The moment Su Niao opened her eyes the next morning, she realized she was wrapped around Xie Chenyan with both arms and legs. She froze.
Looking up stiffly, the first thing she saw was his sleeping face. Injured and poisoned, his complexion was noticeably pale. Above his straight nose bridge, his thick eyelashes cast deep shadows over his closed eyes.
Carefully, Su Niao tried to withdraw her limbs without leaving any trace. But the instant she moved, Xie Chenyan’s eyes snapped open.
Su Niao jerked her hand back and immediately barked: “Who gave you permission to hug me? Do you have a death wish?”
Chen Yan slowly sat up. After glancing at where he lay, he lifted his eyes to the rosy-cheeked young lady opposite him. “Miss Su should perhaps look at your own position before falsely accusing me.”
Su Niao knew perfectly well that she had been the one to snuggle over after falling asleep. Naturally, she had no intention of admitting it.
Just as she was about to argue her way out of it, Xie Chenyan spoke calmly: “Since you’re awake, let’s get moving. We still haven’t left the mountains.”
Su Niao immediately remembered her situation. At once, all her outrage deflated. She flashed Xie Chenyan a friendly smile. “It was my misunderstanding. Someone as upright and kind-hearted as you would never do anything improper. Let’s hurry and get going.”
Survive and get home first. Everything else can wait.
Chen Yan glanced at the obedient expression she had hastily put on and quietly looked away.
“Mm.”
The hunter and his wife had already gone into the mountains to hunt.
There wasn’t much food left in the cabin, so Su Niao could only set out on an empty stomach with Xie Chenyan.
Fortunately, Xie Chenyan was sensible enough to remember her injured foot. Just as he had done the day before, he carried her.
With her arms around his neck, Su Niao painted an attractive picture for him: “I’ve seen your loyalty, you know. Don’t worry. Once we get back, I’ll reward you handsomely.”
Chen Yan glanced at the little peacock nestled against his chest and answered indifferently: “Then I’ll thank Miss Su in advance.”
“Hehe, no problem, no problem.”
After traveling for some time, they finally came across a narrow path.
Su Niao’s spirits lifted instantly. “There’s a road here!”
The sight of a path instantly lifted Su Niao’s spirits.
A path meant signs of people. And signs of people meant they were finally close to leaving the deep mountains behind.
Chen Yan glanced at the visibly excited young lady and calmly acknowledged her observation. Then he set her down on a relatively clean boulder. He picked up a sturdy stick nearby and handed it to her.
“Sit here and rest. It will probably still take most of the day to get out of the mountains. I spotted an apple tree by the cliff earlier. I’ll go pick a few, so we have something to eat.”
The entire morning, both of them had been hungry and thirsty.
Su Niao’s stomach was growling and her throat felt parched. Knowing that the tree wasn’t far away, she hugged the stick and nodded. “Okay.”
Then, after a pause, she added nervously: “Come back quickly.”
Being alone in the mountains was frightening after all.
Chen Yan gave a quiet “Mm.” He also left his small dagger with her before turning back the way he had come.
Su Niao was indeed uneasy. Still, she knew this place was relatively safe. The area was open, with a path nearby; no one was around, and bright sunlight shone overhead. Yet she couldn’t help constantly craning her neck to look in the direction Xie Chenyan had disappeared. He wouldn’t abandon me and sneak off, would he? Probably not.
After all, if he had truly wanted to leave her behind, he could have done so yesterday. The man seemed to genuinely possess a measure of kindness. Reluctantly, she had to admit he was at least somewhat upright and decent. But it was also true that, in her previous life, he had aided Ye Linlang and helped her bully Su Niao. Could it be that he liked Ye Linlang?
As Su Niao’s mind wandered wildly, she suddenly heard approaching hoofbeats. She tightened her grip on the stick and looked ahead.
A moment later, a young man dressed in sapphire-blue riding clothes appeared on horseback. He was clearly startled when he saw her.
Then a smile spread across his face. “Who would have thought that getting lost in the mountains would let me stumble across such a beauty?”
The young man was fairly handsome, though there was something frivolous and flirtatious about him. He rode directly toward Su Niao, smiling as he said: “With looks like these, you must be some enchantress of the mountains, stealing men’s souls…”
“Could you be a fox spirit?”
