The sky was overcast and heavy with thunder, suggesting a downpour was imminent. The car descended the hill and headed towards Qingyang. Zhang Guodong, somewhat worried, opened the window and glanced at the sky, saying, "Brother Li, it looks like it's going to rain heavily before we even reach Qingyang! The sky is unusually overcast, and now there's even spring thunder!" Spring thunder is the first clap of thunder of spring, a startling sound that makes one's heart pound. Encountering such weather only brings bad luck. It's best not to go into the mountains on rainy days, otherwise, one is prone to flash floods, mudslides, landslides, and the like. Having lived in the provincial capital for nearly two years, he had seen many news reports about hikers being trapped by heavy rain or snow. Therefore, even Zhang Guodong, who didn't have much wilderness survival experience, knew these basic facts. For some reason, Zhang Guodong felt uneasy; it was a strange feeling. Old Qing also opened his eyes, his whole body tense, as if facing a formidable enemy. This caused Liu Dewang and Wang Zhen, seeing Old Qing's expression, to sit far away and squeeze in with another bodyguard, Du Wenqiang. Those lush, eerie, cold, bloodthirsty eyes always gave me the creeps! Li Ningguang nodded, glanced at the sky, frowned, and complained, "If it doesn't work out, let's stay in Qingyang for one night. But Qingyang doesn't have a single decent hotel!" Li Ningguang was quite particular about food and lodging, and besides, he couldn't live without women. When he stayed in a big hotel, he always needed two beautiful women to keep him company. However, he'd been quite exhausted lately. "Boss Li, I know a good place...hehe, the waitresses there...tsk tsk!" Liu Dewang, who had been holding back in the car, immediately lit up when he saw Li Ningguang complaining and quickly flattered him. "Haha, you idiot, do you even know what a woman is? What a beautiful woman is?" Liu Dewang's winking and gesturing amused everyone, and Li Ningguang laughed loudly. Upon hearing this, Liu Dewang immediately became anxious and retorted, "But our county party secretary and county head often go there to find women! I saw it with my own eyes!" Zhang Guodong laughed and scolded, "Don't gossip!" But in his heart, he thought that it was indeed not uncommon for corrupt officials to be indiscriminate in their pursuit of wealth and women. However, these things were not to be discussed openly. As a member of the officialdom, Zhang Guodong knew a little about this. But this statement piqued Li Ningguang's interest. The county party secretary and county head were considered local officials, which was quite attractive to a businessman like him. Moreover, Qingyang was one of the most convenient places to enter the Qinling Mountains, and if things went as expected, he would often visit this area. Li Ningguang waved his hand and said, "Guodong (Zhang Guodong's address became much more intimate after agreeing to cooperate with Li Ningguang), you're not very worldly. Finding a woman is nothing new to you. Since Dewang recommended it, shall we give it a try? It's settled then!" This made Liu Dewang happy. There were only Li Ningguang and Zhang Guodong in the car, and since Li Ningguang had made the decision, Zhang Guodong couldn't object. He only needed a place to sleep and eat. Zhang Guodong really looked down on the women in the flower market. This failing new-age farmer now had higher standards for women. This time, Zhang Guodong brought over ten mobile phone batteries, prepaid a thousand yuan, and even bought a new phone as a spare. The staff at the service center happily gave him a men's leather bag, probably worth only a hundred yuan. Not expensive, but a pity to lose it; it's still in Peach Blossom Spring. With ample funds and batteries, he could easily call Xiang Chunyan to quench his thirst, of course, when there was a cell phone signal. Looking at his luggage, the most numerous items were first-aid kits and commonly used medicines. The first-aid kit even included 'insect kits,' 'boob kits,' and 'beauty kits'—very detailed classifications. Zhang Guodong had only heard of Yunnan Baiyao first-aid kits, but the pharmacy clerk introduced the others, so Zhang Guodong simply bought them all. The Yunnan Baiyao first-aid kit, however, was an outdoor sports type. Commonly used survival medicines include snakebite medicine and venom extractors, as well as Contac, cold medicine, berberine, Niuhuang Jiedu tablets, Panadol, Huoxiang Zhengqi water, stomach medicine, eye drops, Tiger Balm, band-aids, cooling oil, and a whole host of other remedies. Zhang Guodong was prepared for a tough trip into the mountains. While the scenery was beautiful, danger lurked everywhere. Zhang Guodong had also gathered a lot of information about wilderness survival online; when it came to safety, it was better to be safe than sorry. Suddenly, a thunderclap startled everyone, putting them on edge. There weren't many vehicles on the road to Qingyang, a poor and underdeveloped county, and even fewer were traveling there. Especially with the overcast sky, there were even fewer vehicles today. It's important to know that many roads to Qingyang are carved into mountains or cliffs, making them very dangerous when it rains. Pitter-patter! Large raindrops pelted the windshield after a flash of lightning. "We're only halfway there?" Li Ningguang checked the time; only halfway had passed, and there were still about three hours to go to reach Qingyang. But this rain would delay the