You Rong's heart tightened, his expression changing drastically. "What did you say? Qinghe went to Junwu Mountain to look for me?!"
"Yes!" Mother You was about to cry again. "It's all my fault. I couldn't stop her. I was too worried about you then, so I let her go… She's a weak woman going to Junwu Mountain. What if something happens to her?"
Without thinking, You Rong blurted out, "I'll go find her!"
"But it's so late. Can you still find Qinghe if you go into the mountain now?" Mother You asked worriedly.
"Yes, Mom… Please put these away first and get some rest. I'm going to Junwu Mountain now. I'll come back as soon as I find Qinghe."
Mother You wiped away her tears. Although worried about You Rong, she was equally concerned about Lin Qinghe. She held You Rong's hand and instructed him to be careful, then watched him hurry away.
-------------------------------------
Junwu Mountain.
It was completely dark. Lin Qinghe was exhausted from walking. After careful consideration, she decided that looking for someone further was impractical. She needed to find a place to stay for the night and continue her search at dawn.
Lin Qinghe vaguely saw a large rock ahead. She fumbled her way towards it, tidied up the nearby weeds and fallen leaves, and planned to start a fire and rest there. The large rock could also shield her from the wind.
After starting the campfire, Lin Qinghe leaned against the rock, gnawing on the sweet potato she had brought, her thoughts in a mess.
She hoped nothing happened to You Rong. If anything were to happen to him, her mission would be a failure.
After eating and drinking some water, Lin Qinghe made the fire burn even brighter. In the mountains, if there were any fierce beasts, they would likely be afraid of fire.
Adding more dead branches to the fire, Lin Qinghe closed her eyes to rest against the rock. Suddenly, she heard a movement nearby and quickly opened her eyes, tightening her grip on the curved saber in her hand with alertness.
She listened carefully, and the sound was gone.
It sounded like an animal stepping on fallen leaves.
Lin Qinghe swallowed nervously, her nerves taut as she looked around, silently praying she wouldn't encounter wolves.
Wolves were pack animals. If she encountered one, it meant there was definitely a whole pack nearby. If she, alone, ran into a pack of wolves, she would have no chance of survival.
Suddenly, Lin Qinghe saw a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness, and her heart skipped a beat.
Oh my god!
Could it be that as soon as she mentioned wolves, they would appear? Was she that unlucky to run into wolves?
Lin Qinghe's forehead beaded with cold sweat from nervousness. She stared intently at the pair of glowing eyes in the darkness, gripping her curved saber tightly, her mind racing.
They said there was a pack leader in a wolf pack. If she really encountered wolves, her only chance of survival would be to pinpoint the pack leader and risk everything to take it down!
The pair of eyes in the darkness grew closer, and Lin Qinghe became increasingly tense. Suddenly, seeing it charge towards her, Lin Qinghe instinctively screamed in terror, "Ah!!"
But the thing seemed to be startled by Lin Qinghe's scream and turned to run. Lin Qinghe then saw it clearly – it was a sika deer. She immediately let out a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground.
Lin Qinghe patted her chest, still shaken, and muttered to herself, "That scared me to death, scared me to death… Thankfully, it wasn't a wolf or some other fierce beast…"
Meanwhile.
As soon as You Rong entered Junwu Mountain, he found the markers left by Lin Qinghe and followed them. Just then, he heard Lin Qinghe's scream not far away.
You Rong's heart clenched fiercely, and he rushed towards the sound almost desperately.
Gasping for breath, You Rong finally saw the light emanating from the campfire.
As You Rong ran closer, he immediately saw Lin Qinghe, her face pale, patting her chest. He hurried over, grabbed her shoulders, and anxiously asked, "How are you? Are you hurt? Where are you hurt?"
Lin Qinghe was stunned by You Rong's sudden appearance.
Seeing Lin Qinghe remain silent, You Rong became even more worried. He scrutinized her from head to toe, and since he couldn't see any injuries, he feared she might be hurt in an unseen place.
He anxiously asked, "Speak quickly, where are you hurt?!"
Lin Qinghe finally came to her senses and quickly explained, "I'm not hurt. I was just startled by a sika deer that ran past…"
Hearing this, You Rong immediately relaxed, his tense nerves loosening. He frowned and looked at Lin Qinghe, sternly scolding, "A woman like you entering the mountain alone, do you know how dangerous it is?!"
"I…"
Just as Lin Qinghe was about to retort with a wronged expression, she heard the system's prompt: "Progress bar increased by 5%, total progress bar is 6%."
Lin Qinghe's heart leaped with joy. You Rong was worried about her!
The feeling of grievance in Lin Qinghe's heart instantly vanished. Her eyes flickered, and she pretended to be pitiful, grabbing You Rong's sleeve and saying in a soft voice, "It wasn't intentional. I was just worried about you. I was afraid something happened to you in the mountains. You said you'd be home in three days, and today is the fifth day… I was wrong, please don't scold me…"
You Rong pursed his lips, his stern tone softening slightly. "I wasn't scolding you. It's… my fault. I hunted a bit more, and it took me two trips to carry the game from Junwu Mountain to town to sell, and then I rushed to get medicine for Mom, so I was delayed."
Lin Qinghe smiled slightly. "It's okay, as long as you're okay…"
Looking at the smiling woman before him, You Rong felt something hit his heart, and his heartbeat involuntarily quickened.
You Rong looked away uncomfortably, his brow furrowed.
Lin Qinghe said, "If that's the case, you've already been home. Mom must not be as worried now that she knows you're safe."
You Rong nodded. "Mm…" He looked around and said, "It's too late now, and it's inconvenient to leave the mountain. We'll stay in the mountain for the night and go back tomorrow at dawn."
You Rong took Lin Qinghe's hand, pulled her up, and said, "This place isn't suitable for staying the night. There's a cave not far ahead, we'll stay there."
Lin Qinghe clasped You Rong's hand, nodded, and watched him extinguish the campfire and lead her forward.
After about half an hour, the two arrived at the cave You Rong had mentioned. The cave was very clean, with dried branches and other debris remaining. Lin Qinghe guessed it was a place You Rong stayed when he went hunting in the mountains.
You Rong started another campfire. His next words confirmed Lin Qinghe's guess.
"When I come into the mountains to hunt, I always rest in this cave. Don't worry, the cave is very safe, and no fierce beasts will come here."
Lin Qinghe moved closer to You Rong, leaning in more. She replied with a faint smile, "Mm, with you here… I won't worry."
You Rong's eyes drooped slightly, his lips pursed, and he didn't reply. After a moment, he pulled out something wrapped in oil paper from his embrace and handed it to Lin Qinghe.
Lin Qinghe held it in her hands, blinking her large, clear eyes in confusion. "You Rong, what is this…"
You Rong said, "Peanut brittle, you said it was very sweet last time."
You Rong had sold the game he hunted this time for a considerable price. After getting medicine for his mother, he saw someone selling peanut brittle by the door and inexplicably thought of Lin Qinghe, so he bought some.