Xu Xinghe raised her head and met Yi An's gaze. "As long as you keep this a secret, this matter will have nothing to do with you. No one will know that you helped me, and no one will find you. You and your sister will be safe."

Her eyes suddenly sharpened. "But if you tell anyone, the consequences could be dire. Since those people dare to kidnap, they're capable of anything."

Yi An nodded, "Don't worry, I definitely won't tell anyone. I'll keep it to myself."

Xu Xinghe didn't say anything more and turned her gaze back to the flames.

Silence fell over the cave.

Xu Xinghe stared at the flames for a while, then her eyelids grew heavy.

The days of running around and being tense had left her physically and mentally exhausted. Now, sitting by the warm fire and knowing that Jiang Linchuan was not in any danger, her tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

She slowly closed her eyes, leaned against the cave wall, and drifted into a light sleep.

Seeing this, Yi'an stopped thinking about it, added a few more pieces of dry firewood to the fire, then curled up in the corner and soon fell asleep.

Xu Xinghe was gently woken up by someone after an unknown amount of time.

"Wake up, it's time to go." It was Yi An's voice.

Xu Xinghe suddenly opened her eyes and instantly became fully awake.

The sky outside the cave was already beginning to lighten, with a faint, pale white glow. The dim light shone through the cracks in the cave entrance, making the cave no longer pitch black.

"It's almost dawn, we need to get going," Yi An said in a low voice. "We need to get back by boat as soon as possible, before the villagers are fully awake, so we won't be discovered."

Xu Xinghe nodded, feeling sore all over.

I spent the night in the mountains, the ground was cold, and my position was uncomfortable; all my bones felt like they were falling apart.

She took out a cup containing the spiritual spring water and drank about half of it.

The aches and fatigue in my body finally subsided, and I felt much more comfortable.

Yi'an extinguished the fire and completely covered the embers with soil to avoid leaving any traces.

Then, taking advantage of the dim light of dawn, the two walked towards the riverbank at the foot of the mountain.

The path down the mountain was easier than the path up. Yi'an still walked in front, using her walking stick to push aside the tangled grass.

After walking for about an hour, the outline of the river gradually became clear.

"Wait here for me, I'll go take a look first." After saying that, Yi An walked to the riverbank and prepared to untie the boat rope.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" Xu Xinghe asked in a low voice.

Yi An's gaze was fixed on the opposite bank of the river. "There are people on the other side."

Xu Xinghe followed his gaze and indeed saw two blurry figures standing on the opposite bank of the river, who looked like villagers.

“We can’t leave for now.” Yi’an frowned. “They’re on the other side. If we row, we’ll definitely be discovered. Let’s go back to the cave we were in before and hide there until they’re gone.”

The two immediately turned around and walked back along the riverbank, soon returning to the cave where they had first rested.

This place is more spacious and cleaner, much more comfortable than the small cave I stayed in last night.

Xu Xinghe sat down against the cave wall, took out a piece of dry food from his backpack, and slowly ate it to replenish his strength.

Yi An, however, was restless. Every ten minutes or so, she would get up, quietly walk to the cave entrance, part the vines, and peer out to check on the activity on the other side of the river.

Time passed slowly, and the sky outside the cave grew brighter and brighter, gradually transforming from a dim light into a dazzling dawn.

The mountain mist dissipated, and everything became clear.

More than an hour later, Yi'an returned from the cave entrance. "There's no one on the other side, but we can't leave now. It's already fully light, and everyone in the village is up and working. People can pass by anytime. If we row across the river at this time, it will be too conspicuous and we'll be easily seen. If they ask us about it, we won't be able to explain it."

Xu Xinghe also frowned.

The fact that the two of them rowed back from the direction of Black Wind Ridge early in the morning was already suspicious, let alone the fact that she was an outsider.

If questioned, one's identity is likely to be exposed.

Xu Xinghe looked at Yi An, "You should go back first."

Yi An was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

“If you row back alone, you'll be less conspicuous and less likely to arouse suspicion,” Xu Xinghe explained. “Then, when no one is around at night, you can quietly come and pick me up. If we go our separate ways, it won't attract attention, and it'll be safer.”

Yi An hesitated for a moment, "Are you sure you're okay here by yourself? Even though this is the outer edge of the forest, there's always the risk of wild animals or other dangers."

"Don't worry, I can handle it." Xu Xinghe smiled. "I'm capable of protecting myself, and there are emergency supplies here, so there won't be any problems for the time being. When you come at night, remember to avoid being seen by the villagers and don't get discovered."

Yi An was silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "Then be careful. If anything happens, hide deep in the woods. I'll come over as soon as it gets dark tonight."

"Okay." Xu Xinghe nodded in agreement.

Yi An said no more, picked up her backpack, checked her belongings again, and then walked toward the cave entrance.

He glanced back at Xu Xinghe and saw her leaning against the wall with a calm expression. Only then did he feel relieved enough to push aside the vines and walk towards the river.

Yi'an walked along the riverbank, and after confirming that there were no villagers on the road, she quickly untied the boat rope and rowed across the river with a wooden oar.

The river water was cool in the early morning. The wooden oars stirred the surface of the water, creating ripples, and soon we reached the shore.

He had just tied the boat up when he heard a clear laugh.

"Brother Yi'an?"

Yi'an looked up and saw several village girls standing on the stone path by the river, carrying bamboo baskets and preparing to wash clothes.

Leading the group was the village chief's daughter, A Cui. Upon seeing Yi An, the girls all smiled with delight and quickly surrounded her.

"Brother Yi'an, you went hunting in the mountains again?" A Cui blinked. "Didn't you say before that Black Wind Ridge was not safe and that you wouldn't be hunting for the time being?"

Yi An casually made up an excuse, "I'm not going hunting. I left something on the other side of the river, so I went there today to retrieve it and check on things."

"So that's how it is." The girls suddenly understood, and their smiles widened.

A Cui stared at Yi An's handsome profile, her cheeks slightly flushed, and whispered, "Then you'd better be careful. It's not safe in the mountains, so don't wander around."

"I understand." Yi An nodded, not wanting to dwell on it any longer. "I have something to do, so I'll head back now."

After saying that, he strode into the depths of the village, his steps hurried, not giving anyone a chance to ask any further questions.

As they watched his tall figure gradually disappear into the distance, the girls exchanged glances, their faces flushing.

"Hey, judging from the way you looked at Yi An just now, you definitely like him!" A Cui nudged her companion and teased.

"Who said that!" the girl retorted immediately, her cheeks turning even redder. "I was talking about you too! You took the initiative to talk to him just now, and your voice even softened. It's clearly you who likes Yi An!"

"I don't!"

"You have!"