Chapter 462: Another Team, and the Eerie Legend of the Peach Blossom Spring!

Did the Peach Blossom Spring actually exist?

That was the question on the minds of every viewer in the livestream.

"Isn't the 'Record of the Peach Blossom Spring' just a story written by Tao Yuanming? How could it be real?"

"Yeah, Temple Master Ning's thoughts are impossible for ordinary people to figure out."

"But I keep getting the feeling that the Temple Master knows something we don't."

"Maybe the Peach Blossom Spring really is out here!"

Ning Fei stood at the bow of the boat, looking for all the world like a hermit retreating into the mountains. He addressed the stream, "I actually like Tao Yuanming a lot. He wrote many poems and served as an official a few times, but his political career was never smooth."

"His free-spirited nature was real, and his love for poetry and wine was real. Of course, the hardships he faced in life were real, too."

"He wrote the 'Record of the Peach Blossom Spring' while traveling through this region. That essay has been passed down for thousands of years. Perhaps this place truly does exist."

Riding along the river, Ning Fei found the scenery magnificent.

Compared to the Qinshan Mountain range, the mountains of the Jiangnan water towns appeared gentler. The river wound through the valleys, reflecting the green canopy and turning the entire landscape into a vibrant painting.

"There are many other interpretations of the 'Record of the Peach Blossom Spring,' too," Ning Fei continued.

"I once read an article arguing that the 'Record of the Peach Blossom Spring' is actually a terrifying ghost story."

"'The mountain has a small opening, from which a glimmer of light seems to issue. He leaves his boat and enters through the opening. At first it is extremely narrow, barely allowing a person to pass. After advancing dozens of paces, it suddenly opens up and becomes bright and spacious.'"

"The fisherman saw the cave and went inside. It was very narrow at first, but slowly widened the further he walked."

"During the Wei and Jin dynasties, to deter grave robbers, many tomb passages were built narrow at the front and wide at the back."

"Ancient people wouldn't generally build a village layout that was narrow at the front and wide at the back. It was considered unlucky."

"Therefore, the place the fisherman entered might have actually been the world inside a tomb."

Hearing Ning Fei's words, the viewers suddenly felt a chill run down their spines, as if a cold wind were blowing right through their screens.

"Why does my neck suddenly feel cold!"

"Good lord, that's a bit creepy."

"My high school literature classes were a lie!"

Ning Fei didn't dwell on the topic.

In truth, there were quite a few clues that supported this eerie theory.

For example, the people inside the Peach Blossom Spring claimed their ancestors had fled there to escape the chaos of the Qin Dynasty and hadn't stepped outside for five hundred years. Yet, the text described them wearing the exact same clothes as the people in the outside world.

Either the villagers in the Peach Blossom Spring were lying, or those clothes were actually burial offerings burned for the dead.

Furthermore, every household "prepared wine, killed chickens, and made meals." While endless war and famine raged outside, the people of the Peach Blossom Spring had ample meat and wine. That alone hinted at something unsettling.

"Don't be scared, everyone. It's just a theory," Ning Fei smiled.

"Tao Yuanming was a pastoral poet, not Pu Songling writing 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.' So, reading it as a ghost story is definitely an over-interpretation."

"If the Peach Blossom Spring truly exists, I think it's most likely just a hidden village used to escape the war."

"It's just that the inhabitants didn't migrate there during the Qin Dynasty; they were simply people from Tao Yuanming's own era."

Ning Fei offered a few more words of comfort.

The rumor of the Peach Blossom Spring being a "ghost nation" was, after all, more than a little sensational.

Fortunately, the breathtaking scenery helped wash away the lingering gloom in the viewers' hearts.

"It's those two mountains! Just pull up right ahead,"

Ning Fei told the boatman.

"Temple Master Ning, do you need me to wait for you on the shore?" the boatman asked as he brought the vessel in to dock.

"Head back for now. I'll call you when I'm ready. Thanks for the trouble."

Ning Fei paid his fare and stepped off.

Nodding, the boatman pushed off the bank and rowed away from the mountain.

Now firmly on land, Ning Fei began his trek forward.

About two hours later.

The mountains and waters here were undeniably beautiful, but the region was too remote to be developed for tourism. Aside from a single local fishing village that survived on the river, remaining entirely self-sufficient, there was little else. Still, the locals lived peaceful, contented lives.

