Xu Xinghe loosened her grip on Yi An's arm.

Yes, she was too hasty, so hasty that she forgot her limits.

If I were to trigger the trap and get injured, not only would I be unable to track down the spy and find Jiang Linchuan, but I might not even be able to protect myself. In that case, I might actually be a hindrance to Jiang Linchuan.

Yi'an, having lived in the mountains for many years, possessed a sensitivity to traps and traces far beyond what Yi'an could match.

With his help, I can undoubtedly avoid many detours and dangers.

Xu Xinghe remained silent for a moment before finally letting go.

Yi An rubbed her sore wrists, which were tied behind her back, turned around, and looked at Xu Xinghe with a very complicated expression.

This woman is not only exceptionally skilled, but also capable of remaining calm in time; she is no ordinary person.

What she's looking for is probably quite extraordinary.

If she really was a female soldier, then what she did... might be something she herself couldn't possibly know.

“Wait another quarter of an hour.” Yi An glanced in the direction the two people had gone. “We’ll follow them after they’ve gone far away. I’ll help you find traces and check for traps.”

Xu Xinghe nodded, "Okay, I'll listen to you. As long as I can find what I need, I'll do whatever you say! I'm sorry about earlier."

"It's nothing." Yi An's wrist has almost recovered, but there are still some red marks.

The two pressed themselves back against the tree trunk, held their breath, and waited quietly.

The woods had fallen silent once more.

A quarter of an hour, no more than fifteen minutes, felt like an eternity.

Yi An finally raised her hand and gestured for Xu Xinghe to follow, "Come on, follow me."

He took the lead and walked in the direction the two spies had gone, his footsteps so light they made almost no sound.

The soles of my shoes stepped on the thick layer of fallen leaves, leaving only faint marks.

His gaze swept over the withered grass on the ground, the tree trunks by the roadside, and even the moss beside the cracks in the rocks, not missing any tiny trace.

Xu Xinghe followed closely behind him, not daring to breathe.

The two followed the trail for about ten minutes when Yi An suddenly stopped, her body tensing instantly.

He raised his hand to signal Xu Xinghe to stop, then slowly squatted down, pulled out a probing stick from his waist, and carefully parted a patch of grass about half a person's height in front of him.

"Look." Yi An's voice was very low, and she gestured for Xu Xinghe to come closer.

Xu Xinghe looked in the direction he pointed and saw a palm-sized iron device lying flat on the ground deep in the grass. The springs were tightly engaged, and several willow branches were wrapped around it. It was very well disguised. If Yi An hadn't reminded her, she would never have noticed it.

“A simple animal trap.” Yi An gently touched the device with his probe stick. “The trigger is on the pedal in the middle. If you accidentally step on it, the spring will immediately spring open, and the iron teeth will bite your leg tightly.”

"This thing is extremely powerful and can crush bones. If it's not treated in time, the hamstring could be torn, and you might become a cripple. If you're unlucky, the wound could become infected and fester, and you might even have to have your entire leg amputated."

Xu Xinghe's pupils contracted slightly as she silently stared at the animal trap, memorizing its design and disguise.

She could imagine the consequences of stepping on it, and a cold sweat broke out on her back.

If Yi An hadn't insisted on waiting until the other party was far away before tracking them, and if he hadn't carefully investigated along the way, he would probably be seriously injured by now.

She didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly, indicating that she had made a mental note of it.

Yi An didn't say much. He used his probe to put the bushes next to the animal trap back in place to avoid leaving any traces of their passage, and then got up to continue leading the way.

The two followed the trail for about half an hour, when the silence of the forest was suddenly broken by the faint sound of flowing water.

The sound was melodious and clear, especially in the quiet woods, drifting into my ears on the wind.

Yi An stopped again, and almost instinctively reached out and grabbed Xu Xinghe's shoulder, pulling her behind a large tree.

“Where there is water, there is a high chance of people, or even wild animals.” Yi An’s voice was very low, his breath almost touching Xu Xinghe’s ear. “Wild animals also need to drink water and often linger by the water. Those two people are likely staying nearby, so we must be careful.”

Xu Xinghe's heart clenched, and she instinctively held her breath.

The sound of flowing water became clearer, indicating that they were very close to the water source.

She could imagine that the two people were either resting by the water or just passing by to get water, but either way, it meant that danger was approaching.

Yi'an gently parted the grass behind the tree trunk, revealing a narrow gap, and looked through the gap towards the direction from which the sound of flowing water came.

The forest was still dense, and the view was blocked by layers of branches and leaves. One could only vaguely see the trees in front gradually thinning out, but could not see the exact location of the water source, let alone any trace of people.

"Stay close to me, walk quietly, and don't break any branches," Yi An whispered, then crouched down and slowly moved along the shadow of the tree trunk toward the sound of flowing water.

Xu Xinghe followed closely behind, keeping his body low to try and blend into his surroundings.

Her palms were already soaked with sweat, her fingers were clenched, her eyes scanned her surroundings warily, and her ears carefully discerned any sound other than the sound of flowing water.

The sound of flowing water grew closer, and the crisp sound of water droplets falling could be faintly heard.

Yi'an led her through the woods, moving along the shadows of the tree trunks, being extremely cautious with every step.

Finally, he stopped in front of a dense thicket of bushes, turned to Xu Xinghe and gestured for her to be quiet, then slowly reached out and parted the last patch of grass that was obstructing his view.

The view before me suddenly opened up.

A clear river meanders through the mountains and forests, its waters crashing against the rocks on the banks, making a sound.

On the open ground by the river, the two men dressed in dark clothes were indeed fetching water. One of them was carrying two water jugs and was bending over to fill them with water.

The other man leaned against a nearby rock, smoking, his eyes glancing around from time to time.

"Two kettles are enough. We can't carry more than that, and we have to walk so far." The man carrying the kettles straightened up, shook the water droplets off his hands, and said impatiently.

"No way." The man smoking snorted and exhaled a smoke ring. "Sister Hong specifically instructed that we need three bottles. Have you forgotten? That troublesome soldier is still clamoring to take a bath."

Xu Xinghe's heart jumped into his throat.

They're talking about Jiang Linchuan!

It must be him!

There could be no one else but him, the missing soldier!

The man carrying the kettle scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. "Once he's said what he needs to say and the mission is complete, that'll be his death day! Still thinking about taking a shower? He really thinks he's something special."

"Come on." The man flicked his cigarette ash, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "I think Sister Hong seems to like him quite a bit. He's good-looking and has a tough personality. Maybe she'll take him back to China."

The fact that Jiang Linchuan was clamoring for a bath indicates that he was at least not in mortal danger, and his physical condition should be relatively good, meaning he hadn't been tortured to the point of losing his will to resist.

Only now could Xu Xinghe truly breathe a sigh of relief.

If we keep following these two people, we can find Jiang Linchuan's location and rescue him!