Journey to Find Heroic Spirits

The group was quite lively, and what was supposed to be just dinner turned into a late-night affair, almost like a second supper.

Fortunately, it was a private residence and not a restaurant, so they weren't disturbing anyone.

Mash had a lot of trouble getting Yuxian back to his room. He must have been exhausted from all the excitement, because as soon as he got back, he was out like a log, completely unconscious.

The little ones had originally planned to sleep with Yuxian, but upon seeing him reeking of alcohol, Gretel was the first to flee the room. Illya and Little Jeanne thought about it and followed suit.

Jack didn't care; she didn't want to leave and still wanted to be with Yuxian. Seeing this, Gretel came back and dragged her away too.

The four little ones found another room to sleep in, leaving Mash alone to take care of the drunken Yuxian.

Mash carefully covered Yuxian with a blanket. Even though it was summer, the sea breeze at night carried a slight chill.

After doing this, Mash quietly sat by his side, staring blankly at Yuxian...

Chapter 79: Yuxian, the Disliked

The next day, Yuxian woke up with a splitting headache, a clear sign of a hangover. His tolerance for alcohol was rather low, so a hangover was inevitable.

After getting up and washing, he sat there, trying to recall the events of the previous night. His memories from when he was drunk were quite hazy; he couldn't remember what he had said in the end.

Still, he figured it couldn't have been anything major. He rubbed his temples to ease the headache and decided not to dwell on it.

Since they were on vacation, they didn't wake up too early. The sun was already out, and after a simple breakfast, everyone was ready to start their day's activities.

They had originally planned to go to the beach again, but during breakfast, the owner of the residence introduced them to a new attraction.

"Rafting? What a fantastic idea!" Martha was the first to express her strong interest.

Nearby, a river flowed down from the mountains, and it had been developed into a rafting attraction open to tourists. After the owner's introduction, everyone wanted to give it a try.

So, the group changed their plans and set off for rafting.

Upon arriving at the foot of the mountain by car, Yuxian was dumbfounded. Since they had to go downstream, the starting point for the rafting was halfway up the mountain, and they were still quite a distance from there.

This distance could only be covered on foot, meaning Yuxian and the others would have to climb the mountain first...

This was definitely a challenge for Yuxian. Although his stamina had improved significantly, climbing it easily was by no means a simple task.

Kobayashi felt the same way. Compared to Yuxian, Kobayashi's physical condition was even worse, and Yuxian could imagine her feelings at that moment.

"Kobayashi, I'll carry you up!" Tohru, noticing Kobayashi's difficulty, immediately decided to transform into her dragon form and fly Kobayashi up.

Kobayashi shook her head and refused. This was a tourist spot, and she couldn't let Tohru act recklessly. Besides, they were all here to have fun together, and Kobayashi didn't want to spoil everyone's enjoyment because of her. She decided to try and conquer the hill herself.

The group slowly made their way up the mountain. The scenery along the way was beautiful, with a tree-lined path that shielded them from the direct sun and occasional mountain breezes that brought a refreshing coolness.

The trees on the mountain were dense, and they could hear birdsong and see small animals. The environment here was much better than expected, not having been extensively damaged by tourism.

Climbing a mountain is tiring work. Everyone walked and rested, making slow progress. Kobayashi, in particular, was already out of breath.

With Kobayashi setting the pace at the back, Yuxian seemed relatively relaxed. He even had the energy to play with the children.

"Kanna-chan, you can't eat that!" Little Jeanne stopped Kanna from putting a cicada in her mouth.

Kanna blinked her big eyes. She had wanted to taste it to see what it was like, but since Little Jeanne stopped her, she didn't insist.

Jack was even more energetic, leaping between the trees like a sprite and occasionally catching small animals to play with.

If Yuxian hadn't warned her beforehand not to harm these animals, the forest would have been littered with dead creatures by now.

Gretel walked carefully. Her attire was not suitable for climbing, and she certainly couldn't dart around like Jack.

Seeing how strenuous it was for her, Yuxian asked with concern, "Alice, do you want me to carry you?"

Gretel blinked and nodded happily. Yuxian put her on his back and continued to climb the mountain.

"Alice is so sly, making Master carry her when we weren't looking!" The other children, upon discovering this, protested Gretel's actions, believing she was taking advantage of Yuxian.

