Of Mountains and Rivers 56

Nanshan placed the bowl of water within Chu Huan’s reach and sat down beside it without making a sound. Unsure of where to begin, his eyes avoided contact with Chu Huan, gazing at the iron chains at the foot of the bed, lost in thought or hesitation.

Perhaps due to discomfort, Nanshan tied up his long hair, revealing a broad and clean forehead. A scar between his eyebrows, seemingly carved by a knife or an axe, made him look somewhat weary.

As the Mountain Keeper, Nanshan was accustomed to rough living conditions. However, that was also his nature to endure hardships, so why did he suddenly appear weary?

Chu Huan gently shook the iron chain on his foot, trying to find something to say but felt that anything serious would be inappropriate for the current situation. So, without much tact, he said, “Hey, play me a tune, and I will play sadism with you.”

Nanshan didn't understand the latter half of the sentence. Still, he took out a harmonica and played a tune that Chu Huan had never heard before.

Chu Huan paid no heed to the iron chains on his limbs, relaxing his body and closing his eyes, thoroughly enjoying the music. The fragrance of the Osmanthus in the courtyard had faded, but he could still smell their scent through sensory illusion.

Enamored with the way Nanshan committed to everything he did, Chu Huan heard the true essence of drizzling rain and a gentle breeze through Nanshan’s music. The lingering melody enveloped him, taking quite a while for him to snap out of it.

It felt like an eternity since the final notes ended. Chu Huan opened his eyes, stretching lazily as if waking from a long slumber. The iron chains jingled as he moved. Turning over and laying on his side, he glanced at Nanshan, assessing the iron chains on his wrists.

“This thing looks a bit simple and crude,” Chu Huan thought with a wry smile.

He reached into the inner pocket of his shirt, pulling out a long, slender needle. Waving it in front of Nanshan, he said, “Babe, do you know what this is called?”

Nanshan did not answer.

Chu Huan continued, “This thing is called a ‘needle’ or ‘wire’ when held in other people’s hands. On my hand, however, it has another name called ‘universal key.’”

He inserted the needle into the lock on his wrist, casually poking it a few times. Chu Huan pressed his ear against the lock, twisted it slightly, and the sound ‘click’ signified the lock was opened. In less than twenty seconds, Chu Huan moved his wrist, looking at Nanshan innocently and helplessly.

Nanshan: “…”

Chu Huan shook his head, demonstrating some lock-picking skills. With a half-boasting tone, he said, “This thing of yours is easier to unlock than the garage door where my dad used to park his motorcycle when I was a kid.”

Nanshan suddenly stood up, grabbing Chu Huan by the ankle, pulling him closer.

Caught off guard, Chu Huan was dragged over, his back brushing along the sheets. He didn’t struggle, a sly expression on his face. He said as if anticipating the outcome, “Are you trying to take advantage of me? Alright, go ahead, have your way. But according to your customs, once you’re done ravaging me, does that mean you’ll have to take responsibility? So… ah!”

Nanshan’s grip felt like an iron claw as he grabbed Chu Huan by his leg using some technique, causing his legs to feel numb, as if an unknown nerve had been plucked. A tinge of pain followed by cold sweats rolled down his skin.

No, this wasn’t a lovers’ restraint; it was more like a preparation to break his leg!

Chu Huan acted quickly, letting out a blood-curdling scream.

Nanshan winced at the sound, causing his eyelids to twitch fiercely. He noticed Chu Huan violently trembling and speaking sporadically, “T-that leg cannot be broken. Damn… let go. That leg was wounded before. If this continues, it will cripple for real…”

Nanshan had never touched a hair on him, but the sight of Chu Huan stammering and trembling made it look as if someone had punched him in the chest. Seeing this, he immediately loosened his grip.

Chu Huan saw that his tactic was effective and intensified his act. He curled into a ball with his face buried in the bed sheets, calling out Nanshan’s name with a sound akin to a mosquito buzzing noise, “Nanshan… Nanshan… it hurts…”

Nanshan, momentarily thrown off balance, released Chu Huan's leg, gently rubbing it while questioning, "When did you injure it?"

Chu Huan weakly responded, "Right when I first saw you. It was a penetrating wound."

Nanshan remained silent, his temples pulsing faintly. Finally, he remarked, "I remember it's not this leg."

With a quick 'Oh', Chu Huan pulled back his leg, wiping his face casually. He grinned, saying, "Sorry, must have confused myself in a haste."

Chu Huan, without visible movements, somehow freed his hands from the restraints. Leaning against the headboard, he nonchalantly reached for the water bowl Nanshan had placed earlier, taking a few sips.

Rubbing his hands, Chu Huan, after a thoughtful pause, turned serious, asking, "Did I ever tell you about my past before meeting you?"

