Quick Travel: Save the poor little villain

Chapter 2897 Town Infrastructure Construction in Full Swing 1617

As dawn broke, the desolate forest after the rain was filled with a damp mist.

Jin Chen slowly swayed out of the tent and stretched.

He changed into clean clothes, which were spare clothes that Huo Zhaoye had found in his equipment bag, but there was a hint of weariness in his eyes.

Outside the cave, people from the two towns were already busy packing up their belongings, checking on the wounded, and preparing to return home.

Jin Chen leaned against a relatively dry rock at the entrance of the cave, his gaze casually sweeping across the area.

Of the two lords, only Lu Jun was still commanding the camp; Huo Zhaoye was nowhere to be seen.

Yan Genggu also woke up and sat against the stone wall. Lu Jun squatted in front of him, holding half a clean fruit in his hand, urging him to eat something.

Hearing the noise, Lu Jun turned around and saw that it was Jin Chen. He nodded and said, "Teacher Jin, Huo Zhaoye is taking two people to look for something to eat nearby and scout out the way."

Jin Chen nodded.

Lu Jun felt a little uneasy under Jin Chen's gaze, and his whole body felt stiff, not to mention his previous experience of being humiliated by Jin Chen.

"Teacher Jin, I always feel that the way you look at me is strange."

Upon hearing this, Jin Chen smiled slightly and did not deny it. "I said before that Lord Lu looks like an old friend of mine."

Lu Jun nodded. "Yes, so?"

Jin Chen looked at him and said slowly, "That old friend owes me a considerable favor."

"Now that I see Lord Lu, I can't help but want to tell you this."

Lu Jun: "..."

What does this mean?

Lu Jun wondered to himself if he was really illiterate, since he could never understand what Jin Chen was saying.

Jin Chen did not continue the topic, but looked past Lu Jun and towards the forest path.

Huo Zhaoye returned with two team members from Beizhen, bringing back some edible fungi and wild fruits, and they were also lucky enough to find a nest of bird eggs.

Huo Zhaoye also had a large, clean leaf rolled into a tube and used it to collect water from a nearby spring.

Seeing Jin Chen waiting by the cave, Huo Zhaoye handed him a water bottle made of rolled-up leaves. "The spring water we found nearby is fairly clean. Drink some first, then wash your face."

Jin Chen took the water, rinsed his mouth and washed his face with it. The cold water made his skin turn slightly red. Huo Zhaoye was standing in front of him, looking at him.

Jin Chen washed her face and hands, wiped them casually with her sleeve, turned around and wrapped her arms around Huo Zhaoye's waist, then rested her forehead on Huo Zhaoye's shoulder blade and yawned.

"Sleepy."

It was as if this embrace, this sunlight, this cool morning breeze, and this person before him were all meant to belong to him, and that everything belonged to him.

Huo Zhaoye relaxed and let him lean on him.

"Just bear with it a little longer, and you can get a good rest when you get back to town."

"Um……"

Jin Chen responded, but didn't loosen his grip at all.

Huo Zhaoye's lips curled up, he was enjoying it.

[The villain's heart rate is detected +5, totaling 42! 】

The road down the mountain was more difficult to walk than the way up.

The desolate forest was a mess after the thunderstorm, with broken branches and leaves everywhere.

The group helped each other, avoiding fallen trees, and moved very slowly.

However, danger and opportunity often go hand in hand.

They trudged along, passing a slope split open by lightning, revealing damp soil beneath. Jin Chen stopped and took Huo Zhaoye's hand.

"Lord Huo, here is Lei Gong's whiskers."

Huo Zhaoye and Lu Jun stopped in their tracks and looked in the direction indicated.

It is indeed *Thunderboltia spp.*, a rare medicinal plant that only emerges briefly after severe thunderstorms.

In the post-apocalyptic wasteland, where medicine is scarce, this moss, which can alleviate the effects of the mutated toxins, is priceless.

"Really!" Huo Zhaoye picked up a small pinch, sniffed it, and quickly looked around. The area that had been ravaged by lightning was quite large, with many scattered fragments.

"Be careful, try not to damage the roots, collect the stems and leaves," Huo Zhaoye instructed in a low voice, pulling Jin Chen back as she tried to squat down. "It's dirty here, let them do it."

"Okay." Jin Chen chuckled.

The collection work lasted for about half an hour and yielded a fruitful result.

I carefully wrapped it with clean leaves and cloth that I carried with me, and it filled a large, bulging bag.

When distributing the supplies, Huo Zhaoye didn't hesitate much and pushed most of the collected Lei Gong Xu (a type of beard) in front of Lu Jun.

Nanzhen failed to take timely precautions against this thunderstorm, and the losses are estimated to be substantial.

"Take it back."

The people of Nanzhen were stunned.

Logically, since the items were discovered together on the return journey, and the lord of Beizhen was leading the team, Beizhen should have taken the lion's share.

Huo Zhaoye's move was truly unexpected.

