Chapter 390: I Can Try

At this moment, Jiang Hong also walked over. “According to our investigation, these R-country people are likely here for a miraculous medicine from Mount Wushan. The locals have spoken of this medicine, saying it has the power to bring the dead back to life.”

“Yes, yes, I know about this miraculous medicine. My father and grandfather have talked about it, but none of us have ever seen what it looks like,” Ye Fan said excitedly.

“Do you think there’s such a medicine on this mountain?” Li Yiyi looked toward Jiang Hong.

Jiang Hong shook his head. “I can’t say for certain, but the issue isn’t about whether we believe in it. The problem is that these R-country people believe in it. They’ve entered the mountain with the aim of obtaining this medicinal material. According to the higher-ups, there is also a large ancient tomb on this mountain.”

Hearing this, Li Yiyi glanced at the researchers behind her. She finally understood why so many different types of researchers had been brought along on this trip—biologists, agricultural experts, archaeologists.

“Dr. Li, thank you for the book you wrote. After I bought it and read it, it saved my daughter’s life,” Ye Fan said gratefully.

Li Yiyi smiled. “You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help.”

At that moment, Hong Shuo walked over with a worried expression and reported to Jiang Hong, “Old Jiang, I’m sorry, but the guide we hired earlier has sent someone to say he can’t come today. He’s injured his leg.”

Jiang Hong’s face darkened when he heard this. “Did you try finding someone else?”

“It’s hard to find someone,” Hong Shuo said with a troubled expression. “Once the locals here hear it’s about going into this mountain, they refuse to lead us.”

Jiang Hong’s face turned serious. It was frustrating—things had reached the final stage, but now, the guide who was supposed to lead them into the mountain had suddenly backed out. Finding a replacement on short notice was proving to be difficult.

“What’s going on?” Li Yiyi asked as she approached the two men.

Seeing his wife approaching, Jiang Hong didn’t hide the issue and immediately explained. “The problem is that Mount Wushan is surrounded by mysterious tales, and not everyone is willing to go inside. We had to pay a high price to hire the guide we had, but now, on the day we’re supposed to leave, he suddenly says he can’t come because of an injury.”

Li Yiyi patted his arm. “Alright, don’t worry. This situation can be handled. I heard Ye Fan say he’s from here, and he should be familiar with the mountain. Why don’t you ask him if he could help?”

Hong Shuo glanced at Ye Fan, who was standing not far away. He lowered his voice and said, “Dr. Li, we already tried asking him, but he refused. No matter how much we offered, he wouldn’t agree.”

Li Yiyi looked at the two helpless men. “So, you really can’t find a guide?”

“That’s right. We almost went through several nearby villages, and only one person agreed to come, but when the time came, they chickened out. It’s really frustrating,” Hong Shuo said, pulling at his hair in frustration.

Li Yiyi pursed her lips. “Everyone is waiting to go up the mountain now. If we suddenly tell them there’s no guide, they won’t be happy. How about I go talk to Ye Fan? If necessary, we can offer him a higher price to see if that helps.”

“Do you think he’ll agree?” Hong Shuo wasn’t very hopeful.

Li Yiyi glanced at the two men. “This is our best option. Wait here, I’ll go ask him.”

She immediately turned and walked toward Ye Fan, who was chatting with Shen Zhou not far away.

“Comrade Ye, I have something to discuss with you,” she said as she approached him.

Seeing that the two had something to talk about, Shen Zhou took the initiative to step away.

Ye Fan looked at her with respect. “Comrade Li, there’s no need to be so polite. If you have something to say, just say it.”

Li Yiyi smiled and nodded. After briefly explaining their dilemma, she continued, “The guide suddenly said he couldn’t come, but you’ve seen it—we’ve traveled a long way to get here, and if we ask everyone to go back to the hotel now, many people will object. I was thinking, since we’re here, we should at least go up the mountain and try to find those R-country people.”

Before she could finish, Ye Fan interrupted with a smile, “Comrade Li, you want me to be your guide, don’t you?”

Li Yiyi, surprised at how quickly he understood, smiled and stopped herself from continuing. “That’s right. I heard from Instructor Hong that you refused before, but the situation is urgent. You’re the only one familiar with the area, so I’m asking again. Would you reconsider and help us?”

After a moment, she added, “You can name any conditions, and we’ll do our best to meet them.”

Ye Fan didn’t hesitate and replied, “I don’t have any conditions. I’m willing to go with you into the mountain.”

At that moment, Jiang Hong and Hong Shuo arrived and stood nearby.

Originally, the two men had been prepared to continue persuading Ye Fan if he refused, but before they could say anything, they heard him agree to go up the mountain.

“Really? That’s great!” Li Yiyi said with excitement. “But Comrade Ye, you should still tell us your conditions. We can’t let you go without compensating you.”

Ye Fan smiled. “I don’t have any conditions. The reason I’m willing to go with you is that I respect Comrade Li. I’m doing this because I want to learn from you how to use herbs to treat people.”

Li Yiyi was surprised by his directness and asked, “Why?”

“Because I want to learn how to help people here,” Ye Fan said earnestly. “You might not know, but because we’re in a remote area, we don’t have any doctors. When people here get sick, they only use herbs they know to treat themselves. Many have died because of this, and I want to help change that.”