Following the stream upwards, they arrived at a narrow path that only allowed one person to pass at a time.

The narrow path had been trodden flat, revealing the bare earth beneath, with occasional tufts of tenacious weeds poking through here and there.

On either side of the narrow path, there were bushes, with crickets and other insects occasionally jumping out from them.

Beyond the bushes on both sides stood tall, dense mixed woodlands.

As they reached this serpent-like trail, Kiyono Lin began to wipe her sweat, occasionally tilting her head back to take small sips of water, and even Jiutiao Meijie started to breathe heavily.

Almost no one spoke, only the sounds of footsteps and gasping breaths filling the air.

In the mixed woodlands, now and then, there was the sound of a bird flapping its wings.

"Kiyono," Jiutiao Meijie spoke.

"What is it?" Kiyono Lin answered with difficulty.

"You have a very perky butt."

Dubian Che: "..."

Kiyono Lin turned around, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately gave up due to breathlessness.

"If you look closely, your legs are long and pretty, well-proportioned, it's a shame there's almost nothing up top."

"Kiyono, why are you sweating? The color of your underwear can be seen."

Dubian Che reflexively glanced over, but was met by the gaze of Jiutiao Meijie.

"Move to the front," she commanded coldly.

"Without you in my sight, I can't relax. I'll stay in the back. As for the color of any underwear, I promise not to look."

Jiutiao Meijie gave him a look and, without a word, turned back to continue teasing Kiyono Lin, trying to provoke her into talking.

Dubian Che stared at Jiutiao Meijie's back and butt, occasionally admiring the scenery, only using his peripheral vision to ensure the safety of the four people in front.

After another half hour's walk, just as Kiyono Lin was about to give in despite the medication, they finally reached the end of the goat's intestine-like trail, an open plain highland.

"Let's rest here," Mrs. Jiutiao said, wiping her sweat.

Dubian Che saw God Kiyono slightly close his eyes, as if he had heard the holy sound and found redemption.

The five of them sat on their backpacks to rest.

Kiyono Lin took out a hair tie, first slipping it onto her left wrist, then pulled up her long hair with both hands. No one could tell how she did it, but somehow her hair ended up in a neatly tied bun.

The exposed flawless and delicate nape of her neck glistened with a thin layer of fine sweat, the youthful body pulsating with the temptation of vitality.

With her hair tied up, she was like shedding a layer of clothing, letting out a relieved sigh, seemingly liberated.

Mrs. Jiutiao glanced at her and said with a smile, "Up there, there's a stream and a hot spring; you can swim or take a bath."

"Mm," Kiyono Lin nodded.

"Lin's stamina is better than it used to be," Mrs. Kiyono said with a faint hint of relief.

"Maybe I've gotten used to walking up the slopes at school," Kiyono Lin glanced at the empty bottle in her hand void of a single drop of water, her gaze shifting to Dubian Che.

Dubian Che took out another bottle from his bag. Since he couldn't add medicine in front of everyone, he handed it directly to her.

"Drink a little, the toilets are up the mountain," he said.

"Mm," Kiyono Lin responded softly.

Jiutiao Meijie looked at Dubian Che, "I don't think you've ever been this considerate of me?"

"I..."

"You what?"

"Alright, Meijie," Dubian Che said helplessly, "I was just mentioning it out of common sense, a casual reminder. Besides, Kiyono and I are just friends. What are you worried about?"

"Who knows? Maybe you've secretly kept someone behind my back," Jiutiao Meijie said, her eyes carrying a meaningful, cold, indifferent smile.

Dubian Che felt as if she had seen through him, as if his secrets were known.

He himself wasn't afraid of Jiutiao Meijie.

In the past, he had yielded for the sake of his parents, and now, he began to worry about Mayi Asuka and Xiaoquan Aonai.

"What do you mean by that?" Dubian Che asked with a smile, inquiring.

"Massage my legs for me, they hurt from walking," Jiutiao Meijie said lazily, placing her leg on top of his.

Dubian Che massaged her thighs and calves, helping to relieve her fatigue.

It seemed her previous words were just her usual suspicions.

"I'm so jealous, I wish someone would give me a leg rub," Mrs. Kiyono joked.

"I'm sorry, Mom, this is the exclusive right of a girlfriend," Dubian Che said, then changed the subject: "Is this mountain property of the Kiyono family?"

"Yes," Mrs. Kiyono said, looking at the flowers in the grass, "There's a lake on the mountain peak; we plan to build a hotel by the lake and develop this plain into a camping site. Tourists can come to hike, camp, soak in hot springs, and take boat vacations."

"Is it already built?" Dubian Che inquired curiously, caressing Jiutiao Meijie's beautiful legs.

"How could it be that fast? We've just finished planning; we haven't even drawn the design yet," Mrs. Jiutiao explained, "The boats on the mountain, the toilets, the pools—they were all built quickly after we decided to come camping here."

"How did you know?" Dubian Che asked again, "Isn't it owned by the Kiyono family?"

"What belongs to the Kiyono family is mine," Mrs. Jiutiao said with a smile.

"Yes, yes," Mrs. Kiyono nodded elegantly, agreeing, "The Jiutiao and Kiyono families are one family."

'Can I believe that?' Dubian Che didn't voice out loud.

"Meijie, Lin," Mrs. Kiyono looked at them both, "You are both girls, have grown up together since childhood; if you encounter any difficulties in the future, you must help and support one another."

Neither responded.

Kiyono Lin had wanted to drink water ever since taking it from Dubian Che. After a small sip, her body was no longer thirsty, and after hearing her mother's words, she neither nodded nor denied, just closed her eyes to recover her strength.

Jiutiao Meijie looped her arms around Dubian Che's neck, resting her head on his shoulder, seemingly planning to make the most of the time to take a nap.

They were both tired from the walk so far.

After resting for ten minutes, they continued mountaineering, walking across a grassland as narrow as a mountain ridge.

If they followed the same pace as before, they could have reached the mountain peak without stopping, but in Kiyono Lin's hand was regular purified water. Not long after, her complexion turned pale, and everyone stopped to rest.

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