The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

He Haijiang was stunned rooted to the spot when he was questioned. He subconsciously reached for his cell phone, only to realize that it had no signal! He Haijiang instantly panicked a little. However, he held his panic and horror in and said, “Don’t worry. They say that you can call emergency services even without a signal.”

The moment that was aid, Wei Yaqin felt utter despair. What was in this kid’s head? Being able to make phone calls even without a signal? Did he think that his cell phone was on steroids?

As expected, He Haijiang received no response after trying a few times. He was instantly dumbfounded as he mumbled in disbelief. “This… How is this possible? Isn’t it said that one can call emergency services even without a signal?”

Wei Yaqin said in exasperation, “Are you really that ignorant? Because of the way a cell phone works, when making phone calls it requires a network. The cell phone itself is a transmitter and receiver. When the network is up, it can receive and transmit signals. The SIM card is the key to that network. With the key, the cell phone can recognize corresponding signals over the network, find the door, and enter. With that, it can complete its function as a phone. What you were talking about is that under the situation of not having a SIM card, you can indeed call for help. Even without a SIM card, the key to the network, certain emergency service numbers can still be called. The network providers do not set up strict barriers for these numbers. As long as you call, you will be automatically diverted to the nearest signal, which is equivalent to entering the nearest door and allowing the call to pass through. But all of this is based on the premise that the network is available! Without a network, how are you to make a phone call? Do you think you are holding some divine artifact?”

He Haijiang blushed when he heard Wei Yaqin… Looking at the mocking gazes around him, he felt that he had been embarrassed by her, so he said angrily, “Since you are so good at talking, then tell us what we should do now.”

Seeing her boyfriend getting mocked, Cheng Mujie immediately helped. “Yeah, you sure are good with words. But if you are so capable, tell us the solution then. Being all talk is useless.”

Wei Yaqin immediately turned infuriated when she heard that, knowing that there was no way to reason with the two kids. She shook her head and ignored them.

Upon seeing Wei Yaqin leave, Cheng Mujie continued. “Tch, she can drone on when she’s reprimanding others, but isn’t she helpless as well? At the very least, Haijiang gave a suggestion.”

Wei Yaqin ignored her statement, unwilling to waste her breath and strength on the two idiots.

Xunzi hurriedly mediated the situation. “Alright, cut it out. There’s definitely no way to use the phone. There are only three methods now. One is for us to continue forging ahead and rush to meet up with Panzi and the rest at Tianzhu Peak. The second is to backtrack. The third is to stay here to wait for rescue.”

Glasses frowned. “We aren’t very far from Tianzhu Peak. According to the map, we are just three to four hours away. If we tried to return, we’d probably take a whole day even if it was light. Yet now, it’s already dark, so we will definitely be even slower. We can forget about getting out without walking for more than ten hours.”

“Then, are we to await rescue?” Yao Zhen suddenly said. She sat inside the tent, having no intention to leave. From her point of view, it was safest in the tent. She didn’t need to suffer the brunt of the wind or be hit by the snow there. She had no intention of experiencing the harsh environment outside again. All she wished now was to return home or to the office to drink a nice cup of warm tea. She swore never to participate in such outdoor activities that seemed lofty but were just a way of suffering again! She’d rather bore herself to death on a skyscraper.

“Await rescue?” Monk sneered. “First, we have no way to send rescue signals. Who would know that we require help? Don’t forget that we sneaked into the mountain. It’s not even certain that people know that we have entered the mountains. If we stay in our spots, we’ll have to wait until Panzi and company realize that we haven’t reached Tianzhu Peak and seek help due to their worry for us. Otherwise, you can wait until you are dead without any rescue coming.”

“Then, will we be heading for Tianzhu Peak?” asked Cheng Mujie.

Monk shook his head. “All of you joined the Tieba forum later on. You don’t know Panzi. To be honest, I regret coming with you. With my understanding of Panzi, although he likes to brag and adventure, I have to admit one point. He’s an experienced, professional backpacker. His mantra is ‘safety first’. Before he goes anywhere, he always does his homework, including how to seek help after encountering danger. Furthermore, he will absolutely not go on any adventure in secret. In his words, doing that is equivalent to finding your own coffin and lying in it to await death. I thought nothing of what he said in the past, but now… F**k. To be a backpacker, one really needs to be a quiet coward to have fun and live long! People like us who act rashly and treat it as a test of courage can only be called idiots.”

At that moment, Monk truly regretted their decision. He even included himself in the cursing.

When Xunzi heard that, he blushed as well. He had been the one who had facilitated the trip. He originally believed that challenging the famous perilous lands would at most give him some hardship but nothing much to be worried about. He never expected to find himself in such a perilous situation.

Glasses was Xunzi’s friend, so when he saw his friend hanging his head low, he couldn’t help but say, “Alright. Stop grumbling. Let’s think of a solution.”

“I’m not leaving, that’s for sure,” exclaimed Yao Zhen.

Cheng Mujie added. “Me neither. Proceeding forward won’t do, and it’s too far to head back. I’ll stay here and await the rescue team.”

“What rescue team! Why would they come here?” Monk was truly fuming with anger.

Cheng Mujie was about to say something when Wei Yaqin said, “Didn’t we give a little girl a sweet when we entered the mountains. She can be considered an eye-witness, right?”

The moment that was said, the group members which were almost wallowing in despair immediately had hope ignite in them.

Cheng Mujie said, “That’s right. As long as others ask, the child will tell them. Someone will definitely enter the mountain to look for us.”

Monk frowned. He wished to say that a child could not be counted on, but at that moment Xunzi tugged at him, whispering. “We have to give them some hope. Don’t douse it; otherwise, we will really be in trouble.”

Only then did Monk nod and keep mum.

Upon seeing Monk remain silent, Yao Zhen, Cheng Mujie, and He Haijiang thought that they held the advantage and began turning talkative.

He Haijiang said, “I’ve seen rescues on television before. They all use helicopters. As long as they are willing to search for us, they will quickly find us. I think there’s no need for us to scare ourselves. Besides, what is there to be scared of in the first place? It’s just a little colder with stronger winds than normal here. We simply need to get some fire and warm ourselves before we continue waiting.”

“That’s right. We still have food. We should eat more for the calories.” Yao Zhen nodded before looking at Wei Yaqin. “Yao Zhen, I saw you leave quite a lot of clues behind along the way. If people start searching for us, they will definitely be able to find us by following them, right?”

Wei Yaqin nodded slightly. “I did leave things behind as clues, but the snow is so heavy. They were probably all buried…”

“It’s fine. They will definitely have dogs,” Cheng Mujie said carelessly.