As night deepened, the village lights gradually went out, leaving only a few scattered households with faint lights still on.
Yi An glanced at the sky outside the courtyard and instructed Yi Nian, "I'm going out to take care of something. I'll be back soon. You should go to sleep early and lock the courtyard gate."
Yi Nian nodded, her eyes full of worry. "Brother, be careful."
Yi An responded, picked up the lantern placed by the door, and turned to walk out of the courtyard.
The village paths were pitch black, but the glow of lanterns cast small circles on the ground, illuminating the way ahead.
He moved nimbly and quickly reached the riverbank, untied the boat rope, and rowed across to the other side with a wooden oar.
The river was calm, with only the splashing of oars against the water and the cool night breeze.
After reaching the other side, Yi'an carried a lantern and walked quickly toward the large cave.
A few steps away from the cave, a faint light could be seen shining through, indicating that Xu Xinghe was still there.
"Su Xiao?" Yi An called out softly.
Xu Xinghe immediately got up and came out of the cave.
Yi An breathed a sigh of relief, held up the lantern to check on her, and only after confirming that she was alright did she say, "You can go back now, there's no one left in the village."
Xu Xinghe slung her backpack over her shoulder and followed him toward the river.
After the two boarded the boat, Yi'an propped up the wooden oar and placed the lantern in the center of the boat, illuminating the small cabin.
As the boat reached the middle of the river, Yi'an suddenly spoke, breaking the silence, "There's still one place we haven't been to."
Xu Xinghe paused for a moment and looked at him.
"Eagle Beak Cliff," Yi An said while paddling. "You said you were going to Black Wind Ridge and Eagle Beak Cliff, but this time we only went to Black Wind Ridge and haven't seen Eagle Beak Cliff yet."
Xu Xinghe then suddenly remembered this matter.
The reason she made the appointment with Yi An to go to these two places was entirely because of the information left by Jiang Linchuan. She thought that Jiang Linchuan's whereabouts would be related to these two places.
Now that Jiang Linchuan is safe, they have put the matter of Eagle Beak Cliff out of their minds.
“Where is Eagle Beak Cliff?” she asked.
“It’s right behind the village, a cliff in the back mountain,” Yi’an explained. “The terrain there is steep, with a protruding cliff that looks like an eagle’s beak from a distance, so it’s called Eagle Beak Cliff. Few people go there usually; they only pass by occasionally when they’re chopping wood.”
Xu Xinghe pondered for a moment, "I'll find an opportunity to go and take a look when I have time later."
Since Jiang Linchuan left behind relevant information, there might be some clues hidden at Eagle Beak Cliff. It would be best to go and take a look.
Yi An nodded and said nothing more.
The night breeze on the river carried moisture and felt particularly cool on the skin.
About half an hour later, the boat finally docked.
Yi An put away the oars, tied the boat rope, and jumped ashore first with a lantern in hand. He reached out to help Xu Xinghe.
Xu Xinghe shook her head and nimbly jumped off the boat.
The two walked towards the village, deliberately choosing the most secluded path to avoid the main road where people might walk.
Just a few steps into the alley, a surprised voice suddenly came from ahead, "Brother Yi'an?"
Yi An and Xu Xinghe stopped in their tracks and looked up at the same time.
At the bend in the path stood a girl carrying a lantern; it was none other than the village chief's daughter, Acui.
Ah Cui was carrying a cloth bag; she had just returned from delivering something.
When she saw Yi An, a shy smile appeared on her face. But when she saw Xu Xinghe, who was halfway behind, her expression changed completely, and she looked incredulous.
"You... how did you two end up together?" Ah Cui's voice trembled slightly as she glanced back and forth between the two of them.
She was entrusted by her father to deliver some things to her uncle's house at the end of the village tonight, but she never expected to run into Yi An and that ugly woman on this secluded path.
It's so late at night, and the two of them aren't at home, but walking together. What else could it be but a secret rendezvous?
Ah Cui's gaze fell on the conspicuous birthmark on Xu Xinghe's face, and she looked at Yi An in disbelief, "Brother Yi An, how come you're with her? You wouldn't have fallen for this ugly girl, would you?"
Xu Xinghe's expression remained unchanged. Just as she was about to speak, Yi An stepped forward and blocked her way. "A Cui, watch your words. Su Xiao and I just... happened to run into each other and left together. There's nothing messy about it that you're thinking."
Ah Cui clearly didn't believe it. Her eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up in them, and her voice was filled with deep grievance, "It's so late at night, everyone in the village is sleeping at home, how come you're all out here? And why did we have to run into each other on this secluded path? Brother Yi'an, who are you trying to fool!"
Yi An frowned even more, her tone tinged with impatience, "This is my business, it has nothing to do with you. It's getting late, a young lady like you shouldn't be wandering around outside, go home quickly."
"Your matter?" Ah Cui finally couldn't hold back her tears and they fell, her heart filled with grievances that surged like a tide.
She was the village chief's daughter. She was pretty and had a well-behaved and sensible personality. Everyone in the village praised her.
The doorsteps of suitors were practically worn down, but her heart belonged only to Yi'an.
Yi An was usually cold and distant to everyone. She thought everyone was the same, so she silently endured it, thinking that one day she would be able to move him.
But now, he's protecting this ugly woman with a birthmark on her face time and time again, and he's being so mean to him!
"Why should she?" Ah Cui could no longer contain her malice, and the harsh words spilled out, "She has such a big birthmark on her face, she must have done something wicked in her past life, and God is punishing her for it! My mother said that criminals in ancient times would have words tattooed on their faces, she might be one of those unclean people! Brother Yi'an, don't be fooled by her, she's just pretending to be pitiful and trying to get on your good side!"
Xu Xinghe frowned. She didn't care if others said she was ugly, but she hated this kind of malicious speculation without any basis, and she was even more disgusted by people linking appearance with character.
But she ultimately remained silent. There was no need to argue with a girl blinded by jealousy; it would only cause more trouble.
Yi An's face darkened completely; he couldn't stand such mean-spirited people.
Too lazy to waste any more words with Ah Cui, he simply reached out and grabbed Xu Xinghe's sleeve, saying in a deep voice, "Let's go."
Xu Xinghe obediently followed him forward.
Her purpose in coming here was to investigate Jiang Linchuan's whereabouts; there was no need to waste time and energy on irrelevant people.
"Brother Yi'an! Wait a minute!" Seeing this, A-Cui stomped her foot in anger, wiped away her tears, and chased after him, shouting as she ran, "She's from out of town! She's only been in the village for a few days, you have no idea who she is, whether she's a good person or a bad person! You can't be so foolish!"
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