by Dragon King
As expected, the way down was less physically demanding than the way up. However, since the sun had gone down considerably, visibility had been significantly reduced. As they could not see the steps beneath their feet clearly, they had to move more cautiously and more slowly.
The trails floored with green stone plates were like strings on an instrument, and the mountain streams were like musical notes. Together, they played the rhythms of the mountain. Puffs of cool and gentle mountain breezes swiftly crossed the countless branches, generating the most natural musical.
As they walked, they were becoming more aware of all the changes around them. In the end, they seemed to have developed a more profound understanding of the natural simplicity that the Daoists had been promoting.
The Daoist temple and pavilion stood far away in the seclusion of the endless greenness of the forest quietly. Conveniently borrowing the views of nature, these structures had completely become one with the mountain and forest. Such a splendid sight was certainly sufficient for Hao Ren to suspect that a legendary Daoist master could indeed take residence in this mountain.
Hao Ren was immersed in the sceneries around him along the way. When he suddenly thought of Zhao Yanzi and turned around to check on her, she had already stopped moving a long time ago and was far behind him.
Hao Ren formed a trumpet with his hands, placed it over his mouth, and yelled at her, “Hey…”
Zhao Yanzi heard Hao Ren. However, instead of walking forward, she actually sat down.
“What is up with her…” Hao Ren picked up his pace and began walking back to her. When he arrived, he questioned, “Why are you not moving?”
Pouting her lips, Zhao Yanzi turned away from him.
Hao Ren assumed that she was tired, so he sat down next to her for a break as well. He did not understand the mind of a little girl at all; he was so self-absorbed on their way down and did not check on Zhao Yanzi at all. Even though Zhao Yanzi did not say a word and tried to follow him with her greatest effort, she felt extremely upset and neglected.
“Can you still move?” Seeing that Zhao Yanzi seemed to have no intention of getting up and the sky had darkened, even more, Hao Ren couldn’t help but ask.
“If I had my Dragon Core, I would have made it down a long time ago and not be here listening to you talk!” She responded with rage.
Now, Hao Ren finally realized that he had overlooked the fact that she was only a little girl and had limited strength. Zhao Yanzi’s parents had asked him to look after her, yet, all he cared about was being on time. He was worried that they could not make it down the mountain in time and did not consider Zhao Yanzi’s well-being at all. They were in a rush on their way up, and now they were in a rush on their way down as well.
“How about…” Hao Ren paused to think, “I carry you on my back?”
“Bah! Who would want that!?” With cheeks puffed with anger, Zhao Yanzi stood up and started walking downwards.
“Hey! Slow down!” Hao Ren immediately ran after her as he was afraid she would trip.
He began to have a slightly better understanding of this little girl’s thoughts. Although she kept emphasizing that she didn’t need Hao Ren to care for her, she became very upset when he actually did what she said,
On their way down, Zhao Yanzi had picked up the pace, and Hao Ren was following by her side, trying to guard her against any potential dangers. The two were positioned like the intertwining black and white in the Tai Chi symbol as they traveled downwards along the peaceful trail.
Still, as fast as they were proceeding, the sky had inevitably darkened.
“You! Hurry!” Now that the last beam of light was fleeing and they were still two hours away from the foot of the mountain, Zhao Yanzi had become genuinely anxious.
“Is it this side or that side?” By the dimming light, Hao Ren held up the map and asked. The closer they were to the halfway point, the more small exhibits and diverging paths they would encounter.
“It is definitely this side!” Zhao Yanzi pointed to the left.
“Oh, then it is definitely the other side!” Hao Ren directly went towards the right. After Zhao Yanzi had given the wrong direction three times in a row, Hao Ren had become faithless in her sense of direction and believed that he had to go against her hunch to get to their destination.
Zhao Yanzi was flabbergasted. Yet, she did not trust her own sense of direction either. In the end, she could only follow Hao Ren. Strangely enough, every time Hao Ren had gone against Zhao Yanzi’s hunch and went the other way, it turned out to be the correct way down the mountain.
