The soldiers were just doing their jobs. They had nothing to report back if they couldn't find us. But with the man in black, it was different. He would definitely make them search further.
As expected, after the man in black said something, the soldiers standing nearby immediately spread out, walking along the foot of the mountain in both directions.
The two men standing in front of the house turned around and walked towards our hiding spot.
I thought, "This is bad." The house was only about a hundred meters away. If they found us, they only needed to shout, and the others would quickly converge.
What to do?
If we didn't act soon, even if we entered the water, they would discover us.
I told my Daoist brother, "Let's enter the water along the bank. If we get swept away and lose control, try to grab onto something on the shore." Then I slowly sank into the water, and my Daoist brother followed me down.
Freed from the vines, we were instantly swept over ten meters. I had intended to stay near the bank, but once in the water, I had no control. I was immediately in the middle of the river.
My swimming skills were passable. I held my breath, letting the current toss my body around.
I couldn't control our direction at all, nor could I know my Daoist brother's situation.
The terrifying part was the jagged rocks beneath. I was hit so hard I almost passed out.
Fortunately, the current suddenly slowed. This must be the calmer stretch I had seen earlier. I looked up at the surface and saw my Daoist brother following me with a peculiar posture.
I quickly took another breath and submerged myself again, letting the current carry me downstream.
There were no more jagged rocks now. Sometimes, my body would even brush against the sandy riverbed.
After a while, the current intensified. Suddenly, a massive collision knocked me unconscious.
The moment I was hit, I felt like my soul had left my body. Then, I knew nothing more.
After an unknown amount of time, I regained consciousness. I found that we were both clinging to a large tree caught among rocks. The tree was massive, stripped of its branches, and wedged here by the stones. We had been stopped by it.
We must have been swept a long distance, as the houses were no longer visible.
I called out to my Daoist brother. After a long while, he weakly lifted his head and looked at me with a pained expression. Clearly, the collision had been severe, and he was injured.
I told him to try moving his body and check what was wrong.
He slowly moved his arms. Although his movements were sluggish, they were still somewhat flexible.
I said, "Try moving your legs." He nodded. After a moment, he said there was no problem. I told him to rest a bit longer, and then we would try to climb ashore.
The water here wasn't deep. Leaning on the trunk, we could get close to the bank.
The water was a bit cold. Our lower bodies were submerged, and prolonged immersion made us shiver.
My Daoist brother endured the pain all over his body and moved towards me. It was evident he gasped for air with every movement, and beads of sweat glistened on his forehead.
I encouraged him. He moved with great effort, step by step, approaching me.
We were only about two meters apart, but it took him over half an hour.
I looked at him and asked how he was. He said he felt pain in his chest but saw no visible injury.
He said he could manage. "Let's get ashore quickly. We're too visible in the water. If they search along the river, all our efforts will be in vain."
I could touch the bottom now. With the strength in my legs, walking to the shore became much easier.
I pulled on his arm, and we slowly approached the bank.
Fortunately, the river channel here was quite wide, and the current was slow. We made it ashore without much effort.
The sun was setting. I guessed it was past six o'clock.
The sun set early in the mountains. Once it disappeared, the sky would quickly darken.
My current worry was if our seniors went to the original location to find us, they wouldn't find us and might even run into the man in black and the soldiers searching the mountain.
The problem was, we had no idea how far we had been swept.
There were no houses on the shore, and our bodies hadn't recovered. Even if we managed to meet up, we couldn't possibly go to Hui Ge in this state.
Helplessly, I decided to rest for a while and then figure things out.
My Daoist brother lay on the ground, his eyes closed. His chest had hit the tree directly. Every step he took earlier had made him wince in pain.
I was much better off. Although my whole body ached, it wasn't to the extent of his pain.
After the forced feeding of fish and rice for the past few days, our stomachs had expanded. Today, we had only eaten a little in the morning. The biggest challenge we faced now was hunger.
Our stomachs were empty, and the constant cramping was unbearable.
In the distance, there were no high mountains, only rolling hills. I saw no fruit trees or similar plants. This place wasn't like ours, where the barren mountains were planted with seasonal fruits, and crabapples and mangoes grew everywhere.
The most famous were the Lijiang peaches, which looked like apples, bright red and mouth-watering. One bite was filled with sweet juice, a sweetness that reached the heart.
But now, apart from the rumbling in my stomach, there was only endless hunger.
If we could eat a mango or a peach right now, I felt we would immediately feel invigorated and incredibly strong.
But before us lay only wilderness.
The problem wasn't just hunger, but most importantly, meeting up with our seniors.
Ah Bei's fate was unknown. After these days, I had come to regard him as my brother. We couldn't stand by and do nothing about his safety.
We could wait for the opportunity to find Hui Ge. Hui Ge certainly wouldn't make Ah Bei wait.
The longer we delayed, the greater Ah Bei's danger would be.
My Daoist brother struggled to stand up. I watched him anxiously. He took a wobbly step forward, then stretched his arm and lifted a leg. Although he didn't stand steady, he didn't fall.
"Don't push yourself. Rest a bit longer."
"I can do it. It doesn't hurt as much anymore."
"There's no rush. Let's wait until it gets a bit darker, then we'll walk upstream along the bank."
My Daoist brother nodded but didn't stop. He continued to move his limbs.
These Daoist brothers had followed me into countless battles. Every time, they were fearless. Even with only a breath left, they wouldn't retreat.
Suddenly, I saw a few figures moving in the distance. The sky had already darkened, and I couldn't tell who they were.
I signaled my Daoist brother to get down quickly and imitated a few bird calls.
The distance was a bit too far; I doubted my voice would reach them.
I simply stood up and called out a few more times.
This time, I saw the dark figures stop, but then they continued forward.
I called out a few more times, this time raising my voice considerably.
This time, they stopped again and started moving towards us.
I quickly told my Daoist brother, "Let's run towards that small hill. We don't know who those people are. If they are Hui Ge's men, we're bringing trouble upon ourselves."