Ger, So Proud

Chapter 38

Lin Yu froze in place, his hand sliding down the tree trunk, while his other hand quickly moved up from his chest, seizing the wrist on his shoulder with lightning speed.

He spun around and threw a punch, but the person behind him dodged to the side, barely avoiding the blow.

“Lin Yu! Stop, it’s me.”

Another fierce punch came, and He Ze hastily blocked it with his fist. When their fists collided, He Ze’s eyebrows furrowed, and he quickly shouted out.

Lin Yu’s strength… He had to admit defeat.

“He Ze?”

Lin Yu relaxed his grip, took out a fire striker from his belt, blew on it, and quickly ignited a small flame.

“He Ze, it really is you!”

In the dim light, He Ze, frowning, was standing right in front of him.

A smile appeared on Lin Yu’s face.

“Who else would it be? Why are you in the mountains in the middle of the night?”

“You have some nerve saying that!”

As soon as He Ze spoke, Lin Yu’s smile vanished, and his voice brimmed with anger, much stronger than the fire striker’s flame. “You finally decided to show up? Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you? Did you hear me or not? If you did, why didn’t you respond? Walking around silently! And if that punch had landed on your head, I wouldn’t want to be held accountable for your death!”

“…”

He Ze hadn’t ignored Lin Yu on purpose; he had been blocking his ears with leaves to drown out the noise after listening to wolf howls for a while. Thanks to his abilities, the plants on the mountain would alert him if any danger approached, so he wasn’t worried.

He was jolted awake when he faintly heard Lin Yu calling. He used his wood ability to rush over, which took only a few moments, so he hadn’t had a chance to respond.

As for just now… well, he had felt a sudden urge to test his skills. It seemed he still needed more practice.

Lin Yu continued to talk while He Ze rubbed his arm. When He Ze looked up, he was momentarily stunned.

The person in front of him had disheveled hair, clothes with cuts, and black and red marks on his hands and face…

He looked utterly bedraggled.

He had never seen Lin Yu like this, and all his words got stuck in his throat.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” Lin Yu waved a hand in front of He Ze’s face and then pursed his lips. “Let me tell you, I didn’t hit you just now, so don’t try to blame me.”

He Ze snapped out of it and couldn’t help but chuckle. After a moment, he said, “You came to find me?”

“Obviously!”

“Why did you come to find me? Didn’t I tell Xiao An to tell you not to worry? I’ll be back tomorrow. By the way… he didn’t tell Father and Dad, did he?”

“No,” Lin Yu replied irritably, “You think just saying ‘don’t worry’ will make it so? Xiao An is just a kid. You going off alone to hunt a bear, how could he not worry?”

“Why not? You could hunt bears when you were thirteen. Why can’t I?” He Ze’s eyes sparkled with interest as he raised an eyebrow at Lin Yu.

“You… Just because when I was hunting bears, you were still trailing after a boy, crying all the time. How about that?” Lin Yu glared at He Ze and gave him a hard shove, walking ahead a few steps.

“Crying all the time? How could that be? I don’t remember that at all.” He Ze quickly caught up with him. “I was eleven then, right? I haven’t cried since I was eight.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I…” He Ze abruptly stopped mid-sentence.

Yes, he hadn’t cried since he was eight, and he was proud of it throughout his youth, so he remembered it clearly. However… he hadn’t cried, but the original He Ze…

He Ze thought back. Indeed, at that time, the original He Ze often trailed after He Bao’er. If He Bao’er didn’t play with him, he would start crying, with tears flowing faster than anyone else’s.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” Lin Yu raised his chin.

“I… I was young back then. Some things are a bit blurry,” He Ze looked away. “But even if it happened as you said, so what? Childhood stuff doesn’t count!”

“Heh, heh—” Lin Yu let out two cold laughs, carefully shielding the flame in his hand, and quickened his pace.

“Are you heading down the mountain?” He Ze paused as he looked at Lin Yu’s direction.

“What else? Spend the night on the mountain?”

“Well, why don’t you go back first? I’ll stay on the mountain tonight. During the day, I found where the bear sleeps. I can’t just leave now.”

