Wilderness Survival Day 28.
The weather was clear.
The temperature was 23 degrees.
After several days of storms, Dragon Ridge Island finally welcomed a clear day.
The entire island seemed as if it had been purified, weatherworn yet suddenly renewed.
The sky and sea were blue like crystal-clear jewels, calm and undisturbed.
The vegetation on the island was rejuvenated, lush and dripping with freshness.
As the drone swept across with its camera, the images on the screen were so beautiful they seemed like watercolor paintings, almost too stunning to be real.
[Oh my god, is this really the same deserted island from before? How can it be so beautiful?]
[Holy crap, who would’ve guessed this is a place where even birds refuse to shit?]
[Has the Gu Family considered turning this island into a tourist attraction? It would definitely draw a lot of people.]
[Yeah, after all, it’s a place where Lili has been. I want to go there and check in too!]
Reading these comments on the viewer comments, He Pingzhang pondered privately again.
Turning it into a tourist destination certainly was a good idea. It looked like he could make a nice profit from it, and Gu Yu’s earlier proposal was indeed insightful.
A sliver of morning sunlight also penetrated the cave and woke Jiang Cheng as he rubbed his eyes awake from sleep.
He lay on hard stone, his back against the damp cave wall, his blanket nothing more than a jacket, yet he had never slept so soundly.
However, when he fully opened his eyes, he found himself in Jiang Li’s arms, their eyes meeting hers, which were filled with indifference.
"Awake?" Jiang Li’s voice was cold.
Jiang Cheng’s body jolted, and he immediately sprang to his feet, his cheeks turning the color of a fully ripened shrimp.
"I’m sorry, Sister... I didn’t do it on purpose. Did I sleep the whole night? Did I hurt you by laying on you?"
"It’s fine," Jiang Li stood up unconcernedly, dusting off her clothes, "Did you sleep well?" fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"I... I slept pretty well," Jiang Cheng said sheepishly, touching his nose, still enveloped by the pleasant scent of Jiang Li.
Despite not having the chance to wash up because of yesterday’s rain, Jiang Li still smelled incredibly good, even carrying a faint aroma of herbal medicine.
Sometimes, Jiang Cheng really wondered if his ’female devil’ sister was some sort of spirit in disguise, otherwise how could she always appear so bright and clean, and remain so neat and tidy even in the wilderness.
Jiang Li casually combed and tied up her hair, then gargled with salt water. After packing up her things, she handed a bag of bread to Jiang Cheng.
"Eat this to fill your stomach this morning. It’s clear outside now, so let’s hurry on our way back. We should be able to return to the cabin by afternoon."
Jiang Cheng, like a changed person, had no objections and nodded obediently while holding the bread, "Okay, Sister, I’ll listen to you."
Jiang Li gave him a surprised look, then slung her backpack to him before squatting down slightly, "Come here."
"Huh?" Jiang Cheng stood in place, blankly looking at her.
"What’s the matter?" Jiang Li glanced at his leg immobilized with a splint, "Do you think you can walk like that?"
Jiang Cheng said embarrassedly, "Sister, you carried me for so long yesterday. I can manage by myself today."
Jiang Li knit his brows. "You’re purely wasting my time, no more dawdling, hurry up and get on."
Jiang Cheng curled his lip, but at this moment, being scolded by Jiang Li didn’t bother him as it used to, because he knew everything Jiang Li did was for his own good.
So after hesitating in place for a bit, he quickly climbed onto Jiang Li’s back.
He wasn’t particularly short, almost reaching 1.8 meters, while Jiang Li was just over 1.6 meters. Yet carrying someone as tall as him seemed effortless for her.
But witnessing this, Jiang Cheng felt a pang in his heart, silently resolving to never upset the "female devil" again, to treat her better—otherwise, he couldn’t make up for all the hardships she had endured these past days!
Jiang Li carried him for a long time, but after all, she was a girl with limited strength, and needed to stop to rest after every so often.
By the fifth rest, Jiang Cheng felt too heartbroken to let her continue carrying him.
"Sister, just find me a stick," he said. "I can walk on my own."
Jiang Li frowned and was about to argue with him, but he quickly protested, "You haven’t eaten much, and if you completely exhaust your strength because of me, we’ll both end up dying here. Let me walk a bit on my own."
Unable to persuade him otherwise, Jiang Li found a fairly thick branch to serve as a walking stick and then supported him as they continued forward, stopping step by step.
After a while, Jiang Cheng felt much better and suggested that Jiang Li let go and allow him to walk by himself.
Jiang Li raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you can manage?"
Jiang Cheng solemnly patted his chest. "Definitely, don’t worry, I feel much better now."
"Aiyo, little brother Jiang Cheng is much more likable than before; he looks so cute now."
"That’s right, when he was with Su Yinwan, I couldn’t stand his sulky little face, but now he seems much more mature."
"Indeed, rebellious people need Jiang Li to discipline them—a dose of her, and I guarantee the kid will be obedient."
Jiang Li let go, allowing him to walk on his own.
Maybe it was his inherent bad luck or something, but the second Jiang Cheng stepped forward, cheerfully at that, his foot slipped on something wet, and he plunged straight into the bushes ahead.
Jiang Li didn’t even have time to reach out when he was already down, his forehead striking hard against a rock.
"Hisss—" Clutching his almost fractured forehead, Jiang Cheng tried to sit up but couldn’t muster the strength. He opened his eyes to call for Jiang Li’s help but inadvertently caught sight of something in the crevice of the bushes in front of him.
By the time he discerned what it was, his face turned deathly pale, his entire body uncontrollably shuddered, and then he let out a sharp, piercing scream.
The sudden shout startled even Jiang Li, who rushed over to check on him.
"What’s wrong, what are you screaming for?"
Jiang Cheng looked petrified, momentarily forgetting about his broken leg, and throwing aside his crutch, he hid behind Jiang Li, his finger trembling as he pointed towards the bushes.
"Over there, there’s a ghost, a ghost!"
Jiang Li gave him a look. "In broad daylight, where would there be a ghost? Don’t scare yourself, did the fall make you a coward?"
"No," Jiang Cheng argued with a pale face, "It’s true, there’s a face there!"
Skeptical at heart, Jiang Li paced forward, picked up the branch Jiang Cheng had discarded, and parted the bushes.
The instant she saw what lay inside, she couldn’t help but inhale sharply.
There was indeed a face amid the brush.
It should be a corpse.