Astragalus, a traditional Chinese herb, possesses properties for spleen invigorating and supplementing the center, yang rising and decline raising, strengthening the defensive exterior pattern, diuresis, and detoxification and muscle regeneration. It is used in large amounts in Chinese herbal medicine.

Central Lake barely meets its growing conditions, but its harvest period is also two to three years, and the entire process is no easier than cultivating lilies.

Like lilies, both drought and flooding can affect its yield and quality.

To put it bluntly, making money from the land is never easy.

However, planting astragalus offers a significant advantage for farmers: its price is stable. Furthermore, with increasing encouragement and support from the country for Traditional Chinese Medicine, the market for traditional chinese medicine is continuously expanding. Consequently, the price of astragalus is steadily rising, unlike the unstable and constantly falling prices of lilies.

So, as long as there’s a reliable herbal medicine company willing to sign long-term contracts, the growers’ income can at least be guaranteed.

As the two chatted, the journey steadily shortened. When they reached the mountain road, Du Heng suggested Dong Yuezhang drive, but Dong Yuezhang feigned sleep, even snoring, which made Du Heng want to stop the car and beat him.

Suppressing his anger all the way, Du Heng finally arrived at Wangjiazui again.

It had been just over five months since his last visit, but the place felt completely different.

Before, it was pure natural scenery, complemented by authentic agritourism run by the villagers.

But today, Du Heng actually saw a Paragliding Base. Several large parachutes were currently drifting down towards the eastern side of the mountain.

Originally, most tourists here were families. Now, however, many more young people were visiting in groups.

Even Du Heng, a layman, could see a distinct shift; the addition of paragliding had clearly diversified the visitor demographic.

Dong Yuezhang saw Du Heng’s surprise and couldn’t help but laugh. "What do you think?"

"It’s a very thoughtful and excellent project. As long as safety is ensured, it can bring significant changes to this area."

"I introduced this project. Although not much money was invested, the results are genuinely impressive." Dong Yuezhang also looked back at the Paragliding Base, adding,

"Our current altitude is 2,850 meters, while the Jinzhou city district is at 1,500 meters, giving us a vertical drop of 1,300 meters.

"Moreover, this mountainside has been subject to close hillsides to facilitate afforestation for over twenty years, resulting in lush, diverse vegetation. This season, the view is a riot of colorful flowers and green foliage.

"Most importantly, looking east and downhill from here, it’s all ravines and farmland—no farmhouses, no power lines. The wind here is also relatively consistent. It would be a real shame not to do something with such a prime location."

However, as he said this, Dong Yuezhang smacked his lips, a hint of dissatisfaction and disappointment crossing his face.

He’s accomplished something so impressive; he should be beaming with pride. Why the long face? Du Heng wondered, looking at Dong Yuezhang with curiosity.

He couldn’t help but ask, "This is a great thing, and seeing all these people here enjoying themselves, you’ve clearly achieved your goal. So why the unhappy expression?"

Dong Yuezhang sighed and, gesturing towards the distant paragliders, asked Du Heng softly, "Do you know which township is below us there?"

Without even needing to look where Dong Yuezhang pointed, Du Heng replied immediately, "East of Wangjiazui, beyond that mountain ridge, is Xi Xiang."

Dong Yuezhang sighed. "Yes, Xi Xiang. It’s a bit of a pity. If the landing zone were also in Central Lake, it could definitely help one or two more of our villages."

Hearing Dong Yuezhang’s somewhat disgruntled tone, Du Heng rolled his eyes. "Go down into Xi Xiang, and there’s a large, relatively flat area. Even if I don’t know much about it, I understand that flatter ground is easier for landing, especially since most people who come here to paraglide are beginners.

"If they flew down from the west, it would indeed all be Central Lake territory. However, looking down from the west, the main afforested area is over there. First, there’s dense Linzi, and further down, it’s nothing but gullies and ridges. To find any flat ground, you’d practically have to go to the outskirts of the city.

"Besides, the western side is more populated. Starting from our village and going down, there are power lines crisscrossing everywhere, and even a high-voltage transmission line further down. Would you dare let them fly that way?"

"Sigh, the problem is right here. That’s why I’d rather accept some losses and have them fly towards Xi Xiang," Dong Yuezhang sighed again. "Actually, my biggest regret is still not finding anyone willing to invest in developing this mountain.

"Look down there—three or four mountains are connected, all featuring beautiful scenery and treacherous terrain. Developing this place would undoubtedly create a wonderful tourist destination."

Du Heng followed Dong Yuezhang’s gaze down the mountain; it was, no exaggeration, truly beautiful.

However, a mountain’s appeal isn’t solely its beauty; if beauty were the only criterion, there would be countless such places.

To monetize a mountain, especially through tourism, it needs historical landmarks, famous anecdotes, cultural heritage, or various Temples.

The current problem was that this particular mountain, located in the northwest and on the very periphery of the Jinzhou city district, had no connection to history or culture. If one dug deep into the local chronicles, they might discover it was once a bandit stronghold, but that was about it.