Volume 1: This Heart of Mine Chapter 64: You Kiss Me, I Kiss You, Everyone Kisses

  Bite down.

  It's really biting.

  His sharp teeth touched her thin, slightly red lips, with a hint of irritation and a bit of willfulness. Between his upper and lower teeth, he gently rolled in her little red lip, tightened, loosened, and then tightened again, bouncing out with a rhythmic motion, as if teasing, yet also provoking.

  Her lips were slightly painful, but just controlled to not be too painful, only being bitten like this, unable to advance or retreat. With her temperament, even if she was torn into three pieces, she would still try to regain control of her lips. But he was not only a master at manipulating people's hearts, but also a master at manipulating emotions, as if seeing through her every move. When she tried to pull away, he would loosen his grip, and when she hesitated, he would bite again.

  Endless and entangling.

  Tai Shi Lan finally got a bit angry, suddenly opening her mouth, she was about to pounce on him, but Tai Shi Lan suddenly lifted her head and pushed forward.

  A dull crackling sound, four large front teeth collided crisply together...

  He let out a low, muffled laugh and covered his own aching teeth roots. This woman's reaction was truly bizarre - she had actually used her teeth to knock him back. Didn't her own teeth ache?

  He smiled, pressed down on Tai Shi Lan's nape, and without any courtesy, pressed her under his lips - hmm, take advantage of her current toothache and dizziness, enjoy it once.

  Before he could even react, Tai Shi Lan came up and bit his lips - I'll take the initiative, I bite!

  A low, mournful laugh echoed above their heads, causing both of their chests to tremble slightly. Instead of avoiding Taishi Lan's ferocious bites, he leaned in closer with his lips.

  At this moment, she finally felt his slightly cool and soft lips, as well as the familiar fragrance of orchids between his lips and teeth. His skin had always been radiant and smooth, like pearls that shone brightly, but when close, it was possible to feel a resilience and texture that was completely different from a woman's. Normally he didn't have a beard, but at this moment, she could feel the slight stubble on his chin, which was a bit rough and poked her skin, carrying a rich and attractive masculine scent. And then there was his body, its presence in this moment clear and not stiff, with a real muscular texture, the curves of his chest and waist, the connection between his waist and legs... She suddenly felt awakened to a gender consciousness that she had never paid attention to before - this is what it means to be a man!

  The scent of a man! The body of a man! The ubiquitous and inescapable breath of a man!

  More exquisite, more elegant, more beautiful, his strength and masculine flavor are still as distinct as the lush green trees on top of his head at this moment.

  Tai Shi Lan suddenly relaxed his mouth, giving up further ferocity in his bite. However, he refused to let go, his eyes gleaming as if he saw the rare tremble in her heart at this moment, and he took advantage of it to lean in closer.

  "Bang."

  A round thing hit him on the head, and small fragrant particles splashed out, causing the two to suddenly separate.

  She raised her head, and among the lush green pine needles, a pale blue-white face appeared, with shiny black eyes, and an expression on her small face that clearly read "unhappiness".

  "What are you doing... what are you doing..." he muttered, "Sir... sir... do you also want to snatch mom? No way... can't come again..."

  Tai Shi Lan wiped her face and said: "Throw another one down, I'll let you have a snack of pine nuts."

  "What's with 'also want' and 'come again'?" However, Chong Chu keenly picked up on the difference. "Jing Tai Lan, who else has done this before?"

  Jingtai Lan stared at Ta Shi's stubbornness, not speaking. His master was actually who, Xiao Zi understood very clearly, and therefore did not dare to offend him casually.

  "Is it Li Fu Zhou?" Rong Chu suddenly smiled, with a deep meaning in his smile. "If it's him, I'll feel at ease."

  Tai Shi Lan didn't speak, and knocked on the pine nut.

  Rong Chu gazed at her apathetic expression, seemingly very satisfied.

  Just as he was about to speak, Tai Shi Lan handed a handful of pine nuts to Jing Tai Lan and asked him, "Why are you at ease with Li Fu Zhou?"

  The noble Rongguo Gong's face suddenly fell.

  He stared at Ta Shi Lan, and Ta Shi Lan stared back at him. The two men's eyes clashed in mid-air, another intense confrontation.

  "Taishi lan." Rong Chu's face was like the June sky, changing rapidly, and suddenly smiled again, "You... you... were you born to annoy me? Or were you born to trample on men?"

  "All men are created equal."

  "Absurd."

  "Ignorance."

  "Ridiculous."

  "Immature."

  "Foolish."

