Chapter 27: Who's Holding Whom Back?

  Hehe, I've found that the rewards at the top are already many! Xiaolong wants to thank everyone here for their rewards and will definitely update well! In addition, being a bit ambitious, votes are also needed, collections are also needed!

  It's still a three-hour journey to the top of the mountain, and if you walk faster, two hours will be enough. Adding the time it takes to return to the middle of the mountain and down to the foot of the mountain, it will take at least six hours.

  Hao Ren thought that he would have to be alone with Zhao Yanzi for at least six hours, which was almost half a day, and his heart felt a bit uneasy.

  Fortunately, the scenery here is beautiful, and if you don't look at Zhao Yanzi, you can at least take a look at the scenery.

  Zhao Yanzi was extremely excited and almost ran up the mountain, as if he couldn't wait to see the Taoist temple again, but also seemed to be trying to deliberately shake off Hao Ren.

  Hao Ren certainly wouldn't let her shake him off easily, taking a deep breath, quickening his pace, and closely following behind her.

  "Hurry up! Hurry up! You're the slowest!" Zhao Yanzi urged Hao Ren on as she climbed up the mountain.

  Hao Ren ignored her taunts and continued to climb the stone steps at a steady pace. As someone who practiced long-distance running, he knew how to use his strength most efficiently, unlike Zhao Yanzi, who only knew how to sprint forward without considering the energy consumption that would follow.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, after half an hour, Zhao Yanzi, who had been maintaining a high speed uphill, finally exhausted his physical strength, and his footsteps gradually slowed down.

  Hao Ren continued to climb up the mountain at a steady pace and soon caught up with her, then overtook her, continuing up the mountain at an unhurried pace.

  "Hey!" Seeing Hao Ren actually dare to abandon her, Zhao Yanzi couldn't help but shout out.

  Hao Ren feigned innocence and turned around, standing on the steps above her, looking down at her with a superior attitude, "What's wrong, can't walk?"

  "I... " Zhao Yan's face turned red, "I just wanted a drink of water!"

  She stretched out her arm towards Hao Ren, "Give me water!"

  Hao Ren opened her backpack and took out a bottle of mineral water, handing it over to her.

  Zhao Yan drank several mouthfuls of the soda with a gurgling sound, then extremely unfriendly threw the mineral water to Hao Ren.

  Her attitude made Hao Ren feel a bit uncomfortable, but thinking of her parents being nice to him, he endured it.

  He put the mineral water into his backpack and didn't care whether Zhao Yanzi was moving or not, he continued to climb up the mountain.

  This made Zhao Yanzi miserable, Hao Ren continued to climb the mountain, she had no choice but to follow, on one hand because all the food and drink were in the backpack Hao Ren was carrying, on the other hand also not wanting to be looked down upon by Hao Ren, could only grit her teeth and continue walking. And just now that mocking remark about Hao Ren's slow pace, she couldn't bring herself to say it anymore.

  On the mountain road, Hao Ren's every step was very steady, just like his long-distance running pace, with breathing adjustments, very rhythmic.

  Zhao Yanzi didn't have it easy anymore, closely following Hao Ren, panting, her small face turned from red to pale, with a pair of eyes full of resentment, as if she wanted to stare Hao Ren to death.

  After walking for a while, Hao Ren finally stopped. Zhao Yanzi, who was closely following behind him, finally had a chance to catch his breath.

  Hao Ren unfolded the map, looked at it for a few seconds, "Hmm, we've walked half of the way, at our speed, we'll be there in another hour."

  "What? Another hour?! Zhao Yanzi's face showed a desperate expression. Thinking that she still had to move forward at the same speed as before, her body involuntarily went limp."

  Hao Rencai didn't care what she thought, put away the map, and once again lifted his feet, continuing to head upwards.

  Zhao Yanzi had barely caught her breath when she saw Hao Ren not resting at all, but instead going further up. She was so angry that she wanted to hate Hao Ren to death. She stopped for a few seconds and shouted towards Hao Ren's increasingly distant back, "You scoundrel!!!"

  Hao Ren turned around, still wearing that very innocent expression on his face, looking at her from afar, "What's wrong?"

  "Y...y..." Zhao Yan's voice was trembling and he couldn't get his words out.

  "Are you going to rest?" Hao Ren asked her.

  Zhao Yanzi's face turned red with anger, she really wanted to rest, but couldn't say it out loud, fearing that Hao Ren would take the opportunity to attack her and look down on her.

