Chapter 116: Dragon Head Mountain

As I pondered this, I suddenly remembered that there was a telecommunications hall near this internet café. I hurriedly stood up, telling Anna to wait for me here, then quickly stepped out of the café. Thankfully, my memory served me well; just outside the café, around the right corner, I indeed saw the telecommunications hall. Without hesitation, I briskly walked over.

Inside the hall, I approached a clerk. Contrary to my expectations, it wasn’t troublesome at all. I simply gave the clerk the phone number, and they promptly told me its registered location—it was in Yunnan.

This revelation startled me. It meant that Li Ling had arrived in Yunnan and had obtained a local SIM card, using that number to call me. Unfortunately, I hadn’t answered the call, and though I sent a message to Anna, it was incomplete. The phone then went offline.

I quickly returned to the internet café and found Anna listening to music, surprisingly calm. This girl truly had nerves of steel. When she noticed me back, she anxiously asked what I had found. I smiled and said, “I traced it—it’s Yunnan!”

This narrowed the search to just one province. I typed "Longtou" into the system, seeking any clues related to Yunnan. Soon, the results were limited and clear—I pinpointed a location: Longtou Mountain near Wuming County in the Dali Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan. This was the only place that matched all archaeological and cultural clues. If Li Ling had sent a location containing the words "Longtou," it must be this Longtou Mountain.

I began researching Longtou Mountain. It is located in Wuming County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, standing as the main peak of the Daming Mountain range, with an elevation of 1,760 meters—also known as Longtou Mountain.

The mountain rises proudly against the horizon, unique and majestic. There is a beautiful legend about its origin: Long ago, a poor elderly Zhuang man, childless and alone, found a little flower snake on the verge of freezing one winter day. He took it home and cared for it. The little snake gradually grew into a small dragon named “Dulong” (meaning “male dragon” in Zhuang language). The old man treated Dulong as his own son. After the old man passed away, Dulong piled stones into a towering mountain to bury him—that mountain is today’s Longtou Mountain. Every year from Qingming Festival to the third day of the third lunar month, thick clouds and mist gather atop the mountain, persisting even when the sky around is clear. People say it’s Dulong returning to tend his father’s grave. After the third day of the third lunar month, the mist dissipates on its own, signaling Dulong’s return to the sea.

Li Bi, a scholar from Wuming County during the Ming Dynasty, composed a poem praising the mountain:

“The treasured sword once transformed into a dragon,
The green hills retain the sculpted hibiscus.
Moistening with sea mist, clouds and rain come and go,
Peaks thrust upward, piercing the vast sky.
South stands the emperor’s blade,
East rises the elder’s peak.
Know this place breeds heroes,
All blessed by the spirit of valor.”

Upon deeper research, I discovered that Longtou Mountain’s history stretches back thousands of years. With such a storied peak, combined with Li Ling’s information and our clues, I was almost certain this was the place.

“Yun, let’s set off now,” Anna said, her face anxious yet tinged with excitement.

I realized that foreign girls and girls from back home really differed fundamentally. For one, their courage was remarkable—and their curiosity was fierce, even to the point of risking their lives without hesitation.

I didn’t treat Anna like an ordinary girl. Instead, I shared my plan, which was actually quite simple and had just come to me in an instant.

First, we absolutely had to go to Yunnan; that was the crucial task. Only by going there could we hope to find Li Ling and understand what had truly happened. Though the general direction and target area were clear, the two of us alone felt insufficient. Besides, frankly, I was reluctant to bring Anna along. She was a foreigner; communication with locals would be difficult. How much help could she be? Moreover, she was still a girl—foreign or not, a woman. Bringing her might only complicate things; it might be better if I went alone.

At that moment, I recalled Black Sunglasses. If he were here, things would be much easier. In fact, often it felt more like Black Sunglasses was leading me, rather than the other way around. Still, looking into Anna’s eyes, I couldn’t find a reason to ask her to stay behind.

“Anna, going to Yunnan—that’s this place,” I said, pointing to Yunnan on the map displayed on the computer. “It’s very dangerous. There are many unknown risks. What I mean is, you should stay here, and I’ll go alone.”

Anna took a long moment to process this, but then, with firm resolve, she said, “No, Yun, I must go with you. Don’t worry—I am very brave. I am a soldier. I don’t want you to have any gender bias.”

Her tone was serious, clearly not joking. I suddenly understood: as a foreigner from the United States, gender discrimination was a grave issue. They fought for freedom and equality between men and women. My suggestion was likely interpreted by her as an insult.

“Sorry, that’s not what I meant. I just think that since you’re not from here, it would be very inconvenient for you to come with me.”

Anna’s smile faded, her expression still grave. “No, no, no. I told you—I’m a soldier. Don’t use the difference between a man and a woman to decide who is brave!”

Her voice grew urgent as she switched to English. Though my English was not bad—I was a university graduate after all—her rapid words left me momentarily confused. After calming down, she repeated herself in Chinese: “I said, I am a soldier. Please don’t use gender differences to judge bravery.”

What a mismatch! Especially since her voice was somewhat loud, drawing the attention of others in the internet café. I pressed my hands down and sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

“But…”