Chapter 281: His Goal Is to Find the Kunlun Heavenly Ladder?

"Heading out again?" Lin Chu asked, her voice laced with worry when she heard the news of his departure.

But she also knew that Ning Fei was just like Bai Yuanche—a man with the stars and the sea in his heart. He would never truly settle down until he had seen all the wonders this world had to offer.

The people of Qingfeng Temple were destined to live like the clear breeze itself: free, uninhibited, and forever chasing the path of nature.

"Yeah. I'll be back before Dust Sweeping Day," Ning Fei replied.

"Be careful on the road."

"Don't worry, Aunt Lin. I've packed everything I need."

"Bye, Senior Brother!" Bai Yi waved to him with a bright smile right before he left. "I'll be watching your live stream!"

Bai Yuanche didn't say a word, simply maintaining his usual mild and gentle expression.

With that, Ning Fei started the car and drove off.

"Such a good kid. Running around all over the place every day... just what exactly do you teach them at that temple of yours?"

Lin Chu directed her question to Bai Yuanche once Ning Fei was gone.

Bai Yuanche thought for a moment before answering, "The past few temple masters were exactly the same. They traveled the world and wrote journals about their journeys. When I was a child, I used to read those journals, imagining the scenes they described, and I was always completely mesmerized by them."

"I suppose Ning Fei feels the same way."

Hearing this, Lin Chu shook her head. "Are there even any Daoist priests left who roam the world like that? Nowadays, they all just sit quietly, chanting scriptures, praying, and holding rituals. It's only you lot who still stubbornly cling to that tradition."

Bai Yuanche said nothing more.

Every lineage changed as time went on; some practices were abandoned, while others evolved.

Hundreds, even thousands of years ago, the Daoist priests of those eras possessed a strong tradition of wandering the world to temper themselves.

Qingfeng Temple had simply chosen to keep that tradition alive.

"We roam the earth not for the mere sake of wandering, but because we simply want to see the world."

Bai Yuanche gazed into the distance where Ning Fei's car had already vanished from sight, muttering the words to himself.

Not long after, Ning Fei started his live stream.

The stream displayed a highway stretching endlessly toward the horizon, flanked by boundless, desolate wilderness on both sides.

The black off-road vehicle sped down the road, wild and full of unbridled freedom.

The very first impression a place like this gave off was one of sheer vastness.

It completely opened up a person's field of vision, bringing a refreshing clarity to the mind.

Upon seeing this scenery, a certain song automatically began playing in the viewers' minds:

"I once crossed mountains and grand rivers, and waded through seas of people."

"I once held everything in my hands, only for it to scatter like smoke in the blink of an eye."

"Where is Temple Master Ning heading?"

"Looks like he's going west."

"Heading straight west?"

"He mentioned before that he wanted to check out the other side of Kunlun."

At that moment, Ning Fei's voice chimed in.

The mobile phone was set up inside the car, allowing the camera to broadcast the scenery outside while still perfectly picking up his voice.

"Hello everyone. Today, I'm planning to go see the Kunlun Mountains Ice-Free Spring."

"It sits right at the border between the Kekexili Reserve and the Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve, near the entrance to the Kunlun snow mountains."

"The spring water there never freezes, no matter the season. It's truly a marvel of the natural world."

"There are all kinds of theories about why the spring never freezes. The most scientifically sound explanation is that the temperature of the soil beneath the permafrost remains constant, preventing the water from freezing and allowing it to bubble to the surface all year round."

"So, I decided to go check it out for myself."

The viewers finally understood after hearing his explanation.

"An ice-free spring? That sounds magical."

"There are tons of legends about it. Some even say the Fountain of Youth is hidden inside."

"The Fountain of Youth? Okay, now we're getting into fantasy territory."

"The Kunlun Mountains are the ancestor of all mountains. They're sacred peaks! Honestly, I think anything could exist there."

"There's nothing wrong with believing in science, but there really are some things in theology and metaphysics that science just can't explain."

"Honestly, I've been secretly hoping Temple Master Ning would discover some mysterious ancient ruins."

Kuncheng wasn't too far from the Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve—roughly a two-hundred-kilometer drive. Ning Fei maintained a steady speed along the highway and reached his destination a little over three hours later.

"Look over there, everyone. That's the Budong Spring Protection Station!"

The drone shifted its lens, giving the viewers a clear look at the place he was pointing out.

It was a small courtyard with wide-open gates. In the middle stood an office building displaying a sign that read 'Kekexili Budongquan Protection Station', flanked by a row of flat-roofed houses.

At the moment, several white off-road vehicles were parked just outside the yard.

"There are a lot of tourists in Huaxia who take road trips deep into Xizang. They all pass through here and use this spot to rest and resupply."

"Word has it that the owner here is a great guy. Travelers can usually stay completely free of charge, as long as they clean up after themselves before leaving."

