Callum managed to wrap his arms around Elspeth and rolled toward the underbrush with her in the nick of time.
The rocks rolled down the steps made from bluestones with a series of thuds.
Still reeling from the shock, Elspeth looked at the man. “Fortunately, you saved me at the most critical moment.
Otherwise, I would’ve been struck by the rocks.”
“Don’t say that.”
Callum looked up and saw several people disappearing into the darkness.
Just as he expected, some people had tried to harm them.
Elspeth squinted. “They probably knew we’d be here, so they took the opportunity to harm us.”
“You’re intelligent.”
It wasn’t until the rocks were all gone that Callum pulled her up.
“We shouldn’t keep using the trail to prevent anyone from targeting us again.” Callum took a deep breath and
glanced at the thicket beside them. “Why don’t we go up the mountain from here?”
All of a sudden, Elspeth had a strange idea. “Are you trying to make out with me in the thicket?”
Callum thought, Are you alright?
“Fine, I’ll stop messing around. Let’s go.” When Elspeth fished out her phone and saw over 20 missed calls, she
rubbed her nose. “I guess Eric must be anxious now.”
An unfazed Callum replied, “Just let him wait.”
Elspeth knew that he only meant to mock Eric. Soon, they passed through the thicket together and finally reached
the peak of the mountain.
When Eric saw them emerging from the thicket instead of the trail, he was shocked.
“Did you walk up the mountain or go on an adventure in the forest?”
A helpless Elspeth rolled her eyes. “We were playing PUBG in real life.”
Eric scratched his head. “I don’t get it.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThinking of something, Elspeth asked, “Eric, did you see anyone suspicious? Were there people near the end of the
trail?”
Eric looked away. “No, I didn’t see anyone…”
“Hey, Eric! Were you the one who tried to harm us?”
Soon, Elspeth realized that Eric hadn’t looked away from her. Instead, he was avoiding a wealthy-looking lady.
“Hey, handsome boy. I was looking for you. Why did you keep avoiding me? Can you give me your contact number?
I love handsome young men like you.”
Eric pretended that he didn’t understand the local language. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand the
language.”
The wealthy lady, who looked like she was in her forties, covered her mouth and chuckled. Then, she spoke fluently
in a foreign language. “I’m pretty rich. Would you like to be my friend?”
Hearing that, Elspeth broke out laughing; even Callum couldn’t help smiling.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t need any friends. All my friends will fall into danger. I’m a jinx.”
The woman frowned. Left with no choice, she turned to Elspeth. “Is he your friend, miss?”
While trying to stifle her laughter, Elspeth nodded. “Yes, he’s my friend.”
The woman’s eyes brightened instantly. “In that case, you must have his contact number. Can you give it to me?
I’m willing to buy it from you. Just name a price.”
Elspeth turned to Eric and arched her brow in surprise. “Your contact number is worth quite some money, Eric.
Should I give it to her?”
Meanwhile, Eric was on the brink of breaking into tears.
Seeing that, Elspeth decided to stop teasing him. She then said to the woman, “I’m sorry, but my friend suffers
from AIDS. He’s a gay man who accidentally contracted it in the past. If you want to be together with him…”
Hearing that, the woman shook her head in shock. “I’m sorry for disturbing you.”
Then, she left the place in a hurry.
Elspeth looked at Eric and stroked his head with a smile. “Don’t be afraid, Eric. She’s just a woman.”
Callum remarked impassively, “What a useless man.”
Feeling displeased, Eric stamped his foot on the ground and said to Callum, “If you were me, would you have
accepted her?”
Elspeth fell into her thoughts for a moment before she lifted Callum’s chin and said frivolously, “I’m pretty wealthy.
Do you want to get together with me?”
Callum replied with a smile, “Sure. However, I must be your only one.”
A pleased Elspeth landed a kiss on the man’s lips, not caring about the presence of others.
When Eric saw that, he put on a bitter smile. “You guys are flirting, but I was harassed by a middle-aged woman.
Are both incidents even the same?”
After Elspeth was done flirting with Callum, she was exhilarated. “Alright, we’d better hurry up. It’ll be lunchtime
soon.”
It was tiring to walk up the mountain in winter. The temperature was low at the peak, so they could see their
breaths turning into a fog.
Eric nodded with an excited expression, for it was his first time visiting an abbey in Chars. Since he was eager to
explore, he soon forgot about what had happened earlier.
They then headed straight to Waeldestone Abbey.
Upon their arrival, a stone statue at the entrance caught Eric’s attention.
“This stone is ugly. Why did they put it in such a conspicuous spot?”
A baffled Eric went over and touched it.
Elspeth promptly slapped his hand away. “Stop saying nonsense. He’s a famous figure in the local area. Since
you’re from another country, you probably have a different view of beauty.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmSuddenly, Eric sighed with an aggrieved expression. “I don’t think so. At the very least, all of us think you’re
beautiful.”
Upon finishing his words, he realized that Callum was glowering at him.
He’s a petty man who gets mad when someone else compliments his girlfriend!
Elspeth took a look at them and felt speechless. Then, she shuffled toward the pink silk tree on her own.
It was a short tree. Love-seeking people would tie wooden strips to the low-hanging branches using red threads. As
the wind blew through the tree, the wooden strips would thud against each other. It was a beautiful sight to behold.
Elspeth followed the tradition and picked up a wooden strip with a red thread. Then, she meticulously wrote some
words on it and carefully tied it to a branch.
Callum and Eric were looking in another direction. When Elspeth realized that no one was paying attention to her,
she left the place without any worries.
Unbeknownst to her, Callum had been observing her from the corner of his eye. When he saw the woman leave, he
shuffled toward the tree and looked for her wooden strip.
Eventually, he looked fixedly at a wooden strip where the words ‘I pray for everyone I love to stay safe and happy’
were written.
He could easily recognize Elspeth’s handwriting.
After giving it some thought, he also picked up a wooden strip and wrote a few words on it. Then, he tied the
wooden strip just beside Elspeth’s one.
The wind breezed through the tree and dried the ink in an instant. When the wooden strip turned, it showed that
Callum prayed for Elspeth to stay safe and happy.
As Elspeth kept moving forward, she soon realized she had lost her way.
She turned around to look for Callum and Eric, but they were nowhere in sight.
All the same, she was annoyed by the two rowdy men. Now that she was finally left alone, she decided to keep
moving forward.
Soon, she heard a faint cry from a distance. As she listened intently, she soon found the direction and scurried over.