Lin Qixia narrowed her eyes slightly and cautiously drew the dagger from her hand.
Even Huo Yanqing, who had kept a low profile since the start of the trip, appeared beside her at this moment, looking ready to strike at any moment.
In the darkness of the forest, figures moved about, getting closer and closer. Everyone in the convoy watched that direction warily.
"Hey, there you are!" Someone jumped from the bushes into the nearby shadows.
Lin Qixia recognized the other person at a glance and silently put away her dagger: "So it was you."
Yun Zhi poked his head out, revealing the fox mask on his face to everyone.
As the white-clad youth approached them from a distance, his voice carried a hint of teasing: "I was just thinking of coming down the mountain to pick you up because you guys are moving too slowly, taking a whole day to get here."
"You've all gone down the mountain, so who's staying on top?" Lin Qixia asked him irritably.
Why would I need them to come and pick me up? It's unnecessary.
But is it really safe to leave the seriously injured Lin Xiao alone on the mountain? She felt that this wasn't Yun Zhi's usual way of doing things.
Faced with Lin Qixia's skeptical attitude, Yun Zhi smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, Beiling Mountain Stronghold is now as solid as an iron barrel. Not anyone can easily break in."
He approached the fire with great interest.
"I'm starving after running all the way down the mountain. Do you have anything to eat?" As he spoke, he glanced around, then picked up a piece of rabbit meat that Lin Qixia had grilled and took a bite.
He naturally picked up the flask of wine that was placed not far from Lin Qixia's feet, and drank several mouthfuls directly into his mouth under Huo Yanqing's warning gaze.
After drinking the chilled liquor, he exclaimed with delight, "This is really good liquor. I never thought you could be so comfortable while traveling in the middle of the night."
Lin Qixia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Alright, since you're all here, let's head up the mountain tonight."
"Okay." Yun Zhi agreed without hesitation.
After regrouping, their group set off again towards Beiling Mountain Village.
He Zhilan breathed a sigh of relief. She had been eager to see Lin Xiao and confirm his condition with her own eyes.
During the rest of the ascent, the long line of people remained mostly silent.
Only the sound of footsteps and the whooshing of the torches they held in the night wind could be heard intermittently in the procession.
About three hours later, around the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), they arrived at Beiling Mountain Village.
The moment the village gate was opened, He Zhilan couldn't wait to grab one of the Beiling Mountain Village members and ask her where Lin Xiao lived.
The man pointed to the road leading to the buildings on the right, "It's in the very back, the house closest to the mountain."
"Thank you!" He Zhilan let go of him and walked unsteadily and hurriedly in that direction.
Lin Qixia called out, "Sister-in-law, wait for me!"
With that, she followed.
When they arrived outside the house where Lin Xiao lived, they saw Lin Jiudong standing guard there.
It had been a long time since I'd seen her, and she looked completely different from before. She had grown much taller than when we last parted, her skin was several shades darker, and she looked much healthier.
At this moment, however, her arm was wrapped in obvious gauze, and there were bruises on her face.
At the same time, she had sunken eyes, looked listless, and appeared to have not slept for several days, with two large dark circles under her eyes.
"Sister-in-law, sister, what brings you here?" Lin Jiudong was slightly surprised when she looked up and saw them.
Clearly, Yun Zhi did not inform Lin Jiudong that she had written a letter asking them to come.
Lin Qixia glanced at her with a complicated expression. Lin Jiudong was also there when the accident happened.
Having witnessed her elder brother fall seriously injured in front of her, she must have been greatly traumatized this time.
Therefore, she didn't say much, only casually explaining, "We've come to see our eldest brother."
"Oh." Lin Jiudong awkwardly greeted them. "Then please, please come inside. My brother is lying on the bed inside. The doctor just applied medicine to him."
He Zhilan, who hadn't spoken since earlier, walked up to Lin Jiudong and said to her, "Dong'er, you've worked hard these past few days."
Lin Jiudong, who had been relatively calm, felt a lump in her throat and her eyes instantly reddened when she heard He Zhilan's words.
"You, you all go inside now!" she shouted at them in a trembling voice as she turned her head.
He Zhilan was stunned for a moment, but then, because she was worried about Lin Xiao, she ignored her and went into the house.
Lin Qixia stopped in her tracks, looking at Lin Jiudong, who had turned away and was trembling with his shoulders, and opened her mouth.
Pat pat—
Large water droplets fell onto the ground in front of her; they were Lin Jiudong's tears.
"Don't cry," Lin Qixia finally spoke, offering dry words of comfort.
Lin Jiudong sobbed and shouted, "Shut up!"
Lin Qixia pursed her lips and remained silent.
At the same time, she still felt somewhat uneasy.
I arranged for Lin Jiudong to come here with the intention of letting her undergo some trials, but I never expected her to experience such a cruel thing at such a young age.
According to Yun Zhixin's description, the situation was quite dire when their convoy was attacked.
It wasn't just that Lin Xiao was seriously injured; several people were killed right in front of Lin Jiudong.
Although this was not the first time Lin Jiudong had faced death, the situation was extremely unfavorable for them, especially after his elder brother Lin Xiao collapsed.
For a period of time, they were practically isolated and helpless.
Fortunately, Lin Qixia had a contingency plan for this situation and immediately activated the rescue procedure to send a second, nearby team to rescue the person.
But the situation at the time was probably extremely terrifying and dangerous; it can be said that he escaped death.
No wonder Lin Jiudong is like this now—
Lin Qixia simply stood next to Lin Jiudong and waited for her to finish crying.
After crying for a while, Lin Jiudong finally stopped and started complaining to Lin Qixia, "Why didn't you say anything? Am I still your sister?"
Lin Qixia: "..."
This is really difficult!
"Of course, otherwise why do you think we came over less than a day after your accident?"
Isn't it because I miss them?
Lin Jiudong's emotions had calmed down considerably, but her voice was still choked with emotion: "You absolutely have to come! My brother's condition isn't good—"
She looked like she was about to cry again at the end.
Lin Qixia quickly tried to divert her attention: "What do you mean? Didn't Yunzhi say in the letter that Big Brother's injuries have stabilized?"
"Of course I wasn't talking about his injury, I meant—" Lin Jiudong hurriedly explained.
But the house behind them was opened the next second, interrupting Lin Jiudong's words.
Lin Qixia and Lin Jiudong turned around at the same time to look at the person who came out of the house, which was He Zhilan.
He Zhilan looked worried and called out to the two of them, "Come in, especially Xia'er, your brother wants to see you."
"Okay, coming right away," Lin Qixia replied immediately.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
