Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Chapter 208: Chapter 177: An Outsider

This was a hiking trip Xie Yuan had specially designed for Situ Qin. It allowed them to enjoy scenery inaccessible to ordinary people, and he could also practice his Body Technique. Killing two birds with one stone.

’Oh, and I can use the opportunity to hold her hand. That’s killing three birds with one stone.’

"Aunt Hong isn’t worried about your safety, at least."

Xie Yuan’s heart soared as he gazed at the vast scenery, and he spoke with a smile.

"Cloud Mountain is safe enough on its own, and if it weren’t, Tai Bo would be here. Constant protection is one thing, but can he watch over me for a lifetime?"

Situ Qin said with a smile:

"If you’re talking about this cliff face, you should worry about yourself! Even though you’ve learned the basics of the Cloud Dragon Step, don’t get cocky."

Xie Yuan could tell from her tone that she was reluctantly impressed but also a little competitive, and he chuckled mischievously.

His knowing chuckle made Situ Qin stomp her foot in frustration, sending a few loose stones tumbling down the cliff. She glared at him.

"Don’t be so smug! I’m learning the Cloud Dragon Step quickly, too."

"I didn’t say anything, did I?"

"I know what you’re thinking just by the look on your face!"

"If you’re determined to find fault, you’ll always find a reason."

"Hmph."

After a moment of playful banter, they found a nook in the cliff face and sat down to rest for a while.

The two sat shoulder to shoulder, their legs dangling over the edge of the cliff, swaying gently in the mountain breeze.

Gazing out at the rolling mountains, the swirling clouds and mist, and the layered forests, both of them felt their spirits soar.

"Speaking of which, was Aunt Hong one of your father’s top commanders back in the day?" Xie Yuan asked, a little curious.

"Not a commander, I don’t think. She was mainly responsible for gathering intelligence and infiltrating enemy lines. When it came to that, Aunt Hong was truly one of the best," Situ Qin said, tilting her head in thought.

’A top-tier spy and Assassin. No wonder she’s in charge of Situ Qin’s inner chambers and personal protection. I doubt there are many people in the world who could fool her.’

"But even Aunt Hong says your concealment Secret Technique is wondrously strange. She can’t quite make sense of it," Situ Qin added with a playful grin:

"That’s why she’s so impressed with you. She’s always keeping an eye on you."

A shiver went down Xie Yuan’s spine, and he subconsciously glanced around.

’It seems even a master like her is wary of the Celestial Concealment Skill. If not for my special relationship with Situ Qin, Aunt Hong might have already arrested me.’

"Well, I’m truly honored..."

"But, when did you find out about my family background?" Situ Qin asked, turning her head.

Although she had never deliberately hidden it, she had never brought it up either, figuring she would tell Xie Yuan if he ever asked.

But he had managed to restrain his curiosity, only broaching the subject by chance today.

’That must be a sign of his considerate nature.’

A soft expression graced Situ Qin’s face. Just then, the mountain wind blew a strand of her hair across her cheek, creating a picture of gentle elegance.

Unfortunately, Xie Yuan was looking out at the vista and missed this beautiful sight.

"Well, once I learned Tai Bo’s identity, yours was pretty much obvious," Xie Yuan said evasively.

Hearing the evasiveness in his tone, Situ Qin gave him a suspicious look and suddenly said:

"It wasn’t Mu Chaoyun who told you, was it?"

"Uh..."

Xie Yuan was stunned. ’How did she figure that out? Do women really have a sixth sense? Or Telepathy? Can they all just predict the future?’

Situ Qin pouted and huffed softly.

"I knew it... It’s not like my identity is some shameful secret. If you wanted to know, you could have just asked me. Why go asking someone else!"

She practically bit out the words "someone else," making her point perfectly clear.

Xie Yuan mentally wiped sweat from his brow and nodded in agreement.

"You’re right..."

Situ Qin scoffed, then her gaze drifted over the cliff’s edge, and her tone suddenly became melancholic.

"It’s a shame you’ll never get to meet my father. If you did, you’d be very surprised. He’s not at all what you’d imagine."

"Oh? What was he like?" Xie Yuan asked, following her lead.

A nostalgic look appeared on Situ Qin’s face.

"My father... he loved to laugh."

"Loved to laugh?"

"That’s right. Surprising, isn’t it? Everyone thought he was so imposing and full of authority. I mean, he was heroic, but he also loved to laugh. He had a very kind face."

"He also loved to tell jokes, always telling these crude, folksy ones. But he’d often start laughing before he got to the punchline, so nobody else would find the joke funny and could only chuckle along with him foolishly. Honestly, he was a lot like a simple village uncle. He often didn’t seem very bright..."

As Situ Qin spoke softly, Xie Yuan listened in silence, a new image of the King of Pingxi forming in his mind—the image of a father, seen through his daughter’s eyes.

"...My mother often used to chide him for being slow, for always getting tricked or taken advantage of. He would just smile foolishly and never argue back."

Situ Qin’s story came to an abrupt halt.

’Listening to her, Xie Yuan felt as though Situ Qin’s family was just like any other ordinary one: a wife who nagged her husband, and a husband who was kind and tolerant. They sounded a lot like Sister Orchid and Brother Shitou. The only difference was that the "disadvantages" he suffered and the "tricks" played on him ended up having such enormous consequences that they affected the entire world.’

When he saw that Situ Qin had fallen silent, he asked another question.

"And what about your mother? What was she like?"

Situ Qin shook her head.

"I haven’t seen her in many years."

Xie Yuan sensed that she didn’t want to talk about her mother, so he tactfully dropped the subject.

During the turmoil of the Eight Sects, Situ Qin’s mother had been involved in several major events and likely had no time for her own daughter. Later, she disappeared without a trace, her fate unknown. In Situ Qin’s eyes, it was probably no different from being abandoned.

Having lost her father, Situ Qin had, in a sense, lost her mother as well. The relationship between them was likely far from harmonious.

The young woman sat on the cliff’s edge, cupping her face in her hands, looking strangely forlorn.

Seeing her like this, Xie Yuan’s hand twitched with the urge to reach out. He hesitated for a long moment, and just as he was about to make up his mind, Situ Qin seemed to snap out of it. She stood up, clapped her hands, her bright demeanor returning.

"Let’s go! We’ve rested enough. The view is even better higher up... Ah!"

Her expression suddenly changed. She whipped a palm strike back behind her, but the motion made her lose her footing, and she tumbled straight off the cliff’s edge!

At the critical moment, an arm shot out and wrapped around her slender waist, pulling her back.

Situ Qin was pulled into Xie Yuan’s arms, their bodies pressed tightly together. The faint, sweet fragrance of her hair drifted straight into his nose.

Two hearts were pounding away—THUMP, THUMP, THUMP—but for entirely different reasons.

Situ Qin had no time to think about their proximity. She just tilted her head, peering past Xie Yuan’s shoulder toward the rocky nook where they had just been sitting.

"There’s Sword Qi!" she exclaimed in surprise. "How could a wisp of Sword Qi just shoot out of there!"

’Sword Qi?’

Xie Yuan snapped back to reality, astonished.

He instantly spun around, staring warily at the narrow crevice in the rock. Suddenly, he felt a faint prickling on his skin.

Xie Yuan’s eyes widened, his expression a mixture of shock and joy.

’It really is Sword Qi! And it’s exactly the same as the Sword Qi on Sword Peak!’

But before he could process what this meant, his and Situ Qin’s expressions changed simultaneously. The joy vanished, replaced by pure shock.

A fierce gale suddenly erupted from the rock crevice. A tide of Sword Qi rushed straight toward them!

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