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Finest Servant Chapter 575
🕑 Added 2023-10-20 10:56:43 +0000 UTCChapter 575 Breasts Will Grow Bigger, Faces Will Turn Red
"Look, it's snowing!" Li Wuling shouted in delight, immediately capturing everyone's attention. Fog enveloped the mountain peak, and snowflakes as soft as feathers were falling from the sky. They were translucent and sparkled as they gently landed on the mountain's summit. The front of the traveling party was instantly covered in this feathery snowfall, and from a distance, it looked as if they had entered a thick fog.
Although it was already the fifth month and the mainland in Guanzhong was gradually warming up, the mountain surprisingly began to snow. One could see blooming flowers at the mountain's base, snow and red flowers coexisting at its waist, and atop, the landscape was instantly covered in a blanket of snow. With its three distinctive climates, the mountain's magical and extraordinary beauty was indeed not exaggerated.
Little Li was still somewhat childlike. Perhaps spending a long time in the desert made the sight of snow in the fifth month on this mountain especially spectacular to him. He immediately jumped in joy. Gao Qiu laughed, "Just out of the desert and now we encounter auspicious snow. This journey has had it all—wind, frost, rain, snow. From this point on, life holds no regrets."
While the two spoke lightheartedly, Lin Wanrong's brow was deeply furrowed. The mountain snow was beautiful to look at, but for them, travelers about to cross this mountain, it increased the risks considerably.
Seeing that it was getting late, Lin Wanrong clenched his teeth and said, "Brother Hu, tell the men to stay close to each other for mutual support. We won't be camping tonight; we'll cross the mountain overnight."
Hu Bugui, aware of the treacherous path ahead, quickly acknowledged and relayed the command. Following Lin Wanrong's earlier instructions, the soldiers had already gathered dried leaves and vines to make thick raincoats, which were unattractive but very functional, particularly at this moment.
Li Wuling was wearing the warmest clothes. Being young and recently recovered from a serious injury, everyone had secretly stuffed extra clothing into his bag. What he was wearing now was a new garment that Lin Wanrong had specially prepared for him. It was a few sizes too large, but it effectively kept the cold at bay.
As they climbed higher, the snowstorm intensified. The northern wind, mixed with snowflakes, lashed against their faces so harshly that they couldn't even open their eyes. The cheeks stung from both the impact and the cold.
Extreme heat in the desert and freezing cold in the snow were polar opposites. Everyone was experiencing such extreme weather conditions in a short span of time, something they had never encountered before. Even Lin Wanrong, who claimed to have traveled in all directions, had no such experience. After surveying his men and seeing that their spirits were high and they were chatting and laughing, he finally felt relieved.
However, when his eyes fell on Yujia, he couldn't help but furrow his brow. She could hardly withstand the icy conditions on the mountain's waist, let alone the howling northern winds and heavy snow at this moment. The young girl's face was frozen white, her body stiff. The falling snowflakes clung to her hair and face. Against her delicate cheeks, it was hard to tell which was whiter or more translucent.
The cold wind blew, causing her shoulders to involuntarily shiver. Yet, the young girl gritted her teeth in stubborn silence. Her little hands skillfully wove through the bag filled with dried leaves and twigs, as she hurriedly worked on making her own raincoat.
‘This girl will never learn her lesson until she's been through some hardships!’ Lin Wanrong shook his head, quickened his pace, and caught up with her, grinning as he spoke, "Miss Yujia, may I discuss something with you?"
"No discussion!" Upon hearing his voice, Yujia instantly turned her head away, not sparing him a glance, and coldly spat out those few words.
Having spent enough time with her, Lin Wanrong knew her temperament well. He simply acted as if he hadn't heard her, chuckling, "It's a trivial matter for you, really. I noticed that the cloak you're wearing is well-made. Would you consider selling it to me?"
