The crowd craned their necks, following Old Man Qi’s gaze. Before them, a perilous peak was hidden amidst swirling clouds, appearing and disappearing, veiled in ethereal mist and fog, a scene that seemed both mystical and illusory.
“It seems we aren’t too far from Yun Jin City,” Rain Maiden exclaimed, her heart already filled with anticipation. She began to ponder whether she could return to the familiar supermarkets, to once again experience those tiny moments of happiness.
“My dear lady, you speak incorrectly. From here, it doesn’t seem far, but do you know how many turns, how many river valleys, how many treacherous peaks we must traverse to enter that mountain city? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say ‘a thousand mountains, no birds fly, ten thousand paths, no human traces remain’.”
Old Man Qi, truly acting as if he had been here before, shook his head and spoke with a knowing air, leaving everyone in a daze. They began to imagine Yun Jin City as a celestial mountain, each with eyes full of admiration.
“Hmph, don’t listen to his blustering. From here, down another river valley, up the slope, and we’ll be on a winding mountain road. It’ll take about an hour to drive up.”
“What? You old Qi, you’re tricking us.”
“Indeed, are you not longing for such a place, this Old Man Qi?”
“Nay, nay, this Old Man Qi prefers the young ladies of the mortal realm, lingering in the human world. He doesn’t wish to ascend to immortality, no, no.” Old Man Qi put on a righteous expression, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
At this moment, only 7 hours remained until Ye Lan’s ‘Jubilant Union’ poison took effect, and Ren Yuanhao still showed no signs of waking. Yang Lingxue propped her chin with her hands. Despite wearing an unusually ugly, blue, round-neck t-shirt, it couldn’t conceal her beautiful face.
“Sister Lan Ni, what do you think? If Ren Yuanhao doesn’t wake up, and this little girl Ye Lan…”
“Why think so much? The boat will reach the bridge naturally. Yuanhao is likely just exhausted, not as terrifying as you imagine. He will definitely wake up before Ye Lan’s poison takes effect.”
“But… wouldn’t that be too easy for this kid, Ren Yuanhao!” Yang Lingxue’s pretty face turned red with suppressed frustration, her eyes darting around. She added, “Sister Lan Ni, look, Yun Jin City is so full of ethereal energy. Perhaps there are some capable individuals or rare herbs there that can cure Ye Lan’s poison. By then…”
Before Yang Lingxue could finish her sentence, Shen Lan Ni interrupted her.
“Lingxue, I know. At first, I thought the same as you, that it was too easy for this boy. But you should know, Ye Lan has been with us for so long, we haven’t treated her as an outsider for a long time, have we?” She paused slightly, glancing at the trees and flowers flashing past their sides. Then, she softened her tone, as if speaking to herself, “If he really had relations with Ye Lan, or if their relationship was confirmed after this incident, would you choose to give up?”
Give up? Yang Lingxue suddenly recalled the past. At first, she had placed the ‘DiDi Ride to Find a Partner’ order just for fun. But from when did her very soul become captivated by this unconscious man?
Was it the first time he played the piano with such elegance? Was it the first time he shielded her from a knife? Was it his desperate act to save her from Jiang Cheng? Or was it his aura of shouldering everything, his courage to take responsibility, his chivalrous heart filled with passion?
She didn’t know. All she knew was that she was already deeply entrenched, unable to extricate herself. In this lifetime, it was likely that no other man besides Ren Yuanhao could ever enter her heart.
She propped her chin with her hands, suddenly smiling enchantingly, her beauty dazzling, making the fleeting shadows outside the window seem dim in comparison. She laughed, “Give up? How could I give up? I don’t care about three women serving one man. I’m very open-minded, hmph!”
Yang Lingxue’s lips curled up high, as if declaring war on Shen Lan Ni’s proud figure.
Unexpectedly, Shen Lan Ni immediately retorted, “Coincidentally, I don’t care either.”
“What? What are you two talking about, caring or not caring? My head is spinning from listening…”
Ren Yuanhao slowly opened his eyes as if he were a ghost. He felt as though his face was very close to something. Upon a hazy glance, he found that it was a sphere threatening to burst through his clothes.
*Pop!*
“Pervert!”
Ren Yuanhao’s face was firmly met with a slap, but inwardly, he was greatly displeased. *I’m so wronged! I was sleeping soundly, only to be awakened by your meaningless bickering. The moment my eyes opened, I inexplicably saw such an embarrassing scene, and then I was inexplicably slapped again. Don’t I have any dignity?*
Although he grumbled inwardly, his face had to maintain an expression of ‘I confess, I yield, I am a pervert and a scoundrel’.
“Considering your sincere admission of guilt, the remaining two slaps can be waived.” Shen Lan Ni was actually delighted inwardly. After all, Ren Yuanhao was indeed just exhausted, as she had thought, but it wasn’t as simple as she had imagined.
“Why are there two more slaps?” Ren Yuanhao thought, *If you’re going to slap, then slap. Why is it like Taekwondo, with a three-hit combo?*
To his surprise, Shen Lan Ni put her hands on her hips indignantly and said, “I have to represent Ye Lan and Ling Xue in punishing you. Look at these two girls, so pure and so fond of you. They treasure you so much, they can’t bear to see you hurt. They hold you in their mouths for fear you’ll melt, and cup you in their hands for fear you’ll fall. So, the dirty work of hitting, I’ll take care of it from now on.”
Ren Yuanhao touched his forehead, feeling it was somewhat hot. His mind suddenly became a muddle.
*That’s right, this must be a hallucination. I’ve been with Boss Shen for so long, and I’ve never heard her say anything like this before. It must be a hallucination, a hallucination.*
But just then, the entire vehicle seemed to hit something. The once relatively smooth ride suddenly lurched, jolting Ren Yuanhao so violently that his breath became ragged, and he almost spat a mouthful of blood onto Shen Lan Ni!
“Everyone hold on tight! It’s a rockfall section, and some stones will catch the wheels!”
Liu Yu steadied the steering wheel, suddenly growing a bit nervous. He knew that the rocks on the ground were not caused by soil erosion from heavy rain, but were man-made.
Someone wanted to obstruct the path into the city, thus setting up a clumsy roadblock, he surmised.
Ren Yuanhao had been awake for less than 5 minutes before he spat blood and fainted again. Shen Lan Ni felt extremely guilty, her eyes welling up with tears.
Suddenly, the extremely bumpy vehicle stopped before a riverbed, turned off the engine, and engaged the handbrake.
“Why aren’t we moving?” Old Man Qi habitually poked his head out and saw more than ten burly men leap out from the woods opposite!
“There are a few clowns that need to be dealt with.” Liu Yu was about to lift his RPG rocket launcher when Old Man Qi grabbed him. “Brother, put that away, put that away. This thing is no joke. We’re new here and unfamiliar with the terrain. If we reveal ourselves, how can we rest and recuperate?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.