It was called a large pit, but down here, it was truly a different world. Aether and Yelan walked for a long time, and the originally wide path became narrower and narrower, until finally, the two could only pass sideways, one in front of the other.
Even though Aether and Yelan were both slender, facing such a path, the mountains on both sides forced them to proceed slowly and carefully.
"There are some traces here," Yelan, who was in front, stopped slightly. He lowered his head and looked at a stone on one side.
There were some scuff marks, and some clothing fibers hung on the stone, which should be from Jian Qiu's clothes.
After all, Aether and Yelan's slender figures made it relatively easy to move through these rock crevices, but as an adult man, Jian Qiu, although not overly broad, would inevitably leave some traces when moving quickly.
"It seems we're about to catch up," Aether also tilted his head to look at the faint traces in front of Yelan; the clothing fibers were very fresh, appearing to have been left not long ago.
However, Aether's attention quickly shifted from the clothing fibers to Yelan's body.
The reason was simple: with his body turned sideways and Yelan's outfit, Aether could even clearly see the mole on Yelan's chest.
This made him swallow involuntarily. Although Yelan's Slime wasn't the largest he had ever seen, for him, size wasn't that important; everyone had their own unique qualities, places he loved.
"What are you looking at?"
Yelan's voice startled Aether, who quickly averted his gaze, pretending nothing had happened.
"N-nothing, I was just thinking how sharp the rocks are here… haha," Aether chuckled dryly.
"Hmm, they are indeed a bit sharp," Yelan nodded, looking down at his chest.
Aether also looked over in confusion, only to see that on the other side, which Aether couldn't quite see clearly, Yelan's clothing on his chest had somehow been torn open.
Although it was just a small opening, half-covered, Aether could still vaguely see some of the scenery inside.
"Does it look good?"
"Good, cough cough, what looks good?" Aether turned his head away again, asking knowingly.
Yelan chuckled softly but didn't continue to ask. The two continued to walk along the narrow path.
Soon, the view finally gradually opened up.
"I really didn't expect there to be a place like this beneath Wuwang Slope," Aether took Yelan's outstretched hand and was pulled out of the narrow rock fissure.
He had thought Wuwang Slope was just a small hill, mostly just trees and fog.
But he didn't expect there to be a hidden world beneath the hill.
"Wuwang Slope is vast, and few people come here on a daily basis. Besides Hu Tao, not many people can walk out of here unscathed," Yelan nodded and released Aether's small hand.
"Speaking of which, Yelan, you're so familiar with this place, do you come here often?" Aether asked curiously, but his gaze still didn't dare to rest on Yelan, because of that small opening in his chest clothing.
Aether's attention was always unconsciously drawn there.
"Often is not quite right, perhaps occasionally once or twice. It's just that I'm more familiar with the terrain here," Yelan explained.
Including the location of the boundary protected by Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, he knew it all too well, but he wouldn't go there without reason.
"Yelan, what exactly do you do?" Aether was still very curious about Yelan's identity. Although he had made many guesses before, since Yelan hadn't given any response, all the guesses remained just guesses.
"Well… perhaps you'll have a chance to know later."
"I won't ask what I shouldn't know. By the way, Yelan, that…" Aether hesitated, "Wouldn't it be better to take care of that small opening on your chest?"
It couldn't stay like this forever. Although the opening wasn't big, the view inside was unobstructed.
"Hmm? What does it matter? Besides, there's no needle and thread in a place like this, so how can I fix it?"
"I do have a way…"
Although Aether didn't have needle and thread, and he hadn't learned needlework either, he always carried some gauze and similar items just in case.
This was in case he encountered an accident and could simply treat the wound.
In any case, sticking a small piece of gauze over the exposed area to cover it a bit was certainly doable.
"Is that so? Then I'll trouble you to help me," Yelan's lips curved into a slight smile, then he said to Aether.
"Ah? Me, me?!" Aether had not expected Yelan to say such a thing.
"Yes, you help me put it on. I can't see very clearly, so I'm afraid I won't be able to put it on properly."
It was unclear whether Yelan was telling the truth or not, because Aether always felt that with his Slime, it wouldn't be so large that he couldn't see his feet when looking down.
But Yelan said so…
Aether took out his piece of gauze and walked towards Yelan with some trepidation.
Standing in front of Yelan, Aether even felt he could smell Yelan's scent.
He was already a bit flustered, and he felt his reason was constantly Burning, that string was on the verge of breaking.
However, Yelan seemed to have noticed Aether's embarrassment, and he even deliberately puffed out his chest.
Aether was startled by the Slime that suddenly moved closer to him, and his hands began to tremble slightly.
"Ye, Yelan…"
"This way, it'll be more convenient for you too," Yelan said with a light chuckle.
Aether's physique hadn't changed at all since he arrived in Liyue, but compared to Mondstadt, its effect on others seemed to have become less aggressive.
Simply put, it wouldn't make people blush and their hearts pound just by getting close, but rather it would subtly influence others.
Otherwise, Yelan would definitely not be acting like this.
Aether tried hard to control his hand, making sure the gauze was placed as smoothly as possible on Yelan's chest.
However, at such close proximity, doing such a thing, it was really hard for Aether not to come into contact with Yelan, or rather, if he didn't use a little force, how could he successfully apply this thin piece of gauze?
Aether's hand was placed on both sides of the gauze; he needed to flatten these two sides.
His movements were as gentle as possible, without much force.
But I have to say, the feel was really good…
"Mm~"
Yelan seemed to make a strange sound, Aether wasn't sure if he had misheard.
But he didn't dare to be distracted, otherwise, if something unexpected happened, it would be difficult to handle.
He had to quickly apply this small piece of gauze and then leave Yelan's side.
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