The heavy rain lasted for two days, and the rivers in the mountains swelled. The bottom part of the wooden door in front of the cave was submerged in water, and the water flow made a teeth-grinding creaking sound as it hit the wooden door.

The rain only started to show signs of stopping by the evening of the following day.

Yan Zheng was the first to sense that something was wrong.

It's too cold, the temperature has dropped.

In the early hours of the morning, after the remaining firewood in the earthen stove had burned out, the temperature inside the cave suddenly plummeted. Through the dim light filtering through the cave's cracks, one could even see white mist rising with each breath.

The cracks in the walls of the cave's interior were unobstructed, and cold wind blew into the room in gusts, making people feel hot.

Yan Zheng was the first to wake up. He relit the earthen stove, put the kettle on, and then hurriedly went to the inner room to wake Jiang Xi.

When Jiang Xi woke up, she was still groggy, but she could sense that something was wrong. Her cheeks, which were exposed outside the blanket, were cold and numb, which made her shiver.

The two put on thick down jackets, moved the bed and rabbit fur mattress to the front hall, and placed the bed two meters away from the earthen stove for warmth. They managed to make do for the night with the warmth from the stove.

The low temperature persisted until the next morning, and Jiang Xi only left her down comforter after the sun came out.

The dust in the world seemed to have been washed away by the heavy rain.

A cold wind whistled, and overnight the mountains and forests shed their thick foliage, leaving the treetops sparse, with a few scattered withered leaves fluttering in the autumn breeze. The bright yellow leaves and grass had transformed into a vibrant tapestry, making any touch of green seem out of place.

Time suddenly became tight.

They had initially thought the cave insulation work could wait, but the sudden drop in temperature made them realize that they should never assume anything about unfamiliar environments. After all, this was a jungle, and one should never underestimate the power of nature's climate.

So the two of them had a simple breakfast of root and yam porridge with shredded rabbit meat, and then quickly began to insulate the cave.

Jiang Xi suggested using dried foxtail grass to make curtains and hanging them inside the front and back doors of the cave, as well as in the gaps in the inner cave walls. With these curtains, the indoor temperature could hopefully reach a constant level.

Just outside the wooden door behind the cave, there was a stretch of grass growing along the river behind the mountain, all covered in foxtail grass.

After listening to Jiang Xi's plan, Yan Zheng had a new idea. He decided to take advantage of the fact that after the heavy rain, the entire valley was wet and muddy, and he pulled out all the grass roots from the area from the wooden house to the valley river, which was about a hundred square meters in size.

Then, use smooth stone slabs from the river to pave the entire area, and later use a fence to enclose it as a yard.

When spring and summer come next year and the weather gets warmer, we can eat and rest in the courtyard.

Jiang Xi felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this; just imagining the scene was enough to stir her emotions.

If we could live under two more fruit trees, we could get shade and have fresh fruit to eat, killing two birds with one stone.

Once an idea is formed, it should be put into practice immediately.

Jiang Xi cut off all the foxtail grass from the roots up to ten centimeters, tied it into bundles, and laid it on the hillside where it could be exposed to the sun. After drying, it was used to make door curtains.

Men are always stronger than women. Yan Zheng followed behind Jiang Xi, pulling out the remaining roots of the foxtail grass. As the saying goes, "one grass has a thousand roots." Although these grasses only looked to knee height, their roots were deep and firmly planted. Yan Zheng really put in a lot of effort, and even though he was wearing short sleeves, he was still sweating profusely as he pulled them out.

It took the two of them two days to cut the grass, remove the roots, and then lay the stone slabs on the several dozen square meters of land.

Stepping out of the wooden cabin and walking all the way to the riverbank, the entire area was paved with dark gray stone slabs. A ray of sunlight filtering through the mountaintop dappled the bluestone slabs in the courtyard, casting mottled shadows. Jiang Xi made a broom out of dry grass and, once the soil in the courtyard had dried, carefully swept the stone slabs clean.

In the courtyard, there is a wooden table made by Yan Zheng, as well as two stools made from wooden stumps, which adds a touch of life to the wooden house. The whole courtyard exudes tranquility and beauty.

Jiang Xi sat on a wooden stump in the yard, carefully re-bundling the dried straw into three-finger-thick bundles, then using rattan rope to tie the straw flat, piecing it together to form a door curtain and a window curtain.

This kind of work is not strenuous, but it takes a lot of time. Jiang Xi was struggling with the grass in her hands when she suddenly heard a sound, which sounded like a piece of wood falling to the ground. However, since Yan Zheng was also chopping wood, she didn't pay attention to it and just thought she had misheard.

