"Time to get to work! Time to get to work!"
The sky was still dim, and a large group of construction workers wearing yellow hard hats and carrying various tools walked along the packed dirt road to the temporary worksite. The excavators parked on the hillside were quickly started up, breaking the quiet of early morning.
A construction worker in his forties, with dark skin and dried, cracked lines across his face, was halfway through his work when he stared strangely at the mountaintop. "This mountain? Why is it different from before?"
Since it had not yet grown fully light, they had not noticed the changes on the mountain before. But now, everyone immediately noticed the eerie change in their surroundings.
Many of them raised their heads and saw that the originally barren mountaintop was now covered in dense green grass.
The higher they went, the thicker the greenery became. In many places, white flowers and saplings had even sprouted. The saplings were over a meter tall, as though they had shot up to that height overnight.
"There wasn't anything here when we left yesterday. How did so much grass suddenly grow on this barren mountain? And these trees—there's no way they could have grown this tall overnight, right?" a young man asked in a northern accent as he adjusted the yellow hard hat on his head.
"Let's go up and take a look!"
"Let's see what happened!" The construction workers put down their tools and headed up the hillside.
Many of the workers walked in amazement across the grassy slope, touching the saplings with their tender leaves. They continued upward amid cries of astonishment, eventually reaching the side of the hillside.
Then, everyone stopped.
Every one of them stared, dumbfounded, at the main peak of Lord Finger Mountain in the distance. The rocky peak near the coast had now transformed into a sea of green.
"Damn! This has to be fake, right?"
"Wasn't this a barren mountain? I remember it being covered in potholes and broken rocks!"
"I remember there being nothing here yesterday!"
Everyone present recalled what the mountain had once looked like.
Back then, the mountain's black ridges had been exposed, and its slopes had been gouged full of holes. Broken rocks and gravel were scattered everywhere. People had not even dared to walk beneath it, because they could easily have been struck and injured by rocks sliding down from above.
But now, trees had burst from the earth across the mountain, covering its peaks. The grass was lush, and green vines spread everywhere.
From the mountaintop down to the valley below, everything was covered in plants. The vegetation on the main peak was especially dense, pressing against itself and giving off the air of all things growing freely, of survival of the fittest.
"How could this be? Have the immortals shown their favor?" The dark-skinned middle-aged worker stared in shock as he pulled off his yellow hard hat.
"How did the mountain become like this overnight?" The young worker took out his phone, pulled up photographs he had taken a few days earlier, and showed them to the people around him.
Everyone compared the pictures for a while, yet could not tell that the mountain in the photographs and the one before them were the same mountain.
"A miracle! This is a miracle! The mountain god has shown his favor!" After comparing the pictures, an elderly worker with graying hair directly knelt before the mountain. He clasped his hands and bowed repeatedly, muttering Amitabha nonstop.
"Didn't they say there are immortals in Wei Port City? I heard someone mention it before. Looks like this place really isn't ordinary!"
"I heard before that Wei Port City is connected to one of the branches of the overseas Dragon Vein, and to the overseas Penglai Island, that immortal mountain. This is a blessed land!"
In the afternoon, workers from the nearby industrial zones, shop owners, and local residents all gathered around. The hillsides and mountain paths were packed with people.
Many people even ventured down personally, following the valley filled with lush grass and blooming flowers toward the main peak of Lord Finger Mountain. The forest on the peak was dark and deep, shrubs grew wildly, and vines hung everywhere. There was simply no path into it.
All they could do was take pictures and sigh over the sight. So far, no one dared to enter.
On the second day, quite a few people even brought food to the valley below and sat on the ground to eat lunch. This remote, desolate wilderness, where no one had once come, now attracted crowds of visitors.
"The trees grew this tall overnight?" A girl wearing a T-shirt printed with the name of an XX company stared at the formerly barren mountain in disbelief.
"They're still growing. Look at the grass—and the valley down there. When I came yesterday, there weren't this many plants, and the trees on the mountain weren't so tall either. Most of them were only two meters tall this morning. But look now—they're almost three meters!" the girl's boyfriend said, pointing at the mountain.
Soon afterward, television news reporters also arrived. A male reporter held a microphone and circled Lord Finger Mountain, filming and explaining as he went. From time to time, he interviewed the surrounding people, asking about the mountain's recent miraculous changes and the origins of its ancient legends.
"This mountain has dragon energy. An emperor once stopped here!" an old man leaning on a cane gestured wildly at the camera.
"It's dragon energy. This place is a Dragon Vein. Look how, after only a few days, everyone knows what Lord Finger Mountain used to look like. The original Dragon Vein shifted away, and now it's returned!" said a middle-aged man who looked rather mystical.
"What dragon energy? It's all a scam!" An older woman sneered at him, looking at him with disdain.
The middle-aged man retorted unhappily, "The immortals have already appeared, so how can dragon energy not exist?"
