Yaoyao shot me a look: "Does this even need learning? I figured it out ages ago!"
That made sense. Automatic transmission cars, even a grade-schooler could grasp the operating principles. Getting a C2 license was easy.
"Let's go, time to climb the mountain. I'll drive," I said.
Yaoyao retracted her foot, scrambled out of the driver's seat and into the passenger side. She skillfully adjusted the seat backward, reclined lazily, took off her canvas shoes, and rested her feet on the center console.
I started the BMW and turned on the navigation. I thought Tie Sha Mountain was nearby, but it turned out to be thirty kilometers away. I hoped the scenery would be worth the trip.
Exiting the hotel's back courtyard parking lot and turning onto the main road, I stole a glance at Yaoyao. She had her eyes closed, appearing to be asleep.
"I heard from Kunkun that you were jealous of me?" I asked.
Yaoyao opened her eyes. "I don't have that kind of free time."
"Not jealous? Heh, then why did you ask me to get out?" I asked, full of undeserved confidence.
"I almost forgot, today is the ninth day of the ninth month, the Double Ninth Festival," Yaoyao answered irrelevantly.
"...What does that mean? Are you asking me to buy you a gift for the holiday? Oh right, you're over four hundred years old, the 'Elder's Day' should include you too."
"Hahahaha," Yaoyao was so amused by my terrible joke that she chuckled uncontrollably. "You're the one who gets to celebrate Elder's Day. I mean, today is the day with the strongest yang energy in the year, and the most suitable time to learn qi-reading."
"Oh? You're going to teach me the art of qi-reading?" I asked excitedly. Having witnessed Yaoyao use qi-reading in the cornfield, seeing Lao Ba approaching from quite a distance, and even "seeing" Shen Xingyue through a wall – wasn't that equivalent to X-ray vision?
X-ray vision, the ultimate cheat skill many men dreamed of!
"Bingbing is suited for martial arts. You aren't quite suited for that, but your energy is abundant, and your control is strong. You should be suitable for practicing qi-reading."
"Then let's start practicing. Why are we still going to Tie Sha Mountain?" I asked.
"Tie Sha Mountain, judging by the name alone, is a place of strong yang. Let's go there and see. If it truly is, it will assist you in your qi-reading practice," Yaoyao explained. "But you need to drive faster. After 3 PM, the sun starts to set, and the yang energy begins to weaken."
I floored the accelerator, the car's speed instantly exceeding 100 mph.
In less than twenty minutes, we reached the entrance of Tie Sha Mountain Scenic Area.
After parking, just as I was about to buy tickets, Yaoyao stopped me. She shielded her eyes and looked towards the mountain peak, sighing, "Why is the mountain gate so far from the summit..."
"Scenic areas are like this nowadays. They expand their area so consumers feel the ticket price isn't too high. Otherwise, charging tens of yuan just to climb a mountain is something many people can't accept," I said. This was a common issue with almost all scenic spots in China. The main entrance was usually very far from the main attractions, allowing for more attractions to be designed within and an increase in the number of shops, enhancing the scenic area's added value – it was the market economy, after all.
"The key is, from a feng shui perspective, the location with the most abundant yang energy is right at that summit. By the time we climb to the top, it'll be dark," Yaoyao frowned.
"What can we do? We can't drive up there," I pointed to two signs at the entrance. One read: Private Vehicles Prohibited (Note: Most of the scenic area consists of steps). The other read: Forest Fire Prevention is Everyone's Responsibility; No ignition sources such as candles are allowed.
The notice implied that candles were available for sale, exclusively.
"Perhaps we should come back tomorrow," Yaoyao said dejectedly.
"But tomorrow isn't the ninth of the ninth anymore, is it?"
"It's just one day, not much difference," Yaoyao covered her face and turned to go back to the car, the sun being too strong.
I took out my phone and checked the weather forecast. Bad news, there was a light rain expected locally tomorrow, no sun, and definitely insufficient yang energy.
A spark of inspiration struck me. I sent our location to the Hawk Demon and asked how long it would take her to fly over.
But after waiting for a long time, she didn't reply. Yaoyao was still complaining about the heat, coquettishly wanting to go back. I turned on the BMW's air conditioning and stood outside smoking, calling the Hawk Demon. She didn't answer. Just as I was about to hang up, it was picked up, but it was Bingbing.
"Where's Yanan?" I asked.
"Ah? She was just here!"
"Where are you?"
"At Qipan Mountain, taking a bath—Ugh, I see a feather from Yanan!"
"...Are you a pervert?" I couldn't help but laugh and cry. What was so exciting about a feather!
"It's not what you think, it's a hawk feather!"