Ancient Eden

Chapter 21

(7.2)

Mu Qing voice was somewhat hoarse as she spoke, it was shaking as well, just like her body which was closely clinging to him at this moment.

She tilted her head and her eyes looked at him without blinking, trying to the best of her ability to make appear all of her charms, attraction, and pitifulness.

With no hope of escape, she would rather stay with him for now than be sent back to that chief again.

She was betting. She was betting using a woman’s original value, as well as the three days and two nights they had spent together.

She won her bet.

Li Mang threw her over his shoulder and quickly entered the forest.

Her long, soft hair was falling upside-down, covering and scattering around his bare back as he ran forward, making him feel itchy and somewhat distracted. Hearing the faint sound of voices and footsteps behind him, he sped up.

Being carried upside down, Mu Qing felt dizziness in her head. When she was put on the ground  later, she was no longer able to distinguish the southeast from the northwest. It took her a moment to realize that this was probably a cave.

He squatted down and held her face while saying several quick words. He then stoked her hair like she used to pet her puppy at home, before turning around and going out. Very quickly, Mu Qing saw  him reappear at the cave entrance, stacking up branches in a rustling noise. It was only when the cave entrance was almost entirely covered up that Mu Qing finally heard his footsteps gradually fading away.

It was dark everywhere in front of Mu Qing. She could only hear the whimpering sound of the wind blowing through the forest as well as the variety of loud sounds emitted by the nocturnal animals ambushing each other.

When her heart that had been jumping in her chest earlier slowly calmed down, she felt that her whole body was exhausted. She leaned against the cave wall and closed her eyes to think about what tomorrow would be like.

The next morning, when she was awakened in surprise by a rustling sound, she realized that she had fallen asleep on the crooked stone wall.

The sun was up again for another day and shone inside the cave, so dazzling, her eyes were somewhat unable to stay opened.

That rustling sound was coming from Li Mang, who was moving away the tree branches at the entrance of the cave.

Mu Qing moved around the back of her neck which was a little sore and got up to go meet him.

Li Mang’s expression didn’t look any different from before. He only gave her a glance and turned around to walk forward.

Mu Qing was glad that she had not smiled at him.

Just now, she had been hesitating whether to smile at him or not.

She grabbed her messy hair, and casually picked, beside her, a thin and soft vine, covered with yellow flowers, using it like a leather band to tie up her hair behind her head. She then followed after him.

Here, the ground was also covered with layers of fallen leaves. Stepping on it felt like stepping on a sponge. Between the crisscrossed roots of the trees, there were blooming flowers with strange shapes and attractive fragrances everywhere. Zigzagging vines were glossy like the body of a snake, but rough like the teeth of a saw. They were widespread, entwined together, hanging from tree to  tree, covered with countless colorful parasite flowers. From afar, it looked like a giant python suspended between several trees, it was absolutely terrifying. Everywhere was green, even the rising sunlight here seemed to be tinted with a greenish halo. It did not look like the real world.

Mu Qing was struggling to keep up with his steps, while also being careful not to be scraped by those sharp, thorny vines.

Little by little, she was starting to hesitate.

It looked like he had brought her back to the side of the forest where the stream was, the one where she had taken a bath yesterday. Further forward, it was his people’s settlement. She was even starting to hear the sounds of women laughing in the distance mixed with the sound of the stream.

Mu Qing stopped in her tracks, her hand held on to a tree beside her as she stared at his back.

Li Mang also stopped in his tracks and looked back at her. He then turned around and walked up to her. Without explaining anything, he pulled her arm and brought her forward.

He was squeezing her a little too hard, and her arm was slightly uncomfortable. She struggled a little, but he did not have any intention of letting go, so she could only give up.

Her heartbeat immediately started accelerating again. What exactly was this man’s intention?