The temperature in the valley was significantly higher than outside, but the mountain wind was biting, so a fire still needed to be started. It could also be used to cook.
After eating plain congee and sweet potatoes for days, Li Man'er was truly fed up. Wolf meat was not good, and she couldn't possibly eat her jerky indefinitely; that wouldn't be logical.
Fortunately, the mountain paths were not lacking in game. Even in the biting cold of winter, plenty of good things could be hunted. Qi Yihan, perhaps sensing Li Man'er's hidden displeasure, personally led his men to hunt a few rabbits to add to her meal. Compared to the sour and tough wolf meat, Li Man'er naturally favored rabbit meat, especially when seasoned with plenty of chili powder. Wasn't rabbit meat tastier than wolf meat?
After eating, Li Man'er took the opportunity to enter her personal space. She dared not openly bathe there for fear of having to explain, but she still needed to clean herself up. After all, she had the means.
She had clearly smelled sulfur but hadn't found a hot spring; what a pity.
Li Man'er drank a bottle of soda before reluctantly emerging from her space. When she and A'si returned to the camp, they found Qi Yihan talking with A'wu.
"What are you talking about?"
A'wu took a couple of steps back, ceding space to Li Man'er.
"We're discussing the 'ghost hitting a wall' phenomenon," Qi Yihan said with a frown. "We can't keep walking in circles. Do you have any ideas?"
It seemed they were stumped.
"I don't think it's 'ghost hitting a wall.' Where are the ghosts in this world? Perhaps it's related to the magnetic field."
"Magnetic field?" Qi Yihan asked. "You think there's a large magnetic field here?"
Li Man'er stated confidently, "Otherwise, how do you explain it? 'Ghost hitting a wall' in broad daylight; that's not realistic." She wasn't sure how to explain it to Qi Yihan. If not the magnetic field, should she talk about a state of misty consciousness, or kinetic illusions?
Both of those seemed even less realistic than the magnetic field!
One could not underestimate the wisdom of ancient ancestors. They had long ago grasped the concepts of human magnetic fields, biological magnetic fields, and geomagnetism. The earliest "Five Stones Therapy" included magnetite for treating infantile convulsions.
From commoners building houses to emperors constructing mausoleums, using compasses to find auspicious locations, all were related to magnetic fields.
"Just knowing about a magnetic field isn't useful," A'si said. "The most important thing is to get out. Miss, do you have any good solutions?"
Li Man'er replied, "I've been tired all night. What good ideas could I possibly have! Let's rest early and think of a solution when it's light tomorrow."
Similar scenery, blurred self-perception, unfamiliar wilderness environments, and subtle differences in individual movement could all contribute to the 'ghost hitting a wall' phenomenon. The best approach was to get enough rest, have sufficient energy, and when visibility was good, focus intently on distinguishing unfamiliar directions.
There was another more effective method that Li Man'er temporarily decided not to reveal, saving it for daylight tomorrow.
Qi Yihan had a nagging feeling that Li Man'er hadn't fully disclosed her thoughts, as if she had already devised a solution.
However, since she was unwilling to speak, he decided to wait.
That night, Li Man'er slept soundly. The faint sweat odor on her body was finally thoroughly cleansed.
In a daze, Qi Yihan thought he smelled a faint scent of jasmine. He believed he was hallucinating; where would jasmine come from in the middle of winter?
Yet, the faint fragrance persistently wafted into his nostrils, seemingly emanating from Li Man'er.
Qi Yihan was disturbed by the scent and didn't rest well that night. However, he was accustomed to a life of constant movement and had his martial arts to sustain him. The next morning, he woke up feeling refreshed, showing no sign of a sleepless night.
After breakfast, A'wu again scouted for a path, but after two rounds, found nothing, essentially just circling in place.
Qi Yihan asked Li Man'er if she had thought of a solution. Li Man'er smiled mysteriously and uttered four words: "An old horse knows the way."
Qi Yihan instantly understood Li Man'er's meaning.
Horses were highly intelligent animals with exceptional directional abilities. Many horses could carry injured masters home, and even guide people out of dangerous places like misty forests and valleys.
But they had no horses.
Li Man'er seemed to have perceived Qi Yihan's contemplation. She pointed to a small, injured rabbit nearby.
Qi Yihan then smiled and instructed someone to release the rabbit from its makeshift cage.
This rabbit was one he had hunted yesterday. Other rabbits had been killed with a single arrow, but this rabbit's luck, whether good or bad, was that it had been impaled alongside another rabbit. The other rabbit had died, but this one had survived, though with an injured leg.
Seeing that it was still alive, Li Man'er had woven a simple cage for it from branches, temporarily saving it from being eaten, as freshly killed rabbit was tastier.
Fortunately, they hadn't killed it yesterday.
Li Man'er took out a packet of powder from her embrace. "This medicine has a very strange smell, and no matter how you try to conceal it, it can't be masked. If we smear some on the rabbit, even if we lose sight of it later, we can track it by its scent."
A'wu's eyes lit up instantly. Such a remarkable item could be completely utilized in tracking.
Li Man'er applied some medicine to the rabbit and asked the others to move away to avoid startling it and making it reluctant to move.
The rabbit indeed curled up and remained motionless. After waiting for a while longer, seeing that the people around seemed genuinely intent on letting it go, it hopped away.
Thanks to its injured leg, the group followed it at a leisurely pace, never losing sight of it. Its burrow seemed to be far from their current location. As they followed it, they gradually noticed the scenery changing.
The temperature dropped, and more snow accumulated on the trees. The snow on the ground was thick, and occasional animal tracks could be seen. The sulfurous smell in the air also grew fainter.
"Have we gotten out?" one of the team members couldn't help but exclaim.
"Yes, it's completely different from yesterday. Look, the snow here is clearly thicker than over there."
"It really is."
Although Qi Yihan said nothing, the smile in his eyes conveyed everything. He consulted his map, carefully identified their bearings with A'wu, and then led the group forward.
The group traveled for over four hours continuously, not even stopping for a hot lunch, munching on dried provisions and wolf meat. They finally stopped as dusk began to fall.
This time, Lady Luck smiled upon them once more.
A'wu led the group to find a cave and also discovered a pool of water. The team immediately began cleaning the cave, hunting, and chopping firewood, each person attending to their duties.