"What about me?"
Lin Qingge turned around impatiently.
Her clothes were all wet and stuck to her body, making her uncomfortable, which also made her mood less than pleasant.
The next moment, she heard Yan Tinghao's foolish voice ring out at an inopportune time:
"My lord, you, you are truly far-sighted.
Did you foresee this calamity and hide two steamed buns on yourself?"
"Scram—!"
Lin Qingge, unable to stand it any longer, was about to unleash her anger, but Yan Tinghao lowered his gaze and squeezed out a sentence with difficulty:
"You are not my lord, you are actually my lord's sister, aren't you?"
???
This time, it was Lin Qingge's turn to be surprised.
As if Lin Qingge's surprise was too profound, Yan Tinghao scratched his head and explained with a downward curve of his lips:
"My lord, your subordinate's mind is just not very flexible, not stupid. My cousin was so explicit, how could I not guess?"
Feeling that 'inflexible mind' and 'stupid' were not entirely equivalent, but not significantly different either, Lin Qingge's lips twitched fiercely.
Although she didn't know exactly where the problem lay, her disguise as a man and impersonation were no longer a secret.
So, without hiding anything, she generously nodded and admitted:
"Yes, I am indeed not Lin Jingxing, but his twin sister."
"So you really are my lord's sister, but if you are disguised as my lord, then where is the real my lord?"
"Dead."
"Oh, then my lord, you, you have my condolences."
Perhaps due to extreme nervousness, he casually used his usual address.
And his mouth, which usually chattered endlessly, suddenly became stammering.
He stood there awkwardly, at a loss.
A cold wind blew.
Lin Qingge, soaked to the bone, couldn't help but sneeze.
Feeling that if this continued, even if her life was saved, she would definitely catch a cold, Lin Qingge walked out of the deep pool, and to no surprise, felt even colder...
To avoid freezing to death, Lin Qingge, whose teeth were chattering, simply began to take off her clothes.
"My lord, you, what are you doing?"
Yan Tinghao's voice was directly startled into a squeak, but Lin Qingge raised an eyebrow dismissively:
"What are you waiting for, hurry up and take them off!"
"My lord, isn't this... not very proper?"
Yan Tinghao clutched his collar with a conflicted expression, looking exactly like a little wife being bullied by a hooligan.
Seeing this, Lin Qingge couldn't help but be amused.
"Oh, could it be that you're shy?
Officer Yan, have you forgotten that we have shared a privy, and I personally watched you bathe?"
Mentioning this, scenes of the past flashed through Yan Tinghao's mind.
This time, it wasn't just his lips, but his entire body trembled with embarrassment. His usual wheat-colored skin was coated with a thin layer of red.
Lin Qingge wrung out her removed outer robe, then the corners of her lips curved slightly:
"What, you're not inviting me to bathe with you anymore?"
"No, no invitation."
Yan Tinghao shook his head subconsciously.
Then, he looked up at Lin Qingge with burning eyes, spoke word by word, and said solemnly:
"My lord, your subordinate, your subordinate will take responsibility!
When your subordinate returns, I will write to my parents, and your subordinate will prepare..."
"Stop!"
Feeling that the other party was thinking a little too much and a little too beautifully, Lin Qingge made a pause gesture and refused directly:
"Firstly, I do not need you to take any responsibility, nor will I be responsible for you.
Secondly, I am a Misanthrope, which is what you call remaining unmarried for life.
Moreover, I have no romantic feelings for you; at most, I am a friend slightly better than a subordinate. Do you understand the friendship between gentlemen?
Finally, if you can still move, hurry up and gather firewood to start a fire!"
"Yes, my lord."
Out of habit, Yan Tinghao responded, then like a defeated rooster, he lowered his head and walked away listlessly.
Not long after, he returned with a bundle of dry branches.
However, upon closer inspection, one could see that his eyes were a little red.
Even though she saw it, Lin Qingge would not and could not offer comfort. She looked up at the cliff face that seemed to pierce the clouds and calmly analyzed:
"Those men in black didn't see my body, so they definitely won't give up.
Fortunately, this cliff is extremely high. Even if they want to come down to confirm whether I fell to my death, it will take at least half a day or longer.
In other words, we are safe for the next half day."
While Lin Qingge was speaking, Yan Tinghao, who was skilled in wilderness survival, had already started the fire by rubbing sticks together.
The warm firelight dispelled the chill from their bodies, and Lin Qingge sat down by the fire.
Yan Tinghao then took his sword and stepped back into the deep pool. To Lin Qingge's puzzled gaze, he plunged the sword into the depths of the pool.
When he lifted the sword again, a plump fish was impaled on it.
Three times in a row, his aim was unerring.
Before long, three fragrant roasted fish were placed before Lin Qingge.
"My lord, please eat."
Yan Tinghao extended the hand holding the roasted fish, but he dared not look up or at Lin Qingge, his earlobes turning as red as blood.
Lin Qingge, who had been through so much, was indeed a bit hungry. She took one from the side and waved for Yan Tinghao to take the rest back to eat, but Yan Tinghao shook his head:
"Your subordinate is not hungry."
"No, you are hungry."
As soon as Lin Qingge's words fell, Yan Tinghao's stomach rumbled.
Yan Tinghao scratched his head shyly and sat down to eat, but his peripheral vision would steal glances at Lin Qingge, and when Lin Qingge looked up, he quickly lowered his head.
Little did he know that this almost childish behavior was all seen by Lin Qingge.
Rubbing her aching temples, Lin Qingge felt that ever since Yan Tinghao, the simpleton, discovered her disguise, he had become inexplicably awkward.
It made her very annoyed and irritable.
Damn it.
They were both fleeing for their lives, and it was uncertain if they would survive until tomorrow, yet this foolish deer was thinking about all sorts of nonsensical things. He was truly asking for a beating!
However, considering that this foolish deer was currently their only combat power, Lin Qingge had to forcefully suppress the urge to beat him.
What Lin Qingge didn't know was that shortly after they both fell off the cliff, another group of people appeared silently.
Although there was a fierce battle, the latter group of people eventually killed all those men in black.
After confirming that all the men in black were dead, a man in a black cloak walked out from the shade of the trees and stopped at the edge of the cliff.
At this moment, a dark figure flashed over and said tremblingly:
"Reporting to my lord, we, we seem to have arrived a step too late.
According to the scouts responsible for tracking, Officer Yan, due to being outnumbered, jumped off the cliff together with Lord Lin not long ago."