In the deep darkness of night, only one person walked out.
Jiang Xi's heart sank a little.
As Jiang Xi got closer, she saw that it was Yan Zheng, who was holding a burnt-out torch. Yan Zheng quickly walked over and grabbed her hand.
He shook his head and said, "I've searched in several directions, but there's no trace of it."
Her heart skipped a beat.
Yan Jing'an is not a person without manners. He would usually greet them if he walked a little further away.
They haven't returned yet, and there's only one possibility: they encountered an accident.
Yan Zheng put down the burnt-out torch in his hand, pulled her into the main house and said, "I have to go out for a while."
What was he going out to do? Naturally, he was looking for someone.
Yan Zheng picked up the cup on the table, took a sip of cold water, turned around and went to the wall to get his bow and arrows, and then pulled two more arrows from the wooden shelf.
Jiang Xi quickly rummaged through a cloth bag, took out iodine, anti-inflammatory drugs, and fever reducers from the wardrobe, put them in the backpack, and then, after thinking for a moment, took out the small pot and lighter to pack them in for him.
Yan Zheng took the backpack and put it on his back. He then lit two torches again, sticking one into the wall at the gate of the courtyard and holding the other himself.
Jiang Xi saw him off at the hospital gate, and the two of them didn't exchange a single word.
Some things don't need to be said; he will definitely go to find her. If it were her, she would go too.
Before leaving, Yan Zheng glanced back at Jiang Xi, his eyes filled with deep meaning, which he ultimately expressed in a single sentence.
"I'll be back soon, and I'll lock the gate."
Jiang Xi nodded. She thought to herself that she always said she wanted to learn kung fu, but she never started because of fear.
At this moment, she couldn't help but feel regret. What was she afraid of? Even if she didn't do well in her studies, what did it matter? It was still better than being stuck in this courtyard worrying all the time.
Jiang Xi's eyes were filled with tears, but she knew she couldn't cry; now was not the time to cry.
Watching Yan Zheng walk into the woods, Jiang Xi wiped her face and then hurriedly went into the house.
Jiang Xi opened the camphor wood chest and took out a stack of clean fiber cloth. Then she went to rummage through the wardrobe.
Soon everything was laid out on the octagonal table: a white cloth, scissors, thin string made of rattan fiber, and iron needles that had been refurbished and retrieved from the blacksmith's shop, along with a box of anti-inflammatory injections that Yan Jing'an had brought himself.
After checking and confirming that nothing was missed, she went back into the kitchen and boiled another pot of water.
On the stove at the back, there was a deep earthenware pot. Jiang Xi took out the hemostatic and anti-inflammatory herbs that she had dried and stored last year, and poured them in, carefully controlling the amount.
After finishing all that, she sat expressionlessly on a stone bench in the courtyard. It was already past midnight, and the air was slightly chilly. Her whole body was cold, but her mind was hot, like boiling water.
She couldn't help but keep thinking about what the situation was like in the forest.
On the other side, after Yan Zheng entered the forest, he was on high alert. The trees were so dense that even moonlight could not penetrate, and the entire forest was filled with thick night fog.
He frowned, his temples damp with moisture, and walked through the woods carrying a torch. In the shadows, he resembled a ghost carrying a lantern, exuding an undeniable air of menace.
The last time I was in the forest at midnight was when I was looking for Jiang Xi.
At that time, I only had one thought in my mind: to find Jiang Xi. I couldn't care less about anything else.
It seems to be the same now, only with an added layer of rationality.
In the first half of the night, he checked every single trace in the woods, but after wandering around for a while, he still couldn't find any trace of Yan Jing'an.
They frequented this forest, and any trace of human activity would cloud his judgment; he tried his best to keep his mind clear.
Yan Zheng carefully reviewed all the places he had been to that night. He knew that as long as Yan Jing'an had passed by, there would definitely be traces. Although tracking him at night was not an easy task, it was not impossible to try.
He searched in three directions for three or four hours, but each time he returned empty-handed.
Then, he suddenly remembered something: the last time they went to look for goats, Yan Jing'an had stopped in a forest for a few minutes.
He wouldn't do something meaningless. Could it be that there's something he's looking for in that place?
Without time to think, Yan Zheng confirmed his location and headed towards the mudflats. The forest was full of mountain paths, and he could only rely on his own judgment to try his best not to get lost in the woods.
The path wound its way through the mountains, and before we knew it, we had crossed two mountains.
As dawn broke through the woods, the night mist gradually dissipated, leaving only a thin, creamy veil drifting through the trees, until finally daybreak.
It had been a day and a night, and if they couldn't find the person soon, the chances of survival were slim. Yan Zheng was filled with chaotic anxiety.
He was in a hurry and tripped.
Looking down, he saw it was his own sword, with traces of blood on it.
Yan Zheng raised his sword and stopped moving forward. Instead, he used his position as the center and began a search and defense deployment outwards.
As he was concentrating, something hit him on the shoulder.
Yan Zheng looked around warily.
"above."
Upon hearing this, his mind went blank, and he looked up.
Yan Jing'an lay sprawled on the tree, his hands hanging limply down, his forehead and face covered in blood.
At this point, the person was no longer fully conscious, and would occasionally force open their eyes to glance at him, causing Yan Zheng to gasp in shock.
He asked in a deep voice, "Where are you injured?"
Yan Jing'an muttered, "Boss, I've got a concussion."
Yan Zheng gripped his sword tightly and said, "Wait."
"Don't go."
Then Yan Zheng heard him say, "There's a bear around here... Observe it and see where it is." He seemed to have used up all his strength, and his words were intermittent.
Upon hearing that there was a bear, Yan Zheng's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart jumped again. He quickly looked around.
It was so quiet, so very quiet.
Apart from the occasional chirping of birds, the entire forest was eerily quiet.
Yan Zheng's eyes were filled with vigilance as he carefully observed the movements around him.
There was nothing unusual within a 30-meter radius. After being tense for so long, his nerves began to relax involuntarily, but suddenly he heard a breathing sound behind him.
Yan Zheng tried his best to control his trembling hands, which were shaking from exertion. He was mentally timing it, and when he felt the time was right, he turned around and slashed horizontally.
When Yan Zheng saw what was in front of him, the hairs on his entire body stood on end.
What is this thing? It has long, brownish-black fur all over its body. At first glance, it looks like a bear, but upon closer inspection, it looks more like a gorilla. Its eyes are like bells, its teeth protrude, and it is about 2.5 to 2.6 meters tall. When Yan Zheng got close, he could even smell the fishy stench emanating from it.
Yan Zheng's sword just now struck its arm, and the beast was clearly enraged.
He roared angrily at Yan Zheng and rushed towards him.
Yan Zheng was forced to take a few steps back. He quickly turned to the side and the beast's arm brushed past him. Yan Zheng cursed inwardly.
I almost had my hand chopped off by that beast.
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