Noticing her silence, Yan Zheng put down his axe and, by the firelight, looked directly at Jiang Xi, his eyes filled with an unreadable emotion.

After taking a deep breath, he finally spoke, "Jiang Xi, don't let yourself fall into an emotional trap. Right now, you need to keep your mind clear and rational at all times."

Do you know what's the scariest thing in the jungle?

"Snake? Wolf?" Jiang Xi wasn't sure what he was going to say, and subconsciously could only think of the venomous snake she had encountered yesterday and the wild beasts of the forest in her memory.

Yan Zheng picked up the axe again, poured some water on the stone slab, and began sharpening the axe with a tense jaw: "It's you. Once you start to slack off and give up on yourself, then fatigue and fear will devour you until there's nothing left."

"You think you'll starve to death? No, you'll just go crazy, become stupid, and your physical strength will get worse and worse."

His tone was calm, and his gentle, conversational manner was as if he were telling a warm bedtime story, but Jiang Xi felt a chill run down her spine.

He finished with a self-deprecating smirk: "Of course, if you're lucky, you haven't become a beast's meal yet."

"Then you won't die too badly. You'll most likely go into shock, hallucinate, and then kick the bucket in your sleep."

The sound of the axe blade sharpening on the stone was exceptionally clear in the darkness. Jiang Xi's palms were both wet and hot, yet she felt cold all over.

It was rare for him to be willing to tell her so much. Jiang Xi also knew that Yan Zheng was right. For the first time, she felt controlled by her emotions. This feeling was terrible, and she shouldn't be like this.

She shouldn't have brought her anxiety and negativity to him, or she should have tried to be more positive.

If she loses confidence in herself, she will never be able to move forward.

Jiang Xi looked up at Yan Zheng, her messy hair on both sides highlighting the determination and apology on her face: "I'm sorry, I was just too scared!"

Yan Zheng smiled casually, seemingly deliberately avoiding the topic, and reached out to pat her shoulder: "Everything will be alright."

That smile, that expression, is so much like the person in her memory. Jiang Xi felt as if there was a giant mirror beside her, and the person reflected in the mirror and outside the mirror was actually the same person.

After several days of clearing roads and cutting down trees, the man's hands were covered with fine wounds and yellowish-brown cracks. Looking at these hands, she had for the first time the thought of no longer resisting them, and gently raised her hand to cover them.

"Yes," she said, her voice firm and solemn.

The firelight reflected on her excessively pale yet beautiful face, making her look like a believer emerging from the darkness.

Yan Zheng gazed at her, his eyes as silent as an abyss, deep and unfathomable. At that moment, he felt as if he were trapped in a nightmare, unable to escape the warmth of her hand.

——

After scooping out the chestnuts and letting them cool, the water used to boil the chestnuts not only had the fragrance of chestnuts but also a hint of sweetness. Jiang Xi threw in the hawthorns she had on hand and simmered them over medium heat for a few minutes, and the hawthorn tea was ready.

Chestnuts are very filling, and hawthorn tea is sweet and sour, relieving the fatigue of hiking.

After Jiang Xi finished packing her tools and backpack, Yan Zheng also finished chopping chestnuts. By then, it was completely dark. The night in the forest was particularly mysterious. The chirping of insects could be heard from the grass by the river, and flocks of birds began to take roost in the jungle.

The moonlight and starlight made the place very bright, reminding Jiang Xi of her grandmother's village when she was a child. The moon was just like that, illuminating the village roads very clearly.

Yan Zheng moved all the firewood to the vicinity of the crevice in the rock, and added some new firewood that burned longer. The two of them washed themselves with river water and charcoal.

He opened the straw curtain door and held it open, saying, "You sleep inside, I'll sleep outside." He nodded, gesturing for Jiang Xi to go inside.

Using the firelight, Jiang Xi put her backpack at the very back, crouched down, and crawled inside. She drew her sword and handed it to Yan Zheng for self-defense. After traveling all day, neither of them was in the mood to say anything more.

Because they were near a water source, Yan Zheng dared not let his guard down. He used vines to tie the door frame to his wrist so that he could wake up immediately if anything happened in the middle of the night.

Jiang Xi noticed his excessive anxiety and recalled how Yan Zheng would always sneak to her balcony before competitions, peek out, and chat and bicker with her.

After thinking for a moment, I said to him, "We're still quite a distance from the ground, and the door is well-hidden, so don't worry too much."

"I can't sleep right now either. I'll keep watch for a while. You can get some rest."

Without looking at him, she sat up against the stone wall. The moonlight filtering through the crack in the door gently fell on her hair, as if it were covered with a white halo.

Yan Zheng turned to face her, looked at her silhouette, tried to slow his breathing, and fell asleep without realizing it.

Jiang Xi was startled awake in the early hours of the morning; she didn't know when she had fallen asleep.

Half-asleep, she felt someone pressing down on her, her mouth and nose covered so she couldn't make a sound, and her body trembled violently with fear. Just as she was about to faint from a seizure, she heard Yan Zheng's low voice in her ear.

"Don't be afraid, it's me! There's something outside, be quiet!" He said, staring into her eyes.

In the dim light, he only slowly removed his hand when he saw her pupils gradually return to normal, resting it halfway on her ear, and carefully picked up the sword beside him with his other hand.

It turned out that an uninvited guest had appeared outside at some unknown time. Yan Zheng, who was not a heavy sleeper, was the first to wake up. As soon as he realized what was happening, he went to find Jiang Xi beside him.

I finally breathed a sigh of relief when I touched my soft, warm wrist.

Yan Zheng shielded her beneath him while remaining on high alert and ready to attack, while Jiang Xi was so nervous she dared not even breathe.

She could hear footsteps outside the door. Wild animals, by instinct, would lower their footsteps to avoid startling their prey.

But Jiang Xi still heard it. The night was deep and everything was eerily quiet, which made the sound even more terrifying, and a chill ran down her spine.

The two were very close together, neither daring to move.

Yan Zheng tried his best to ignore the soft touch beneath him, his eyes fixed on the doorway. His breath warmed Jiang Xi's eyes, giving her a slight sense of relief.

It was getting closer. Now, not only were there footsteps, but the sounds of animals sniffing were also louder. Jiang Xi felt as if it were right next to her, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

Out of fear, she closed her eyes, gripping Yan Zheng's taut upper arm tightly with one hand, seeking a semblance of security.

Yan Zheng's temples throbbed with blood vessels, his whole body tensed and rigid, radiating a fierce aura, his shirt already soaked with sweat.

He saw it through the crack.

It was a large black bear. It was slowly lowering its head, sniffing around near the wooden door.

It seems that he must jump out if necessary to have a better chance of survival.

Time ticked by, and the beast at the door began to growl impatiently. Yan Zheng felt as if he could smell the stench in the air as it drew closer to the door.

He couldn't wait any longer.

Gripping his longsword, Yan Zheng glanced down at Jiang Xi. Just as Yan Zheng was gathering his strength and preparing to get up and leave, Jiang Xi seemed to sense something.

She hugged him tightly, wrapped her arms around his waist, and silently shook her head at him.

By the faint moonlight, I could see faint watermarks on her face, but I couldn't tell if they were her tears or her own sweat.

He could only hold his erratic breathing, grit his teeth and force himself to calm down, trying to lower his body as much as possible, his body close to Jiang Xishi's jade-like arms that were wrapped around her waist, trembling slightly.

Every moment spent waiting for death is a cruel punishment.