Inside the mountain god temple, as the bonfire blazed to life, the bone-chilling cold that had gripped them dissipated considerably.
Outside, wind and snow raged, while inside, a sculpture of the mountain lord, the deity of the mountain, was enshrined. The emotions of everyone present were incredibly complex.
Including this incident, the "Guo Shan Huang" had protected them twice. Not long ago, it had helped them drive away a pack of donkey-headed wolves, and now the temple dedicated to it provided them with a sanctuary.
It was no exaggeration to call it a true mountain god.
"Could it be that gods truly exist in this world?"
The people present, including the crew from the "Into Science" program, found their decades-long adherence to materialism wavering at this moment.
Even Teacher Xiao Liang, who had always dedicated himself to science popularization, was no exception.
Only Yang Lin, seeing their existential crisis, almost burst into laughter.
He alone knew that there was no mountain god here. If anything, he could be considered one.
Of course, he would never say such a thing.
While everyone else was collectively questioning their life choices, Yang Lin, bored, took a look around the cramped mountain god temple.
The most eye-catching item in this temple, built in an unknown year, was the stone sculpture of the mountain lord.
The sculpture was essentially indistinguishable from the mountain lord they had just seen. It was clear that the sculptor had met the mountain lord before, and had even had an encounter with it.
Besides the stone statue, there was also a stone table used for placing incense burners and offerings.
A quick scan revealed that there had been many offerings placed on the stone table previously. Beneath the table, Yang Lin even found some candy wrappers and snack packaging.
The dates indicated they were from not long ago, clearly special deliveries from nearby mountain villagers.
"Damn, I finally know why it had cavities. It was from eating the offerings!"
To verify his guess, Yang Lin quickly searched the ground nearby.
As expected, he found a few tiger footprints that had not yet been covered by snow.
Without a doubt, for a considerable period in the past, the mountain dwellers of the Shenlongjia forest region and the mountain lord had reached a consensus.
They provided the mountain lord with offerings of things not found in the mountains, and in return, the mountain lord permitted them to live and work in the mountains, while also ensuring their safety within the forest.
This was also why, despite having heard of the "Guo Shan Huang" in the forest region for so long, they had never heard of it injuring anyone. Yet, this time, the search and rescue team was targeted as soon as they arrived.
This was not solely due to its bad mood from having a toothache, but also because the rescue team were not native inhabitants of this mountain.
Yang Lin immediately shared his discovery with the others.
Upon hearing it, they all expressed amazement.
"It seems we should revere nature, not the mountain god."
"The 'Guo Shan Huang' protects not just the mountain villagers of this region, but more importantly, the ecological balance of this area."
"Actually, it's not just Shenlongjia. I think there are similar mountain gods in other regions. Take Qinling, for instance. If the mountain god of Qinling were still around, I don't think there would be a wild boar problem."
As Yang Lin spoke, everyone present nodded in agreement.
"Director Yang has such profound insights. The ecological integrity of Shenlongjia might be preserved precisely because of this reverence."
"Suddenly, whether or not there are wild men here doesn't seem so important. Perhaps we shouldn't have tried to uncover the mysteries of this place in the first place."
"Without mystery, people lose their reverence."
"Director Yang, we have achieved enlightenment."
"But I still believe there should be mountain gods in this world."
"Yes, otherwise all of this is too bizarre."
...
Yang Lin, who had felt a flicker of relief just moments ago, almost fell into the bonfire upon hearing their last few sentences.
"Did I say all that, explain all those principles, for nothing?"
"My dear children, there really are no mountain gods in this world."
At this moment, Yang Lin knew that the world had lost a few more atheists, including a science popularizer.
As the bonfire crackled, time ticked by.
Soon, the entire night had passed.
As dawn broke, the wind and snow in the mountains had completely subsided.
The long-lost sun once again bathed the land in its light.
When Yang Lin and his team emerged from the mountain god temple, they found that the entire world had turned into a vast expanse of white.
Before they could fully appreciate the scenic beauty of the mountains, the sound of a helicopter echoed from the sky.
Before long, a rescue helicopter appeared directly above them.
Seeing this rescue helicopter, the hearts of everyone, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into place.
Ten minutes later, they were all sequentially boarding the helicopter cabin via the rope ladder lowered from it.
As the helicopter prepared to descend the mountain with them, they all inexplicably turned to gaze towards the direction of the forest.
As their gazes converged on the summit of a certain peak, a magnificent and majestic golden figure appeared there.
"It's the mountain god."
"The mountain god is seeing us off."
"Quick, take a picture!"
As he spoke, the cameraman from the "Into Science" program raised his camera to capture this historic moment.
But just as he was about to press the shutter button, his finger suddenly stopped.
In the next second, under the bewildered gaze of his colleague, he put away his camera.
"Why aren't you taking a picture? Such a precious scene. If we capture it, we might win an award or something."
"The netizens would surely want to see it too."
Facing his colleague's confusion, the young cameraman simply smiled faintly.
"I think what Director Yang said last night was very reasonable. We shouldn't destroy that mystery."
"Without mystery, there is no reverence."
"If we have photos, it won't be the Mountain King Bodhisattva, nor the mountain god, but just a rare animal. That might bring disaster to this mountain range."
Upon hearing his words, everyone in the helicopter fell silent.
Indeed, as he had said, if this photo were leaked, it might very well be the only photograph of its existence.
Its rarity, its splendor would attract greedy humans.
Poachers, tourists, and opportunists would lead this mysterious land to its demise.
"Xiao Chen is very right. Regarding some of the things that happened yesterday, if we don't have to speak of them, we should try our best not to."
"Yes, if anyone took photos, please delete them. Memories are enough to keep."
"Then how do we explain Teacher Xiao Liang and the others being out of contact for so long?"
"How else can we explain it? Chased by wolves and fell into a ditch," Teacher Xiao Liang said playfully. "Otherwise, did wild men really drag us off to their caves to get married?"
Clearly, he had already decided to bury everything he had encountered in Shenlongjia deep in his heart.
Yang Lin felt immensely gratified by everyone's newfound understanding.