☆, Chapter 352 Trapped

Si Yanxiao listened to his accusations, his gaze growing increasingly cold.

Unexpectedly, there were so many flaws in him, but they were so eager to find a doctor that they didn't bother to investigate him properly in private.

No wonder when they first came to the Taoist temple and said they wanted to see Guan Jing, a strange look flashed across the young Taoist's expression.

Hearing this now fills me with a pang of regret.

Seeing that he was still preparing to continue, Si Yanxiao couldn't help but interrupt him, getting straight to the point: "Then do you know where he is now?"

"The back mountain!"

"The back mountain?" Si Yanxiao's expression darkened as he asked.

The young Taoist priest nodded slightly and then explained, "I accidentally saw him running from the northwest. Judging from this direction, if he wanted to hide, the back mountain would undoubtedly be the best hiding place."

Si Yanxiao listened to his guess, his eyes darkened slightly, but he believed it to some extent.

Because what he said was consistent with what the group of people who tried to intercept them said, they all believed that the fake Taoist priest left from the northwest.

Perhaps they lacked understanding of the terrain, thus preventing them from conducting an analysis.

Thinking of this, Si Yanxiao pursed his lips, nodded slightly, and said in a deep voice, "Thank you." After saying that, he turned and left.

Seeing this, Bai Zhuwei exchanged a glance with the young Taoist priest, and a subtle, unusual look flashed in their eyes.

Bai Zhuwei then hurriedly chased after Si Yanxiao. The two drove to the foot of the back mountain, but the mountain road was rugged and they could only walk up.

The two walked side by side up the mountain, remaining silent the entire way.

Bai Zhuwei tried to start a conversation, but Si Yanxiao responded half-heartedly. Then, his eyes flashed, and he changed the subject, saying in a deep voice, "If we can find Achen this time, don't worry, I won't treat you badly."

"Won't treat me unfairly?" Bai Zhuwei curled her lip, a hint of disbelief flashing across her face, and asked directly, "How exactly will you say you won't treat me unfairly? Can I make any requests I want?"

Si Yanxiao sensed the hidden meaning in her words, lowered his eyes to look at her seriously, his lips pressed into a straight line, and said in a low voice, "You should know..."

Before the words were finished, a violent tremor suddenly came from the ground, and a huge force instantly spread from the ground to all directions. The surrounding trees also trembled, and the two of them were also violently shaken and staggered.

Upon seeing this, both of their expressions changed, and a hint of panic flashed in Si Yanxiao's eyes: "Quick, run! It's an earthquake!"

Without thinking twice, he grabbed Bai Zhuwei's wrist and ran quickly toward an open space. Before they had taken two steps, the mountain closest to them suddenly collapsed with a loud crash.

Seeing this, Si Yanxiao quickly pulled her back and hurriedly hid in a cave. With a loud bang, a huge boulder fell and instantly blocked the exit.

The two of them were suddenly plunged into darkness, pressed against the wall, when Si Yanxiao released his hand.

Bai Zhuwei felt the warmth on her wrist disappear. She pursed her lips slightly and looked up at Si Yanxiao's profile in the dim light, a sense of loss rising in her heart.

Once the ground had leveled out, Si Yanxiao walked to the cave entrance and tried to push the rock away, but to no avail.

Seeing that they were trapped here, Si Yanxiao frowned and sighed helplessly: "I heard that there was an earthquake in the next city not long ago. It seems that we have just encountered an aftershock."

"Mmm," Bai Zhuwei responded softly, her face showing no sign of panic.

Si Yanxiao immediately took out his phone to contact Gu Nan for help, but found that there was no signal at all. He couldn't help but curse under his breath: "Damn it!"

Seeing his anger, Bai Zhuwei's eyes flickered slightly, and she stepped forward to whisper, "It's alright, don't worry, we won't be trapped here forever."

A landslide has occurred, and we believe that the rescue team will arrive soon after receiving the news.

But who knows how large the area affected by the back mountain is?

If three days have passed by the time they arrive, Si Zuochen will be in even greater danger.

Thinking of this, Si Yanxiao's expression grew even colder, and he retorted in a chilling voice, "I am not like you."

His tone was cold and unforgiving.

Bai Zhuwei was taken aback at first, but then she instantly understood what he meant. She lowered her gaze slightly to hide her displeasure.

