Chapter 394

As a generational top streamer, Bai Liang's attention level is too high.

So high that even if he disappears for just a few days, and no one knows where he is, people can't help but start "looking for him."

Back then, Lu Han leveraged his generational top streamer status to turn a roadside mailbox into a viral check-in spot—now Bai Liang can do the same.

He's just lazy, so what he made viral isn't a mailbox, but his own RV sofa.

As for Zhufeng Base Camp, it doesn't need him to boost it, because the world's highest peak is inherently a global top streamer.

Many people have never seen Zhufeng in person, never witnessed its Golden Sunlight, yet that doesn't stop them from knowing the name of the world's highest peak.

Now, the top streamer of the domestic entertainment industry meets the top streamer of nature, naturally sparking massive attention.

"Is he filming a show or a movie? Why did he go to such a high altitude?"

"Da Xian Studio's official itinerary shows a gap these days, and it seems it was cleared long ago—feels like a commercial announcement."

"Could he be following Hu Ge's example and going to pick up trash? But Hu Ge usually picks up trash around Qinghai."

"That Red Bull logo gives me an odd sense of dread—I feel like Da Xian is about to pull something terrifying."

"Last time he took that Zha skydiving, he had this thing too—what's he up to now?"

"There's also Zhong Deng and Lao Deng—probably won't be too flashy."

"."

Netizens are buzzing, all eager to know what Bai Liang is up to.

The studio's official Weibo answered this question for everyone.

It was extremely brief—just two words, sharp and forceful!

"Tourism."

Netizens: Brilliant! Why didn't we think of that?

As for believing it—Bai Liang's "credibility" when it comes to pulling stunts is extremely low.

There's a very high chance he'll suddenly pull off something huge~

But this explanation does seem reasonable at first glance—after filming for so long, can't he just relax a bit?

Just a vacation—no problem at all.

Although ordinary people wouldn't normally choose such a high altitude for a vacation.

But Bai Liang, this "crazy guy," clearly isn't ordinary.

And this time, he isn't the only "crazy guy" here.

Wu Jing, the Wolf Warrior, tagging along for the hype is one thing—but once the traffic spiked, more people started posting photos from Zhufeng Base Camp.

To everyone's surprise, there was also Zhang Chaoyang!

How did he end up with those two? Did they just bump into each other?

But some netizens pointed out: Zhang Chaoyang showing up here isn't surprising at all.

Among internet tycoons, Zhang Chaoyang is not only a pioneer with labels like "China's First Internet Person" and "Internet Patriarch," but also the most restless one.

In August of the year before last, he swam from Xingcheng Coast on Huludao to Juehua Island, crossing the Xingcheng Strait, and was hailed by insiders as a superman;

On last year's Dragon Boat Festival, he successfully completed a 10-kilometer crossing of the Qingjiang River in Yichang, covering over 12 kilometers in total—afterward, he was brimming with confidence and declared, "My next goal is the English Channel";

Three months later, he crossed the Han River in South Korea.

Other more frequent activities like mountain climbing and running? Even more extreme.

And back in the early 2000s, Zhang Chaoyang had already "played" at Zhufeng—he didn't summit, but climbed to 6,666 meters.

Back then, it was mostly for promotion; now, it's probably purer—just like when he went to give people physics lessons.

And Wu Jing is too flashy—he hasn't even started climbing yet, and he's already bragging about climbing Zhufeng with Bai Liang.

He bragged about it at the Weibo Movie Night, then bragged again over drinks.

So many people heard about it and assumed they were planning some big stunt.

After digging deeper, it turned out these two just wanted to mess around.

Bai Liang suspects his enthusiasm stems from being trapped by his own boasts.

He already shouted it to the world—if he doesn't show up, won't he be eating his own words?

He has to come to Zhufeng and see it for himself!

But when Zhang Chaoyang heard about it, he enthusiastically offered to join the fun—he loves this kind of spectacle.

Besides, he and Bai Liang are kind of "old friends."