Lu Jun looked at Huo Zhaoye, but instead of raising his eyebrows and saying anything provocative as usual, he took the bag and said, "Thanks."

The long-standing stalemate between the two young lords seemed to have subtly eased after their perilous journey through the wilderness.

-

Since that day, whenever the people of Nanzhen mentioned Teacher Jin from Beizhen, their attitudes changed, and they genuinely envied Beizhen.

They had personally witnessed the strange contraptions made by the children of Beizhen that could see the sky. When thunderstorms came, Beizhen took precautions in advance, and their losses were far less than those of the children.

Privately, many people talked to Lu Jun, implying that they could invite Teacher Jin to give a few lessons, even if it meant offering some food or other goods in exchange. If that didn't work, they would secretly go to the other side of the bridge to listen.

Some bold and shameless individuals would sneak over to the North Town side of the Silent Bridge while classes were in session, or find a high spot to eavesdrop.

The patrol team in Beizhen was still on guard, but later they saw that the patrol team was really just listening and occasionally secretly taking notes in a small notebook, so they turned a blind eye.

After all, their lord said that if they could actually use the knowledge they heard about, it wouldn't be a bad thing for either town.

Huo Zhaoye, who was being envied, had little interest in appreciating Nanzhen's envy these past few days.

He raised the defenses around the town to the highest level.

The shadowy figure that could silently abduct many people with ghostly speed, although based on the survivors' descriptions, was more likely to be a monster than a force from other bases, Huo Zhaoye dared not take it lightly.

He personally led the people to reinforce the walls, added lookout points and early warning traps, and went out before dawn every day, often not returning until late at night.

This intense busyness left him with almost no time to think about or confront the thoughts about Jin Chen in his mind.

Those tender feelings, possessiveness, and the inability to soften their gazes when they see him; those impulses to touch him, get closer, and protect him firmly under their wings.

Huo Zhaoye vaguely knew what it was, but instinctively felt that it was inappropriate and irresponsible to indulge in personal feelings when facing new crises every day and bearing the safety of the town.

-

This evening.

Huo Zhaoye finally finished setting up the last batch of newly added warning traps, and after inspecting the area to confirm that everything was in order, he walked towards the school building, exhausted.

School had already let out, and Jinchen was slowly wiping the blackboard he had made.

Huo Zhaoye went inside.

"You're here so early today," Jin Chen asked casually upon hearing footsteps.

"Hmm." Huo Zhaoye responded, walked to his side, and took Jin Chen's hand to wipe the powder off his fingertips.

Jin Chen let him wipe her, tilting her head slightly, her nose twitching, and there it was again, the scent of herbs.

"You've been smoking?"

Huo Zhaoye looked up and responded vaguely, but didn't let go of his hand, just holding it like that.

The two walked out of the school building together. On the way, Huo Zhaoye and Jin Chen talked about the recent developments in Nanzhen.

"Lu Jun sent a message through someone, saying he wanted to send a few children over to attend classes, promising to exchange some of his food and tools for them."

He glanced at Jin Chen and said, "I was thinking that it must be quite a burden for you to teach these mischievous monkeys in Beizhen all by yourself."

"Adding more people might make you too tired."

They passed by the Old World River.

The river was exceptionally turbulent after the thunderstorm, and the afterglow of the setting sun was reflected on the river surface, broken by the waves.

It is intense, grand, desolate yet magnificent.

But on both sides of the river, people have already begun their daily work and restoration.

Even amidst ruins, new hope always sprouts.

“Teaching a few is teaching, teaching a dozen is also teaching. I’m not that easily exhausted. If they are sincere, it’s not a bad thing to exchange them for something more practical.”

Huo Zhaoye tightened his grip on his hand, and suddenly felt a little relieved.

"Okay, I'll listen to you," Huo Zhaoye said, his tone softening unconsciously.

-

When they returned to the small building where Jinchen lived, it was already getting dark.

Huo Zhaoye leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

His mind was still preoccupied with Jin Chen, but his body betrayed him by dozing off.

Jin Chen washed her hands by the basin behind the house, and when she came back, she saw Huo Zhaoye sitting in a chair with his head tilted to one side.

He walked over quietly and reached out to support Huo Zhaoye's cheek just as Huo's head was about to tilt to the side.

Huo Zhaoye opened his eyes, still sleepy and bloodshot, looking somewhat dazed. He was probably really exhausted. He didn't sit up straight immediately, but instead leaned his head against Jin Chen's waist and abdomen, following the force of Jin Chen supporting his cheek.

Jin Chen looked down at him, her fingertips touching his slightly furrowed brow, tracing the contours of his brow bone.

Huo Zhaoye's eyelashes trembled again, but he did not flinch.

Jin Chen looked at him, then suddenly chuckled, her fingertip still lingering on his lips. "Lord Huo is indeed handsome."

Huo Zhaoye: "..."