There were no signs of any other human beings in the entire mountain, and it was almost dead silent. Consequently, the footsteps of Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi were becoming more distinct as they resonated in the dark.
As the sun had set, the previously gorgeous sceneries had now become grim and gruesome. Being in this remote and thickly forested mountain, Zhao Yanzi was surely terrified as she was only a young girl after all. As a result, her speed had decreased, and she was not running ahead anymore. Slowly, she began walking by Hao Ren’s side.
This time, Hao Ren had figured out what she was thinking and took the initiative to hold her small hand. He had no intention of taking advantage of her; he worried that she might roll down the mountain if her legs started trembling due to fear.
As the sky continued to darken, they proceeded even more slowly. Without noticing, it was already way past seven o’clock. It was night time, and they were still at least two hours away from getting down to the hotel with their pace.
Moreover, except the areas nearby Daoist temples which had cell towers, their cell phones had no signals anywhere else on the mountain. For them, there was nowhere to turn for help. Hence, Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi could only brace themselves and carry on.
The paths on the mountain were full of twists and turns. Sometimes they pointed upwards and other times downwards. At times, the two had become confused whether they were climbing up the mountain or descending. Yet, overall, they felt that they were getting close to the foot of the mountain.
“Hey, we’re not going to starve to death here, are we?” Pinching Hao Ren’s palm, Zhao Yanzi couldn’t help but ask.
“If there is really nothing left to eat, then I will eat you first,” Hao Ren said to her.
“You…” Wrinkling her nose, Zhao Yanzi glared at Hao Ren while her cheeks puffed with anger. While talking with him, her fear automatically dropped.
Time was ticking away; it was already eight o’clock at night. However, the foot of the mountain still seemed unreachable to them.
Being caught in this mountain where birds had the creepiest chirping, Zhao Yanzi had no one to rely on but Hao Ren. She stayed close to him and grasped his hand even more tightly.
Hao Ren was also unfamiliar with the mountain. As he did not bring a flashlight, he could only turn on his cell phone and utilize the weak light from it to light up the path under their feet. He prayed that he would not miss a step and roll down the mountain with Zhao Yanzi.
On their way down, they found some peculiar insects that were emitting golden lights. However, these were not fireflies as they tend to be lumpily attached to mountain cliffs.
Zhao Yanzi had an intense fear of insects. She cowered right next to Hao Ren and clutched onto his hand firmly. Regret had now filled her heart. She regretted climbing to the mountaintop with Hao Ren as it had resulted in them being stuck in the middle of a mountain at night and could not make their way back down.
“Hey, how am I supposed to walk if you’re grabbing onto me so tightly?” Hao Ren turned and asked her.
Embellished on her fair face, Zhao Yanzi’s starry eyes were beautiful and charming in pitch-dark.
“I… I’m not scared. I’m only feeling a little cold.” Zhao Yanzi’s tenacious quibble had given herself away unintentionally.
Enclosing her smooth and slippery palm tightly in his own, Hao Ren had strengthened his will to make it down the mountain and pressed on.<
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After feeling their way in the darkness for over an hour, they finally caught a glimpse of the light from somewhere close to the foot of the mountain. The brilliantly illuminated hotel had also appeared before their eyes.
“We’re almost there!” Pulling on Zhao Yanzi’s hand, Hao Ren increased his speed. His cell phone was about to die, and the light emitted by Zhao Yanzi’s cell phone was too weak to be helpful. If they did not get down now, they would seriously be stuck on the mountain.
Zhao Yanzi also let out a sigh of relief and accelerated.
At last, after about fifteen more minutes, they had made it to the entrance of the mountain.
As she had been extremely anxious on her way down, Zhao Yanzi’s palm was now fully covered in sweat.
Now that they were safe, she finally realized that Hao Ren had been holding her hand for hours and abruptly withdrew her hand out of his.
“What a way to take someone’s goodwill for ill intent…” Hao Ren sighed at her aggressive behavior.
“Who gave you the permission to hold my hand!?” Zhao Yanzi asserted eloquently.
