Chapter 12: What a Coincidence, Isn't It

The next morning, Qin Yun woke up bright and early.

After packing his luggage, he sent a WeChat message to a few friends, then got into his Defender and set off on his journey to Hebei.

In the morning light, Qin Yun smoothly merged onto the elevated highway, speeding toward the toll station.

He gazed leisurely ahead, and for a moment even felt a sense of temporal dislocation. A month ago, he had still been a worn-out ox and horse facing company pay cuts and layoffs, despised by his wife. But now, he had freedom—the freedom of his body, the freedom of his heart.

Especially with the income from two repairs last month and one repair pickup of a leak, he was brimming with confidence about the life ahead. It was precisely this confidence that made Qin Yun wonder what kind of life he had actually been living before.

One word: miserable!

With a monthly income of twenty thousand, he could only keep five thousand for himself. What could five thousand do in Beijing? It was only because he didn't smoke, didn't drink, and didn't socialize that surviving at all wasn't a small problem.

Following the navigation, the car turned onto the ramp, and the toll station entrance came into view in no time.

After taking the pass card, he quickly drove the car onto the highway. A stab at the gas pedal and the speed instantly shot up; that push-back-into-the-seat feeling thrilled him.

"Hebei, here I come."

Qin Yun was taking the Beijing-Xiong'an Expressway, so less than an hour after departure, his phone received a text from 【Hebei Traffic Police】, which also threw in ads for Hebei's Chengde Mountain Resort, Shanhaiguan, and Baishi Mountain.

At the same time, the system's notification chime rang out.

【Check-in task issued: Please arrive at the Yesanpo Scenic Area. Starting from the Baili Gorge Scenic Area, find peculiar canyon landforms such as "One-Line Sky" and photograph three pictures of different landforms. Then experience the rafting activity at the Juma River Scenic Area and take a selfie. Visit the Fish Valley Cave and take a selfie at its exit. This constitutes completion of the check-in.】

"Shit!"

Hearing the system's notification, Qin Yun was instantly speechless. His current location was roughly near Zhuozhou, about fifty kilometers from Beijing. From here to the Yesanpo Scenic Area the system mentioned, it would be another sixty or seventy kilometers.

The problem was that from the Beijing starting point to the scenic area was only eighty kilometers, meaning he had driven forty kilometers extra.

But there was nothing to be done about it—who could have predicted that the moment he entered Hebei, the system would issue a check-in task.

So far, the three check-in tasks the system had issued had yielded rewards so generous they were impossible to give up. So naturally, he had no reason to abandon this newly issued check-in task.

He quickly exited the highway, reset the navigation destination, and headed straight for the Yesanpo Scenic Area.

The system had issued a total of four check-in tasks so far. Apart from the second check-in task which had a time limit, the others had no restrictions, meaning check-in tasks could be completed anytime, anywhere.

This also meant he didn't have to rush around specifically to complete check-in tasks; he could even treat them as an add-on to his travels. That way, there was no need to check in for the sake of checking in, and his mood was naturally different.

A distance of sixty or seventy kilometers under the wheels of this beast was left behind in just forty or fifty minutes.

……

"So close, so beautiful, come to Hebei on the weekend! What's in Hebei? Hebei has a natural oxygen bar at a year-round 22 degrees. Behind me is the Yesanpo Baili Gorge Scenic Area, a 5A-level scenic spot, a World Geopark, hailed as the Number One Gorge under heaven…"

It was probably an official staff member—a good-looking woman standing in front of her phone, introducing the Baili Gorge entrance behind her. Curious glances swept past from those nearby, but didn't affect her in the slightest.

Qin Yun tightened his backpack, camera hanging around his neck, and looked in the direction she was pointing.

There were three square watchtower-style buildings connected by a city wall, the watchtowers small on the sides and large in the middle, with three golden characters "Baili Gorge" on the central gatehouse.

At this moment, there were quite a few people; the vast plaza was full of bobbing heads everywhere, and he even spotted tourists walking dogs.

"This scenic area allows pets too?"

Qin Yun had never been here before, so naturally he had some doubts.

Following the flow of people, he passed through the city gate and continued forward. He didn't take the scenic area shuttle bus, choosing to walk instead. He had no intention of covering the entire Yesanpo Scenic Area in a single day. Since he was here, he would take a good look, experience it, feel it, and make the trip worthwhile.

As he pressed on, the crisp scent of Shanfeng wrapped in grass and trees rushed toward him; the scorching summer heat seemed to not exist here.

Qin Yun felt as if every pore on his body had opened, an indescribable sense of comfort.

After walking roughly two kilometers, he suddenly noticed the mountain terrain ahead abruptly narrowing. In the distance he could see a gate tower of green brick and gray tiles, its vermilion gate opening strikingly vivid against the verdant mountain scenery.

After a moment's thought, he raised his camera, quickly found a suitable composition angle, and pressed the shutter.

He reviewed the photo and nodded in satisfaction. In the past, photos he took at Beijing scenic spots he could delete without a second thought, but now the photos he took could be printed out and hung in the living room as decoration.

"Never thought I'd have a day where I could pick up a camera and capture the beauty of the world."

Qin Yun quickly walked through the gate opening, and at the same time, the system's voice rang out again.

