The four people walking ahead could certainly be described as traveling light, while poor Acheng behind them was really suffering—he was the one carrying the load after all. All the necessities for the group, food and drink, were on Acheng’s shoulders. Luckily, he was someone accustomed to constant physical training; otherwise, such work could surely exhaust a person terribly.
They hadn’t gone far when they noticed that the narrow path was crowded with palanquins being carried up the mountain at a pace far faster than their own hiking speed.
Watching those palanquins float away into the distance, Xiaoxiao’s frown deepened. What on earth were they doing exhausting themselves for?
How had she forgotten that there was such a thing as a palanquin for transportation in this place?
She stopped walking, really wanting to complain. She sighed and pouted, "Honey, why didn’t you tell me that there were palanquins available?"
"..." Everyone was stunned by her question, having forgotten about this entirely. Yang Ming was someone who was used to walking, while Wang Xiangxiang and Chu Lian were accustomed to traveling by horse-drawn carriage.
"Let’s all rest right here." Faced with the reactions of the three, Xiaoxiao was speechless. It was one thing for Yang Ming, but even the other two hadn’t thought of it—she might have encountered two fake rich second generations.
As soon as Xiaoxiao finished speaking, she sat down right there. She absolutely needed to rest, and she saw that Wang Xiangxiang was almost at her limit.
At the start of the climb, she had been thinking: all focused on playing matchmaker, but had forgotten Wang Xiangxiang’s health issues. She had just attempted suicide, and not even ten days had passed since then. Even if Wang Xiangxiang seemed to be in good health at the moment, she must have been greatly weakened, and was not suited for such exhausting activities.
As expected, when she turned around, she saw Wang Xiangxiang was already breathless, so she suggested that everyone rest on the spot.
Chu Lian had also noticed by then and was filled with self-reproach. He shouldn’t have brought her to a place , too preoccupied with the hope of seeking a blessing for marriage—he should have considered her health.
Seeing Wang Xiangxiang sitting there panting heavily, Chu Lian quickly called Acheng over and handed her the water bottle, "Drink some water."
Wang Xiangxiang took the water bottle and gulped down a couple of mouthfuls. She felt a bit of guilt; they hadn’t walked far before having to rest, all for her sake. If this kept up, she had no idea how long it would take them to reach the Marriage Fate Temple.
Looking up towards the mountain peak, then back at Wang Xiangxiang, Chu Lian said with evident distress, "Why don’t we go back then, and not visit the Marriage Fate Temple?"
"No way." Wang Xiangxiang blurted out without thinking. She desperately wanted to visit; the temple was said to be quite efficacious, and she wanted to pray for her own fortune in marriage.
Realizing her reaction might have seemed a bit intense, she quickly explained, "Since we’ve come this far, let’s just go, or else we’ll have walked all this way for nothing."
"But you..." Chu Lian was worried.
"I’m fine, I can still walk." Wang Xiangxiang pretended to be completely recovered, not wanting to hold the rest back.
"You’re fine, but I’m tired. We’ll continue to rest and set off again later." Seeing Wang Xiangxiang putting on a brave face, Xiaoxiao said this to help her out, and they all continued to take a break.
During the rest, they saw many more palanquins being carried up the mountain. Xiaoxiao was quite puzzled, "Is the Matchmaking Temple really that popular?"
"Probably everyone is looking for a good marriage match."
While she could understand the desire for a good marriage match, the influx of so many people flocking to the mountain was beyond her comprehension, "What on earth is the occasion today?"