After speaking to Yang Yunxi, Nangong An pointed his toes and leaped down the cliff.
Watching Nangong An disappear in an instant, Yang Yunxi muttered, “Wow! Ancient people really can fly! That’s amazing! I wish I could fly too!”
In just a moment, Nangong An returned.
He looked at Yang Yunxi and said, “The drop from mid-mountain is about a hundred feet. Gather your things, and I’ll take you down.”
Hearing they could leave, Yang Yunxi was thrilled. Even though they had lived comfortably here, it was like a birdcage. She wanted to see the outside world.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Yunxi had packed all their belongings back into her supermarket space.
She had only recently realized this function—she could not only retrieve things from the supermarket but also store items inside.
Nangong An didn’t react to the sudden disappearance of objects; it had become normal over the past few days.
“Once we leave here, we’ll face wolves and tigers. Are you ready?” he asked.
Yang Yunxi smiled brightly. “With you here, I’m not afraid at all. Let’s go!”
Nangong An stepped forward, wrapped his arm around her waist, and with a leap, they left the cave where they had stayed for several days.
“Wow! So exciting—more thrilling than my first plane ride!” Yang Yunxi shouted, releasing her hands from around Nangong An’s neck. She was exhilarated and didn’t worry at all about falling.
Listening to her speak in a language he didn’t understand, Nangong An looked at her. She was nothing like the girls he remembered from his past—honest, straightforward, skilled both in public affairs and household tasks. Such women were almost extinct in the capital.
In a short while, they landed safely at the bottom of the cliff.
The area was surrounded by mountains to the west, with a small creek running from one end to the other.
Their only way forward was to follow the water through the mountains.
Swimming was easy for Yang Yunxi, but she didn’t know about Nangong An.
“Nangong An, can you swim? We can go together,” she asked.
“I can,” he said, then jumped into the creek with a splash.
In the hot summer, they swam like two happy little fish, chasing each other and laughing.
After about half an incense stick’s time, they reached the end of the cliff.
Climbing ashore, they saw endless mountains, desolate and wild, like a primeval forest.
“Nangong An, do you know where we are?”
He had been stationed in the northern frontier with his father since he was ten, so he spent most of his life in the north.
Now, with his memory lost, he was unfamiliar with the area. He replied helplessly, “I don’t know. Quickly change your clothes, or you’ll catch a cold.”
They found a relatively open spot. Yang Yunxi took out a tent they had made and set it up.
The sun was about to set, and they had to cook before dark.
Even though her supermarket had solar-powered lights, she didn’t dare use them, only a flashlight occasionally, fearing they might attract attention from other refugees.
She didn’t want to become a target.
While Nangong An set up the tent, Yang Yunxi changed clothes and prepared dinner.
Earlier, she had cooked many boiled chickens in the mid-mountain and stored them in her supermarket. Now she just needed to cook some rice and stir-fry some vegetables.
“Miss Yang, it smells so good!” Nangong An said as he walked over.
Yang Yunxi looked at him seriously. “We’re married now. Have you ever seen a husband call his own wife ‘Miss’?”
Nangong An thought she was right. A wife was a wife. He wasn’t at a loss—he had a beautiful wife for no reason. It was fine. He wasn’t young anymore; having a woman by his side was better.
“Yes, I’ll remember, Yunxi.”
“Wash your hands. We’re about to eat! It’s dark now. Listen to the wild beasts howling outside—it’s terrifying. Let’s eat quickly and rest.”
Chewing on the tender, juicy chicken, Yang Yunxi thought that in the coming days, they might have to eat simple corn cakes. Just thinking about it made her stomachache.
“Nangong An, can we not follow the refugees south? If they go south and we go north, won’t that be better?”
At the mention of going north, scattered images flashed in Nangong An’s mind, but they were too incomplete to grasp any important information.
“Going north is fine, but we must first leave this area. Only after passing this region will it be safe.”
He paused, then added, “Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, no one can harm you.”
After eating and drinking their fill, Yang Yunxi stored all the items back in her space.
Then the two of them entered the tent.
Previously, they had slept separately on the mid-mountain, but tonight, sharing a tent felt strange.
“All right let’s sleep. I’ll be honest—I won’t disturb you,” Yang Yunxi promised.
Her promise, however, was worthless. Her sleeping posture amazed Nangong An.
He couldn’t believe that the daytime proper girl could be so wild in her sleep.
The worst part was that she sprawled on top of him like an octopus, moving all over him.
Though he didn’t like her this way, he was a man—wasn’t she afraid he would do something to her?
She had a really brave heart.
The night passed peacefully. The next morning, after getting up, they packed their things, had breakfast, and set off.
They changed back into the old clothes, patched with extra cloth to look ragged.
Yang Yunxi also drew a fake birthmark on her face with makeup and smeared mud to make her face look dirty.
Her beautiful face disappeared, replaced by a face even a dog would dislike.
After finishing, she also smeared mud on Nangong An’s face. Seeing him covered in dirt, she was satisfied.
“This way, we won’t stand out among the refugees. Let’s go!”
They had agreed last night to follow the creek. Wherever there was water, there would likely be people, so they slowly moved along the creek.
After a long walk, they didn’t see anyone, which made them doubt their path.
Yang Yunxi dragged her feet and looked back at Nangong An. “Where do you think we are? Why is it so deserted?”
Nangong An was confused, too. “I’m not sure either. Let’s just keep moving; eventually, we’ll get out.”
Meanwhile, among the refugee group, Nangong An’s subordinates had been searching for him for over half a month.
They had gone down the cliff but couldn’t find their master.
“Feng Ying, where do you think the master has gone? Why hasn’t he returned or sent a signal? Could something have happened?” one subordinate asked helplessly.
Feng Ying wasn’t sure either. Before he could answer, Leiting spoke: “Don’t worry. The master will be fine. Let’s return to the cliff and check again—maybe we missed some important clue.”
Hearing this, the others thought it made sense. They slowly left the crowd and ran toward the cliff.