"Selling it to you?" Yujia couldn't help but turn her head back, staring at him blankly. Big snowflakes clung to his hair, and the falling snow illuminated his face, creating a striking contrast between black and white.
He looked so cheerful that it was as if he'd forgotten the disagreement they'd had earlier.
‘This man really has thick skin,’ Yujia muttered to herself. Yet, for some reason, she felt uneasy. Even with her intelligence, she couldn't discern Lin Wanrong's intentions. After pondering for a moment, she snorted, "Are you mocking me again? I won't fall for your lies."
"I have no reason to mock you," Lin Wanrong replied with a smile. "The snowfall is heavy, and I'm freezing. I'd like to buy your cloak to keep warm."
He shouldn't have said that. As soon as he did, Yujia felt a chill run down to her bones. Her face like icy frost, she clenched her fists and shouted, "Why buy it? If you want it, just take it. I am your captive, aren't I? Why the pretense?"
"That won't do," Lin Wanrong said, shaking his head as if he were a drum rattle, still grinning. "Even captives have rights! Besides, I'm famously honest. Coercion is not my style. Miss Yujia, let me ask you once again: would you be willing to sell me your cloak?"
Seeing the serious look on his face, as if he were not joking, Yujia gritted her teeth and huffed, "Are you really that cold?"
"Very cold," he replied, nodding solemnly.
His pants were in tatters, wrapped layer upon layer with straw ropes. Those were the traces left when he had rescued her in a sandstorm; they did little to protect him from the wind and snow. The only warm piece of clothing he had was a long robe. Yujia's eyes reddened slightly. She tugged at her freshly made cloak, clenched her teeth, and thrust it into his hands, "Here, take it and get lost!"
Without any hesitation, he accepted the cloak and chuckled, "Thank you. Since I am buying this cloak from you, what would you like in return? Gold and silver? Pearls and gems? Or—"
"I want nothing! Now go away!" Yujia roared, seeing his annoying face made her bite her lip so hard she almost drew blood, wishing she could punch him squarely in the cheek.
"Alright, alright, I'm going," Lin Wanrong hastily backed away a couple of steps, still smiling, "I'm known for being upright and honest. Since we agreed it's a purchase, I won't take advantage of you. If none of these offers are acceptable, I'll give you something else later. A fair trade, so neither of us loses out."
This smiling rogue was unspeakably irritating. Yujia picked up a handful of snow and hurled it at him, "Stop provoking me—get out of here, now!"
Flurries of broken snow descended from the sky, casting a white pall over the landscape. The bandit laughed nervously and scampered off into the distance. Yueya'er watched his retreating figure through the snowstorm, her eyes lowered and her expression blank.
"Little Li, come here for a moment," called Lin Wanrong, who was in high spirits and leading the way through the blizzard. Hearing a soft voice from behind, he turned around and saw Lin Wanrong standing beside the marching column. Lin Wanrong's eyes were darting about, as he gestured for Li Wuling to come over.
Li Wuling hastily made his way to him, smiling, "Brother Lin, you called for me?"
Lin Wanrong grunted in acknowledgment and handed him a robe. "Little Li, I have a task for you."
After whispering instructions into Li Wuling's ear, Li Wuling looked up at him incredulously, "Brother Lin, have you lost your mind? This seems like a losing venture; it's not like you at all."
"Do I seem like the kind of person who would undertake a losing venture?" Lin Wanrong responded with an exasperated glance.
Li Wuling blinked, glanced at the swiftly moving Turki girl in the snowstorm, then back at Lin Wanrong. Suddenly, realization dawned on him. "Ah, I see. Don't worry, Brother Lin. I won't breathe a word of this to Aunt Xu. As for Miss Yujia, aside from her Turkic origin, she seems decent enough."
Seeing Li Wuling's eyes shifting about, Lin Wanrong sighed, "Why must people look at a noble act through such vulgar lenses? Rest assured, I am not so indiscriminate."