Still talking, Ning Fei drove straight into the Protection Station.

He noticed a few people already waiting by the doors. The moment they spotted his car, they began cheering with excitement.

"Ah! It's Temple Master Ning!"

"Temple Master Ning is actually here!"

Ning Fei could hear their shouts before he even stepped out of the car.

As soon as he stepped out, the crowd immediately swarmed over to him.

Among the travelers resting there were two separate groups of road-trippers, along with a young guy who did cycling streams and had pedaled all the way there on a bicycle.

"Temple Master Ning, we're huge fans of yours!"

"Look at this, chat! Temple Master Ning has blessed my stream!"

"Now this is what you call a top-tier streamer."

"Temple Master Ning, can we get a picture together?!"

The group was incredibly enthusiastic, and Ning Fei politely responded to each of them.

The altitude at the Budong Spring Protection Station was exceptionally high. The people who made it this far were all seeking a baptism of the soul, fully immersing themselves in this spiritual journey.

Right then, the viewers noticed something interesting.

The people crowding around Ning Fei all had flushed faces, displaying the typical 'plateau red' common at high altitudes. Their pores were visibly enlarged, making their skin look rather rough and weathered.

This was perfectly normal out in the high-altitude desert, of course.

But when standing next to Ning Fei, the contrast was shockingly stark.

Ning Fei's complexion remained completely normal and radiantly healthy. His skin looked incredibly smooth, as if he were comfortably relaxing back in the watery towns of Jiangnan instead of standing on a harsh plateau.

"Look at those tourists. They look totally different from Temple Master Ning."

"Yeah. Temple Master Ning looks way too flawless."

"People who travel to the plateau usually end up with red, tanned skin. I saw a post online about a guy doing a road trip to Xizang—he looked like a handsome young dude before the trip, but he came back looking like somebody's grandpa."

"Temple Master Ning's immortal physique is no joke! Then again, he drinks the absolute best Shanyin Pu'er tea all year round and eats the rarest wild fruits. It's totally normal for him to look that good."

"It really gives off that legendary Phoenix vibe—'resting only on the parasol tree, drinking only from the sweetest springs'."

Ning Fei greeted everyone with a smile and even took a group photo with the crowd at the Budong Spring Protection Station.

His main reason for coming here was to familiarize himself with the local environment and culture.

After all, this region was incredibly barren and teeming with unknowns.

This place could be called the starting point of the Kunlun Mountains, or conversely, its absolute end.

Any further west, and you would enter the Kekexili Nature Reserve.

The tourists there were incredibly eager to interact with Ning Fei, and he responded to all of them with practiced politeness.

However, when a few of them asked if they could pet Little Fox and Little Dog, Ning Fei quickly refused.

Little Dog wouldn't have minded much, but Little Fox was a different story. If she wasn't familiar with someone, she generally refused to be touched.

Moreover, Little Fox absolutely never allowed men to touch her. If pretty girls like Jiang Xue or Bai Yi stroked her, however, she wouldn't put up a fuss.

After chatting and taking photos with the crowd for a little while, Ning Fei made his way to the Kunlun Mountains Ice-Free Spring and stood gazing deep into the mountain range.

He hadn't come here merely for the Ice-Free Spring.

He began explaining to the viewers:

"I actually found some interesting records in the ancient text, the Tale of King Mu."

"The book records that King Mu of Zhou journeyed to the Kunlun Mountains. Specifically, he visited the very first stop of the Kunlun Mountains—the Kunlun Heavenly Ladder!"

"The rest of the story gets a bit mythical. It says that King Mu of Zhou climbed the Kunlun Heavenly Ladder and reached the true Kunlun—the world where the Queen Mother of the West resided. Once there, he was entertained by her as a guest."

"When it was time for King Mu of Zhou to leave, the Queen Mother of the West sang him a farewell song. The lyrics went like this:"

"The Primeval formed the world without intent,"

"Mountains, rivers, and lakes are nature's testament."

"A parting in the mortal realm spans roads long and wide,"

"One backward glance sees ten thousand mountains divide."

"Later scholars analyzed this poem and concluded that the true Kunlun wasn't actually on Earth. Instead, it was situated in the starry skies beyond the Nine Heavens, though it remained inseparably connected to Earth."

"The so-called Kunlun Heavenly Ladder was simply the pathway leading to that true Kunlun."

"If my research is correct, the very first stop in the Kunlun Mountains mentioned in the Tale of King Mu refers to this exact place!"

Listening to his explanation while staring at the snow-capped peaks stretching endlessly across the stream's video feed, the viewers inexplicably felt a chill run down their spines.

It was as though something truly terrifying was hiding deep within those snowy mountains.

They finally realized that Ning Fei hadn't come here just to play tourist at the Ice-Free Spring.

Was his real goal actually to find the Kunlun Heavenly Ladder?