Chapter 257: The Sea
Although it was not a very high hill, rising a few hundred meters above sea level, and with the mountain path covered in snow, Yang Chen didn't dare to walk too fast. They proceeded with frequent stops, and by the time Mo Qianyi walked all the way to the mountaintop, nearly two hours had passed.
The summit was a roughly uneven patch of land, tens of square meters in size, scattered with a few weeds and moss-covered rocks, devoid of other features.
The biting sea breeze whistled past their ears. Mo Qianyi's ears were flushed red, and her cheeks and nose were also rosy.
Yang Chen gently touched her slightly wind-burned cheek and took off his own scarf, intending to wrap it around her.
"I'm not cold, you keep it," Mo Qianyi tried to decline.
Yang Chen smiled wryly, "When a man gives you his scarf, you should accept it. Don't you think it's embarrassing for a man if a woman says she's not cold?"
"It's just the two of us here," Mo Qianyi said. "That's not how that phrase is supposed to be used."
"If we were in a warm bed, that's when I'd appreciate you saying that," Yang Chen chuckled.
"You're annoying," Mo Qianyi blushed, but obediently let Yang Chen put the scarf around her, enjoying its soft texture infused with his warmth.
They stood silently for a moment, gazing at each other, before turning to look at the sea view they had come to see.
From the hilltop in the hilly terrain, looking eastward, the boundless sea seemed to stretch out beneath their feet, shimmering with sparkling brilliance.
Perhaps due to the recent snowfall, the sun had just emerged, its rays like tentacles, teasing the wisps of clouds in the sky.
In the afternoon, the golden and emerald sea reflected intoxicating waves.
It was a magnificent natural landscape, nothing less.
Mo Qianyi took a deep breath of the icy air. The cold wind tousled her hair, making her look disheveled yet elegant.
"As the old folks say, this place is indeed beautiful," she remarked.
"If you like it, I can bring you here often in the future. Otherwise, I might never come here in my lifetime," Yang Chen smiled.
Mo Qianyi pursed her lips and smiled, "Even though I was born in the mountains, even in a big city, I'd always think of running off to places like this. It feels like these places belong to my Yang Chen. Am I being ridiculous?"
"Why would you be? I still feel like the market suits me better for work than an office building," Yang Chen replied.
Mo Qianyi giggled, "You're shameless."
"Why would I be ashamed when I have you and the sea in front of me?" Yang Chen replied with ease.
Mo Qianyi's eyes showed a hint of enchantment as she extended her delicate white hand, brushing her cold fingertips across Yang Chen's face.
"When I was little, the first time I saw the sea was when my father was still alive. He took me and my mother to visit a distant relative's house by the sea. My mother held my hand and asked me why the sea is lower than all the rivers. At that time, I didn't know, but my mother told me it's because the sea accepts all rivers, and all the water from the rivers can flow into the sea."
"My mother said, 'Ni Zi, if you marry someone in the future, be a woman like the sea. Just quietly place yourself at the lowest point, and you'll always be able to let all the rivers flow into your embrace, like the sea, endless and captivating, allowing those by the sea to gaze at you in fascination.'"
Yang Chen looked into Mo Qianyi's dreamy eyes, pondered for a moment, and smiled, "My mother-in-law, although not a university professor or an expert, seems to always say something profound."
"I was thinking, if I never marry in this lifetime, and I become like the sea, would the person by the seaside also gaze at me so devotedly?"
"You must get married," Yang Chen hugged Mo Qianyi tightly, "If you don't marry and become the sea, there will be too many people mesmerized by you. Even if you're the sea, I will be the Earth that supports you."
"Pfft—" Mo Qianyi leaned against Yang Chen's chest and burst into laughter, her eyes misty, "If you become a perfectly round Earth, I still wouldn't want to become the sea."
"Do you want to be slapped, or kissed?" Yang Chen looked at her mischievously.
Mo Qianyi blinked innocently, a hint of grievance in her clear eyes, "Is there a difference?"
"Then let's do both."
Yang Chen kissed her, one hand around her waist.
The icy mountain wind outside seemed to turn into a gentle spring breeze, no longer cold at all.
The two intertwined for a long time. Mo Qianyi was a bit out of breath and finally managed to free herself from Yang Chen's embrace, pleading, "Let's go down the mountain now, it's getting dark."
"Don't you feel like we have a bit of a solemn oath here?" Yang Chen smiled.
Mo Qianyi gave him a playful look, "You're getting better at talking, aren't you sweet-talking every girl like this?"
