El paisaje es como una pintura

Capítulo 64

As Rongyue said, this round was a draw. Therefore, the third round of the competition began an hour later…

With her feet firmly planted on the soft, weed-covered earth, Longbow parted the tangled branches and thorns, and Rongyue wiped the thin layer of sweat from her brow. She thought to herself: She must have been insane to agree to such an absurd competition! After walking for so long, looking around, there wasn't a trace of the 'giant worm'. In other words, even if she encountered it, so what? With her skills, if she were to fight it to the death, it was truly unpredictable who would fall in the end! One wrong move, and she would truly be gone forever! What a fool she'd been, truly a fool to go along with that madman! Looking at the man scouting ahead in the distance, Rongyue lowered her head in frustration…

That's right, this round's challenge is none other than hunting a large beast from the deep mountains—a tiger! The rules state that the winner is the one who can pierce its throat with a single arrow! To distinguish the two arrows at the end, Rongyue's arrows were changed to black arrowheads, while the man's were changed to white…

Volume Two: The Resolute Heroines, Chapter Six: Peril in the Forest

With her hands supporting her knees, Rongyue swallowed hard and weakly called out to the seemingly tireless man in front of her, "Hey! Can you please take a break? This is killing us! We've been walking for two hours and haven't seen a single insect! Hey, look, the sun's already setting, maybe we should just give up this... this tiger-hunting, oh, tiger-hunting, is pretty dangerous... Hey, can we try something else?"

His steps faltered, and his jade-like handsome face turned to Rongyue: "What, scared? If you're scared, you don't need to come along. You should know the way back, right? Just go back the way you came, and you can wait patiently at the archery arena for me to hunt down the giant worm and exchange it for the Phoenix Jade..." He paused, stroked his chin, and a smirk appeared on his left lip: "Tsk tsk, then use the jade to exchange for a beauty..."

All fatigue vanished! Huo straightened up abruptly, letting out a long breath, and Rongyue strode towards him: "Want to embrace a beauty? Hmph! You're dreaming! Want to beat me? You're even more dreaming! I can tell you without any modesty that as long as I'm here, you'll never have a chance to win! Just you wait and see, the Phoenix Jade is mine! Hurry up, lead the way!"

Seeing Rongyue's almond-shaped eyes widen in anger, her blood boiling, and her fighting spirit soaring, a triumphant smile flashed in his eyes. Pushing aside the overgrown weeds, he strode forward, leading Rongyue step by step into the depths of the mountain…

I don't know how long I walked, so long that the sky was full of rosy clouds and the sun was setting in the west, so long that the surrounding scenery began to darken, so long that crows returned to their nests and beasts went back to their dens, so long that the melting moon could be seen as a silver sickle hanging on the treetops, so long that all sounds were silent except for the sound of the wind...

The pent-up anger and resentment finally burst forth from his chest: "You damn bastard! You stop right there! Three whole hours, my shoes are worn out, how long are you going to keep leading me around like this! Do you think I'm easy to bully?! Let me tell you, even a clay figure has some clay spirit, let alone me, I'm not some soft, limp clay figure! Shooting tigers? What bullshit! I'm not competing anymore, and you're not allowed to compete either! I'm warning you, don't go any further, turn around and go back right now!"

Leaning against a thick birch tree, he spread his hands, looking utterly exhausted: "There's nothing I can do, I'm lost and can't get back..."

"Lost?!" Rongyue's voice suddenly rose: "Damn it! Are you kidding me?! Are we going to have to spend the night in this pitch-black, eerie forest?!"

A shrug is a tacit agreement.

Enraged, Rongyue leaped high over him, angrily grabbing at his gleaming silver armor: "The one who led the way got lost! Are you kidding me?!"

Grabbing Rongyue's mischievous little hand, he explained weakly, "It's not my fault! Who could have predicted that this giant insect would be so hard to find? I've been searching for so long that I've even lost track of time! It's impossible to find your way in the dark! Getting lost is inevitable... Sigh, it seems I'll just have to wait until dawn to find my way properly..."

"Can't find your way in the dark?!" Her voice rose, and she pointed to the sky, her lips curling into a furious smile. "Are those seven stars on your head just for show?!"

Seven stars? He raised his head blankly, gazing back and forth across the black screen above him for a few moments. "Where are the seven stars?"

*Thump!* A sharp rap landed on his forehead: "Idiot! Even the Big Dipper doesn't know you're an ape! What are you staring at! Look up!" He forcefully pulled his head up with both hands: "Look, do you see that? It's those seven stars arranged in a dipper shape, see them?"

Clutching his throbbing forehead, he gritted his teeth in anger! He didn't want to comply with Rongyue's wishes, but the small hands fixed on either side of his head forced him to turn his gaze in the direction Rongyue was pointing...

After a long while, when he actually saw the Big Dipper as Ru Rongyue had described, he couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Ah, it really is a dipper made of seven stars! It's amazing! Kid, how did you find it?"

She rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "Everyone on Earth knows this! Don't tell me this is your first time seeing the Big Dipper! When the handle points east, it's spring; when it points south, it's summer; when it points west, it's autumn; and when it points north, it's winter! It's springtime now, so the handle should be pointing east! With such a signpost, how dare you say you can't find your way in the dark?!"

Staring in astonishment at the seven magical stars in the sky, he asked in bewilderment, "Do these seven stars really have such magical properties?"

"nonsense!"

He removed Rongyue's hands from her sides, lowered his head, and fixed his scrutinizing gaze on Rongyue, whose face was filled with impatience and disdain: "Then how did you know?"

"How would I know? Why wouldn't I know! This is..." Suddenly jolted, Rongyue remembered the dynasty she was in, and stopped herself from saying anything.

"What is this?" He raised an eyebrow, his suspicion growing even stronger.

