Dark Cloud Realm
The Dark Cloud Realm lies at the easternmost edge of Mo County, where it meets the Qiganling Mountains in Qing'an County. It boasts a diverse array of flora and fauna, including a rich collection of rare species. Sitting idle on the train, Ye Jing'an flipped through the Dark Cloud Realm's profile, hoping to see if there were any unique natural attractions he could visit.
The only way from Mo County Train Station to Wuyunjie was by small, rural bus, which could seat sixteen passengers. The exterior of the bus, rusted by years of rain, looked worn and worn. A strange odor filled the interior, likely the result of untreated motion sickness vomiting, mixed with cigarette smoke and other unidentified odors, making it a pungent and unpleasant smell.
Although Ye Jing'an and Qiu Zimu came from well-off families, they weren't spoiled and were quite adaptable. However, they still found the smell unbearable and opened the windows to breathe in the fresh air. Liu Muze, always taking things as they came, seemed to have no effect on him in any adverse environment. He quietly closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat.
The bus was sparsely populated with a few plainly dressed passengers, each carrying a backpack filled with pork, vegetables, and fruits, along with some daily necessities. A woman was holding a chubby, rosy-cheeked child, her eyes bulging as she stared at the bag of snacks in Ye Jing'an's hand.
"Do you want to eat some?" Ye Jing'an took out a pack of chocolate sandwich cookies and waved them in front of the child.
The child grinned and struggled in his mother's arms. He stretched out his hand to grab the biscuit in Ye Jingan's hand, but it was too far away and he couldn't reach it. He could only shout. He was already at the age to learn to speak, but his speech was still unclear.
"Hehe, isn't this much cuter than that dead baby?" Ye Jing'an said with a smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, the corpse baby grew a hand from the jade buckle and grabbed the flesh on Ye Jingan's chest with force.
"Ouch!" Ye Jing'an held the jade button in front of Liu Muzhe, "Brother Liu, it's pinching me!"
"Pinch it back." Liu Muzhe said with a faint smile.
Ye Jingan: “…”
"Guoguo, stop making trouble." The child's mother coaxed the child softly, speaking the local dialect, which is very similar to Mandarin, except that the tone is slightly changed, but it is still understandable.
The child named Guoguo ignored his mother's words and whimpered at Ye Jingan. At his age, he had just started to speak, and drool was dripping from the corners of his mouth. Although small, he was quite strong and struggled in his mother's arms. The mother was obviously having trouble holding him.
"Look, he's greedy, just give it to him!" Qiu Zimu said.
Ye Jingan wiped his saliva with a tissue and stuffed the biscuits into his hands. The child took the plastic wrapper and stuffed it into his mouth. His teeth had not yet grown in, and his tiny baby teeth could not bite open the bag.
"I'll open it for you." Ye Jing'an took out another pack, opened it and handed it over.
"Thank you, my child is naughty." The child's mother said with a smile.
"You're welcome. He's so cute. Is his name Guoguo?" Ye Jing'an said.
"Yes," the child's mother said, "where are you going?"
Ye Jing'an thought the locals were probably familiar with the area, so he could ask for directions and find out where the butterflies were. He then said to the child's mother, "We're here for a trip and want to take some photos at Yinyaxia. Do you know where there are some beautiful butterflies?"
"Yinyaxia?" The child's mother thought for a long time, "You must have come to the wrong place. There is no such place here."
Ye Jingan glanced at Liu Muzhe.
Liu Muze paused. When he came here a hundred years ago, the cement road hadn't been built yet, so he had to walk in. But the approximate location was definitely correct. He guessed that the place hadn't been visited for so long that the name had been forgotten. He added, "Is there a waterfall in this area?"
"Yes, but that place is far from our village, and the forest is very deep. It's easy to get lost, and there are a lot of poisonous insects and fruits. I also heard that there are bears that eat people. Generally, people don't go there. You should go somewhere else to play." The child's mother kindly introduced several other safe and beautiful places.
"Thank you. We still want to go to the waterfall. Where is the closest place to get off?" Ye Jing'an asked.
"You young people are so brave. It's not worth it to lose your life," said the child's mother.
"It's like this. We're not just here for tourism, we're also here to do a field survey." Qiu Zimu showed her the insect atlas he had compiled. "We need to investigate the insect species in this area. This is also our job. We have to go even if it's dangerous."
"Yes, yes. The field biological survey of the Wuyunjie National Nature Reserve is of typical significance. It is a key area with special scientific research value. According to our previous research, there are many species in the Wuyunjie Nature Reserve. The biological resource diversity survey conducted in this nature reserve for the first time this year is an important measure for biodiversity conservation. It will play a positive role in promoting nature conservation, biological distribution, and biodiversity conservation in the entire region." Ye Jingan cooperated and talked about the introduction to Wuyunjie that he saw on the train, mixed with his high school biology answer template. His expression was serious and he really looked like a graduate student.
