Qi Zhenzhen found herself in a predicament, half amused and half exasperated, so she settled onto the brown bear's shoulder.
Soon, their view opened up to a hillside. The rabbit darted behind a rock, and the brown bear followed, discovering a rabbit hole concealed by the stone.
"Alright, are we safe now? You can put me down. Don't worry, I'm not as fragile as you think," Qi Zhenzhen said.
The brown bear scanned its surroundings, detecting no scent of danger. It then bent down and gently placed Qi Zhenzhen on the ground.
Qi Zhenzhen asked the brown bear to gather some dry branches and weeds. She divided them into several piles and lit them. Since the branches weren't completely dry, thick smoke soon billowed up. Qi Zhenzhen deliberately manipulated the fires, creating smoke of varying densities from each pile. Back in Xinghua Village, Qi Zhenzhen had taught Zhang Xiaoniu this method for when they lost contact with their companions.
If seen, they would be found by following the smoke.
"Big guy, there are other people here, and I don't know if they're alive or dead. We can't stay here; we need to find a hidden place to hide," Qi Zhenzhen said.
"Roar, I don't need to hide. You hide. There's a hollow behind the slope where the rabbit hole is. Go there; it's very concealed. You can't see it from here, but you can see clearly from there to here," the brown bear replied. "I'll keep watch for you here. If the people who come are the ones you're looking for, then you come out. If not, then don't."
"Big guy, you're so thoughtful."
The brown bear was very intelligent. It continued to tend the fires, remembering precisely which pile produced thicker smoke and which produced thinner smoke, ensuring the smoke signals never ceased.
After waiting for a good portion of the day, the brown bear let out a low growl. Qi Zhenzhen perked up; someone was coming.
Qi Zhenzhen held her breath, suppressing her excitement, and focused her attention on the surroundings.
Soon, a familiar figure caught Qi Zhenzhen's eye.
It was Zhang Xiaoniu.
Before Qi Zhenzhen could call out to him, two more people appeared, dressed in very peculiar attire.
Zhang Xiaoniu glared fiercely at the newcomers, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, ready for a fight. He surmised that these two must be among the "barbarians."
As the three stood in a standoff, the brown bear leaped out.
Zhang Xiaoniu was startled, and the two barbarians quickly retreated a couple of steps. They glanced at Zhang Xiaoniu, then turned and fled rapidly, disappearing from sight in moments.
"Xiaoniu," Qi Zhenzhen called out, restraining her excitement.
Zhang Xiaoniu followed the sound and saw Qi Zhenzhen. His eyes immediately welled up with tears. He wasn't dreaming; it was truly Zhenzhen who had arrived.
"The young lord is injured and unconscious; he hasn't woken up. For some reason, we can't seem to leave this area," Zhang Xiaoniu choked out, his pent-up emotions finally surfacing.
"I'm here now, and we'll be able to get out. Mingyue is doing well; she and the baby are waiting for you to return," Qi Zhenzhen comforted him.
During these days of being trapped, if Zhang Xiaoniu hadn't had his wife and child to think about, he felt he wouldn't have been able to go on. Now, receiving news from Qi Zhenzhen, all the grievances he had endured melted away.
"The young lord's sword wounds have healed, but for some reason, he remains unconscious. We can't feed him anything, only pour in some meat broth. He's become so thin; Gu Qing said he can't hold on much longer. I thought we were going to die here," Zhang Xiaoniu said.
"We won't. I know how to get out, and once we're out, we'll figure out a way," Qi Zhenzhen reassured him.