Although Sohu has declined and can't really collaborate with Bai Liang, Bai Liang has always treated Sohu's media fairly well—in interviews, Sohu reporters' VIP priority ranking was only below Weibo's Xiao Shui.

After all, when he first debuted, they treated him well.

Previously, Sohu reporters often felt honored just by being granted interviews with him.

As for his personal relationship with Zhang Chaoyang—they once ran together, and Zhang was repeatedly lapped by Bai Liang; later, Bai Liang even bought him drinks at a bar.

Among men, even with an age gap, having shared such experiences counts as a solid bond.

But whether Wu Jing or Zhang Chaoyang, they're both genuinely here for "tourism."

Neither of them plans to climb all the way up this time.

For ordinary people, Zhufeng is the only "first" worth remembering—the summit's height always symbolizes ultimate challenge and courage.

Qomolangma means "Goddess" in Tibetan.

Climbing Zhufeng is roughly like chasing a goddess.

Understanding Zhufeng will be a process of shattering illusions.

8844.43—this isn't just a number.

The oxygen level at the summit is about 33% of sea level—imagine climbing stairs until you're gasping for air, then forcing yourself to breathe only once every three breaths.

Other dangers: sub-zero temperatures, deadly crevasses, blizzards during bad weather, avalanches, icefalls, falls, altitude sickness, exhaustion.

Even though commercial summiting is now highly mature, it still represents the ultimate altitude of nature, where one misstep can truly be fatal.

Fundamentally, this is extreme sport.

So summiting requires a window period—May and September each year are universally recognized as the ideal times.

If you're "lucky," you might even encounter a "massive traffic jam" on Zhufeng.

Queuing at seven or eight thousand meters? That's an adrenaline rush!

As for the current time—hmm~ it's better for sightseeing.

So coming here as a tourist is perfectly fine; few climb upward, but many tourists come.

After signing autographs and taking photos with several tourists who had learned they were here and eagerly gathered around, Bai Liang couldn't help mocking Wu Jing:

"You've been fussing over one tent for ages—can you even do it?"

"How could I not? My movements are slow because the altitude is too high—I'm just not used to it," Wu Jing retorted stubbornly.

Then he couldn't help glancing at Bai Liang's tent, his lips twitching.

This kid really acts like a boss—he brought so many "assistants" to Zhufeng Base Camp.

The so-called assistants were actually the professional climbing team Red Bull had arranged for Bai Liang.

Professionals, right? They could arrange everything perfectly for him.

After struggling for hours, Master Wu finally gave up and shamefully asked Bai Liang's "assistants" for help.

Of course, he himself squatted nearby, carefully observing.

But he still insisted that someone like Bai Liang couldn't accumulate real experience—how would he ever summit next time?

Zhang Chaoyang agreed with him, saying mountaineering was a discipline requiring meticulous attention: monitoring your heartbeat and blood oxygen levels at all times, how to dress, whether your emotions remained calm—it was essentially a highly detailed form of self-management.

This opinion was very professional—but his own tent still wasn't set up.

In the words of this internet tycoon, he hadn't played in a while and had forgotten.

Bai Liang's assessment was that if these two died, their bodies would be limp but their mouths would still be hard.

Still, the saying "A man remains a boy until death" only gained more value.

After the three of them studied for a long time and finally boiled the water, Wu Jing's smile was brighter than when his movie Wolf Warrior 2 had become a massive hit.

"I told you we could boil it! I didn't shoot movies for nothing, and I didn't learn all that mountaineering knowledge for nothing."

But Bai Liang took off his glove and reached out to feel the water.

"It's boiled—but it's not boiling!"

"What?"

"Not hot enough."

High-altitude fact: without a pressure cooker, water here won't reach 100 degrees.

There were many other strange phenomena like this, but after playing around for a while, Wu Jing successfully developed altitude sickness.

Fortunately, he had Bai Liang beside him.

So, to help Wu Jing recover quickly, Bai Liang lit a cigarette.