Qiu Zimu was secretly happy and gave Ye Jing'an a thumbs up. If he were asked to make up such words himself, he would definitely not be able to say them.
"Oh, you're intellectuals, so that shouldn't be a problem," the child's mother said, checking the time. "In twenty minutes, once we've rounded all the bends and see a rocky hill, you can get off. I'll call you later."
"Thank you." Qiu Zimu stuffed a bunch of snacks into their mouths. "I wanted to ask if you've ever seen a red butterfly?"
"Yes, yes. There are a lot of butterflies here, in all kinds of colors." The child's mother enthusiastically told him where the most butterflies were. "By the way, the locals have also seen a large black butterfly that's as long as an arm when it flies."
Ye Jing'an stretched out his arms and looked at it, then asked Qiu Zimu, "Is it this big? How cool would it be if you caught it to practice Gu?"
Qiu Zimu leaned close to his ear and said, "A butterfly can't be this big. They might have seen a black crow."
The child's mother reminded them, "I haven't heard there are many butterflies near the waterfall you're going to."
Ye Jing'an was about to speak when the car swerved left, nearly throwing him out. Luckily, he quickly grabbed the armrest and avoided falling on Liu Muze. Before he could recover, another sharp turn threw him back. Qiu Zimu's situation wasn't much better. They both secretly complained that the seat belt around their waists was just for show and completely useless.
"Hold on tight, there are more than forty consecutive bends like this ahead," the child's mother reminded.
Ye Jing'an looked ahead. It was a road going up a mountain. On the inside was a rock wall, and on the outside was a cliff with a small stream. It twisted and turned, and you could see the next section of road after driving one section. The road was in very poor condition. It must have been many years without maintenance. The potholes were so bumpy that it made people dizzy. The most important thing was that there were no guardrails on this mountain road. The road was narrow and winding, and if you were not careful, you would rush directly into the ravine.
The driver must be a veteran, and it looked like he had been driving this road for many years, his speed not decreasing at all, and he drove carelessly. Every time the car made a sharp turn, Ye Jingan and Qiu Zimu broke out in a cold sweat as they watched the back half of the car hanging off the road.
The other passengers seemed to be used to it and didn't react much. Some chatted, some slept, and they just held onto the armrests, their butts resting on the benches, turning without falling.
Ye Jingan glanced at Liu Muze, who was still sitting in his seat with an expressionless face, as if he wasn't worried about the car falling off. Ye Jingan thought it was normal. It would be abnormal for him to be afraid. He poked Liu Muze's arm and asked, "Brother Liu, is there anything you are afraid of?"
Liu Muze replied casually: "Yes."
Ye Jingan asked curiously, "What?"
"I'm afraid of you."
"Why are you afraid of me?"
"I'm afraid you'll bother me."
Ye Jingan rolled his eyes and didn't want to talk anymore.
The child's mother pointed to the cliff ahead and said, "We're almost there. You can get off the car in two turns. I just asked someone in the village who's been there before, and he said to go through the crack in the rock wall, pass through the forest, and then follow the sound of the water."
"Okay, thank you very much."
"My home is at the end of this bus. If you want to find a place to rest, you can come and stay at my house." The child's mother left them a phone number.
After Ye Jingan and the other two got out of the car, they followed the direction of her finger and saw a crack in the rock wall. It was at the bottom of the ravine and was surrounded by weeds. It was relatively hidden and difficult to see, and only allowed one person to pass through sideways.
Fortunately, the ravine wasn't very deep, and with the three of them, it was easy to reach the bottom. The space beyond the crack in the rock wall was larger, but it twisted and turned, with no visible light leading to the exit. It was damp inside, the ground covered in gravel, and the hearth hoppers hiding in the shadows jumped around after being startled by their footsteps.
"I haven't seen this little thing for a long time." Qiu Zimu caught two to play with.
After walking for a while, they emerged from the bottom of a steep cliff. Before them lay a vast sea of forest, jagged rocks, and knee-high weeds and shrubs. The scenery here was quite different from the one the blogger had photographed. Ye Jing'an guessed he hadn't taken this route.
It took about two hours to cross the forest, and the three of us, with our pants soaked by the moisture left on the backs of the leaves, saw a clearer view ahead. The mountains in the distance rose and fell. On a cloudy day like today, a faint mist hung over the mountainside, and the mountaintops were almost hidden by the dark clouds. The clouds drifted slowly, occasionally revealing the pine trees growing in the mountains, giving it the charm of an ink painting.
"I don't hear any sound of water here either." Ye Jing'an said.
"Follow me." Liu Muzhe walked towards the southeast.
Half an hour later, a rustling sound came from not far ahead, accompanied by a cool earthy smell, somewhat similar to the smell of a rainy day, but a little lighter.
The water flow at Yinya Waterfall is low, and the pool is shallow but clear. Two wood snipes are watching nearby, catching shrimp. The mud beside the pool is moistened by the water, and a small group of white cabbage butterflies and two species of black swallowtail butterflies are resting on the mud to drink.
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