  "Is your waist okay?"

  "Idiot......ah?"

  "Here." Tai Shi Lan gently pushed him, "Turn around and let me take a look."

  "Ah......" The question turned into a low, mournful cry. Rong Chu's beautiful face twisted like a sesame seed cake in an instant, tightly clutching her left waist. "You wicked female lunatic, don't touch me, no way..."

  "Jingtai blue." Tai Shi Lan turned her head to beckon the little rascal at home, "Remember, arrogant men are stupid. When you're not capable, never try to cover up for anyone, or else you'll die in vain."

  "Oh, okay." Little rascal nodded, "But mom, dad said that men can't say they can't do it."

  "A real man is one who dares to admit that he can't do something," said Tai Shi Lan. "Don't discriminate against him."

  "Oh." Jing Tai's blue eyes were sympathetic, and he also sympathetically patted Rong Chuyi's slightly bulging belly, showing off his pride.

  Indecent behavior, lewd expression.

  Almost choked the noble Duke to death.

  Rong Chu leaned against the cliff, one hand holding his waist and the other embracing Tai Shi Lan's waist. His lips curled up in a half-smile and half-anger, smiling at how this woman could always tease him, yet angry that even at this moment she was still teasing him.

  He stared at the back of her neck, wanting to punish her with a kiss, or simply follow that scoundrel-like Jing Tai Lan, and let her understand whether he was "capable" or not!

  However, as his gaze fell, he saw the skin among her disheveled black hair, which was not the usual skin as white as snow, but rather like honey newly harvested in the sunlight, slightly pale, yet more lustrous, with fine and tight texture, without a single unnecessary wrinkle.

  The lines of the neck are the simplest and most flowing two strokes in Chinese painting, outlining the curves of the human body like rhythmic beauty.

  Her tone was cold and hard, but her skin and lines made people accidentally gentle, like waking up at midnight, seeing the loved one, under the moonlight, a mermaid-like back.

  A splash of water came over, wetting the patch of skin he was staring at, making it even more radiant and soft and alluring, but he lifted his head.

  It wasn't until then that he realized, although he had shielded her, she was also standing in front of him, facing the surging tide. Because of the cold and the suffocating waves that hit them in the face, she seemed to be trembling slightly.

  Perhaps it was precisely because she didn't want him to discover her trembling that she stood out even more coldly.

  Rong Chu really wanted to change his posture, such as hugging her sideways, so that he could stand firmly and avoid the suffering of being hit by the waves, unfortunately...

  He quietly held her waist.

  Tai Shi Lan indeed has a pair of sharp eyes and his vision is not bad at all. His waist does have some problems though.

  In his youth, he was buried in the snow for two days during a famous battle, and finally beheaded the enemy leader, achieving great merit and fame as a young man, and thus smoothly emerged from among many brothers to inherit the title. However, due to the cold in his waist, he left behind a hidden illness, which rarely occurred on ordinary days, but previously soaking in the water for one night, and then crossing two people above the waterfall, for Jing Tai Lan and her safety, those two big turns against human physiology ability, again triggered the old trouble.

  He thought the illness had long since healed, but he didn't expect that once it flared up, it would come on so fiercely. Song Chu felt like half his body was paralyzed, and even moving a little bit was difficult, let alone twisting his waist. He stuck tightly to the cliff wall, and even breathing deeply made him feel like his waist was splitting in two with pain.

  A huge wave crashed over, Tai Shi Lan suddenly shifted his body, just in time to block the water, and with a splash, he was soaked from head to toe.

  Rong Chu's breathing suddenly became a bit unstable.

  Tai Shi Lan didn't turn around, nor did he move.

  She had clearly heard the two creaks earlier, and later felt his slightly trembling breath brush against the back of her neck. It wasn't because of cold or desire; she was certain that it was a frequency belonging to pain. Rarely did he still remember their banter.

  He suddenly stopped struggling, stopped talking, his breath swept across her neck, still slightly trembling, but seemed different from before, with a hint of vigor and tremulous vibration, like the strings on a zither, tightened in an instant.

  Then the waves surged forward, and she welcomed them.

  After a spell of rain, both of them seemed a bit tired and didn't speak. The blue jay on the tree let out a chirp, its small face reddening. Tai Shi Lan remembered that he was still running a fever and had to leave immediately to start a fire and warm up.

  Rong Chu was probably unable to move, otherwise he would have taken them away from here and gone up to the platform.