"I've never seen you smoke before."

Wu Jing sucked in two puffs, smoking with surprising skill, then admitted honestly:

"I don't smoke—I'm just pretending. Can you even handle it, little dog?"

Wu Jing: F***!

The longer you knew this guy, the more you realized this seemingly gentle capybara hid a wicked sense of humor.

This bastard actually lit a cigarette up here just to mock him—he really wasn't afraid he might accidentally inhale it into his lungs.

After Bai Liang, without any instruction, learned to blow smoke rings and started showing off tricks, Wu Jing finally closed his eyes.

He wasn't dead—he just didn't want to look anymore, and decided to rest properly and ride out the altitude sickness.

But he hadn't slept long when he felt someone prodding him.

Weary, he opened his eyes to see Bai Liang holding a small twig, smiling at him. Seeing him awake, Bai Liang asked: "You dead yet?"

"Bro, what are you doing?"

"Get up. Get ready to see the Golden Mountain in the Sunlight."

These words jolted Wu Jing awake—but when he crawled out of his sleeping bag, head throbbing, and looked outside, he was utterly speechless.

"The sky's full of thick clouds—it's overcast. Where's the Golden Mountain in the Sunlight supposed to come from?"

Well said!

The Golden Mountain in the Sunlight is rare—it demands very strict weather conditions. Sunlight rising from below the horizon, reflected by clouds and scattered by lower atmosphere, paints the snow-capped peaks with an elusive "mountain-dyeing glow."

So they found a good spot and waited over an hour.

The overcast clouds hadn't cleared, but now a thick fog rolled in.

"We won't see it today. Come back tomorrow—we're staying here for several more days anyway. When the weather improves, we'll climb a bit higher. That'll make this trip worthwhile."

Wu Jing didn't blame Bai Liang for dragging him up—he comforted him instead.

Bai Liang smiled, glancing at the fog. "Don't rush."

"Can this fog suddenly vanish?"

The moment Wu Jing finished speaking, he suddenly caught a glimmer of gold in the corner of his eye.

A gust of wind tore a crack through the overcast clouds and dense fog!

Immediately, ten thousand rays of golden light descended, bathing the mountain peak in brilliance, like a golden Potala Palace.

Except for Bai Liang, the entire group suddenly felt as if their throats had been clenched—overwhelmed with excitement, gasping for breath.

Qomolangma, the "Goddess," finally revealed all her details, bathed in golden light.

The mountain and the sun.

The immense, inconceivable mountain ridge had remained unchanged for thousands of years; the sea's transformations had never washed away its steadfastness, nor had the knife-sharp winds ever dispelled its silence.

And the sun was an almost eternal presence—though humans knew it had been born forty-six hundred million years ago, that number was nearly infinite to them, impossible to imagine, and before it, human life and floating organisms were negligible.

And the Golden Sun on Jin Shan was the dynamic union of these two eternal beauties, in a form thought impossible to combine.

Beautiful, awe-inspiring, mysterious.

And dangerous!

Like and comment on the Golden Sun on Jin Shan for good fortune and fulfillment of wishes.

The awe of nature always seemed to make humans feel their own insignificance.

Yet after his excitement faded, Wu Jing accidentally glanced at Bai Liang beside him.

The other's calmness exceeded his imagination—he could tell it wasn't pretense, merely a gaze of appreciation fixed upon the breathtaking scene before them.

It stood in stark contrast to the reverent awe others felt toward the towering mountain.

As if even the mountain could not make him look up.

Upon closer thought, he suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

Bai Liang seemed utterly confident he would see the Golden Sun on Jin Shan today, yet Wu Jing couldn't fathom where that confidence came from.

Even his "assistant" team's most experienced mountaineers believed seeing the Golden Sun on Jin Shan today was impossible.

And yet, it appeared just like that.

Recalling all of Bai Liang's behavior since they first met, Wu Jing realized he always treated people this way.

He had never once seen Bai Liang show any sense of reverence toward anything.

