Chapter 105
"Can you climb up?" Qin Sang asked Xie Sui'an.
Xie Sui'an looked up and scoffed, "Who do you think you are?"
“Alright.” Qin Sang walked to the side of the mountain wall, looked up and rehearsed the approximate foothold, then climbed up a jagged boulder, using the tree roots and vines on it to make her way up at a fairly fast pace.
Xie Suian watched her slender and agile figure from below, his half-furrowed brows relaxed, and he followed Qin Sang's route.
The first half is easy to climb, but the higher you go, the fewer large rocks protrude from the mountainside, and the vines become thin and weak, so there is a risk of them snapping at any moment.
Qin Sang, being light on her feet, managed to climb halfway up the mountain with some support. She looked down at Xie Sui'an with concern, following the sound, and reminded him, "Be careful, the places I've been may not be safe..."
It might not be able to support you...
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Suian easily wedged himself into a crevice in the rocks, climbing up with the agility of a monkey without needing any vines or branches.
Of course, he's much more elegant than a monkey.
She swallowed the rest of her sentence, looked up, and was about to exert her strength when her heart skipped a beat—the vine she was holding onto broke.
Despite quickly reaching out to grab the cliff face, it was too late; he leaned back and fell.
The rocks tumbled down the wall as she stepped on them, but Xie Sui'an reacted quickly, calculating the direction she would fall and rushing over to catch her just as she slipped past him.
He was gripping a branch of an old tree that had grown out of the mountainside. It was fairly stable, but since it was supporting the weight of two people, the branch was still swaying slightly, looking like it was about to fall and was neither alive nor dead.
"Quick!" Xie Sui'an shouted, gently swaying her towards the mountainside.
Qin Sang's fingernails broke and bled from gripping the stone so hard, but she didn't care about the pain at the moment. She first looked up at Xie Sui'an and saw that he was stubbornly holding onto the tree branch. Then she quickly looked down to find a place to put her feet.
"Take me over there!" she shouted to Xie Sui'an, pointing to another, lower cliff tree with her free hand.
Xie Sui'an glanced in the direction she was pointing, hummed in agreement, and then tacitly tossed the person in that direction.
Qin Sang was quite skilled; with a bit of leverage, she stood steadily on a thick branch.
Only then did the excruciating pain from the broken nail spread from the tip, causing her fingers to tremble slightly and her forehead to be covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.
This mountain wall looks easy to climb, but it's actually quite high.
She took a deep breath and said, "It's alright, you can continue."
This time it was Xie Suian's turn to scout ahead. He was probably used to sneaking around and climbing walls, so he was very familiar with this kind of thing. Qin Sang followed his route and finally climbed steadily to the top of the mountain.
Xie Suian was waiting for her with his hand outstretched at the edge of the cliff. When he saw her reach out, he grabbed her, but he used too much force and they both fell backward.
Although they escaped unharmed, the cliff was indeed quite high. Neither of them had eaten, and they were both quite exhausted. So one of them lay down on the thick layer of leaves, while the other lay on his fleshy cushion, panting heavily.
Tiny mice scurried past in the jungle, and after catching their breath, the two finally realized something was wrong.
Qin Sang propped up her messy head slightly, staring at Xie Sui'an, who was also a mess under her. Seeing his face flushed and his breath held as he looked away, she couldn't help but find it amusing: "What are you doing? Are you shy?"
Xie Sui'an turned his head back, stared at her for a while, then used one hand to protect her and the other to support himself as he sat up.
"Hiss..." Qin Sang couldn't help but hiss softly when her finger was brushed against.
Xie Sui'an finally remembered the sticky blood on his hand, grabbed Qin Sang's fingers and frowned as he looked at them, feeling more and more heartbroken.
Seeing his eyes suddenly turn red, Qin Sang, who was about to smile and say it was nothing, couldn't say anything. Something twisted in her heart, and a tingling sensation, along with a hint of sweetness, rushed to her brain.
She roughly knew when Xie Sui'an started having wicked thoughts. It's easy for the person being looked at to tell if there's kindness or affection in their eyes.
It's easy for people to like someone, but falling in love with someone is very complicated.
Either they spend a long time together, get to know each other, support each other, cherish each other, and eventually stay together through thick and thin.
They either redeem each other, go through life and death together, endure hardships, and become inseparable.
She didn't know what she meant to Xie Sui'an, and didn't think she had reached that level of importance. Even the crises they had gone through together seemed like jokes, with no real danger to their lives.
However, Xie Sui'an felt so sorry for her.
She looked for a while, then withdrew her hand and said, "Let's hurry up and go while it's still dark."
Xie Sui'an lowered his head and remained silent for a while, then helped her stand up together: "Let's find a place to bandage the wound first."
Qin Sang nodded.
All around were denser forests than the bottom of the cliff, with sturdy tree trunks and branches that blocked out the sun.
The moonlight was completely blocked, and it took a lot of effort to see the way by the few scattered glimmers of light.
Qin Sang recalled the forbidden area they had accidentally entered, where they had burned the man-eating giant lizards on the island. This place was still densely forested, bearing a striking resemblance to that previous jungle.
But now it's night, and the jungle is even darker and deeper, so you can't see any outlines.
Every few steps they took, they would step on dry branches, which would creak and groan. Fortunately, the occasional chirping of insects provided some company, so it wasn't too frightening.
But Xie Sui'an still blurted out, "Are you scared?"
Qin Sang: "What are you afraid of?"
