Chapter 91 Carrying her down the mountain
By this time, night had already enveloped the mountains and forests.
The world was shrouded in a gray-black chaos, indistinct at first glance, with only a tall outline vaguely visible, wearing a bamboo hat.
Yao Qingling narrowed her eyes, her whole body tensed, and her fingers rested on the dagger at her waist; Taoye stood in front of Qingling to block her way.
She glanced up at the mountain.
This place is still quite a distance from Ruan Da Hu Zi's stronghold.
However, Que'er Mountain had sentry posts, with scouts at the foot of the mountain and inside. If an outsider entered, those sentry posts would not have failed to detect it.
Unless the newcomer is highly skilled in martial arts and those sentries were taken out before they could even make a sound; another possibility is that it was one of Ruan Da Hu Zi's own people?
The figure was tall and imposing, exuding a great sense of awe.
Yao Qingling thought for a moment, "Are there such powerful people among the bandits?"
The bearded man didn't tell her?
She squinted, staring intently at the person who approached, her tense muscles never relaxing, and her body covered in sweat.
After a moment, she gently pushed the peach leaf aside and said in a calm voice, "It's alright."
He lowered his hand from the dagger and leaned against the tree, panting.
"Miss?" Taoye looked at her in confusion, then turned to look at the figure.
Yao Qingling was already familiar with Lin Shiyuan's figure. When she got close, she could recognize him even if she couldn't see his face clearly.
"It is Lin Shiyuan."
Tao Ye breathed a sigh of relief, then asked in confusion, "How could Young Master Lin go up the mountain? Didn't the bearded man kill him?"
Yao Qingling was also puzzled, so she waited for Lin Shiyuan to come over before asking.
Before long, Lin Shiyuan had walked up to Yao Qingling.
He looked her up and down, and apart from looking weak and tired, he saw no other injuries.
He breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "Lin Qiao said you didn't arrive at the foot of the mountain on time, so I came to check."
Yao Qingling blinked and glanced down at the foot of the mountain.
The trees were so dense that the hidden carriage was nowhere to be seen.
She brought Lin Qiao with her this time, but only asked her to guard the carriage. She also made an appointment with her to go down the mountain at 5 pm.
If you don't see her come down, try to rescue her.
Yao Qingling didn't bring Lin Qiao up the mountain, firstly to leave her as backup, and secondly because her relationship with Lin Shiyuan was too close; Qingling had a secret talk with Ruan Dahuzi, and many things couldn't be leaked.
Yao Qingling: "You're following behind us?"
Although the question was somewhat tactless, she didn't like being constantly watched while doing what she was doing.
Lin Shiyuan sensed her displeasure and said indifferently, "I don't care what you're doing with those people. But if you are held hostage, kidnapped, or killed by them, Lin Qiao will feel that it's her fault."
Yao Qingling: "..."
Lin Qiao is a good bodyguard, there's no doubt about that.
She added, "I was tired from walking, so I rested for a while."
The mountain night breeze was cool, and Qingling had sweated a lot. When the wind blew, she shivered from the cold.
Lin Shiyuan glanced at her, turned around, and squatted down slightly.
Qingling blinked, "Oh... I can't accept this."
Then a deep, magnetic male voice said, "Come up."
Tao Ye glanced at Qing Ling, her face lighting up with delight. It was as if she had gotten exactly what she wanted.
She said, "Miss, it's getting dark. Let's go down quickly. If it gets any later, the wolves will come out."
Yao Qingling abandoned her composure after seeing several pairs of eerie green eyes in the distant woods.
She gently leaned against the man's back, placing her hands on his shoulders and her legs around his waist.
Taoye helped her up.
Lin Shiyuan crossed his forearm across Qingling's legs, trapping her legs between his arms, but his hands were clenched into fists, so he didn't touch her.
He straightened up, steadied himself, and then started walking down the mountain.
The woods were quiet, and weary birds fluttered down into the trees, chirping a few times.
The sound of falling leaves underfoot is rustling.
There were also unknown insects chirping.
There was also the sound of heavy, rapid breathing.
Qingling glanced at Taoye, who was following behind.
She lit the lantern and staggered; her heavy, rapid breathing was Peach Leaf's.
In addition, Yao Qingling also heard a thumping sound.
The voice came from herself.
Because of the descent, Qingling had to cling tightly to Lin Shiyuan's neck, her face almost touching his ear; if the shaking was more intense, her face would be pressed directly against his.
It was so hot that it made her heart beat even faster; her breathing seemed unsteady.
Lin Shiyuan was the second person to carry her down the mountain path.
Zhan Xingzhuo carried her up the mountain, climbing 9,999 steps, and placed her high up in the mountains, giving her a vision for the future and praying for happiness and good fortune.
That night at Yongning Temple, she had imagined that he would walk out of the firelight, covered in blood, and say to her: I've come to take you away.
But he didn't come.
It was then that Qingling realized that what mattered was not having someone accompany you on the way up the mountain, but rather the way down the mountain.
Only after descending the mountain can one return home; only after returning home can one find happiness and prosperity.
Now, another man came to pick her up; he carried her steadily on his back, but remained silent.
There were no sweet words, and no taking advantage of the situation to flirt.
Yao Qingling glanced at him. In the dim light, she could only see his profile, quiet and still, with sweat beading on his skin.
Qingling had no other romantic thoughts at the moment, but she couldn't help but make comparisons.
Why was she so easily deceived by Zhan Xingzhuo?
Perhaps they are just too young.
But at this moment she knew what a true gentleman was like, someone who made people feel reliable.
Once she relaxed, she had the leisure to think about other things.
She seemed to be lying on a hot, moving boulder.
From an angle unseen by the man, Qing Ling's lips curled up slightly.
For Lin Shiyuan, carrying a woman on his back did not feel like a burden.
His crescent blade was heavier than hers.
On the battlefield, he carried countless wounded soldiers back to the front lines, seeking only to survive, with no time to think about anything else.
But perhaps because she was light, he became much more careful, as if he could break her legs with just a little force.
It felt different when I held her before.
The last time he carried her to Hengwu Villa, he had a very specific purpose in mind: to take her to see Zhou Zhining's residence. He didn't think much about it on the way.
This time, it was just a mountain path of moderate length, and the goal was simply to get down the mountain.
The mountain path was difficult to traverse at night, but it wasn't a problem for him.
His eyesight was good, and there were no enemies or wild beasts around, so his mind wandered.
A faint fragrance emanated from him, different from the scent of flowers, and it smelled wonderful; but this fragrance wasn't his, it was only because the woman was close to him that they became one...
Lin Shiyuan looked at the shadows in front of him, which overlapped and formed a huge black mass; the two heads were very close together, and the shadow looked like a large mountain tortoise with long legs and two heads.
Lin Shiyuan didn't think there was anything wrong with being like a tortoise. It always has a home, and when danger comes, it can simply retract its head into its shell, avoiding the risk of death. Tortoises also live long lives…
Suddenly, my ears felt hot again.
Her face was pressed against his ear.
Lin Shiyuan felt his body temperature rise again, and he was sweating even more.
Someone gently wiped his sweat from his sleeve.
He turned around and glanced at the woman on his back.
Yao Qingling said, "Are you tired? Put me down. The road ahead isn't far. I can walk by myself."
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