Xu Xinghe had actually been prepared for this for a long time.
She pretended to bend down and rummage through her backpack, but in reality, she took out two thick coats from her storage space.
She prepared them all specially; the materials are wear-resistant and windproof.
She draped one over herself and handed another to Yi'an, saying, "You should wear this. It's a large size; you should be able to fit into it."
Yi An opened her eyes, took the coat, and couldn't help but glance at her. "You've prepared quite thoroughly."
“I have experience with outdoor activities before, so I know what to bring,” Xu Xinghe explained casually, without going into details. “It’s just that back then it wasn’t for hunting, it was for something else.”
Yi An didn't press the matter. He wasn't one to pry into other people's private affairs. He took the coat and put it on quickly. It fit perfectly, and the coolness of the mountains was instantly blocked out.
He closed his eyes again, adjusted to a comfortable position, and quickly entered a light sleep.
Xu Xinghe also wanted to rest, but after tossing and turning for a while, she couldn't fall asleep.
On the one hand, the space in the tree hole is too small, so you can only curl up and can't stretch out your limbs, which is extremely uncomfortable.
On the other hand, there was the worry about Jiang Linchuan; the closer she got to home, the more timid she became, and she simply couldn't calm her mind.
She leaned against the tree trunk, staring into the crack outside the tree hole, watching the light gradually dim.
Because the forest was so dense, sunlight was already difficult to penetrate, and now it was completely blocked by layers of branches and leaves. Although it was only a little past five in the afternoon, the forest was already as dark as eight or nine in the evening, and the trees in the distance had become blurry black shadows.
After an unknown amount of time, Yi An suddenly opened her eyes, listened to the sounds outside, and said, "Let's wait until after nine o'clock. They will most likely be sound asleep and least alert then. We can go over then."
Xu Xinghe glanced at the watch on her wrist.
It's only a little past seven o'clock.
She had no objection, gave a soft "hmm," and continued to wait silently in the darkness.
Time passed slowly, and Xu Xinghe glanced at her watch every now and then. Finally, the hands pointed to nine o'clock in the evening.
Before she could speak, Yi An had already gotten up and gone outside to stretch her limbs to avoid stiffness caused by prolonged sitting.
“You can walk now.” Yi An’s voice was very low. “Let’s move around a bit first and let your limbs recover so you can walk more steadily later.”
Xu Xinghe stretched her arms and legs until the stiffness dissipated before continuing to walk forward with Yi An.
The night was as dark as ink.
The forest was so dark you could barely see your hand in front of your face; only a few pitiful spots of moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves.
Holding the probing stick, Yi'an carefully extended it forward, taking each step with extreme caution.
"Visibility is poor in the dark, and traps are harder to spot than during the day. Follow my footprints and don't step on anything," Yi An whispered, slowing his pace to a stop, using a wooden stick to repeatedly probe the surrounding grass and ground before continuing.
Xu Xinghe followed closely behind him, no more than half a step away, her nerves on edge.
She could clearly hear her own heartbeat, as well as the soft sound of the two people stepping on the fallen leaves.
Besides, the forest was eerily quiet, even the chirping of insects had diminished considerably, as if all creatures were wary of the dangers lurking in the darkness.
The two moved slowly toward the dense thicket, their pace more than half that of the daytime, taking a considerable amount of time to advance even a single meter.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the weeds underfoot gradually thinned out, and the bushes ahead finally reached their edge.
Yi An stopped first, signaling Xu Xinghe to crouch down. The two hid behind the last row of bushes, slowly parting the branches and leaves to look inside.
The sight before them left both of them stunned.
Deep within the thicket of trees was a surprisingly spacious clearing!
Several wooden houses, of varying sizes, were neatly arranged in the open space, looking quite orderly.
One of the cabins was still lit by a dim, yellow light, which streamed through the window and cast a hazy glow on the ground.
Three men dressed in dark clothes were walking back and forth at the edge of the open space, seemingly holding something in their hands, as if they were patrolling the perimeter.
“These houses are definitely not newly built; they’ve been here for a long time.” Yi An narrowed his eyes slightly. “I used to only go as far as the outer perimeter when I hunted, and I never dared to come this deep into the area. I never expected there to be such a hidden place here.”
His gaze swept quickly over the wooden houses, and he said in a serious tone, "Judging from the current situation, there are at least twenty people gathered in there."
Xu Xinghe's heart tightened. "How did you know?"
“Look,” Yi An pointed to the open space with his probe stick. “There are three people patrolling outside. In the small wooden house with the light on, you can see three shadows moving in the window. If three people live in such a small wooden house, there must be more people living in the two larger houses next to it.”
He continued his analysis, "The conditions in the mountains are different from outside; they are harsh and potentially dangerous. People who can live together will definitely not separate, as it would be convenient for them to live together and they could take care of each other. It's highly likely that the large houses are already full, which is why the small houses are so crowded. Based on this density, there are at least twenty people in these houses combined."
Xu Xinghe looked in the direction he pointed and saw three blurry figures reflected in the lit window of the wooden house, sitting together and talking.
She nodded, agreeing with Yi An's assessment.
Twenty people, many of whom are likely well-trained spies, would find it extremely difficult to locate and confirm Jiang Linchuan's safety under the watchful eyes of so many.
Those who weren't well-trained have probably already been abandoned.
"What exactly are you looking for?" Yi An suddenly turned to look at her, his eyes serious. "Su Xiao, you'd better tell me the truth, because it will determine what we do next."
"If you're looking for something, the best way is to wait until late at night and sneak in to steal it when they're sound asleep, or try to lure most of the people away and then take the item. But if you're looking for someone, the method is completely different, and the risks are much greater."
Xu Xinghe took a deep breath and chose not to hide it anymore, because she might need the other party's help later. "I'm here to find someone."
Yi An's eyes flickered slightly.
Xu Xinghe's caution, fearing discovery, coupled with her eagerness to catch up, makes the answer quite clear.
"Is the person you're looking for hostile to these people here?"
Xu Xinghe neither answered directly nor denied it, which can be considered as an admission.
"How many people?" Yi An asked again.
"one."
"You're taking him away?"
Xu Xinghe shook her head. "I don't know."
She really didn't know.
If Jiang Linchuan followed us in voluntarily and is not in any danger, then he probably still has things to do.
If I insist on taking him away, it would be tantamount to prematurely declaring the mission a failure.
But if he isn't, and is injured, then that's a different story.
"What I want to do now is to make sure he's safe. As long as he's alive, we can figure out the rest later."
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