When we were in the cave at Ze Wang's tomb, the island in the lake was a long distance from the passage through which I escaped, making it absolutely impossible for the backpack in the tomb to have traveled that far.

Because we need to do a lot of high-intensity exercise in the tomb, the backpacks were modified. In addition to the original shoulder straps, straps were sewn on both sides to tie them to our bodies.

Therefore, the presence of this backpack here must mean that the monkey also escaped from the Zewang Tomb through this passage.

"monkey……!"

I opened my mouth wide, trying to call out the monkey's name, but my throat was so swollen from mercury poisoning that I couldn't make a sound.

In the dim light of the night, I looked around in the moonlight but did not see any monkeys.

The most likely explanation is that after the monkey came ashore, it threw away its backpack to reduce its weight during the escape.

I bent down and searched through the bag; everything in it was still there, including the burial items the monkey had taken from the tomb.

As soon as I saw what was there, I realized something was wrong.

The monkey is a man who values ​​money over life. He can abandon everything, but he would never casually throw away the yellow goods he has worked so hard to bring out.

In other words, he is very likely still nearby.

Seeing the backpack the monkey had left there, I hesitated for a moment, then quickly abandoned the idea of ​​taking Jiang Man back to the Ze King's Tomb. Instead, I helped her up and hurried toward a crevice between two stones by the river.

I looked at Jiang Man, whose breath was weak, and kept patting her face, calling out, "Jiang Man! Jiang Man! Wake up!"

Jiang Man remained motionless, not even tilting her head. Her body was clearly frozen stiff, and her clothes, which were wet, were frozen solid, like a suit of armor.

I think if things continue like this, Jiang Man probably won't even last a few hours. Since she still has some use to me, I can't just stand by and watch her die.

After the thought of saving the person popped into my mind, I started rummaging through my backpack, and the jade seal inside rolled to the ground.

I turned my bag upside down and finally found a metal cylinder about the thickness of a thumb.

This thing was given to us by Song Laosan. When you unscrew it, there's a magnesium rod inside. It can generate sparks by rubbing against metal, and it's used to start a fire in the wild.

I dragged my tired body outside and gathered a bunch of dry grass and branches. It took a lot of effort to light a campfire.

The heat emanating from the flames finally gave me a sense of being alive, but the damp, cold feeling after the ice crystals on my clothes melted made me even more uncomfortable.

Looking at Jiang Man, whose lips had turned bluish-purple, I hesitated for a moment before stripping off all her clothes. I discovered she was carrying a handgun, which I then tossed aside.

Jiang Man was in the prime of her youth, with a well-developed and shapely figure. Her naked body and pretty face made my mouth dry.

In a split second, I looked away from her, buried the two children's remains I had brought out, grabbed some snow, and began to rub her body and hands.

Children who grew up in Northeast China seem to know this folk remedy. Although medically speaking, rubbing the body with snow can aggravate the contraction of capillaries, leading to local blood circulation disorders and potentially worsening the condition of frostbite, we used this method to relieve our frozen hands and feet when we played outside for a long time as children.

I rubbed Jiang Man's hands and feet, then took off all my clothes and held her in my arms.

The moment our bodies touched, I felt as if I were hugging a block of ice, so cold that I shivered. The nameless fire in my heart was instantly extinguished by this coldness.

I held Jiang Man in my arms, stroking her back repeatedly to help her regain her body temperature, while keeping my eyes fixed on the shore, hoping to see the monkeys.

Several hours passed like this. I don't know if my body had frozen stiff or if Jiang Man had regained some body temperature, but I could no longer feel the coldness in her body.

Unfortunately, no monkeys were ever seen on the moonlit riverbank.

Although my condition was slightly better than Jiang Man's, it wasn't much better. The severe cold and mercury poisoning made my stomach churn, and my gums and nose kept bleeding.

In a daze, I vaguely pulled the clothes that had dried by the fire over to cover the two of us, and then leaned on Jiang Man's shoulder and fell into a deep sleep.

I slept very uncomfortably that night. My throat was swollen and my nose was congested, so I would wake up every now and then, feeling suffocated. My mind and body were suffering greatly.

After being repeatedly tormented for half the night, I finally fell into a deep sleep due to extreme physical exhaustion.

I slept very soundly and didn't dream at all.

I had a strange dream just before I woke up.

In my dream, I was inexplicably lying in an aquarium, and a seal was slapping me across the face.

"Smack!"

A sudden, sharp pain shot through my face, and I was jolted awake from my sleep.

When he opened his eyes, Jiang Man was completely naked in front of him.

At this moment, the woman's pretty face was flushed red, and her expression was particularly ferocious. She was still in the position of slapping my mouth.

Seeing that I opened my eyes, Jiang Man slapped me again: "You bastard, how dare you take advantage of me!"

Although I wasn't feeling well, I'm still a man, and I grabbed Jiang Man's wrist: "You crazy woman, I'm saving you! If it weren't for me, you would have frozen to death on the riverbank long ago!"

When I said those words, I felt like I had swallowed a razor blade in my throat, burning with pain, and it also felt like I had swallowed a raw egg that was stuck in my throat.

"Bastard! Let me go!"

As Jiang Man struggled, the white waves of her breasts were dazzling. She then realized what was happening and suddenly covered her chest with her other arm: "You fucking still looking!"

"I was the one who took off your clothes yesterday, so I've already seen everything I needed to see."

I released Jiang Man's arm and handed her the clothes beside me: "When I found you yesterday, you were already frozen stiff. In that life-or-death situation, I could only use my body to keep you warm. If I really had any improper thoughts, you wouldn't be in this state now!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Man looked at me with a mixture of belief and doubt: "Really?"

"Look at me now, I'm struggling to survive. Do you think I have any other thoughts?"

I was too lazy to explain these things to Jiang Man. Seeing that she stopped attacking me, I picked up my clothes and started putting them on: "I've saved your life. Believe it or not, I'll just consider it an act of kindness. Do whatever you want next."

Seeing my state, Jiang Man also started getting dressed: "Where are the others around me?"

I replied truthfully, "I don't know. When I woke up, I only saw yourself. They may not have made it out, or they may have been swept away by the river, but they may not be as lucky as you. In this freezing cold, if no one rescues them, they will only die."

After hearing my answer, Jiang Man was silent for a moment: "Then... what should we do next?"