Clutching the stick, Su Niao snapped at him: “You’re the fox spirit! Your whole family is fox spirits!”
The sound of hoofbeats would surely have carried to Xie Chenyan.
Full of wariness, she threatened the rogue: “My guard is just nearby. If you know what’s good for you, get lost now.”
The young man laughed. “So it’s a sharp-tongued little fox, too. Come with me. Follow this young master home, and I’ll let you steal my yang energy…”
Su Niao cursed furiously: “You dog… Ah! Chen Yan, save me!”
The scoundrel suddenly hauled her onto the horse.
As Su Niao screamed and swung her stick at him, she quickly discovered he clearly knew some martial arts. Her little bit of strength and amateur skills were no match for him.
The stick was easily taken away. Even her dagger was confiscated.
Seeing him turn the horse around to carry her off, Su Niao became both furious and panicked. She immediately bit down hard on the back of his hand.
Li Lingzhen had merely been teasing this little fox spirit. Caught off guard by the bite, he hissed in pain and then laughed.
But at that very moment, the little enchantress unexpectedly threw herself straight off the horse, heedless of the consequences.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” His expression changed slightly as he hurried to grab her.
At the same instant, a whistle cut through the air behind him. He quickly twisted aside to dodge. His grip loosened.
The little fox spirit broke free instantly.
Hearing that something was wrong, Chen Yan had raced back at full speed. What he saw was Su Niao throwing herself from the horse. His expression changed dramatically.
Ignoring the surge of pain and blood rushing through his injured chest and abdomen, he abruptly accelerated and barely managed to catch her in his arms.
Su Niao herself had been badly frightened. The moment she saw Xie Chenyan’s familiar face, she nearly burst into tears.
“Chen Yan, that bastard was trying to kidnap me. Why did you take so long?”
Chen Yan’s face remained grim, but his voice was unusually gentle. “I’m sorry. My fault.”
Li Lingzhen had not expected her to actually have a guard. He was just about to explain that it was all a misunderstanding when, without warning, a palm strike knocked him straight off his horse. He hit the ground with a thud.
Quickly, he said: “I am Li Lingzhen of Qianming County. I mistakenly thought this young lady was lost. I was only teasing her and intended to take her out of the mountains. I meant no offense whatsoever.” As he struggled to get up, a fragrant breeze swept by.
Su Niao stepped directly on his face. Then she hissed in pain, remembering that her foot was still injured. “You disgusting pervert!”
Li Lingzhen stared up at her blankly. “So fragrant…”
Su Niao was furious. “Chen Yan, beat him to death!”
Li Lingzhen hurriedly begged for mercy: “Earlier I drank too much with some friends in the mountains. Then I got lost while riding. When I saw the young lady’s extraordinary beauty, I was momentarily captivated. The alcohol went to my head, and I behaved frivolously. I truly meant no harm. I apologize to the young lady.”
Su Niao still wanted to kick him again, but Xie Chenyan wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back.
Chen Yan glanced at the richly dressed young man and decided not to pursue the matter further.
The man’s apology had also been a deliberate warning. By announcing his name and implying he had companions nearby, he reminded them he was not alone.
Chen Yan was wounded and had to protect Su Niao, so naturally he had no desire to get entangled in further conflict. Turning back, he soothed the furious little peacock. “Let’s leave first.”
Su Niao also understood what Xie Chenyan was thinking. Suppressing her anger with difficulty, she shot the libertine a vicious glare and silently memorized his name, fully intending to settle accounts after returning home.
The two continued on.
Chen Yan handed Su Niao the last apple he had left. In the earlier chaos, he’d lost all the other fruit he had gathered. This lone apple would at least help stave off hunger and thirst.
Su Niao’s eyes lit up at once. She immediately accepted it. Not caring that it was neither washed nor peeled, she carefully wiped it on her sleeve before taking a loud, crunching bite. It was somewhat tart. But under the circumstances, it tasted nearly delicious. Only after several bites did Su Niao belatedly realize Xie Chenyan had nothing to eat.
Guessing that he must have lost the other apples while rushing to rescue her, she hesitated briefly before holding out the remaining half. “You should have some too.”
She still needed him to carry her. It would be rather shameless to eat everything herself.
