Chapter 123: Awkward

 Chapter 123: Awkward 

“I caught up to you!”

Xiao Yeyang passed Daohua triumphantly, even throwing her a teasing glance as he went by.

They had been climbing for about half an hour, and Daohua wasn’t particularly tired. However, seeing Xiao Yeyang’s smug expression, she couldn’t help but compete with him for a while.

Before long, though, her pace slowed, and eventually, she resorted to climbing a bit, then resting.

“You’re already out of energy? There’s still quite a way to the top!” Xiao Yeyang stood on the steps above her, smiling down at Daohua.

Daohua glanced at him and began rubbing her legs, staying silent.

She had been so focused on keeping up with Xiao Yeyang earlier that she hadn’t paced herself. Now, she realized she might need a couple of days to recover once they returned.

Xiao Yeyang rubbed his nose awkwardly. Was she truly exhausted? He turned to Defu with a questioning look.

Though Defu looked delicate, he was a skilled martial artist, no less capable than the guards.

Defu lowered his head, sighing inwardly. My lord, you’re a martial arts-trained man competing seriously against a little girl. Is beating her really that satisfying? You couldn’t have given her a little break?

See? Now she doesn’t even want to play along with you anymore. Serves you right.

Of course, these thoughts stayed in his mind—he wouldn’t dare voice them.

Seeing Daohua stop climbing, Xiao Yeyang found it boring to continue alone and decided to wait for her.

Daohua noticed this and snorted inwardly. This guy didn’t hold back at all earlier.

She averted her gaze and kept resting. When Dong Yuanxuan and the others caught up, she still didn’t move. Only after Zhou Jingwan leisurely climbed up did Daohua finally stand and continue.

This time, the group noticeably slowed their pace.

Watching Xiao Yeyang climb a bit before repeatedly glancing back, the others stifled their laughter.

Usually, they were the ones accommodating this little ancestor. For once, he was experiencing what it was like to wait for someone else.

“Can you move any slower?”

After climbing a bit more, Xiao Yeyang couldn’t help but shout back to Daohua.

“I can’t. You go on without me,” Daohua replied without hesitation. Competing against an older, stronger boy in a climbing race? She wasn’t foolish enough to continue that.

“You—”

Xiao Yeyang was a little exasperated but found himself at a loss for words to retort.

At that moment, Defu, unable to watch any longer, decided to step in. “Young Lord, Miss Yan is only ten years old.”

To which Xiao Yeyang instantly responded, “And I’m only thirteen, not that much older than her!”

“…Uh…”

Defu’s attempt to intervene had failed. He decided to shut his mouth to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Xiao Yeyang waited for a while longer, then muttered, “I’m already going this slow. How is she still falling behind?”

Defu thought for a moment. “Young girls aren’t as strong. Look, how many of the others who started with us are still climbing? Even some of the men have given up. The fact that Miss Yan is still going is already quite impressive.”

Xiao Yeyang glanced down and noticed that only Daohua and Zhou Jingwan remained climbing among the girls. He pursed his lips. “Girls are just delicate.”

Defu decided to stay silent once again.

Seeing Daohua climb sluggishly, one step at a time, Xiao Yeyang grew anxious. At this rate, who knew when they’d reach the summit?

Suddenly, his gaze landed on a fallen tree branch nearby. An idea struck him, and he turned to Defu. “Go, grab that branch for me.”

Defu immediately complied.

Just as Daohua was focusing on counting the steps, a tree branch suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked up in confusion and saw Xiao Yeyang holding the branch awkwardly, looking uncomfortable.

Seeing that Daohua was not moving, Xiao Yeyang spoke up, "Grab it. I'll pull you up."

Upon hearing this, Daohua's eyes instantly lit up. She smiled and reached out to hold the branch. "You better hold on tight. Don't drop me."

"I'm already doing you a favor by pulling you up, and you're still complaining!" Xiao Yeyang thought to himself, feeling relieved that Daohua was smiling again. Then, he silently cursed himself. He was a Young Prince, so it should be Daohua who was accommodating him, not the other way around.

Looking at Daohua, who was smiling as he pulled her along, Xiao Yeyang decided to let it be. If she refused to climb, could he really order her to? Behind them, Dong Yuanxuan and the others saw Xiao Yeyang slowing down to accommodate Daohua, and now he was even pulling her along. They couldn't help but laugh.

Yan Wentao noticed this and his eyes brightened. He quickly grabbed a branch from the nearby woods and handed it to Zhou Jingwan.

When Zhou Chengye turned around and saw this scene, he chuckled and said, "Wentao learns quickly." He then ignored the situation.

At that moment, everyone didn’t have much to think about. Daohua and Zhou Jingwan were both younger, and it was natural for the older brothers to protect them, right?

And so, Daohua was pulled up to the top of Xiangxia Mountain by Xiao Yeyang.

Xiao Yeyang, having pulled Daohua up, was exhausted.

When they reached the last step, Daohua gave the branch a strong pull and, as Xiao Yeyang paused, she quickly stepped ahead.

"I won!"

Daohua looked at the stunned Xiao Yeyang with a sense of pride and waved at Zhou Jingwan, who was still on the stairs. "Jingwan, we won! Don’t forget to ask them for a prize!"

The others couldn’t help but laugh at this result.

Xiao Yeyang glared at Daohua, but seeing her smiling and holding her hands out, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

"Give it to me, my prize."

"There isn’t one!" Xiao Yeyang huffed and walked away quickly.

Daohua froze for a moment, frowned, and thought to herself, it was just a joke, why get angry about it? She didn’t chase after him and waited for Zhou Jingwan to catch up before dragging her off to admire the scenery.

The view at the top of the mountain was even more spectacular and beautiful.

Watching Daohua and Zhou Jingwan laugh and play, Xiao Yeyang felt frustrated. He walked into a nearby pavilion and sat in silence.

Dong Yuanxuan and the others stood outside the pavilion, feeling a little helpless, unsure whether to approach.

Why were these two causing trouble again?

In the distance, Zhou Jingwan tugged at Daohua's sleeve. "Aren’t you going to leave the Young Prince alone in the pavilion like that?"

Daohua widened her eyes. "I’m not leaving him. He went there by himself!"

Zhou Jingwan sighed. "I still think it's a bit inappropriate."

Daohua glanced at Xiao Yeyang, who was sitting alone in the pavilion. After thinking for a moment, she relented. "Alright, I’ll go ask him if he wants to join us and enjoy the view."

In the pavilion, Xiao Yeyang noticed Daohua hesitating as she walked toward him. His tense expression relaxed a little. He realized that his attitude earlier had been a bit off. However, he found it hard to apologize first, especially with so many people around.

"Xiao Yeyang, there’s a tall and large maple tree over there. Do you want to go see it?" Daohua decided she shouldn’t be angry with a pampered little brat, so she smiled as she entered the pavilion.

Xiao Yeyang glanced at her, his expression a bit awkward. "We finally made it up here. Of course, we should look around!"

"Then let’s go!" 

(End of chapter)