The Noble Young Master

Countdown: 06:00:00.

On the second night of hiking toward Everest Base Camp, guide Xiao Zhang led everyone to Nan Chi Market.

This was the last human settlement. Beyond it lay a forbidden zone for life.

All the merchants stayed here, and large numbers of climbers gathered here as well, using it as a brief transit stop.

Every spring, Nan Chi Market became bustling and crowded, with such a mix of ethnicities that it felt like the United Nations. You could even see foreign climbers performing performance art or magic tricks here.

Some people lit bonfires here, and people gathered outside the town for their final preparations, easing their fear of the world's highest peak.

When night fell, guide Xiao Zhang gathered everyone together for fresh, steaming food. There was even shredded potato with hot and sour sauce among the dishes...

Guide Xiao Zhang had everyone sit in a circle in a spacious room, then said with a smile, "Introduce yourselves. We'll be together day and night for more than thirty days, so we should get to know each other. If we make it down from Everest, that'll count as a friendship forged through life and death. Of course, I hope none of you lend money to one another. Keep that rule even after returning home."

The temperature had already begun to drop at this high altitude. Everyone huddled in the room in their hiking jackets, each holding a steaming cup of highland tea.

In the room, President Liu was the first to introduce himself. "My name is Liu Shuangxi. I run a clothing business back home, and I'm a hardcore mountaineering enthusiast. If I don't climb two or three mountains every year, my bones start itching. What I love most is the moment I reach the summit. That overwhelming exhilaration