Meng Jun found himself in a dilemma, truly worried that she couldn’t handle it physically. His handsome face reddened as he rested on Li Ruantang’s shoulder, calling out to her softly, “Wife-master.”

“Hmm?” She walked steadily, neither surprised nor showing any intention of stopping.

The young gentleman’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that she had seen through his pretense of sleeping? Impossible. If Li Ruantang had seen through his act, how could she carry him on her back?

He repeatedly denied this thought in his heart.

Because of the recent mudslide, some sections of Long Mountain Gully were particularly difficult to traverse. Li Ruantang alone would have been fine, but now carrying Chiu Chiu, she was especially careful.

She focused on her footing while holding the young gentleman on her shoulder tighter.

Li Ruantang was injured and afflicted with a strange poison. How could Meng Jun bear to let her carry him? The young gentleman thought it over and felt it wasn’t right. He hurriedly whispered in her ear, “Wife-master, I’m not sleepy anymore. I can walk by myself—”

“Is it that I’m not walking steadily enough?”

His words were interrupted by her sudden question. The young gentleman was stunned for a moment, instinctively shaking his head, “No, wife-master is walking very steadily.”

Li Ruantang laughed lightly, sighing with relief, “That’s good. You haven’t been resting well these past few days anyway, so I’ll carry you now, and you can rest some more.”

“Eh?”

As if anticipating her young husband’s stunned expression, Li Ruantang teased with a smile, “Otherwise, others might say I don’t know how to cherish my husband.”

Cherish… husband?

Meng Jun clung to her shoulder, his face red, silently savoring these words. Those beautiful phoenix eyes sparkled brightly, like stars in the sky, their radiance undimmed even by the daylight.

He happily reached out and hugged her tighter. His breath fell on Li Ruantang’s neck, warm and intimate.

The young gentleman turned his face slightly, his thick lashes unintentionally brushing against her exposed skin. Li Ruantang’s arm holding him stiffened, her ears suddenly turning red.

She hitched up her obediently lying young husband, but her steps slowed down.

“Wife-master, are you tired?” The clear, cool voice was right by her ear, soft and fluffy. Hearing it, Li Ruantang’s heart felt like a kite, floating up towards the sky.

She shook her head, and suddenly felt fingertips touching her sideburns. The young gentleman worriedly wiped away her beads of sweat, “Wife-master, I really can walk by myself.”

“I know.” Li Ruantang pursed her lips. “But I can’t bear to let you.”

That day when the young gentleman found her, there were still faint traces of blood in his mud-caked shoes. But he didn’t say anything, didn’t even cry out in pain, and even applied medicine secretly, afraid she would worry if she found out.

Thinking about it now, he must have fallen many times too. Otherwise, the knees and elbows of his clothes wouldn’t have been the muddiest.

Li Ruantang sighed softly. This morning when she got up, she had secretly checked his feet, and the places that were previously rubbed raw had just formed scabs, truly unable to withstand a long journey.

“But wife-wife-master,” the young gentleman stammered, his face red from her words, “you’re still injured, this won’t do.”

He struggled to get down.

Hearing this, Li Ruantang laughed lightly. Her silly young husband didn’t even know to cry out when he was hurt, yet was so concerned about her injury.

The heart hidden in her chest was full and sweet.

She turned her head and quickly pecked those pursed thin lips. Taking advantage of the young gentleman’s distraction, she said seriously in a low voice, “Silly Chiu Chiu, you can’t say women can’t do things in the future.”

“Huh?”

Why not?

Meng Jun was stunned, though the doubt in his heart didn’t linger for long.

He secretly licked his lips, and in an instant, it was as if countless fireworks had been lit in his heart, bursting into a symphony, his heart and eyes full of brilliant colors.

He felt dizzy, staring at her bright red ear tips.

Just now, it seemed to be the first time Li Ruantang had kissed him during the day.

Didn’t she say before that kissing was best done at night?

The young gentleman belatedly came to his senses and hurriedly looked towards the three Hu family members leading the way in front. Fortunately, fortunately, if someone had seen it, it would have been quite embarrassing.

He obediently lay on Li Ruantang’s shoulder, but the heat on his face wouldn’t dissipate for a long time.