  "Ah, I'm a bit tired, let's take a break." Hao Ren took off his backpack and put it on the steps, then sat down beside it with a thud.

  "It's you who needs a rest, I didn't say I was tired!" Zhao Yanzi pouted and said, also imitating Hao Ren, sitting down on the spot.

  Hao Ren saw her face turn pale and knew she was about to exhaust herself, but he didn't expose her.

  They sat on the stairs, six or seven steps apart, one higher than the other, staring at each other with wide eyes.

  Hao Ren suddenly remembered that there might be a camera in his backpack, so he took it out and snapped a photo of Zhao Yanzi below.

  Her puffed-up appearance was instantly captured in the photo.

  "Who allowed you to take pictures!" she shrieked.

  Hao Ren stretched out his camera far away from her and said, "How about you take a picture of me?"

  "I'm not going to take a picture for you!" Zhao Yanzi gave Hao Ren a white eye.

  "Then... shall we take a photo together?" Hao Ren asked her again.

  Zhao Yanzi turned her head away, neither taking the camera nor looking at Hao Ren, "Pfft, who wants to take a photo with an uncle like you!"

  Hao Ren put the camera back in his backpack and stood up. "We've rested enough, let's head up the mountain."

  "Hey..." Zhao Yanzi glared at Hao Ren, clearly aware that he was intentionally "getting revenge", but could only helplessly chase after him in a jog.

  Hao Ren turned around and saw Zhao Yanzi's face flushed with excitement as she chased after him. He thought for a moment, then slowed down his pace. Although this little girl had a bad temper, there was no need to really bully her.

  "If I had Long Dan, a hundred of you wouldn't be able to catch up with me!" Zhao Yanzi punched Hao Ren's shoulder and said resentfully.

  "If you can't walk, we can still make it down the mountain now," Hao Ren said to her. His words were sincere and not teasing her.

  Who said that! I must go to the top of the mountain!

  Seeing Hao Ren looking at her with a pitiful gaze, she gritted her teeth and said, "If you can't walk, then go down the mountain by yourself!"

  Hao Ren smiled and thought to himself that this girl was quite stubborn, and he actually slightly admired her.

  At this moment, Zhao Yanzi's small face was red and flushed, her little nose rising and falling with each breath, with a few drops of sweat hanging from it. Her chest was heaving rapidly as she breathed, her pale skin looking smooth like milk.

  Her hair, damp with sweat, made her look a little more charming. Indeed, she was not very old, but already had the feeling of being a beautiful woman.

  She clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and ran past Hao Ren again.

  Hao Ren had no choice but to quicken his pace and walk alongside her.

  The two of them walked silently along the mountain road. There were no cable cars or ropeways here, and now that it was already afternoon, there were fewer and fewer tourists as they climbed higher.

  The scenery is getting more and more beautiful, and the mountain path is also getting quieter. In the back, the whole mountain seems to have only Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi, these two mountaineers who are "competing" with each other.

  The sunlight shone down through the gaps in the branches, casting a slanted glow. Hao Ren glanced at his phone and saw that it was already three o'clock in the afternoon. If he didn't hurry up to reach the summit soon, it would be even later when he got back to the hotel at the foot of the mountain. And if the sky grew darker, walking on the mountain path would become even more inconvenient.

  "Azhi, we need to hurry up, or else we won't make it down the mountain." After walking in silence for nearly an hour, Hao Ren finally spoke up.

  "Bosh!" Zhao Yanzi replied impatiently.

  Her face was already covered in sweat, and her clothes were more than half soaked. It seemed that she had indeed done her best. But after all, she was just a little girl, how could her physical strength compare to Hao Ren, who was once on the long-distance running team in middle school?

  It was at this time that the mountains were exhausted and there was no way to go, but suddenly a village appeared. They followed the mountain road and turned around a dense big tree, and suddenly saw the golden eaves of the Taoist temple on the top of the mountain.

  "Hah! We did it!" Zhao Yanzi exclaimed with joy, her triumphant delight evident.

  Hao Ren's heart was also relieved and brightened up, he didn't expect that after more than two hours of effort, there would finally be a result.

  However, he was also worried that after spending so much time and energy climbing the mountain, would they be able to return to the hotel around 7 o'clock as planned?

  "Idiot! Hurry up! Don't get left behind!" Seeing Hao Ren hesitating at the foot of the stairs, Zhao Yanzi turned back to him excitedly and shouted.

  But in Hao Ren's ears, such an unthinking appellation somehow carried a sense of trust and intimacy.