From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

Luo Peng stared wide-eyed, so I quickly turned his head away and stopped staring.

She was reserved, unlike Luo Peng and me who were unrestrained and carefree.

Finally, he only took off his outer layer of heavy clothing, but underneath he was still wearing a thin, close-fitting undershirt, and his pants were still fully covered.

After making preparations, she lifted her fair little feet and gently stepped into the spring water.

The moment her cool skin touched the warm water, her body instinctively tensed slightly.

But after a short while, the warm water flowed over my body, and the fatigue that had accumulated over the past few days gradually dissipated. I completely relaxed, and my eyes and brows softened considerably.

A light, warm mist rose gently, enveloping the water and enveloping the three of us in its tenderness.

It was extremely quiet all around; there was no howling wind, no cracking sound of ice.

Only the gentle tinkling of the flowing spring water remains, a scene of tranquility.

Luo Peng leaned against an underwater rock, exhaling a long breath of stale air, his tone full of emotion:

"Honestly, I never imagined I would soak in a hot spring at the foot of a glacier in this uninhabited area. This trip was truly an experience I risked my life for."

I leaned against the cold rocks, gazing at the distant, undulating ice peaks, my heart filled with mixed emotions.

I replied softly, "Yes. I used to think that life and death were very far away from us, and that daily life was just ordinary. But stepping into this no-man's-land made me realize that fate is always just a thought away. Being able to sit here and soak in the hot springs is already an immense blessing."

Su Wan floated quietly in the warm water, her usual aloofness gone, her fair face covered with a thin layer of water vapor, hazy and gentle.

She softly echoed, "This trip to the no-man's-land has given me many firsts in my life, even soaking in a hot spring is a first for me."

"No way, Sister Wan?" Luo Peng's eyes widened instantly, his face full of disbelief. "You've never been to a hot spring before?"

I was also full of surprise, and turned to look at Su Wan, completely unable to believe it.

In my eyes, Su Wan comes from a wealthy family and has a wide range of experiences; she should have all kinds of experiences, yet she doesn't even have such a simple daily experience.

Su Wan nodded gently, her tone indifferent: "Really, no. I've always been obedient and reserved, and I rarely participate in these lively group activities. I've never been to a public hot spring."

Luo Peng became increasingly puzzled and pressed, "So what do you do on your days off? Do you just go to work?"

"Pretty much," Su Wan replied casually. "I go to get off work and come home, and during my free time, I mostly go to the gym to work out, or I just stay home alone."

"That's...that's it?"

Luo Peng looked bewildered and said, "That's so boring! Sister Wan, you're so well-off and have plenty of money, why make your life so hard? You have to learn to enjoy life!"

Upon hearing this, I couldn't help but laugh and agree: "That makes perfect sense. Do you remember Teacher Li's sixteen-character mantra? Find money while having fun, use the money to have fun, combine having fun with playing games, but prioritize having fun."

"Yes, yes, that's exactly right!"

Luo Peng immediately chimed in, cheerfully saying, "From now on, let's have some fun!"

Perhaps it was because our back-and-forth banter was so funny that Su Wan chuckled, a rare occurrence for her.

It wasn't the usual polite smile with a slight upturn of the corners of the mouth; it was a genuine laugh from the heart, clear and melodious.

After laughing, she looked at us, her tone tinged with self-deprecation: "Don't you think I'm a particularly boring person?"

Luo Peng, being straightforward and saying whatever came to mind, chuckled awkwardly and said, "Sister Wan, please don't mind, it really was a bit boring."

Su Wan nodded in self-acknowledgment and said, "I really don't have any hobbies, and I don't have many friends. I don't know what to do."

Luo Peng and I exchanged another glance, and Luo Peng immediately said, "That's easy. We'll be friends after we get back, right? We'll show you around, and you just need to pay the bill."

I quickly reached out and patted Luo Peng on the shoulder, saying, "You're dreaming! You want someone to play with you and then pay for it, huh?"

Luo Peng chuckled awkwardly and said, "Brother Lin, you've misunderstood me. I meant the two of us would keep Sister Wan company."

"That's a heretical and unorthodox argument."

I retorted to him, then looked at Su Wan and said, "But one thing he said is true: if you don't mind that we come from humble backgrounds, we can keep in touch after we get back."

Su Wan shook her head gently and said with a smile, "No, I was worried you would think I'm difficult to get along with."

Luo Peng immediately said, "To be honest, when we first met you, we really thought you were very aloof. We didn't even dare to say a word to you."

He paused, then quickly changed the subject: "But things are different now! After going through so many life-and-death ordeals, I feel we've become more and more in sync and familiar with each other, and there's no distance between us anymore."

That's the truth. Even when I first left Lhasa, I kept some distance from Su Wan.

The real change began after we encountered bandits in the no-man's-land.

Time and again, they faced dangers and survived desperate situations side by side, which gradually wore away their unfamiliarity and barriers.

Luo Peng paused for two seconds, then spoke earnestly, "Sister Wan, I don't know why you insisted on coming to the no-man's land this time, or what's on your mind. But I can tell that you've been carrying something on your mind, and there are many things you can't let go of."

Su Wan neither denied nor avoided the topic, but listened quietly, her eyes subtly shifting with emotion.

"But I must say, don't keep anything to yourself, no matter how big the problem is."

Luo Peng laughed heartily, "Even if the sky falls, there's always someone tall like Brother Lin to hold it up, what's there to be afraid of!"

I reached out and gently pushed him, saying with a mix of laughter and tears, "Get lost, you just like to make fun of me, don't you?"

Luo Peng wore a harmless, mischievous grin, and Su Wan followed suit, her eyes crinkling into a relaxed, natural smile.

Warm mist curls up, and lukewarm water murmurs.

The gentle spring water enveloped the three of us, washing away our weariness from the wind and rain.

Having overcome countless dangers along the way, this moment of relaxation and peace is all the more precious.

There were no sudden crises, no ever-present threat of death, no anxiety about traveling, and no pressure from the mission.

All tension and vigilance are temporarily relieved at this moment.

The three of us quietly soaked in the hot spring deep in the wilderness, enjoying a rare moment of tenderness after surviving the ordeal.

But we all know perfectly well that this peace is just a temporary illusion.

Beyond the hot springs lies a vast, uninhabited area fraught with danger, where peril has never truly left.

After resting, we still had to continue our journey.

After the three of them got back into the car, they changed their clothes immediately.

We got back on the road and drove out of the foggy area completely.

We found a spacious, flat spot to stop, planning to stay there for the night.

After setting up the tent, I took out two maps and studied them repeatedly, finally finding our current location.

To my surprise, we had already crossed the Purogangri Glacier.