The sun was still high in the sky, so Yan Zheng began making a fence for the small courtyard. He tied the thickest pieces of wood, about the thickness of a wrist and ankle, together with vines. He sharpened all the ends of the wood and hammered them into the ground with an axe. The fence he made was simple, but because it had a certain depth, it was very sturdy.

While they might not be able to withstand large wild beasts, they could keep out some smaller animals.

Previously, the wild mushrooms and wood ear fungus they dried on the hillside would often be destroyed by rabbits or squirrels. With this little courtyard, they should be able to save themselves a lot of trouble.

Everything seemed harmonious, and the two were busy with preparations for winter in an orderly manner.

As the sun began to set in the west in the afternoon, the temperature started to drop again, and Jiang Xi's hands became cold, so she went to the front hall to get a kettle of hot water.

"My God, who did this?"

Yan Zheng was doing the final checks on the fence when he heard Jiang Xi calling him. His heart skipped a beat, and he grabbed his axe and went to the front gate.

Upon seeing the scene in the front hall, Yan Zheng was startled. After confirming that Jiang Xi was unharmed, he carefully looked inside the cave. The wild mushrooms in the baskets on the shelves had all fallen over, and the wood ear mushrooms were scattered on the ground.

The spare ribs and wild ducks hanging on the shelf were missing; the rattan ropes that held the meat were swaying precariously, clearly having been forcibly pulled down. Near the door, a half-eaten spare rib was still hanging low.

His heart, however, was not in the present moment.

Yan Zheng walked to the gate. There was a large hole in the side of the wooden door leading to the cave. After carefully examining the claw marks on it, his heart sank even further.

It must be the claw of a large animal; it's very powerful, penetrating several centimeters deep into the wood. Some pieces of wood were even smashed to pieces by its paw, indicating it was quite formidable.

Jiang Xi carefully cleaned up the wild mushrooms on the ground, feeling sorry for them: "I heard some noise this morning, and I thought it was the sound of chopping wood. I should have come to check earlier."

Yan Zheng picked up the basket on the ground: "It's a good thing you didn't come. If it had been some kind of large wild animal, you might not have been able to escape."

Jiang Xi said, "What a waste of all this grain."

Yan Zheng smiled and comforted her, "If there's no more meat, I can go and hunt again. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."

That's what he said, but Jiang Xi still sensed that he was angry.

Yan Zheng was indeed somewhat angry.

Animals aren't like humans; they don't have so many curvy, fleshy parts. This beast, having taken the benefits and knowing there's plenty of food here, will naturally not give up easily based on instinct. This means that as long as they live here, danger could strike at any moment.

This feeling of the enemy being in the shadows while I am in the light is truly awful.

That evening, Yan Zheng collected all the baskets and dried goods and arranged them properly. He then used a few more pieces of wood to repair the gate.

Jiang Xi couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned in bed, feeling worried and scared.

Yan Zheng pulled her into his arms and stroked the hair at the back of her head. It was so soft and smooth, like silk, making him reluctant to let go and feeling tenderness.

"Don't worry, I'll track it down first thing tomorrow morning and take out its lair."

He had spent two years in a wilderness rescue team and was an expert at tracking. If he could find the beast's lair, he could eliminate the threat forever.

Jiang Xi looked up at him: "You're going alone? I don't agree."

What if it's a ferocious beast? Wouldn't that be like offering yourself up for death?

She was a little anxious and a little angry.

Yan Zheng hugged her and said helplessly, "You have to believe me, I won't engage him in close combat. I'll bring enough arrows and take him down from a distance."

Jiang Xi still disagreed: "I know you're worried about it coming back, so why don't we wait until it comes before dealing with it?"

Yan Zheng replied, "Experienced hunters all know that you can't take away wolf cubs, because the mother wolf can find the cubs' location by their scent."

“Wild animals can exhibit this behavior not only in mother-child relationships but also in partnerships. I’m not sure what kind of creature came today, nor am I sure if it was one or two.”

If it's just one, that's fine. But if it has companions, killing one means they'll have to constantly be on guard against another coming to take revenge.

This cave was the culmination of their entire summer's hard work, and it was also their guarantee of whether they could successfully get through the winter.

He neither wanted nor dared to gamble away their entire fortune.

Jiang Xi was speechless for a moment. She was indeed lacking in awareness of danger in wilderness survival. After a long time, she said, "Why don't we move? If we move further away from this cave, he won't be able to find us."

