Max Level Return—I'll Protect That Fragile One

Xu Xingguang was chewing on a mint candy, exhaling the cool breath onto Huo Wen’an’s face, ”You look down on me, don’t you?”

Huo Wen’an frowned, but ultimately chose to respect Xu Xingguang’s decision.

Ye Mingluo, being timid, suddenly froze in the middle of the bridge, too scared to move. He shouted loudly, ”Everyone close your eyes!”

Song Chi furrowed his brows and asked with disdain, ”What are you going to do?”

Ye Mingluo said, ”I’m going to crawl over!”

The group wanted to laugh but had to hold it in.

They watched as Ye Mingluo lay flat on the ground, moving inch by inch like a turtle to the other side of the suspension bridge.

Song Chi grabbed his hand and pulled the trembling Ye Mingluo to lean against the bridge pier.

Sitting on the ground, Ye Mingluo finally felt secure.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, trying to say something to regain his dignity. ”It’s not that I’m cowardly, you know I’m a homebody and not interested in outdoor adventures.”

Song Chi listened quietly, his eyes full of disdain.

Ye Mingluo spoke a few more sentences and seeing that Song Chi wasn’t really listening, he felt it was pointless. Fortunately, Cheng Yue wasn’t there; if she were, she’d surely mock him as a loser.

Huo Wen’an easily crossed the bridge. After crossing, seeing Ye Mingluo still panting, he asked Zheng Lie for a cigarette and handed it to Ye Mingluo. ”Calm your nerves.”

Ye Mingluo glanced at Huo Wen’an, feeling grateful. ”You’re truly my good brother.”

Taking a puff into his lungs, Ye Mingluo did feel much calmer.

After Zheng Lie successfully reached the other side, he called out to Xu Xingguang, ”Miss Xu, toss the rope over.”

Xu Xingguang untied the rope she had secured to the bridge pier. Zheng Lie on the other side retrieved it and reattached it to the bridge pier on their side, then threw the safety harness back to Xu Xingguang.

Xu Xingguang fastened the safety harness and carefully chose where to place her feet, aiming for the seemingly safest spots.

Reaching the middle of the bridge, Xu Xingguang suddenly stopped.

Seeing Xu Xingguang halt, Huo Wen’an raised an eyebrow and heard Ye Mingluo say, ”Look, even my mentor is scared.”

”Shut up.” Huo Wen’an glared at Ye Mingluo.

”Xingguang, what’s wrong?” Huo Wen’an asked Xu Xingguang, ”Is there a problem?”

Zheng Lie and Song Chi also became alert.

Xu Xingguang, being a Beast Tamer, had an extraordinary sensing power for animal presences. Just now, she sensed a strong and domineering aura from an unfamiliar beast approaching her.

Xu Xingguang closed her eyes, her spiritual power tracing the fluctuations of that beast’s aura.

The next second, Xu Xingguang suddenly opened her eyes wide, looking at the mountain top behind Huo Wen’an and the others!

The soil was sparse on the mountain, mostly rocky, with some pine trees growing. The trunks of these trees were bare at the bottom, so Xu Xingguang spotted the fierce beast standing in front of the pine forest at a glance.

It resembled a black panther, its fur shining sleek and black, but its face was unusually shaped.

It gazed down at Xu Xingguang silently and motionlessly.

Their eyes met, and Xu Xingguang suddenly felt an overwhelming sorrow.

This emotion was intense and abrupt. Before Xu Xingguang could process it, tears started to flow.

”Master, are you so scared that you’re crying?” Ye Mingluo quickly stood up, holding onto the bridge pier, and said to Huo Wen’an, ”A Zui, one of you go fetch my mentor.”

Huo Wen’an and the others ignored Ye Mingluo.

They had noticed Xu Xingguang’s unusual emotions and saw her gaze fixed on the mountaintop above them, so they turned to look up in unison.

There was a protruding boulder above the mountain top, hanging right above their heads, blocking their view.

Unable to see what was on the mountaintop, Song Chi asked Xu Xingguang anxiously, ”Boss, what’s on the mountain?”

Hearing Song Chi’s voice, the beast gave Xu Xingguang a deep look with its dark eyes, then leapt into the pine forest and disappeared.

Xu Xingguang wiped away her tears in stunned silence, shocked at her strange reaction.

”It’s nothing.” Shaking her head, Xu Xingguang grabbed the rope in front of her and safely reached the platform where Huo Wen’an and the others stood.

Song Chi and Zheng Lie worked together to retrieve the rope, re-secure it, and put it back in the bag.

Xu Xingguang’s emotions were unsettled as she leaned against the bridge pier, sitting on the ground with a mint candy providing a piercing cool sensation in her mouth.

Huo Wen’an squatted in front of her, using a soft cloth to wipe her tears, gently asking, ”What happened? What did you see just now?”

Xu Xingguang sat there, dazed for a moment, then said, ”Huo Wen’an, I have a particularly bad feeling in my heart.”

”Hmm?” Whenever Xu Xingguang’s feelings were uneasy, she would address Huo Wen’an by his full name. Huo Wen’an didn’t press her; he nodded and said calmly, ”Then tell me when you feel calmer.”

”Hmm.”

”Let’s go.” Xu Xingguang propped herself up on the bridge pier and asked Ye Mingluo, ”Have you recovered?”

Ye Mingluo blushed, ”Yes, I’m fine.”

The path up the mountain was a stone step trail, though overgrown with weeds, it was passable. The four followed Xu Xingguang, trudging for over forty minutes, until they arrived at a relatively flat and open grassy area.

The grass was filled with wildflowers, and as Song Chi and the others hacked a path with long knives, Xu Xingguang, stepping over broken branches, informed them, ”Ahead is my grandpa’s house. This used to be a plot of land he used for growing tobacco.”

Ye Mingluo found it curious and said, ”Not many people smoke tobacco nowadays, right?”

”My grandpa is a bit nostalgic, I suppose.”

They continued down a gravel path and soon reached a collapsed farmhouse.

The farmhouse, built with mud walls, was a simple three-room structure. The kitchen on the left had collapsed, while the bedroom on the right and the main room in the middle still retained their original appearance.

”This is my grandpa’s house.”