Chapter 10 Live!

Just as the words fell, rain curtains began to fall from above in the cave.

"It's really raining now," Dong Lier sighed lightly.

After speaking, she asked Ah Long and the others to move to the side, clearing a small area on the right that wouldn't be soaked by the rain for Ying Ranran and her group.

The place where they were originally bound was now wet from the rain. Dong Lier, however, wasn't petty. Even though they had taken the meat from them earlier and taught them a lesson, now that they had reached an agreement, she wouldn't mistreat them.

However, even Dong Lier herself didn't realize that there was a hint of pity in her actions.

Once both parties found their places, silence settled in, and a slightly awkward atmosphere crept in.

Lu Xiaojiu took the initiative to break the silence, "We've become acquainted through adversity. Let's peacefully coexist in the future, haha."

Imitating Dong Ge's usual rhetoric used in disputes over territory, Lu Xiaojiu wanted to lighten the mood. However, talking about territory somehow made him feel more unsure, so he ended up with an awkward laugh.

Dong Lier looked at the sky in silence. Even though she couldn't be described as an experienced wanderer who had seen many people, she couldn't fathom how someone like Lu Xiaojiu managed to survive until now.

"Shut up and eat!" Dong Lier suddenly said.

Seeing Dong Lier like this, Lu Xiaojiu didn't dare to speak further. He could only sit quietly, occasionally glancing at Ying Ranran across the fire.

Another period of silence ensued, interrupted only by the occasional crackling of burning dry wood.

"I'll keep watch tonight. You guys rest if there's nothing else, especially you, He Fei. You need to rest well," Dong Lier suddenly said.

He Fei, upon hearing her name mentioned, hesitated for a moment. Her eyes lowered, nodding, making it hard for others to discern what she was thinking.

"I'll keep watch, you rest," Ah Long looked at Dong Lier and said.

With just six simple words, Dong Lier could sense Ah Long's stubbornness. She didn't argue and nodded in agreement.

After the words were spoken, everyone gathered around the fire. They found comfortable positions and gradually drifted into slumber.

...

Ah Long gazed at Dong Lier's peaceful sleeping face, tranquil and gentle, quite different from her usual self. He couldn't help but be fascinated.

After a while, Dong Lier suddenly turned over, curling up with both hands and feet.

Ah Long knew that Dong Lier was probably feeling cold. The wind occasionally blew through the cave, and even with the fire, it was still a bit chilly. Sleeping in such conditions made it even colder.

Quietly getting up, Ah Long planned to go to Cong Wenhuo's location to get some dry branches to make the fire burn more vigorously.

As he passed by Cong Wenhuo, he suddenly heard Cong Wenhuo softly ask, "Are you going to get some dry branches?"

Surprised, Ah Long replied, "Uh, did I wake you up?"

Cong Wenhuo shook his head, "I was troubled by nightmares." Then he continued, "I probably won't be able to sleep, so you go rest. I'll take over."

Cong Wenhuo often had nightmares, but these past few days, he hadn't experienced any. For some reason, tonight, he dreamt of the scene from that day. In the dream, his father had a desperate and ferocious look in his eyes. Silently, he said, "Survive." Behind his father stood his father's proud friend. Although his mouth spoke of helplessness, the sword in his hand did not hesitate.

Thinking about this, Cong Wenhuo closed his eyes deeply, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. Opening his eyes again, there was a touch of determination and clarity in them.

Ah Long only thought that Cong Wenhuo hadn't fully woken up yet, so he didn't insist. After putting the dry branches he held into the fire, he lay down next to Dong Lier and, facing the direction of the wind, soon fell asleep.

Cong Wenhuo quietly approached the fire, throwing twigs and thin leaves into the fire one by one. His thoughts, however, had already drifted far away, recalling the past, and his face showed a few painful expressions.

"Click!"

The sudden sound made Cong Wenhuo turn his head. The girl in coarse clothes was about to get up, accidentally stepping on a twig and making a noise.

Thinking that Cong Wenhuo was still half-asleep, she said softly while covering her stomach, "I... I..."

"I..." After muttering for a long time, she couldn't say anything. Her face showed shyness, and Cong Wenhuo immediately understood. He turned his head, refusing to look at her.

What she wanted was for Cong Wenhuo to ignore her. She continued to cover her stomach and walked toward the cave entrance.

Not taking more than two steps, she heard Cong Wenhuo suddenly speak, "Take a torch, don't... don't go too far."

"Got it."

After responding, she turned around and picked up a torch, continuing to walk towards the cave entrance.

Originally taking small steps, she gradually increased her pace. Until she turned a corner and couldn't see her figure anymore, she began to walk faster.

