Chapter 89

Chapter 89

"Oh... oh!!!" Liu Datie's composure faltered for a second, but his excellent emotional control allowed him to smoothly pivot to the next topic: "Bro, your vision isn't great, yet you navigate so expertly. You must have lived on this mountain for ages, right?"

Chen Ji: "I only moved back less than three months ago."

Liu Datie let out a dry chuckle: "Hahahaha, really? Hahaha..."

{Liu Datie's inner monologue: Bro, you really know how to kill a conversation!}

{Liu Datie's so awkward, lol!}

"But I did live here when I was a kid," Chen Ji's tone was soft and gentle, yet carried a hint of indescribable ease and nonchalance. He said playfully, "Didn't want to be a corporate drone anymore, so I came back to farm in my hometown. As long as I don't starve, it's fine."

Freelancer and streamer Liu Datie felt a profound connection at that moment, giving a hearty thumbs-up: "Bro, you're the man!"

Liu Datie casually slung an arm over Chen Ji's shoulder: "Mind if I stream at your place? To be honest, my dream has always been to live as a recluse in the mountains!... How about I split the earnings from this stream with you?"

Liu Datie had been streaming for nearly ten hours since his impulsive early morning climb. With his already decent viewership and the generous gifts he'd received, the earnings from this stream were conservatively estimated to be well into six figures.

Chen Ji could tell Liu Datie was trying to find a way to give him money, but he still had his pride: "It'll take a long time to get up there. Let's get you back to the village first."

If the stream continued, he worried something might happen to Liu Datie. Their dilapidated, sorry excuse for a mountain couldn't afford another dead influencer—if something truly happened on Little Green Mountain, it would become much harder to make empty promises to the Mountain Lord, let alone deliver on any of them.

After all, if a rich kid died, no one would bat an eye, but if a live-streaming influencer died, it would likely shoot to the top of trending topics. Then, a swarm of clout-chasers would start digging up information on Little Green Mountain, exaggerating the death toll and danger level to netizens. Once it gained enough traction, insiders would inevitably, intentionally or not, leak the mountain's spooky legends.

Liu Datie had no intention of descending the mountain now. What incredible content this was! If he left now, he'd be the guy who boasted to his fans, got lost, and nearly died on the mountain—a cautionary tale for the new generation. He might even face official criticism for his reckless streaming. But if he went with Chen Ji, filmed the guy's reclusive mountain life, and then, after the stream, edited a video focused on that lifestyle, wouldn't the concept instantly elevate?!

It was already afternoon, so filming at this guy's place for a day, then waking up early the next morning to capture shots of the misty green mountains, paired with this guy's ethereal good looks—how could he not go viral?! This money would be absolutely worth it!

Liu Datie: "I can pay! Bro, don't let my low viewer count fool you. Look at this, this..."

Liu Datie gestured a number: "It's already this much! I'll cover the taxes, so you'll get at least this amount! Think about it!"

{Whoa, this kid's throwing money around!}

{Confirmed: all money, no sense.}

{You're just giving away the hush money your dad gave you?! You spendthrift!}

Chen Ji smiled: "I don't need the money. You should head down the mountain first, preferably to a hospital for a check-up. You can always come back after resting for a couple of days."

Liu Datie was surprised that his usually foolproof money tactic had failed. He quickly set his phone aside: "Hey everyone, just enjoy the view for a bit. I need to use the bathroom!"

With that, he pulled Chen Ji aside, clasped his hands, and whispered his plan: "Bro, help me out. My stream's already in the top ten trending topics. If I go down now, I'll probably get publicly criticized—it might even end my streaming career... I'm perfectly fine, just a bit tired. With some food and sleep, I'll be good! If anything happens to me, I won't hold you responsible! I'll sign a waiver!"

"How about I sign a contract with you? Not only will I split this stream's earnings with you, but I'll also give you all the profits from the edited video..." Liu Datie scratched his head and added, "There's just one thing—if the video blows up, your place might become a hotspot for tourists, and people might come bother you."

Chen Ji thought to himself that he was afraid no one would come.

Since Liu Datie had said that, Chen Ji pretended to reluctantly agree—his earlier suggestion had been hoping the other would rest up before returning to Little Green Mountain to stream and film.

Overjoyed, Liu Datie quickly went back to pick up his phone: "Everyone! My man here agreed to let us go to his place!"

{I knew he went to talk privately!}

{Yeah, he never hid from us when he went to the bathroom before!}

Liu Datie had been terrified on the mountain earlier, so he wouldn't let go of his phone—even when using the bathroom, he'd keep the camera on (only showing the upper body, of course). Safety first!

Liu Datie read the comments one by one, though he firmly denied it verbally: "No way, you're totally slandering me! I'd never do such a thing!"

"Stop making things up! I didn't, I'm not!"

Chen Ji packed up the things by the stream, including the empty Haidilao plastic containers, putting them into a trash bag. Liu Datie didn't notice at first until the stream comments pointed it out.

