I served as Li Bai's page.

The car screeched to a halt in front of the Wawushan Scenic Area gate. Yueyue and I slung our backpacks over our shoulders, grabbed our cameras, and followed the others off the bus. This was a trip we had been looking forward to for a long time: a two-day company-wide tour of Wawushan.

Due to time constraints, the tour guide arranged for us to stay at Xiang'er Mountain Villa on the mountain. After a short rest at the foot of the mountain, we took the scenic area's shuttle bus uphill. May in Wawu Mountain was still chilly, but that couldn't stop the azaleas from blooming in succession. Towering dove trees stood tall, and various vegetation already showed signs of summer. The higher the bus went, the heavier the humidity in the air, and as we approached our stop, a light drizzle began to fall.

The tour guide told everyone that after getting off the bus, they would have to take a cable car to the top of the mountain, where the temperature would be even lower. So, everyone took out the warm clothes they had prepared, packed their backpacks, and looked forward to the final destination of this trip: the highest peak of Wawu Mountain.

When the cable car stopped at the summit of Wawu Mountain, Yueyue and I couldn't contain our joy and ran out hand in hand. The verdant pines and cypresses, the birdsong and fragrant flowers seemed to be smiling and beckoning us. "Yueyue, let's go for a walk first, then we'll go to Xiang'er Mountain Villa to find them."

"Okay, let's go to the Mandarin Duck Pond. I heard it's incredibly beautiful there," Yueyue replied.

After reaching a consensus, we slowly walked forward along the pedestrian boardwalk. There weren't many tourists on Wawu Mountain in May. The snow was slowly melting, and the icicles hanging on the dove trees and cypresses were gradually shrinking. Rhododendrons covered the platform, and various small flowers were blooming in competition.

When we arrived at Yuanyang Pond, it was getting late. The clear water under the twilight was crystal clear, like a magic mirror fallen from the sky. A gentle breeze stirred, and the water rippled against the shore, changing colors and shapes. Ice flowers hanging from the surrounding fir and arrow bamboo rustled in the breeze. Blooming azaleas encircled the lake, adorning this high-altitude lake with a stunning floral wreath.

Yueyue and I were so captivated by the beautiful scenery that we lingered there, unaware that dusk was falling. Suddenly, a bird's cry came from the distant bushes, and a mountain eagle soared into the sky, swooping down over our heads. We snapped out of our reverie and quickly composed ourselves, searching for the path to Xiang'er Mountain Villa. We walked along the boardwalk. After about half an hour, we still hadn't reached Xiang'er Mountain Villa, and I started to get anxious.

By then, it was already dark, and Wawu Mountain was quiet under the night sky, with only the occasional bird call. The further we walked, the more frightened we became. When we came to a crossroads, we suddenly saw a person carrying a backpack hurrying towards us.

I quickly stopped him: "Uncle, could you tell me how far it is to Xiang'er Manor?"

"It's not far, just ahead. Turn the corner and go uphill. Walking along the plank road would take about half an hour, but if you take the stone path beside it, it's a direct route in just over ten minutes. Young lady, you should take the shortcut; it's getting dark soon. It's easy to get lost on Wawu Mountain at night."

"Okay, thank you, uncle!"

Yueyue tugged at my clothes and said, "Let's take the shortcut so we can get there faster. Maybe everyone's already waiting for us."

"Okay." I pulled Yueyue away from the boardwalk and walked towards the stone path next to it. At first, the path was relatively smooth, but later it became narrower and narrower, and was even covered with weeds and thorns on both sides.

"Yuehua, have we taken the wrong road?" Yueyue looked at me in fear.

"No way, we've been following the stone path the whole time. There are weeds on both sides, and no signs indicating the way, we couldn't have gotten lost."

"But this doesn't look like a road; it's overgrown with weeds and trees. It doesn't look like anyone has walked on it."

I also felt something was wrong, so I pulled Yueyue back. We hadn't gone far when we couldn't find the way we came. The sunlight shining through the woods was only a faint white, and using that little light, Yueyue and I hurried back. The further we ran, the taller the grass became, and the denser, strangely shaped trees grew.

Yueyue and I got lost.

I put away my camera and hurriedly took out my phone to make a call. But there was no signal at all. I tried standing on higher ground and even climbing a tree to look for a signal, but it didn't work at all. Yueyue was so scared that she started to cry.

Yueyue's cries, accompanied by the howling wind in the forest, were quite frightening. I led Yueyue around and around in the jungle, but we still couldn't find the stone path we had come from. Exhausted, I sat down on the ground.

Then, I looked up and saw a towering dove tree in front of me. Its trunk was so thick that it would take at least four people to encircle it. About half a person's height, there was a round hole, not very big, but big enough for Yueyue and me to squeeze through.

"Come on, let's go there and see how deep that tree hole is." I pulled Yueyue towards the tree hole.

Hearing footsteps, several squirrels jumped out of the tree hole, looked around the entrance, and upon seeing people, immediately climbed up the tree trunk.

I walked to the tree hollow and, using my phone's light, broke off a branch and stuck it inside to test its depth. I then leaned half my body in and shone my phone's light inside. The hollow was quite large, almost as deep as a person, and the bottom was covered with a thick layer of pine needles and fallen leaves.

I jumped in and looked around carefully. It felt relatively safe. The cave wasn't damp. Although it was drizzling outside, the cave walls and the pine needles and fallen leaves inside were dry.

"Yueyue, come down. We'll have to make do here tonight. Wawu Mountain has a complicated terrain, and they won't dare come looking for us if it gets too late."

Yueyue grabbed my hand and jumped into the cave. I took out a piece of clothing and used a stick to secure it to the cave entrance. Then we sat down against the cave wall and ate something by the light of our phones. I tied my long hair into a bun on top of my head and found a strap in my bag to tie my trench coat tightly around my waist. I was so tired, but I knew we couldn't sleep at the same time.

"Yueyue, you should sleep for a while. I'll wake you up later, then I'll go back to sleep. We'll have to take turns sleeping."

"Hmm," Yueyue sadly lay on my lap, tears streaming down her face, and fell asleep.

It was completely dark outside, and the calls of unknown birds could be heard from the forest from time to time, and occasionally the howl of wolves could be heard.

I pulled my coat tighter and calmed myself, racking my brains. I realized Yueyue and I must have stumbled into the Wawu Mountain Maze, known as the "Bermuda Triangle of the Land." It's an undeveloped primeval forest, with hills one after another, all similar in shape and size. Once inside, it's incredibly difficult to find your way out. No wonder Yueyue and I kept wandering around, feeling like we were back at the starting point; we had no idea how far we'd actually gone.

Thinking of this, my heart pounded, and my head grew heavier and heavier. The phone made a buzzing sound, and the cave wall I was leaning against seemed to come alive, spinning and descending incessantly. I stretched out my hands and waved them wildly in the air, trying to grab something. Suddenly, with a loud bang, Yueyue flew away from me. I frantically tried to grab her, but I couldn't help but sink downwards.