The two continued running.
They ran for their lives.
Shen Jianqiu's steps grew heavier and heavier, the trees in front of him began to sway, and dark spots of light swirled in his vision.
She gritted her teeth and tried to take another step forward, but her legs suddenly gave way and she stumbled and almost fell into the pile of weeds. Fortunately, Xu Xinghe caught her in time.
"I...I can't run anymore." Shen Jianqiu gasped for breath, his voice filled with despair. He bent over, his hands supporting his knees, his chest heaving violently.
If only she had known... if only she had trained more with Lian Xiao and the others, she wouldn't have become so physically exhausted so quickly.
The sounds behind them grew closer and closer; they could even hear the kidnappers cursing.
"Run! Let's see where you can run!"
"Damn, once we find those two girls, we'll teach them a lesson!"
"If we hadn't discovered it in time, our eldest brother would probably be dead!"
Shen Jianqiu's eyes widened in terror as he abruptly pushed Xu Xinghe's hand away. "Don't worry about me, just run! They're looking for you. If they find out it's me, they might not bother with you."
Xu Xinghe would never leave herself behind!
She quickly scanned her surroundings, her gaze landing on a rock crevice not far away, entwined with vines.
That size is just right, enough to hide a person!
"Follow me!"
She pushed Chen Jianqiu into the crevice of the rocks and quickly blocked the opening with dry branches and weeds. "Hide here and don't make a sound or move around."
Just as Shen Jianqiu was about to speak, he saw Xu Xinghe tear off her clothes and pick up a tree branch. "I'll run in the opposite direction, deliberately leaving traces to distract them. Once they catch up, you hurry down the mountain and try to contact Lian Xiao and Lin Chuan."
"No, this is too dangerous!" Shen Jianqiu hurriedly grabbed her hand. "There are four or five of them. How can you handle them alone?"
"Don't worry, I have a way to get away." Xu Xinghe patted the back of her hand. "Remember, you must wait until they are far away before you come out. Don't even think about saving me. I'm much more capable than you think."
After saying that, before Shen Jianqiu could persuade her again, Xu Xinghe had already crouched down and slipped out, deliberately making marks on the ground with a branch, hanging the scraps of cloth on the bushes, and running in the opposite direction.
After running a few steps, she deliberately kicked over a dead tree, making a sound.
"There's movement over there!" The kidnappers nearby were immediately drawn to the sound and their footsteps chased after Xu Xinghe. "Don't let her get away!"
Shen Jianqiu hid in a crevice in the rocks, his heart pounding in his chest.
Just as she was about to call out to Xu Xinghe, she heard the kidnappers' footsteps getting closer and closer. She quickly covered her mouth tightly and even breathed softly.
Several figures ran quickly past the crevice in the rocks.
Only when the footsteps had completely faded away did Shen Jianqiu dare to let go, panting heavily, tears streaming down his cheeks.
She knew she couldn't afford to waste any more time. Xu Xinghe had lured the kidnappers away, leaving her with very little time.
She carefully parted the weeds, and after confirming that no one was around, she immediately ran in the opposite direction from Xu Xinghe.
She couldn't tell which way was east, west, south, or north, and only knew to run towards the lower ground. The pebbles under her feet hurt her sore feet, and she didn't even care when tree branches scratched her cheeks.
Xu Xinghe, you must hold on!
I can find someone to rescue you right away, you absolutely must not get hurt!
...
Xu Xinghe specifically chose to go into places where vines were tangled and there were many weeds and branches.
The branches scratched her arm, causing a burning pain, but she didn't care. Instead, she deliberately slowed down, making clear footprints in the soft soil with the soles of her shoes, and tore off a small piece of cloth from her body and hung it on the thorny bushes.
This was the bait she had prepared.
She let the kidnappers follow her so they wouldn't discover Shen Jianqiu.
The kidnappers were hot on their heels, their curses growing ever closer.
"There are footprints here, right over here!"
Xu Xinghe understood what was going on based on the sound.
She turned into a denser area, pulled out a piece of cured meat from her storage space, and threw it forcefully into the bushes opposite.
The cured meat slammed against the branches and leaves, making a clattering sound.
"That way! She ran that way!"
The kidnappers' attention was immediately drawn, and their footsteps led them toward the direction where the cured meat had fallen.
Xu Xinghe took the opportunity to speed up and increase the distance between them.
The road beneath my feet was getting increasingly slippery, and I could faintly hear the sound of flowing water.
Xu Xinghe was overjoyed and ran several dozen meters following the sound, where a stream about two meters wide appeared before her.
Without the slightest hesitation, she plunged into the stream.
The icy stream water instantly submerged my chest.
She held her breath, drifted a few meters into the deeper water, found a dark-colored area, and dived to the bottom.
With a thought, his figure vanished into the water and entered the space.
The space was warm and dry. Xu Xinghe leaned against the storage shelf, panting heavily.
About ten minutes later.
The kidnappers also arrived at the stream.
Looking at the murky stream and the scattered footprints on the bank, he stopped and grumbled.
"Where is he? Did he jump into the water?"
"The footsteps are here, they must have jumped into the water."
One of the kidnappers squatted on the bank and reached out to test the water temperature. "The water's so cold, she won't last long. We'll leave two of us here to wait."
"The other two, come with me. Maybe she's gone with the current!"
The group chattered and chased after each other downstream, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance.
Xu Xinghe changed her clothes in the space, started a fire to dry her old clothes, and leisurely ate some food and drank some water.
Once she was sure that a lot of time had passed outside, she carefully emerged from the space and slowly surfaced.
The stream water was still icy cold, which instantly sobered her up considerably.
Xu Xinghe wiped the water droplets from her face and cautiously observed her surroundings.
It was already getting dark, and night was about to fall.
There was no one in sight, and no sound could be heard.
She climbed ashore, wrung out her soaking wet clothes, and took out a dry piece of cloth from her spatial storage to wrap herself in to prevent catching a cold.
She's delayed for so long; Shen Jianqiu must already be on his way down the mountain.
Now she needs to find a safe place to hide and wait for Lian Xiao and the others to come and rescue her.
Underwater is definitely not an option; what if the kidnappers come back?
She didn't want to be caught the moment she stepped out of the space.
Secondly, she needs a place where everyone can accept her.
For example, a cave, a sufficiently secluded hiding place, would explain how she managed to hide in the mountains for so long.
Xu Xinghe determined the direction and walked deeper into the area.
The vegetation there is denser, making it easier to hide and avoid the possible return routes the kidnappers might take.
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