Chapter 70: Unidentified Object

“Ah!”

Ye Xin Ran exclaimed in surprise.

Her body began to fall backward.

This was a slope, and if she fell, she didn’t know which part of her body would hit the ground first, her head or hands. She also didn’t know what she would land on. If there were sharp branches, her small face might not survive.

In her panic, she didn’t have time to think carefully and just reached out desperately, hoping to grab onto a strong vine to save herself.

In the midst of her panic, she suddenly felt something coil around her waist, a great force pulling her back. She landed straight into a firm embrace.

The embrace was warm.

Xiao Huai’an’s muscles were firm, like stone, and the impact made Ye Xin Ran’s face turn red.

She didn’t have time to cry out in pain and immediately thanked Xiao Huai’an.

“Thank you, it’s all thanks to your quick reaction.”

Xiao Huai’an looked at her still frightened expression and felt the soft sensation pressing against him. He cleared his throat and said, “Be careful!”

“Okay!”

Ye Xin Ran steadied herself but realized her waist was still tangled in the vine in Xiao Huai’an’s hand. She had to speak up and remind him, “Could you untangle this for me?”

“Sorry.”

Xiao Huai’an hurriedly untangled the vine and asked, “Do you need to rest?”

After walking such a long distance, Ye Xin Ran’s legs felt somewhat heavy. However, when she looked around, all she could see were grass and trees. There wasn’t even a clean, flat stone to sit on. She shook her head and replied, “No need, we can rest later.”

Upon hearing that, Xiao Huai’an turned around and continued walking.

But this time, he noticeably slowed his pace, and the distance between them grew smaller.

They walked for another hour.

It wasn’t until they encountered a small cabin that Xiao Huai’an finally stopped.

“Let’s rest inside.”

Ye Xin Ran was curious.

From Xiao Huai’an’s attitude, it seemed like he was familiar with this place. Could it be that he had built this house on the mountain too?

Xiao Huai’an entered the cabin first. He reached up and swiped away the cobwebs on the door before turning to Ye Xin Ran and saying, “There’s no one here. You can come in.”

He placed the basket on the ground, quickly started a fire, and then pulled two buns from the basket. He skewered them with a stick and placed them over the fire to roast.

Seeing Ye Xin Ran still looking around, he spoke up, “This is a resting place for hunters who come up the mountain.

But since it’s relatively close to the foot of the mountain, it’s not used much, so it looks a bit worn.”

Ye Xin Ran immediately caught on to the key point and asked, “You mean there are more houses like this on the mountain?”

“Yeah, a few.”

Xiao Huai’an nodded.

Ye Xin Ran then understood. No wonder they had been able to stay on the mountain for so long, it wasn’t all about eating in the open and sleeping under the stars.

Xiao Huai’an handed a roasted bun to Ye Xin Ran, and after they finished eating and had a brief rest, they continued deeper into the mountain.

Ye Xin Ran’s behavior surprised Xiao Huai’an.

He hadn’t expected that such a delicate woman, though small in stature, wouldn’t fall behind at all.

Before nightfall, they finally reached another resting point.

Along the way, Xiao Huai’an explained to Ye Xin Ran that these houses on the mountain were shared by everyone. Sometimes, when several people arrived at the same time, they would all stay in the same house for the night and then separate the next day.

Luckily, when they arrived, there was no one else in the house, so it was just the two of them.

Behind the house, there was a spring.

Xiao Huai’an first boiled some water, and after both of them quickly washed up, they ate more buns and prepared to rest.

After a whole day’s journey, Ye Xin Ran had endured the fatigue, but once they finally rested, her legs felt like they were no longer hers.

The mountain house had simple furnishings.

The bed was just a single-person bed.

Although they were married, Ye Xin Ran and Xiao Huai’an had never shared a bed before, so when it came time to sleep, they encountered a dilemma.

How were they supposed to sleep on such a bed?

Xiao Huai’an had occasionally shared a bed with other hunters, but now that he was with Ye Xin Ran, who was petite, he couldn’t bring himself to suggest that they squeeze together.

“You sleep on the bed. The mountain wind is cold at night,” he said.

“What about you?” Ye Xin Ran asked.

“I… I’ll make do on the floor.”

“That’s not okay. Your legs aren’t in good condition, and if you catch a cold, it’ll be harder to recover.”

Ye Xin Ran said.

“How about we squeeze together on the bed?” Ye Xin Ran suggested.

Xiao Huai’an didn’t answer.

“What’s wrong? Are you afraid of being at a disadvantage?”

Seeing him hesitate, Ye Xin Ran couldn’t help but ask.

In fact, the best solution would have been for Xiao Huai’an to sleep on the bed while she took the floor. But Xiao Huai’an was not as easy to convince as Chang An.

If she disappeared in the middle of the night, Xiao Huai’an would definitely notice.

“I’m a man, what do I have to fear about being at a disadvantage?” Xiao Huai’an said. “You sleep inside, and I’ll sleep outside.”

“Okay!”

Ye Xin Ran said, then took off her shoes and climbed onto the bed.

The bed was really narrow, so after getting on, she tried to move as far toward the inside as possible.

But the next moment, Xiao Huai’an’s hand reached over. “The wind is coming through the edge of the bed, raise the blanket a bit to block it.”

As he spoke, he helped Ye Xin Ran lift the blanket.

After doing this, Xiao Huai’an moved the stove, which was still burning, to block the heat, and the room instantly darkened.

In the darkness, Ye Xin Ran widened her eyes, listening to the rustling sounds around her.

After a long while, she suddenly felt someone getting closer.

Xiao Huai’an also lay down on the bed.

From his movements, Ye Xin Ran guessed that he must have turned to lie on his side, leaning against the edge of the bed.

He was trying to keep his distance from her.

Even on such a narrow single bed, there was still some space between them.

Even so, Xiao Huai’an’s body heat reached her as soon as he lay down.

This warmth dispelled Ye Xin Ran’s fear of the mountain’s darkness.

Unknowingly, she drifted into a deep sleep.

She never expected that in such a drafty and unsafe environment, she could sleep so soundly.

Let alone the fact that the blanket she was covered with had probably been used by many others before.

But it was so strange, she didn’t think about any of that when she fell asleep, and had a beautiful dream.

In the dream, she was surrounded by a soft cloud, warm and safe.

She didn’t know when, but at some point, the cloud seemed less soft and a bit prickly.

She struggled to change positions, trying to find that comfortable feeling again. As she stretched out her hand, she touched something sharp.

Ye Xin Ran immediately woke up.

Right in front of her was Xiao Huai’an’s enlarged handsome face.

And the sharp thing was the stubble that had just appeared on his chin.

“Ah!”

Just after opening her eyes, Ye Xin Ran was still a little disoriented and didn’t know how her hand had ended up on someone else’s face.

She struggled to pull away.

But before she knew it, she kicked something unfamiliar.