Jiang Lingxi still didn’t know that her livestream had three more viewers who knew her.
For nearly two uninterrupted hours, they had been trekking through the jungle. Even though she prided herself on her endurance, her legs were starting to feel weak.
Jiang Kaiyuan was panting heavily.
The jungle was nothing like the smooth roads they were used to walking on; the ground was covered in soft pine needles, and overgrown with vines and wild grass that could easily trip someone up if not careful.
Jiang Kaiyuan was unfortunate enough to step into a long-abandoned trap, camouflaged with layers of fallen leaves and weeds. He would have severely sprained his ankle if Jiang Lingxi hadn’t quickly noticed something was wrong and pulled him back up.
After this near-disaster, Jiang Kaiyuan picked up a stick taller than himself to probe the ground ahead before taking each step to ensure it was solid beneath him.
"Isn’t it about ten o’clock now?" Jiang Kaiyuan thought he, a grown man, shouldn’t be the one to suggest a rest, so he waited for Jiang Lingxi to bring it up. When she didn’t, he finally couldn’t help but suggest, "We’ve been walking for about two hours. Shouldn’t we take a break?"
He admired Jiang Lingxi’s perseverance but was genuinely exhausted.
Jiang Lingxi didn’t stop walking. "Hang on a bit longer!"
Without a precise number, who knew if they’d have to keep going until they dropped from exhaustion.
"Listen? Listen to what?"
Wei Ke, who was watching the livestream with his grandparents, quietly replied, "The sound of flowing water."
The next second, Jiang Lingxi stated the same answer, "The sound of flowing water."
Jiang Kaiyuan and Xu Xingyuan, watching the livestream, were baffled, "What sound of flowing water?"
Jiang Lingxi and Wei Ke spoke almost simultaneously, "There’s a stream ahead, maybe even a small waterfall. Hold on a bit longer; not only can we rest, but we’ll also have water to drink."
Xu Maochun couldn’t help but glance at Wei Ke, "Anyone unaware might think the two of you are performing a duet, saying the same things." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel·fire·net
Wei Ke pursed his lips.
The filming equipment by the production team had excellent sound recording, and his hearing was specially trained. With the surroundings quiet, he could—only now—hear the faint sound of flowing water from the livestream.
But sometimes, human ears aren’t as good as machines. That Jiang Lingxi could hear it and make the same judgment as him made him suspect she’d lived in jungles or similar environments before, perhaps even trained her hearing.
Would a celebrity entertainer need such training?
Recalling his uncle’s mention that the show would livestream for a week, he decided to quietly keep watching.
He didn’t mind if Xu Xingyuan accused him of just wanting to see a pretty sister!
"Flowing water?" Jiang Kaiyuan tilted his ear to listen intently. "I don’t hear anything!"
Jiang Lingxi bent down to dodge a hanging branch, "Your heartbeat is too loud. I can hear it from here; your breathing also affects your hearing."
Jiang Kaiyuan pressed his hand against his thudding heart, took a few deep breaths, and then gave up.
Though they were on the same path, and after he nearly stepped into the trap, Jiang Lingxi led the way, he was panting and couldn’t maintain his image at all. Yet the one leading the way didn’t look the least bit flustered and still had the presence of mind to listen for water!
Darn, he’ll get a gym membership near home when he gets back!
After another seven or eight minutes of zigzag walking, Jiang Kaiyuan finally heard the sound of flowing water Jiang Lingxi mentioned.
Not only did he hear it, but he also saw it!
A small waterfall, about a person tall, formed by a rock fracture. Honestly, the flow wasn’t as large as the previous spot they found, but because of the height difference, the sound of the water was much louder.
Seeing the clear water, not only did Jiang Kaiyuan swallow hard at the non-existent saliva, but even Jiang Lingxi felt a bit lighter on her feet.
Despite being this thirsty, Jiang Lingxi still insisted on moving around and surveying the surroundings for a moment.
Unexpectedly, she did make a discovery. A dead bird was caught in a rock crevice, its feathers the same color as the rocks. Without close inspection and with the washing from the water, it was nearly impossible to spot.
She used a branch to push the bird’s body out, then dug a hole nearby to bury it. Turning back, she met Jiang Kaiyuan’s hopeful gaze by the waterfall, "We need to boil the water before drinking it."
Jiang Kaiyuan instantly frowned, "Isn’t that overdoing it? We still have enough purification tablets."
Jiang Lingxi remained firm, "I value my life. I just found an animal carcass in the water. It’s safer to boil it before drinking."
She preferred to go through a bit more hassle than take even the slightest risk in this jungle.
Jiang Kaiyuan couldn’t argue, so he gathered firewood, set up a stand, and only after a while did they start boiling the water. While resting, he stretched his neck waiting for the water to boil.
Xu Maochun nodded lightly, "Lingxi did the right thing. Though purification tablets can disinfect, they might not clear all bacteria in the water. Especially here in the wilderness, boiling the water is the safest option."
As a doctor, he admired those who take their health seriously.
After finally drinking hot water, Jiang Kaiyuan felt like he was alive again.
Before participating in survival, he never thought water could be so hard to come by, and taste this sweet!
Once they finished drinking and rested enough, the two continued their journey.
This wilderness survival wasn’t just about figuring out how to live in the jungle for a week; there were tasks as well.
Everyone had to reach the final destination, a lake deep in the jungle, within the allotted time, before the show ended.
Failure to arrive in time, or straying off course, would result in elimination.
They’d lose the chance to be a guest on the next show.
Jiang Kaiyuan was confident at the start of the show, but now he felt that getting eliminated wouldn’t be too bad.
Filming sure makes one realize how tough things can be!
But in front of his livestream viewers, he couldn’t bring himself to suggest, "Xixi, how about we just give up?" so he dragged his increasingly heavy legs close behind Jiang Lingxi.
Unbeknownst to them, the sun was now directly overhead.
The two stopped in a spot shaded by large trees with rocks to sit, surrounded by lush plants.
The camera, understanding, avoided capturing the two collapsing unceremoniously and instead panned to the scenic surroundings of their rest area.
Jiang Kaiyuan leaned against a rock, feeling his growling stomach once more, "Hungry again!"
The camera paused and gave him a shot before continuing to film the environment around them.
When capturing several plants amidst a cluster of wild grass, a message flashed across the livestream amongst a sea of ’sympathy’ comments.
"There’s food, Kai Yuan! Look to your left, pull out those with oval leaves, and you can eat the roots!"
Whether due to someone’s prayer working, after feeling his stomach for a while and dealing with nature’s call off-camera, Jiang Kaiyuan returned with several muddy chunks, excitedly showing them to Jiang Lingxi, "Xixi, look! I found food! I forgot what they’re called, but I used to dig them up to eat when visiting my grandma in the countryside. You can eat them raw or roasted."
Jiang Lingxi took a piece, wiping off the mud to reveal a pale, slightly green stalk, but couldn’t recognize the plant, "It’s edible?"
"I swear," Jiang Kaiyuan thumped his chest, "They’re crunchy and sweet raw, soft when roasted."
Xu Maochun was about to leave—after all, staring at a phone for so long strained his elderly eyes—but when he clearly saw what they had on screen, his brows furrowed, "Where did this kid get his confidence from? Though similar in appearance, these aren’t the same as what he described!"