After the meal and a short rest, the group set off into the mountains.
At first they pretended to be casual hikers, strolling up the trail and cheerfully greeting other tourists they met.
Only when they reached the planned fork in the road did the members begin to split off into the mountain proper.
The air in the mountains was fresh; Ruan Xingyao breathed in the long-missed scent of nature and felt completely refreshed.
Her steps grew even lighter.
When He Chengxuan and Lin Xubai first met Ruan Xingyao, they had worried she might be a delicate girl who would need them to clear the way for her.
Who would’ve thought that once they entered the mountain, Ruan Xingyao — holding Baiyi’s leash — charged ahead, one person and one dog leading the way.
Yi Wenxue kept a half-step behind Ruan Xingyao, his gaze soft as it lingered on her back.
Only then did he finally feel the reality of his little junior-sister having truly returned.
They walked deep into the woods until Ruan Xingyao stopped and turned to the others.
“It’s going to storm hard in a bit. We need to find a place to set camp first.”
Xie Lin and Chen Yu followed Ruan Xingyao’s commands without hesitation and immediately began choosing a spot and unpacking equipment to establish camp.
Although curious how Ruan Xingyao had predicted the storm, He Chengxuan and Lin Xubai were both very obedient and sprang into action.
Ruan Xingyao and Yi Wenxue didn’t idle either — they began searching nearby for food.
All kinds of small-animal sounds kept reaching their ears: curious chirps, frightened squeaks, worried whispers.
[Where did these two-leggers come from? What are they doing here? Could they be here to kill themselves too?]
[I don’t think so — I smell something tasty. It smells so good; I want to snuggle up.]
The speaker was a small monkey in the tree, only a few months old.
While chattering it popped its head out and edged toward Ruan Xingyao and Yi Wenxue.
Both of them pretended not to notice and continued searching for food.
Finally the little monkey got bold, leapt down from the tree, and landed on Ruan Xingyao’s shoulder, pawing at her hair.
Seeing this, Baiyi immediately sprang up and lunged at the monkey.
But with one hopping on the ground and the other perched on Ruan Xingyao’s shoulder, Baiyi tried its hardest but couldn’t reach the little monkey.
Frustrated, Bai Yi let out an exasperated “werwer.”
【werwerwerwer! werwerwerwer!】
[Get off my Xingxing! You dumb thing! Get away from my Xingxing right now!]
The little monkey, though young, was clever.
Seeing that Baiyi could only rage impotently from below, it grew even more brazen.
[No! I won’t! Smelly two-legger — I want to snuggle!]
This made Bai Yi furious!
[werwerwerwer! werwerwerwer!]
[Stupid thing! Get down here! I’ll bite you to death if you don’t!]
Baiyi was so angry that it stomped its feet and pawed at Ruan Xingyao’s pants, trying to climb up.
Seeing that it couldn’t make the little monkey get off Ruan Xingyao’s shoulder, Baiyi pitifully bit the hem of her pants.
“werwerwerwer! werwerwerwer!”
【Xingxing, do you not love me anymore? How could you let a wild monkey sit on your shoulder!】
Ruan Xingyao stifled a laugh, reached up to grab the little monkey, squatted down, and gently patted Baiyi’s big head. “Silly Baiyi, why are you getting jealous over a baby?”
When Baiyi heard her actually call that stupid monkey a baby, it got even angrier.
It bit the hem of her pants again, pulling hard like it was determined to rip the fabric apart. “werwerwerwer! werwerwerwer!”
【Stupid Xingxing! Bad Xingxing! You don’t love me anymore! We just got here and you already like that little wild thing outside! You’re breaking this poor dog’s heart!】
After biting for a while, Baiyi got tired and simply flopped onto the ground, howling miserably.
The entire mountain echoed with its “werwer” cries.
Xie Lin and the others, who had already set up camp, heard the noise and came over.
Seeing the scene, he asked, “What’s wrong? Is it scared?”
They thought Baiyi had been frightened by seeing a wild animal for the first time.
Ruan Xingyao stroked Baiyi’s head and said, “No, it’s just jealous — fighting for attention.”
She couldn’t help it — animals just loved her naturally.
Hearing that, Xie Lin’s gaze toward Ruan Xingyao deepened, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.
Ruan Xingyao didn’t notice.
She sat down cross-legged, one hand soothing Baiyi, the other holding the little monkey as she asked softly, “Little one, can you tell me if there’s anything tasty nearby?”
The little monkey seemed to think for a moment, then hopped up excitedly.
【Two-legger, follow me!】
Ruan Xingyao stood and followed the monkey deeper into the forest.
Lin Xubai and He Chengxuan stayed behind to guard the camp, while the others followed after Ruan Xingyao.
Before long, under the monkey’s lead, they came upon a grove of fruit trees and clusters of mushrooms.
The monkey proudly picked a piece of fruit and offered it to Ruan Xingyao.
【Two-legger, this one’s really tasty! Eat it!】
Ruan Xingyao laughed, wiped it on her sleeve without hesitation, and took a bite.
Juicy and sweet — it was indeed delicious.
Turning to Yi Wenxue, she said, “Seventeenth Senior Brother, this is so good!”
Then she looked at Xie Lin and Chen Yu. “Captain Xie, Assistant Chen — let’s pick a bunch more!”
“Sure.”
“No problem!”
The two quickly got to work, plucking the fruits with practiced efficiency.
Ruan Xingyao smiled brightly, took off her jacket, spread it out on the ground, and said, “Put them here!”
Xie Lin and Chen Yu had only been standing on the ground, reaching up to pick whatever fruits they could touch.
But under Ruan Xingyao’s expectant gaze, the two unconsciously began to compete with each other.
Before long, they each climbed up a tree, tossing fruits down one after another.
Yi Wenxue folded his arms, watching the competitive display with amusement, clicking his tongue in wonder.
Meanwhile, Ruan Xingyao had already lost interest in their little contest.
She turned to the little monkey and asked, “Baby, is there any meat around here?”
The monkey looked utterly terrified, instantly leaping back into the tree and curling up into a trembling ball.
【Don’t eat me! Don’t eat me! I’m not tasty! I’m not tasty at all!】
Ruan Xingyao burst out laughing. Tilting her head up, she said, “Relax, I’m not going to eat you. I just want to know if there’s any other meat to eat.”
Just fruits and mushrooms wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her.
Even though she had eaten delicious Yunnan-style food before entering the mountains, all that energy was already burned off.
Once the monkey was certain Ruan Xingyao wasn’t going to eat it, it jumped down again.
Perching on her shoulder, it pointed toward a direction ahead.
Ruan Xingyao and Yi Wenxue followed its lead and soon came upon a mountain stream — its waters clear and filled with plump, lively fish.
“Wow! Those fish look so good!” Ruan Xingyao exclaimed.
Turning to Yi Wenxue, she grinned and said, “Seventeenth Senior Brother, this one’s on you!”
— The end of the Chapter–
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