  Taishi Lan looked up and tore off one of his sleeves, handing it to Jing Tai Lan. "Jing Tai Lan, do you see that tree branch above? Yes, the one I'm pointing at. Use this cloth to wrap your hands and pull down the branch as much as you can. Be careful with your balance, don't fall off."

  "This is too dangerous." Rong Chu looked at the height, "The branches are not firm, and if he doesn't exert even force, it's easy to fall off."

  "I'll follow him."

  "What's your trick next? Just two people fell into the water and I had to go fishing."

  "Don't bother helping me, I have a way."

  "I don't agree with whatever method, adventure."

  "If you never try because of possible danger, then you might as well stay home and embroider."

  "There's also a limit to what can be expected of him, he's only two and a half years old."

  "I killed someone when I was three years old."

  ……

  After a long silence, Rong Chu turned her head and looked into Tai Shi Lan's eyes.

  Although she knew she was not one to tell lies, he still wanted to find a hint of jest in those eyes, but there wasn't any.

  She looks at people with eternal determination, a long spear that pierces through all the hypocrisy in the world.

  "Bang." A vine fell from the old pine tree. Jing Tai Lan smiled and said, "You talk too much..."

  Tai Shi Lan and Rong Chu, “……”

  Tai Shi Lan took over the tree vine with one hand, and reached out to search around Rong Chu's waist. Rong Chu let out a hissing breath and laughed: "The child is in front of us, don't be so impatient..."

  Tai Shi Lan didn't care about him, this man's waist was now stiff and cold like a dead body, even a woman who hadn't seen a man in ten thousand years wouldn't have any ambiguous thoughts because of it. According to her impression, she felt a thin dagger in a hidden pocket around his waist.

  The dagger was extremely thin, clinging to his skin like a layer of skin. If he wasn't careful, it would almost cut her hand. Ta Shi Lan drew out the dagger and inserted it into the cliff wall, creating a silent hole as if cutting tofu.

  Indeed a good sword.

  She raised an eyebrow, looking at her own priceless private weapon being searched away and even used as a shovel - this woman seemed to have no idea what courtesy meant. Hmm, if she was just as aggressive when it came to possessing men, that wouldn't be bad either.

  "Jingtai blue, climb onto my shoulder!"

  Jingtai Lan's small body rolled down carefully along the pine branch, Tai Shi Lan continued to move him onto his own shoulder, and then combed him back with a tree vine.

  At this time, the three were very crowded and immediately stood unsteadily. Tai Shi Lan immediately climbed up with his hands and feet along the hole dug by the dagger.

  Rong Chu leaned against the cliff, watching her climb up with some agility. He thought to himself that this woman didn't even say goodbye or look back, and wondered if there was a chance she would turn around and come looking for him? He gave it one in ten odds...

  "Snap." A longer vine dropped down from the platform, landing right in front of his nose.

  Rong Chu raised his head and saw Tai Shi's calm face, with eyes that read "dawdling man, hurry up!"

  "The scenery here is not bad." Rong Chu didn't take the rope, and leisurely looked at the rolling waves in front of him, with a majestic waterfall not far away. "I suddenly thought of my internal strength, which has some similarities with this scene. You go ahead, I'll practice, and after practicing, my waist meridian will be unblocked."

  Tai Shi Lan looked at him for a while, then turned his head.

  Rong Chu Wei smiled slightly.

  Then he heard Tai Shi Lan start on-site education for Jing Tai Lan again in the sound of water.

  "Men who show off are annoying. Men who still try to save face after being found out for showing off, are both annoying and stupid."

  "Mommy." Jing Tai Lan said in a milky and creamy tone, "Are you talking about Grandpa? But Grandpa looks fine, he just flew very beautifully earlier."

  "That was just now." Ta Shi Lan said, "Didn't you see, his pants were almost falling off, couldn't he even pull them up?"

  Rong Chu felt that one day he must press this woman down somewhere and severely punish her until she understood the teachings of propriety, class, three obediences and four virtues, respect for superiors, and other fundamental principles of life.

  As for somewhere, perhaps the bed is a good choice?

  The branches swayed, and before long, Tai Shi climbed down with a rustling sound. Rong Chu smiled and leaned against the cliff wall, her hands clasped to her chest, admiring her own figure - from bottom to top, just right to see the curves of her whole body, which could only be discovered after being wet, the wonderful concave and convex shapes that were just right. The sunlight was refracted from the corner of the mountain cliff, and it was as beautiful as moonlight here.

  She climbed down and looked from top to bottom, another mountain range that was not steep but elegant, Rong Chu felt very satisfied and in a good mood.