Yan Zheng said in a deep voice, "Animals have a much stronger sense of smell and tracking ability than humans. We can only rely on our two legs. No matter how far we go, we might be wiped out in our sleep one day."

Jiang Xi knew it wasn't very realistic. Winter was coming soon, and where could she find another cave that was both warm and safe? Not to mention, she would have to rely on manpower to transport all the things from the cave there.

Moreover, as Yan Zheng said, as long as they are still here, there is a possibility that the large animals will return. Wouldn't all the supplies we worked so hard to prepare this summer just be a waste of resources for that beast?

But she absolutely wouldn't allow him to make such a unilateral arrangement.

Jiang Xi stubbornly said, "I disagree."

She sniffed as she spoke, her voice trembling slightly.

Yan Zheng sighed softly to himself.

Yan Zheng kissed her forehead: "Let's go together. I'm worried about leaving you alone in the cave."

This was the truth in his heart. He didn't know when that beast would come back, leaving Jiang Xi alone, and he was really worried about her.

That's good. If something really happens, she'll be there to keep an eye on things.

Yan Zheng added seriously, "But you have to promise me that if a fight breaks out, you will stay far away."

With Jiang Xi's current physical strength and stamina, simply following him in pursuit shouldn't be a problem. As long as she doesn't participate in combat, he can protect her.

After hearing this, Jiang Xi also felt that this was the best arrangement. She reached out and hugged Yan Zheng's neck, nestled her head in his shoulder, and nodded.

They needed to get up early the next day, so the two went to bed early.

However, because of what happened during the day, Yan Zheng didn't dare to sleep too soundly and remained in a half-awake state. In the early hours of the morning, before dawn, he woke Jiang Xi up to get ready.

Wilderness tracking primarily tests a person's observation and reasoning abilities. One must carefully observe footprints on the ground, such as trampled branches or fallen vegetation, as these are invisible landmarks and indicators.

By observing the direction of these landmarks and footprints, and paying attention to the changes in the depth of the footprints, one can vaguely guess the weight and speed of the animal being tracked.

At the same time, pay attention to any abnormalities in the footprints, such as complex or extra marks, which may indicate the presence of other animals or traces of the activities of two or more animals.

At the same time, it is also important to remain alert and pay attention to the sounds around the jungle, such as footsteps, breathing, and even the subtle sounds of leaves and grass being rustled.

Therefore, it is better to start tracking early rather than late, as even light rain or wind can affect the tracker's judgment if it is too late.

This is a protracted battle, so we must prepare in advance. Yan Zheng first asked Jiang Xi to prepare the backpack she would need for tomorrow, and put a pot and two bottles of boiled mineral water inside.

Jiang Xi prepared some salt, boiled some sweet potatoes, and roasted two dried rabbits. She shredded the rabbit meat by hand and divided it into several packages with banana leaves. Since the weather was cool, these packages would keep the meat fresh for three or four days. This would be their food for the next few days.

Yan Zheng had already planned that if there was no trace of them within a day, he would return the way he came.

On the other hand, he took out the stone arrowheads he had collected during this period. He usually used wooden arrowheads when hunting, and he would also keep an eye out for stones with good shapes and sharp blades. When he saw a suitable one, he would pick it up, grind it into shape, and put it in his drawer.

Now they've come in handy. Yan Zheng took them all out and attached them to the arrows, about thirty or forty in total.

As for the fawn, it is a herbivore and still in its sub-adult stage. Bringing it along would not help much and would only increase its danger. However, if it is tied up in the cave, the fawn will starve to death after it finishes eating all the food if they really don't come back.

In the end, Yan Zheng suggested putting it in the wooden house in the backyard. The door of the wooden house was not locked, but only slightly closed. The fence gate was closed, and food for about a week was placed in it.

If they haven't returned by the appointed time, the fawn, having finished its food, should have no problem crossing the fence given its height and stamina; then it will be up to it to decide.

Jiang Xi led the fawn to the cabin, stroking its head and antlers and chattering away the way.

"Little deer, you must take good care of yourself. Eat your root potatoes and hay sparingly."

"If we don't come back, you can go out and find something to eat yourself."

"Your mother might come back next year, and then you can go with them."

The fawn seemed to understand her words, letting out two soft bleats and licking her fingers.

Jiang Xi gripped her sleeve, pressed her eyes to them, and gently closed the door of the wooden house, glancing back at it before leaving.

**

After everything was tidied up, it was already broad daylight.