The mountain path was muddy, and they were about to reach the place where the mudslide had occurred before. Li Ruantang raised her eyes to look at the altar that had sunk into the ground not far away, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable.

“Wife-master.” As if sensing her mood, Meng Jun lowered his voice, saying somewhat nervously, “Shall I hum a tune for you?”

Actually, if there was a qin, he would prefer to play a tune with her. But given the current environment, it was truly impossible to ask for too much.

It was also the young gentleman’s first time humming for someone. Besides being nervous, he would stop from time to time, very seriously explaining to Li Ruantang how the qin should be accompanied if it were an ensemble piece.

“Chiu Chiu, have you never considered what if I couldn’t play the qin?” Li Ruantang smiled, intending to tease her young husband.

Unexpectedly, Chiu Chiu, resting on her neck, shook his head firmly, “How could wife-master not know how to play the qin?”

He remembered clearly that as a child, Li Ruantang had studied under the Su family and learned excellent qin skills from Su Lang.

Li Ruantang frowned slightly. It was true that she could play the qin, but not many people knew this. Moreover, her young husband had said he didn’t remember the past.

“Chiu Chiu.” She furrowed her brows, about to inquire further.

The young gentleman, who had just been planning to continue praising her, suddenly froze. Coming back to his senses, he hurriedly added, “There are few among the noble families who can’t play the qin.”

That wasn’t wrong either.

Li Ruantang smiled, carrying the young gentleman on her back for a few steps before the Hu family in front suddenly stopped. Zhou Fulang had an anxious look on his face, crouching beside Hu Youning.

“Sanniang, what’s wrong with Young Master Hu?” The young man who had collapsed in Hu Sanniang’s arms was pale. Upon hearing Li Ruantang’s voice, his long lashes trembled slightly, but he still couldn’t open his eyes. He weakly said, “Mother, Father, I… I’m fine, just a bit dizzy.”

“I, I’ll be better after resting for a while. Lady Li, I’m sorry, it’s me, I’m slowing down our journey.”

“Young Master Hu is overthinking it, you should rest well.” Li Ruantang reached out to hold the hand of Chiu Chiu, who had just gotten off her back, and said with a slight smile, “There’s not much road left, we’re not in a hurry.”

However, this mountaintop was still desolate.

Li Ruantang had an indescribable feeling in her heart.

After resting for a while, Hu Youning had broken out in another layer of sweat. The young gentleman was also worried about him, busying himself alongside Zhou Fulang.

Seeing that the young man’s complexion had improved considerably, Zhou Fulang finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, to make him sweat, the women had all sat far away with their backs turned.

Now that Aning had recovered somewhat, he finally knew to call out that he was cold. Zhou Fulang hesitated, looking at Chiu Chiu who was still wiping Aning’s sweat with a handkerchief. In the end, parental love prevailed, and he spoke according to the previous plan, “Young Master Li, I’ll go over there to get a few clothes. Please help look after him here for now.”

The young gentleman nodded.

He raised his eyes to look at the bare surroundings. This place was quite different from the previous scenery. There was only a small tree sapling here, but it was so small that rather than naturally grown, it seemed as if someone had deliberately planted it here.

Soon, Meng Jun felt this thought was ridiculous. Who would bother planting trees here?

He pursed his lips, just about to get up and help Aning. The small tree sapling he had just carefully examined suddenly tilted. Before the young gentleman could cry out in surprise.

A hole suddenly appeared on the ground.

Both young men were stunned. The pale-faced Hu Youning was the first to react. He reached out to push away the young gentleman beside him, but lost his own support. Just as he was about to fall into the hole, his arm was tightly grabbed by someone.

Meng Jun used all his strength, his face flushed red, but still hoarsely comforted Hu Youning who was about to fall into the hole, “Aning, don’t be afraid, I’ve got you. Wife-master, wife-master will come to save us, just, just hold on a bit longer.”

Not far away, the anxious Li Ruantang was approaching rapidly.

The hidden guards behind her no longer concealed themselves, dark figures rushing towards the hole at full speed.

But the young gentleman couldn’t hold on any longer. He still didn’t let go, those beautiful phoenix eyes taking one last look at Li Ruantang who was almost there, before plunging into complete darkness with a thud.