Yan Zheng spent a day and a night searching the top and bottom of the cliff but couldn't find any trace of Jiang Xi.
He suddenly realized he had been tricked. He tried to calm down and compose his chaotic thoughts. He forced himself to eat some raspberries and wild berries and drink some water. He began to carefully review the process of Jiang Xi's disappearance.
Yan Zheng guessed that Jiang Xi had fallen off the cliff. She was unable to calm down, and perhaps that's why she fell into the other party's trap. In her anxiety, she wasted too much time on the cliff and the mountaintop.
With suspicions, he returned to the grove where Jiang Xi was hiding to review the events, and after several repetitions, he finally discovered a clue.
Jiang Xi may not have been dragged away; he was pulled off the tree. Yan Zheng found obvious trampling marks on the tree where Jiang Xi disappeared. He also looked at several other trees around the tree and found similar marks on every tree, including traces of nylon rope rubbing against the tree.
He suddenly realized that he had been set up; the person had deliberately left a drag mark to confuse his tracking.
This person had a specific purpose in mind from the beginning and made a meticulous plan, which is why they were able to take the person away without anyone noticing right under his nose.
A cold sweat broke out on his back; perhaps the appearance of the brown bear was also part of his plan.
And this person is none other than him—Yan Zheng of this world.
He couldn't imagine there could be a second person.
What was the purpose? He calmed down and thought about it.
First, they lured the two of them here with a brown bear, then they kidnapped Jiang Xi separately. Jiang Xi?
It seems that some truth has been unraveled.
Yes, what if his initial goal was Jiang Xi?
He prevented himself from participating in fencing, forced himself to develop a mental illness, imitated his own breakup with Jiang Xi, and now he has kidnapped Jiang Xi.
If that's the case, then they're after his life.
He continued to follow the tracks on the tree and eventually found the location of the sinkhole.
This guy really knows how to pick a route. He had passed through the territories of three brown bears before arriving here. He was led into the bear's den, and he felt a chill run down his spine. It was indeed a path leading him to his death.
Yan Zheng tightened the herbal bandage on his wound. He had a premonition that they were almost there. He had found traces of human activity in several places nearby, so it must be in this area.
**
The medication kept Jiang Xi asleep for most of the day. When she woke up, it was already bright outside.
She hissed, clutched her head, and felt a splitting headache.
A gloomy male voice came from beside them. "It will be over soon."
Jiang Xi finally saw his face clearly. He had the same face as Yan Zheng, but the feeling he gave off was different. Even when the two stood together, the difference was obvious.
The man had a handsome face with slightly wavy, tousled hair. His features didn't appear stern or sharp; instead, they were rather delicate. An uninformed person might easily mistake him for a refined gentleman.
But Jiang Xi knew his ruthlessness and perversion, and was immediately disillusioned by this facade.
Fearing she might escape or encounter some accident, this man had been keeping a close eye on her all day. He appeared to be sitting by the cave with his eyes closed, but Jiang Xi had witnessed her strength and knew she couldn't escape.
With her hands bound and a sleeping potion applied to her head, she was unable to do anything and was extremely anxious inside the cave.
In the afternoon, Jiang Xi was thinking about how to escape. Her eyes were fixed on the outside of the cave when she suddenly noticed something unusual. She glanced at the man cautiously.
Seeing that he hadn't noticed, she turned to the side and looked more closely. A red dot appeared outside the cave, to the left of the entrance, about twenty meters away. Upon closer inspection, it was a cluster of fiery red camellias.
Jiang Xi concealed her unease and said to the man, "I need to use the restroom."
The man opened his eyes and looked at her, seemingly trying to figure out what trick she was up to.
Jiang Xi retorted, her neck stiff: "What? Do I not even have basic human rights now?"
The man thought for a moment, then came over, untied the vines from her hands, grabbed one of his arms, and led him outside.
He stopped a dozen meters from the cave and turned around.
"Too close, move further away."
The man said helplessly, "Don't try anything funny, you can't outrun me."
Jiang Xi said, "I'm not stupid, of course I know."
The man glanced at her and took another ten steps or so, but he still didn't relax and kept a wary eye on his surroundings.
Jiang Xi saw him turn his back, pretending to take off his clothes, and suddenly shouted: "Snake!"
The man suddenly realized what was happening, rushed over, and turned back to pull her away.
Just then, a dark figure leaped down from the tree he was passing, and a long sword swept straight at the back of his neck.
The man sensed something was wrong, shifted half his body to the right, took a risky move, steadied himself, and used the momentum to execute a spinning kick, bracing himself with one hand on the ground, throwing himself away.
Yan Zheng thought to himself: Impressive skills.
But even the fastest sword can't outrun a blade. The man was still struck in the left shoulder, letting out a muffled groan as he struggled to support his upper body.
The cut looks quite deep; half of his arm is stained red.
He glanced down at the wound on his shoulder and sneered, "You're not dead yet."
Yan Zheng said, "Thanks to you, I managed to stay in the deep mountains for two years."
Having served as the captain of a wilderness rescue team for two years, this kind of jungle is no challenge for him.
The man clutched his wound, took a deep breath, and said, "What do you think you're doing? You're only hurting her."
Yan Zheng listened, puzzled, and frowned, saying, "Explain yourself."
The man stared at him and smiled: "Jiang Xi came here following your consciousness. Now that you're dead, she can naturally go back."
He seemed oblivious to the pain, and his entire demeanor was somewhat out of control: "This place is cold and hungry, do you want to kill her? Can you bear to watch her spend the rest of her life here?"
Seeing that things were not going well, Jiang Xi shouted, "Shut up!"
The man didn't look at her, his eyes fixed on Yan Zheng: "Whether I'm right or not, you should know in your heart. Since you've found this place, I'll give you the choice."
Seeing the man lose control, Jiang Xi's mind suddenly cleared up a bit, and the question that had been bothering her for so long seemed to have a clue.
What is he afraid of?
Jiang Xi had the answer in her heart, but she didn't hold back and asked the question directly.
"Is she already dead?"
After asking the question, the man's emotions suddenly calmed down, and she smiled brightly, pressing her advantage.
— —"What exactly is your purpose?"
"You want Yan Zheng dead, but what good will it do you if he dies?"
— "You said it was to save me, but you don't love me. Then who do you love?"
— —"Let me guess."
Jiang Xi approached him, her smile vanished, replaced by an innocent expression. The bloodstain on her forehead added to her captivating charm, but her words struck at the man's weak spot.
"It's her, isn't it? The Jiang Xi you love in this world."
"She died, but she died for you."
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