Without hesitating, Old Jin quickly caught the rope and handed it to Jun Ya, saying, "Hurry, climb up quickly."
Jun Ya was a bit frightened by the large bug in front of her, her hands trembling heavily. "I'm scared."
"Don't be afraid. Just think of it as a plastic toy at an amusement park. Climb up quickly. This guy won't always listen to me," Xiao Guang, colorful and lively, shouted loudly.
"That's right. Don't think of it as a bug. Treat it like a robotic insect. Listen to your dad, be a good girl, and climb up," Old Jin reassured.
Time was running out, and Old Jin grabbed onto the vines nearby and began climbing upward.
Gritting her teeth, Jun Ya closed her eyes, grabbed the rope, and started climbing. When she touched the bug's body, her body tensed up as if she had been shocked, and she almost let go. Climbing halfway, her hands and feet became somewhat uncooperative. Coupled with the increasing wind, Jun Ya ended up leaning against the bug's body.
With closed eyes, Jun Ya opened them to find herself face to face with the bug's big, bead-like eyes. She let out a scream of terror, and her hands loosened, almost causing her to fall backwards.
With a "smack," Xiao Guang caught the girl in mid-air, but the grip was awkward – he caught her by the collar. In mid-air, Jun Ya flailed her arms and legs, nearly kicking her father, who was climbing behind.
Bending over and lifting Jun Ya, Xiao Guang felt for the first time that this girl was surprisingly heavy. She didn't seem that way, but no wonder the male leads in various TV dramas were always complaining about their girlfriends' weight, asking them to lose it. This girl felt heavier than three computer cases combined.
This mid-air girl continued to flail and scream while holding onto Xiao Guang's arm. Almost losing her grip, Xiao Guang used one hand to grasp her collar and bent over, extending his other hand to clutch her waistband in a rather uncouth manner. The beautiful girl was lifted in the air like a sack, in a less-than-graceful posture.
Although Xiao Guang was tied to the vines, he still clamped his legs tightly around the bug. It was almost entirely his waist strength that lifted the girl. Without a certain level of strength, this mission would have been impossible.
Scared pale, Jun Ya grabbed onto Xiao Guang's arm, resembling a drowning person clutching a lifeline. Her legs kicked erratically, and her hands grabbed haphazardly, unintentionally hitting Xiao Guang, the rescuer, with her martial arts-like flailing. By the time they were pulled up in a rather confused state, Jun Ya was already face to face with Xiao Guang, embracing his neck, sitting in his lap with her legs crossed. Their eyes met, resembling lovers deeply in love.
Startled, Jun Ya finally realized their position was a bit improper. She tried to get up but hesitated when she saw the bug's green back. The sensation of sitting on the bug made her shiver all over. When she tried to step down, her heart trembled.
Caught between a dilemma, she looked at Xiao Guang, whom she was embracing face to face. Feeling irritated, she said, "What are you looking at? If you keep looking at me in such an inappropriate way, I'll gouge your eyes out."
Old Jin, in decent physical shape, climbed up using the vines, and he couldn't help but interject with a fair comment. "Jun Ya, look what you've done to the poor guy. Release him quickly."
"Come on, don't be afraid. Just think of it as stepping on a plastic toy," Old Jin consoled, observing his daughter trying to find a place for her hands and feet.
"No." Sitting on the bug, Jun Ya couldn't bear the feeling of her skin touching the bug again. Compared to this colorful, swollen-faced guy, he seemed much more pleasing than the bug.
Thus, the beauty made a move. Her body brushed past once again, her legs resting on Xiao Guang's legs, arms around his waist, faces pressed together in a tight hug. Their bodies were in even closer contact, with an ambiguous and intimate closeness, as if they were a couple deeply in love.
"If you dare to have any improper thoughts, be careful I'll kill you," Jun Ya threatened Xiao Guang, closing her eyes. "Now, hurry up and go."
At this moment, the leaves rustled even more intensely. With a swollen face, Xiao Guang shouted, "Hold on tight!"
Under the watchful gaze of the old man behind him, Xiao Guang picked up a slender vine tied to the bug's body and tapped the bug's antennae left and right. The green bug miraculously followed Xiao Guang's commands, guided by his intentions. It slipped into the leaves and smoothly crawled down the branches.
Busy directing the bug, Xiao Guang didn't have any untoward thoughts about the beauty in his arms. Moreover, his face was swollen and covered in green marks, and even talking made his mouth ache. The clingy octopus-like creature attaching itself to him seemed a bit bothersome.
"Relax a bit, don't hold on so tightly. You're hindering my vine swinging," he advised.
"Don't blabber. Just do your job," Jun Ya threatened with closed eyes.
Old Jin, feeling relieved now that his daughter was safe, could finally calm down and started observing their surroundings.
After about ten minutes of climbing, the bug seemed a bit impatient, and Xiao Guang started to grumble.
"Hey, over here, over here. Which way are you going? Did I offend you? What's going on?"
"Wrong again, wrong again, and wrong again."
"Are you picking on me, huh?"
"Hey, hey, hey, don't go backward. I'm telling you to move forward. We're almost there, almost there."