【You have entered the check-in location. Each time you complete a task requirement, the system will notify you on the panel.】

His steps paused briefly, but he paid it no mind, and walked into the gorge. Looking up, the cliffs on both sides stood as if split by knives and chopped by axes, reaching over a hundred meters at their highest, and the sky seemed squeezed into a narrow blue ribbon.

Beneath his feet was a walkway paved with bluestone slabs, polished smooth by passing tourists. Occasionally, mountain springs seeped out from cracks in the rock face, gathering into thin streams that pooled into small puddles beside the stone slabs, reflecting the hanging vines above.

Many people were taking photos here, everyone wanting to capture this scene.

Qin Yun was naturally no exception, but he wasn't in a hurry, simply quietly admiring these billion-year-old landform features. Anyone coming for the first time would surely find it spectacular, would be awestruck.

But just then, a watching gaze caught his attention. He turned his head and saw a girl peeking curiously at him; the moment he turned, she was startled and shrank back.

"Xia… Qingqing?"

The girl wore a sun hat, a T-shirt with a sun-protection jacket on top, denim shorts on the bottom, and carried a backpack—looking youthful and energetic.

"Qin… Big Brother Qin, is it really you? I thought I was seeing things." Xia Qingqing's eyes went wide. She had actually spotted him outside earlier, but didn't dare confirm it, so she had carefully crept to the side to size him up just now.

Never expected it really was Qin Yun.

Qin Yun laughed: "What a coincidence, isn't it. I just came from Beijing. What are you doing here?"

She broke into a smile, a flush on her Bai Xi face, and said: "I came from the Chengde side yesterday. This is my last stop in Hebei."

Nodding, Qin Yun asked: "Are you touring the whole country?"

Immediately, Xia Qingqing shook her head vigorously: "No, actually I'm trying to see if I can get used to my motion sickness. Once I'm done here, I'm heading back to Shanghai—school's about to start."

"Oh, you're still a student? I thought you were working."

"Do I look that old?" The girl arched her delicate brows.

Qin Yun lightly patted his own mouth, gave an awkward smile, and quickly changed the subject.

"Want me to take a photo of you? I'm killer at photography!"

Xia Qingqing glanced suspiciously at the camera on Qin Yun's chest and immediately shook her head: "I don't like taking photos, but if you snap any nice scenery shots, you can send them to me."

Qin Yun had no problem with that, so the two simply added each other on WeChat.

"Together?" Xia Qingqing invited.

Qin Yun waved his hand: "No, you go on ahead by yourself. I'm not in that much of a hurry—planning to walk slowly and take it all in."

Xia Qingqing was curious, but since Qin Yun had refused, she naturally said nothing more. Though this was their second meeting, they were still strangers—well, strangers with a bit of fate between them.

Watching Xia Qingqing leave, Qin Yun, for no clear reason, suddenly felt moved. He stepped forward two paces, froze the frame, and captured the girl and the scenery together.

The moment he pressed the shutter, the system reacted. He checked it and found that one of the three required photos for Yixiantian and its peculiar landforms had already been satisfied.

He looked at the photo: the girl's back and the view of Yixiantian were perfectly framed, deeply evocative. Compared to plain landscapes or close-up portraits, this feeling was far better.

He then took a few more photos of Yixiantian's scenery, but the system gave no further prompts—clearly, only one photo per location counted.

"Not bad!"

He didn't mind. He admired the view a while longer, then walked along the path inward.

His chance encounter with Xia Qingqing meant nothing to him—just a coincidence. Though the girl was beautiful, he hadn't felt any special interest. If it had been one of his college friends, that guy with his womanizing nature, he'd never have let this opportunity slip.

He'd only just divorced, and the marriage had crushed him deeply. Even if he ever entertained thoughts of dating again, it would likely be years from now.

The narrowest point of Yixiantian was only one meter wide—just enough for one person to squeeze through sideways. Qin Yun gripped the rock wall; his fingertips touched cold, rough stone, clearly feeling the strata's texture. Looking up, the sky was compressed into a thin silver thread.

After passing through Yixiantian, the gorge opened slightly ahead, revealing a broad platform. Beside the platform, a small waterfall hung from the cliffside, water cascading down from over ten meters high, splashing into fine mist against the rocks below.

He saw many tourists pausing here to rest; some even cupped the spring water in their hands and splashed it on their faces.

Qin Yun froze every one of these scenes into his camera, like an ordinary tourist—wherever he walked, whatever he saw, he photographed it. But ordinary tourists, after enjoying the sights, were left only with exhaustion.

He, however, had rewards.

And the system's rewards were incredible. So far, whether it was vehicle repair or musical instrument repair, his skills had reached an extremely professional level—enough, he believed, to make a living, even to live a very comfortable life.

Take vehicle repair: Wang Master at Shen Hu's shop was already a master in this field, but compared to Qin Yun now, he was nowhere near. And this was only Level 1—if he reached Level 2, or even Level 3, how absurdly advanced would he become?

Just thinking about it made Qin Yun excited. All he had to do was check in, and he gained a skill that ordinary people spent ten or even decades mastering. If he kept this up, as he completed more check-in tasks, perhaps he would become capable of anything.

Money was just a meaningless string of numbers.