Suddenly, a louder, echoing howl came from the opposite hillside:
"Awoooooo!!!"
That powerful and penetrating voice instantly broke the slightly awkward silence between the two groups.
The moment the voice from the other end fell, it seemed to ignite some mysterious signal.
A more distorted "Yohohoho—!!" immediately came from the woods to the right, sounding like someone was howling and performing a shamanistic ritual.
Before anyone could react, a series of strange, crackling cries erupted from the nearby valley to the left: "Wah wah wah! Awoo! Caw caw!"
Interspersed among them were even a few sounds imitating the cries of birds or unknown creatures.
For a time, the entire mountain forest seemed to have become a gathering place for some kind of primitive tribe, or a large-scale exchange venue for atavism.
Various strange cries rose and fell, echoing each other, creating an incredibly lively scene.
The sudden chorus of a hundred apes stunned the entire mountaineering team, which then burst into laughter.
President Chen Niansha facepalmed, both amused and exasperated: "What's wrong with this year's mountain climbers... Is this a performance art competition?"
However, that lively, unrestrained, purely joyful howling seemed to have a strange infectious power.
The slightly somber atmosphere in the group, which had been somewhat subdued due to the minor disagreement between Gao Lang and Li Yuheng, was largely dispelled by this sudden symphony of the mountains and forests.
The group wearing bright pink headscarves seemed to have their last shred of reason ignited by the overwhelming primal howls, and became even more excited.
The boy in the pink headscarf took a deep breath, cupped his hands to his mouth, and roared back with all his might towards the direction from which the strange cry had just come from:
"Awooooo—!!! Bro—! What a great voice—!!!"
His teammates joined in, and soon, all sorts of strange noises and sounds rose and fell, as if they were trying to compete with their kind all over the mountains and fields, as if they were conducting a mysterious mountain forest communication ritual.
Li Yuheng was silent for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.
This is truly a stroke of luck for him, the prince of the underworld.
In all his years, this was the first time he had ever seen a mountain climb turn into a scene of howling ghosts.
The strange cries that filled the mountains and fields were even more unpleasant and noisy than the howls of the old ghost that had been soaking in the River of Oblivion for a thousand years.
Li Yuheng stood still, listening quietly for two seconds to this seemingly chaotic yet vibrant symphony.
Then, he raised his hand and clapped a few times slowly, a look of almost intoxicated appreciation on his face, as if he had just listened to a New Year's Concert in Vienna's Golden Hall.
He nodded slightly and, in an aria-like tone, praised clearly and concisely:
"It's true music."
Shu Bai: "..."
Alright, alright, this guy is at it again.
He silently moved half a step to the side.
President Chen Niansha suddenly turned her head to look at Li Yuheng, her eyes filled with shock, as if to say, "Do you also have some serious illness?"
Even Gao Lang, who was in front of him, twitched his shoulders almost imperceptibly.
Upon hearing this, the boy in the pink headscarf across from him immediately lit up, as if he had found a kindred spirit across species. He excitedly pointed at Li Yuheng and said, "Dude! You have great taste! Why don't you do a little something too?"
Li Yuheng readily complied, gathered his breath in his diaphragm, and immediately uttered a completely off-key imitation of a tenor: "Aww~?~ Uh~?~"
The tune was so convoluted and unpleasant, it was uniquely awful.
The pink-banded group fell silent for a moment, then erupted in even more enthusiastic cheers: "Bravo!!!"
"Art! This is art!"
"Dude, you must be a musician?! Your voice is blessed!"
The enthusiastic cheers of the pink-turbaned crowd echoed through the valley, as if Li Yuheng's beautiful voice, with its raspy quality, was truly heavenly.
Li Yuheng cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said smugly, "Thank you for your kind words, it's just basic stuff."
Atavism enthusiasts on other hilltops immediately responded enthusiastically to Li Yuheng's singing version of "Awoo," with howls and screams rising and falling.
Infected by the fervent atmosphere, members of the mountaineering club joined in, shouting and yelling at the top of their lungs into the valley, their laughter and screams blending together.
The entire mountain seemed to come alive.
"Hello everyone! I'm wzxq! How are you all?!"
"Someone stole three of my fruit tarts!"
"Those who steal takeout will suffer from diarrhea for life!"
"Could you please reduce the amount of pre-made dishes?"
The mountains echoed with meaningless shouts, yet the intertwined sounds miraculously dissolved the barriers between people.
Perhaps sometimes release doesn't need meaning; it only needs a pure and resounding resonance that echoes through the valley.
After shouting at the top of my lungs, I felt really good.
It's roughly like this: Shout away your troubles, shout out your relief, feel relaxed, and keep moving forward!
This chaotic battle of voices lasted for nearly half an hour, until all the teams were hoarse from shouting, and the forest gradually returned to silence, leaving only a few lingering laughs and gasps.
The participants seemed satisfied, carrying a sense of exhaustion and joy after venting their emotions, as they continued their respective hikes up or down the mountain.
The group wearing bright pink headscarves waved vigorously at Li Yuheng and his friends, leaving behind the words "See you at the top of the mountain!! Friends!" before roaring and continuing their energetic ascent up the mountain.
Li Yuheng stared at the direction where the group had disappeared, smacked his lips with lingering satisfaction, nudged Shu Bai with his elbow, and said with a hint of boastfulness, "How about that? My on-the-spot reaction and artistic talent, aren't they amazing?"
"Yeah, that's amazing. I won't watch the Spring Festival Gala this year without you."
"Haha, oh dear, you're making me a little embarrassed with all that praise!"
…
The team continued upwards.
As Chen Niansha said, the latter half of the path to the main peak becomes extremely steep and dangerous, sometimes requiring the use of ropes and mutual pulling to get through.
Physical exertion increased dramatically.
As the setting sun began to paint the sky golden red, they finally arrived at the camp located below the main peak.
This is a relatively flat and open cliff, where several large communal tents have already been set up, and the open space in the center is used for making fires and having meals together.
After unloading their heavy backpacks, everyone was so exhausted that they almost collapsed on the ground.
"Hurry up and set up your individual tents, then prepare dinner! The temperature will drop quickly tonight!" Although Chen Niansha was also tired, she still mustered her energy to give instructions.
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