  His mood quickly turned bad. Because Tai Shi Lan didn't say a word, he squatted in front of him, put his back on him, picked up the tree vines and crossed them over his chest, passed his arms through his shoulders and handed over the vines, "Tie yourself up."

  Rong Chu didn't say a word, but after a while, she smiled and lazily whispered in her ear, "I'll hold you tight."

  Tai Shi Lan was slightly surprised. This guy didn't have a big man's chauvinism this time. Originally, she had planned that if he pretended to be tough again, she would knock him out directly.

  Still quite aware of the situation.

  She took a deep breath and started to climb up, with a big man on her back and a small one, the feeling was almost indescribable. The upward slope was very steep, and the pressure on her back exceeded her expectations. She almost didn't get up for the first time, then took another deep breath, pressed her palms against the water, and slowly stood up.

  As she lifted her leg, it was as if a thousand pounds were pressing down on her. She gazed up at the platform, but it was only about ten feet away, yet it seemed like an eternity.

  The weight on his back suddenly took a deep breath, and Tai Shi Lan felt that the weight on his back had lightened a lot. What kind of martial arts was this?

  She didn't dare to hesitate anymore, taking advantage of the brief moment when her back relaxed, she scrambled up quickly. In just a few steps, the suppressed panting had already started, and the sweat on her forehead was like a dense rainstorm, pouring down as soon as it appeared.

  Sweat dripped down his collar, as his entire body trembled slightly, a drop fell onto the back of his hand, she didn't make a sound. He raised his head, a thin line of teeth marks on the corner of his lips.

  "I'll use my hands, you use your feet." Rong Chu suddenly whispered in her ear, stretching out his hand, reaching over her shoulder, grasping the cliff wall, and with a single flick of his fingers, left a deep scratch.

  She felt a slight relief from the pressure, and quickly climbed up. The two of them worked together, taking turns to exert force, and surprisingly, they managed to climb onto the platform. At the last step, Tai Shi Lan's last bit of strength was exhausted, and in an instant, it seemed like an eternity. However, Jing Tai Lan was quick-witted and found a nearby old tree with a branch in a stone crevice. She tied the branch to the tree and handed it over to Rong Chu. Rong Chu grabbed hold of the branch, and suddenly clamped her legs tightly around his waist, shouting loudly, "Up!"

  With a loud crash, the two of them heavily fell onto the cliff edge, with Taishi Ran's legs still hanging outside.

  The two people who fell to the ground were both panting, neither of them had the strength to speak. After a long time, Rong Chu finally lay on the ground and glanced at the tree vines that hadn't been taken off her chest, smiling: "I was wrong, I should have let the tree vines tie me up earlier, hmm..."

  At this moment, he should be able to see the scenery in front of her chest, and clearly see what kind of beautiful outline is hidden under her robe every day.

  It has nothing to do with flirting or being promiscuous, it's just that he suddenly realized that beneath her cold exterior, she had many more feminine and charming qualities that she didn't want others to know about. Precisely because she wanted to hide them, he wanted to be the only one who saw them.

  Tai Shi Lan's legs were propped up against the cliff, and she didn't even bother to move. Her voice was hoarse as she said, "I can still go down a bit more, anyway your waist is already ruined." As she spoke, she pushed away his boots that were pressed against her waist with disdain.

  "I'll give you proof, whether it's useless or not." Rong Chumu said nonchalantly with narrowed eyes.

  Tai Shi Lan ignored him, got up and looked around. This was a short cliff, there were paths leading both up and down. The priority now was to start a fire to warm up and get rid of the chill, then continue on the journey once his energy was restored. If he could meet some mountain hunters, perhaps he could descend the mountain even earlier and return to Bei Yan.

  She picked leaves, struck stones to make fire, and was busy for a while. The fire crackled to life, and she hung her blue clothes on a branch to dry over the flames. With nothing but her bare butt, Jing Tai Lan felt an overwhelming sense of liberation in the woods. She took off running, dashing through the forest three times, her white buttocks flashing back and forth, almost getting pecked by a mountain chicken that mistook her for a giant mushroom.

  Tai Shi Lan picked up a handful of stones, and Jing Tai Lan curiously opened his eyes wide, asking: "Mom, can we eat these? Are we going to have roasted stones for dinner tonight?"

  Chu Youyou lay down by the fire and let out a long sigh - this woman really didn't want to let him idle.

  As expected, Tai Shi Lan put the stone in Rong Chu's hand and said, "No need to worry, just catch a few wild animals for lunch."

