They carried only a small amount of water and no food. Moreover, the area was undeveloped, essentially a barren mountain. At night, there was bound to be snakes, insects, rodents, and wild animals.

The key issue is that even if Li Xiaoxiao can walk now, she can't go very far.

Jun Jiuge also realized the problem and suggested, "I'll go find the way, you stay here with her."

"Are you sure you can manage on your own?" Qiao Xi asked worriedly.

Jun Jiuge gestured to her, "Take out your phone."

Qiao Xi cooperated and took out her phone again.

After confirming the time, Jun Jiuge said, "It's 10 a.m. now. I'll be back before 12 p.m."

Although she didn't bring her phone, she did wear a watch.

After considering it, Qiao Xi felt that her plan was feasible. "Okay, then be careful."

"Okay." Jun Jiuge nodded and set off.

Li Xiaoxiao then added, "Ninth Master, you must be careful and make sure you come back to find us."

"Hmm." Jun Jiuge responded faintly and walked further and further away.

It was almost midnight, and the class teacher and the others were getting a little anxious as they waited outside for Qiao Xi and Li Xiaoxiao for a long time.

Looking at the time, Su Qingyao couldn't help but ask the class teacher with some concern, "Class teacher, haven't Qiao Xi and the others returned yet?"

"No." The class teacher has already confirmed it.

She gazed in the direction Qiao Xi and the others had left, muttering to herself, "Didn't I tell them not to go too deep and to come back early?"

"Teacher, should we go look for them?" Su Qingyao asked.

The class teacher gestured to her, saying, "Call them."

"I tried calling, but I couldn't get through." Su Qingyao had already called the class advisor before contacting him.

The class teacher took out his phone, looked at it, and said, "There's a signal here."

"Could it be that there's no signal inside?" Su Qingyao guessed.

The class teacher was unsure what to do for a moment, but only two hours had actually passed. Maybe they thought picking mushrooms was fun and wanted to pick them a little longer.

She tried not to think the worst, saying, "Let's wait and see."

Nearly an hour later, the other students also noticed that Qiao Xi and the others had not returned. Su Qingyao said to the class teacher with some concern, "Teacher, Qiao Xi and the others have not returned yet."

Other students chimed in with speculation: "Could they be lost?"

"Teacher, should we go look for them?" Su Qingyao asked.

But some students immediately refused, saying, "What if we get lost while looking for them?"

"Let's contact the staff here," a rational student suggested.

The class advisor thought it was feasible and said to Su Qingyao, "Okay, class monitor, go and make the contact."

"Everyone else, stay where you are and don't run around."

No sooner had Su Qingyao left than someone spotted Qi Jinzhou walking towards them.

"Qi Jinzhou is here!" someone in the crowd shouted first.

All eyes turned to Qi Jinzhou in an instant.

When the class teacher saw it was him, her heart sank. "President Qi?"

"Where is my wife?" Qi Jinzhou did not see Qiao Xi in the crowd.

While the class teacher was still pondering what to say, Su Qingyao had already returned and told Qi Jinzhou the truth: "Qiao Xi, Jun Jiuge, and Li Xiaoxiao went to the mountains to pick mushrooms and haven't come back yet."

"In the mountains?" Qi Jincheng's face immediately darkened.

Su Qingyao pointed to the place where they had just entered the mountain and said, "That's where we went in."

Besides the open area, almost the entire closed area has warning signs outside, stating "No Entry".

"When did they go?" Qi Jincheng asked urgently.

Su Qingyao said with certainty, "They've been there for over three hours."

Qi Jincheng immediately tried to contact Qiao Xi by phone, but the phone was always temporarily unavailable.

"Who gave them permission?" Qi Jincheng asked with great restraint.

All the students in the class stared at their homeroom teacher, who said in a low voice, "This is one of the tasks assigned by the school."

"The school?" Qi Jincheng gritted his teeth in uncontrollable rage. "They're blatantly lying, are you blind too?"

With those huge words written there, how dare she let them venture deep into the mushroom-picking area?!

The class teacher, stunned by Qi Jincheng's words, didn't realize what she was saying until a moment later and urged Su Qingyao, "Class monitor, what are you still standing here for? Go and contact the staff."

"He Fan, call the police." Qi Jincheng said as he walked towards where they had gone in.

He Fan knew he wanted to go find someone, and immediately understood, saying, "President, I'll go with you to find Madam."

Qi Jincheng further instructed him, "Call some people over. If there's a signal, I'll send you the location anytime."

“President, you’re going alone…” He Fan was worried about him going alone, but Qi Jincheng interrupted him, “Call the police if necessary, find someone if necessary, hurry up!”

"Yes." He Fan dared not raise any further objections.

Seeing that Qi Jincheng was about to go find someone himself, the class teacher suddenly remembered and handed the rescue kit to Qi Jincheng, "President Qi, this is the rescue kit. There are some supplies and a compass inside."

Qi Jincheng accepted the hand without saying a word, but his cold and serious expression hinted at what was going on for everyone present.

If anything happens to Qiao Xi, not only them, but the entire school will suffer!

The homeroom teacher was now filled with regret. How could she have been so foolish as to let Qiao Xi go to the mountains to pick mushrooms? She should have stopped her no matter what.

In the woods, Qiao Xi glanced at the time; it was almost two o'clock.

Because of her own reasons, Li Xiaoxiao didn't dare to ask about the time, but she could sense that the time they had agreed on had definitely passed.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Xiaoxiao asked timidly, "Qiao Xi, why hasn't Ninth Master returned yet?"

Qiao Xi firmly believed, "She will definitely come back to find us once she finds her way."

"Could she have gotten lost too?" Li Xiaoxiao asked cautiously. She didn't want to ask, but she really couldn't...

In this environment, it's hard for her not to feel anxious.

Qiao Xi wasn't sure either. She believed that Ninth Master was a man of his word, so there was only one possibility that he hadn't returned by this time.

She must have encountered an accident.

If that's the case, they'll have to find a way out themselves and find someone to rescue Ninth Master.

But she didn't dare say that in front of Li Xiaoxiao. "No way."

"It's past midnight, and she still hasn't come back."

Qiao Xi also felt that she couldn't wait any longer. "Xiao Xiao, I'll go go find her."

“I’ll go with you.” Li Xiaoxiao didn’t want to stay here alone. She grabbed Qiao Xi’s hand and said, “I don’t want to stay here alone. I’ll go crazy.”

Now that things had come to this, Qiao Xi had no choice but to voice her guess: "Ninth Master is not a man of his word. I'm worried that something might have happened to her since she hasn't come back at this time."