{Liu Datie, you're inhuman—making the blind dude do all the cleaning!}

{Liu Datie, you're blind too, still running your mouth here?! Get up and help!}

Liu Datie sprang into action, rushing to help Chen Ji clean up. But there wasn't much left to do, as Chen Ji had almost finished. Liu Datie simply took the backpack from Chen Ji and slung it over his own shoulder, full of energy: "Off to my man's place—let's go!"

{Brothers after knowing each other for just an hour, huh?}

{Oh no, I'm getting major bandit vibes—like they're about to raid the guy's place.}

{Honestly? Same here...}

Chen Ji didn't mind, playing the guide role fully. He knew Liu Datie was pushing himself to keep streaming and didn't take him on detours to see sights, only pointing them out in passing.

Though Little Green Mountain had no rural guesthouses or roads, it had plenty of trees, flowers, and wild fruits, especially in spring. An hour later, when they passed a patch of bramble berries, Liu Datie cheered and rushed over to pick some, explaining to his viewers: "I used to eat these all the time back home. Bramble berries—you want the dark purple ones, they're super sweet. The red ones are sour!"

He picked and ate them with relish, even offering some to Chen Ji: "Bro, want some?"

"No thanks, you go ahead," Chen Ji replied.

Truth be told, those instant hot pots hadn't filled him up. After an hour of walking, he was hungry again—might as well eat what he could!

Chen Ji sat on a nearby rock to rest, imagining Xiangxiang emerging from the water with seaweed on her head, maybe even holding some exotic flower in her mouth, looking bewildered at the empty shore.

A faint smile touched Chen Ji's lips as he took the jade ornament from his neck and stuffed it into his pocket. Suddenly, he sensed two gazes—though that wasn't quite accurate. His instincts told him at least two beings were "watching" him.

One was the Mountain Lord, the other was probably Xiangxiang.

Just then, Liu Datie froze. He looked down, then up at Chen Ji, his voice trembling: "B-bro!... D-do you know first aid?"

Chen Ji looked at him, puzzled: "What's wrong?"

Liu Datie was on the verge of tears. He'd been picking bramble berries when he suddenly stepped on something round. Looking down, he realized he'd stepped on the tail of a thick, large five-step snake!

A five-step snake!

And they were deep in the mountains!

Trembling, he asked: "D-do you have any antidote for venomous snakes here?"

Chen Ji wondered if he'd been bitten. He walked over and noticed a strong, green line blending into the environment under Liu Datie's foot—he hadn't spotted it at first.

Looking closer, he realized—it was an acquaintance... a familiar snake!

"Fifth Grandpa?" Chen Ji called out.

The purplish-scaled five-step snake seemed to understand, turning its head toward Chen Ji. Relieved, Chen Ji said to Liu Datie: "Lift your foot slowly. I know this snake."

Before Liu Datie could question what "knowing" a snake meant, Chen Ji reached into his pocket and pulled out a transparent vacuum-sealed pack containing several golden, crispy fried quails.

They were leftovers from when he fed Xiao Ba that morning, which Chen Ji had casually stuffed into his pocket. He tore the bag open: "Fifth Grandpa, sorry about this. This kid's new around here and accidentally stepped on you. No hard feelings—I apologize on his behalf... Come over here?"

The five-step snake slithered toward Chen Ji but then turned back to glare angrily at Liu Datie, who was still frozen, too scared to move. Seeing this, Liu Datie quickly lifted his foot, lost his balance, and fell onto the grass.

The Five-Step Snake slowly slithered to Chen Ji's feet. Chen Ji plucked a large leaf, dumped the quails onto it, and casually tapped the snake's head: "Go ahead and eat."

{Holy shit!!! A badass who touches a Five-Step Snake with his bare hands!}

{You can actually touch a Five-Step Snake?!}

{They really know each other?!... Is something off here?!}

Chen Ji reached out his hand, and Liu Datie instinctively used it to pull himself up. The Five-Step Snake was still lowering its head, slowly eating the quails. Liu Datie was gobsmacked and said, "...Did you raise it?"

"Not at all," Chen Ji replied with a smile. "The environment here on the mountain is quite good, with lots of wildlife, and they're all very gentle... After seeing them often and occasionally bringing them some food, they don’t get scared anymore."

Liu Datie gave a thumbs-up and immediately told his live-stream audience: "Dangerous action, please do not imitate! He's a local. If you ever see a Five-Step Snake, just run immediately! Don't even think about feeding it or trying to build a relationship by touching it!"

After saying this, he asked, "Can we go now?"

"Sure," Chen Ji said. "We're almost there. When we get home, I'll make you some chicken soup."

The implication was clear: no more straying off the path.

Chen Ji thought to himself, *Thank goodness it was a snake I know this time. If it had been an unfamiliar one, we'd have had to call wildlife rescue.*