CHAPTER 602: CHAPTER 580: IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE IS LEAVING

The walkways and viewing platforms built there are all constructed according to the mountain’s natural form, without harming a single blade of grass or tree. The winding and zigzagging path of bluestone intertwines with the gnarled roots of ancient trees, forming a natural masterpiece; a suspended corridor bridge spans the deep gully, with clouds and mist passing through, resembling a heavenly ladder; all facilities are naturally shielded, allowing visitors to catch glimpses of rare birds and animals without disturbing their natural lives.

In comparison, Little Deer Ridge, located to the southwest of P City, falls somewhat short.

It doesn’t have as high an elevation, and its terrain is relatively gentle. This mountain has no sika deer, only some wild deer and other small animals. Although they are endearingly clumsy, they ultimately do not compare to the excitement and liveliness of Hundred Beasts Mountain.

P City is large, with these two mountains located one to the north and the other to the south, nearly a hundred kilometers apart. Visitors coming specially for these sites would not be able to explore both mountains within a short period, so they would have to make choices.

Hundred Beasts Mountain is high, and climbing the entire mountain can leave one sore in the back and waist the next day unless they are very resilient! When hearing that Little Deer Ridge only has little deer and other small animals, no matter how beautiful the scenery, one might not be as inclined to visit.

After all, although Little Deer Ridge is not as high as Hundred Beasts Mountain, its area is more than twice as large. To thoroughly explore it, it would take no less than two days.

What’s more, Little Deer Ridge’s most famous spot is the "Cloud Viewing Pavilion" at the mountain’s peak. Made entirely of wood, its eaves tilt gracefully, blending seamlessly with the mountain scenery. From this point, one can look down at the surging sea of clouds, as if being in an Immortal Realm. However, due to elevation constraints, viewing the surging sea of clouds from the Cloud Viewing Pavilion requires specific timing and seasons. Unlike Hundred Beasts Mountain, where as long as you climb to the top, you are guaranteed to witness the spectacular view of glowing clouds steaming and the sea of clouds rising with the sun.

Considering all this, more tourists choose to visit Hundred Beasts Mountain.

Seven in the morning.

The winding mountain road of Little Deer Ridge, like a gray satin ribbon, wraps around the verdant mountain body, with many vehicles elegantly ascending along this ribbon. Even during peak tourist season, there wouldn’t be so much traffic here at the same time, let alone several luxury cars mixed in.

Among them, the most eye-catching is a Rolls-Royce Phantom, its 6.75-liter V12 engine emitting a deep yet restrained roar, like a tamed beast ready to unleash its formidable power at any time.

The mountain road is quite steep, but Yan Yueqing, sitting inside, felt no bumps whatsoever. The Rolls-Royce’s signature magic carpet suspension system completely filtered out the road’s unevenness, leaving only a sleep-inducing smoothness.

The weather was a bit chilly, and through the window, she saw Little Deer Ridge shrouded in clouds and mist, like a splash-ink painting, appearing and disappearing in the morning light. The vegetation was imbued with a unique charm, and various flowers and plants flashed by like jewels and diamonds scattered on a carpet, looking extremely delightful.

While driving, Jun Jiu chatted about the development details: "President Yue, the film city’s main focus is on ancient and Republic-era architectural series. When selecting a site, I specifically inspected several scenic spots. Initially, I most wanted to discuss Hundred Beasts Mountain, but after tugging back and forth for a week with the secretary there, we couldn’t make a deal..."

Yan Yueqing had gone through the materials: "Hundred Beasts Mountain, as the biggest source of tourism revenue for P City, obviously wouldn’t agree to other commercial measures so easily."

The construction of a film city, which seemingly can boost the economy significantly, appears trivial compared to the disruption with the construction equipment to the natural scenery. Disrupting the existing ecology would be problematic.

Even with the Jun family’s reputation, the county secretary still seriously deliberated for a week. The investment for building a film city is enormous! Faced with such a golden opportunity being handed to them, the locals pondered several times before letting go, which shows the importance they place on Hundred Beasts Mountain.

"Indeed." Jun Jiu turned the steering wheel along the mountain road, his eyes showing appreciation for that secretary, "However, he was still reluctant to forgo this investment. After several meetings, he consulted with me about considering Little Deer Ridge as a site in the selection list.

Interestingly, Little Deer Ridge had decent scenery in the past, with many species of flora and fauna. Its ecological environment wasn’t much inferior to Hundred Beasts Mountain. But over thirty years ago, a local high-ranking official was bribed to sell a flat piece of land at Little Deer Ridge for the construction of a high-end villa area for sale. Just after clearing the vegetation and laying the foundation, environmental protection policies came into effect, forcing the project to halt immediately! Not long after, that high-ranking official was also double-disciplined; it was a complete loss and disgrace."