Chapter 920: Chapter 41 Awkward Moments_4
Xuan Yue finished dressing and walked towards Ah Dai and the Yan Shi brothers in a daze, the gaze of all three landing on her simultaneously. Xuan Yue’s blue hair draped over her shoulders, the occasional glistening droplets accentuating her beauty as if she were a lotus emerging from water, her white dress setting off her purity, giving off an untouchable aura. Only her normally bright eyes betrayed a look of confusion.
As Xuan Yue approached, Ah Dai’s face turned beet red, and he stammered, "Yue Yue, Yue Yue, I didn’t see anything." His stuttering was so apparent that anyone could tell he was lying.
Xuan Yue looked at Ah Dai, her chest heaving, and suddenly, she squatted on the ground and began to cry loudly.
Ah Dai was startled and cast a helpless glance at Yan Shi and Yan Li for help, but the brothers looked away in tacit agreement, each adopting a stance of "you made the mess, you clean it up."
Gazing at Xuan Yue’s sorrowful tears, Ah Dai felt a pang of pity and moved helplessly to her side, whispering, "Yue Yue, you, you can hit me, scold me, it’s all my fault, please don’t cry."
Xuan Yue looked up to see Ah Dai’s flushed, honest face and his clothes torn, and her heart softened. Choking back tears, she said, "How could you, you look at someone’s body and even, even touch them..."
Ah Dai gave a bitter smile and replied, "I really didn’t mean to."
Xuan Yue wiped the tears from her face and huffed, "I don’t care, you bullied me, and you have to compensate."
Seeing her stop crying, Ah Dai let out a sigh of relief and quickly said, "I’ll compensate, I’ll compensate." He already owed her so much, the idea that additional debt was less worrying was comforting, "Having more debts doesn’t make one worry more, just like having more lice doesn’t make them bite less," and besides, apart from himself, he really had nothing else to compensate Xuan Yue with.
Xuan Yue huffed and stood up, looking at Yan Shi and Yan Li who were trying to suppress their laughter and scolded, "What’s so funny, what are you laughing at? Keep laughing, and I’ll make you all go hungry."
Yan Shi and Yan Li quickly stifled their laughter, Yan Shi managing to say, "No, we won’t laugh anymore."
In her heart, Xuan Yue didn’t really blame Ah Dai for his intrusion; her tears came from a young girl’s shyness. Recalling the embarrassing sensation, her heart started pounding, and her gaze towards Ah Dai became even more unusual.
"Let’s go, it’s time for us to hit the road, or do you want to rest forever?" Xuan Yue complained.
Yan Li quickly stood up, grabbed his axe, and ran ahead, saying, "I’ll lead the way." Yan Shi did the same, dropping a line that he was going to check the terrain before running after Yan Li.
Ah Dai muttered, "Yue Yue, shall I carry you?"
Xuan Yue replied annoyedly, "Of course you should, with such a difficult path, do you think I want you to leave me behind?"
"Oh," Ah Dai carefully squatted down beside Xuan Yue. She bit her lip, hooked her arms around his neck, and rested on his back. The renewed contact sent a jolt through them both, causing them to stiffen. Xuan Yue felt the warmth and thunderous heartbeat against Ah Dai’s back, while Ah Dai felt the allure of Xuan Yue’s cold, soft body and the sparkling droplets falling from her hair. After maintaining this tense stance for several seconds, it was Xuan Yue who broke the silence, whispering, "Let’s go." Her voice was low, soft, tinged with shyness.
Only then did Ah Dai snap out of it, hastily pushing aside any distractions, lifting Xuan Yue’s legs, and chasing after the direction where Yan Shi and Yan Li had disappeared.
When the moon took the sun’s place, casting a semblance of light on the silent, dark earth, the four had already ventured deep into the Tian Gang Mountain Range.
Xuan Yue, somewhat dissatisfied, said, "Where exactly is the Tian Gang Sword Sect? We’ve been walking for most of the day and still haven’t seen a trace. Brother Yan Shi, you said that among the Tian Gang Mountain Range, Tian Gang Mountain is the highest peak, but how come every mountain around here looks so tall that we simply can’t distinguish which one is Tian Gang Mountain? How are we supposed to find it?"
Yan Shi gave a wry smile and replied, "It’s my first time here too, how would I know? All that I mentioned before, I learned from Teacher Xi Wen. Though, this mountain range is vast and surrounded by peaks, so it’s quite normal for our view to be blocked and unable to locate the main peak, Tian Gang Mountain. Let’s find a place to rest for the night, and continue our search with daylight tomorrow."
Unbeknownst to them, within the Tian Gang Mountain Range, there were several secret paths built by the Tian Gang Sword Sect leading swiftly to Tian Gang Mountain. It was a secret of the Tian Gang Sect, not accessible to anyone who was not a disciple of the sect.
Xuan Yue pouted, "Fine, let’s rest then. It was quite hot during the day, how come it’s a bit cold now?" As they had ventured into the mountains, the air was heavy with moisture, and the high terrain meant the temperature dropped significantly at night. Ah Dai and the brothers, who practiced martial arts all year round and had robust physiques, didn’t feel the chill, but Xuan Yue was affected.
Quickly, Ah Dai took off his outer garment and draped it over Xuan Yue. The Mage Robe that he had worn in the Yalan tribe was already damaged, and now he was wearing plain cloth clothing they had brought from Stone Pond Town. Xuan Yue cast a bashful glance at Ah Dai, feeling sweet inside.
Yan Shi suggested, "It is colder in the mountains, and it will be difficult to endure the night. Let’s find a clearing and make a fire; that will warm things up. We’ll just have to cope for one night, and tomorrow, come what may, we have to find Tian Gang Mountain."
Yan Li frowned and said, "Brother, the mountain is full of trees. If we end up setting the mountain on fire, the Tian Gang Sword Sect will be out for our blood!"