"I knew you weren't," Li Wuling chuckled. Despite being severely injured by the Turkic people, his life had been saved by Yujia. In his words, one should repay kindness with kindness, and avenge malice with malice—each had its own place, without interference. Amongst the troops, aside from Lin Wanrong, he was the only one who could exchange a few words with Yueya'er.
The snowstorm intensified, making it difficult to keep one's eyes open. Taking the robe from Li Wuling, Yujia looked puzzled for a moment before shaking her head angrily, "Go tell Wo Lao Gong, I won't accept anything from him!"
Li Wuling replied, "Miss Yujia, you've misunderstood. Brother Lin says this robe is no longer his; it belongs to you now."
"Mine?" Yujia bit her red lip. "How did it become mine?"
Li Wuling smiled, "Brother Lin said it was a fair trade. He took one of your robes and is now returning one to you. A barter, if you will. So this robe is now yours. Whether you keep it or throw it away, it's none of his business anymore."
None of his business? She thought back to the bandit's laughter and banter with her, realizing now that it had all been calculated. How could anyone be so shameless? For a long moment, her heart raced, then slowed. A wave of resentment surged within her, and she tossed the robe onto the ground, declaring, "What is he trying to do, trick me again? I don't want his things, I won't—"
But her protest was too late. Li Wuling had already delivered the message and moved on. At that moment, he and Lin Wanrong were at the front of the column, laughing and joking as if nothing had happened.
The snowfall grew heavier, each crystal-clear snowflake drifting down languorously, settling on the expansive robe as if they were delicate white flowers in full bloom—strikingly beautiful.
Yujia stood there, transfixed, oblivious to the biting cold. She gently crouched down to pick up the robe that had fallen to the ground, slowly rubbing it to brush away the accumulated snowflakes.
The robe still held a lingering warmth, as if it were touched by the warm hands of the bandit. Thinking of the times she had conducted business with the bandit, she couldn't pinpoint exactly what she felt.
"Why do you, like me, enjoy deceiving people?" She clutched the robe tightly, weeping and laughing at the same time. Her tears fell like rain.
In the midst of the swirling snow, they finally reached the peak of the Tianshan Mountains. Snow blanketed the landscape, and the cold wind howled, constantly whistling in their ears. Despite the dark clouds covering the sky, a moon hung high like a jade plate, its watery glow reflecting off the snowflakes and illuminating the peak as if it were daylight.
Snow and moonlight together—this incredible spectacle left everyone dumbfounded. If they hadn't trekked this far, who could believe such a legend existed between heaven and earth?
"Tianshan is indeed a marvelous place," Hu Bugui muttered to himself.
Gao Qiu, however, was less sentimental. He looked curiously at Lin Wanrong and exclaimed, "Brother Lin, your straw coat is exceptionally well-crafted!"
"Is it?" Lin Wanrong chuckled, "It cost me a pretty penny, so I'd better wear it."
In the hazy mix of rain and snow, the distant horizon was indistinct, and even the shadow of the Altai Mountains had disappeared. Looking downward, their feet were enveloped in a white abyss of snow, hiding countless death traps—ice ledges, water pits, avalanches; no one knew what awaited them on the road ahead.
Lin Wanrong took on a serious tone, "Xu Zhen, pick a few clever and capable brothers, tie them with ropes, and have them scout ahead. Remember, safety first. It's better to be slow than reckless."
Climbing up was easier than descending, especially in this snowy Tianshan Mountains landscape. Though it was their first time crossing a snow mountain, the endless snowy path made everyone instinctively cautious. Xu Zhen and his team moved carefully forward as scouts, the rest of the troops following in a single-file line at a painfully slow pace. Lin Wanrong brought up the rear, meticulously checking to see if anyone had fallen behind.
Marching in this snow and rain was indescribably cold. Among the entire army, Lin Wanrong was dressed the most modestly, looking like a straw man wrapped in leaves. He scooped up a handful of snow, munching on it. It was cold but refreshingly sweet. Then, he breathed warm air into his palms and vigorously rubbed his red hands together.