  Nothing to do but hit a few wild animals... Rong Chuwang looked up at the sky, then looked around at the empty forest without any beasts, even the pheasants were scared away by human voices - girl, do you think all wild animals are stupid and will crash into the stones in my hand?

  Rong Guogong, who was waiting for the chicken by the stone, was not an ordinary person after all. After waiting for more than half a day, he shot down a bird and also a rabbit that had been chased and stunned into coming over.

  Tai Shi Lan was butchering the bird and rabbit on a stone, she had never done this before, but with no technique and courage, she chopped and hacked without hesitation, making a mess everywhere. When she finished, the two prey were unrecognizable, and Cui's face was splattered with a row of bloodstains and three feathers.

  The rotten bird meat was barely strung up with branches and roasted over the fire. After a burst of flames, Jing Tai Lan put on his clothes, the low heat had dissipated, and he let him watch the prey on the fire while he came over, holding the cloth that had been torn off earlier, without saying a word, covered Rong Chu's eyes.

  "I can't move." Rong Chu smiled, "You go behind the tree to take it off. Don't worry about your flat chest, I'm not interested in sneaking a peek."

  Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a chill run down his body and then a coldness.

  It seems like, apparently, possibly... this woman has stripped off her clothes?

  "Look at your flat head." Tai Shi Lan lowered his head and glanced at Rong Chu, "I don't have any interest in it either."

  "You might as well take it off." Rong Chu smiled stiffly and then laughed, "Maybe you'll be interested then."

  "I'm afraid that if Jing Tai Lan sees it, it will lead to a shadow, and then develop poorly." Ta Shi Lan's tone was flat, and he grabbed his clothes and left.

  Rong Chu didn't understand the meaning of this sentence for a while - she was calling him "little" again!

  Suddenly felt happy.

  It's okay, he will make her understand what a man's power is all about.

  Tai Shi Lan moved Rong Chu to the edge of the fire, first drying Rong Chu's clothes over the flames, then taking his dried clothes and walking behind a tree.

  A rustling sound came from behind, although she hadn't seen any ferocious beasts for the time being, but after all, in the mountains and forests, she still didn't dare to walk far.

  Rong Chu lay down, listening to the faint sound of buttons colliding when undone and the soft rustling of robes falling like flowing water. He suddenly narrowed his eyes at Jing Tai Lan and said: "Jing Tai Lan, you're downwind over there, later the smoke will irritate your eyes, switch positions."

  "Oh." Jing Tai Lan obediently changed positions. Now directly facing Rong Chu was a giant ancient tree that was behind Jing Tai Lan earlier.

  At this moment, the sunlight is just right, and there are not many trees in front of us, so the sun's rays can shine through. The shadow of the person behind me is projected onto an old tree, which is wide enough to form a flat surface facing towards where I am standing. A slender waist, a pair of long legs, and a gentle curve, like a beautiful mountain range stretching across the vast earth, are all reflected in the shadow. As the arm rises with the sunlight, the brightest light shines at the fingertips, and amidst the dense tree patterns, a young silhouette is written.

  Rong Chu Wei smiled slightly.

  The piece of cloth covering his eyes won't hinder his vision at all, and through the faintly red texture, the world and she look even more beautiful.

  Behind her footsteps sounded, Taishi Lan came out, wearing a comfortable wide robe, with wet clothes on her hands, which were her own clothes. She spread her clothes on the branches one by one to dry.

  At this time, the roasted bird and rabbit were also ready. The legs and wings all belonged to Jing Tai Lan, while she and Rong Chu each had half of the rest. There was no seasoning, and they weren't cooked evenly either. To be honest, it didn't taste good, but including Jing Tai Lan, everyone ate with relish - after drifting on the water for so long, having only eaten a little bit of rice crust, now even roasted wood could be swallowed.

  After eating the rabbit and bird, Tai Shi Lan arranged for Jing Tai Blue to rest, and sat down beside Rong Chu. Rong Chu closed his eyes, listening to her footsteps, treading on fallen leaves, not very light, suddenly feeling at ease in his heart.

  "What? You're willing to return my clothes?" he asked with a smile.

  Tai Shi Lan didn't speak, sat down, and Rong Chu lay on her back, feeling the breath that belonged to her. It was a very strange breath, couldn't tell whether it was floral or grassy, or not any scent at all. The smell was slightly cool, yet made people feel intimate, like the human scent with smoke, but it didn't match her temperament at all.

