CHAPTER 269: CHAPTER 266: DO YOU BELIEVE I CAN USE MAGIC?

"It’s you, how come you are down there?" Xiao Yixun recognized Lin Wanwan’s voice and asked indifferently.

Just hearing the cold tone from the other party, Lin Wanwan’s heart cooled halfway, this did not seem like someone who would extend a helping hand.

But she still had to speak; what if the other party was willing to help?

"I accidentally fell while walking the mountain path and can’t get up now, can you help deliver a message to Lin Family Manor for me? It’s easy to find, once you get down the mountain just ask any household, they all know."

Lin Family Manor is quite famous in the area for having Lin Wanwan who brought high-yield grains, and this year there’s a notable event of not planting hemp but cotton.

Xiao Yixun didn’t reply immediately, instead paused for a moment: "I’ll rescue you right now, can you climb up the rope?"

Lin Wanwan didn’t expect Xiao Yixun to be so straightforward, then thought, perhaps the main personality is indeed this style of doing things.

So she replied straightforwardly, "I can, thank you. We are in a cave two or three zhang below the rock face, do you have a long enough hemp rope?"

Xiao Yixun replied succinctly: "Have."

Soon after, a hemp rope was indeed sent down.

"One end of the hemp rope is tied to a tree, you can start climbing."

Xiao Chong, who had been silently listening, made a gesture indicating he would go up first. Lin Wanwan shook her head and whispered, "Cousin, let me go first, I grew up in the mountains as a child, I have experience with this."

Xiao Chong made no comment, just glanced at Hua Nong and said, "Let her pull Hua Nong up first."

This is about using the servant’s life to test Xiao Yixun’s intention to rescue. As expected, nobles are always nobles, they can’t possibly treat all lives equally.

In their eyes, there are strict hierarchies and levels of high and low status between people.

Lin Wanwan wasn’t surprised by Xiao Chong’s decision, after all, he merely appears easygoing and calm, but his style isn’t necessarily just and upright.

Observing his handling of Mao County affairs this past year, opening salt fields, dealing with nobles, building the Ta Mountain Dam and drafting labor, it’s clear he focuses on the matter not the people, and doesn’t mind using tactical schemes to achieve his goals.

But Hua Nong is still unconscious now, she had just saved Lin Wanwan last night by risking her own life, how could Lin Wanwan bear to let her be a probe?

Among the three present, she was the only one with a backup plan. Hence, the first person to go up had to be her.

She didn’t argue with Xiao Chong, knowing he had read so many classic texts, she couldn’t outtalk him, actions speak louder than words.

Lin Wanwan directly stepped forward to grab the hemp rope, but Xiao Chong, seemingly anticipating Lin Wanwan’s move, lightly sighed inaudibly and swiftly ascended the hemp rope.

Lin Wanwan couldn’t stop him, watching with complex emotions as Xiao Chong gracefully and adeptly climbed up.

Seeing the situation as it was, worrying was of no use for Lin Wanwan, she rushed to open the Space-Time Gate, returned the Dendrobium and medical waste from the cloth bag to her modern villa, tossing one into the trash bin and placing the other temporarily on the table.

Then she quickly took out an all-equipped mountain climbing pack she specially bought last year in Qiong State, and opened it to take out the equipment.

After quickly taking hold of the Xinda hand ascender, the foot ascender, parachute cord, carabiner, Rescue Rock Climbing Five-point Safety Belt, etc., Lin Wanwan returned to Great Tang.

Xiao Chong had almost climbed to the top, and the burly man with white eyes under Xiao Yixun’s command reached out and directly pulled him up.

Xiao Yixun looked somewhat oddly at seeing the person come up was Xiao Chong.

"Why is it you?"

Although Xiao Yixun had only met Xiao Chong once, the impression the other had left was unforgettable, exceedingly forceful, using the power of the government to directly send her onto a ship to return to Chang’an.

After arriving in Chang’an, unable to face the disappointment and reproach of her parents, the second personality awakened, poisoned the caretaker directly, and left the city with a few close servants.

Now by Xiao Yixun’s side there’s only a mute girl and a burly man left; the cleft lip youth and nine-fingered slave originally accompanying her, fell into the rushing river on the way to Mao County, their lives unknown.

All this was thanks to Xiao Chong. Had he not meddled, insisting on sending her back to Chang’an, she would have been fine in Qiantang.

Once stable, Xiao Chong cupped his fists and saluted saying: "Thank you all for your assistance, I will certainly repay it in the future."

"I had no intention to rescue you!" Xiao Yixun coldly stated his stance.

Xiao Chong was not offended by Xiao Yixun’s attitude, turned and shouted down: "Wanwan, it’s fine now, can you all come up?"

"I can! Once I’m tied up, you can pull up!"

"Alright."

Lin Wanwan put the Five-point Safety Belt on Hua Nong, secured the foot ascender, then tied the parachute cord to the safety belt, holding it in her own hand, just in case.

"Ready, all set, pull up."

Xiao Chong and the burly man exerted their strength together, quickly pulling the oddly equipped Hua Nong up. Hua Nong awoke during the ascent and let out a startled cry.

The four people were all a bit taken aback by Hua Nong’s strange equipment, didn’t know how to undo it for a moment, and finally Xiao Chong used his intellect to unlock it.

Xiao Chong was full of questions, but saving people took priority at the moment, he couldn’t ask much.

"Xiao Mingfu, where is my mistress?" Hua Nong regained her senses, still a bit dazed, and quickly looked for Lin Wanwan.

"She stayed below to save you."

The hemp rope was sent down again, and Lin Wanwan, using the hand ascender, climbed up relatively easily, of course not forgetting the medical kit.

After thanking Xiao Yixun, Lin Wanwan swiftly packed up the high-altitude climbing tools, stuffing them all into the cloth bag.

Xiao Chong glanced at the cloth bag and asked: "Why have the things inside changed?"

"Actually, do you believe I can do magic?" After this, Lin Wanwan laughed lightly, "Relieved from trouble, I’m in good spirits, just joking! There’s no change, it’s always been these."

Not allowing Xiao Chong to continue questioning, she sighed regretfully first: "It’s a pity for the herbs I arduously collected, they accidentally fell off the cliff just now."

Xiao Chong said: "No problem, when I return to the County Government, I will dispatch people to search the mountain."

Lin Wanwan: "..."

Xiao Yixun asked Lin Wanwan: "How did you end up falling into the cave with him?"

"It’s hard to explain." Lin Wanwan shrugged, "How did you end up in this mountain?"

Xiao Yixun said: "I came looking for you."

"Looking for me?" Lin Wanwan was surprised.

Xiao Yixun nodded: "Yes. I didn’t want to stay in Chang’an, so I came to find you."

Xiao Yixun had a certain inexplicable fondness for Lin Wanwan, possibly due to the second personality obsessively perceiving Lin Wanwan as a mother figure, which influenced the main personality.

This journey from the outskirts of Chang’an to Mao County included getting lost, stormy rain, landslides, deception, robbery, a path paved with thorns to reach here, truly arduous.