The forest at night was still quite damp and cold.
After the campfire had been lit, Zhao Lang felt a lot warmer and somewhat restored in energy.
"Alright, let’s eat something first and then set up the tent. We’ll set out when it’s light tomorrow."
As he spoke, he picked up his backpack, unzipped it, and then poured out everything inside.
However, after a long while, there were only two bottles of water and two bags of bread on the ground.
Zhao Lang fell silent again.
Pei Ye looked at the bread and then at Zhao Lang, "Young master, I’m not hungry. You eat."
[Guard Pei, really, I am crying to death.]
[Isn’t this more of a domineering CEO plot than the couple next door?]
Zhao Lang picked up the bag of bread and clenched it tightly in his palm.
Alright, He Pingzhang, very good, ruthless enough.
He would just consider it a diet.
At that moment, He Pingzhang, sitting in front of the monitor, bit into his silver fork’s filet mignon, then picked up the red wine beside him and toasted towards the image of Zhao Lang.
"Young master, I am doing this for your own good."
On the other hand, after having dinner, Jiang Li and the others quickly turned off the lights and went to sleep.
They had eaten noodle stew made by Jiang Li himself that evening, salty and delicious, that even after brushing their teeth, the taste lingered on.
Lying in bed, Bai Lu was very satisfied with her current life.
Although the conditions were simple, she could eat her fill and dress warmly every day, go to bed before nine at night, and wake up at five in the morning to exercise.
Breathing the air of the wilderness, eating healthy wild vegetables, drinking pure mountain spring water, an overly healthy and regular life had visibly improved her skin condition, almost as if she were back at the age of eighteen.
The hardships and toils of these years had been washed clean in just two short weeks.
It was as if her spirit had been purified.
That night, she, too, slept exceptionally well.
A dreamless night, and by five o’clock the next day, she opened her eyes on time.
She felt no fatigue at all and was even refreshed.
The beds opposite her were already empty.
It seemed that Shang Shuyue and Jiang Li had gotten up early again.
Seeing this, Bai Lu quickly got out of bed, got ready, and then woke up Yu Li and Jiang Yan one by one.
After the three of them washed up, they went out to look for the other two.
But as soon as they went out, they discovered that the two had not gone far at all; they were standing by a pond not far from the entrance of the cave.
The morning fog was still thick, and it shrouded their figures, making them indistinct.
But Bai Lu immediately bounced over happily.
"Good morning, Lili, Shu Yue, why didn’t you go for a run?"
It was only after she got close that she saw what was in front of the two, and she instantly stood frozen in place.
Yu Li and Jiang Yan, seeing her suddenly stop moving, were curious and quickly walked up as well.
"What happened?" Jiang Yan asked, pulling at his zipper, but he too was stunned the moment he looked down.
Not far away, a large expanse of deep red blood trailed across the ground, and even the nearby pond had been dyed pink.
In the midst of the bloodbath, Xiao Hei, who had once slept beside him, had completely stopped breathing, with a long branch still lodged in his spine.
The glaring red color first made him dizzy for a while, then he widened his eyes, his fists creaking tightly.
"Who the hell did this?!"
Bai Lu seemed to finally catch her breath and screamed, then hid behind Jiang Li, sobbing softly.
Yu Li also stepped forward and quickly stood in front of several girls, even though he was a doctor, seeing such a bloody scene still made him involuntarily frown.
Shang Shuyue’s lips turned somewhat pale, whether from the cold or from fright, she gently shook her head, "I don’t know, Jiang Li and I found it when we came out this morning... We didn’t hear anything last night."
It was the first time Jiang Li’s face looked coldly frightening.
She remained silent, just motionlessly staring at Xiao Hei’s wounds.
Jiang Yan got agitated, "Who the hell is so immoral as to not even spare a pet? Damn, if you’ve got the guts to attack from behind, have the guts to show yourself, and see if I don’t kill you with one punch!"
The air was filled with a heavy atmosphere.
After so many days together, they had come to see Xiao Hei as part of their team.
It was well-behaved and even helped scare others away, but now....
"It’s a demonstration," Jiang Li finally spoke, her eyes cold and dark.
The perpetrator had only killed a wild boar but hadn’t taken anything from its body, nor had they harmed them in the slightest.
What else could such blatant demonstration mean?
Moreover, whoever could slaughter such a large adult wild boar with just a branch must not be a simple character.
"What do we do now?" Bai Lu sobbed.
Jiang Li sighed and raised her hand to touch her head.
"Let’s first help it pass on."
The wild boar had already opened its spiritual acupoint, and its death was so painful, if they didn’t properly help it pass on, it would surely become a vengeful spirit.
Then, Jiang Yan and Yu Li dug a large pit on the spot, wrapped the wild boar in a mat, and then carried it in to bury.
Jiang Li found a reasonably good piece of wood in the forest, drew several runes with cinnabar she had exchanged, and then placed it atop the small pile of wood. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
As the others witnessed, she obtained talisman paper and began to write and draw on it; finally, with her eyes closed, she recited the mantra.
The others did not disturb her but silently stood behind her, closing their eyes and praying for Xiao Hei.
After everything was completed, Jiang Li burned the talisman paper, turned around, and smiled at them, "With these talismans, perhaps in the next life, he could be reborn as a human."
Shang Shuyue’s mouth opened slightly, seemingly finding everything too magical, wanting to say something, but she eventually closed her mouth slowly.
Indeed, sometimes, the pain of parting through death is too overwhelming for humans, and turning this grief into hopes and bonds for the next life is a form of healing.
Sure enough, hearing Jiang Li’s words, Bai Lu felt much better, wiped away her tears and said, "If that’s the case, then that’s wonderful."
But she also wondered who had killed Xiao Hei?
"It’s probably related to that group who attacked us before," Jiang Yan ground his teeth, "Could it be Mu Ye, holding a grudge?"
"It’s not him," Jiang Li flatly denied, "He wouldn’t be so cruel."
She had seen his Four Pillars of Destiny; he was merely rebellious in his youth, but he definitely wouldn’t commit such a cruel act.
"That leaves only one possibility..."
Team A captain, Ji Yanbai.
He had sent Mu Ye over as an undercover agent, and after the plan was exposed and Ji was humiliated by Jiang Li, it was not surprising that he could do such a thing.
This time Jiang Yan reacted quickly, clapping his hands and saying, "The hell, that guy is so arrogant? I’ve got to give him a proper greeting!"