The fat man was very talkative, his mouth never stopping from the moment they set off. He talked about the strange and mysterious things he had heard when he was studying in the west.
Tibet is full of legends, some of which are widely known in the area, and some records can be traced back to their origins. They are indeed captivating, and the people in the neighboring seats were completely engrossed.
"Don't take them as myths; some of them really happened," the fat man said earnestly.
Hearing him build up the suspense, someone urged him to tell the story quickly.
"I once saw a small Tibetan mastiff howling beside a dying old dog in a dilapidated temple. The puppy's eyes actually shed golden tears," Zhou Quan said.
A group of people hissed, not believing him. It was too far-fetched and unrealistic.
"Absolutely true, I experienced it myself," Zhou Fat Man said, getting flustered and thumping his chest to swear that what he said was true.
"Later, I thought it might be because its golden eyes were so brilliant that they made the tears appear golden," the fat man explained.
"If you saw such an extraordinary Tibetan mastiff puppy, wouldn't you immediately rush over to take it and raise it well? Where is it now?" someone laughed.
"Alas, I wanted to take it, but there was an old lama in the temple who was too old and scary to communicate with, and he wouldn't let me take it away."
According to Zhou Quan, the temple was in ruins, located deep in the barren plateau, and few people visited it throughout the year. The temple was almost collapsing.
The old lama was very old, with hearing problems, making communication extremely difficult.
In the end, Zhou Fat Man understood what the old lama meant: the young mastiff belonged to no one and was destined to enter the holy mountain to subdue demons.
"However, the strength of that small mastiff was indeed terrifying. It bit my trouser leg and threw me to the ground, which was very strange," Zhou Quan mentioned, still showing a strange expression on his face when recalling the incident.
The others didn't believe him.
"When did this happen?" Chu Feng asked.
Because, in the Kunlun Mountains, he had encountered a majestic Tibetan mastiff that easily killed wild beasts in the mountains, far surpassing its peers, indeed extraordinary.
"About three years ago," Zhou Quan answered.
The train whistled, and the scenery outside the window quickly passed by as they headed east, finally leaving the plateau.
"Did you buy so much food?" Zhou Fat Man didn't hesitate to help Chu Feng, asking which ones were tasty.
"These divine seeds all have a good taste," Chu Feng replied.
"What?" Zhou Quan looked puzzled.
"Didn't you say that some characters in myths might be grown? I think these might be divine seeds," Chu Feng pointed to the orchid beans and some nuts.
Zhou Fat Man looked speechless, stuffing his mouth and mumbling, "The taste of divine seeds is indeed good."
The people around him laughed.
"Ouch!" Suddenly, Zhou Quan winced in pain, taking a bean out of his mouth.
"Brother, where did you buy these orchid beans? Can they even be eaten? They're harder than iron, and my old teeth are almost broken," he grimaced in pain.
With a clink, he threw a seed on the table.
"Heaven, so hard, look how it clinks. In this day and age, food safety is still a problem!" Zhou Quan was furious, holding his jaw.
Chu Feng was startled because this wasn't an orchid bean but a relatively full, withered yellow seed from the stone box.
He took it out, intending to show it to the people around him, but forgot about it during the conversation and placed it next to the nuts.
"Damn, is this even a bean? What is this thing?!" When Zhou Quan saw its shape clearly, he was furious, shouting that he would note down the manufacturer on the food packaging and complain.
Chu Feng felt a bit guilty but still admitted that it wasn't a bean from the food packaging but a seed he brought back from the plateau.
Zhou Fat Man was immediately silenced, his face turning red, looking very uncomfortable.
The surroundings were initially quiet, then burst into laughter.
Zhou Fat Man held his breath for a long time before saying, "Brother, you really don't have manners. Can you just put things anywhere? This isn't a seed, it's a piece of iron!"
Chu Feng also laughed, apologizing and offering him various nuts.
At the same time, he placed the three seeds on the table, asking the people around him what kind of plants they belonged to, but he didn't reveal the origin of the ancient seeds.
