Chapter Seventy-Four: Beneath the Sunset Peak

“Uh—Miss Yue, you’re awake?” Xiao Ding quickly withdrew his hand and spoke.

“Mmm, Brother Xiao Ding, you carried me onto your chest so early in the morning—do you like me?” Yue Yurou leaned against Xiao Ding’s chest, turning her face to the side, her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue, making no move to get up.

Heavens above—how was he supposed to explain this?

Xiao Ding hurriedly said, “It wasn’t me who held you, it was…” But he found himself unable to explain. Was he supposed to tell her to her face that it was she who had climbed onto him in her sleep? That would only embarrass her further. After all, she had only unconsciously crawled onto him in her sleep—how could he put that into words?

“Don’t you like me?” Yue Yurou asked softly again.

“No, I do like you, but not in the way you mean…” Xiao Ding was at a loss for words, not knowing how to respond.

“Then what kind of liking is it?” Yue Yurou didn’t dare meet his eyes.

“Well…” Xiao Ding felt as though he had lost the ability to speak, so he simply said, “Miss Yue, the truth is, I’m already married. The way I like you is merely as an ordinary friend…”

“Oh, Brother Xiao Ding, your wife must be very happy,” Yue Yurou replied faintly, a trace of disappointment slipping unbidden into her tone.

“Well… not necessarily…” Xiao Ding sighed, and his heart sank in an instant.

He thought of Er Niu, and more than that, of Qing’er, who was in another world altogether…

His thoughts drifted back to that deserted island…

Qing’er, are you happy now? Do you know that I hardly dare think of you? I’m afraid if I think of you, I’ll go mad with longing, and then I’ll never be able to find a way to return…

“Brother Xiao Ding, why are you crying?” Yue Yurou noticed that Xiao Ding’s expression had suddenly grown desolate, and tears glistened at the corners of his eyes.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just old memories. Let’s get up…” Xiao Ding hastily wiped his eyes and struggled to sit up.

Yue Yurou had no choice but to get off his chest and sit up as well.

They each practiced their respective martial arts for a while, as was their routine.

The morning is the best time to begin the day; as the sun returns, it’s the prime moment to train. The ancients loved to rise at the crowing of roosters and practice their skills—it was, in truth, in keeping with the principles of yin and yang.

After a simple breakfast, they set out once more.

Upon reaching the western side of the cliff, Xiao Ding and Yue Yurou turned into the mountain forest and pressed on westward, making marks along the way.

As they traveled, whenever they came across various flowers or medicinal herbs, Yue Yurou would briefly explain their properties and uses to Xiao Ding, much to his benefit. Most of these plants were common, and they did not encounter anything as rare as the Fiery Sun Fruit again. Still, they found several valuable herbs—wild ginseng decades old, reishi mushrooms, fo-ti root—but neither felt inclined to gather them.

By midday, they had reached a valley. At its base ran a clear, sweet brook. They replenished their water, made a fire, caught three or four unknown wild birds, roasted and ate them, finding the taste quite agreeable. The two birds left over were wrapped in leaves to be eaten in the evening.

After a short rest, they continued on their way.

Once they crossed the valley, they found themselves at the foot of Sunset Peak. When they arrived at the mountain’s base, they were both startled.

Everywhere lay corpses, and packs of wild wolves, dogs, and foxes gnawed at the bodies, sometimes fighting among themselves for the flesh. Yet these beasts never truly fought in earnest; a few snarls and bites, and then each would return to its grisly feast.

Yue Yurou, sickened by the bloody scene, began to retch. Xiao Ding hurriedly led her away from the beasts and up toward Sunset Peak.

Some of the wild animals glanced their way, but with so much food scattered about, they paid not the slightest interest to Xiao Ding and Yue Yurou.

Judging by the matching styles and colors of many of the corpses’ clothing, it was clear that they belonged to various sects or factions.

But Xiao Ding didn’t recognize any of them and didn’t give it further thought.

The main peak of Sunset Mountain, Sunset Peak itself, was not particularly steep, but neither was it easy to climb. The trees here were much sparser than elsewhere—sometimes clustered only in certain spots, leaving great expanses of exposed stone, jagged, towering, or dramatically sheer.

After climbing for over half an hour, the sky began to darken. Xiao Ding looked around for a suitable place to rest.

Spying a platform not far ahead, they hastened their pace.

Upon reaching the platform, Xiao Ding saw that there were several natural stone caves in the mountain behind it. But instead of approaching these, he veered to the side and, on the right, found a small and inconspicuous cave.

“Brother Xiao Ding, why don’t we stay in the larger caves at the front of the platform?” Yue Yurou asked curiously.

“Those caves are nice, but their entrances are too wide to block with boulders at night. Also, their locations are too obvious; if anyone else comes tonight, those are the places they’ll head for. To avoid unexpected trouble, it’s better for us to find a more secluded cave,” Xiao Ding explained.

Yue Yurou, hearing this, realized the wisdom in his words and admired him all the more.

They tidied the little cave, spread some dry grass inside, and placed a large stone near the entrance.

After finishing the leftover wild bird from lunch and drinking some water, they relieved themselves and crawled into the cave, blocking the entrance to rest.

Night had fallen. Lying side by side, neither of them slept; each was lost in their own thoughts.

By now, Xiao Ding was well accustomed to having a beautiful woman beside him. On that deserted island, he’d been through such situations more than a few times, and was long since immune—no longer nervous or excited as he once had been.

Just after nightfall, Xiao Ding heard movement outside and grew alert. Beside him, Yue Yurou seemed to have heard something as well, for she turned to look at him. Xiao Ding put a finger to his lips in a “shh” gesture, signaling her to remain silent.

“Hey, look—some caves here, just right for us to rest in.”

“Yes, but there are a lot of us. I’m afraid these caves won’t fit us all.”

“If there’s not enough room, no matter. We can rest here on the platform, too.”

…

More than twenty people arrived at the platform. From inside the cave, Xiao Ding could hear their footsteps and snatches of conversation.

Yue Yurou looked at Xiao Ding with newfound admiration, thinking how fortunate they hadn’t chosen the larger caves—otherwise, they’d have run right into this group, and who knew what kind of people they might be…

Just then, Xiao Ding and Yue Yurou heard someone say, “Everyone quiet! Someone’s coming up the mountain…”

The crowd immediately fell silent. Xiao Ding, who hadn’t heard a thing yet, silently praised the speaker’s keen senses.

After a moment, Xiao Ding finally picked out the sound. Soon, another group arrived at the stone platform.

“So—it’s you!” someone said coldly.

“Hand over the century-old ginseng, and perhaps I’ll allow your Iron Sword Gang to walk away alive!”

“You lot from Disha Valley, don’t go too far! That rare treasure was won through our hard work—why should we give it to you?”

“Hahaha, do you think we don’t know? Didn’t you snatch it from the Dragon Subduing Sect yourselves?”

“So what if we did? Didn’t they take it from the Cangyu Sect in the first place?”

…