In the darkness, the barking of black dogs could be heard. Lin Xiao Tian and Li Xue hid beneath the roots of a tree, their eyes warily scanning their surroundings.
Eventually, the barking of the black dogs gradually faded into the distance. After a long while, when there was no longer any sound around them, Lin Xiao Tian and Li Xue finally crawled out from under the tree roots.
"Thank you for saving me again," Li Xue said gratefully.
"It's nothing," Lin Xiao Tian replied with a faint smile. "What about the others? Are they with you?"
"Only Miss is with me; the others got separated," Li Xue answered. But then, as if remembering something, she exclaimed, "Oh no! Miss walked off alone just now. What if she encounters danger? I need to go find her quickly."
However, after taking a few steps forward, she stopped again.
"I... I can't find Miss anymore."
In a forest like this, one's sense of direction was practically useless, especially at night. Li Xue had asked Yang Xin to go ahead alone, and now it was impossible to find Yang Xin again.
"What if Miss encounters danger walking alone?" Li Xue said self-reproachfully.
"Let's try to find her. If we really can't, then there's nothing we can do; we can only rely on her own luck."
Li Xue knew that sadness was useless. At this moment, there was nothing to be done except to try and make amends as much as possible.
"Miss, please be safe!" Li Xue prayed silently.
Watching Li Xue's reaction, Lin Xiao Tian couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for these reclusive families. In such a dire situation, most people would prioritize their own safety. Yet, Li Xue, a mere bodyguard, was still so worried about Yang Xin. It had to be said that these reclusive families indeed had their own ways.
Unfortunately, in the Kunlun Valley, once a person disappeared from your sight, it was almost impossible to find them again.
When Li Xue chose to let Yang Xin escape alone, she had effectively declared that they would never meet again.
"It's too dangerous to move around too much at night here. Let's wait until daytime to search. It will be safer then," Lin Xiao Tian suggested.
Li Xue had no objection; in fact, she had no other options.
And so, a night passed.
During the day, the two searched in the direction Yang Xin might have fled.
With Lin Xiao Tian's excellent sense of direction, they successfully tried three different paths but found nothing.
On the fourth attempt, after searching for Yang Xin in vain and preparing to return to the starting point to try another direction, Lin Xiao Tian suddenly realized he couldn't find the original spot anymore.
"This is truly a cursed place."
Only now did Lin Xiao Tian truly understand how arrogant he had been.
He had initially thought he could move freely, just like in Black Mountain, relying on his sense of direction. In the end, he had underestimated the dangers of these forbidden lands.
This place, which no one had successfully explored in hundreds of years, was indeed fraught with peril.
"Should we leave a mark? If Miss sees it, maybe she can follow it to find us?" Li Xue suggested.
But Lin Xiao Tian directly rejected her.
"No!"
"Why?"
"The monsters that attacked us are not like ordinary wild beasts; they are intelligent. You saw it last night – they used our people as bait. Such tactics prove their intelligence is far from ordinary. The marks we leave might be exploited by them."
Hearing Lin Xiao Tian's reasoning, Li Xue sighed helplessly.
"You're right! I hope Miss will be safe."
For the rest of their journey, Lin Xiao Tian tried various methods to discern their direction.
Lin Xiao Tian found that even when he retraced his steps, the scenery along the route would change after a certain period.
Upon closer inspection, certain landmarks on the original route, such as a tree with a large broken branch, now appeared in other locations not far away.
Correspondingly, if these specific areas were excluded, the rest of the surroundings were exactly as he remembered.
It was as if two places had swapped positions!
Lin Xiao Tian finally understood. It wasn't his memory that was failing; the entire Kunlun Valley was constantly shifting!
This valley... was alive!
He now felt increasingly that the chance of escaping had become slim. Unless he could learn to fly or burrow underground, there was no way he could walk out of here.
"Truly a cursed place!"
Lin Xiao Tian couldn't help but mutter.
But giving up was not an option. Qin Yu Xiang was waiting for him outside, and he still had many things to do. He couldn't let his life be wasted here for nothing.
Lin Xiao Tian thought of the stone tablet that had provided him with "qing qi." Since there was a stone tablet in the valley, could there be a second one? Or even a third?
Perhaps there was a way to leave the valley within it.
After all, Luo Ping and the others had managed to emerge from the valley, which meant there was indeed a way out.
Of course, deciphering the secrets of this place would not be a matter of a single day. The immediate priority was to survive.
Their previous supplies had been left behind during the surprise attack by the black dog pack. There weren't many animals in the valley, so Lin Xiao Tian could only subsist on wild fruits.
In the afternoon, they were fortunate enough to find a wild chicken, allowing them a hearty meat meal.
And so, another day passed.
At night, Lin Xiao Tian once again heard the sound of the black dog pack. However, with the scent of medicinal herbs interfering, the black dogs did not discover them.
Lin Xiao Tian saw the monster with a human face and a sheep's body again. It was holding a few bones. Under the moonlight, Lin Xiao Tian recognized them as chicken bones. Coupled with the fact that they had found their location, Lin Xiao Tian suddenly understood.
They had eaten a wild chicken during the day, thinking they had hidden well, but they had been discovered after all.
Fortunately, he knew how to trick these black dogs; otherwise, he wouldn't know what to do.
Also, the vitality of this human-faced, sheep-bodied monster was truly tenacious. Even though its flesh and blood had been divided into several jars, it had somehow revived.
The next day, Lin Xiao Tian continued to move deeper into the valley.
In truth, he himself didn't know if he was moving deeper, or perhaps just circling. But it was still better than doing nothing.
As they walked, Lin Xiao Tian suddenly heard some movement.
"Water?"
Lin Xiao Tian hurried forward a few steps.
Indeed, a small stream appeared not far away.
The water was very clear, and they could even see the sand and stones at the bottom of the stream.
Lin Xiao Tian was already thirsty, but he didn't rush to drink. Instead, he filled his water bottle with the stream water.
The metal water bottles they had brought on this trip would not be damaged even if heated by fire. Lin Xiao Tian waited until the water inside boiled before daring to drink, as one could never be sure what harmful substances might be present in untreated water.
"Water flows downhill. This is a valley. If we follow the stream upstream, we might find a way out," Lin Xiao Tian reasoned.