And even after becoming powerful himself, Wu Jing couldn't manage this.

A reckless kid with no sense of reverence somehow ended up at such a high position—and still had such great popularity.

It was so fucking contradictory!

"Master?"

"Huh?"

"You really know how to perform rituals?"

Bai Liang looked at Wu Jing, who seemed genuinely curious, with an innocent expression, then patted his shoulder. "Brother Jing, believe in science~ You've watched too many wish-fulfillment novels."

These words nearly sent Wu Jing, who had just started feeling better, back into the throes of altitude sickness.

"Control your breathing—this is a high-altitude region," Zhang Chaoyang suggested kindly, watching Wu Jing's flushed face.

He thought to himself: This Wolf Warrior is still too impulsive; without proper training for at least two years, he won't stand a chance at summiting.

Still, many climbers spend years preparing to scale Zhufeng.

This was never something you could rush into with nothing but courage.

Even if he were a real-life Wolf Warrior from a movie, bursting with power wouldn't be enough.

Zhang Chaoyang had his own past failures, so he wasn't in a hurry at all.

As for Bai Liang—he was utterly incomprehensible.

Since the day he first met him, he'd never fully understood this "kid."

When he met Bai Liang, the man had no fame at all—yet suddenly, he became a top celebrity.

And even more baffling came next!

The very next morning, just hours after watching the Golden Sun on Jin Shan, Bai Liang and his "assistants" were already preparing to depart.

The meteorological department had issued a positive signal: a three-day window had opened.

Yet during this rainy season, they were the only team at Zhufeng Base Camp preparing to summit.

Packing backpacks, checking oxygen tanks, inspecting ropes.

Under the faint dawn light, the Red Bull logo stood out sharply.

"We're here already."

Bai Liang said.

Then he left Zhang Chaoyang, bewildered, and Wu Jing, stunned, with a graceful back view—right before their eyes, he embarked on a "spontaneous journey."

The two stared at each other, feeling as if they hadn't woken up yet.

Bro, it's the rainy season—are you really going up now?!

Watching the figure vanish into the distance, Wu Jing couldn't help slapping his own face. "Damn! I should've just dragged him into the crew of The Climbers from the start!"

He'd come here partly to generate some buzz and promote The Climbers.

But it was just a side goal—he didn't have much motivation to push hard for this movie.

After all, he knew how good—or bad—it was; a little promotion was enough.

Bai Liang's purpose here wasn't purely tourism either—otherwise, what was that team of elite mountaineers for?

They were here to film a short documentary about him!

Some footage might even be used for commercials.

But this wasn't entirely a commercial endorsement either; they hadn't planned to release anything from this trip.

After all, Bai Liang was "inexperienced."

But since he wanted to climb, the team had no objections—there were plenty of experts among them.

In fact, if not for the documentary, they might have literally carried him up.

For celebrities at Bai Liang and Wu Jing's level, such activities could never be entirely free of commercial ties.

The influence was right there.

Many celebrities even turned their weddings into full-blown sponsorship events.

A public figure with sufficient fame was, in themselves, a walking commercial asset.

Even when Bai Liang just came to climb a mountain, he could rake in a pile of money along the way — there were plenty of people willing to pay for it.

Not to mention the two of them; even Zhang Chaoyang wasn't entirely there just to join the fun.

He counted as the internet mogul most fond of rubbing shoulders with the entertainment circle, having long ago, back in the blog era, relied on his many celebrity friends to gather buzz for his own products.

So how could this trip be just about seeing the scenery?

Sure enough, before the documentary was even filmed, he expressed that Sohu Video wanted to buy the rights. Too bad Bai Liang said he didn't make the calls on these matters, and gave him Sister Yanzi's contact.

After learning of this idea of his, Wu Jing still felt a bit of sympathy for him.

That Boss Yan was very tough to deal with, especially when it came to haggling — he had personally experienced it once. That little girl glared and huffed at him, nearly training the dignified "Wolf Warrior" into a shivering lapdog.

(End of chapter)