You could hireaguide, but you would be missing most of the fun and all the deals - odds are your guide is related to the shopkeeper or gets a commission.
From Hongguan you can continue on to the riverside village of Big Likeng, though this 15km walk is more complex with numerous side trails -- you will definitely need to hireaguide in the village before leaving.
You will sleep in dorm-style accommodation and have to hirea ranger guide, with the combined costs coming close to 1, 000 Malaysian ringgit, but that is less than half the cost of arriving via a package tour.
Follow that up with a phone call and ideally an in-person meeting, to see if your contact can help guide you to a human being inside the company who might hire you.