Chapter 61 Why bother asking for a name? A chance encounter, a fleeting moment in life.
Shen Mi cautiously probed, "This is water that the guest specifically requested... Its origin is a bit special, uh, it's very, very cold, it's a specialty from—from the Lin Yuan Realm..."
With a cold expression, Ren asked, "Are you playing a 'you say, I guess' game with me?"
Shen Mi was about to smooth things over when he heard him say calmly, "The answer is Lin Yuan Ice Spring. Is there any reward for answering correctly?"
Shen Mi was stunned.
For a moment, she couldn't keep up with his train of thought, or rather, she didn't grasp the meaning behind his words at all; she just stared at him blankly.
Until his gaze met those indifferent, snow-white eyes.
"Have you seen enough?" His voice was deep and not loud; his words were sharp but without any displeasure.
Shen Mi couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly, her mind racing with thoughts. She almost thought he had seen through her little scheme. After a few seconds of surprise, she realized he hadn't, so she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "No... I don't have any valuable prizes on me, just some snowflake crisps I made myself."
As she spoke, she pulled out a handful of small pastries wrapped in plastic bags from her bag, piling them up in her hand. You could tell from the plastic seal that the person who made these pastries had put a lot of care into them.
Shen Mi said, "If you don't mind, these snowflake crisps are for you."
Ren frowned, not immediately reaching out. His gaze lingered for a moment on the pile of snowflake pastries in her palm, as if considering whether this counted as a reward. Or perhaps, to him, his earlier remark was merely casual, not a genuine request. He didn't care about the value of the prize; what surprised him was that the person before him had actually presented it.
Seeing that he didn't react for a long time, Shen Mi pursed her lips and was considering whether to withdraw her hand when he suddenly moved.
The bandaged hand slowly rose, palm up, and hovered silently before her eyes, accepting the small gift without a word.
Shen Mi paused for a moment, then suddenly felt like laughing.
Despite being a seemingly fierce and unsmiling "ruthless" character in the game, he is now earnestly reaching out for her "sweetness," a scene that is somehow—adorably inappropriate.
She carefully poured the snowflake crisp into his palm, and couldn't help but add some tips on how to eat it: "The pastry might be a little sweet, and there's dried fruit inside, so it might get stuck in your teeth... Don't swallow it whole, chew it slowly."
Blade didn't respond, but glanced down at the pastry in his palm, then moved his knuckles slightly, slowly closing his five fingers to put the snowflake pastry into his sleeve. His movements were crisp but not rude, as if he didn't dislike the sweetness.
Then, he bent down and picked up the box of Lin Yuan Ice Spring that Shen Mi had just placed on the ground. He lifted it steadily with one hand, grabbed the vines that were wrapped around the tree trunk with the other, and with a light step, his body was as agile and swift as a cheetah. In a few moments, he climbed up the high slope that she was hesitating to go.
From Shen Mi's perspective, his actions were something no normal person could do. He barely disturbed the surrounding air as he rose and fell. Even though he was wearing a heavy raincoat, he was like a sharp blade honed by time, coldly slicing through the dense forest, leaving only sharp marks.
Shen Mi stared in disbelief, his mouth agape.
"...Can I climb up there?" Shen Mi looked up at the height and muttered to himself nervously. He unconsciously hugged his bag tightly, feeling like he would become the person who fell to his death while climbing Suiyuan Park the next second.
Blade placed the water tank steadily on the top of the slope, then turned and jumped down, landing silently. His movements were so clean and swift that it was as if he were walking on clouds, making no sound at all.
He walked to her side, silently squatted down, and extended his hand, slightly greenish from the vine sap. Palm up, fingers slightly spread, just like when he received the snowflake pastry earlier. He offered no explanation, no urging, simply waiting quietly for her reaction.
Shen Mi was stunned for a moment, then belatedly realized that he was going to help her up.
She stared at him blankly for a moment. The man in front of her was cold and hard from head to toe, but his behavior was inexplicably filled with a kind of... taken-for-granted thoughtfulness.