"What the heck, did I offend you? Hey, hey, you green blob, in front, to the left. Can't you feel that I'm tapping this side? Do you think my stick is too thin?"
"Slow down, slow down. Fold your wings and don't open them. If you dare to fly, I'll kill you."
"Don't stop, we're almost there. Come on, come on, move!"
"Hey, stop scratching, keep moving, or I'll hit you, I'll hit you, I'll hit you..."
Well, now it was thoroughly stuck.
Old Jin at the back observed the environment, chuckling to himself as he listened to Xiao Guang's muttered monologue. This magical adventure would make a great story to write about when they got back.
Jun Ya's fear lessened amidst Xiao Guang's grumbling. When she opened her eyes and saw her father sitting behind her, she felt a bit embarrassed to continue holding onto Xiao Guang but was still somewhat afraid. She self-hypnotized herself that during special circumstances, she could just ignore it. Being close to a person was definitely better than being near a bug. So, she naturally held onto Xiao Guang's waist, looked around boldly, and gradually found it interesting.
"The bug isn't cooperating. We need to get off, or else we won't know where it will take us," Xiao Guang patted Jun Ya's back and then didn't know where to put his hand.
"Alright, let's get down," Old Jin called to his daughter as he climbed down. "Jun Ya, come down."
Upon hearing that they needed to get down, Jun Ya looked around again, feeling that there was no place to put her feet. Trembling, she cautiously placed her foot on the bug's back, clutching onto Xiao Guang's colorful hair. She stood there, unsure if it was due to her feeling or the bug's natural reaction, but the green bug shook its head slightly. This scared Jun Ya, who screamed and slipped, almost falling down.
"Hold on tight, slide down slowly."
Just as Xiao Guang twisted his head to look at Old Jin descending from the bug, Jun Ya's scream sent his blood pressure soaring. He instinctively reached out to grab her, but of course, he couldn't catch her. They both fell onto the leaves, and the colorful head once again suffered a misfortune, as Jun Ya sat on top of it.
With no one controlling it, the green bug turned around and left. Luckily, Old Jin had also managed to descend, partly crawling, partly stumbling, and he sat down on the side to catch his breath.
After they stood up, Xiao Guang let out a sigh, sitting there without knowing whether he was contemplating something or sulking.
"Hey, is this it? The bug ran away so fast? You've got some skills, huh? I almost thought you were its dad," Jun Ya blinked in astonishment. Despite her awkward state, she tried to regain some dignity.
"Xiao Guang, what's the situation ahead?" Old Jin, perched on a leaf, spoke up.
"There's a place about two meters ahead with a lot of branching branches, forming a circular little nest. With a bit of tidying up, it could accommodate over ten people to rest. For the three of us, it'll feel quite spacious. There are vines nearby, and the wild fruits are about that size, like giant horse milk grapes. If they're really edible, one should be enough to keep us full for several days."
"Show me," Old Jin was about to get up, but he frowned, as his ankle injury had worsened due to the climbing and landing.
A girl afraid of bugs and an old man with a sprained ankle didn't seem like the friendliest starting lineup for this small group. But people usually found a way. So, not long after, the willing and capable Xiao Guang carried Old Jin on his back, and a not-so-happy Jun Ya followed behind.
"Good, there's a natural vine railing for safety. And from here, you can see into the distance; the view is great. Also, ah, it's a wooden vine, most likely edible," Old Jin kept praising. Just by looking at it, he knew it was safe to eat. This plant, similar to wild grapes, had pulp-rich fruit that contained plenty of sugars, enough to provide the energy the body needed. Moreover, he noticed small insects of the bee variety feeding nearby. This indicated that the plant was likely edible.
"Indeed, the environment is very clean," Jun Ya was also quite pleased with the place, especially when she saw a pool of dew nearby.
"Let's go over there," Old Jin said. "It's not far, and it's peaceful here."
"Is your leg okay? I can try chasing the bugs away again," Xiao Guang suggested.
"It won't work, I'm afraid," Old Jin had forgotten that Xiao Guang had carried him all the way here.
"Alright, wait a moment. I'll go pick one." Xiao Guang headed towards the fruits as he spoke. He was starting to feel hungry.
Soon, he found a good-looking, medium-sized grape among the cluster of "grapes." It appeared sweet. Xiao Guang happily tried to pick it up with both hands, but struggled to lift it. He pondered how to get it down and then roll it to their resting place.
"Um, be careful. There's something not quite clean around there," Jun Ya cautioned.
As Xiao Guang was busy and heard Jun Ya's words, he turned back, but his foot slipped unexpectedly. He fell from the vine with a thud, landing face-down on a large pile of bird droppings. Unluckily for him, he bounced up as if electrocuted, immediately jumping and flailing to shake off the bird droppings from his hair.
As Xiao Guang vigorously danced and managed to rid himself of the mess, regaining his hearing and sight from the bird droppings, the first thing he saw was Old Jin's suppressed laughter and Jun Ya's unrestrained giggles.
"I swear, I'd rather eat your eggs than eat this crap!" Xiao Guang vowed loudly, pointing at the bird droppings with a declaration of defiance.