When he looked up again, his expression had returned to normal. He changed the subject and said, "Should we go find some firewood first?"

"To start a fire by rubbing sticks together?" Si Yanxiao raised an eyebrow, then said in a low voice, "I'll go find some firewood."

After saying that, he walked straight into the depths of the cave. Fortunately, there were some tree trunks and other remnants left inside.

Bai Zhuwei stood there for a while and was about to go look for him when she saw him come back carrying firewood.

Instead of lighting it immediately, he said, "It's still light now. Let's wait until it's completely dark before lighting it."

"Although the cave isn't completely sealed off, lighting torches will still cause the air inside to become thin, so just in case..."

"I understand." Bai Zhuwei replied before he could finish speaking.

He then sat down to the side, patted the ground beside him, and with a slight smile, invited, "Sit down."

Si Yanxiao hesitated for a moment, instinctively wanting to sit opposite her. But seeing how composed she was, he felt it would be too pretentious of him to avoid her.

After a slight hesitation, he sat down beside her, but subconsciously kept a certain distance.

Bai Zhuwei keenly sensed his distance, and her hands clenched involuntarily, but she did not directly confront him.

A moment of silence fell over the air. Si Yanxiao was worried about the situation outside, his brows furrowed and his face showing displeasure.

Bai Zhuwei looked down at his expression, her gaze sweeping over the firewood beside her, and suddenly chuckled softly.

A hint of confusion flashed across Si Yanxiao's face. He turned to look at her and asked in a deep voice, "What are you laughing at?"

Bai Zhuwei smiled slightly, her eyes meeting his in the dim light. A tender look flashed in her eyes as she softly replied, "It's nothing. I just remembered our camping trip on the mountain when I saw the firewood."

"I remember we were trying to start a fire by rubbing sticks together to watch the sunrise, but we only found wet wood and couldn't get it to light for ages..."

As he spoke, his face was filled with a look of reminiscence.

Then he added jokingly, "And this time? Not another piece of wet wood, is it?"

Si Yanxiao sensed the sarcasm in her words. He lowered his gaze slightly, staring blankly at the firewood on the ground, lost in thought. Then, his eyes sharpened, and he replied in a deep voice, "I will not repeat the same mistake I made before."

"That's good," Bai Zhuwei said softly.

"By the way, do you remember the sika deer we rescued before?" Bai Zhuwei suddenly changed the subject and asked. When Si Yanxiao saw her bring up the past, he vaguely guessed her motive. He pursed his lips, turned to look at her seriously, and slowly said, "I don't remember. What happened before is in the past. It doesn't matter whether I remember it clearly or not."

Although he spoke cryptically, Bai Zhuwei was a smart woman and naturally understood his implied meaning.

Clearly, she didn't want to hear him reminisce anymore and didn't want to have any further connection with the past.

Seeing that he had clearly stated his refusal, Bai Zhuwei was slightly taken aback, and a hint of unease flashed across her face.

A moment of silence fell over the air, followed by a brief period of awkwardness.

Si Yanxiao leaned against the wall, his eyes slightly closed, as if resting.

A whisper suddenly came from beside me: "If it weren't for the fact that we have important matters to attend to, I would be glad that we're trapped here together..."

Upon hearing this, a hint of helplessness flashed across Si Yanxiao's face. To dissuade her from her idea, he coldly retorted, "This was just an accident. There won't be a next time."

The voice-over simply means that I don't want to have any more contact with her.

Bai Zhuwei suppressed her jealousy and hatred, blaming Jiang Ran for the sudden change in Si Yanxiao's attitude towards her.

His resentment towards her deepened, and he suddenly regretted letting her go. He thought it would have been better to just throw her off the cliff and end her life!

Forget about what's unconventional about her; it's all my fault for being too hesitant and missing the best opportunity.

"Ayan, are you still blaming me for what happened before?" Bai Zhuwei suddenly changed the subject, her tone tinged with a hint of grievance, and asked in a low voice.

"Since it's all in the past, there's no point in saying more," Si Yanxiao replied in a deep voice, his face clearly showing his unwillingness to continue the conversation.

He had already refrained from pursuing the matter of her kidnapping Jiang Ran out of consideration for their past relationship, but he didn't expect her to bring it up again and again. Did she have to remind him of it indirectly?