He waved his hand impatiently, "Why ask so many questions! Knowing the function of the Big Dipper is enough! Hurry up and find your way back! It's deep in the mountains and forests, it's kind of creepy..."

He glanced at Rongyue, his bright, star-like eyes shimmering with an unfathomable light in the darkness...

Just as Rongyue was getting annoyed by his gaze, he unexpectedly leaned comfortably against the tree, lazily sliding down the trunk and settling casually into the weeds beneath. "Alas," he sighed, "it's not that I don't want to take you back, but I'm simply too tired. My heart is willing, but my strength is insufficient! Please forgive me for being unable to help! Oh, by the way, don't you know how to use the stars to determine direction? Why don't you go back first? I won't see you off. Have a safe journey!"

Rongyue was speechless, unable to utter a single word for a long time! Meeting his mocking eyes, Rongyue stomped her foot, lifted her robe, and sat down on the ground opposite him.

If she were to go back alone, she'd probably have to live like a wild woman in the mountains for the rest of her life! Although she's not bad with directions, she seems to have a knack for being incompatible with forests, because the moment she enters one, she becomes the most clueless person in the world! Even if she had a complete and detailed map, plus a high-end compass, let alone the only thing that can give her direction right now—the Big Dipper—she might still be unable to get out of the forest!

"Oh! What's wrong with you, sir? Have you had a change of heart and want to spend the night with me? Alas, I never imagined that you would be such a kind-hearted person..." Junyan feigned surprise, appearing completely grateful.

"However," his voice suddenly turned eerie, sounding not only strange but also chilling to Rongyue's ears, "that this gloomy forest is teeming with ferocious, man-eating beasts. At night, wandering ghosts roam freely in the dark woods. If they encounter a person, they immediately appear before them, stretching out their long fingernails and digging them viciously into the flesh! Then they tear it off, stuffing it piece by piece into the ghosts' scarlet mouths... So, this forest is full of vengeful spirits. Every night, those vengeful spirits come out to claim lives! If you listen carefully, you will hear their mournful cries of vengeance—'Give me back my life! Give me back my life!'"

"You...you mustn't say anymore..." Rongyue's heart rate began to swell, her breathing became rapid, she tightly hugged her arms, her large almond-shaped eyes lowered, not daring to glance around for a moment. Supernatural powers, ghosts, and heresies—these were all inherently frightening creations. As a modern person, Rongyue naturally wasn't afraid of such unfounded things! But when paired with such a gloomy and dark setting, coupled with that dead man's eerie, sometimes shrill, sometimes feigned ghostly howls, accompaniment, it truly gave one a sense of 'being there'!

Listening to the howling wind whistling through the rustling woods, Rongyue felt as if this sound was the prelude to those vengeful ghosts seeking revenge...

She shivered several times, shrank her neck, and inch by inch moved towards the other side...

He glanced sideways at Rongyue, who was standing right next to him, and feigned ignorance, asking, "Eh? Why is that, Your Excellency?"

A slightly embarrassed look appeared on his face: "It's early spring... well, cough cough, it's still a bit cold. It's warmer when the two of us huddle together, cough, warmer..."

"Is it cold?" He smiled and pulled Rongyue into his arms. "Is it warm enough like this?"

Upon touching his cold, hard armor, Rongyue quickly withdrew her hands, her body shivering involuntarily: "It's even colder..."

A muffled laugh came from his chest. His slender fingers unbuttoned the armor, revealing the white suit he was wearing. He pulled Rongyue close to his warm chest: "Are you warm now?"

A gentle warmth flowed from his body to her delicate frame, infusing her long-chilled heart with a touch of warmth. Although his chest was unfamiliar, it held the warmth she craved. Even if she was strong, tough, and resilient enough to withstand countless blows, she was still a woman. She longed for a pair of strong arms to embrace her in her loneliness and coldest moments, sheltering her from the wind and rain, driving away the chill, and whispering tenderly in her ear, "Don't be afraid, I'm here for you..."

A strange soreness rose in her nose, mixed with a hint of bitterness. Unexpectedly recalling the past, her heart was filled with desolation.

The unfamiliar embrace offered her only fleeting warmth, a warmth like a beautiful dream. When the dream ended, the joy she sought vanished with it. Since it was merely a flower in the water, a moon in the mirror, what could her greed for this moment change? Only adding to her sorrow!

Pushing away his warm embrace, Rongyue silently sat back down opposite him, her knees drawn up as she gazed up at the glittering stars, her thoughts drifting beyond the mysteries of the heavens…

The emptiness in his arms suddenly made him feel uncomfortable. Shaking his head to shake off the strange feeling, he leaned towards Rongyue with a smile: "Hey, what's wrong with you? You were just complaining of being cold, how come you jumped out of my arms in the blink of an eye? Are you shy or something? Heh, don't worry, I won't make fun of you! You greenhorn—"

After a while, seeing that Rongyue remained unmoved, staring blankly at the boundless night sky, he suspiciously nudged her: "Hey, what's wrong? Are you possessed? Hey, hey! Kid, I'm talking to you! Kid, you..."

A slender hand suddenly covered his moving lips. The cool fingertips pressed against his lips, their skin rubbing together as they moved, the smooth touch sending a nameless tremor through his heart...

"Oh no! We've encountered a pack of wolves! Quick, climb a tree!" Grabbing the still bewildered boy, Rongyue shouted urgently and shoved him towards a nearby tree. Using her hands to grip the trunk and her feet to push off the branches, Rongyue effortlessly climbed the nearest tree…

"What are you still standing there for?!" Rongyue, who had climbed halfway up the tree, accidentally caught sight of the man still standing there in a daze. She was furious and shouted, then slid down the tree in a fit of rage.