Only after leaving the cave did she feel a sense of freedom. In her heart, she ridiculed Ying Ranran and the others. How could they be so foolish as to believe Dong Lier's words about making a deal? If not for some ulterior motive, how could they let them stay?

Now, she didn't care about them anymore. Let them live or die on their own. She just didn't want to stay here and wait for death.

With this thought in mind, she no longer feared the night. Carefully retracing her steps, she walked forward without hesitation.

...

After half a day passed, there was still no sign of Qin Yueshu returning, and Congwenhu couldn't help but feel worried.

Despite the conflicts between them, Congwenhu didn't want a girl like her to encounter danger alone. However, it seemed she had gone out for convenience, and it might be inconvenient for him to search for her on his own.

Congwenhu glanced at the stretched-out figure of Dong Lier on the ground, shook his head, thinking she probably wouldn't be willing to help, and walked towards where Ying Ran was.

"Wake up, wake up," Congwenhu poked Ying Ran with a stick, attempting to wake her up.

Ying Ran woke up abruptly, flipping over and sitting up. Both were startled.

"What's going on?" Ying Ran's tone carried a hint of displeasure.

Congwenhu explained the situation about Qin Yueshu not returning to the cave for half a day.

Ying Ran furrowed her brows, feeling that the situation was not simple. Unable to figure it out, she thought that since they were a group, they should go and search nearby.

Just as they were about to get up, they heard a loud shout from Ying Huanhuan, "Sister!"

Whether intentional or not, this shout woke up everyone who was sleeping.

Ying Huanhuan clearly did it on purpose. She didn't believe Congwenhu's words. If it were true, then everyone should not stay idle. Moreover, she didn't want her sister to go out. In Ying Huanhuan's eyes, her sister was the most important, and others' lives and deaths had nothing to do with her.

"What's going on?" Dong Lier was the first to ask.

Congwenhu, helpless, had to repeat the story of Qin Yueshu leaving the cave.

"This matter has nothing to do with you; we will go and find her ourselves," Ying Ran said, looking at Dong Lier with a hint of suspicion.

Dong Lier couldn't determine whether they had planned this in advance or if it was just an accident. She tentatively asked, "Did she go out on her own? Didn't ask any of you?"

As Dong Lier asked, Ying Ran also began to doubt. Qin Yueshu was usually very timid and wouldn't dare to go out alone, especially at night. The more she thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. However, when she looked at Dong Lier and the others, a sudden insight struck her. Instead of answering Dong Lier's question, she asked, "How did you find this place?"

The two exchanged a glance. Dong Lier seemed to sense the hidden meaning in Ying Ran's words. To verify her thoughts, Dong Lier explained the encounter they had before entering the cave.

"That's why. I was wondering why she insisted on going to find dry wood separately, saying she was going to pick fruit," Ying Ran said with frustration.

Realizing her carelessness, Ying Ran was angry. They had been cautious and didn't encounter anyone on the road. They even covered their tracks along the way. How could Dong Lier and the others find them? She was angry at herself.

Dong Lier said, "We probably shouldn't stay here for long. Pack up, and let's leave quickly!"

Ying Ran also realized that something was wrong and quickly instructed the others to put out the remaining meat and torches.

Led by Dong Lier and the others, they walked cautiously towards the cave entrance, with Ying Ran and the rest covering the rear, slowly groping their way.

However, as soon as Dong Lier lifted the vine covering the cave entrance and stuck her head out, they heard a swishing sound – dozens of cold arrows were coming at them.

Dong Lier acted decisively, turning around and cutting off the vines in front of her. Using the vines to gather the arrowheads, she threw them back.

"Ah~ Ahh~"

The night was too dark, and Dong Lier could only rely on the direction the arrows came from to throw them back. She couldn't see the people, only hearing a few scattered screams.

The others also realized something was wrong. Congwenhu leaped forward and shouted to the people behind, "Retreat, there's an ambush!"

The cave had an echo. Although Congwenhu's voice wasn't loud, it was clear. Ying Ran and the others heard it and immediately ran back to create more space for Dong Lier and the others to take cover.

Ah Long saw Congwenhu leaping forward and trying to share the pressure with Dong Lier. He was unwilling to fall behind, taking a step forward, and his palms danced.

"Clang~ Clang Clang~"

It was the sound of darts and arrowheads colliding.

Dong Lier turned around and gave Ah Long an appreciative look. Of course, Ah Long couldn't see it, but as long as she knew there was someone behind her, Ah Long would be satisfied.

"Retreat back into the cave first," Dong Lier ordered.

As the three evaded the hidden arrows, they slowly retreated into the cave until their bodies were completely concealed, then turned around and ran madly into the cave.

When they could no longer see the figures outside the cave, the people on the other side also stopped shooting arrows. Two men pushed a girl to a concealed thicket.