Bears are usually active at night and sleep during the day. When he found the bear’s lair earlier, it was already late, and the bear was lightly sleeping, so he didn’t take action.

He could have used his abilities to deal with the bear directly; no matter how strong it was, a couple of large trees falling on it would probably cause significant harm. But that would take the fun out of it.

In the apocalypse, he faced bloodshed daily. After living peacefully for so long, this idea had sparked a thrill within him.

Men, deep down, always harbor a bit of bloodlust. It’s not suitable as a main course, only as a spice; otherwise, it can drive a person mad.

The apocalypse was just such a place that could drive people mad. Fortunately, he had found relief from it.

“You really are here to hunt the bear?” Lin Yu stopped in his tracks, looking at He Ze with a shocked expression. “Did you forget how I saved you last time? Are you looking to shorten your life?”

“…Don’t worry. They say misfortune lasts a thousand years; I won’t die.”

“No way! You’re coming back with me right now. I promised Xiao An that I’d bring you back as soon as I found you!”

Lin Yu’s face grew cold.

“…Go back and tell him I’m fine. I’ve been scouting the bear’s territory all day. It would be a waste to just leave it like this. Last time, that bear almost killed me with a swipe. I need to get my revenge.”

“You!”

Lin Yu’s brows furrowed tightly, and the hand hidden in his sleeve clenched into a fist.

Should he knock this guy out and drag him back? Should he…

Lin Yu’s grip tightened, but he glanced at He Ze and suddenly released his fist, turning away in frustration.

“Alright, Lin Yu. Thank you for coming up the mountain to find me so late. Let me escort you down. You should get some sleep. I’ll try tomorrow. If I can’t take down the bear, I’ll run. Nothing will happen.”

If it really came to that, he’d use his abilities. As long as he was in the forest, he was unbeatable. There was no way he’d get hurt.

Lin Yu remained silent. With no other choice, He Ze stood there with him, the air growing still and quiet.

As a night breeze arose, the small flame in Lin Yu’s hand flickered. He Ze, standing behind him, reached out but hadn’t touched Lin Yu before the latter suddenly dodged, “What are you doing?!”

“…There was a leaf with thorns in your hair.”

He Ze stepped back and lightly brushed his own temple.

“…”

Lin Yu gave him a look, then reached up and carefully removed the thorny leaf from his hair, tossing it to the ground.

“You really won’t come back with me?”

“I…”

“Fine, then I won’t go back either. I’ve been searching for that bear for a long time and never found it. I can help you,” Lin Yu suddenly turned, walking as he spoke, “You said you’re staying here overnight. Have you found a place to sleep?”

“…”

“He Ze, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you talking?”

“Uh… how about you still go back? You’re a young ger. Spending the night on the mountain is not appropriate. What will people say?” He Ze hurried forward a few steps and reached out to block him.

Furthermore, if Lin Yu were present, he might not even be able to protect himself if he couldn’t handle the bear.

“What are you talking about? Why didn’t you mention this when I took you to Yangliu Town?” Lin Yu gave him an annoyed look. “You know all the rumors in the village, right? Why bring this up now?”

“I…”

He Ze did know about those rumors, having heard them from Xiao An.

He Ze furrowed his brows and suddenly spoke seriously, “Lin Yu, I apologize. The incident in Yangliu Town was my oversight. Public opinion can be destructive, and those rumors…”

“So, you’ve been avoiding me because of this?”

Lin Yu looked at He Ze quietly, his gaze calm and unruffled.

He didn’t know why he impulsively said that. He knew He Ze was also worried that day, but he had insisted on going ahead, so it wasn’t He Ze’s fault at all.

Moreover, Lin Yu had long stopped caring about his reputation, let alone being angry with He Ze.

Just, just… forget it, it’s so frustrating!

Before He Ze could respond, Lin Yu spoke up again, “You don’t need to answer. It wasn’t your fault to begin with. I was just angry after searching for you all night. Don’t mind it.”

“…I won’t.”

Avoiding? Caring? Why would he care about such things?

To him, those rumors were just baseless chatter, merely laughable. However… this world was particularly unkind to gers, making his own views seem out of place.

