Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1508 - 725
Previously on Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups...
Under the banyan tree, many tourists gathered, their voices loud and boisterous.
Wen Xin, being short, couldn’t reach the low branches with the wooden plaque she had written her wish on, and she jumped on the spot in frustration.
Fang Cheng walked over, lifted the little girl with one hand, allowing her to hang the plaque securely on a high horizontal branch.
Lin Chuqiao and Zhou Xiumei avoided the gaze of others, each finding a relatively empty spot to carefully tie the ribbons of their wooden plaques.
After making wishes and praying for blessings, the group strolled around the temple and the surrounding bamboo forest.
When they left the Sea Queen Temple, it was still early, just after three o’clock.
The off-road vehicle drove along the ridge towards the highest point of Yong’an Island—Sea View Peak.
This is the true summit of the entire island.
On the edge of a steep cliff, hundreds of stone steps were artificially carved out.
Shrubs grew on both sides of the mountain path, with the sea breeze unobstructed, blowing in from both sides of the ridge, making clothes flap in the wind.
Fang Cheng and the others got out of the car and began climbing the steep stone steps on foot.
When they reached the last slope, Zhou Xiumei noticeably slowed down, a fine layer of sweat forming on her forehead, her breath quickening.
As she crossed a protruding rock, her footing weakened, and she slipped slightly.
Fang Cheng, walking in front of her, sensed the commotion behind and immediately turned his head, reaching out to grab her wrist.
With a slight exertion of his arm, he lifted her effortlessly onto the flat stone step.
Feeling the strength from his palm, Zhou Xiumei quickly steadied her footing.
She withdrew her hand, tucking the damp strands of hair by her cheek behind her ear, blushing as she whispered:
"Brother Cheng, why don’t you go ahead? I’ll catch up after a rest."
"No problem."
Fang Cheng didn’t agree with her suggestion. He stopped and called out to Pan Wendi and Wen Xin ahead:
"Let’s take a break, everyone."
Hearing this, Pan Wendi sat down on the stone steps, tugging at his collar and complaining loudly:
"Oh my, these steps are such a hassle! I should’ve arranged for palanquins to carry us up when we were at the bottom."
Wen Xin, the little girl, showed no sign of weariness. She squatted in the roadside grass, using a dry twig to play with an unknown little beetle.
Lin Chuqiao, who deliberately lagged behind, heard this and immediately climbed a few stone steps energetically.
Feigning breathlessness, she fanned her face with her hand, then took a bottle of mineral water from her bag and held it in front of Fang Cheng.
"Brother Cheng, my hands are so sore, help me open the bottle cap."
Lin Chuqiao’s voice was soft and sweet, pushing the water bottle towards Fang Cheng with a hint of coquettishness.
Hearing his cousin’s affectionate tone, Pan Wendi shivered all over, staring at Lin Chuqiao as if he didn’t recognize her.
Fang Cheng calmly took it, twisted his wrist, and with a crack, broke the seal, then handed it back to her.
"Thank you."
Lin Chuqiao smiled sweetly, took the water bottle, and tilted her slender neck to take a few sips.
Then she offered the half bottle of water to Fang Cheng, her eyes smiling:
"Brother Cheng, do you want some?"
Fang Cheng shook his hand: "No need."
Lin Chuqiao put the water bottle back in her bag, then turned around to look at Zhou Xiumei, who was catching her breath with her hands on her knees.
"Little Sister Xiumei, you need to come out and exercise more."
She spoke softly, with a smile on her lips:
"If you stay cooped up at home, your body will weaken. If you were to face minor hurdles while following Brother Cheng, you’d need someone to take care of you."
Hearing "following Brother Cheng," Zhou Xiumei’s long eyelashes fluttered.
She met Lin Chuqiao’s smiling gaze, looking a little awkward, but after a moment, she pursed her lips and replied softly:
"Sister Lin is right. I’ve known Brother Cheng since childhood, so I know his temper well. I’m a bit clumsy, but Brother Cheng always accommodates me, willing to wait even when I walk slowly."
Lin Chuqiao’s smile faded slightly, and she glanced sideways at Fang Cheng with the corner of her eye.
It seemed that the childhood friend narrative pricked her a little, causing an unwarranted surge of sourness in her heart.
Fang Cheng pretended not to understand the hidden jabs between the two women, reaching out to pat Wen Xin’s head, brushing away the grass on her.
After a short rest of a few minutes.
The group continued climbing upwards.
Before long, they stood atop the double-layered stone pavilion at the peak of Sea View Peak.
Standing at the railing-guarded edge of the cliff, the claustrophobia felt when viewing the sea from the mountain’s base was completely dispelled.
Gazing into the distance, the vast ocean of interwoven emerald and deep blue stretched unreservedly to the horizon under the sunlight.
Several giant cargo ships sailed through the waves on the sea, appearing from here as slowly drifting grains of sand.
Fang Cheng’s gaze shifted slightly, and following the undulating waves, looked further into the distance, the view so expansive that there was no end in sight.
He could even see the location of the Changyuan Trench, a place that remained as ink-like as ever in the refracted sunlight, like an abyss.
He withdrew his gaze, turning to the other side of the mountain, a few kilometers away.
Nestled in the dense forest, the Truth Society Headquarters Building occasionally showed its outline among the tree crowns.
Occasionally, small patrolling figures flashed across the roof terrace, appearing orderly and well-guarded.
The wind at the mountain top blew vigorously, completely drying the sweat earned on the mountain path.
The air was free of city dust, filled with the coolness and clarity of high altitudes.
Looking at the checkerboard-like island buildings below and listening to the waves crashing heavily against the rocks, all the weariness from the journey vanished.