My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 125

Chapter 125 Extra (11) The Story of Da Taohe

"In that case, let's run."

Huo Anding said this sentence.

As soon as the words fell, before the young man could process his words, he felt his wrist grabbed and a force pulling him outward.

He was completely unprepared and hadn't expected Huo Anding, who looked scholarly and weak, to be so strong. Thus, he had no choice but to follow him out of the carriage.

Long swords met short blades—outside, the fight was in full swing.

A sturdy man, seeing the two emerging from the carriage, immediately charged at them with his blade.

Seeing the man wide-eyed and pouncing, Huo Anding pulled the young man behind him with one hand, while his other hand slipped into his sleeve and pulled out a packet of powder, throwing it directly into the man's face.

"Ah! My eyes!"

The man screamed in agony, dropped his knife, and covered his eyes. Huo Anding seized the chance to kick the man in the backside, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Using this opportunity, he quickly jumped down from the carriage.

Looking back, he saw the young man still crouched on the carriage, seemingly hesitating about whether to jump down. He tugged at his wrist: "Don't be afraid, let's go. I'll protect you."

The servant attending him said: "Young Master, you go first!"

Only then did the young man jump down from the carriage. Huo Anding, holding his hand, half-crouched to avoid people, and they ran wildly away together.

The assailants intended to give chase, but the guards and servants quickly restrained them, allowing the two young men to escape swiftly.

The misty rain was hazy. Huo Anding, pulling the young man along, ran against the wind, feeling the fine rain scraping cold against his face. The road underfoot was wet and slippery.

"These people are too fierce, even more relentless than when I set off firecrackers and blew up my uncle's cabbages and he chased me!"

"The spring rain is lingering, the weather is cold, the road is slippery. Instead of staying home to light a fire and cook a piece of cured meat, why come out to kill and set fires? Isn't that just looking for trouble!"

The young man was pulled along tightly, forced to follow the pace of the person in front of him.

Hearing his grumbling complaints, for a moment he felt somewhat dazed. It didn't feel like they were fleeing for their lives, but more like scholars skipping class and playing truant. Unknowingly, the fear in his heart lessened somewhat.

He didn't know how long they had run, only slowing down when the clamor of pursuit could no longer be heard behind them.

"They should be shaken off now, right?"

Huo Anding gasped for breath, looked back, and saw the road behind was quiet and peaceful.

"We truly are survivors of a great catastrophe!"

Huo Anding's brows curved as he turned to look at the person beside him.

After running all that way, the hair on the young man's forehead was damp, whether from sweat or rain, clinging to his fair skin.

His jade-like, fair face was also flushed red from running. He was breathing slightly through his red, thin lips, creating a rather charming sight.

Huo Anding stared, slightly stunned.

The young man seemed to notice his gaze, frowned, and shook off his hand.

Huo Anding looked down and realized that the wrist he had been holding had, at some point, turned into a handhold.

Looking at the hand clasped in his palm, a size smaller than his own and fair-skinned, a light flickered in his eyes. Instead of letting go, he gave it a squeeze, feeling both curious and innocent: "Young Master, why is your hand so soft?"

The young man's ears grew warm, and he immediately shook off Huo Anding's hand with force, turned, and walked forward.

Seeing the young man ignoring him, Huo Anding hurriedly caught up: "Hey, don't be angry! The Young Master is noble and precious, his hands naturally like scallion-jade. I'm just a common lad, my palms are rough, my fingers like clubs, it's only right. I'm inexperienced and easily amazed, Young Master, please don't take offense~"

The young man suddenly stopped, and Huo Anding nearly bumped into his back.

"Not angry anymore? Young Master is magnanimous!"

The young man frowned: "Stop the glib talk. What place is this?"

Huo Anding, upon hearing this, finally surveyed their surroundings. They had run a section of the main road and then darted into the woods, then taken small paths, completely disorienting themselves.

Now, tall, needle-leaved pine trees stood on both sides, and the hazy rain and fog made visibility extremely low. The two seemed to have strayed into a cold, gloomy, damp, misty maze. As for what place this was, probably only locals would know.

Turning back the way they came was definitely not an option now.

"I don't recognize it either. Looking at this path, it seems people often use it, there's little grass in the middle even in spring. There might be households nearby. Let's walk further and see."

They couldn't really tell the time now, only roughly knew it was around noon.

They didn't know when this rain would stop, and their clothes were already soaked. The urgent task was to first find a place to stay, otherwise, it would be even more troublesome after dark.

So the two continued walking along the small path.

The grass by the roadside held rainwater, and with every movement, most of the water was brushed off onto their clothes. The young man, walking a few steps ahead, soon felt his lower legs terribly cold.

Huo Anding noticed his hesitant steps and said: "Let me walk in front."

The young man paused, perhaps due to pride, and didn't respond. Huo Anding didn't say more, strode ahead of the young man, then reached his hand back.

The young man frowned: "What are you doing?"

Huo Anding said: "It's misty and dark behind us. This forest could easily hide wild beasts. Young Master, you've lived a sheltered life and may not know the dangers of the outside world. If there's any trouble, I can pull you along to run immediately. Even without beasts, I walk quickly. If Young Master can't keep up and gets lost, I won't come back to look for you."

Hearing this, the young man couldn't help but glance back. He saw only a vast, featureless expanse of rain and fog. Within the forest, visibility dropped to just a few meters, making it impossible to distinguish any clear path or landmark, a genuine feeling of uncertainty settled in his chest.

However, seeing Huo Anding's outstretched, broad palm, he still pressed his lips slightly: "Unnecessary."

Huo Anding made a 'tsk' sound. He turned to look at the grass, then stepped in and searched for a moment, finding a wooden stick.

Holding one end, he offered the other to the young man: "Young Master, holding this should be acceptable, right?"

Seeing this, the young man hesitated for a moment, then grasped the stick.

"We're both guys, what's wrong with holding hands? The Young Master is just too particular."

Huo Anding muttered this walking in front. Unexpectedly, the young man, who had barely spoken, retorted: "It's precisely because we are both males that holding hands would be strange."

"If the Young Master were a ger, I'd carry you and run. Who would bear to let a great beauty tread through mud?"

The young man's hand holding the branch tightened: "You certainly know how to be chivalrous."

"If I were a ger, the Young Master probably wouldn't have made me sit outside the carriage in the cold wind either. You'd have surely invited me into that spacious large carriage to ride together."

"Shameless."

The two talked intermittently. They didn't know how long they had been trekking through the woods when, unknowingly, the forest ended and the path suddenly widened.

"There's a village ahead!"

The light rain was now falling more audibly, making a 'pitter-patter' sound as it hit the grass and leaves by the roadside.

Huo Anding was almost completely soaked. Seeing the corner of a black-tiled roof revealed in the rain and mist, his eyes lit up.

He glanced back at the young man, who had Huo Anding's outer garment draped over his head, but was still more than half wet.

Though somewhat disheveled and less composed, the face half-hidden under the clothing was even more stunningly beautiful.

Huo Anding cheered up: "Let's go, let's go. We need to find ourselves a good household."