younan, the level of danger was no different from climbing Qingcheng Mountain at his doorstep.

Even with Liu Li along, Li Younan was confident that this journey would be no harder than climbing a very tall staircase.

Thus, Li Younan was naturally very calm.

Li Younan’s calmness naturally put Liu Li at ease as well.

However, compared to their relaxed demeanor, the group of hikers appeared a bit nervous.

They came over to strike up a conversation.

In the group, there was a middle-aged man acting as their guide, while the other four were young people, including two female college students.

Except for the guide, each carried a heavy backpack for traversing.

It turned out they weren’t very experienced in hiking; overall, it seemed like two well-off young men taking their college girlfriends on a trip—or at least what appeared to be girlfriends.

And the guide, though not a local, seemed to have been in this business for a while.

Li Younan was a bit relieved that none of them recognized him.

Encountering fans in such places would be quite a headache for Li Younan.

The two young men showed great enthusiasm, hinting that Li Younan could join their group.

Li Younan found it amusing, as they evidently considered him one of their kind.

Glancing at Liu Li beside him, by age, she did seem like a female college student, and she looked even younger.

But seeing the slightly flirtatious look in the young men’s eyes, he decided not to continue the conversation.

Not that he looked down on them; on the contrary, he sensed their goodwill.

It’s just that, compared to them, the two girls couldn’t really compare to Liu Li—likely they couldn’t chat about the same things.

Moreover, if inexperienced newcomers joined him, Li Younan would subconsciously feel a sense of responsibility.

After all, in an emergency, he couldn’t just stand by, which would be quite burdensome, making venturing alone with Liu Li more appealing.

But before Li Younan could say anything, the guide showed even greater enthusiasm, explaining how dangerous this primeval forest was, and how even after reaching the glacier, without a guide, it would be hard to find the beautiful glacier caves.

His words naturally suggested that Li Younan should join their group.

Li Younan understood that expressing such an intention would lead the guide to start discussing prices.

There was no need to criticize this behavior; in this era, everyone was working hard to make a living, and earning money wasn’t easy.

Even so, Li Younan declined.

After a brief conversation, Li Younan and Liu Li walked past the lake, bidding farewell to the hikers.

As their figures disappeared completely into the forest, the guide sighed slightly, saying with a hint of irony, "Those two youngsters probably came to such a place for the first time; they have no respect for the wild. They won’t learn until they hit some obstacles. Rest a bit, and then we’ll set off again."

One young man curiously asked, "Is there only one path to the glacier?"

"Not exactly, but the direction those two took is a better route," the guide said. "But you don’t need to overthink; just follow me. I’ve led many people in, and there will be no issues. We must spend the night in the forest; after resting up, we’ll head out."

On the other side, after parting ways with the hikers, Li Younan and Liu Li continued into the forest.

Along the way, Li Younan named the plants in the forest like they were old friends: "This tree is called a spruce, very adaptable. This one is a birch, widely spread across the plateau."

"What’s that tall tree?"

"That’s a mountain pine, one of the fast-growing species here; it can grow to 50 or 60 meters tall."