"I'm afraid of ghosts."
Qin Sang: "..."
She said, "I'm not afraid. I'm a fairy, what do I have to fear?"
Xie Suian clicked his tongue, then said in a low voice, "I've heard that things that can't stand the light of day can easily float in this kind of jungle." He got more and more excited as he spoke, "Too many people have died unjustly on this island, what do you think..."
"So you're scared?" Before Xie Sui'an could finish speaking, Qin Sang couldn't help but interrupt him, "If you're scared, you can come closer to me and stop grabbing my hand, it hurts."
Xie Sui'an: "...What are you talking about? I mean I can tear a vengeful ghost apart with my bare hands, so don't be afraid, just stick close to me."
Qin Sang glanced at him, only able to make out his blurry outline, though his eyes reflected a faint, eerie light.
She couldn't help but burst out laughing.
He was still a boy; I thought he was all grown up.
As he wished, she moved a little closer to him and then quietly reached out and patted his back.
As expected, the wound reopened.
"It's alright," Xie Sui'an comforted her softly, "We'll find a place to bandage it together later."
The darkness was so thick it was impenetrable, and the two of them had no sense of direction, so they simply followed their instincts and walked in the opposite direction of the valley.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, a bright, hazy, dim yellow light finally appeared at the end of the thick darkness.
The two of them slowed their pace in tacit agreement, trying to land as silently as possible.
Fortunately, the jungle was already quite lively, and a small deer-like creature even flashed by.
After the deer ran past, the halo at the end of the path became brighter, as if someone had opened a window.
Xie Sui'an pulled Qin Sang to hide behind a large tree, pretending to be an extra trunk. When the halo of light became hazy and indistinct again, they used their lightness skills to swiftly and silently dart over.
This is a solitary wooden house, not tall, just one story, and not very spacious, with its exterior walls made of round logs piled up.
This reminded Qin Sang of the villa she built in the tea garden of Lixian County, which was even smaller than this one.
The two men pressed themselves against the wooden exterior wall, holding their breath. Although the lights were on inside, not a sound could be heard. It was as if the person inside had been asleep and had only gotten up to check out the noise.
"Could it be that your fourth uncle lives here?" Qin Sang whispered in Xie Suian's ear.
Xie Sui'an was taken aback. It really could be.
Who would build a house in this valley where his mother lives?
Just as he was about to answer, he heard a familiar voice from the window next to him: "Who is it?"
The two of them gasped as the window next to them creaked open.
***
For whatever reason, Xie Xiao was reluctant for the Crown Prince and the others to find Xie Sui'an.
After dealing with the crown prince, he sent people to search the place in a grand manner, and then returned to this little wooden house that few people knew about.
Only here could he be without any mask. He didn't want to be Xie Siye, the playboy son of the Xie family; the纨绔不軍主 (wan ku bu bu zhu zhu ye, the dissolute and unruly lord of Wuyou Island) in the eyes of the Crown Prince; or the future king of Yexiao Kingdom in the eyes of his mother. He just wanted to be himself here quietly.
The cabin is simple and cozy. In the center of the room, a long wooden table is piled with drawing paper, some depicting landscapes and others depicting beautiful women.
A woman was squatting next to the wooden table.
Hearing the noise, the bright-eyed woman looked up and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xie Xiao looked at her with extremely gentle eyes and smiled, "It's nothing. Just two mice."
The two mice outside the window: "..."
Everyone else keeps their mistresses in luxurious houses, so why is Uncle Xie keeping his mistress in a wooden house?
Unaware of the situation inside, the two dared not move. They only heard faint voices coming from inside, followed by the creaking of the wooden door on the other side.
Someone opened the door and came out, then the wooden door creaked shut again.
After a while, the two heard Xie Xiao's voice: "Come out."
They had previously analyzed that Xie Xiao had no intention of killing them, so there was no need to be overly wary of him.
They walked out through the side wall. In front of the cabin was still a grove of trees, but the undergrowth had been cleared of weeds and covered with fine pebbles that rustled underfoot.
But from all sides, the wooden house looks like it's hidden deep in the forest, making it difficult to spot.
A lantern hung under the eaves, its faint light unable to penetrate the thick night, barely enough to make out the tall figure in front of it.
The three looked at each other for a long while before Xie Sui'an finally spoke with difficulty: "Fourth Uncle..."
This was their first meeting since arriving on the island. He knew he was the lord of Worry-Free Island, but he had never seen him as the lord before.
To be honest, it's very unfamiliar.
He was no longer the carefree young master in the manor who would always greet him with a smile and tease him. His eyes were now icy, his lips were tightly pressed together, and the way he looked at people was completely different from before.
It's hard to imagine how much perseverance it takes for someone to act in front of so many people for so many years.
Thinking back on everything that happened, it was truly tough.
Xie Xiao glanced at him coldly and said, "Didn't she tell you that I'm not your fourth uncle?"
Xie Sui'an pursed his lips, and finally said stubbornly, "Once a fourth uncle, always a fourth uncle."
Xie Xiao frowned slightly, seemingly displeased with the other party's words. He lowered his eyes, turned slightly to the side, and changed the subject: "How did you escape? There's no way you could have found the mechanism in my stone cave."
Qin Sang replied, "Someone opened the door from the outside and let us out."
Xie Xiao blinked: "Let you out?" His eyes darted to the side, as if he was thinking about who the traitor might be.
Just then, the front door of the cabin creaked open again from the inside.
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