Nanshan, avoiding direct eye contact, displayed reluctance but stayed. Chu Huan, noting his attention, continued, sharing glimpses of his past. "When we met, besides the two penetration wounds, I had multiple scrapes, bruises, and a dislocated ankle that I reset myself. The swelling probably hadn't completely subsided."

Initially resistant, Nanshan found himself drawn to Chu Huan's words. "It was all from the fall," Chu Huan explained, and Nanshan's gaze returned involuntarily.

Chu Huan asked, "Could you tell where I fell from?"

After a brief hesitation, Nanshan nodded, saying tersely, "A mountain cliff."

Chu Huan lowered his voice, asking, "Why did I fall from the mountain cliff?"

Every word from Chu Huan resonated with Nanshan. He maintained his gaze on Chu Huan.

"I jumped on my own accord," Chu Huan revealed, appearing vacant and numb. Nanshan, affected, questioned in disbelief, "Why?"

Chu Huan paused before explaining, "Before leaving, I said my goodbyes, sold my house, and traveled the world to find a place to end my life. I chose a hillside, but fate spared me. I hitched a ride on a bus, hoping to find a better place to end it. That's when I ran into you."

Chu Huan's gaze met Nanshan's, and a fleeting smile appeared. "It was you who saved me, and it's because of you that I'm still alive."

A lump formed in Nanshan's chest, and pain gripped him.

Chu Huan approached him, eyes deep and mysterious. He cupped Nanshan's chin, whispering, "Are you going to drive me away?”

Nanshan's lips trembled slightly, unable to form words.

Chu Huan's lips brushed against his earlobes and cheeks, his voice barely audible as he continued, "Do you… want to drive me away?"

Unable to endure it any longer, Nanshan pulled him closer with a swift motion, their bodies pressed together as the iron chains 'clanged' loudly at the foot of the bed. He held Chu Huan by the back of his head, sought his lips with a sense of urgency and pain, and kissed him awkwardly.

As if a floodgate had opened, sweeping away all taboos and restraint, things spiraled out of control.

After a while, the two finally separated. Chu Huan extended a finger, placing it between Nanshan's lips, and said jokingly, "Does your clan have a rule that requires you to take full responsibility for a casual kiss?"

Still caught up in his emotions, Nanshan clasped Chu Huan’s hands and asked urgently, “Why did you not want to live?”

“Because…” Chu Huan looked at him deeply and said, “Because I was just teasing you.”

Nanshan: “…”

Chu Huan could no longer keep his act up. At some point, he had managed to free himself from the locks on his feet. Rolling to the side with ease, he laughed, “Oh, I can’t keep this up. How could you believe all that? If I didn’t want to live, I could just find rope at home and hang myself, which is more environmentally friendly than running to somewhere far and jumping down. What if I risk hurting someone else?”

In that moment, all the love and affection had vanished. Nanshan truly felt an urge to tear his skin off.

He gritted his teeth and said, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t lie to me?”

“I only said I wouldn’t lie to you on matters of principle.” Chu Huan jumped down from the bed and stretched his legs. “This is an insignificant thing, so I just made a casual remark. Don’t take it seriously.”

Nanshan stood up abruptly in a ‘bang’, completely transformed.

Before Chu Huan had the chance to react, he suddenly felt himself confined by an invisible force. It was as if an unseen wall had surrounded him, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t get out of it.

Next, an airflow suddenly pushed Chu Huan backward, pressing his back tightly against the wall, as if an invisible hand had grabbed him by his throat, forcing him to tilt his head upwards.

Chu Huan: “…”

Crap, I forgot about this special ability. He suddenly felt like he had just made a terrible mistake.

Nanshan was expressionless as he picked up the half-full bowl of water that Chu Huan had drank from earlier and added some unknown powder into it right in front of him.

Chu Huan forced a smile, even in the face of death, he was still fooling around, “Aphrodisiacs are allowed… uh…”

His throat was being gripped more tightly by this time. Nanshan did not let him say another word.

Nanshan shot a cold look at him and said, “Since you can only be honest when you’re asleep, then go ahead and get some more sleep.”

Chu Huan had no doubt that Nanshan intended to pour that unknown mixture directly into his throat. There seemed to be no turning back this time. With his composure reaching its limits, he began to struggle desperately.

Unfortunately for him, he could only shake a tangible hand, but not an invisible opponent. Nanshan, without any explanation, was now bringing the water bowl closer to the corner of his mouth.

This kind of domestic violence relying on special abilities was not conducive to social harmony!

Chu Huan wanted to keep his mouth shut, but Nanshan was already forcefully holding his chin. Just then, a voice of extreme panic came from outside of the courtyard, “Patriarch! Patriarch!”

With Nanshan momentarily distracted, Chu Huan immediately took the opportunity to break free his throat from the grip and began coughing violently towards the ground.

