Yan Zheng saw that she was still frowning and thinking, so he interrupted her thoughts.

"Eat quickly, pack up and let's get down the mountain as soon as possible."

Jiang Xi came to her senses, thinking about the conversation she had just had. She had eaten a fig for breakfast, but being sick and not drinking enough water had made her throat dry and sore, so she hadn't touched any chestnuts.

Seeing that she was really uncomfortable, Yan Zheng didn't force her to eat. He just let her sit for a while and then went to collect some damp firewood, which he put in the hollow to let dry naturally so that it could be used directly next time it was needed.

Jiang Xi packed up all of their belongings, and as usual, bundled up their down jackets.

Taking advantage of the cool morning air, they descended the mountain.

It is said that going up a mountain is easy but going down is difficult, and going down after rain makes the journey even more difficult.

Because of the rain, visibility in the mountains was reduced, and the forest seemed to be covered with a silvery mist. The road was slippery, and some rocks and soil were even loose, making their journey quite difficult.

Considering that Jiang Xi was still recovering from a serious illness, Yan Zheng did not rush to travel. The two supported each other and tried to find flat places to rest.

The only good thing about the forest after the rain is the wild mushrooms growing side by side. Nourished by the rain, these little things begin to show their potential, their red and yellow colors adding a vibrant touch to the forest.

Jiang Xi only picked morels and porcini mushrooms that she recognized, and also picked a handful of wild shepherd's purse. As for the others, she considered any that she didn't recognize to be poisonous and wouldn't touch them.

Along the way, Yan Zheng told them that the general direction of this world was the same as their original world, with slight differences in some details. There were people and things that existed just like them. However, they didn't know what year this world was in. If things went well, it would be the same era; if things went badly, they might be transported to ancient times.

Jiang Xi then realized why many of the plants she had seen seemed familiar yet slightly different from those she had seen before.

My worries deepened even further.

The mountain path was slippery and difficult to walk on, and with the addition of picking and gathering firewood along the way, it was already afternoon when we reached the foot of the mountain.

As the sun began to set slightly, Jiang Xi went to the riverbank to get mushrooms and wild vegetables, while Yan Zheng went to the edge of the bushes to pick figs.

Jiang Xi had sweated a lot on the way down the mountain, and by this time she felt much better and her steps were not as light as they were in the morning.

They had collected a lot of firewood along the way from the foot of the mountain. Jiang Xi lit a fire and threw in a few chestnuts. She sliced ​​wild mushrooms and put them in the pot to stew for more than ten minutes. Then she took out the remaining half pack of noodles and put them in. Finally, she sprinkled shepherd's purse and braised beef noodle seasoning on top.

The wild mushroom noodles, so fresh they made your eyebrows fall off, were paired with sweet figs. After sweating it out, Jiang Xi's body gradually recovered, and her appetite improved for once, so she ate a few more bites.

Yan Zheng, chestnuts in the fire: "This afternoon we'll continue upstream."

At this moment, he had a stubble beard and his eyes were constantly scanning his surroundings warily, making him look like a wild man.

The savage continued, "We won't go far; we'll just circle around these two mountains and see if we can find a cave."

"We need to resolve the major issues first."

Jiang Xi nodded in agreement. For the past three days, the two of them had been living in the open, without even having time to wash their faces. Her white inner shirt was covered in green grass juice and yellow ash, making it impossible to see its original color.

I urgently need to find a shelter to stay in, and then take a good shower and rest.

After the meal, the two did not rest, but went upstream in one go, determined to find a place to stay for a long time.

Following the river upstream, endless green forest stretched ahead. Passing through the mountainside, Yan Zheng could only rely on intuition and experience to guide her forward through the forest.

It wasn't until we reached the other side of the mountain that we discovered the vegetation on the other side was completely different from that on the other side.

The river behind the mountain suddenly widened, giving a sense of openness and tranquility. It turned out that the river they had been following upstream was just a branch of this main river.

At this moment, the mountains and waters are lush and green, with a rich and layered green hue. The aquatic plants are abundant, and flocks of wild ducks roam freely.

The verdant mountain shadows are reflected in the water, and even the drizzling rain that started at some unknown time seems gentle.

The entire mountain forest resembles a light-colored, impressionistic painting scroll.

