As the evening progressed, the mood at the shore became increasingly bleak. Cheng Qian pulled his clothes tighter. He glanced at Han Yuan, who shivered with cold because of only wearing an outer robe, and felt that the other boy deserved it.
The moment that thought came to Cheng Qian, Yan Zhengming had already shared the same sentiment out loud.
Yan Zhengming folded his arms in front of his chest, staring at Han Yuan with a severe expression. He had already thrown his sumptuous sword away and planned to kick it into the pond as soon as their master returned safely—that was a sword which had not only poked a toad, but had also killed mice.
Yan Zhengming said coldly, “It hasn't even been a month since your initiation, yet you dared to go to the valley. Seems you’re going to crumble the Fuyao Mountain to dust in the future? You might as well be roasted and eaten by those mice!”
Hearing this reproach, Han Yuan, who had been beaten black and blue, slightly changed his countenance and was about to scowl. However, upon properly reflecting, his embitterment instantly died out as he remembered that his senior brothers had taken such risk to save him. He hung his head listlessly, preparing for the coming rebuke.
Unexpectedly, Li Yun cut in when first senior brother was just about to reprimand Han Yuan from head to toe. He said softly, “First Senior Brother, it's my fault. I'm the one who made little junior brother intrude into the back mountain. I didn’t know it was connected to the Demon Valley.”
His words stunned everyone.
Although Han Yuan was kind of a stupid person who was always wheeling and dealing, he wasn’t actually senseless. He did hate Li Yun upon getting captured and nearly eaten by the mice spirits, but this hatred died away when he saw Li Yun come to his rescue bare-handed.
Now that Li Yun candidly acknowledged his mistake, the last bit of grudge in Han Yuan's heart passed away like a breath of wind.
The little beggar bent his head shyly. “Not at all. No one forced me to go there. Besides, senior brothers saved me.”
“No… In fact, I didn’t.” Li Yun seemed to have gotten set off; those words that had once been difficult for him to bring up now poured out like water rushing out of a floodgate. “I was terribly scared when I discovered what laid in the valley, and if it weren't for first senior brother and third junior brother I would have already attempted to retreat…”
Hearing that, Cheng Qian somehow found Li Yun sort of cute. Though they were all disorderly and exhausted, never before had they felt so calm, nor shared such a harmonious atmosphere. Cheng Qian smiled. “Who wouldn't have? I also felt freaked out.”
“I didn’t see you freaked out at all,” Yan Zhengming humphed. “Especially when you climbed up the bear's body and touched it eighteen times1.”
Cheng Qian was perplexed; he didn’t quite catch that last sentence, so he explained muddle-headedly, “I didn’t touch it that many times.