"See, I didn't lie to you. Please, I beg you, let me go."

The one begging for mercy was Qin Yueshu. Originally, she just wanted to go back to the place where she first entered the forest, as the leader in black had only said they would gather at the forest's exit three days later. He didn't say she couldn't go there early. Qin Yueshu had this idea.

However, shortly after leaving the cave, she ran into this group of people.

She had seen some of these people before. The tall man with sinister eyes was the one who robbed her of meat.

"They are here, but you didn't say how skilled they are," a slender girl standing in front of the thicket lazily said.

Looking closely at this girl, she was of medium height, with ink-like long hair casually tied behind her head with branches. Her facial features were surprisingly beautiful, especially a pair of fox-like eyes that were captivating.

"I don't know. I really don't know they were this skilled," Qin Yueshu insisted.

"Oh?" The charming girl gently lifted Qin Yueshu's face with her hand and continued, "Then keeping you is useless."

Qin Yueshu collapsed on the ground, pleading, "I beg you~ I beg you, spare me."

Thinking about the situation when she was brought to this girl, Qin Yueshu couldn't help but tremble. Her stomach churned, and she couldn't forget that they were cannibals who severed limbs! How could she not be afraid?

Seeing her trembling like this, the charming girl sneered, "Give me a reason to spare you. If you can tell me one, I'll let you go."

Hearing these words, Qin Yueshu felt like she had caught a lifeline.

"I know, I know. Only three of them have martial arts skills. As long as... as long as you deal with them, the others are not worth fearing."

Initially, Qin Yueshu was prepared not to tell the truth. After all, from her observations, she hadn't seen the strength of the girl in front of her. She only knew that the others around her were obedient to her. However, after the previous fight, Qin Yueshu favored Dong Lier and the others more.

If Dong Lier and the others could subdue this group, she could say she went out to relieve herself and got caught. Presumably, they wouldn't make things difficult for her.

But now... Qin Yueshu could only grit her teeth, swallow the broken teeth mixed with blood, and beg for mercy.

"Is this all?" The charming girl seemed dissatisfied.

"There's also... there's a hole at the top of the cave, right above the resting area. If you attack from there..." Qin Yueshu didn't finish her sentence, but the charming girl had already grasped her meaning.

"If only you had mentioned this earlier. I like people who are useful," the charming girl said casually.

Hearing the second half of the sentence, Qin Yueshu felt like she had seen a glimmer of hope. But in the next moment, she realized it was the light leading to hell.

The charming girl wiped the blood off her hands and said casually, "Set her aside for now, consider her a backup source of food."

The people around showed fearful expressions, but their hands moved quickly. One person lifted Qin Yueshu and threw her into a distant bush. There were many bodies like hers in there; she wasn't the first, and no one knew if she would be the last.

"You, go get more torches and prepare to go up the mountain with ten people," the charming girl casually pointed at two people and gave orders.

"Yes."

"The rest stay here and wait. Shoot them with arrows as soon as they come out."

"Yes."

Satisfied with the responses, the charming girl smiled and walked towards the mountain.

...

"Where did they get so many people?" Ying Ran asked Dong Lier.

"I'm afraid that besides our group, all the other teams have gathered outside," Dong Lier replied.

"Why?"

"If I guessed right, this is the only food source in this forest that can fill their stomachs," Dong Lier pointed to the meat.

Everyone fell silent. If that was the case, it would be difficult for them to leave this place.

"What should we do? There are so many people on the other side. How can we escape, and today is the last day. We have to get out before the rooster crows," He Fei said urgently, using such an anxious tone for the first time. After finishing speaking, he felt the gaze of everyone and lowered his head.

Dong Lier looked at everyone in front of her, and the survival rule of "die with fellow travelers but not with a poor wayfarer" emerged in her mind again. With her skills, it would be absolutely no problem to take Ah Long away.

But... Dong Lier shook her head, trying to shake off those thoughts. She decided to give it a try.

"At the rooster's crow today, we will definitely get out," Dong Lier encouraged everyone firmly.

"Yes! We will definitely get out!" Lu Xiaojiu responded instinctively to this kind of encouragement.

Everyone looked at each other, nodding in agreement, showing a spirited appearance.

The two teams, who originally had conflicts, were now united under the current circumstances.

"Da~ Da~ Da Da~"

Dong Lier's eyes were quick, and her hands were fast. Seeing something falling from the top of the cave, she quickly grabbed Ying Ran and retreated.

Ying Ran, taken aback by the sudden change, looked at Dong Lier with complex eyes.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. After all, we are all in the same boat," Dong Lier replied nonchalantly.

"But... their intentions are really malicious." After realizing that the falling objects were torches, Dong Lier was genuinely angry.