Leaning on Yuxian's back, Gretel felt blissful. She ignored the others' protests, completely unfazed. She just wanted to have Master all to herself.

After traversing a considerable stretch of mountain path, they finally reached the mountainside, their destination and the starting point for the rafting.

On the mountainside, there was a huge waterfall. The cascading water struck the rocks, sending up sprays of water that formed a mist. The mist drifted onto their faces, bringing a sense of refreshment.

The sound of the waterfall was immense, rumbling in their ears. They had to raise their voices to be heard.

Everyone found a spot slightly further from the waterfall to rest. From a distance, the noise was less deafening and less intrusive.

It was getting late, so the group found a flat area, spread out a tablecloth, and prepared for lunch.

There were no places to eat lunch here, so they had brought bento boxes when they left in the morning.

They sat in a circle, enjoying their simple bento lunches together, which had a unique charm.

Gretel, in particular, loved this atmosphere. After finishing her bento, she took out her tea set, allowing everyone to continue enjoying afternoon tea.

After a short rest, everyone felt invigorated, as if the fatigue from climbing the mountain had completely vanished.

Next was the main purpose of their trip: rafting.

Upon arriving at the starting point, since the boats could only hold a maximum of two people, they began to form groups.

Then, the problem arose again: how to group them?

Yuxian was indifferent; he could be in a group with anyone.

Tohru hugged Kobayashi tightly, declaring she wanted to be in a group with her.

The little ones gathered together to discuss, and after a long period of whispering, they finally finalized the last grouping.

Illya and Mash were a pair, Kanna and Little Jeanne were a pair, Gretel and Jack were a pair, and Martha and Elma were a pair.

Meow meow meow?

Yuxian pointed to himself and asked, "I'm alone?"

Yuxian had expected the little ones to be fighting over who got to be in his group. Seeing this outcome, he was completely baffled, unsure of their intentions.

Martha suggested, "Why don't we ride the Tarasque? That way, everyone can be together."

"No!" everyone unanimously objected. Martha shrugged and gave up.

If he was alone, he was alone. Yuxian had no objections, just a bit of surprise and curiosity about what the little ones were up to.

The groups were set, and everyone boarded their small boats, preparing to set off. The boats were indeed very small, only able to accommodate two people. The river wasn't wide to begin with, and larger boats would have been inconvenient.

While it was called a drift, the current wasn't actually rapid, but rather gentle. The water wasn't particularly deep either; looking down from the clear surface, one could see fish swimming at the bottom.

The boats drifted slowly downstream with the current, not fast, even feeling a bit slow.

But this also allowed for appreciating the scenery along the riverbanks.

Section 80, Chapter 20: Fairness is My Principle

The group began boarding their respective boats.

Tohru and Kobayashi set off first. Tohru had no intention of drifting slowly. As soon as they started, she began paddling furiously with both hands, and their boat shot forward like an arrow.

She thought Kobayashi would be scared and hug her, believing her plan was foolproof.

However, Kobayashi showed no reaction at all, completely unfazed. Other than her hair being blown back by the wind, she didn't even blink.

After all, she was someone who could chat with dragons when drunk; her nerves were unusually thick. Tohru was probably overthinking it if she thought she could scare her.

Little Jeanne and Kanna set off second. Seeing Tohru speeding ahead, Kanna followed suit, paddling with all her might.

"Kanna-chan! S-slow down..." Little Jeanne wasn't as calm as Kobayashi. She wasn't used to the speed and held onto the sides of the boat tightly, refusing to let go.

"Master, we're leaving now. Do you need any help?" Martha and Elma were also ready. Martha asked Yuxian symbolically, then waved her hand, directing Elma to paddle.

As the leader, she didn't need to do the work herself.

Behind Martha were Mash and Illya. They were moving leisurely and slowly, not paddling hard but letting the current guide their boat.

Mash looked back and waved at Yuxian, "Senpai, hurry up."

Yuxian wasn't in a hurry at all. He planned to depart last. With Jack and Gretel still left, it wasn't too late for him to get in his boat after they left.

Jack and Gretel were dawdling, refusing to set off.

Yuxian walked closer and saw that Gretel seemed to be sulking. After yesterday's events, she was a bit resistant to water.