"If that were true, would I have traveled all this way to accompany you in the middle of nowhere?" Yang Chen teased.
"You're the one who's traveled all this way," Mo Qianyi grumbled, breaking free and starting to walk downhill.
Yang Chen followed without another word, "Don't walk too fast, avoid stepping on the ice patches, it's easy to slip."
"I grew up in the mountains, do you really need to teach me how to walk on mountain paths?" Mo Qianyi turned around and laughed.
Yang Chen shrugged and didn't say more.
But before Mo Qianyi could finish her sentence, suddenly, she let out a low groan, her left leg gave out, and she half-knelt on the mountain path!
Yang Chen was shocked, rushed forward, and supported Mo Qianyi's body, asking anxiously, "What's wrong?"
Mo Qianyi opened her mouth but her face turned pale, cold sweat breaking out rapidly. She trembled and couldn't speak, only letting out low murmurs, seeming to be in unbearable pain.
Yang Chen looked at Mo Qianyi holding her left calf with both hands, tears welling up in her eyes, feeling an urgent fire burning in his heart.
"What's wrong?" Yang Chen asked again.
"My leg... it hurts so much," Mo Qianyi murmured.
Without further thought, Yang Chen lifted Mo Qianyi up horizontally with force. Mo Qianyi hooked her arms around him, tightly embraced, and weakly tapped on Yang Chen's chest, struggling to say, "Don't... don't rush, I can manage... it's dangerous to walk fast..."
Yang Chen didn't question further. As for whether the mountain path was slippery or not, it was not a concern to him at all. Almost like a gust of wind, he navigated the extremely difficult mountain path and swiftly arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Mo Qianyi, due to the extreme pain, was half-conscious and barely felt anything unusual.
With a dark expression, Yang Chen ran to the farmhouse at the foot of the mountain. He arranged for a room in the accommodation area. The female attendant saw Yang Chen carrying Mo Qianyi, whose condition seemed quite bad, and hurriedly processed everything.
Yang Chen carried Mo Qianyi into the warm room and gently laid her on the white sheets of a single bed, her forehead furrowed tightly, her face devoid of color, looking more uncomfortable than death itself.
Yang Chen couldn't afford to think too much. He immediately began to remove Mo Qianyi's tight, cotton-lined pants from her waist, revealing a pair of pure white, warm trousers underneath.
"Qianyi, let me have a look," Yang Chen said, then proceeded to remove Mo Qianyi's thermal pants.
Mo Qianyi quietly protested, "Don't... don't look, I'm fine."
"It's not up to you," Yang Chen didn't hesitate anymore and removed Mo Qianyi's thermal pants.
Inside, Mo Qianyi was wearing only a pair of dark purple patterned undergarments, her fair and plump thighs reflecting an ivory-like luster under the light. Her legs, devoid of any excess flesh, seemed sculpted like fine jade, with smooth lines extending gracefully down to her lovely feet.
But Yang Chen had no mood to appreciate this enticing view. His gaze was locked onto Mo Qianyi's left calf, which was causing her unbearable pain. There seemed to be nothing abnormal visible, but upon closer inspection, there was a thin, faint scar.
Yang Chen gently touched Mo Qianyi's scar. It was clearly a surgical site, skillfully handled by the doctor, perhaps through various subsequent care, making the scar almost invisible.
Silently, Yang Chen activated his unique internal energy, gently extending it into the painful area on Mo Qianyi's leg. The blocked feeling quickly revealed to Yang Chen that this surgical area on Mo Qianyi had suffered serious tissue damage. Despite much repair, it was like wood that had been nailed and could no longer be considered intact.
The warm internal energy of the Derivation Scripture swiftly adjusted the old injuries' meridians. Gradually, Mo Qianyi's furrowed brows relaxed, and a hint of color returned to her face.
Mo Qianyi opened her eyes and looked at Yang Chen blankly, "Thank you..."
She didn't ask Yang Chen how he managed it. Having witnessed Yang Chen's extraordinary abilities before, she had grown accustomed to his habit of not discussing his past unless prompted.
"The old injury on your leg is quite serious. In this cold weather, exposed to the cold wind and possibly freezing, it's easy for inflammation to recur," Yang Chen remarked.
"I haven't felt pain in these two years. I thought everything was fine. I'm sorry for worrying you," Mo Qianyi spoke with the demeanor of a child who had done something wrong, her spirits low.
"The scar on your calf extends almost halfway down your leg. It doesn't look like a simple bruise or cut. How did it happen?" Yang Chen pondered for a moment before asking.