Chapter 22
The next day, at dawn, Xi Yimin had already woken up. Looking at the woman still fast asleep in his arms, his heart softened. He remained there until she awoke, her face flushing red. She asked shyly, "Yimin, when did you wake up? Why didn't you wake me? What time is it now?" Hearing her ask several questions in succession, Xi Yimin smiled gently and said softly, "I've been awake for an hour, but seeing Xue Ran sleeping so soundly, I couldn't bear to wake her. As for the time, you can tell by looking out the window; we won't be able to see the sunrise." Hearing this, Leng Xue Ran said unhappily, "It's all your fault!" Xi Yimin reached out and pulled the woman... She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and said softly with a smile, "It is indeed my fault. I was so engrossed in watching Xue Ran that I forgot the time. But we will definitely be able to see the sunset in the pear blossom grove." Hearing Xi Yimin's words, she felt both shy and happy, and said coquettishly, "You lecherous man, what time is it now? Get up and don't make me miss going to the end of the pear grove." "Alright, I'll get up now. I'll go to the kitchen to boil some water and make some breakfast." After saying that, Xi Yimin quickly got up and dressed. When he returned to the bedside, he didn't forget to steal a kiss on the woman's face, which made her blush again and scold him as a lecherous man.
The pear orchard ended at a cliff. Xi Yimin led the woman to the edge of the cliff, looking down into the pitch blackness below, with no end in sight. The woman asked curiously, "Yimin, who planted this pear orchard? Why was it located at the edge of this cliff?" Xi Yimin's expression was solemn, and his voice was tinged with the weariness of time. "To evade the court's pursuit, this mountain is surrounded by cliffs on three sides, with only one side accessible. However, I set up a maze and traps, so no one except my secret guards can enter. I also had the pear orchard planted by my men, so that I could dream of the woman under the pear tree." Leng Xueran tightened her grip on her hand. Looking at that hand, her heart ached terribly. "Those years, were they a nightmare for Yimin?" Xi Yimin turned to look at the woman beside him, knowing she was referring to being hunted down by his adoptive father, and the deaths of martial arts figures and members of the Guan family because of him. "Indeed, it was a nightmare, but the guilt is even greater, because those who died because of me are still alive, the great revenge remains unavenged, yet I often think of the woman under the pear tree." How could he cross this chasm? The reality was so stark that he didn't want to wake up from the dream. On one side was the person he deeply loved, and on the other, perhaps, his enemy. But how long could he escape? Suppressing his sorrow, Xi Yimin smiled and said, "Perhaps this enemy is someone else. I know my adoptive father's character to some extent, otherwise, even the Emperor wouldn't know my true appearance. I must investigate the hidden story thoroughly, for the sake of the deceased, and to stay by Xue Ran's side with a clearer conscience." But what if the enemy really was someone connected to his adoptive father? Leng Xueran understood the hardship in her heart and felt a pang of heartache. She softly called out, "Yimin." Hearing her call, Xi Yimin tightened his grip on her hand. "It's alright, Xueran, don't worry." Seeing that Xi Yimin's emotions had calmed down, Leng Xueran felt relieved and asked curiously, "Yimin, do you know what's below this cliff?" Xi Yimin smiled mysteriously and said, "It's a magical place down there." With that, Xi Yimin led the woman to the left, and after crossing a hill, they saw a huge rock behind it. Xi Yimin led Leng Xueran directly onto the rock and asked with a smile, "Xueran, would you like to go down and take a look?" Leng Xueran peeked down the cliff again and shook her head, saying, "No." "It's so dark down there, it must be pitch black down there too. What good stuff could there be?" Xi Yimin shook his head and laughed, "Xue Ran guessed wrong this time. It's open and bright down there. The blackness is just an array I set up, so it looks like it's pitch black down there." Leng Xue Ran was a little skeptical, "Then how can you go down to such a deep place?" Xi Yimin confidently and somewhat arrogantly said loudly, "With my martial arts skills, going down there would be effortless. I haven't seen anyone in this world whose martial arts are comparable to mine." Hearing this, Leng Xue Ran couldn't help but glare at him, and said jokingly, "So, the injury on the battlefield was fake, and the chase and escape were also fake." Xi Yimin awkwardly touched his nose and laughed. He said, "On the battlefield, with thousands of troops, even if I were the best in the world, I would still be outnumbered. Besides, I was being chased because I was injured." Although what he said made sense, Leng Xue Ran didn't want to admit that this person was highly skilled in martial arts. Even if it was true, seeing that the woman ignored him, Xi Yi Min asked again, "Xue Ran, would you like to go down and take a look?" Leng Xue Ran looked at the sky, "It's almost noon, when will we be able to come back up?" Xi Yi Min smiled wickedly, "Why must we come back up today? The world below is a different world altogether, like a paradise. I discovered this place by accident, and no one else knows about it except me. Xue Ran, don't you want to experience it with me for a few more days?" Seeing that this person was being so blatant, her face... Yi Hong pouted and said coquettishly, "Don't talk nonsense! I'm just curious and want to go down and see for myself. It's definitely not what you're saying." Seeing the woman's shyness, Xi Yimin was delighted and said happily, "Yes, yes, Xue Ran is absolutely right. Let's go down and see for ourselves now. Hold on tight to me!" With that, he hugged the woman in his arms and leaped down the cliff. The woman screamed in fright, clung to Xi Yimin's neck, closed her eyes, and stopped breathing. Seeing the woman in his arms like this, Xi Yimin gently comforted her, "Xue Ran, don't be afraid. I'm here. Open your eyes and look." Hearing her say this, Leng Xue Ran slowly opened her eyes. What she saw was lush greenery on the cliff face, with abundant vegetation and blooming flowers. Then she heard the man say affectionately, "Xue Ran, doesn't this look like a double suicide?" Hearing this, Leng Xue Ran lifted her head from Xi Yi Min's shoulder, looked at him face to face, and said earnestly, "Yi Min, why are you so pessimistic? After all, there is more beauty in this world, how can tragedy always happen to us?" Seeing the woman say this, he was overjoyed. "Xue Ran, I was just saying some nonsense because of this scene. Xue Ran, don't be angry, we will definitely be alright." After saying this, he kissed the lips of the person in front of him. The woman blushed, finally closed her eyes, and lost herself in the kiss.
Passing through the fog, a wide-open space appeared before them. Below the cliff lay a hot spring, surrounded by countless flowers and herbs, with giant rocks scattered like stars, like a paradise on earth. Looking up again, the giant rock on the cliff top where they had leaped down was no longer visible; all that could be seen was the mountain rising straight into the clouds. Apart from this cliff, three sides were surrounded by an endless forest, rarely visited by humans. Entering this forest, one would likely get lost. The towering trees were dense and numerous, with only a few acres of this unique scenery below the cliff. Xi Yimin led the woman to sit on a rock by the hot spring pool. "Xue Ran, shall we go down and take a bath?" Hearing her words, she quickly objected, "No, how can we bathe in broad daylight?" Xi Yimin laughed, "Don't worry, there's no one else here in this desolate wilderness, and besides, I'm here." Leng Xue Ran looked at the person beside her warily, "It's precisely because you're here." Xi Yimin smiled and touched his nose, "Xue Ran, I won't do anything, I'll just take a bath quietly." His voice was a little hoarse, as if he was enduring something. Seeing her like this, the woman blushed even more. "Yimin..." Before she could finish speaking, she was kissed by the person in front of her, and she collapsed into Xi Yimin's arms, forgetting to struggle...
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