Peerless Martial Expert in the City
Chapter 428 - 430

Chapter 428: 430

"How about this, girl, let’s just climb up to here. It’s about time; let’s head down the mountain."

After glancing at Zeng Xiaoxiao slumped on his shoulder and then at the lush forest ahead, Xiao Yi hesitated for a moment but still began to persuade. To him, this environment was child’s play, but for a delicate young girl like Zeng Xiaoxiao, it wasn’t a suitable place to linger—even with his protection, it was too hard for a girl grown in a greenhouse like her.

"No way, we must reach the summit. We’ve come this far, it would be such a pity to give up now!"

He had thought that Zeng Xiaoxiao, having just encountered a snake, would be scared and likely accept his suggestion. But to his surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, Zeng Xiaoxiao sprang up from his embrace like a spring, with a resolute look on her face, rejecting his idea.

"Besides, we haven’t even seen the several-hundred-grams wild boar yet! How can we just go back like this! Brother Xiao, don’t you think?"

"Well then... let’s go."

Xiao Yi was at a loss for words when Zeng Xiaoxiao, who had been terrified by a small snake just moments ago, was still obsessed with the wild boar. In his heart, he was touched by the determination beneath her frail exterior but also helpless. However, seeing the expression on her face, he knew he had no chance of persuading her and only thought of how to make it up the mountain more quickly.

It was getting late, and if they didn’t make it up the mountain soon, descending later in darkness would become difficult. Darkness fell quickly in the mountains, and a night in the wilderness was terrifying.

Keep in mind, this wasn’t like Cloud Mountain Park in G City, where even if it got dark, there would still be street lights to help you see your way down, almost no dangerous wild animals, and the paths were neatly paved with concrete, more comfortable than walking up the stairs at home.

Snakes like the one from earlier were impossible to guard against completely; he nearly couldn’t sense it until the moment it struck.

"Hmm... okay."

Zeng Xiaoxiao nodded and continued to follow behind Xiao Yi. She was also aware of how late it was getting and that they needed to ascend quickly.

Though she, too, wanted to speed things up, just a few steps later she felt as though her feet were weighed down by two massive lead balls, making it impossible to walk.

"Brother Xiao, I can’t walk anymore, carry me up the mountain."

With a dejected face, instead of asking Xiao Yi to stop for a rest, Zeng Xiaoxiao looked up at him forging ahead, clearing brush as before, and a sly glint appeared in her big eyes as she coaxed him.

"Ah?"

Upon hearing Zeng Xiaoxiao’s request, Xiao Yi paused, startled. Carry her up the mountain? How could he do that?

Xiao Yi instinctively felt it was inappropriate and was about to refuse.

"Please, I really can’t walk anymore, I’m so tired."

Zeng Xiaoxiao, seeing the hesitant look on Xiao Yi’s face, quickly grabbed his hand and shook it hard, her eyes filled with a pleading gaze.

"This....."

Faced with Zeng Xiaoxiao’s beseeching eyes, Xiao Yi felt his resolve softening, and he started to waver.

"Brother Xiao... please, this way we can move faster. Otherwise, you’ll just have to accompany me at this slow pace, not knowing when we’ll reach the summit..."

"Alright then."

Xiao Yi, initially hesitant, finally gritted his teeth and agreed after hearing Zeng Xiaoxiao’s words. As she said, if they kept going at her slow pace, there was no telling when they would make it to the summit; they might not make it down until the next day.

Xiao Yi thought to himself, clenching his fists tightly.

Turning to Zeng Xiaoxiao behind him, he said, "Little girl, hold on tight; we’re leaving."

"Okay!"

Zeng Xiaoxiao responded energetically, "Let’s go!" Then she comfortably settled on Xiao Yi’s back, closing her eyes and revealing a blissful, content smile.

Hearing Zeng Xiaoxiao’s reply and feeling the pressure on his neck, Xiao Yi took a deep breath, said no more, and turned to continue their ascent.

Although carrying Zeng Xiaoxiao on his back meant he had one less burden, and with Xiao Yi’s strength, the extra weight of another person was of no concern—especially since Zeng Xiaoxiao, while mature in appearance with all the right curves, was actually quite light. This weight was nothing for Xiao Yi.

Moreover, this forest, although untended for decades and overgrown with vegetation, was nothing compared to the tropical jungles he’d experienced; it was child’s play to him.

So, in the beginning, Xiao Yi thought they would reach the summit quickly.

But after taking a few steps, he realized just how wrong he was about the difficulty of having someone like Zeng Xiaoxiao, a little girl, on his back...

Zeng Xiaoxiao, who had seemed to have wilted from fatigue and lost interest in the forest, seemed to be instantly re-energized upon being lifted onto his back, coming back to life as a curious baby. Along the way, whenever he sped up, she would scream for him to stop so she could take a photo or something similar.

Finally, when Xiao Yi made it to the summit, he felt almost as if he’d shed a layer of skin.