  This was the first time she took the initiative to sit next to him, and it was also the first time he smelled her breath. In the past, when she walked, she brought wind, and when she was quiet, there was a distance. Only now did he have the opportunity to immerse himself in her breath, and for a moment, it seemed like a different world.

  No one spoke, and he suddenly didn't want to break the mood of this moment either. A pair of hands suddenly reached out, untied the cloth covering his eyes, and landed on his waist.

  Rong Chu's body stiffened again, and he looked up at her with an almost disbelieving gaze - what was she planning to do?

  He would rather believe that she was going to strip him naked and rape him than believe that she was actually giving him a massage... Oh... It really was a massage...

  Her fingers fell, accurately falling on the most painful and numb place on his waist, first light then heavy, with a grasp of force that was just right, layer by layer of force applied, wave after wave of heat transmitted in, he felt the heavy, numbness like iron, severe pain hidden in the marrow of his waist, as if it had relaxed a lot.

  Although his waist disease cannot be completely cured by massage, however, the unexpected massage at this moment seemed to have softened his heart a little.

  She had her hair tied up high like a man's for convenience, wearing his robe which was too large and loose on her shoulders, revealing a glimpse of her collarbone. The robe had the popular design of an open slit at the neckline, so a narrow gap opened in front of her chest, like a ray of light shining through a crack in the sky. When she stretched out her arms, the fabric in front of her chest rose and fell slightly, shimmering with a soft honey color that dazzled in the sunlight. The oversized sleeves were rolled up on her arm but kept falling down, revealing her slender and crystal-like arms, like a jade-colored river flowing into the darkness.

  She was a woman with great strength, even without any internal power foundation, the strength in her hands was still rarely seen. After just a short massage, her cheeks were slightly flushed and her fingers were a bit weak. He thought of how she had been through hardships and dangers all day and night, and after escaping danger, he couldn't move, Jing Tai Lan needed to be taken care of, yet she hadn't rested for a single moment. Heaven knows how she managed to hold on.

  Suddenly, a soft and melancholic emotion arose from the bottom of his heart, feeling a bit strange, yet a bit painful. Amidst the pain, a faint joy emerged, he knew that was called heartache.

  His fingers moved and suddenly grasped her hand.

  "It's all right," he said, "you go to sleep."

  Tai Shi Lan lowered his head and looked at his own fingers, tightly grasping the other's hand, with their palms facing each other, at the closest distance to the heart.

  Take another look at Rong Chu, his hair crown was washed away by the water at some point, and his long black hair scattered open, a bit disheveled on his pale face. He didn't feel feminine or weak, but added a kind of delicate madness, elegant abandon. His slightly furrowed brow expression made people's hearts also seem to be slightly tangled, like seeing the wind blowing away the falling snow, flying over to that side of the sky.

  She took a glance, then swept past her, pulling out her hand without making a sound. She hummed in agreement and turned to leave. But she didn't rest either, picking up some branches and vines, simply weaving a stretcher and hanging two ropes. With a casual motion, she dragged Rong Chu onto it, like dragging a dead pig.

  Rong Chu closed his eyes and let her toss him around, telling himself in his heart - this woman is serving me, serving me, serving me...

  "I think we can't spend the night here," said Taishi Lan. "Let's take advantage of the early hour and head down the mountain."

  "Go ahead, but first return my clothes, how?"

  Tai Shi Lan only then realized that she had been wearing his robe all along, while her dried clothes had been taken by Jing Tai Lan and tossed into Rong Chu Hui's arms. She walked over to change, but suddenly stopped in her tracks.

  Rong Chu frowned a moment earlier.

  Someone shouted.

  More than one person's footsteps came from all directions, the footsteps were light and swift, but with a hint of weight, they were people from the rivers and lakes, and they carried weapons.

  That group of people came from different directions, but their goal seemed to be the same, and they were heading towards the forest.

  Tai Shi Lan stood quietly, facing the direction of the approaching person, her back straight. Jing Tai Lan was hidden behind her.

  The newcomer soon discovered the fire and walked in, glancing at Tai Shi Lan and smiling at the person beside him, "It seems that's not a local hunter." He smiled and asked Tai Shi Lan, "You're also a traveler, where are you headed?"

  Tai Shi Lan is tall and slender, with a low voice and an innate androgynous temperament. In modern times, he would be a suit-and-tie type, accustomed to wearing men's clothing. Even when dressed in elegant attire, he exudes no sense of incongruity. He stands out like a jade tree in the wind, his demeanor transcendent. He is the very embodiment of a refined and elegant young nobleman.

  "Down the mountain." Tai Shi Lan replied concisely.

