“Boom—!”
Thunder rolled one after another. The wind wailed, and the entire earth seemed to tremble.
Buffeted by the gale, Jiang Yu nearly toppled down the slope. Fortunately, the hillside was dotted with small trees. In her panic, she grabbed onto one and narrowly avoided disaster.
Patting her chest in relief, she hurriedly packed all the ginseng into the bamboo basket and started down the mountain before the heavy rain arrived.
Below the slope, Jiang Mo was running around anxiously, howling nonstop.
Jiang Yu had no time to deal with it. Every step downward required extreme caution.
Under the oppressive dark clouds, the forest grew even dimmer. Several times, she nearly missed her footing.
Despite being careful, when she reached for one foothold, her foot still slipped. Basket and person together, she tumbled down the slope.
“Hiss—”
Her lower back slammed hard into a sharp rock, the pain making her suck in a sharp breath.
“Woof! Woof!”
Jiang Mo rushed to her side in panic, licking her hand and whining, clearly worried.
Supporting herself on the ground, Jiang Yu struggled to her feet, rubbing her knee and lower back. “I’m fine.”
Limping, she picked up the basket and checked it. After confirming the ginseng was still there, she patted Jiang Mo on the head. “It’s going to pour. Let’s get down the mountain quickly.”
“Woof! Woof!”
Got it, Master!
Jiang Mo bounded ahead, agile and alert, turning back from time to time to check on her. Whenever she lagged behind, it would stop and wait.
One person and one dog had barely crossed more than half the forest when a torrential downpour suddenly descended, drenching them both to the bone.
Wiping the rain from her face, Jiang Yu spat a few times. “Damn it, just my luck. I step out and it pours like this. Heaven’s really got it out for me!”
She cursed under her breath.
But tugging the spot on her waist that had been slammed earlier made her grimace in pain, and she finally quieted down.
Rain hammered the ground like beads, white mist rising through the forest. Mixed with the rain curtain, it caused Jiang Yu to lose sight of Jiang Mo in the blink of an eye.
Panic surged. She began shouting his name loudly.
Only the endless crash of rain and the roar of the wind answered her.
Dogs were better at survival than she was—she decided to take care of herself first.
Though it was midsummer, her soaked clothes chilled her to the bone.
After pushing through the densest part of the forest, she finally spotted the familiar mountain path.
Following it downhill, she froze when she saw the bridge ahead completely submerged by floodwater. It felt as if the sky had collapsed.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
Three barks rang out.
Through the gray rain curtain, Jiang Yu followed the sound and saw Jiang Mo standing on a large rock that hadn’t yet been submerged, barking toward the other side of the bridge.
“Jiang Mo, come here!”
Seeing the water about to engulf the rock, Jiang Yu shouted at the top of her lungs.
Hearing her voice, Jiang Mo barked repeatedly, wanting to come over but too frightened by the rising water to move.
Then Jiang Yu heard the thunderous sound of trees snapping in the valley. Her mind went blank.
“It’s over!”
That was the sound of a mudslide grinding against the terrain!
“Jiang Mo!”
On impulse, she grabbed a long, thick branch from the ground and rushed over, laying it across the rock that was barely still exposed. “A mudslide is coming! Come over, hurry!”
Sensing the danger, Jiang Mo overcame its fear and tried to cross along the branch she offered.
But after just two steps, its footing slipped, and it fell into the murky, churning water.
The roaring sound from the valley grew closer, each one like a death knell.
Seeing Jiang Mo struggling toward her, Jiang Yu stretched out her hand to grab it.
Come on.
Come on!
Danger closed in step by step. Her hand and Jiang Mo’s paw were always just a tiny bit apart, her heart leaping into her throat with anxiety.
Just as she strained desperately to reach him, the ground beneath her feet began to loosen.
By the time she realized it, her body had already lost balance and tipped toward the river.
“Ah—!”
At the critical moment, a powerful hand appeared and seized her wrist.
The world spun. The next instant, she was standing on solid ground.
Before she could steady herself, the hand at her waist withdrew.
When she looked up again, Xiao Lingzhou had already used his lightness skill to retrieve Jiang Mo from the water.
“Go!”
There was no time for extra words. Holding Jiang Mo in one arm and gripping her hand with the other, he ran toward higher, safer ground.
They ran until they could run no more. Jiang Yu collapsed onto the ground, gasping. “I—I can’t…”
After confirming they were safe, Xiao Lingzhou—also exhausted—set Jiang Mo down.
Listening to the roar of the mudslide sweeping through below the mountain, the two of them and the dog felt their hearts pound violently.
After a long while, once their strength returned, Xiao Lingzhou stood and walked over to her, squatting down. “Can you still walk?”
His voice was mostly drowned out by the rain. From his expression and lip movements, Jiang Yu guessed what he meant and nodded.
Xiao Lingzhou turned his back to her, signaling for her to climb on.
The rain showed no sign of letting up—it looked like it would go on for quite some time.
Jiang Yu didn’t insist on being stubborn. She obediently climbed onto his back and let him carry her.
Seeing both masters leave, the mud-covered Jiang Mo got up, shook the muck from its body, and followed along.
Halfway up the mountain stood a temporary thatched hut built by hunters, used only during hunting seasons.
Carrying Jiang Yu, Xiao Lingzhou pushed open the door that had been blown ajar by the wind. Inside was pitch-black, impossible to see even one’s own hand.
After setting her down, he took a fire striker from his waist, gathered dry firewood, and lit a fire.
The flames chased away the darkness and brought warmth.
Jiang Yu set the basket aside and, shivering, stretched her hands toward the fire.
After adding more wood, Xiao Lingzhou removed his outer robe. Once it was mostly dry, he walked over to her without a word.
“Take off your clothes.”
Jiang Yu’s fair hands were frozen purple. Coupled with the constant pain in her lower back, her movements were as slow as a turtle’s.
Unable to stand it, Xiao Lingzhou pressed his lips together, set aside his robe, and reached out to help her.
When he stripped her down to her inner garment and was about to continue, she raised a hand to clutch her collar, blinking at him with watery eyes. “T-that’s… that’s the last one.”
Even in the middle of the wilderness, she wasn’t used to being naked.
It made her feel far too unsafe.
From Ling Qi, Xiao Lingzhou had learned that she was missing. He had searched for her nearly to madness—worried sick yet furious that she hadn’t told him before running off.
He had planned to scold her severely once he found her.
Earlier, there had been no time amid the danger.
Now, seeing her sitting safely in front of him, the tension he’d been holding finally eased. His face darkened as he said coldly, “If you don’t want to fall ill, take it off.”
Knowing he was angry and aware she was in the wrong, Jiang Yu reluctantly loosened her grip.
After removing her inner garment, Xiao Lingzhou reached to untie the straps of her light purple undergarment. Feeling his warm hands, she hurriedly grabbed his wrist and asked softly, “…Do I still have to take it off?”
He said nothing, only gazing at her silently with a taut expression.
“T-take… take it off.”
She lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him, like a child who’d done something wrong.
After he finished, she immediately raised her arms to shield her chest.
He cast her a brief, indifferent glance, then picked up his white outer robe and wrapped her up completely, his voice stern.
“Now tell me—why did you sneak into the mountains alone?”