Yuxian had to urge them on. They had come this far, and retreating now wouldn't do. They had climbed the mountain, and they couldn't just climb back down; that would be too troublesome.

He encouraged her, "Alice, the boat is very slow, nothing will happen, don't worry. I'll be right behind you. Call me if anything happens."

Gretel finally mustered the courage to get into the boat, and she and Jack slowly began to drift downstream.

Yuxian was left to bring up the rear. He was happy to have some leisure time. Once the boat started, he lay back in it, letting it drift naturally, not bothering to speed up at all.

The riverbanks were covered in green shade, and the sunlight couldn't reach the water's surface. Yuxian lay back and hummed a tune. The leaves above slowly moved past behind him, and a cool breeze blew, putting him in a very good mood.

Being with the children was fun, but occasionally having some quiet time alone was also very nice.

Just as Yuxian was thinking this, his boat suddenly bumped into something with a bang.

He immediately sat up in shock and realized his boat had hit Jack and Gretel's boat ahead.

"What's wrong! What's wrong!" The collision startled Gretel, who was afraid of falling into the water and was panicking.

Yuxian looked at the two little ones speechlessly and asked, "Why are you still here?"

"It's all Jack's fault! She doesn't know how to paddle, so the boat keeps rocking and won't move forward," Gretel grumbled, pouting.

Jack ignored Gretel's words, her entire focus on the paddle. She was curiously moving it left and right, very interested in this new object.

Her hands were nimble enough to do tricks with a dagger, but paddling a boat with an oar was clearly not that simple. Her continuous experimentation resulted in their boat swaying left and right, sometimes turning sideways. In short, it just wouldn't go forward.

"Master, can I share a boat with you?" Gretel looked at Yuxian with teary, sparkling eyes, hoping to get onto his boat. She didn't want to be with Jack anymore.

Yuxian asked, puzzled, "Didn't you guys decide to leave me alone? Why do you want to be with me now?"

"That was a decision made because everyone felt any other arrangement was unfair..." Gretel said pitifully.

"Hmm..." Yuxian stroked his chin. "Then Alice should stick to the agreement."

He wasn't going to break the agreement the children had made by secretly taking Gretel onto his boat. As the saying goes, "It is not poverty that is feared, but inequality." He, as their Master, should be fair to everyone.

(Great Hero, Second Generation: "Fair? Don't you have Uncle in your heart?")

"How about this, I'll teach you how to paddle."

Yuxian felt that this couldn't go on. He used the oar in his own boat to push the front of Jack's boat, adjusting its direction, and then slowly guided Jack on how to paddle.

Under Yuxian's guidance, Jack indeed began to look more proficient. She was a smart child.

However, the result of this was that Yuxian became even more exhausted. As expected, having leisure time alone had little to do with him.

His boat and Jack's boat were like conjoined twins, moving slowly forward, one in front of the other.

Not only did he have to teach Jack how to row, but he also had to manually adjust their boat when they lost direction, essentially rowing two boats by himself…

As they slowly advanced to a large bend in the river, he spotted Mash and Illya.

Their boat was entangled by tree roots exposed on the riverbank, and the two of them were at a loss.

"Sister Mash, let's smash these roots!" Illya took out the Ruby Wand, preparing to solve the problem with brute force.

Ruby: ...

Mash stopped her, saying, "That won't work. We can't just destroy the trees here."

"Then what should we do?" Illya was a little dejected. Just then, she saw Yuxian and the others arriving and quickly waved, calling out, "Master, come save us!"

After Yuxian understood their predicament, he felt a vein throb in his forehead. He was already struggling to help Jack and Gretel, and now Mash and the others were also so unreliable.

He paddled his boat closer and, little by little, helped them free their boat from the entanglement of the roots.

Once the small boat was free from the roots' grip, Mash and Illya breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness Master helped us, or we wouldn't have been able to get back!"

"How did you get tangled by the roots?" Yuxian asked, a little curious. This was a wide bend, and the river channel was relatively spacious; it shouldn't have been easy to get interfered with by the roots on the bank.

"We wanted to rest here and wait for Master," Illya explained.

Yuxian asked strangely, "Wait for me for what?"

"Sister Mash was worried something might happen to you if you were alone."

Upon hearing this, Yuxian glanced at Mash. It was indeed something Mash would do. It was just that he hadn't gotten into trouble, but they themselves had.