Yi An took the lead and walked towards the river, with Xu Xinghe following closely behind.
The river was shrouded in a thin mist in the early morning, carrying a chilling coolness, and the reeds on the riverbank swayed gently in the wind.
After reaching a secluded reed bed, Yi'an stopped, parted the reeds, and a small wooden boat suddenly appeared before her eyes.
“This is Old Wang’s boat from the village. I usually borrow it when I need it for hunting, but I didn’t tell you in advance this time.” Yi An said succinctly, her tone calm. “I’ll borrow it for now, and I’ll pay you back when I get back.”
Xu Xinghe nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
She could understand Yi'an's considerations. Bringing her, an outsider, to borrow a boat would inevitably attract gossip, so it was better to act first and ask questions later.
Yi An jumped onto the boat first, steadied the boat, and reached out to Xu Xinghe, saying, "Come on up and step firmly on the deck."
Xu Xinghe carefully stepped onto the boat, holding onto the gunwale.
The boat was small, and it started to sway slightly as soon as she stepped on it. She instinctively grabbed the wooden pole on the side of the boat to barely keep her balance.
Yi'an put away the oars, pushed off the rocks on the bank with all her might, and the small boat slowly sailed away from the riverbank, heading towards the opposite bank.
His rowing movements were skillful and powerful; the wooden oars cut through the water, splashing up tiny droplets that spread out in circles of ripples in the mist.
The fog on the river grew thicker and thicker, reducing visibility to less than ten meters. The surroundings were so quiet that the only sounds were the splashing of the wooden oars and the rustling of the wind through the reeds.
The chill seeped into her skin through her coarse clothes, and Xu Xinghe couldn't help but pull her collar tighter.
The small boat rocked and swayed forward in the fog, and Xu Xinghe held tightly to the side of the boat, not daring to relax for a moment.
It took a full half hour of paddling before the outline of the riverbank finally appeared faintly in the distance.
Yi An increased the speed of rowing. When the boat approached the shore, he jumped off the boat, grabbed the rope firmly, and secured the boat to the rocks on the shore.
"Go down slowly."
Xu Xinghe nodded and was about to step ashore, but the small boat was still rocking slightly. Her foot slipped, and she instantly lost her balance.
Just then, Yi An reached out and grabbed her wrist. His hands were rough and strong, calloused from years of holding a bow and chopping wood, and he steadily pulled her ashore.
"Thank you." Xu Xinghe steadied herself, withdrew her hand, and spoke generously.
Yi An pursed her lips, didn't respond, but simply let go of her hand, picked up her bag, and walked towards the woods.
He realized that this woman was truly different.
If it were a woman from Lijia'ao, she would probably be blushing with embarrassment at this point, or simply too embarrassed to ask for his help.
Su Xiao, however, seemed to be used to it. She wasn't even afraid when she was about to fall. Her first reaction was to balance her body and minimize her injuries if she fell.
It was still dark in the woods, and the fog was thicker than on the river. Trees a few meters away were blurred and their general outlines were barely visible.
The damp air was filled with the pungent smell of leaves and earth, and breathing it in brought a cool sensation to my lungs.
“The visibility is too low now when we go into the mountains. It’s easy to get lost, and we might run into wild animals or things we shouldn’t touch.” Yi’an stopped and turned to Xu Xinghe. “Let’s wait until the fog clears up and it gets a little brighter before we go. Let’s find a place to rest, eat something, drink some hot water, and get used to the air and humidity in the mountains.”
Xu Xinghe had no objection and followed Yi An into the depths of the woods.
Yi'an knew the terrain like the back of her hand, moving freely through the fog with steady steps, avoiding the messy bushes and protruding tree roots.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, he stopped in front of a secluded mountain wall, parted the hanging vines, and a cave of moderate size suddenly appeared before him.
“This is where I usually rest when I hunt. I’ve tidied it up and there are emergency supplies.” Yi’an said as she walked into the cave. It wasn’t spacious, but it was very dry. There was some dry grass piled up in the corner, as well as a simple stone stove. Next to it were a few rough porcelain bowls and a kettle, which was obviously well taken care of.
Yi'an took out matches from her bag and lit the dry firewood that had been prepared in the stone stove.
The flames crackled and popped, dispelling the chill in the cave and illuminating the surroundings.
He poured some water from the kettle, put it on the fire to boil, then took out the coarse flour cake he had brought, broke off a piece, and put it in his mouth to chew slowly.
"Don't eat too much, and don't drink too much water either. Just eat as much as you want." He said to Xu Xinghe without looking up as he ate, "The mountains are not like the village. If you just go to the toilet anywhere, you can easily encounter danger, especially since many insects and snakes are poisonous."
Xu Xinghe responded, opened her backpack, and took out meat buns wrapped in oil paper.
She handed one to Yi'an, saying, "Don't eat the pancake, eat this instead, it'll fill you up quickly."
Yi An looked up at the plump white meat bun, and could already smell the faint aroma of meat.
He hadn't eaten meat buns in a long time. He was lucky if he could just fill his stomach on ordinary days, so he couldn't bear to buy such an expensive thing.
Without any hesitation, he took the bun and began to eat it in large bites. The warm meat filling melted in his mouth, filling the air with aroma. He ate it ravenously, but his face remained expressionless, only his eyes showed a hint of satisfaction.
Only when you are well-fed will you have more energy to deal with the unknown dangers in the mountains.
Xu Xinghe also picked up a steamed bun and ate it. The warm food dispelled a lot of the chill.
The cave was quiet except for the sound of burning firewood.
Mist lingered around the cave entrance, and the sky outside gradually brightened, but visibility in the woods remained low.
Yi'an quickly finished the steamed buns. Seeing that the water in the kettle had boiled, she poured two bowls, handing one to Xu Xinghe and keeping the other for herself to drink slowly.
"Wait another half an hour, until the fog has cleared up enough to enter the mountain." He looked at the fog at the cave entrance and said calmly, "Once we're in the mountain, listen to me. Don't act on your own. If you disobey, I will abandon you without hesitation."
He is not afraid of formidable opponents, but he is afraid of foolish teammates.
Yi An had previously taken money to lead people into Black Wind Ridge, but those people, relying on their small amount of money, completely ignored him as their guide and ended up in danger.
He was still very naive at the time, thinking only of saving people, but he almost got killed by this group of people.
He learned his lesson from that time.
If someone is disobedient, then you should cut ties decisively.
Xu Xinghe took the hot water, drank a sip, and the warmth spread from her throat to her whole body.
She nodded. "I understand. I'll do whatever you say."
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