Hao Ren couldn’t be bothered with arguing with her as his stomach was now growling loudly. They had long finished all the snacks in the backpack on their way down.
He promptly walked towards the hotel. Zhao Yanzi followed behind him, looking torn by her mixed feelings. Truthfully, she knew that she had become very dependent on Hao Ren on their way down. If it weren’t for him, she would not know what to do in those situations.
At the same time, she did not want to admit to herself that she could only get down with his help. She believed that if she had run into any real danger, her parents would surely come to her rescue.
As soon as they got to the hotel, it seemed that their alliance had broken down. Zhao Yanzi was giving Hao Ren dirty looks as if he owed her millions.
Now that Zhao Yanzi was giving him the cold shoulder, Hao Ren did not want to waste any more effort on being friendly to her either. What concerned him the most right now was that he had to share a room with her father; he thought it might be awkward.
As they entered the hotel respectively, they returned to their rooms. Listless and exhausted, Hao Ren was surprised to find that there was a note in the room. On it, it stated: “Zi’s mother and I are going to visit a friend who lives nearby; we might be back late.”
Ding dong… Ding dong…
At that moment, the doorbell of his room started ringing.
He ran over to get the door and found Zhao Yanzi standing there awkwardly. “Hmm… Let’s go eat?” she said as she bit her lips.
28 Just for a Little While
Staring at her, Hao Ren thought, “Weren’t you just ignoring me moments ago?
Nonetheless, he was not the one to hold a grudge. He turned around and picked up his keycard. “Let’s go.”
Zhao Yanzi secretly felt relieved as she was totally expecting Hao Ren to reject her. As a stranger in a strange place, she would hate to eat out alone. If only her parents were around or her stomach was not violently voicing its dissatisfaction, she would not have come to ask Hao Ren so shamelessly.
Her fierceness had further weakened as she recalled how she intentionally ignored Hao Ren only moments ago and now had to beg him to go eat out with her.
The two walked out of the hotel and were in search of small restaurants. It was already past nine and was approaching ten o’clock at night. Most of the restaurants had already closed. Not knowing where to look, they searched somewhat aimlessly in the areas close to the hotel. The fact that they could not find a restaurant that was open had made them even more hungry.
Afraid that she might get lost, Zhao Yanzi was staying close to Hao Ren. Walking along a somewhat desolate street, Hao Ren had finally spotted a small restaurant ahead of them that was still operating.
They rushed into the restaurant and were about to place two orders of food when they realized that there were a bunch of husky and muscular men in there. Some of them had their heads shaved, others were shirtless, and all of them were cursing and trying to drink as much as they could.
Zhao Yanzi was scared and wanted to drag Hao Ren out of the restaurant. Hao Ren, on the other hand, gently grabbed her hand and comforted, “It’s okay.”
He was absolutely starving and had no more energy to look for any other restaurants. Besides, it was almost next to impossible to find another restaurant that was still open at this hour.
He led Zhao Yanzi to a corner and seated themselves. He then said to the owner who had come up to greet them, “Two bowls of rice - one with shredded pork and garlic sauce and one with sauteed pork and green peppers, please.”
He ordered on Zhao Yanzi’s behalf without consulting her first. If it were any other times, she would definitely be “scolding” him for being disrespectful. But now, she was alarmingly watching the “dangerous men” around them and was too preoccupied to object to Hao Ren.
“Where there are people, there are drunkards. I’ll knock you out in three drinks, or I’ll knock you out in five…” The men at the other tables were drinking and chanting as they played their drinking games. As the atmosphere became more fervent, their voices grew louder.
Zhao Yanzi thought for a moment and decided to move from the seat across from Hao Ren to the one beside him instead.
Her alarmed and panicky look reminded Hao Ren of a startled little bird. He chuckled and reached out his hand.
Zhao Yanzi was confused. Moments later, she realized that Hao Ren was asking her to hold his hand.
“Screw you!” Zhao Yanzi scolded quietly. “I am not that scared,” she thought.
Soon, the piping hot rice bowls had been served. Zhao Yanzi randomly picked one and started engulfing it.
