Chapter 23 In fact, Qin Ren was indeed not good either…

In fact, Qin Ren is indeed not someone to be trifled with.

If either of them does anything wrong, Qin Ren wouldn't mind cracking their skulls open.

The tall man glanced furtively at Qin Ren's backpack, thinking it must be bulging with valuable items. It was a pity, though, that this man didn't seem like a tough opponent; otherwise, they could have snatched some good stuff.

The tall man smiled and said, "Well, we're just here to take shelter from the rain. We'll leave once it stops."

Upon hearing this, the short man quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, we were just passing by and taking shelter from the rain. There's nowhere to take shelter around here, so please don't mind, please don't mind."

Qin Ren couldn't understand what they were saying and had no way to answer.

Liu Qingyue could understand them, but he didn't want to pay them any attention.

He's a young man, and even though he's wearing bulky clothes now, it's still easy to spot his true colors.

When they started talking to him, he didn't want to talk to them, lest they discover his identity.

The two men, seeing that they were not speaking or angry, sat down at the cave entrance with smiles on their faces.

Because it was still raining outside, the two men showed no sign of leaving. Qin Ren was getting a little hungry, and ignoring the two strangers around him, he took out a bag of biscuits and started eating.

Qin Ren would not deliberately endure hunger and not eat just because he was worried that someone would covet his supplies.

He has no strength if he doesn't eat.

If a fight breaks out, it will be very disadvantageous for them.

Anyway, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that he and Liu Qingyue had brought a lot of food with them.

Even if they resist eating, they will still be targeted, so they might as well just take it out and eat it.

Seeing that Qin Ren had started eating, Liu Qingyue also took out an egg and ate it.

The eggs were boiled before they arrived; Liu Qingyue boiled ten in one go and brought them with her.

He's been eating too many eggs lately, and to be honest, he doesn't really want to eat eggs anymore.

However, Qin Ren said that eggs are convenient to carry and have higher nutritional value, making them better than biscuits and instant noodles.

Liu Qingyue knew that her health wasn't very good, and in order not to hold Qin Ren back in the future, she would obediently continue eating eggs even though he was tired of them.

Seeing how much they enjoyed their food, the two men became restless.

The tall man said ingratiatingly, "Um... gentlemen, I wonder... could we get you some other food?"

Liu Qingyue, remembering that Qin Ren needed money, reluctantly looked up upon hearing this.

His eyes are beautiful; even if he were to deliberately make himself look ugly, you could still tell he's a great beauty.

The tall man's heart began to pound when he looked into his eyes.

I never expected to meet such a beautiful woman in such a desolate place.

He looked at Liu Qingyue with a greedy gaze, his eyes filled with an undisguised malice and lingering desire.

Upon seeing this, Liu Qingyue immediately frowned in displeasure. "Why are you staring at me? Aren't we going to exchange things? Show us what you have on you first."

The tall man quickly looked away and then pulled a shriveled cornbread out of a tattered cloth bag.

This made Liu Qingyue even more dissatisfied. What kind of thing did they dare to offer in exchange for them?

Could this person... think he's an idiot?

Liu Qingyue: "Isn't there anything else? We don't want this kind of thing."

The tall man said humbly, "We have no choice. We've been fleeing all this way. You two don't look like ordinary people. It's fate that we've met here. In consideration of this fate, we hope you can take pity on us and give us two brothers some food."

Liu Qingyue didn't want to give them to them at all, but considering that Qin Ren was in charge of these things, he still whispered a few words in Qin Ren's ear.

Qin Ren smirked after hearing this, "If there's nothing to exchange, then of course there's no way to do it. I'm not here to do charity."

Moreover, these two people still have food, although it's not very good, but they haven't starved to death yet.

Qin Ren wouldn't be idle enough to exchange his own supplies for their cornbread.

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyue said to them, "My brother said that we cannot make an exchange."

Seeing this, the tall man wanted to say something.

He still wanted to keep bothering Liu Qingyue. Even if he couldn't get the food he wanted, he would still be happy to talk to such a beauty as Liu Qingyue.

However, before he could speak further, someone next to him tugged at his arm.

The person next to him, the short man, shook his head slightly at him.

Once the rain subsided, the short man thanked Qin Ren and Liu Qingyue, then quickly pulled the tall man away from the cave.

After the two left the cave, the tall man asked with a puzzled look, "Brother, why were you so afraid of that man? No matter how powerful he is, he's just one person, and he has a handsome young man with him. He's not necessarily a match for us."

