Originally, the nighttime mountain road was difficult to navigate; even specially trained soldiers like Huo Jingrui had to be exceptionally cautious.
Among this group, only Yunyi, with her genuine skills and extraordinarily sharp senses, seemed to walk with ease.
They hadn’t been walking long when Lu Jingming’s assistant, Jian Zhenzhu, fell again. "AH, my hand is cut!"
The others in the group, not to mention Lu Jingming himself, were starting to lose patience. "Jian Zhenzhu, are you capable or not? If not, you’d better head back home sooner rather than later."
Yunyi glanced at the man still sitting on the ground, clutching his hand and wailing. Judging by his name, he was probably coddled growing up and likely hadn’t suffered much hardship.
At this point, Huo Jingrui also came over, frowning. "We’re on a mission. Do you realize all this shouting could expose our whereabouts?"
Lu Jingming also expressed his frustration, "Xiaojian, you’re a grown man. You can’t afford to be unable to handle this little hardship. There may be many more missions in the future. If you really can’t adapt, consider transferring to a different department when we get back."
Jian Zhenzhu jumped with fright. "I’m sorry, it’s my fault." He quickly scrambled up from the ground, adding, "I’m fine. I can still walk."
So, the group set off once again, heading deeper into the mountains.
Huo Jingrui kept close to Yunyi’s side, glancing her way now and then, worried she might encounter an emergency.
Yunyi noticed his subtle actions. However, she knew that matters concerning them couldn’t be rushed. Besides, she needed further interaction to confirm her suspicions. What if her intuition was wrong, and she had mistaken him for someone else? After all, his current appearance was completely different from his past life.
Unaware of Yunyi’s thoughts, Huo Jingrui, who was walking not far off, found himself instinctively drawn to this girl. He felt an odd sense of familiarity with her. It was incredible, yet that’s precisely the strange feeling he had.
Because this mountain pass wasn’t the one Yunyi had used to enter the mountains at Songling Village, it took them quite some time to find the path to the cave.
This detour also caused Jian Zhenzhu to complain bitterly.
Lu Jingming reprimanded Jian Zhenzhu with displeasure, then, somewhat embarrassedly, apologized to Yunyi, "My apologies, Comrade Chu. Please bear with him a bit. He hasn’t really suffered before and has been spoiled by his family."
Yunyi responded indifferently, "He was spoiled, so why should I be responsible for him? I’m not even older than he is. Why should I put up with him?"
Lu Jingming hadn’t expected the young girl to have such a temper. He was about to say something more when he heard Jian Zhenzhu speak unhappily, "How can you talk to my teacher like that? It was your fault in the first place, taking us on this roundabout journey, and now you won’t even let anyone voice a complaint? You think you’re in the right?"
Huo Jingrui, his face cold, stepped forward. "Is it appropriate for you grown men to give a young girl such a hard time?"
Lu Jingming’s face turned red. "Commander Huo, you’ve misunderstood."
Jian Zhenzhu, sensing an opportunity, retorted, "We’re all here to cooperate with your work. So what if she’s a girl? Does that mean she can’t be criticized? Aren’t you being too biased?"
Huo Jingrui was about to speak, but Yunyi stopped him. "Yes, you’re right. So, make sure you cooperate well from now on."
Once they reached a path she was familiar with, Yunyi took the lead, setting a rapid pace without any intention of waiting for them.
The message was clear: keep up if you can; if not, that’s your problem. She had initially walked slowly not only because she was unfamiliar with this section of the path but also to accommodate them. However, they hadn’t appreciated her consideration. Very well, then; she was under no obligation to extend them any further courtesy. This text is hosted at novｅlfire.net