Neither of them was in the mood to appreciate the distant green mountains; the back of the mountain was full of water, and the path was muddy and damp. They walked around the forest for a while, until the sun began to set, but they still hadn't found a suitable place to shelter.

After wandering around for a while, they finally found a cave at the entrance to the mountain bend.

Or it can't really be called a cave, but rather a cavity formed by the compression of the mountain, which can barely serve as a temporary dwelling.

The cave entrance faces the sun and is located at the fork of the river.

Once outside the cave, there were no tall trees to block the view. To the left was the main river channel, and to the right was the branch of the river they had encountered at the beginning, with many rocks and shallows, making it very convenient to fetch water.

It is only about a hundred meters away from the fig trees and shrubs.

Most importantly, the mountain is relatively gentle and smooth when heading up from this direction. If you need to launch a smoke signal, this position can save a lot of time climbing the mountain.

There are a few low shrubs and vines outside the cave entrance. With a little tidying up, this area will become a flat piece of land, which can be fenced off and used as a yard.

The interior space isn't very large, about eight or nine meters deep and four meters wide, but it's as tall as two stories. It's narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, so even in the lowest part, Yan Zheng can stand up straight.

The cave walls were all rock and the cave was very dry, with only a few dried-up animal carcasses and some weeds scattered in a corner.

For now, this is considered a fairly ideal shelter.

Yan Zheng took off his backpack after coming out of the cave and tore off some branches from a nearby tree to use as a broom. The dust inside was too thick, so he wouldn't let Jiang Xi help him, and she didn't argue. She just looked for firewood outside the cave.

It drizzled for a while in the afternoon, and even the hay was wet. To get firewood, they had to rummage through the pile of fallen leaves under the trees not far away. Jiang Xi took a stick and picked up some banana leaves along the way.

Although they were called banana leaves, it might not be the season for them to bear fruit, so Jiang Xi didn't see any bananas. She only picked the leaves to use as a mattress, as it wouldn't be appropriate to sleep directly on the ground at night.

After tidying up the cave, the sun was already just a tiny sliver, and the forest was shrouded in a pale yellow twilight.

Yan Zheng went to the riverbank and picked up a few large stones, which he placed in the cave to form a fire ring. He then burned firewood in the fire ring, while Jiang Xi carried a pot to the river to fetch some water.

The temperature in the forest would drop at night, so dry clothes were needed as bedding. Yan Zheng built a drying rack with long wooden sticks to dry the clothes that the two of them had gotten wet in the afternoon.

After eating chestnuts for two days, the two of them finally ran out of chestnuts. They threw the last few chestnuts into the ashes to roast, and then cooked the wild mushrooms and vegetables they had picked in the afternoon, sprinkling them with seasoning powder.

Dinner was a simple wild mushroom soup with chestnuts, and as usual, the fruit for dessert was figs.

After dinner, Yan Zheng patted the half-dry clothes on the clothes rack, while Jiang Xi chose a sheltered spot in the cave and laid out banana leaves as a bed.

When Yan Zheng turned around, he saw her laying out the second leaf bed. He glanced at her but didn't show any expression.

Jiang Xi felt that tonight was the most comfortable night she had had in many days. She thoughtfully made up two beds. Now that she had found shelter, it was not appropriate to spend the night like she had in the previous days.

Her bed was close to the fire, which kept her warm and safe.

Besides, she was somewhat afraid. Last night, Yan Zheng was like a gray wolf ready to devour her completely. It would be a lie to say she wasn't afraid.

She is an adult and not completely ignorant about matters between men and women. She can accept intimate behavior, but she does not want to be forced to accept it in this way.

To put it bluntly, their relationship is currently ambiguous, and she is at a disadvantage. Whether she is safe or not depends entirely on the other person's conscience. Although she relies on him, she does not intend to repay him with her body.

Once the clothes were dry, Yan Zheng suddenly extinguished the fire, plunging the cave into complete darkness.

When Jiang Xi saw that the fire was out and that her bed was directly facing the cave entrance, she sat up immediately.

He asked incredulously, "Why are you putting out the fire?"

Yan Zheng tossed the clothes to her, walked to another leaf bed, lay down, and said, "The air in the cave isn't circulating well, so be careful of carbon monoxide poisoning. This way it's safe."

Jiang Xi felt a pang of regret, realizing she had gathered so much firewood today.