The person who arrived was Xiao Fang, who seemed oblivious to the unpleasant expression on Nanshan’s face. She rushed into the courtyard without caring for manners or rules, panting as she shouted, “Monsters… monsters have surrounded the Mountain Gate, Patriarch. You have to go and take a look!”

Nanshan couldn’t afford to deal with Chu Huan at the moment and pushed the door open, “What did you say?”

Xiao Fang’s semi-long hair was stuck to the side of the face and neck as she had to run up here from the Mountain Gate. She was out of breath and nearly stumbling, staggering left and right as she said, “Mountain Gate… Patriarch, there’s Mutayi, Sound Beasts, and Eye-Feasting Beasts… they’ve all gone frenzy and wanted to come up the mountain. Patriarch Luge has already summoned all the Gatekeepers. You need to go and see!”

Nanshan, “Leave the injured, sick, elderly, and children on the mountain. Everyone else, grab your weapon and follow me. Hurry!”

The airflow suppressing Chu Huan had disappeared. As the situation was urgent, both of them no longer had the energy to argue over their differences.

Chu Huan raised his hand and took the longbow hanging on Nanshan’s wall, tossing it over his back. Then he remembered something and pulled down the Patriarch staff, tossing it into Nanshan’s hands and said, “Catch.”

Uncertain whether it was his imagination or not, Chu Huan felt that the staff seemed slightly shorter than usual.

The Mountain Keepers were well-trained. At the command of the Patriarch, they quickly assembled within minutes. Suddenly, Little Bald-Head came running with a massive iron rod that was taller than himself in his hands, about to charge ahead of others. However, an adult grabbed a hold of him and forcefully pushed him back with an intense expression on their face.

The sky had gradually darkened, and thick clouds covered the mountain's top. The feeble rays of sunlight failed to bring any brightness, instead piercing through the dark clouds like a sharp blade, making the atmosphere seem foreboding and chilling.

The Elder stood at a high vantage point and raised one hand, watching as all the Mountain Keepers quickly assembled for the descent. Chu Huan looked back and saw deep wrinkles etched on the old man’s face, with a sharp sword hung high above his head.

The animals in the mountains were in a frenzy, trying to escape for their lives. Chu Huan almost collided head-on with a wild deer and quickly crouched. The animal, panicked and disoriented, leaped over his head.

Meanwhile, at the Mountain Gate, the ground was already littered with corpses. The roars of the Sound Beast echoed from the distance. Chu Huan took a piece of cloth handed to him by someone and covered his ears. It wasn’t that effective, but it was better than nothing.

How were they supposed to fight them? Unable to see or hear, were they supposed to fight blindly?

On top of that, how could they be sure what these things encircling the mountain were supposed to be? What was the scale of the threat?

Infrared, perhaps?

As they grew closer, Chu Huan understood the magnitude of the situation. The entire ground at the base of the mountain was shaking. As they stood at the checkpoint of the Mountain Gate, they could feel something repeatedly clashing against the gate like moths to flames. The dust and debris fell in a steady cascade from the massive ancient gate made of stone.

“Eyes, cover your eyes! There’s Eye-Feasting Beasts!”

“It’s useless to fight with our eyes closed.” Chu Huan said this but did not hesitate to tie the thick cloth given to him by someone around his eyes.

Covering their ears would not block out sounds completely, and the roars of the Sound Beasts were still remarkably lethal. He endured the concussion-like nauseating sensation and focused on assessing the situation around him.

Mutayi, Sound Beasts, Eye-Feasting Beasts, and numerous wild animals from the mountains all seemed to be rushing towards the Mountain Gate like a swarm of bees. Has the area consumed by the Fallen Land expanded yet again in just a few days?

If the Elder was correct, then this mountain would be equivalent to the only water source to the stagnant world surrounded by lifelessness. In theory, this mountain should never be devoured no matter what.

However, when it came down to it, no one could be sure that this world would act rationally.

Suddenly, a sharp penetrating signal from the Gatekeepers pierced through Chu Huan’s makeshift earplugs. He turned his head and lifted the cloth covering his eyes slightly to see Nanshan lighting up the Patriarch staff not far away. People were passing bones of their ancestors to each other, much like passing a spark, lighting up the leg bones of the deceased Gatekeepers using the cold, fog-penetrating light borrowed from the staff of the Mountain Keeper Patriarch.

Soon, the Mountain Gate was covered in a fluorescent glow.

Chu Huan noticed that he could strangely feel the presence of those fluorescent lights even with his eyes covered.

Through the passage of bone and blood, generations upon generations of the ancestors seemed to have returned to the Mountain Gate alongside the mountain spirits.

Surrounded on all sides, with only a solitary mountain as their last resistance.

Another long signal from the Gatekeepers, and Chu Huan suddenly and miraculously grasped the meaning behind it at that moment—Kill them all!