Although this person was only there for food and had no ill intentions towards them, Jiang Yu was still bothered by her own lack of vigilance.
If this person is hostile to them, how could they possibly survive?
Qi Nuan still cooked delicious food tonight, pretending to be asleep, waiting for the opportunity to strike.
Night fell silently, and a figure slipped in like a nimble monkey. If Jiang Yu and the others hadn't been on guard, they probably wouldn't have noticed.
Just like the night before, the figure headed straight for the fire, clearly searching for food.
Taking advantage of his unpreparedness, Jiang Yu suddenly stood up, tackled him to the ground, restrained his hands, and pinned him down with her body.
Seeing the opportunity, Qi Nuan quickly took out a rope from her spatial storage and tied the person up.
By the light of the fire, they could see that the figure was a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old.
The boy howled, letting out a low growl like a wild beast.
Qi Nuan added some firewood to the fire, and the fire instantly grew bigger.
At this moment, Jiang Yu was questioning the boy. Qi Nuan could not see the boy, but her eyes were filled with a fierce light. She did not speak, but just stared at Jiang Yu.
The boy's eyes were sharp and fierce, like those of a wolf, and he was full of wariness towards them.
Qi Nuan picked up the roasted chicken from beside the fire and asked the boy, "Want some?"
The boy looked at Qi Nuan, let out a roar, and stared at the roast chicken.
Qi Nuan placed the roasted chicken near the boy's mouth, and the boy took a bite and wolfed it down.
Seeing the boy swallow the food in his mouth, Qi Nuan asked, "What's your name?"
Seeing that the boy didn't speak, she said, "Answer me, and I'll give you this to eat." Then she waved the roast chicken in front of him.
The boy clearly understood her words. He opened his mouth, but after a long pause, he finally managed to utter, "I... let go... I..."
The boy's voice was like a dilapidated old wooden door being pushed open, hoarse and rough, quite strange.
Perhaps because he hadn't spoken for a long time, the syllables the boy uttered were not quite the same as normal sounds.
When Qi Nuan saw the boy in front of her, the words "wolf child" couldn't help but come to mind.
The boy walked on all fours like a wild beast, and his eyes and voice were like those of a wolf.
He also showed some fear of fire when he was eating by the fire.
But he did not show any aggression towards them, and since he can still speak, it is clear that he has lived in human society for some time.
"Answer me properly, and we'll let you go and give you some food, okay?"
The boy glanced at Qi Nuan, then at the roast chicken in her hand.
His gaze softened slightly.
Seeing this, Qi Nuan gave him another bite of the roast chicken.
Do you live here alone?
“Yes…” the boy said, then added, “No…”
After a long time, with the boy's cooperation, Qi Nuan and the others finally understood the boy's situation.
The boy's name was Xiao. He was an abandoned baby who was found by an old man, who then took him back to the valley.
Xiao didn't know the old man's name, only that they had always lived in the valley and made a living by hunting.
They also lived with four wolves until the old man passed away when he was seven years old.
Only he and the wolf remained in the valley.
He spotted them after they fell off the cliff that day and had been observing them from the shadows.
Because of his old age, he still maintained a friendly and affectionate attitude towards humans, but after years of living with wolves, he has learned to be wary of everything.
Over the years, he has unknowingly been gradually assimilated by the wolf pack.
From him, Qi Nuan and the others learned that no one else had ever been here before, but the old man had found him from outside, so there must be a way out of here.
They untied the man and gave the boy some food.
After the boy finished eating, he shouted loudly.
"Awoo..."
After a moment, several pairs of green eyes appeared outside the cave.
The boy glanced at them, then left with the wolf pack.
Qi Nuan and the others watched as the boy and the wolf pack disappeared in a short while.
The boy remained on all fours, seemingly oblivious to the darkness.
Qi Nuan felt a bit emotional. She had seen news about wolf children in modern times, but she never expected to actually see one now. The difference was that modern wolf children lived with wolves from infancy.
Both their appearance and lifestyle are exactly like those of wolves.
However, the boy still retains human thoughts, although he has been somewhat assimilated by the wolf pack.
But in essence, it is still more human-like.
Qi Nuan looked at Jiang Yu, "Let's find a way out tomorrow."
Meeting Jiang Yu has always been her greatest stroke of luck.
Jiang Yu looked at her and nodded gently, "Okay."
The next day, the two explored the way out. Thinking of the wild fruits they had seen that day, Qi Nuan decided to pick them all.
She knows some light-footed skills, so climbing trees is a piece of cake for her.
She hopped and skipped through the trees like a happy bird.
There weren't many wild fruits left on the branches, and they quickly picked them all.
Xiao, who was secretly watching them from the side, didn't know why they were picking these. He had eaten them before; they were bitter and astringent, and tasted terrible. He still preferred to eat meat.
Qi Nuan spotted Xiao hiding behind a tree and was pleasantly surprised.
"Screech!" she called out, and the boy ran off.
But she was still very happy, because she thought the boy wouldn't come looking for them anymore.
Several days passed, and they finally found the way out of the valley. It turned out that the way out was above the icy pool where they had fallen.
Because Jiang Yu couldn't swim, Qi Nuan let her swim, and they unexpectedly discovered the entrance to the cold pool, which was a long tunnel.
There were traces of extraordinary people inside.
Qi Nuan looked at Xiao, who was eating, and asked, "We're leaving here tomorrow. Do you want to come with us?"
These past few days, the boy would appear around the time Qi Nuan and the others ate, carrying small animals that had been bitten to death.
The most common species is the pheasant.
Qi Nuan understood that the boy meant to exchange his prey with them. Qi Nuan accepted his prey and would cook an extra portion for him every day when she cooked.
Upon hearing this, the boy looked up, a hint of bewilderment in his eyes.
Qi Nuan did not force the boy. The world was in chaos, and she did not know whether taking the boy out would be good or bad.
Perhaps it would be a kind of happiness for him to live out his life here in a daze?
She never imposes what she thinks is good on others; the future is like Schrödinger's cat, no one knows the answer.
It's his own choice.
After finishing his meal, the boy left the cave as usual.
He didn't say whether he would leave with them, and Qi Nuan and the others didn't ask either.
The winter sun felt wonderfully warm on my skin.
Qi Nuan and the others looked at the place where they had lived for more than ten days, knowing they were about to leave.
But the boy has not yet appeared.
Let's go.
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