  "Exactly, perfect timing to travel together." The man smiled and said, "We are from the South Province's Volume Wind Gang, summoned by the Wulin Edict, heading to North Yan. I wonder if you're going in the same direction, little brother?"

  "Martial World's Proclamation?"

  "The Wulin Edict is the highest command of the Wulin that we, the Green Forest of the North, jointly respect." The man explained patiently, "The Alliance Master issued the Wulin Edict in Beiyuan two days ago, saying that a good friend had gone missing during the flood disaster at Yihewa Dam, and was allegedly harmed by someone. Now, he is gathering nearby Wulin comrades to: first, assist the people affected by the disaster in Beiyuan; second, search for the whereabouts of his friend; third, eliminate the evil forces in Beiyuan, and has promised a huge reward. We are all here in response to the summons."

  Tai Shi Lan's eyes lit up - could it be that they were looking for her and Rong Chu? Was it Li Fu Zhou?

  She was about to respond when she suddenly heard Rong Chu let out a weak cough, and the words that were about to come out of her mouth were swallowed back. She turned her head again, only to see that this group of people had different clothes, different weapons, and different expressions. It was clear that they were constantly absorbing new members into their ranks. With such a motley crew, who knew what kind of people were inside? Rong Chu and Jing Tai Lan's identities were too important, and at this moment when they were at their weakest, it was really not possible to casually reveal their identities.

  "I am a local martial artist, but my skills are not refined." She said, "I am Xia Tai, this is my son Xia Lan, the one lying down is my wife. We came back home to visit relatives, and my wife fell ill halfway. Her body is weak, so she won't be able to greet you all."

  Coughing even harder...

  Everyone leaned forward to take a look, and they saw that it was Rong Chu on the stretcher, dressed in women's clothing, with long hair scattered all over, revealing half of his pale face. He looked really handsome, and many people felt embarrassed to keep looking at him, quickly turning their eyes away. Some people had lewd gazes, staring repeatedly.

  There were a few people who looked puzzled, thinking that although the woman was lying down, she seemed to be quite tall, and her feet also seemed too big - but for children of the rivers and lakes, it wasn't too strange.

  The middle-aged man who spoke first was named Wang Meng. He immediately chatted with Tai Shi Lan and suggested they travel together. Tai Shi Lan politely declined, saying that his wife was ill and his child was weak, and he didn't dare to burden everyone else, so it would be better for them to go their separate ways. However, Wang Meng was very persistent and repeatedly said that meeting on the road meant they had a predestined relationship, and also said that since Tai Shi Lan's wife was ill and his child was weak, traveling with everyone else would provide more care and support. Tai Shi Lan felt that refusing again would only arouse suspicion, so he reluctantly agreed.

  This saved trouble, and immediately someone kindly helped to lift Rong Chu's stretcher. Rong Chu covered his face with his sleeve, pretending to be weak and unable to bear it.

  She shot Taishi Lan a fierce glance from under her sleeve.

  Tai Shi Lan is as calm as if nothing had happened - I'll be the husband and you can be the wife, it's already a bargain for you.

  After walking for a while and chatting with people, I finally found out why Wang Meng was so eager to pull people along. It turned out that the martial arts conference had rewards, and the more people from each sect or school that attended, the greater the chance of receiving an award or being received by the alliance leader.

  "What's so special about meeting the leader of the alliance?"

  "What are you talking about?" Wang Meng immediately became displeased, "What kind of person is the Alliance Master? He has conquered the three northern regions and dominates the world. All heroes in the world consider it an honor to know him, and even more so to see him once. If they can still receive his guidance during their meeting, they will benefit from it for the rest of their lives. Young people who don't know better are forgiven, but don't say such arrogant words again."

  A white-faced man beside him smiled and said: "Brother Wang has always been most respectful of the Northern Alliance's leader, little brother knows this but doesn't say it."

  "Understood, you get me!" Wang Meng burst out laughing and patted the middle-aged white-faced man named Wen Jing on the shoulder.

  Tai Shi Lan took a look at that person, with a pale face, slightly yellow hair and black eight-character beard, looking very ordinary, but somehow felt not quite right.

