CHAPTER 368: CHAPTER 350: CHOOSING LOVE OVER FRIENDSHIP?

The fierce black bear, once its wild nature is fully unleashed, possesses astonishing strength and explosive power. A single swipe of its paw can cleave mountains and shatter stones, and a headbutt can instantly knock over a stone pillar.

Initially, Shen Weixi wanted to step forward to help, but the fight between the two people and the bear was too intense; she couldn’t intervene and was pacing anxiously on the side.

Yun Ran patted her shoulder and reassured her, "Don’t worry, Weixi, I think General Yun will be fine."

"Look at his moves and the force behind them; they’re decisive, swift, fierce, and precise. This person is as brave as can be, probably able to fight a tiger barehanded."

"Although this big silly bear is more difficult to deal with than a tiger, there are two of them! Judging by the other one’s moves, he should also be a brave and battle-hardened general."

Indeed, Yun Ran’s prediction came true. With the combined efforts of Yun Yan and the other man, the black bear was finally subdued, powerless to rise and fight again.

Shen Weixi looked at the collapsed black bear, hardly able to suppress her ecstatic heart: Truly worthy of being from the family of my idol! Just so impressive!

"Thank you, General Yun, and this hero for your kind assistance. I am truly grateful! Please accept my bow!"

Hero?

Baili Yu looked down at himself. How is he a hero? Clearly, he is elegant and handsome like jade!

He lightly cleared his throat and gave a courteous bow, "Miss Shen, no need for such formalities. Are you unharmed?"

"No, no! May I ask this hero’s honorable name? So I can repay you in the future!"

Seeing Baili Yu about to bow with an air of refinement again, Yun Yan gave him a cold look and answered on his behalf, "His name is Baili Yu."

"Ah? White Carp?"

Shen Weixi was stupefied, staring at Baili Yu with a face full of amazement, "Is there really someone named Carp?"

Baili Yu: "......"

He silently glared at Yun Yan with a trace of resentment: Say! Was that on purpose?

"Miss Shen misunderstood. My surname is Baili, with the given name Yu, as in waters flowing to the sea, consistent inside and out, with the brilliance of Yu hiding nothing."

"Oh oh oh. Sorry for the mistake, I sincerely apologize."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Shen Weixi scratched her head and called out again, "General Baili."

Yun Ran chuckled softly beside her, seemingly casually saying, "Today, thanks to the assistance of the two generals, if not for your timely arrival, Weixi and I would have been in trouble."

Yun Yan replied truthfully, "We were chasing a spotted deer nearby, heard the roaring of the black bear, felt something was amiss, and hurried over to check. It was by chance that we rescued you two ladies."

His clear and bright eyes unconsciously associated him with straightforwardness and the integrity of a gentleman.

"So, did you two generals run into anyone else on the way here?"

Yun Yan’s eyes flickered slightly, he thought for a moment, then shook his head decisively, "No. Did Princess Qin notice something unusual?"

Having some speculation in mind, Yun Yan glanced back at the black bear lying on the ground, panting heavily, his gaze subtly changing.

Yun Ran laughed lightly and shook her head, "I was initially wondering whose prey these were, chased all the way here. Now it seems, since they are ownerless, they belong to us!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Weixi instantly became excited, rolling up her sleeves, and said, "General Yun, General Baili, let’s split these two, one for each family?"

"Bear paws are quite valuable! Don’t you love Silver the most, Yue’er? Let’s sell the bear paws, or do you want to eat them?"

Yun Ran: "..."

[No, I don’t want to eat bear paws, I want to eat Silver~!]

However, these two black bears are enormous, and the mountain road is steep, making it difficult to transport them down.

Yun Ran and Shen Weixi bid farewell, saying they would find help from below the mountain for transport, letting Yun Yan and Baili Yu wait by the cliff.

On the way down the mountain, Shen Weixi looked as if she had survived a calamity, myriad emotions:

"Fortunately, General Yun and White Carp arrived timely today; it truly was good fortune smiling upon us. Otherwise, we would’ve been in a predicament!"

"Speaking of which, it was my fault; had I not brought you here, this would not have happened!"

"Oh! Why did I eavesdrop for no reason? If I hadn’t overheard, it would be Yu Qingyan, that pretentious woman, in trouble!"

"Ah! It’s all my fault! I must amend this bad habit in the future."

Yun Ran’s gaze flashed, pausing slightly before turning to look at Shen Weixi.

After comforting her with kind words, she asked, "Weixi, did you just mention Yu Qingyan? Did you overhear her saying there’s a thousand-year-old fire ginseng and Snow Lotus here?"

"Yes, yes, yes! She also likes to go up the mountain to collect herbs. However, she probably has ulterior motives like getting Shen Mubai, that scoundrel, to accompany her."

"I happened to pass by her camp entrance and overheard her telling Shen Mubai that they discovered the Snow Lotus at the cliff, and today is the day it blossoms, asking him to accompany her to pick it."

"Thinking that you’re also interested in these herbal materials, I hurried to inform you, but unexpectedly encountered two black bears halfway! Just thinking about it makes me shudder!"

Yun Ran reassured Shen Weixi a bit more, telling her not to blame herself.

"Weixi, I’m heading to see Nangong Mo first; you go inform them to head up the mountain."

Shen Weixi immediately grinned with gossip, leaning over to nudge Yun Ran’s arm, "Didn’t take long for you to start missing him after parting, huh?"

"Indeed, as the opera sings, ’Not seeing for a day feels like three autumns, and the affection between lovers is as sticky as glue!’"

"..."

Looking at Shen Weixi mimicking an old scholar, shaking her head and reciting lines, Yun Ran’s mouth twitched, "...You stop talking nonsense! Hurry up, otherwise the wind atop the mountain might freeze your idol!"

This comment indeed worked, as Shen Weixi immediately left her, sprinting off towards the imperial guard’s camp.

Yun Ran: "..."

[Is this prioritizing romance over friendship?]

Yun Ran smiled, shook her head, and turned towards the camp, sorting through everything in her mind once more.

Yu Qingyan didn’t know Weixi was eavesdropping outside; it was all coincidence, and the black bear incident involved other parties.

Yu Qingyan deliberately let her overhear the news, luring them to the cliff, with the black bear also being her handiwork.

If Yu Qingyan deliberately orchestrated this, is it because of Shen Mubai that she harbors deep grudges against Lin Wanyue, intending to eliminate her quickly?

Or could there be another mastermind behind the scenes?

Lost deeply in thought, Yun Ran narrowly avoided bumping into a tree in front, luckily being pulled back by a hand in time.

Yun Ran snapped back to reality, turned around, and saw a man sitting in a wheelchair, as ethereal as those in white.

"Nangong Mo? What are you doing here?"

The man glanced at her coolly, let out a cold "hmpf," "If I weren’t here, you would’ve smashed your head and died."

Yun Ran: "..."

[Could anything good come out of a dog’s mouth? Smashing it will kill me? Do you think I’m made of paper?]

As she grumbled in her mind, the man suddenly pulled her into his embrace.

"Let me check if you were flattened by the bear paws."

Yun Ran: "..."

[You big jerk...]