Chen Yan shook his head. “No need.”
Su Niao curled her lips. “What is it this time? ‘Men and women should maintain proper boundaries’ again?”
Chen Yan looked at the displeased young lady.
After a pause, he explained: “The fruit is small to begin with. Miss Su should finish it herself.”
So it wasn’t disgust. He genuinely wanted her to eat it.
Su Niao secretly ground her teeth. Objectively speaking, she really did owe him a tremendous favor this time. But so what?
The hatred of being poisoned to death was irreconcilable. She absolutely refused to feel grateful.
Su Niao took the apple back and immediately bit into it again with a loud crunch.
That afternoon, the two of them finally emerged from the mountains.
After asking some people living at the foot of the mountain for directions, they learned that they were no longer in Jianning County at all, but had somehow ended up in neighboring Qianming County.
Then the libertine they had encountered in the mountains, Li Lingzhen, also came down.
By now, Li Lingzhen had sobered up. When he saw the pair ahead of him, he was both delighted and ashamed. He hurried after them and apologized repeatedly. He was actually a well-known figure in Qianming County, not some shameless wastrel.
Earlier that day, however, the alcohol had gone to his head. Then, deep in the mountains, he encountered an exceptionally beautiful young woman and was reminded of the fox spirits and mountain enchantresses from storybooks. His emotions ran wild, and he nearly committed a grave mistake.
Gathering his courage, he stepped forward and offered another sincere apology, then offered to escort them back to Jianning County.
Chen Yan’s face turned cold as he was about to refuse.
To his surprise, Su Niao smiled sweetly and agreed. “Then we’ll have to trouble Young Master Li.”
Li Lingzhen blushed furiously, once again dazzled by the young woman’s beauty. He personally accompanied them, spending nearly three hours escorting them back to Jianning County.
Just as Su Niao had expected, the Su Residence had descended into chaos. No one had dared to conceal the young lady’s disappearance. News had already been sent to the capital the previous night.
Now, seeing Su Niao return unharmed, Lichun immediately burst into tears.
Steward Jing likewise wiped at his eyes, overcome with relief and lingering fear.
What nobody expected was that the very first thing Su Niao did after getting out of the carriage was order people to give Li Lingzhen a severe beating.
Li Lingzhen hugged his head and cried out miserably as the blows rained down, bitterly amused despite his pain. He had thought the young lady had forgiven him. After all, she had agreed to let him escort her home and had smiled the entire journey.
Who could have guessed that she had merely tricked him into delivering himself back so she could have him beaten?
Only after he had been thoroughly thrashed did Su Niao finally feel satisfied. With a swish of her sleeve, she allowed Lichun to support her as she walked inside. She did not spare even a single glance for Li Lingzhen outside. Nor for Xie Chenyan.
The great gates of the Su Residence slammed shut.
Chen Yan withdrew his gaze and turned to leave in silence.
Li Lingzhen’s carriage driver helped him to his feet. Holding his bruised face, he hissed repeatedly in pain. “Ow… easy, easy…”
Then he looked toward Chen Yan and sighed. “Brother, I honestly thought you’d eloped with some noble young lady. I was secretly envying your good fortune.”
“How is it that you’re really nothing more than her servant?” Chen Yan ignored him.
Li Lingzhen rubbed his aching waist and continued his teasing: “But I still envy you, brother. Just look at that. You got to carry her and hold her all the way here. Even if you’ve now been cast aside like a worn-out shoe, it would still be worth it.”
Bang.
The gate to the Chen family courtyard slammed shut.
Li Lingzhen rubbed his nose awkwardly. So he wasn’t actually a servant.
Just a neighbor… Well then. Still, how had an unmarried man and woman ended up venturing into the mountains together?
Then again, that fellow, despite his plain clothing, was undeniably handsome and highly skilled. It wasn’t strange at all that a noble young lady might take a liking to a man like that. Even if he served only briefly as the favored companion of such a beautiful woman, he wouldn’t be losing out.
Come to think of it, he, Li Lingzhen, wasn’t lacking either!
Carefully committing the Su Residence’s location to memory, Li Lingzhen thought that once he returned home and his bruised face healed, he would come back and offer another apology.
Who knew? Perhaps he, too, might get the chance to become a favored companion of that beauty.