Once he got the answer he wanted, Shen Qinghe used a dagger to pry open the door, letting the cold wind in, and then quickly walked out of the wooden house.

Knowing that the other robber wouldn't be coming up the mountain that night, they lit a torch and began searching the mountain.

On the other side, Meng Zhao came out of the cave and still couldn't tell which way to go, but she knew in her heart that since she was on a mountain, she just needed to keep walking downhill and she would eventually get down.

But the night was dark, and all the trees around seemed to look exactly the same. After walking for about half an hour, she found herself back in the cave. Meng Zhao couldn't help but mutter to herself, "What's going on? Is this some kind of ghost wall?"

She was cold and hungry, and her wounds were throbbing. Hearing the occasional howls of animals in the distance, she couldn't help but sigh, wondering if she was really going to die here.

Just as she was imagining all sorts of ways she could die, a frantic shout suddenly came from afar, "Meng Zhao! Meng Zhao?"

Meng Zhao was somewhat stunned, unsure whether he had really heard it or was dreaming. He didn't dare to answer rashly. When the voice got closer and he recognized it as a familiar voice, he quickly replied, "Second brother, second brother, I'm here!"

Hearing the echo, Shen Qing was overjoyed. Ignoring the rugged mountain path beneath his feet, he immediately ran towards the direction of the sound. Finally, he saw that familiar figure in front of the cave.

"Sister-in-law, are you alright?" Shen Qinghe's voice was filled with urgency.

Meng Zhao had been terrified all night, but she had managed to hold back her tears. Seeing Shen Qinghe now, her tense nerves finally relaxed, and she said with red eyes, "Second brother, you've come..."

By the light of the torch, Shen Qinghe carefully examined Meng Zhao. Her hair was disheveled, her face was covered in dirt and blood, her clothes had many marks from being cut by tree branches, the cloth wrapped around her hands was almost soaked with blood, and her feet were stained dark red with blood and mud.

Seeing this, Shen Qinghe felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife. He harbored resentment in his heart, but in the end, he still let the kidnapper off lightly.

He quickly took off his outer garment and draped it over Meng Zhao, then steadied her swaying body. "Sister-in-law, sit down first, let me take a look at the wound on your foot."

The two found a relatively clean rock, and Meng Zhao sat down. Shen Qinghe squatted down beside her, gently held Meng Zhao's ankle, placed it on his knee, and carefully lifted the cloth.

"Hiss—" The cloth was soaked with blood and dirt. When it was torn open, it aggravated the wound, and Meng Zhao couldn't help but gasp.

Shen Qinghe frowned, her voice full of heartache, "I'll be gentler."

After recovering, Meng Zhao shook her head. "No need. It's better to have a short pain than a long one."

After saying that, she gritted her teeth and tore off the cloth covering her feet in one go.

The intense pain made Meng Zhao almost unable to sit up, so Shen Qinghe quickly supported her shoulders. Then, he picked up a large leaf, walked to the nearby puddle, fetched some settled water, and poured it little by little onto Meng Zhao's feet.

After washing it clean, Shen Qinghe stuck the torch in the ground next to him and then saw the wounds on Meng Zhao's feet. Some were cut by stones and branches, and some were blisters. It was a terrible sight.

Seeing that Meng Zhao was enduring the pain with her eyes closed, Shen Qinghe lowered his head and gently blew on her feet, trying to relieve her pain.

Meng Zhao noticed that the pain in her feet seemed to have lessened a bit. When she opened her eyes, she found Shen Qinghe squatting beside her feet, holding them in his hands and gently blowing on them with a serious expression.

The torchlight illuminated his face, making his originally cold and aloof features appear exceptionally gentle in the night of the deep mountains, even with a touch of beauty.

Meng Zhao's face flushed slightly, and she quickly pulled her foot back. Even though she was a modern person, it was still a bit too intimate for someone to blow on her foot.

Shen Qinghe looked up and asked with concern, "Sister-in-law, is it still very painful?"

Meng Zhao swallowed awkwardly. "Much better, it doesn't hurt as much anymore." She quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Qinghe, where are we now? How did you know I was here? How's the situation at home?"

Meng Zhao asked a series of questions, and Shen Qinghe patiently answered them one by one. "This is Skull Mountain. When the bandits kidnapped you, someone saw it and reported it to the authorities. When I went to the government office to report the case, I learned what happened from that person. Everyone is very worried about you, but as long as you can return home safely, nothing serious will happen."

"What about Jinglan? How is she?"

"After her sister-in-law went missing, Madam Wei was also very worried. Originally, everyone discussed splitting up to search for her, but after hearing about the kidnappers, they were worried about alerting them, so they did not act rashly. She should be at home waiting for news at this time."

"Why did you ask Madam Wei alone, sister-in-law?"

Meng Zhao sighed, his tone heavy. "If I'm not mistaken, the kidnappers this time are from the same bandit den that kidnapped Jinglan and Xiaochuan before. Jinglan doesn't like to go out, and every time she does, she's accompanied by several teenagers. They're short-handed and probably worried they can't control her, so they kidnapped me first, hoping to lure Jinglan out alone."

Thinking of Wei Jinglan at home, Meng Zhao became anxious. "We need to go back as soon as possible, otherwise Jinglan might be in danger."

Shen Qinghe was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "This matter was caused by Madam Wei, aren't you angry, sister-in-law?"

"Who are you angry with? Jinglan?"

Shen Qinghe nodded, his tone complicated: "If we hadn't saved Madam Wei back then, there wouldn't have been this commotion, and my sister-in-law wouldn't have suffered because of it. Besides, if we hadn't been in such a hurry to go back and report the news, my sister-in-law's foot wouldn't have been injured like this."

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