"This round one looks like a bean, but it's not."
"Why is there a flat one? Was it crushed?"
"This one is shriveled and completely black, quite rare."
People discussed, but no one could identify them, and no one could name them. Some guessed they might be seeds from vines in the mountains.
"I really want to crush it!" Zhou Quan puffed his cheeks, gently rubbing them, staring at one of the seeds.
"No, this is a rare species. I plan to plant it; it might grow into a goddess," Chu Feng laughed.
"According to Zhou Quan, who knows?" The others laughed and joined in the teasing.
"Grow a goddess? I think it will probably grow into three old lamas or three old Taoists," Zhou Quan said, holding his mouth, still in pain.
The time passed quickly on the journey.
However, when the train stopped at a certain station, it didn't move again.
The long stop made many people restless, and they stood up one after another.
Soon, a crew member informed them that there was an accident on the track ahead, and it was being urgently resolved. The train would soon be on its way again.
People sat down and waited patiently.
"Look, there's news, and it's big news. Not only are there floating grasses in the sky, but also trees. This photo is very clear."
Zhou Quan called out, nudging Chu Feng to look at the news on his communication device.
"It's really bizarre. I can't explain these recent events. Is this still the world I know?" someone else shouted.
Clearly, not only Zhou Quan saw this newly released news; others also noticed it.
Chu Feng carefully examined the electronic photo, which was very clear. It showed several trees floating in space, with lush vitality.
Upon closer inspection, some trees were lush green, some were purplish-brown, and some were blood red, very strange.
How could these trees appear in the sky? Everyone was puzzled.
For a moment, the train was filled with noise as people discussed the matter. It was too strange and could easily cause panic.
It wasn't until the train started again and sped away that people's attention was diverted, and the noise decreased.
"I'm familiar with this route. I traveled it many times when I was studying in the west," Zhou Quan said, introducing the cities they passed along the way.
About an hour later, the train stopped at a station again.
At the same time, Zhou Quan stared out the window, muttering to himself, "That's not right; there shouldn't be a big mountain at this station."
"Yeah, I often travel this route, and there shouldn't be a huge mountain nearby," someone else echoed in confusion.
"Wait, look, that... it's not a mountain, it's a giant tree!" someone shouted in surprise.
Many people leaned towards the windows to take a closer look.
Chu Feng was shocked. He could see clearly that it was indeed a giant tree, so large that it resembled a mountain, towering in the distance, almost reaching the clouds.
"Is anyone getting on at this station? Ask them what's going on!" someone said.
After a short while, some people boarded the train, and the truth they revealed stunned everyone, leaving them speechless.
It was an ancient ginkgo tree, very famous locally, which had grown for hundreds of years. Recently, for unknown reasons, it started to grow rapidly.
This caused a huge stir locally, shocking many people.
Currently, the area was sealed off, and no one was allowed to approach.
"So it's true. I saw someone post photos a few days ago, but they were mysteriously deleted. It turns out this really happened!" someone in the carriage exclaimed.
Such a bizarre event was truly hard to comprehend.
An ancient tree, although it had existed for a long time, couldn't grow to this extent in just two or three days. It was too incredible.
Time passed, and the train stopped again, remaining at the station for over half an hour.
The crew member explained that another incident had occurred ahead, and it was being resolved. The train would soon be on its way again.
On the train, people couldn't calm down, discussing the ancient tree and the strange trees in space. Could there be any connection?
Eventually, people couldn't wait any longer, and some got off to walk around.
Zhou Quan also got off but quickly returned, his face looking very strange. "Look what plant I dug up," he said.
In his hand, there was some soil, and he held a common wild grass, but it was now special, green and vibrant, with a red fruit as big as a fist, emitting a fragrant smell.
"This is a great discovery. A weed has grown a bright red fruit, and it smells so good!" Zhou Quan said, trembling.
Chu Feng felt a chill down his back. What was happening to this world? It was beginning to change in strange ways!