Untouchable Lovers-Chapter 170 - 153: Rare Goods Should Be Cherished
Chapter 170 -153: Rare Goods Should Be Cherished
Rong Zhi planned to leave this place.
Although there was a possibility that Hua Cuo, Yue Jiefei, and others might soon come to rescue him, he was not accustomed to entrusting his life and death to others. This had nothing to do with idle pride; it was simply a habit. No matter what it was, it was safer in his own hands.
Moreover, he had not had time to leave any secret marks along the way, so it would be quite difficult for the people from the Princess Mansion to find this place.
Rather than waiting here to gradually fall into a desperate situation, it was better to escape from this place while he could still move freely.
The reason he had not left last night was that it had become very dark, making it difficult to see the surroundings, and he was also worried that He Jue had not gone far, so he spent the night here.
Having gone a whole day without food, Chu Yu’s hands and feet were somewhat weak. In comparison, Rong Zhi was in better shape. After a night’s rest, he had recovered some of his strength.
After pricking himself with a silver needle again, Rong Zhi climbed up the cliff first, and then, using a rope made of vines, he pulled Chu Yu up.
Neither of them were strong, valiant fighters, and just a height of less than ten meters took them half an hour to overcome. It was with great difficulty that Chu Yu climbed up, and then Rong Zhi lay on the ground gasping for breath, his limbs too weak to even speak.
It was a dark night, and she couldn’t see the bottom of the cliff clearly, which didn’t scare her much. But now, in the daylight, when she climbed up and carelessly glanced down, the bottomless deep cliff and the sheer, daunting height made her dizzy. She nearly let go and fell down.
Chu Yu found it incredible. With what kind of fearlessness had she jumped down last night? How could she have dared to jump in such a place?!
If she had been able to see clearly last night, she probably wouldn’t have had the courage to chase after Rong Zhi.
Lying on her back, looking up at the azure sky and the slowly drifting white clouds, having just escaped from the Ghost Gate, everything around her looked beautiful.
At that moment, it felt as though she had truly stepped into the Ghost Gate, and now she was like a survivor of a disaster.
After lying there for about seven and a half minutes, Chu Yu felt someone tug at her hand. It was then she realized that Rong Zhi had held her hand tightly while pulling her up and had not yet let go. She turned her head and saw that Rong Zhi was lying down just like her, looking back at her.
The moment she saw him, Chu Yu couldn’t help but smile. Rong Zhi’s originally clean face was now smudged with dirt here and there, and his hair was disheveled, giving him a pitiful appearance. As she laughed, she immediately realized that considering Rong Zhi’s state, she couldn’t look much better, which made her face heat up slightly, but she couldn’t help laughing again as she looked at him.
Chu Yu didn’t know why she felt the urge to laugh. Although her body was tired and weary, her heart felt unusually light and joyful, as if laughter was the only thing she could think of to do.
The carriage that had been forced to stop yesterday was still in the same place, but the horses were nowhere to be found. After sitting on a mountain top and blowing in the wind for a while, Rong Zhi took some food from the carriage and also took out clothes from a box fixed to the floor for Chu Yu to get dressed again.
Though it was just a regular outing, Chu Yu was always accustomed to keeping spare clothes on the carriage, and the snacks were meant for her own indulgence during the trip. She had not expected them to come in handy now.
After tidying up, they both looked much neater. Chu Yu ate a few pieces of cake, but without water, she could hardly swallow more than a little. Rong Zhi didn’t eat much either. The remaining cakes were put back into the food container, wrapped in a piece of clothing, and taken along on his back, and some valuable items from the carriage were also taken.
After discussing, Chu Yu and Rong Zhi walked down the mountain together. At the foot of the mountain, they found a small stream about a meter wide, with clear and clean water. Yellowed fallen leaves floated on the water’s surface, indicating the arrival of autumn.
Normally, Chu Yu would only drink water after boiling it, but at that moment, she couldn’t care about such things. She scooped up water with her hands and drank a big gulp. The ice-cold water flowing into her stomach caused it to tighten, but after moistening her dry lips and tongue, Chu Yu used her wet sleeve to wipe the dirt and grime from her face.
The two of them washed and cleaned by the stream, each looking refreshed. To facilitate traveling, Chu Yu remained in men’s clothing, while Rong Zhi once again inserted the lifesaving wooden hairpin into his bun.
At the mountaintop earlier, Chu Yu had clearly seen the surroundings: rolling hills stretching in all directions, the mountains still mostly a lush green with hints of yellow mixed in due to the autumn’s chill, creating a somewhat desolate atmosphere. Now at the foot of the mountain, towering peaks loomed all around, giving one the illusion that they might crush down at any moment.
Chu Yu had been brought here as a captive, riding inside a carriage and jostled to the point of dizziness; she had no idea where she was. It wasn’t until she had asked Rong Zhi that she learned they were approximately two to three hundred li from Jiankang, and if they wished to walk back, it would take quite a few days.
