An Ning led An Xiaoming, an army of dogs trailing behind them. She had only walked a few meters before she stopped.
"Come on out."
As An Ning spoke, a pile of rotten leaves and dead branches on the ground RUSTLED. A rear end poked out from beneath them, followed by a head.
Jiang Xia, his face covered in dirt, asked with a silly grin, "When did you know I was here?"
"I knew the moment you arrived."
An Ning reached out to pull Jiang Xia up, but he shook his head and refused, getting to his feet on his own. He brushed the dirt off himself and said, "It's nothing."
"Are you okay?"
An Ning spread her hands. "What do you think?"
"Yep. Just as I thought. Trouble really does last a thousand years."
Unable to resist a bit of banter, Jiang Xia took off running as soon as he said it. Behind him, An Ning let out a chuckle, amused by his antics.
'He's all talk.'
An Ning continued on her way, while Jiang Xia, after confirming she was unharmed, ran on ahead down the mountain by himself.