  With the help of these people, the speed of going down the mountain was much faster. Along the way, these people talked endlessly, and Ta Shi Lan didn't need to speak, but also listened a lot. For example, most of these people admired the leader who issued the martial arts edict, but they all didn't know what he looked like, his surname and name, or how old he was. They only said that this person came from a large family in the Jianghu world, but had been very low-key before, and only five years ago did he shine brightly on the path of martial arts, defeating several top swordsmen who were considered the strongest at that time, and killing the leader of the Northern Alliance who was colluding with the Western tribes. He acted justly and was loved by many, but this person was rarely seen in public, especially in the West Ling General Altar, and three years ago he even disappeared for a while. Now that he has issued the martial arts edict, it is considered the first major move of this leader in recent years, and everyone wants to go pay their respects.

  Also heard that the Beiyuan dam burst, everyone said that the dam burst caused heavy losses, thousands of acres of good fields were flooded. It is also said that fortunately, the local government handled it in a timely manner and predicted the danger early, notifying the local people to go to high places to avoid water, so the number of deaths was the least in years, only a few people. A county magistrate and a pushing officer from Beiyuan sacrificed their lives. The governor of Xiling Province, who is superior to Beiyuan Prefecture, believed that although Beiyuan suffered a disaster, the flood was not something that human power could resist. Beiyuan Prefecture reacted in a timely manner and handled it properly during this flood, with almost no casualties among the people. When the dam burst, the prefectural magistrate personally went to the scene, and after the incident, he directed the rescue efforts day and night. It is really rare. He was preparing to report to the emperor for Beiyuan Prefecture's merits and make it a model for neighboring counties, and also seek titles for the two officials who sacrificed their lives.

  Tai Shi Lan listened, expressionless, and walked away with a faint "oh". The Jingtai blue bird in her arms had its mouth open, eyes wide, and was no longer able to speak.

  "Mom..." After walking away, the little boy said in a small voice, "...wrong... all wrong..."

  "It's like that." Taishi Lan said, "Robbing credit, shirking responsibility, whitewashing, and turning black and white upside down. Every official in the world is skilled at this technique for rising through the ranks, getting rich, and achieving great success."

  Jing Tai's eyes shot straight, probably thinking of those flawless words from before.

  Tai Shi Lan keenly discovered that several young men had all gone to Rong Chu's stretcher to show their concern.

  "Shi Jia's daughter, are you going to eat dry rations?"

  "Dried rations are no good for a sick person, Shi Niangzi, I have beef here."

  "Shi Jia's daughter, this is a wild fruit unique to this mountain, juicy and sweet, try some."

  "Shi Niangzi, you look pale, are you feeling cold? Here, put on this cloak."

  A group of young men in the prime of their youth, traveling day after day, couldn't help but notice a beautiful and pitiful woman. Although she was married, her husband was still immature and didn't know how to cherish his wife, especially one as beautiful and delicate as hers. He only knew how to hold their son and walk coldly by her side, never even asking about her illness. How could these young men bear this?

  A young hero, wielding a sword and roaming the world, specializing in righting wrongs. Riding a horse and leaning on a slanted bridge, with red sleeves waving from a building. Those matters of women's grievances, especially those of beauties, are things that must be taken care of. Not only will it make one chivalrous, but also romantic, not just romantic, but also famous, and who knows, maybe even legendary. At the very least, there'll be a rumor to embellish an otherwise dull and uneventful youth, what's not to love?

  This diligent service was increasingly enthusiastic, on the one hand, facing Tai Shi Lan, this "unfeeling" husband with a cold eye, and on the other hand, Rong Chu's stretcher in front of the young heroes came back and forth like a revolving lantern.

  "Mom..." Jing Tai Lan opened his eyes wide, not understanding how Guo Gong suddenly became so popular.

  "So remember, Jing Tai Lan," said Ta Shi Lan, "not only women are beautiful, but also the fox spirits."

  "The shemale" let out a fit of uncontrollable light coughs on the stretcher...

  Digression

  I'm feeling really down today - something I've worked hard on for two years is about to fall apart due to circumstances beyond my control. The time, energy and money invested are all in vain, but what's most frustrating is that something that belongs to me is being controlled by others, who can easily destroy the fruits of my labor with a mere thought, it's unbearable.

  So today I won't be cute or sentimental, I just want to tell you all that many things in life aren't useful no matter how hard you try, and often you can't control your circumstances.

  But there are also many things that effort is effective, such as monthly votes and annual voting. This is the only thing that makes me feel happy and comforted in today's series of unpleasantness. I will always be grateful to you.

  Some friends said they couldn't find the yellow button under the cover, so the first post in the comment area has an address; you can also click on the horizontal banner in the middle of the homepage to enter; clicking on the announcement at the bottom left of the homepage is also okay. Every road leads to voting, just waiting for your finger to tap.

  Thank you everyone.