As the two of them slowly made their way, the sound of horse hooves and rolling wheels reached their ears. Chu Yu’s heart leapt with joy, and she instinctively wanted to head towards the source of the noise. However, before she could take a step, she felt a pressure on her shoulder and turned to see Rong Zhi holding her back. After a brief moment of surprise, she understood and followed Rong Zhi’s lead. They retreated behind a large rock ahead, and when the approaching party drew near, they saw what appeared to be a merchant convoy with several carts laden with massive amounts of goods, accompanied by robust individuals dressed as servants to do the heavy lifting.
From their appearance, this seemed to be a convoy transporting goods for a merchant. Chu Yu and Rong Zhi exchanged a glance and upon confirming with each other through their eyes, they let down their guard.
This time, it was Rong Zhi who instructed Chu Yu to stay hidden while he approached the convoy. When he reached a distance of about ten paces from the merchants, the convoy and its attendants came to a halt, eyeing Rong Zhi with suspicion.
Rong Zhi responded with a faint smile, the kind that easily disarmed others, gentle and elegant. Even though he was pale and haggard, he still seemed to refresh those around him like a spring breeze. After smiling, Rong Zhi spoke softly, “Please forgive my intrusion. I am not a bad person. My companion and I were on our way to Jiankang to visit friends, when our unscrupulous servant conspired with thieves and tried to harm us. We managed to escape by sheer luck, but have since lost our way. Today, it’s truly fortunate to encounter all of you here. Could you tell us how to get to Jiankang from here?”
His speech was cultured and his demeanor, graceful—like a delicate young man with a deceptive appearance. His clothes were exquisite and luxurious, making him appear anything but a villain. The caravan’s people relaxed their vigilance and enthusiastically answered Rong Zhi’s question, striking up a conversation with him. A few words into the discussion, the caravan leader invited him to travel with them and offered to look after him on the road.
Asking for directions was not Rong Zhi’s true intent; now that his goal had been achieved, he excused himself to the caravan leader, mentioning that he would call his companion over.
While Rong Zhi was talking with the convoy, Chu Yu had already emerged from behind the rock. Seeing Rong Zhi glance her way, she understood his cue and walked over, imitating Rong Zhi’s manners in greeting.
They used false names, with Chu Yu introducing herself as Yu Chu and Rong Zhi as Yu Rong.
The caravan leader treated the two of them with great courtesy and invited them to rest in the cart he was riding. Chu Yu hesitated a bit, but Rong Zhi pulled her along and she followed suit, relaxing.
The caravan leader, surnamed Ren, was dressed in plain hemp clothing, and the people of the caravan addressed him as Boss Ren. Actually, the convoy was not headed towards Jiankang but in the opposite direction. However, Ren offered to escort them to the nearest city under the pretext of preventing any further accidents on the road and assured them that they would be able to make other plans from there.
After the two of them got on the cart, Boss Ren stepped down to take care of some things. Seeing that only the two of them were left on the cart, Chu Yu approached Rong Zhi and whispered, “Could there be any problems?” They were strangers to these people; why was Boss Ren so kind to them?
Unwarranted kindness can lead to suspicion.
Rong Zhi replied with a light smile, “The Princess need not worry; that Mr. Ren merely sees us as an opportunity.” Despite their dire situation, their attire, appearance, and refined manner of speaking still exuded nobility. Boss Ren must have surmised that they were from noble families; he was already too eager to please, so why would he harm them?
During the Warring States, when Lv Buwei came across the Prince of Qin, he saw an opportunity in him and provided support with money and beautiful women, helping him return to his country and ascend the Emperor’s throne. Later, Lv himself rose to prominent power. Although Boss Ren might not have thought so far ahead, his eagerness to please them in their time of misfortune, hoping they would remember his kindness in the future, was the same principle as that story.
The problem isn’t if he has motives, but not knowing what exactly his motives are.
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After saying this, Rong Zhi closed his eyes wearily. His body tilted against Chu Yu. Although they had both had about the same amount of rest, he had expended far more energy than Chu Yu and had been through much more; maintaining his strength until now had been extremely challenging.
Seeing Rong Zhi fall asleep, Chu Yu did not disturb him. She sat quietly, allowing Rong Zhi to lean on her shoulder. She placed her bag beside her and also lowered her head, as if she was on the verge of drifting to sleep.
After a while, Boss Ren returned to the cart and paused at the sight inside. His gaze lingered on the bag beside Chu Yu’s hand, his expression wavering. It took him some time to avert his eyes before he ordered the caravan to move on.
Chu Yu waited a moment without hearing any movement from Boss Ren, who remained seated at the entrance of the cart, and she silently breathed a sigh of relief, allowing herself to rest with her eyes closed.
She only meant to close her eyes momentarily, but Chu Yu was tired after all. Once relaxed, she fell into a deep sleep. She was awoken by the clamor outside the cart, noise that grew louder and more raucous, encroaching on her peaceful dreams.
