Mountain trek
In the morning, sunlight filtered through the sparse trees, casting dappled spots of light on the ground. The air was fresh, with the scent of earth and plants.
Ye Shu, still dressed in his plain clothes with his gray coat on, walked slowly but steadily, a few steps behind Chen Xu. He didn't seem to be hiking, but rather drifting aimlessly through the woods, his gaze occasionally grazing on a strange leaf, a moss-covered stone, or a shaft of light filtering through the treetops.
Chen Xu, on the other hand, was full of energy, sometimes rushing ahead to explore the way, sometimes running back to Ye Shu, the things in his backpack clinking. "Ye Shu, look! This mushroom is a strange color! Can I eat it?" "Wow! There's a squirrel over there! It's running so fast!" "Are you tired? Do you want a break? Some water? An energy bar?"
Ye Shu responded to most questions with a brief silence or a brief answer. "No." "Yeah." "Not tired." "No."
His breathing was even and his face remained expressionless, but surrounded by nature, his sense of alienation seemed to have weakened a little, becoming more like an immersive indifference, blending into the breath of the mountains and forests.
Chen Xu didn't feel left out. He talked and laughed to himself, and even started humming a song out of tune.
When they reached a steep slope, Chen Xu finally breathed a little and slowed down. Ye Shu followed silently, walking side by side with him. Chen Xu turned his head and saw that Ye Shu's forehead was not even a bead of sweat, and his breathing was as steady as if he was walking on flat ground. He couldn't help but sigh in amazement: "...When did you get so strong?"
Ye Shu's gaze fell on the tangled tree roots in front of him, and he whispered, "Just don't fight." He didn't fight for speed with the steep slope, nor did he fight for breath with himself. He just followed the terrain and moved forward in the most energy-saving way.
Chen Xu seemed to understand but not quite, and laughed while panting: "You have a lot of logic... Wait, what is that?" He suddenly pointed to the trunk of a big tree next to him.
On the tree trunk, a colorful swallowtail butterfly's wings were stuck in some spider web or mucus. It was struggling violently but in vain, and its beautiful wings were flapping more and more weakly.
"Oh, it's trapped!" Chen Xu said as he was about to go forward to help.
"Don't move." Ye Shu stopped him softly.
Chen Xu stopped and looked back in confusion.
Ye Shu walked forward, but instead of touching the butterfly directly, he broke off a thin, forked branch nearby. He squatted down and silently watched the struggling creature, his eyes still indifferent, as if he was simply observing a natural phenomenon.
His movements were incredibly gentle, the thin branch of the dead tree carefully approaching the edge of the butterfly's body, which was stuck, and patiently separating it from the sticky substance bit by bit. The whole process was slow and precise, without damaging the fragile wings in the slightest.
A few minutes later, the butterfly's last restraints were released. It seemed to be stunned for a moment, then suddenly flapped its wings, tremblingly flew up, circled twice in the air, and finally disappeared into the light of the forest.
Chen Xu was stunned: "Wow... Ye Shu, your technique is really good! So amazing!"
Ye Shu threw away the dead branch, took out a plain handkerchief from his pocket, and carefully wiped the non-existent stains from his fingers. He stood up and continued walking up the trail, as if he had just brushed off a fallen leaf on his shoulder.
"It can break free," Ye Shu's voice was faint, carried by the wind, "it just needs a little time and a fulcrum."
Chen Xu looked at his back, then suddenly jogged a few paces to catch up, bumping into his shoulder with a grin. "Hey, tell me, is that fulcrum me? If I hadn't seen it, you wouldn't have noticed it, right?"
Ye Shu turned his head to look at him, and the sunlight shone through the gaps between the leaves, flashing in his light-colored pupils.
"Yeah." He replied softly, acknowledging the cause and effect. "You were too noisy, startling it, and me too."
Chen Xu burst into laughter, and the sound carried far away in the mountains and forests, startling several flying birds.
Ye Shu stopped talking and continued walking. In the dappled sunlight, the corners of his mouth seemed to curl upwards once again, ever so faintly.
A mountain breeze blew by, bringing with it the scent of distant lands and the boisterous laughter of nearby friends. Ye Shu took a deep breath, and the scent was no longer just grass, trees, and earth; it seemed to be mixed with a different, slightly noisy warmth.
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