The princess shared some of the fruit she had found with the cats and the others, but she didn't dare get too close and just placed it on a stone.

Jiu Yebai glanced at her and said, "Keep it for yourself."

The princess didn't take them back, but after a while, when they were leaving, she saw that none of the wild fruits had been touched. Since she had gone to so much trouble to pick them, she took them back.

After dark, they rested under a large tree, where Jiu Yebai planned to spend the night.

The princess, of course, had no right to express her opinion.

The cat stood on a rock and stared at the dark forest for a long time.

The princess was also watching her, completely baffled as to what the cat was looking at. Besides, this woman was too mysterious; the longer she spent with her, the more terrifying she seemed…

It wasn't the kind of ferocious terror, but rather a nonchalant terror that made her hesitant to approach, somewhat similar to the feeling she had towards Second Master Jin...

Soon, she saw Jiu Yebai set up a tent. She looked at his backpack in surprise. The backpack didn't look big, but could it really hold so much?

The cat jumped down from the rock, glanced at the princess, and then suddenly took a tent from Jiu Yebai's backpack and threw it in front of her, saying, "Do it yourself."

The princess was too surprised to notice now; with this tent, she could at least get some sleep tonight.

She is very capable with her hands, and as she said, her wilderness survival skills are quite good.

After she quickly set up the tent, the cat handed her a glass of juice.

The princess took the glass of juice with some skepticism. She had only eaten some wild fruit that day, and even without cooked food, she was overjoyed to see it. Without even using a straw, she opened the lid and drank it all in one gulp!

Then, she felt her body fill with energy, and her health instantly returned to normal.

Having eaten and drunk her fill and found a place to sleep, the princess grew bolder. She tentatively asked the cat, "Miss, are you perhaps Second Master Jin's girlfriend?"

The cat immediately looked at her.

The princess explained, "I was just guessing... I feel that you and Second Master Jin are very similar, you two seem like a match made in heaven."

"Yeah?"

The princess nodded. "Yes."

The cat suddenly found the princess somewhat agreeable. "Don't worry, I won't kill you."

Although the princess already knew in her heart that they probably wouldn't kill her, she was still relieved and happy to hear the cat say it with her own ears! "I knew it, you guys don't seem like bad people!"

Jiu Yebai, however, looked completely at ease. This princess was quite eloquent, and her flattery hit the mark perfectly. Even the cat was willing to chat with her.

"Were the people who kidnapped you today sent by your fiancé?"

Princess: "How did you know?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the cat said calmly.

The men who kidnapped her today, although they had guns, never fired a shot. After she was taken away, they even chased after her, which clearly showed they wanted to protect her.

The princess nodded with a complicated expression. "Yes, it was someone he sent. I guessed he would do this because neither of us could convince the other. I also wanted to take him away and lock him up here, let alone him..."

It's such a coincidence that a cat came along; otherwise, she might already be in Country Y by now.

Thinking of this, the princess suddenly stood up and apologized very sincerely, "I'm sorry! I published that news without permission. Second Master Jin was unaware of it. I caused a misunderstanding between you. I'm really, really sorry!"

Cat was still bothered by this. She said, "When you get back, you have to recall all the newspapers that have been published and republish a new one. No matter what you say, you have to make it clear to me that the news is fake and doesn't exist!"

The princess nodded repeatedly, "Okay, I will definitely do as you say."

...

Nothing was said that night.

When the princess woke up in the morning, she felt refreshed. She could hardly believe that she had slept so soundly in the Wild Elephant Valley, a place that even the locals feared. There hadn't been a sound all night.

As she emerged from the tent, she saw the cat standing again on the same large rock where she had stood yesterday, gazing quietly into the deep forest.

She looked down and was surprised to find a glass of juice and a sandwich on the ground!

"Is this... for me?" the princess asked Jiu Yebai in disbelief.

Jiu Yebai nodded. "Yes, hurry up, we need to leave."

The princess quickly finished her breakfast, almost crying with happiness, and then folded up the tent, which had now become her equipment; Jiu Yebai no longer carried it for her.

The princess had no objection to this; with her current physical strength, carrying things was not a problem at all.

Jiu Yebai was studying the map when the cat suddenly jumped down, took the map away, and said, "No need to look at it anymore, just follow me."

Although Jiu Yebai found it strange, he knew that Maomao wasn't just saying it casually; she probably already had confidence in it! After all, she had been standing there in deep thought for a long time!

They walked for over an hour when Jiu Yebai suddenly ran a few steps forward, looked at the water flowing under the cracks in the rocks, and exclaimed in surprise, "This must be the underground river on the map! According to the direction of the water flow, that's where we should go!"

They were indeed heading in this direction, which means that the cat led the way correctly!

Jiu Yebai couldn't help but exclaim, "Cat, you're amazing!"

Two hours later, they suddenly came to a huge pit. It was not easy to spot from horizontal view because it was covered by weeds. They only saw it when they got closer!

The princess said with some fear, "Let's hurry, we need to get away from these sinkholes! Encountering one won't end well!"

There are many local legends about these sinkholes. Some say that people walk into them without realizing it, as if they are attracted by some mysterious force. Others say that demons live in the sinkholes and periodically steal people's souls.

Jiu Yebai didn't feel anything special. He was thinking about important matters. They still needed to find Mu Jin, so he urged Maomao to leave.

However, the cat walked forward, getting closer and closer to the sinkhole, and finally stood on the suspended, seemingly dangerous rock.

The princess was terrified. "Get down quickly! It's dangerous!"

"Shut up," the cat said.

Her shout echoed in the sinkhole for quite a while. Once the sound subsided, she picked up a stone and threw it vertically down.

After a while, a dull echo came from below.

Jiu Yebai heard a slight noise, "Is there water down there?"

"Hmm." Cat nodded. "This is just a small sinkhole, only a little over a hundred meters deep. Jiu Yebai, come down with me."