Firstly, it’s hard to silence gossip, and secondly, he had been genuinely busy and hadn’t come up with a solution, so he hadn’t visited the Lin family.

Now, it seemed… Lin Yu might have misunderstood?

He Ze sighed in relief, then gently placed a hand on Lin Yu’s shoulder, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to a place where you can sleep well.”

Luckily, his arms were long, and even with such a gesture, they only occasionally brushed against each other’s clothes.

But this protective stance…

Lin Yu glanced up at He Ze. In this short time, his once frail appearance seemed to have completely vanished. In the dim light, He Ze’s features appeared more defined, with clear, bright eyes, a masculine charm, and… a unique aura.

This was a new feeling Lin Yu had never experienced when looking at He Ze before.

Thump-thump-thump.

Lin Yu suddenly felt his heart racing. He lowered his head, trying hard to quell the pounding in his chest, but… he couldn’t.

He Ze held the torch, leading them through the uneven terrain. Initially, they managed to avoid touching each other, but as they traversed through bushes and jumped over dirt mounds, He Ze eventually grabbed Lin Yu’s arm.

“Sorry, it’s so dark. Let’s hold on to each other; I don’t want you to fall…”

Lin Yu didn’t reply. He Ze led him through the forest, only stopping at an open area. Two large trees stood together, and the ground, covered with leaves, was devoid of other plants.

A breeze stirred, causing the torch’s flame to flicker and then go out.

“He Ze…”

“It’s fine. You go ahead and relight it.”

He Ze handed the torch to Lin Yu, walked a few steps ahead, and then turned to glance back at him before gently raising his hand.

While Lin Yu focused on relighting the torch, a few branches on the tree above began to swirl slightly.

“He Ze, it’s done!”

The flame reignited, and Lin Yu quickly walked over to He Ze. His soot-covered face made his teeth stand out brightly, creating a somewhat comical sight.

He Ze suppressed a laugh, quickly turning his head away. He took the torch and held it up. “Look, this place is great. How about we sleep here?”

Lin Yu followed his gaze and saw that the branches of the two large trees before them were unusually shaped. Each tree had branches at the same height that twisted and intertwined, appearing as if they had been neatly cut by a knife.

“Isn’t this an amazing work of nature?” He Ze explained, seeing the skeptical look in Lin Yu’s eyes. “You’re lucky. I just discovered this today. If you get tired while hunting, you can come here to rest. These are camphor trees; snakes, insects, and rodents all avoid them.”

“…You’re the lucky one,” Lin Yu retorted, thinking about how well he knew the mountain yet had never noticed such trees.

“Alright, let’s say I’m lucky. So, what do you think? Can you climb up?”

Conveniently, the mid-height branches of the two trees were flat and smooth, while lower branches overlapped like steps, making it easy to climb up.

Lin Yu gave He Ze a look and then quickly climbed up the tree.

A smile appeared on He Ze’s face as he blew out the torch. Instead of climbing up immediately, he busied himself with something below the tree.

It wasn’t until Lin Yu called out, “He Ze, what are you doing down there?”

“Nothing, I’m coming.”

He Ze replied and swiftly climbed the tree, carrying two items. He tossed one to Lin Yu and placed the other behind his own head.

“What’s this?”

“I made pillows from leaves, so it’s more comfortable to rest,” He Ze said, removing his longbow and quiver before lying down. “Alright, let’s sleep. Tomorrow morning we’ll hunt the bear and then head back right away.”

“…”

Lin Yu glanced at him without responding, feeling the soft leaves in his hands. He lay on his back and looked up at the sky.

The festivals in this world were somewhat similar to ancient Chinese festivals. A couple of days ago, they celebrated the fifteenth, and the next month’s fifteenth would be Mid-Autumn Festival.

At this moment, the sky was filled with stars, and the moonlight bathed the world in a silvery glow.

As he faintly heard He Ze’s steady breathing, Lin Yu carefully turned on his side, quietly watching him.

His eyes seemed to hold many thoughts, yet perhaps none at all.

—

*Author’s Note*: From this chapter on, there will really be some pink bubbles between these two! I’m not lying to you all, I’m their mom, and I guarantee it!!!