Some photography enthusiasts set up cameras on the mountain. Once they played back the footage, it was immediately clear that the plants on the mountain were growing at a speed visible to the naked eye. The scene spread online. No one believed it, attracting even more people who came because of its reputation.
After that, professors from the Biology Department of Yubei Agricultural University also brought their students and assistants here to investigate the causes and factors behind the abnormal explosive growth of the plants on Lord Finger Mountain.
The entire city of Wei Port learned about Lord Finger Mountain. The people coming to the mountain became as numerous as a mountain and a sea, while all kinds of legends about the place spread everywhere.
Many came simply to witness such a miracle, while even more came to admire Lord Finger Mountain's scenery. In less than a week, the mountain underwent even greater changes. Many of the photographs taken there were so beautiful they looked like a fairyland, with layers upon layers of vegetation and valleys full of blooming flowers blanketing every peak.
But soon afterward, all of Lord Finger Mountain was sealed off, and no one was allowed to enter or leave freely.
Lines of barbed wire were erected, and soldiers even appeared to guard the entrance. Biological laboratories researching the changes in Lord Finger Mountain and its plants began to be established inside, while members of several special organizations also moved in to manage and coordinate matters.
Lin Yu rode her burgundy electric scooter to the foot of Lord Finger Mountain and stopped. She could now see tall lines of barbed wire erected all around the mountain, while a temporary road had been built leading into it.
Lord Finger Mountain, which had once been completely barren and visible at a glance, was now thick with vegetation. Ancient trees dozens of meters tall stood everywhere. The former valleys and mountain paths had also transformed into a shadowy sea of trees. Anyone who entered now would probably lose their way inside.
Flowers and grass grew wildly from the ground, while all kinds of plants and blossoms competed to bloom. Because it was covered in vegetation, Lord Finger Mountain seemed taller and more imposing, as though its depths could not be seen. The vast, towering sea of trees appeared endless.
Lin Yu raised her head. It was early morning, and thick mist still shrouded the mountainside of Lord Finger Mountain.
Clouds and mist wound around the mountain, making Lord Finger Mountain look even more mysterious and wondrous. It was almost exactly as the legends described: a Dragon Vein lay hidden beneath the earth here, making it a legendary Blessed Land, a dwelling place of ancient immortals.
At that moment, a flock of birds suddenly flew across the sky, blotting it out from horizon to horizon. Their chirping attracted the attention of many people along the way.
Lin Yu also looked up at the dense flock, which seemed to number in the hundreds or thousands of sparrows. They flew toward Lord Finger Mountain and plunged into the forest covering it.
Recently, all kinds of birds and beasts, stray dogs, stray cats, and rats seemed to be entering Lord Finger Mountain in groups, as though attracted by something. Lin Yu had seen and heard people discussing it online and in the chat group before.
Lin Yu took out her phone, opened the Weigang Cultivation Alliance group, and sent in the pictures she had just taken.
Ruthless Fairy: "I'm here! Today, this Fairy is going to enter Lord Finger Mountain and explore the legendary Blessed Land!"
Qingyang Wanderer: "Forget it. I went yesterday. Security was extremely tight. I tried to sneak over the wall and was chased out!"
Lin Yu wrinkled her delicate little nose. "That's you! I'm not an ordinary person! I have connections!"
Celestial Master Zhang Heming: "Just who is this Fairy, who can always get first-hand information? I heard Lord Finger Mountain is under military lockdown, with patrols day and night. I saw it for myself last night. Searchlights swept back and forth, and I even heard military dogs. It scared me into running straight back."
Zhongnan Qi Practitioner Jia Yi Yi: "Fairy, you're amazing! Can you take me in with you? I want to see it too!"
Lin Yu gave a few proud little snorts, then picked up her phone and dialed a number. "Sis! I brought you some food! Come out and get it, will you?"
Lin Shu immediately replied from the other end, "I don't need you to bring me food. The work meals are enough."
Lin Yu refused to let up. "This is a love-filled heart-shaped meal! It'll get cold if you don't come out! I cooked it myself. You can't just—"
"All right, all right! Wait outside for me!"
Not long afterward, with a loud clang, the gate beneath Lord Finger Mountain slowly opened. A tall, uniformed beauty stepped out, her height so imposing that it made people feel pressured. Her exquisite features made her look like an elf from the legends, leaving people curious whether her ears were actually pointed.
She walked out on her long legs, looked at Lin Yu, took the insulated food container, and turned to leave. "That's enough! Go home!"
"Huh? No, wait... Sis... Just take me with you..." Lin Yu immediately unleashed her coquettish tactics!
"Don't even think about it. You can't get in, and there's no way I'm taking you inside! Go home!" With her overwhelming height advantage, Lin Shu looked down at her and lightly tapped Lin Yu on her little head.