journey even further, possibly until dark. They had set off at 11 a.m., only managing to eat quick meals along the way, and now it was past 2 p.m. But the weather was uncooperative; large raindrops began to fall, pounding against the car roof with a loud crackling sound. To make matters worse, lightning flashed across the sky, as if the car might be struck by lightning at any moment. Zhang Guodong cautiously said, "I remember there's a wide open space ahead with a few stone houses. If you're not feeling well, let's take shelter there for a while. This weather is really strange!" Last time he went to Qingyang, Zhang Guodong had been so focused on the scenery around him that he had a strong impression of the stone houses along the roadside. Were they perhaps temporary shelters for road workers? Or rest stops for travelers? The place was quite spacious, enough for six or seven cars to drive side by side. Even with traffic jams, driving there would be much easier. "It rains a lot, and although this rain is heavy, it shouldn't be a problem!" the hired driver suddenly spoke up. This driver hadn't uttered a word the whole way, and Zhang Guodong assumed he was one of Li Ningguang's drivers, but it turned out to be a hired driver, and so was the car. Upon reaching Qingyang and even Qingmu Township, everyone had to abandon the car and hike into the mountains. Wang Zhen and Du Wenqiang only heard Li Ningguang talking. Li Ningguang leaned close to the car window and looked out at the whiteout. The windshield was too busy to clear the rainwater when a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, startling Li Ningguang. "Damn this weather, it's really scary! Let's rest up ahead and wait for the rain to subside before continuing!" Li Ningguang said immediately. Zhang Guodong chuckled inwardly; the richer people were, the more precious their lives seemed. A bolt of lightning had made them flinch. Crack! Before he could finish his thought, a bolt of lightning struck the mountain not far ahead with a loud bang. The driver slammed on the brakes, and the car slid seven or eight meters down the road! This startled everyone. It was as if they were actually there, surrounded by a blinding white light, like the midnight sun. The car's electronic instruments malfunctioned instantly. "Holy crap, is this some kind of joke?" Zhang Guodong exclaimed, dumbfounded. Old Qing suddenly stood up, appearing restless and agitated. Faced with the power of nature, Old Qing's sense of danger was incredibly acute! It had an instinctive fear of the forces of heaven and earth. "Boss Zhang, can you control this wolfhound? My fur is all over my body!" Liu Dewang, startled by Old Qing's sudden movement, hurriedly sought help from Zhang Guodong. Seeing that Old Qing was acting strangely, Zhang Guodong quickly tried to calm it down. It seemed that only by his side could Old Qing calm down; otherwise, once separated from Zhang Guodong, Old Qing was a true wolf king! A wild beast, not a pet. "The weather forecast didn't say how long the rain would last?" Li Ningguang suddenly asked. This question was directed at everyone. Zhang Guodong and the others didn't usually check the weather forecast, so Zhang Guodong asked, "Check?" The fat man's reminder made Zhang Guodong realize how many functions mobile phones had these days. He was amazed at how comprehensive their functions were; they could check almost anything. Li Ningguang glanced at his phone and cursed, "What the hell is this signal? No signal! Do any of your phones have a signal?" Everyone was startled and checked their phones, but without exception, none had a signal. Zhang Guodong worried, "Signal coverage should be available along the roadside, so maybe there's a dead zone?" But he wondered if a lightning strike had ruined their phones. Phone cards and phones are electronic devices, most vulnerable to electromagnetic interference. Wasn't the electromagnetic energy from lightning considerable? Soon, Zhang Guodong's words proved true. Not only was there no signal at that bend, but the signal was still nonexistent along this entire stretch of road. The phone cards were ruined! "The stone house is just ahead. Let's stop there, eat something, and wait for the rain to stop!" The stone house was quite visible in the rain, and everyone could vaguely see it. Li Ningguang frowned as he said this. This was a bad omen. Lightning, you can strike from the sky, but a car came from a hundred meters away on the mountain. If it were any closer, wouldn't the lightning have struck the car? Lightning doesn't discriminate; within a certain range, the car would become a perfect conductor, and everyone would be roasted alive. Businessmen are very superstitious about luck and feng shui, and Li Ningguang is no exception. It's best to avoid the storm and ward off evil. Even without Zhang Guodong's reminder, Li Ningguang felt his bad luck today. Lightning continued to rage through the clouds, and everyone was a little terrified. The stone houses, a beautiful sight, became their refuge. The four stone houses formed a row of walls that looked very solid, and the top was covered by a single massive stone slab. However, looking around, the stone houses seemed a bit small; after all, building spacious stone houses from naturally formed stone is no easy feat, even with a crane, it wouldn't be very effective. Zhang Guodong immediately worried about the sturdiness of the foundation. He thought to himself, "Why am I always thinking about bad things?"
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