There weren't many people out fishing right now.

After dropping off Ning Fei, the boatman had just returned to the fishing village when he ran into four outsiders. They wore dark green outdoor gear, carried hiking bags, and were actively looking to hire a boat.

Assuming they were ordinary tourists, the boatman didn't think much of it and went over to offer his services.

After all, extra money was extra money. For a fisherman, getting paid just to row a boat was an excellent deal.

The group was led by an older middle-aged man. His temples were graying, but he radiated an exceptionally robust energy.

It was none other than Lin Tao, the archaeology expert from the Huaxia Special Department.

Having agreed on a price with the boatman, Lin Tao pointed at a mountain range on his map and smiled.

"Boatman, we're heading here."

The boatman glanced at where Lin Tao was pointing and looked slightly confused.

"You're going there too? What a coincidence!"

Lin Tao's expression didn't change, but he feigned casual curiosity as he asked, "Oh? Did someone else head out there?"

"Yeah, I just came back from dropping him off. Temple Master Ning just went up the mountain."

"Who? Temple Master Ning? Which Temple Master Ning?"

"You're pulling my leg. How many Temple Master Nings could there be in Huaxia?"

Lin Tao furrowed his brow.

The other members of the archaeology team exchanged glances, looks of suspicion crossing their faces.

"Then tell me, boatman, how long does it take to get from here to this spot on the map?"

"About two hours or so."

Hearing this, Lin Tao silently began to calculate.

'Two hours there, two hours back. That means Ning Fei is already four hours ahead of us.'

'What is he doing out there!'

With these urgent thoughts in mind, Lin Tao and his team hastily set off.

"This place is different from what's recorded in the book,"

"The 'Record of the Peach Blossom Spring' mentions suddenly coming across a peach blossom grove. That means the Peach Blossom Spring should be hidden within a forest of peach trees."

"But walking along this path, I haven't seen a single peach blossom. Just ordinary green trees."

"Still, so many years have passed. It's only normal for the flora to have changed over time."

Ning Fei, now deep within the mountain forest, spoke in an unhurried tone.

"Temple Master Ning, is the Peach Blossom Spring really here?"

"Yeah, I still find it so hard to believe!"

"Good lord, look at how many ruins and tombs the Temple Master has already found, and you guys still doubt him even a little bit?"

"It just feels surreal! I always thought that textbook lesson was just a fictional story made up by Tao Yuanming."

"Maybe it's not that simple."

Ning Fei unlocked his mobile phone and checked the markers on his map.

According to the map, the ruins of the Peach Blossom Spring were located halfway up this very mountain.

"The 'Record of the Peach Blossom Spring' notes that inside, there were fertile fields and well-built houses. That implies there was plenty of sunlight, meaning the area must be open-air."

"But if it's open-air, it shouldn't have stayed hidden for so long without being discovered."

"That's the contradictory part."

Ning Fei muttered to himself.

However, the most pressing matter was finding the entrance to the Peach Blossom Spring.

If the Peach Blossom Spring truly existed, then the entrance described as "extremely narrow at first, barely allowing a person to pass, but suddenly opening up after dozens of paces" had to exist as well.

Ning Fei searched along the mountainside.

There was nothing here but an endless expanse of trees.

The foliage was incredibly dense, blocking out almost all visibility.

At the same time, Lin Tao was watching Ning Fei's livestream.

"He's searching with a clear purpose, as if he already knew exactly where this place was," Lin Tao observed.

"We were originally planning to set up camp here and slowly comb the area."

"This works out perfectly. Following this kid will probably save us a lot of time and effort."

"But how in the world did he find this place?"

The confusion furrowing Lin Tao's brow grew deeper.

They had relied on satellite signals and highly advanced technology, expending tremendous effort just to capture traces of "it."

Yet now, Ning Fei had somehow found it one step ahead of them?

How could that be possible?!

In reality, Ning Fei had no idea what Lin Tao was searching for, nor did he know that Lin Tao and his team were coming.

His only goal was to see what the Peach Blossom Spring—a place legendary enough to be written into school textbooks—actually looked like.

Ning Fei continued forward. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he broke into a smile.

"The entrance really is hidden away."

"But luckily, I know a bit about geology. I finally found it!"

As soon as his words fell, all the viewers stared at the screen with rapt attention.