The short man looked at him like he was an idiot, "You, can you stop being so lecherous? Otherwise you'll die at the hands of a beautiful woman sooner or later."

"How could that be? He looks so small, he must be weak. How could I not beat him?"

"With the world in such chaos these days, how could a young and handsome guy like him manage to get here safely? Do you think he's an ordinary person?"

"He got this far because of the man beside him. That man is capable, not him."

Seeing that he remained stubborn, the short man became too lazy to say anything more.

He walked forward in the light rain, seemingly genuinely afraid of the man in the cave.

Seeing this, the tall man didn't say anything more.

...

The rain finally stopped in the afternoon.

Qin Ren originally brought the small cart to haul things.

Unexpectedly, due to the sudden rain, the small cart not only failed to serve its purpose, but he ended up having to carry it on his back to make his way.

Qin Ren was a little helpless, but fortunately the cart wasn't too heavy, so he didn't throw it away for the time being.

In the afternoon they continued their journey. The mountain road was rugged, and when it rained, the road became very muddy, so the two of them moved very slowly.

Seeing Liu Qingyue's mournful face, Qin Ren took all the bundles from her body.

Even so, Liu Qingyue still walked with great difficulty and strain.

Qin Ren: "Let's walk a little further and see if there's a house there. Then we'll take you back."

Liu Qingyue didn't want Qin Ren to think he was useless, so she said to him in a wronged tone, "I can endure hardship, but I didn't expect it to rain. I've never walked on a mountain road before, and this kind of road is really too difficult to walk on."

Qin Ren: "Yeah, it's not your fault, we were just unlucky."

Liu Qingyue: "I don't want to go back. I just walk a little slowly, but I can still keep going."

"Then... just hang in there, we'll walk a little further and then rest."

As Qin Ren spoke, carrying large and small bags and a small cart, he simply reached out and took Liu Qingyue's hand.

Liu Qingyue stiffened when her hand was suddenly grabbed. "Um, I, I can walk by myself."

Qin Ren: "Walking like this is faster and will also prevent you from falling."

Liu Qingyue's face flushed slightly upon hearing this, but she did not shake off Qin Ren's hand.

He thought to himself, "I am a man now."

It's still in the middle of nowhere, so... no one should see it.

Moreover... Qin Ren is right, this way the two of them can walk faster, and he is less likely to accidentally fall.

Qin Ren was tall with a large frame, so his hands were naturally very large as well.

Liu Qingyue's hands were not small for a young man.

He was once laughed at by a guy who said his hands were too big, like a man's hands.

Liu Qingyue was saddened for a while because of this.

Now that Qin Ren was holding his hand, he realized that his hand wasn't that big when they compared the two of their hands.

Compared to Qin Ren's hands, his hands were still small, delicate, and beautiful.

Also, after this period of hardship, he is no longer as concerned about beauty or ugliness as before.

What does it matter if your hands are small or beautiful?

If you can't even hold a knife when it matters, no matter how beautiful you are, you're destined to be ruined.

It's better to have bigger hands and more strength, so that you'll have the strength to fight back even if you encounter danger.

After that, Qin Ren held his hand the whole way, and the two of them walked forward steadily.

They found a dilapidated thatched hut at dusk.

Unfortunately, the thatched hut had fallen into disrepair and the door had been damaged.

Without a complete door, they had no way to open the passage and therefore no way to get back.

Qin Ren wasn't disappointed. He said to Liu Qingyue beside him, "The thatched hut is a bit dilapidated, but it's still a house. Let's take out the tent and use it. We can get a good rest tonight."

There was only one thatched hut, which was probably a place where hunters in the mountains would stay.

Qin Ren cleaned the room and then took out the fully automatic tent.

These tents can be tossed around and unfold on their own.

Because it's waterproof and windproof, you can still rest inside with a sleeping bag.

Liu Qingyue crawled into the tent, and a moment later her head popped out again.

Aren't you going to rest?

Qin Ren didn't get a proper rest yesterday, and if this continues, he won't be able to keep going.

Qin Ren: "You sleep for a while, then it'll be my turn to sleep."

Liu Qingyue shook her head. "You should rest. I'll keep watch."

Their combat abilities are vastly different. If Qin Ren gets exhausted, no matter how well Liu Qingyue rests, she won't be able to protect them both.

Qin Ren thought about it for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

He wasn't sure if he'd be able to find the door later.

He was indeed very tired, so he didn't stand on ceremony with Liu Qingyue.

Compared to Liu Qingyue, he was more energetic, making the two of them safer.