Is this what they mean by "cold on the outside, warm on the inside"?
After hesitating for a moment, Shen Mi called out softly, "Wait a minute."
She glanced down at the soles of her shoes, then turned and rubbed them against the large green leaves of a nearby plant, trying to clean off the dirt.
Although the other person didn't seem to care, she always felt that when you step on someone's hand, you should at least be clean.
"...I'm a bit heavy, be careful." She said softly, her voice weak.
Blade simply replied, "It's alright."
Before he could finish speaking, his body suddenly felt light.
In the next instant, Shen Mi was lifted up by one hand, his feet instantly leaving the ground. The wind brushed past his ears, and leaves and vines rushed past his eyes.
She quickly reached out and grabbed the vines above her head, using them to climb a few steps, and then ascended the originally difficult-to-climb slope.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Shen Mi didn't even have time to adjust his posture. Afraid of losing his balance when he stood up, he could only sit down on the ground with a thud, not caring about his disheveled appearance.
She looked back and saw that Ren was only three steps away from her, covered by a straw raincoat and with his hat hanging low, his breathing as steady as ever. Even though he had just lifted an adult woman up with one hand and helped her climb up, he was still standing straight, without even a heavy breath.
Shen Mi was shocked by Ren's stamina. She looked down and patted the leaves stuck to her clothes. Luckily, she was wearing pants today, otherwise, those movements would have been so inconvenient.
After brushing the fallen leaves off his body, Shen Mi walked over, picked up the blade from the Lin Yuan Ice Spring that was placed to the side, and came to his side. He didn't urge him, but just waited quietly.
The thick fog quietly dissipated, and the curtain that had just enveloped the area was lifted slightly, revealing the outline of the mountains and forests. In the distance, several gray stone steps appeared faintly, seemingly leading to some hidden place on the mountain.
Shen Mi looked up at the end of the stone steps. Not far away stood a row of crooked stone beast statues, half-hidden among vines, looking quite old. She hesitated whether to speak when she suddenly heard Ren's calm voice:
"arrive."
She was taken aback and followed his gaze. Sure enough, in the gaps where the mist had dissipated, she saw an ancient staircase winding upwards, with a corner of red walls and white eaves faintly visible at the end. This was the Qingqiu Terrace built by the fox people.
The other person didn't seem to intend to continue with her, but instead pointed in a direction: "Just follow that path, and you'll reach Qingqiu Terrace."
The next second, Shen Mi heard a cryptic remark: "Short-lived species have limited lifespans. Don't risk your life for money."
Shen Mi sensed the underlying concern behind Ren's sharp words. For Ren, knowing that life is finite meant it should be cherished even more. Bringing her out of the trap was also a way of hoping she could understand the meaning behind it.
Before the other person left, Chen Mi quickly said, "Thank you for leading me out, and thank you for your advice..."
Ren nodded, his tone warmer than before: "Goodbye."
He turned around and walked in the opposite direction from Shen Mi.
Shen Mi suddenly remembered something and quickly chased after him, his voice tinged with urgency: "Please wait! My benefactor, I still don't know your name. I'll repay you another day!"
Ren paused, but did not turn around, leaving only a cold reply: "We met by chance, a fleeting encounter, why bother asking my name."
Undeterred, Shen Mi decided to make herself known to him for the sake of her future plans: "It's fate that brought us together from afar. If we happen to meet again next time, please tell me your name, my benefactor!"
Ren didn't turn around, inwardly dismissing Shen Mi's words. Fate, destiny? He had never believed in such things.
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Author's Note: Dear readers, I've changed the book title, please don't get it wrong! Also, feel free to share any better ideas for the title in the comments section, I'll definitely consider them! Today's chapter is a bit short, the next one will be much longer! [doge][doge][doge] There's a red envelope in this chapter! Welcome to comment and participate! [kiss][kiss][kiss][kiss]
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