[To Become a River of Stars] Dong Xiange - Chapter 107

The mountains were desolate. The deeper they went, the more silent it became—a silence devoid of any traces of life. Only a faint, stone-grey path, trampled into existence, was faintly visible amidst the verdant hues, scattered far across the mountains, cutting through the dense vegetation and exposing a glimpse of the mountain’s true colour.

The group walked alone on this deserted path. The four of them had trekked through the dense forest for a long time before emerging and had followed this path uphill for half a day without seeing any signs of human activity.

He Chong walked at the front, his heart growing heavy. He stepped onto a large rock on the mountain wall beside them and leaped onto a high pine branch, but all he could see was an endless expanse of green.

He jumped down, somewhat worried, and said, “Can’t see anything. I wonder if we’re on the right path.”

Li Xuanci paid him no mind and strode straight ahead. Jin Zhan hesitated for a moment but still followed. Seeing that they were about to pull ahead, only the kind-hearted Shiliu waited in place and said, “Senior Brother, we’re not lost. Look at the ground.”

He Chong also examined the ground and noticed something peculiar.

“Look at the plants nearby, and feel this soil.” Shiliu squatted down, pinching a bit of soil from both the middle and the sides of the path, rubbing it between her fingertips.

He Chong imitated her, bending down to pick up some soil, and immediately understood.

“These low-lying wild grasses are thriving, but the taller, stiffer yellow flower artemisia is growing all crooked. However, the soil here is packed hard in the middle and softer on the sides.”

Shiliu nodded. “These grasses are broken, definitely trampled by passersby. But if people regularly walked here, these wild grasses wouldn’t be growing.”

“So, it’s only possible that a large group of people passed through here before, which is why the yellow flower artemisia along this narrow path got trampled and broken. But it only happened that one time, so the wild grasses grew back afterwards. The sides, which were only trampled once, are also softer than the frequently walked middle.”

He Chong clapped his hands, dusting off the soil, finished his deduction, then straightened up and flicked Shiliu’s forehead with his finger, a playful smile in his eyes as he teased her, “Not bad. Our Shiliu’s brain is getting sharper. In a little while, your senior brother will look as stupid as Da Fei next to you.”

Da Fei was a large white goose that Shiliu had kept as a child. It was huge, loud, and not very bright—it only recognized Shiliu, who fed it, and no one else. Its sole talent was pecking people; it could even hold its own against the pigs in the yard. Back then, Shiliu, not knowing any better, hoped it could fly, so she gave it that name.

Despite such an affectionate joke, Shiliu’s expression was somewhat strained. She let out a dry chuckle. He Chong found it strange and tapped her little head again, wanting to praise his junior sister some more, when he noticed Shiliu suddenly swallow hard, her eyes avoiding his even more.

He Chong turned around and saw Li Xuanci standing atop a bluish stone, his eyes lowered, looking down upon this scene of fraternal harmony.

A chill shot up to the top of He Chong’s head. He glanced back at his junior sister, weighed his dwindling conscience, and decided that discretion was the better part of valor. He turned back and silently gestured with his chin in that direction.

The junior, inheriting the family tradition of being a coward, caught the senior’s distress signal and could only scurry off quickly towards the king of hell who was watching her like a hawk.

However, Shiliu’s guilt had nothing to do with her senior brother’s conscience.

When she reached Li Xuanci’s side, he didn’t even glance at her but turned and walked away directly. His black robes fluttered, his high ponytail tied with a red string. Unlike its proud owner, the ponytail bounced with his steps, nearly whipping Shiliu in the face.

Shiliu, whose eyes were nearly poked blind by the hair, looked at Li Xuanci walking ahead and ignoring her, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But just as Shiliu happily caught up, Li Xuanci, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, coldly threw a remark over his shoulder.

“I didn’t know you had raised a parrot.”

He turned his head, looking at Shiliu with a mocking smile, his eyes hiding floating ice.

Shiliu was stunned for a moment before she understood. Her eyes widened with anger. This man’s mouth was uniquely venomous!

Just one incense stick of time ago, when Shiliu was panting from the climb, her legs as sore as a sixty-year-old woman’s, she had asked the same question, feeling just as disheartened as her senior brother.

But when Li Xuanci answered her, he hadn’t been nearly as kind as she was to her senior brother.

And now he was mocking her for being a parrot that parroted others!

Even a clay figure has a temper!

Li Xuanci didn’t hear any sound from behind for a while and glanced back only to find her puffed up like an angry blowfish, looking ready to pop at a poke.

Seeing her discomfort put Li Xuanci at ease.

The irrational anger he felt watching her and He Chong being sneaky, putting their arms around each other, and laughing happily, was finally vented.

Neither of them spoke. One wore a slight smile, the other charged ahead with a sullen head, but they both walked much faster. Jin Zhan shook his head behind them.

Shiliu was like this, and His Highness was like this. It seemed both were far from enlightenment. The loyal subordinate, who saw everything clearly, silently complained to himself.

Then he turned back and waved vigorously at He Chong, urging him to hurry over and watch the show.