He had always disliked the teasing about his appearance in town, and hearing it so seriously from Jin Chen made him feel even more uncomfortable and inexplicably embarrassed.

"Don't say it," he muttered.

"Why can't I say it?" Jin Chen persisted, "What can I do? That's just how I feel."

His fingertips traced Huo Zhaoye's jawline, slowly sliding down to his earlobe, and he gently pinched it. "Lord Huo is the most handsome person I've ever seen."

Huo Zhaoye saw Jin Chen's smiling appreciation as she uttered these words that made his heart race.

Huo Zhaoye stood up and his nose touched Jin Chen's.

Jin Chen tilted her head back slightly just before he was about to touch her, thus avoiding the contact.

The last rays of dusk streamed through the window. Huo Zhaoye lowered his eyes, his gaze fixed on Jin Chen's pale lips. "Why are you hiding?"

Jin Chen looked at him leisurely, still with that lazy demeanor, as if he wasn't the one who had just been teasing him.

The smile in his eyes hadn't faded, it had even deepened, as he countered, "Why kiss?"

Huo Zhaoye remained silent.

The silence, lasting only a few seconds, stretched out infinitely in the cramped room.

Because I want to kiss him.

Because he is good-looking.

Because his words are both infuriating and alluring.

Because when he came closer, he smelled really good.

Because... because of all those messy emotions in my heart, I always lose control when I see him.

Huo Zhaoye has lived for over twenty years and is used to using actions instead of words, used to charging ahead recklessly, and used to fighting for whatever he wants.

But when facing Jin Chen, all those usual methods seemed to have failed.

This person is like an elusive mist, seemingly soft and fragile, yet with clearly defined boundaries.

If you advance, he might retreat; if you retreat, he might inadvertently move closer.

[The villain's heart rate is detected +5, totaling 47! 】

Huo Zhaoye stared at Jin Chen for a few seconds, his wildness and unbridled nature fully revealed in his eyes, and he didn't want to answer.

He pressed his tongue against his cheek, grabbed Jin Chen's shirt at the chest, pulled him forward, and simultaneously held Jin Chen's head in his hand.

Huo Zhaoye bit Jin Chen's lower lip, and as their lips intertwined, he mumbled an answer that wasn't really an answer.

"You should know me, Teacher Jin. What I want to do, I will do."

Jinchen: "..."

What are you saying?

Ironically, Huo Zhaoye, soaked in desire and exhaustion, is also undeniably sexy.

Jin Chen decided to forgive, raised an eyebrow slightly, curved her eyes, and put her arm around Huo Zhaoye's waist.

The two staggered from the table to the bedroom door, where they kissed and then entangled themselves inside. Jin Chen was pressed against the door, enduring a kiss that seemed to engulf him, while his fingers ran through Jin Chen's sweaty hair, stroking it intermittently.

Huo Zhaoye leaned almost all his weight on Jin Chen, pulling him down onto the not-so-spacious wooden bed.

During the passionate kiss, Jin Chen slightly opened her eyes and saw the dark circles under his eyes, then took the initiative to pull away from the kiss.

Huo Zhaoye didn't want to chase after him anymore, and he tightened his arms as if trying to grab something.

Jin Chen, however, acted first, grabbing his groping hand. Their fingers intertwined, their warmth mingling. In the dim light, this simple gesture seemed exceptionally intimate.

Jin Chen stroked Huo Zhaoye's cheek, her thumb gently caressing the corner of his slightly swollen lips.

"Huo Zhaoye, go to sleep."

Huo Zhaoye paused for a moment, then met Jin Chen's eyes in the dim light, relaxed, and fell into a deep sleep within a few breaths.

But that hand was still stubbornly clasped together with Jin Chen's.

I'm really tired. How can someone kiss me so fiercely, like they want to eat me alive, and then fall asleep in my arms so defenselessly the next second?

Jin Chen chuckled, then frowned slightly, got up and rummaged in Huo Zhaoye's coat pocket, finding a cigarette case.

The cigarette paper was rough, and the tobacco inside was dark brown, mixed with bits of herbs.

Jin Chen picked up one of the herbs, sniffed it, and found that most of them were calming and soothing herbs that relieved anxiety.

Huo Zhaoye rarely loses control of his emotions, and he is even rarely seen when he is irritable or angry.

He was like a vigilant alpha wolf, calm, strong, and leading the entire pack. Why would he need to smoke cigarettes that clearly have a calming effect, and even feel sleepy after smoking them?

Jin Chen looked at Huo Zhaoye, who was fast asleep on the bed.

He was sleeping soundly, but his brows were still slightly furrowed, as if he couldn't find peace even in his dreams.

Despite his young age, his brows already bear a weight far beyond his years, making him the backbone of the entire town, a hundred or so people, who depend on him for survival.

Jin Chen closed the tin box, put it back in Huo Zhaoye's coat pocket, walked back to the bedside, leaned down, and placed a very light kiss on Huo Zhaoye's slightly furrowed brow.

There was no lust involved, only heartache.