Chapter 318: Chapter 318: Shen Yanchuan, You’re So Noisy

The days of rain had caused a mine collapse. Now, everyone would be alerted!

If they didn’t leave quickly, someone would surely notice something was amiss.

If a fight broke out, getting away unscathed would be next to impossible!

Ye Chutang nodded at once, without a moment’s hesitation.

They headed straight for the main gate, but after only a few steps, they saw people rushing toward them from the side.

The collapse wasn’t far from them. Trying to escape now was like running out from the epicenter—they were bound to run into people rushing in from all directions after hearing the commotion!

Shen Yanchuan swept an arm around Ye Chutang, pulling her halfway into his embrace. With a slight shift of his feet, he ducked behind a nearby pile of rubble.

Ye Chutang held her breath, doing her best to fade into the background.

"Hurry!"

The sound of panicked footsteps drew closer as more and more people appeared. Some hadn’t even managed to put on their clothes and shoes properly, their faces etched with worry and fear.

"Rescue them! Hurry!"

Torches were lit one after another, gradually illuminating the once-dim mine yard.

Ye Chutang frowned ever so slightly.

The more chaotic it became, the smaller their chance of a clean escape.

’We have to act fast!’

Suddenly, she felt a slight tickle in her palm—a cool sensation that brought with it a barely perceptible tingle.

Ye Chutang glanced down and saw Shen Yanchuan tracing characters onto her palm.

—Don’t. Worry.

The faint light from the distance cast his handsome, elegant features in and out of shadow. He looked even more aloof and dignified, utterly untouchable.

And yet, with his long lashes lowered, his dark eyes held an ocean of reassuring calm. His features were relaxed, carrying a rare gentleness and patience.

He was like a banished immortal who had descended to the mortal realm—suddenly within reach.

As if sensing her gaze, Shen Yanchuan looked up slightly.

Ye Chutang immediately looked away, her heart giving an involuntary leap.

But a moment later, she chided herself for her reaction.

’What am I so nervous about?’

’So what if the mine collapsed and everyone’s come out?’

’I’ve escaped situations far more dangerous than this, so why should now be any different?’

As she watched the crowds of people head toward the collapsed mine, Ye Chutang silently counted the seconds.

At a precise moment, she tightened her grip on Shen Yanchuan’s hand.

Shen Yanchuan raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly and glanced down.

Her hand was slender and fair, as if carved from the finest white jade. And yet, the web of her thumb and the pads of her fingers had a distinctly different, subtle texture.

’That is undoubtedly the hand of someone who has wielded a blade.’

Shen Yanchuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Before he could dwell on it, Ye Chutang pulled him away, heading swiftly in another direction!

It wasn’t toward the main gate. Instead, she led him to a spot with two abandoned mine carts. Just then, the moon vanished behind dark clouds, plunging the area into deep shadow and making them even harder to spot.

Even a Hidden Guard, an expert in tracking, might not have planned the timing and escape route so flawlessly.

The corners of Shen Yanchuan’s lips curved into a slight smile.

’So this is how she managed to shake off the men I sent after her?’

The moment he first saw Ye Chutang here, he knew the men he had sent to protect her had lost her trail. Otherwise, there was no way he would have heard nothing.

The mine yard was a cacophony of shouts and curses.

No one noticed the two figures that appeared in a remote corner, only to vanish again without a sound.

...

Taking a winding route, Ye Chutang and Shen Yanchuan finally made it back to the main gate an hour later.

The two guards were still lying unconscious on the ground.

Ye Chutang glanced back. A large part of the mine yard was ablaze with torchlight. There would be no rest there tonight.

She let out a soft breath. Just as she was about to move, she realized she and Shen Yanchuan were still holding hands tightly.

After their mad dash, her palm was slightly damp with sweat, making the warm, dry feel of his hand—so different from her own—all the more distinct.

Shen Yanchuan noticed her looking and seemed to realize for the first time that their hands were still clasped. He immediately let go.

Ye Chutang blinked and gave him a smile. "Thanks."

Shen Yanchuan was sure that even without him, she could have easily escaped unscathed.

The escape had seemed effortless, but it had been incredibly dangerous and arduous. And yet, her breathing was perfectly even.

"Of course," Shen Yanchuan said, his expression unreadable.

Ye Chutang said, "Well, let’s part ways here. Time is short, and I need to get back."

Shen Yanchuan asked, "Back where?"

Ye Chutang thought his question was rather pointless. "Back to the city, of course."

Shen Yanchuan nodded.

Just as Ye Chutang turned to leave, Shen Yanchuan spoke again. "What a coincidence, I’m returning to the city as well. Since we’re going the same way, why not travel together?"

Ye Chutang: "..."

She turned back and looked Shen Yanchuan up and down, unable to resist asking, "Aren’t you going to Changzhou anymore?"

Shen Yanchuan just looked at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ye Chutang asked, puzzled.

Shen Yanchuan let out a soft chuckle. "It’s nothing. I’m just thinking that Second Miss Ye is remarkably well-informed."

After all, she had left for Qingzhou with her companions right after her stay at Feiyun Temple, without even returning to the Capital City.

And yet, Ye Chutang seemed to know everything like the back of her hand.

Ye Chutang paused. ’I really do have to be careful around this man,’ she thought.

’He’s just too clever.’

However, seeing as they were now practically comrades-in-arms, Ye Chutang didn’t mind so much.

She nodded. "I hear a few things here and there, but nothing more."

’For instance, I had no idea Shen Yanchuan would show up in Shiluan City.’

Shen Yanchuan glanced toward the mine yard. "It won’t be long before their people realize something’s wrong. We should leave this area first."

The unconscious foreman by the gate alone is enough to arouse their suspicion!

Once they find the gate guards unconscious as well, it won’t take them long to figure out someone broke in.

When that happens, they’re bound to lock down and search all of Shiluan City!

Ye Chutang nodded in agreement and quickly fell into step with Shen Yanchuan.

...

The mine wasn’t far from the city, and the two of them moved quickly. By the time they returned, news of the incident at the mine had not yet reached town.

By the time they entered the city, dawn was approaching. A nascent glow suffused the deep blue of the distant sky, draping everything in a faint light and tracing the world in static silhouettes.

The long street was deserted.

They walked side by side, neither of them speaking.

Ye Chutang found the atmosphere strangely delicate. They hadn’t done anything or said a word, and everything around them was unfamiliar and still, yet the presence of the man beside her became increasingly impossible to ignore.

The sound of his footsteps, his breathing, the rustle of his clothes—every minute detail reached her ears.

Finally, Ye Chutang couldn’t stand it any longer and blurted out:

"Shen Yanchuan, you’re being too loud."