So did Hao Ren. He picked up the other rice bowl and started devouring it like crazy.
Their actions were so synchronized that they probably appeared to others as a very compatible couple.
After dinner, the two felt that their stomachs had been filled with warmth. As Zhao Yanzi refused to stay in the restaurant for any longer, she asked Hao Ren to pay the bill and got out of there immediately.
This little town at the foot of the mountain was incredibly quiet. At night, the distant mountain range could be seen generating a continuous and endless shadow.
The moon was shining gently on the two of them, projecting two shadows on the smooth concrete path; one was tall, and the other was short.
Observing their shadows that were touching each other ahead of her, Zhao Yanzi suddenly realized that she was standing too close to Hao Ren and quickly pulled herself away.
Shuu, shuuu… Out of nowhere, a wildcat appeared and caused Zhao Yanzi to jump up and move closer to Hao Ren again.
Facing her, Hao Ren once again placed his hand in front of her.
Zhao Yanzi looked at him and paused for a few seconds. “Just for a little while,” she said.
As she finished, she placed her hand into Hao Ren’s palm.
All of a sudden, she no longer felt anxious and uneasy. Instead, she felt calm. Moreover, any changes in their surrounding were not evoking much fear in her anymore.
Hao Ren did not say much. He quietly focused on leading her back to the hotel along the paths they had previously taken.
A peaceful small town, a serene mountain range, light breathing, gentle footsteps, and the slight warmth of the hand… it was all so tranquil.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, they had arrived at the parking lot in front of the hotel, and their view instantly brightened.
Hao Ren let go of Zhao Yanzi’s hand. Zhao Yanzi turned and looked at Hao Ren as if she was ready to spew the harshest remarks. However, she decided to swallow it down instead.
Her face had turned bright red as she somehow found herself useless and incompetent. Abruptly, she went into the hotel looking seemingly irritated. Hao Ren had no clue what was going on in her head. All he knew was that Zhao Yanzi was not the gentle and friendly type.
/> Following her, Hao Ren walked into the hotel and returned to his room. To his surprise, he discovered that Zhao Guang was still not back yet.
“Zhao Yanzi’s parents must be catching up with their friend and lost track of time,” he thought.
He lay down on the bed and opened Zhao Yanzi’s pink backpack. He took out the camera and found that they had only taken one photo with it the entire day. The only photo was the one where Zhao Yanzi was sitting on the step and looking up angrily with her cheeks puffed up.
“She is actually not that annoying…” Hao Ren shook his head and laughed as he put away the camera.
After he finished taking a hot shower, he realized that Zhao Guang had come back.
Zhao Guang briefly inquired about their day on the mountain, and Hao Ren also briefly responded to his inquiry. Without any further questioning, Zhao Guang nodded, acknowledging his response, and went on to shower in the bathroom.
Feeling nervous and awkward, Hao Ren got into bed. He was guessing that in the room across from theirs, Zhao Hongyu must be asking Zhao Yanzi about their day as well.
It had been a scary and thrilling day. Nevertheless, he had successfully brought Zhao Yanzi down without anyone getting hurt. It was not an easy task to take care of that little girl.
Having labored all day, Hao Ren quickly fell asleep before Zhao Guang could even come out of the bathroom.
When he woke up the next day, Hao Ren found Zhao Guang sitting on the sofa watching TV.
“Were you exhausted yesterday?” Zhao Guang asked as he saw that Hao Ren had woke up.
“A little bit,” Hao Ren answered.
“We are going to eat at a nearby Farmer Host in a bit. Afterward, we will be heading home,” Zhao Guang told him.
“Ok.” Hao Ren nodded his head. He thought for a second and spoke again, “Thank you very much for your hospitality these days.”
“Alright, go freshen up.” Zhao Guang walked over to the window and pulled open the curtains.
It was a drizzling and foggy day. The mountain view was hazy but splendid. A swift breeze came in through the window and started diffusing in the room. It was even colder than what they had encountered yesterday, but it was refreshing and awakening.