Suddenly, his "clothing" was tugged a few times. Lin Wanrong turned around, only to be startled. Standing before him was Yujia, and they were now the last two in the procession.
Yujia was wrapped in Lin Wanrong's expansive robe, her sleeves tightly wound around her. The curves of her figure were vaguely visible through the fabric. Lin Wanrong looked her up and down and said with a smile, "Don't blame me for not warning you. This 'outfit' of mine can't withstand much tugging. One careless move, and we'd be in a compromising situation."
Yujia lowered her head and hummed softly. Magically, a silvery fruit appeared in her hand, "For you!"
The fruit emitted waves of refreshing fragrance. Its root still had traces of mud and snow on it, as though it had just been pulled out of the snow. Lin Wanrong looked puzzled, "What is this?"
"Poison!" Yujia answered coldly.
"Such a pretty poison, then." Lin Wanrong chuckled as he took a lick of the fruit. The refreshing taste immediately warmed his body, fading away after a moment. "What is this?" he asked in astonishment, widening his eyes.
Yujia huffed, "It's called a Silver Fruit. It grows at the base of snow mountains, nourishing the limbs and warming the stomach. It only ripens once every few decades. You're lucky. Eat this, and you won't feel cold for an hour."
"An aphrodisiac?" Lin Wanrong widened his eyes, "You even found something like that?"
"It's silver, as in the color, not aphrodisiac, you pervert! Haven't you ever read a medical text?" Yujia was both embarrassed and angry, her cheeks flushing red. [TL: There is a homonym character in Silver fruit and Aphrodisiac.]
Lin Wanrong blinked, struggling to comprehend the difference between the two meanings of the word. Nevertheless, he trusted Yujia's medical skills. If she said it could ward off the cold, it must be true.
He glanced at Yujia's little hands, flushed red from the cold and lightly coated with snowy mud. He chuckled and handed the Silver Fruit back to her, "This is good stuff. You keep it. I'm pretty robust; I don't really need an aphro—ah, I mean, I'm not that susceptible to cold."
"I've already had some," Yujia stubbornly replied, looking down.
Lin Wanrong burst into laughter, "Little sister, do you know the most obvious sign that a woman is lying?"
"What is it?" Yujia clenched her teeth.
"It's that—her chest will grow bigger, and her face will turn red." Lin Wanrong stared at her, nodding seriously.
Yujia's breath hitched, her face flushed instantly, and she angrily retorted, "You're the one who's grown bigger and turning red, you pervert!"
"See?" Lin Wanrong looked at her, swallowing slightly, "Which of my statements didn't come true?"
Damn, fooled by him again. Yujia snapped back to reality, but the flush on her face couldn't subside. She quickly controlled her emotions and calmly asked, "So, do you want the Silver Fruit or not?"
Lin Wanrong shook his head, "You need it more than I do. You keep it."
"Fine!" With a snap, Yujia threw the Silver Fruit on the ground and stomped on it, "If you don't want it, I don't want it either!"
The fruit instantly shattered, its fragrance seeping into the snow. Yujia gave Lin Wanrong a proud yet stubborn glance before turning to rush down the mountain.
‘This girl, so violent!’ Lin Wanrong shook his head in resignation, but before he could lament any further, he felt the ground under his feet tremble, and a rumbling sound approached from behind.
Upon hearing this, Yujia's face changed dramatically. She turned back so quickly that she almost fell in the snow.
A furious wind roared atop the mountain, accompanied by ceaseless rumbling. It was as if the mountain itself had collapsed. The sky's ice and snow, like a surging river, came pouring down in a torrent.
The wave of snow reached Lin Wanrong in a blink, swallowing him up with a thunderous roar.
"Wo Lao Gong—" Yujia scrambled up the slope like a madwoman, her heart feeling as though it had been torn apart.
