It was unclear how much time had passed before I awoke from my unconsciousness, my head still feeling somewhat fuzzy, and my chest incredibly heavy, as if a large stone were pressing down on it.
A small bonfire had been lit at the cave entrance, illuminating the cavern and warding off insects. The intense heat, however, was drying out my lips.
By the light, I realized I was lying in a cave. The cave was not high, only about two meters, and was irregularly rectangular.
I moved my limbs. Although I felt somewhat weak, I could still move, which meant the impact from the collision hadn't caused a fatal injury. Otherwise, even if I survived, I would have been paralyzed.
Looking around, I saw I was alone. Yue'er had disappeared somewhere. My backpack was not far away, and seeing it, my eyes lit up.
It contained essential medical supplies, water, and some simple food. I tried to stand up but felt a wave of dizziness. Before I could take a step, I fell to the ground.
Cough, cough—
This cough made my throat feel like it was surging, and a腥味 rose from my stomach. I opened my mouth and spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm.
After spitting, my internal organs felt much more comfortable, and the burning pain subsided. With great effort, I crawled to my backpack, quickly opened it, and took out a bottle of water. I opened it and gulped down half of it.
"Comfortable."
I added some more firewood to the bonfire, my mind racing with thoughts. First, I thought of my father, wondering how he was. My master's phone was unreachable, and I didn't know if Sun Chuang had taken the money back.
Then, I worried about Zhang Dabiao, wondering if he, like me, had stepped into a void and fallen. With Zhang Dabiao's skills, he shouldn't be as disheveled as I was! Su Dan Novel Network.
As I was thinking, I heard a rustling sound from outside the cave, and then Yue'er's figure appeared before me. Before I could speak, Yue'er leaped in front of me. A cold glint flashed, and a knife as thin as a cicada's wing was placed at my throat.
Her movements were fluid and natural. It wasn't until her icy voice sounded in my ear that I reacted.
"How do you want to die?"
Feeling the cold sensation on my neck, my heart filled with bitterness. I knew what she meant. Was it because I had touched her chest before I lost consciousness? Was she really going to use a knife over that?
But this thought could only remain in my mind. If I voiced it, my life might truly end here. I forced out the most sincere smile I could muster.
"Miss Yue'er, listen to me. If I say it was unintentional, would you believe me?"
Yue'er raised an eyebrow, remaining silent, signaling me to continue. Seeing this, I quickly explained, "You have to believe me. The situation was very sudden. You pulled me in from outside, and instinctively I tried to grab something, so I grabbed..."
I couldn't finish the sentence. I saw that her eyes were about to spew fire, as if I had committed some heinous and unforgivable sin.
Although she appeared very angry, I didn't sense any killing intent in her eyes. If she truly wanted to kill me, she could have pushed me out the moment I touched her, letting me fall to my death. Or, after rescuing me, she could have simply stabbed me, solving all problems. Therefore, she was likely more angered than wanting to kill me.
Understanding her thoughts, I put on a pitiful expression, almost to the point of shedding tears to feign helplessness.
"I warn you, forget everything that happened when I saved you. If anyone else finds out about this, you know the consequences."
My head bobbed like a chick pecking at rice. I almost wanted to hug her and kiss her to thank her for sparing my life, but that was just a thought.
Watching Yue'er slowly withdraw the knife from my neck, I breathed a sigh of relief. But then a question occurred to me: what if I wasn't the one who revealed the incident of touching her chest?
When she saved me, if Zhang Dabiao or Bai Ling'er were present, they might have also said something about it. If that were the case, wouldn't I be dying unjustly?
Thinking of this, I blurted out, "What if, I mean, what if you were the one who revealed this incident? Would that also be counted against me?" I immediately regretted it. How could a girl like her reveal such a thing?
As expected, the moment the words left my mouth, Yue'er's eyes widened. A cold glint, like a shooting star, shot towards my legs. I flinched violently, only stopping when my back hit the wall.
Bang—
Yue'er's dagger, as thin as a cicada's wing and as long as a child's forearm, was now fully embedded in the ground. She smirked, "Then that counts as you saying it."
I was speechless. I had encountered unreasonable people before, but never one as unreasonable as this. However, remembering that even saints said, "It is difficult to raise women and small-minded people," I could only swallow this "bitter pill." What else could I do? I couldn't fight her, so I had to accept my fate.
"Understood!"
Just as we finished speaking, another thudding sound came from outside the cave. Zhang Dabiao entered, with several wild rabbits hanging from his waist. Seeing me awake, his face lit up.
"Oh, you're awake? I thought you'd be sleeping for a while longer. How are you feeling? Any discomfort?"
Hearing Zhang Dabiao's concerned words, I almost shed tears. What is a friend? This is a friend, the kind you can entrust your life to.
I glanced at Yue'er and replied, "I'm fine, just a bit sore in the back. It shouldn't be anything serious."
Zhang Dabiao nodded, a look of relief on his face. "You're lucky a tree broke your fall, and Yue'er was quick enough to pull you in. Otherwise, your life would have been over."
Seeing that Zhang Dabiao knew the details of my rescue so clearly, didn't that mean he also saw me 'touching her chest'? I cautiously looked at Yue'er. She was half-closing her eyes, glancing subtly towards my legs.
Suddenly, I felt a chill. I swallowed and asked in a low voice:
"After I saw you disappear into the bushes, I thought it was a safe path and followed. I didn't know there was a cliff ahead. I almost died from the fall. Who led the way?"
Before Zhang Dabiao could speak, a voice came from outside the cave.
"I led the way. Any problems?" Bai Ling'er's figure leaped into view, a serpentine smile on her face as she looked at me.
I was speechless. Another person I couldn't afford to offend. I had to change the subject, otherwise, I would be the one to suffer in the end.
"Brother Zhang, we escaped. What about Li Jian and the others? Did you not go back to check?"
Zhang Dabiao shook his head and gave a wry smile. "You think too highly of me. I don't have the ability to go back and check the situation. The mountain fiends are still frantically searching for people outside. Going back would be suicide, wouldn't it? Even these rabbits were shot by Bai Ling'er. I was just responsible for bringing them in."
At this moment, Yue'er, who was beside me, suddenly spoke, "All the ordinary people who followed us are dead. As for those few geomancers... they should still be alive."